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{
    "id": 1613563,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613563/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 4603,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kanduyi, FORD-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Makali",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Since Independence, last year marked the first time we employed 50,000 teachers at once. If we are to employ more teachers, I have some in my constituency who graduated as far back as 2014, and have not yet been employed. We must address the unemployment scourge that is affecting our country. As much as we have allocated funds to education, our universities are still having problems. Capitation is a problem. We have a problem with the formula for disbursing the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) loans. I am hoping that in the new Financial Year, we will have a seamless remission of capitation to our schools so that the headteachers can run schools fairly and properly. My second issue is in the agriculture sector. Agriculture contributes 20 per cent of our Gross domestic product (GDP). I have seen that the Committee has allocated Ksh78 billion towards that sector. Food security is very important. We want to thank the Government for the overtures it has made in the subsided fertiliser programme. How I wish that more funds are allocated towards the free fertiliser subsidy to enable farmers to go back to work in their farms so that we can be a food secure nation. My only worry in the agriculture sector is the sugar sector reforms. Last year and the better part of this year, we embarked on the sugar sector reforms. The train for the reforms in the sugar sector left the station. I come from an area where farmers rely on sugar-cane for their upkeep. The sugar factories have been leased. While I appreciate that the Committee has allocated Ksh2 billion towards the sugar sector reforms, my main worry – if you look at Annexure IV – is that there are unfunded areas. The Committee has clearly pointed out that we will require another Ksh5.3 billion towards payment of workers and cane farmers. I hope when we get to the Committee on Supply, we will allocate some money towards the settlement of those arrears of sugar-cane farmers, specifically of the poor Nzoia Sugar cane farmers and employees who their factory has been leased to an investor to run so that the Government can actualise that particular promise. In schedule IV, you will see unfunded areas. The third thing is in the health sector. We appreciate what the Government is doing to ensure that universal health care is working. Every Tuesday when we come to this Assembly, we find the universal health workers demonstrators …"
}