Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1347481,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1347481/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 353,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana, MGH",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "employment and skills development in that area considering there are people who specialize in that area. Madam Temporary Speaker, the other day, we sat as the Senate Committee on Energy and talked with suppliers of electricity meters. We discovered that the suppliers of electricity meters were only six and their biggest customer is Kenya Power. Those are the ones who can manufacture and most of them are Chinese. If they are not Chinese, they are Koreans and only one is a fully-owned Kenyan company. The Committee challenged them to transfer skills. They told us that it is going to take time. Even in the water sector, we will need transfer of skills to our people so that they see this as an area of investment so that they can go into that sector. It will create employment and local wealth for local people. Kenyan people will see that there is an area of investment they can go into and make a good living because everyone will need to drink water, one way or the other. It is time we thought of getting into public-private partnerships, even in the water sector. The Constitution in Article 43 says that every person has a right to clean and safe water in adequate quantities. Adequate quantities, Madam Temporary Speaker. At the bottom, it gives this responsibility to the State. Article 43(3) states - “The State shall provide appropriate social security to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependants.” These social and economic rights are called progressive human rights. They are not like first generation human rights. These human rights are supposed to be attained over a period of time, so that they are progressively attained. When you look at counties that have capacity issues like our county, we still need clean water and in adequate quantities. However, where there is no investment, it is good to tweak the law to allow private capital to come in, partner with county governments and allow for investment in this sector. Madam Temporary Speaker, when the Government says, let us open this sector so that people with capital can invest, it is a plan. It may not be a perfect plan, but it is a plan. This is because the demand is huge and all of us looked at the budget and we know that the development vote that Kenya has is very minimal. Education takes up almost everything. After education, there is defence and from there you go to Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). When it comes to water, there is little money left for its development. When we have emergencies, they can even wipe out the Contingency Fund that is there for the nation. You will note that these emergencies go to the vulnerable Ministries; like the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation. If it is private capital, no one will come there to touch what you are doing. When the Government is saying it is opening this sector so that we can progressively achieve clean water according to Article 43 of the Constitution in progression and in sufficient quantities, then this is a good step forward. Madam Temporary Speaker, I have argued before and will continue to argue that the problems of this country will not be solved with good political intentions. The problems of this country are going to be solved with hard work, legislative frameworks and good policies; hardworking Ministers and legislators who will deliver good quality"
}