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{
"id": 143086,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/143086/?format=api",
"text_counter": 340,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Bishop Wanjiru",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Housing",
"speaker": {
"id": 372,
"legal_name": "Margaret Wanjiru Kariuki",
"slug": "margaret-wanjiru"
},
"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the 2004/2005 Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report. However, I wish that we were dealing with the report for 2006/2007 or 2008/2009 Financial Year today. If we are still dealing with the Report for 2004/2005, it means that we are still very far from putting our act together. I am grateful to the hon. Member of the Committee who has just finished his contribution in support of the Report. The Kshs17 million and many other figures in- between display a lot of mismanagement of public funds. We have a management problem in our country. We can budget and plan, but we are poor at managing our resources. My prayer is that, that would change one day. Since hon. Members of the respective Committee are here, maybe, they can make recommendations on how that can change. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we implement our projects, I also see that we have a problem with the finishing. This is with regard to the quality of products or services we give to the common mwananchi . I also note from the Report that some officers were summoned to appear before the Committee but they did not come on time. What are we doing to discipline the officers who do not respect House Committees? We should do something about this. That notwithstanding, the Report is very good. I hope that we will find a way to deal with the backlog and be up to date. We should change the way we do things because we are still dealing with the 2004/2005 Report. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, that said and done, I would also like to comment on our national wealth creation. Either we have forgotten the youth or we are not creating wealth for them at all, except the Kazi Kwa Vijana Programme that we are implementing. That programme is working out very well, but the youth are many. Right now, if you visit Ngara Street, you will find hawkers all over. Some even stand in front of shops. Those hawkers happen to be in Starehe Constituency. My disappointment is that even within our Government and especially, the Ministry of Local Government, we are not doing anything about the hawkers. We keep on calling them hawkers while they should fall under the small traders. We do not facilitate them get markets or seem to be concerned with their plight. I wish the Ministries concerned could give some attention to the hawkers. Instead of driving hawkers out of the streets, they should facilitate them to be allocated stalls or modern markets. It is unfortunate that we spent hundreds of millions on one market called âMuthurwaâ, that was unable even to accommodate a quarter of the hawkers in the City. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am very disappointed that up to date and as we sit in this House, we still have Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who live in tents. These people are suffering, and yet funds have been allocated to various Ministries to cater for them. Maybe, the PAC should also find out how that money was spent, whom it helped and why we cannot resettle the IDPs. We really need to put our act together, as a Government, by doing what is right. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also cannot forget the women of this country. We have been told that there is the Women Enterprise Development Fund money, which women are unable to access. It is time we, as the Government, simplified matters for our nation in order for the citizens to be allocated the funds that are available."
}