HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 178484,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/178484/?format=api",
"text_counter": 244,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Ethuro",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 158,
"legal_name": "Ekwee David Ethuro",
"slug": "ekwee-ethuro"
},
"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to support the Appropriation Bill. While supporting the Appropriation Bill, I would like the Minister to take into account the differentials between the Recurrent Expenditure and the Development Expenditure. When you have a differential ratio of 1:2, where the entire Government expenditure is Recurrent--- While appreciating that, unlike ordinary organisations, the Government might incur a bit more in terms of the Recurrent Expenditure, but there must, at least, some proportionate ratio between the Recurrent and Development Expenditure. When you look at the Vote that the Minister has read, you will find that all the money is going to Recurrent Expenditure. Mr. Minister, that must change You cannot have Kshs400 billion for Recurrent Expenditure and less than Kshs200 billion for Development Expenditure, and still want to realise a country that is properly developed and with enough income, according to Vision 2030. Mr. Minister, you cannot be able to realise that. I fear that when 2030 comes, it will be another song like those good old days when we used to sing: \"Water by the year 2000.\" Of course, you know that in the year 2008, there is no water anywhere for everybody. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also want to encourage the Minister to seriously look at the criteria for identification and funding of Government projects. While appreciating that this year, the Ministry of Roads has got a bit more money, it is not enough. Infrastructure is the basis upon which we can do all the development that we want. Only this morning, and every day in this House, Members raise Questions about the states of their roads, poor workmanship and inability of contractors to complete their assigned tasks in record time. This House must get angry with the Minister who claimed that you cannot do anything to a contractor, because there is no law. There is the law of natural justice. You should tell the contractor: \"I gave you an assignment. These were the terms. You did not deliver.\" Take them to court, charge them and get back your money. It is that simple. We can do that with our current existing laws. The other common song which this House must be extremely angry about is when a November 26, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3631 Government Minister says: \"I am going to bring a new legislation. I am going to bring a Bill.\" We do not need more Bills, Ministers. You will find that the SACCO Bill is on the Floor. You will find every Minister saying: \"I will fix this problem with a new Bill.\" Why can we not manage the existing legal framework? We do not need anything new to fix this economy. We want to translate to reality the kind of things that we are committing ourselves like the Rapid Results Initiative which was to ensure results within 100 days, huduma bora ni haki ya mwananchi, najivunia kuwaMkenya. These are slogans that we keep singing about but have never translated into reality. It is my plea to the Acting Minister for Finance and other Ministers, that, given that they are already many, they should make a difference with the kind of money this House is going to give them. While appreciating Government's commitment to northern Kenya and the creation of the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, which is a welcome measure for a very long, I want to believe that it is going to make a very positive contribution to the lives of some of the most marginalised and forgotten people in Kenya. But what has been allocated is so small. They have allocated only Kshs2 billion! What is Kshs2 billion? What will Kshs2 billion do for the entire northern Kenya? Our growth potential, as a country, is now going to be in those extensive lands that have been ordinarily outside of production. We need to invest in technology. We need to do more research in order to make those lands more productive than ever before. I encourage the Minister to ensure that in the future that Ministry gets the prominence it deserves by being given adequate funding. Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding the priorities for this country, there is a road leading to Sudan through Lokichoggio and Lodwar in my constituency. I have just confirmed my worst fears in this country, that unless your political muscle is big enough, you will never be allocated money. I cannot understand why this Government cannot give the road to Southern Sudan a priority. Kenya has done extremely well in terms of bringing peace to Southern Sudan and the Sudan generally. We have also made our modest contribution to peace in Somalia, although it is still fragile. For Sudan the peace is holding; so, for us to enjoy the peace dividend from Sudan, we need to open up this road so that Kenyan goods and commodities can be accessed by this virgin land. That land is occupied by people who are naturally inclined to co-operate and to do business with Kenya. Instead of Ministers looking at how they can tap that potential and make it part of our extension services, we are busy looking at how we can tax people. You will get more money by encouraging business people, and giving them a good road to take them to the Sudan to do business there. They will take beer, sodas and all the good things that Kenyans enjoy to the Sudan. Those things could be availed there more cheaply than we are doing now, because they have to go through Uganda. That is a longer route, thus making the commodities more expensive. If the Minister could prioritize that road, it will be good not only for Sudan but also for the good people of Turkana Central. