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{
"id": 181630,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/181630/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "Dr. Eseli",
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"id": 141,
"legal_name": "David Eseli Simiyu",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I wish to thank all the contributors to this Motion because if you noticed, even the Front-Bench has supported it. I would like to state that this Motion that I have moved, was actually put across to me by my constituents, especially the youth who kept on telling me that they were getting only Kshs1 million and yet they are so many whereas in the neighbouring constituencies, more youths are benefiting while they are not benefiting. This really touched me. I realised that this inequitable distribution is actually countrywide and across very many funds. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the reason for this Motion is to urge the Government not to just stand up like the Ministry of Finance did the other day during the Budget Day and say Kshs1 million will go towards football in every constituency and yet we do not have any criteria backing that decision. Let us not make arbitrary decisions. Let us not make decisions on political whims that do not really carry any substance. If we want our youth to play football, let us count them in each constituency. How many are they? How much will they require for them to play that football? How many stadia are there? Let us be more realistic in what we are doing rather than just devolving funds. If we do not do that, we will actually end up devolving poverty rather than devolving funds. That is the unfortunate situation we might end up in. Kenyans, and especially the youth, are angry and in despair because they cannot see a future. That is where the problem is and that is why I brought this Motion. I really thank those who have supported the Motion and I believe that in the long-run as we develop a new Constitution, if we follow the basics that we have come up with, we will be able to develop a more equal country. It will be a country that moves as one and not a country that is divided. If we continue the way we have been doing, then what happened in December and January will look like a picnic when Kenya next erupts and we need to guard against that. If we plan poorly, the results that we reap are poor. As I have said before, if we fail to follow the plans that we lay down, that is even worse. Through the Ministry of Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, I am sure this can be achieved. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am usually very sad that the Prime Minister and his two deputies and an Assistant Minister who comes from the wider Bungoma are actually not here. I specifically directed this Motion to the Prime Minister's Office because he supervises and co- ordinates the Cabinet and many Ministries have got devolved funds. I was sure that he was the right person who could be able to urge those respective Ministries to have some proper criteria. I know the Ministry of Energy right now has got it all wrong. On the Rural Electrification Programme (REP) devolved funds, they are using the CDF criteria. The CDF criteria is so different. It is totally unsuitable for rural electrification and that is the criteria the Ministry of Energy is using. That kind of misdirected activity should not be allowed. As I said, I am a bit sad that the Prime Minister was unable to avail any of his people to be here to listen to what we are telling them because this, as I said, was a Motion that I got from the grassroots for him to listen to what the people at the grassroots are saying. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other thing concerns our fear of science. We take statistics and put it into the Central Bureau of Statistics. We take information that would be useful in our planning and shelve it away. This fear is what allows political impunity to continue ruling this country to the extent that we cannot have equitable development. I urge hon. Members to join the rest of Kenyans who actually want a more equitable society. Let us join them because if we do 3104 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE October 29, 2008 not join them, they are our voters and they are the ones who elected us here and that is what they want. So, we need to join them so that we assist them to get to where they want to get and where we all want to get. Mr. Temporary deputy Speaker, Sir, the CDF is a great example. It has achieved a lot. It might need a bit of fine-tuning here and there but it has achieved a lot. We all agree on that and even the international community agrees that it has achieved a lot. That is a very fine example. They used some criteria. They did not just dump it there. So, if CDF could use some criteria and achieve so much, that tells us that for all the other funds, we need to use some criteria and not to just say: \"Take Kshs1 million or Kshs5 million\". Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other thing that brings up some worry is the non- implementation of the Motions that we pass. This is very sad. I hope that this particular Motion will be implemented when Members finally pass it."
}