Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1464054,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1464054/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 389,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dagoretti South, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Kiarie",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also extend my gratitude and congratulations to the Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and his Committee. The current situation in the country has required this Committee to work diligently. Some Members may not be aware that due to the ongoing events in the country, this Committee has had to work tirelessly, without seeking extra commendation or glory. They have presented report after report as we continue to manage our budgets and source for projects in this financial year. It is not lost on any of us how we reached this point. We are aware of the situation with the Finance Bill 2024 and the subsequent review of these reports. I second and support that this Bill be approved by Parliament with the requisite amendments. If we adhere to the Committee's recommendations, we will be pushing our country towards industrialisation. The investment in county parks is informed by the bottom-up economic transformation agenda which aims to propel the country into a middle-income status. We are intentionally making efforts towards this goal. We can draw inspiration from countries like Singapore that had to pause at some point and change their way of doing things. The bottom-up economic transformation agenda is doing the same by intentionally drawing up value chains, with agriculture being one of them. Agriculture is not just about farming but also involves value addition. We aim to add value to our products so that they do not go to the market raw; for instance, we will not sell our milk raw. In doing so, we will create employment opportunities for young people and, more importantly, we will progress towards industrialisation. If approved, this Bill aimed at moving the country towards industrialisation and provides for the funding of county aggregation industrial parks in eight counties. As the Chair mentioned, instead of spreading the resources too thinly, we can begin with the eight counties and start reaping benefits from them. Universal Healthcare is a big thing in Kenya. As we develop the infrastructure-heavy projects, we are reminded that our biggest investment should be in people. The health of our people is critical. Therefore, I am excited about the journey towards universal healthcare. As the Chair mentioned, the 42 Moi districts became counties. Some are new and emerging, while others are old but never had headquarters. This Bill aims to allocate resources for the county headquarters, even as we allocate Ksh380 billion from the equitable share and additional funds. With the money that we are bringing in now with the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill (Senate Bill No.19 of 2024), counties need to rethink their economies. One easy way of rethinking county economies is appreciating that a county is such a small entity in economic terms that standing on its own might not be a concern. There might be need for our counties to start moving towards economic blocs; regional economic blocs. 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."
}