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{
    "id": 1618465,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1618465/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 4569,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Marakwet East, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kangogo Bowen",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "state that the budgetary allocation to the water sector is very low despite water provision being a constitutional right under Article 43 of the Constitution. I had earlier proposed to this House that there should be water allocation per constituency. As a starting point, I recommend allocating Ksh50 million per constituency to support a water access program for the people, including the sinking of boreholes or the excavation of water pans. We often see donor-funded projects worth billions of shillings concentrated in one corner of the country. As for Government of Kenya projects, you may find a dam worth Ksh20 billion, Ksh30 billion, or Ksh50 billion under construction for twenty years, and yet people still do not have access to water. If the funds that are allocated to dam projects were allocated to the NG-CDF and each constituency gets, say, Ksh100 million, totalling Ksh28 billion, the impact on water provision would be bigger. We need to avoid the big dam projects. Let us complete the stalled projects and invest in small projects that can ensure people access water within a month or two of implementation. Regarding last-mile electricity connectivity, I support what Hon. Naisula said. Some constituencies, particularly in Nairobi, are oversupplied and may not require additional funding. However, in areas like Northern Kenya or Kerio Valley, including my constituency, we have less than 10 per cent connectivity, whereas others have 100 per cent. The ministry should prioritise regions with the lowest coverage when allocating funds for last-mile connectivity. As a House, we also need to take this seriously so that every Kenyan can benefit. Lastly, I would like to comment on the issue of pending bills, which is very important. There are so many contractors in this country whose properties have been auctioned. Some sold their properties to raise money to service government projects, but they have not been paid. Payment of pending bills has a trickle-down effect on everyone, from the driver in the contract to the mama pima, who cooks githeri for construction workers. With those remarks, I support."
}