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{
    "id": 146929,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/146929/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 248,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, you realise that the issue of national security is paramount. You can have everything else but without national security, you will have nothing. You can develop but that development can be destroyed without premium insurance from national defence. The Ministry of State for Defence is a premium insurance of national security. Some hon. Members do not know that the Kshs44 billion that has been allocated to this Ministry is peanuts. In order for the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kenya to safeguard our borders, they require more than Kshs100 billion. We can quantify why we require that amount of money. The seminar we are urging the Minister to organise for Members of Parliament is for us to go and inform hon. Members why national security is very important. Maintenance of law and order is a very important aspect of our country. If we do not have a police force that is able to maintain law and order in this country, then the country will go the dogs. Therefore, the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security needs to be funded adequately. Therefore, to me, the amount of money that was allocated to those two Ministries is peanuts. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the ongoing reforms are under-funded. We need a new constitution. We have a Committee of Experts, an Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC), an Interim Boundary Review Commission (IBRC) and an Interim Electoral Court (IEC). We want the Minister for Finance to fund these commissions, so that we can have a new constitution within the timeframe that was decided by the two principals. This is very important. The other issue I want to speak about is that of devolving funds to the constituencies. We want the district steering groups, with MPs as the patrons, to manage all the funds that have been devolved to the constituencies, which are quite substantial. Suddenly, the Minister gave the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) over Kshs18 billion, which is the equivalent of Kshs86 million per constituency. He has given Kshs22 billion as a stimulus package which is equivalent to Kshs105 million per constituency. He has allocated Kshs30 million per constituency for a centre of excellence. He has allocated Kshs20 million for a health centre. This is a very important fund which should be properly managed. The MPs should oversee its usage."
}