Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1521333,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521333/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 214,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John Mutunga Kanyuithia",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "formula that we had rejected, therefore, the exclusion. So, we were once again excluded from those sub-locations that require the Equalisation Fund. The Equalisation Fund is important because, for instance, most of the parts could be developed in Meru County. However, Tigania West and other parts of the ASAL sub-counties are not developed. This is a serious problem. As I said earlier, people cannot live in an area without water, so they must try to get some water. They may access water because they live there. They do not just graze animals and move around; they live there. They are farmers and not herders; they are cultivators of the land. On the other hand, they may have some makeshift health facilities that are not of good quality. The watering points are just improved dams or water ponds. Therefore, we need to dig deeper to understand whether we should reconsider such areas for equalisation. Some areas are rarely productive because there is not enough rainfall to sustain crops to maturity. People living in some of those areas in my constituency, such as the lower Kianjai, Athwana, and part of Akithi Wards, are marginalised. We have a serious problem there. Therefore, we need to revisit the formula and ask ourselves whether having makeshift health facilities, some watering points, or living in an area with an ill-equipped school is good enough. These areas should not be excluded from the Equalisation Fund. The other issue I would like to consider is the management of the Fund itself, which many Members have spoken to. The proposed legislation is to moderate the management of the Funds in view of identifying projects that are supposed to be done in an area. It is the prioritisation of the projects. Identification has to do with public participation. In most cases, you will realise that public participation sometimes lacks credence. It is not exhaustive and overly inclusive. Prioritisation needs to ask the people exactly what they need. The initiation of projects vis-a-vis the availability of money is the other issue that comes up. In some cases and to a certain extent, Exchequer releases have been an issue in this country. Members have complained that the Equalisation Fund is not working because initiated projects are not progressing at the expected rate. It takes quite a while before they progress to maturity and closure. The legislative proposal is needed to moderate the committees that have to sort out issues of identification, prioritisation, initiation, project implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of some projects. The management aspect of the Fund is an issue that needs revisiting. On the other hand, the amount is 1.5 per cent of the Budget. When you look at the vastness of this country, 80 per cent of Kenya falls under ASALs. Do we want to maintain people doing business in ways that may never be fully sustainable? We have more or less maintained the kind of animals we have had since we became inhabitants of this country. We have not considerably improved the animals. Animals have not changed in the northern rangelands, which include parts of where I come from-Isiolo, Samburu, Marsabit, North Eastern, and other areas. The genetic pool of the country has not impacted them. Animals in the southern rangelands may have changed, but not in the northern rangelands. We need intensification to bring AI services to people. We need to think about AI services for people to use. The idea is to make water available to ensure these animals are in centralised places. Then, we can improve the quality of the animals. The most important thing is the turnover and not following the animals forever. Let us have animals that get to market weights at a good age. You do not have to keep an animal for 10 years for it to get to market weight. It may need a maximum of three years. Many countries in this world are developing like ours. However, they are doing 18 months to get 500 kilogrammes of an animal's live weight. We should be able to do that because we are properly endowed scientifically. We have what it takes. We have a whole Kenya Animal 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."
}