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Mr. Ojode has been answering Questions in this House every time. We have even given him the name \"Mr. Fix-it\", because he fixes things verbally but on the ground, you do not see the same fixes. The excuse is that Parliament had not given them money. We are going to give you money and we hope that the vehicles for the police that you have promised all the police stations in this country will be availed. You will be surprised that there are new districts without an Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) or a police vehicle. The OCPD in Turkana Central District is working for two districts: Turkana Central and Turkana South Districts. You know the kind of calamities that come when we have the clashes like cattle rustling. People get killed and the police can hardly go there. I am hoping that the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security, Prof. Saitoti, being a professor of 3632 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES November 26, 2008 mathematics, will do simple arithmetic and ensure that every police station--- Actually, do not create a new district if you are not ready to post a District Commissioner (DC) and an OCPD there. Spare us the trouble. If you are going to create a district, which is a good idea, then make sure that there is an OCPD so that the security of the citizens is assured. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I hope the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security will tell us if they got the money. It is very possible that the Government can enter into a contract, even without the physical cash, with suppliers and procure goods and promise to pay the money in good time. We have even entertained that kind of a story for a long time when businesses dictate otherwise. We have granted them their wishes, but I hope that they will not take advantage of that for too long. We now have the money, anyway. Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding energy, the Rural Electrification Programme is one of the good programmes that the Government has implemented. We want to appreciate the good job done by the Government in certain sectors. There is the whole element of solar. A country like Germany, which hardly gets any sunshine, can produce enough electricity from solar sources while a country like Kenya, which is traditionally known to have sunshine throughout the year, is unable to generate meaningful energy from solar. Somebody like me from Turkana, which has abundance of solar energy, can make a meaningful contribution to this country. We do not need to be depending on rainfall, knowing that this is a country that is deficient in rainfall. We can exploit other resources that are in abundance. Solar and wind can save this country all the trouble and money that we are spending. I would like to urge the Minister to consider some of the sectors that are of priority. Those are the sectors that will ensure that Vision 2030 will be realised as promised, so that it does not remain a pipe dream. Mr. Speaker, Sir, finally, two weeks ago, we were privileged to be visited by the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources from Parliament. I want to thank the Committee for taking the trouble of going to Turkana for a whole week. They looked at various issues that relate to food security. The one thing that you will realise in a district like mine is that there are only five extension services officers in the Livestock department. Do you expect any good work to be done by only five officers? I would like the Minister for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, which has the Monitoring and Evaluation Department, to ensure that the money that is being sent to the Ministries is monitored. They should ensure that there is enough staff to do the job. Even with limited staff, we should ensure that Government officers go and work. There are scenarios where you will find a public servant has hardly visited his or her station of work. They treat posting to our areas like punishment; so, they only go there when the Minister for Finance has sent the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE), and once it is cashed, they go back to sleep. It shows that there is no supervision by the Government. We plead with the Minister not to just give the money, but to also ensure that the money is properly used by the people doing the job that is intended to be done. Mr. Speaker, Sir, again this is an issue where you might need money. Political muscle means better roads and goodies. This is where Lomedat Abattoir in Lokichoggio which only requires Kshs30 million has not got that money. It has been promised this money for the last five years and yet we do not see it in those books. However, the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC), because of the political muscle, and we are grateful, was allowed to operate for Kshs400 million. Even its debts were paid. Do we have to continue seeing Kenyans dying, on television, for us to take action? When Kshs30 million alone can do an abattoir, the Government, through the Ministry of Livestock Development, is planning for another abattoir in Wajir. We are grateful for it. It is planning for another one in Isiolo. Why do you want to plan for new ones when there is one already existing and requires Kshs30 million to make it operational? These are the questions we would like the Ministers of Government concerned to November 26, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3633 appreciate and really understand. It does not make sense to do new things when you already have one that you can start. I am not saying that do not do the new ones. We want them but it is more cost-effective to start giving operational money because a donor in the form of a Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) called the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) has already built the facility to international standards. Mr. Speaker, Sir, another one is the Turkana Fishermen Co-operative Society in Kalokol. The Norwegians built a good facility. It only requires another Kshs20 million to make it operational. I thought for a moment, my good friend, the Minister for Fisheries Development, being an able Minister and a first timer in Government, will display some of that energy to places like Turkana and make these kind of factories operational in order to make more fish available to Kenyans. I am glad the Minister is here to listen to me. With these kind of resources, little according to Government figures, you can transform places like Turkana. They will have enough food in terms of meat, fish and will not need the Kshs2 billion we are spending on famine relief every year. With those few remarks, I support the Bill."
}