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"id": 1456629,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1456629/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Homa Bay County, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Atieno Bensuda",
"speaker": null,
"content": "my side, I insert my card at the right time. It is blinking and it confirms that I am in the House. We must be responsible and correct simple mistakes. I note that I was also a member of the meeting that Hon. Millie Odhiambo attended. This is because the issues that were being discussed touched on child rights, protection, governance, legitimacy, campaigns and the budgets that have been allocated to take care of our children. It was affirmed in that meeting by the Generation Z that systems have collapsed in this nation. There is the issue of sycophancy and the Members of Parliament feeling that they are the only ones who have failed this nation. We must take it up from the grassroots. We must learn how resources are utilised, how budgets are done and how public participation is conducted in all our respective counties. They must be realistic and stick to the true course. On this Budget, where are we in terms of revenue generation as a country? These things must not be opaque. They must be publicised and given ample time to inform the kind of budgets and appropriations that we need to come up with. It is not only the case of austerity measures, the case of cutting down the recurrent budgets and the case of cutting down development budgets. Grants do come to this country. Those things must be made public with a lot of equity, public participation and monitoring the implementation of grants that come from outside. We are not crying and we should not be persistent. We cannot keep on borrowing. We are in serious debt and yet, there is no accountability in respect of money that is collected locally. There is no accountability on the grants that are received by this nation. Oversight, that is, checking and ascertaining that projects are distributed equitably is not working and, at the same time, the needs of the people are not effectively taken care of. We must differentiate, as a House, what is theory from what is practical and what affects any part of this nation. You asked me very well to tell you and to tell this House something about Homa Bay. I first want to talk about taking care of women. There are markets that the national Government confirmed that they were going to build like Kona Kobodo, Rodi Kopany and Kendu Bay, just to mention a few. I advocate for the construction of those markets for women. The markets should have solarised boreholes and power. We need them to have solar energy for their security so that they can maximise on the time that they spend in the market. To that level, I am advocating for the provision of transformers and electricity to the many markets that currently lack them. You cannot separate a woman from water. So, even the 10,000 litres capacity water tanks that I have distributed across the markets and the schools ― over 100 in number ― are quite inadequate. We need to increase the tanks. We need to play around with the current Budget. We know that even State House funding has been left at Ksh5 billion. We can remove Ksh1 billion there so that we can ensure that we have solarised water boreholes, power in our markets and footbridges that are connecting the agricultural areas to the markets. I am advocating that the Budget and Appropriations Committee look for an additional Ksh1 billion to take care of our markets and agricultural areas. In as much as we are reducing and trying to work with what Kenyans can afford, recently, we were hit hard by floods. We need water pumps in Karachuonyo and Wang’chieng. There are families that are always displaced. Are we waiting for another flooding? This year, or since we got into power…We did not get into power as Azimio. Let me correct that. This country needs true and honest spiritual legislation. Given the evils we have undergone in this country, I am even worried about this Budget. Talk of Shakahola deaths, the floods, the coronavirus, corruption and failure to implement serious recommendations. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) should take charge and do its work. The Senate should take charge and do its work. Let us oversee. Let things be done. From any 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."
}