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{
    "id": 1451736,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1451736/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 348,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nyatike, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Tom Odege",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Landcruiser V8 because I am managing the NG-CDF is ignorance. Most of the senators who are arguing like that were former Members of Parliament, and we never told them to go to the Senate. If being a Member of Parliament was good enough for them, why did they go to the Senate? If senators can listen to me, let them think of devolving more funds to the wards and not think of how to stop the NG-CDF. We need more money at the grassroots. We need more funds closer to the people. As Members of Parliament here, the debate I was expecting in this budget is how we can improve the NG-CDF. Like me sitting here today, I can tell you I have over 800 fully sponsored students in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and universities being fully funded by the NG-CDF. Most of those students, if you talk to them today…That is why the Gen Zs are making noise here in big towns and they cannot make noise back in Nyatike Constituency because they are taking the bulk of the money. The bulk of the money from the NG-CDF of Nyatike is benefiting the Gen Zs in my constituency. If you ask them today: “How do we go about this NG-CDF now that people do not want it?” They will burn you. I can challenge the senators and even the governors to go and conduct public participation in our constituencies about the NG- CDF and they will get the results. The only money that is being talked about at the lowest level there is the NG-CDF. We would want to change the debate. If the senators are working under the governors, we need a fund in the wards so that they can lessen our responsibility down there. Let us divide the responsibility. If you go there as a Member of Parliament, you will find people asking you for roads, water and issues related to Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) because they see you building classrooms. If ECDE or water is lacking, they look for them from you but, when you come to the Act here, you are barred from doing those things. However, because the people elected you, they think that is your full responsibility. That is why the debate now should be on how to devolve more money to the lowest level possible. If I were a member of the Senate today, I would have lobbied the National Assembly to see how best we can get more funds from the national Government up to the ward level. You do not fight a fund which is already devolved and is closer to the people. This money is from the national Government and there is no guarantee that if you stop it today, it will go to the counties. That money will revert to the national Government and those governors will not see it. Trying to stop people from getting money up to the lowest level possible, I would say here today that, that it is a debate which we cannot entertain. If a senator talked of the NG-CDF being a Member of Parliament's money, that senator needs to be enlightened. He or she requires a seminar and if not, then divine intervention because it is like they do not live in this country. Equally, they do not know what they are supposed to do so that we can lift this country together. What can make us live in this country together is insisting on how we can get more money from the national level to the lowest level. The NG-CDF is one of them and if they work and think they can help Kenyans, well, let them advocate so that we get money which can go up to the ward level where people can budget. We can then do something at the constituency level, the governor also does something at the constituency level, and we will end up getting more money at the lowest level, as opposed to trying to debate over the fund which its benefit has been seen down there. For anyone who is thinking of how to try and frustrate the NG-CDF, let them be ready to face the wrath of Kenyans. This Fund is now beyond a Member of Parliament. This Fund is owned by Kenyans and if you want to criticise it, be rest assured that they will face you because this is the money they are seeing down there. With us, we are not paid any salary or anything. We take the money to the people and do what they want. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}