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{
    "id": 1229116,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1229116/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 221,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13199,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Kiio Wambua",
        "slug": "enoch-kiio-wambua"
    },
    "content": "Mungatana, MGH, that he has brought an enabling legislation so that now Kenyans can access and test the veracity of Article 43 of the Constitution. We can say it is the right of every Kenyan in every part of this country to have access to health, education, good road networks and water. You know there is one thing that we must also disabuse ourselves and disabuse this nation of. Governments do not give rights to citizens. The rights of the citizens are enshrined in the Constitution and enabling legislation. With the passage of this law, I believe Kenya will be a better place to live in. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will go to Part II of the Bill on obligations of the national and county governments. I like it that Sen. Mungatana, MGH, has properly applied his mind to this Bill. There are obligations that belong to the national Government and those to the county governments. On the obligations of the national Government, in Clause 5(d), the proposer of the Bill says that the national Government should put in place adequate infrastructure that will be necessary to meet the obligations of its citizens in realizing their economic and social rights. Mr. Speaker, Sir, some of these pieces of infrastructure include roads and dams. However, there is one thing that we hardly ever talk about. Therefore, I want to make it alive in this Bill. That is the issue of regional airstrips. The other day, as I joined my principals in going around the country to preach peace and give people an opportunity to exercise their rights, I landed at Kakamega and Trans Nzoia airstrips. They are beautiful pieces of infrastructure. In terms of making people access infrastructure to be able to realize their economic and social rights, I remember it was the promise of the Kenya Kwanza Coalition, that there will be at least one airstrip in every county. That is important because this country must begin to be aspirational even in terms of development. It is a bit difficult for citizens of Kenya from far-flung areas who work in the capital to often visit their rural counties using roads because of ventures of road transportation. If we can achieve the dream of having a properly done and functioning regional airstrip in at least every county, that will really help in pushing forward the development agenda in this country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, big counties like Kitui have only one dilapidated and unusable airstrip. The only aircraft that can land at Ithookwe Airstrip in Kitui is maybe a chopper. The smallest caravan cannot even land there. A county as expansive as that should have airstrips in Kitui, Mutomo and Tseikuru. That would spur development, communication and transportation. Finally, on the obligation of the county governments, I have seen in Clause 5(2)(d), under the county government obligation, that the sponsor is talking about prioritizing allocation of resources to ensure the realization of economic and social rights, while taking into account the special needs of vulnerable persons. That is important. Maybe this is the time that it should be illegal. Counties that do physical planning should not issue construction licenses and authority to contractors who do not take into account the special needs of Persons with Disabilities (PWD)."
}