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{
"id": 1623240,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623240/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4667,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Marsabit County, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Naomi Waqo",
"speaker": null,
"content": "denied identity cards. I appreciate the effort of our President, who has given this a lot of attention. For sure, we are happy because he has said that we should do away with the vetting. As a result, many people are now registering for their identity cards. It is my prayer that this process will proceed smoothly due to the budget allocation of Ksh 1.4 billion. It may not be enough due to high demand, but it will help. As we do this, I pray that the issue of mobility and sufficient personnel will be considered. So that they can run this process smoothly and effectively. Right now, they do not have enough personnel. The issue of operationalising administrative units has been allocated Ksh600 million. This is good but not enough. I pray that more administrative units will be created in areas that have been neglected in the past so that services can be brought closer to the people. Another critical area that has been considered is agriculture and health. We know that many people have suffered in the past because of health issues. With the Budget allocated, I am sure we will take care of our people. Ksh4.5 billion allocation to the county government is a good thing, and we are progressing. Additionally, there is the equitable share from the nationally raised revenue of Ksh 405 billion. This amount excludes additional allocations, both conditional and unconditional, which amount to Ksh 69.8 billion. Yes, devolution has done a lot of good. Many people have been employed, and numerous families have been sustained. There are great opportunities, and people are securing contracts, but we face challenges due to the pending bills. We must urge our counties to pay the pending bills and salaries on time and also ensure that they are good stewards of their resources. Many people speak of ghost workers in counties and even at the national level. We should eliminate ghost workers so that we can be accountable and make effective use of the resources God has entrusted to us. As we talk of the contracts at the county level, we must put a lot of attention on the special groups. This is because, most of the time, they are denied the opportunity. They register, but cartels do the businesses on their behalf. If we can push the county governments to give attention to special groups, people living with disability (PWDs), youth and women, then for sure this country will progress. This Budget gives Kenyans a lot of hope. The Government has allocated Ksh8 billion for the continuation of the fertiliser program, which has enabled us to produce good maise and other crops. Again, Ksh2 billion has been allocated to the Coffee Cherry Fund in support of coffee farmers. An additional Ksh5 billion has been allocated to support the dairy and livestock sector. I urge our Government that Ksh5 billion may not be enough. This is because we have a large number of pastoralists, and most of the time, we lose our animals during droughts. We need insurance for our animals and to develop effective ways to care for livestock and dairy products. This is a forward-looking budget that gives a lot of hope because of the money they have placed in Primary Health Care (PHC), about Ksh10 billion, where Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients, Tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and other sicknesses are well catered for. Ksh16.6 billion has been allocated to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) coordination, and Ksh10 billion has been set aside for support to the national immunisation effort. A few weeks ago, as women leaders, we met and were presented with the challenge of immunisation that our babies are facing as a result of the funding that was stopped. However, this has now been catered for. We are sure that this process will continue and we will have a healthy society. My only request is that we pay attention to the people who live in the rural areas so that they also benefit as those living in urban areas and cities. With those few remarks, I support and pray that Kenyans will grow through this."
}