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"speaker_name": "Mr. Balala",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Tourism",
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"legal_name": "Najib Mohamed Balala",
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"content": " Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the Minister of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 on his Vote. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is a very important Ministry in this country and for this Government. It is the think-tank of the Government and also the vision that this country wants to go to. Actually, if it were within my powers, I would change it to the Ministry of State for Planning and Innovation rather than Vision 2030. When we reach 2030, Vision 2030 will collapse and we will have to change the name. I think it is very important for us to consider the name itself. We should talk about innovation, because this is what the country needs to move forward. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I sympathise with the Minister for the budget that he has been given. He has a big challenge, but the budget is limited. When I look at the Ministry State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, that is the think-tank of this country to want to move from a Third World country or level of income of a country to a middle level, without enough budget to support it, then we do not mean what we think or imagine. Do I see any synchronisation between this Ministry and the Ministry of Finance? I doubt it. We do not see the Vision 2030 budgeted for properly in this Vote. The Vision 2030 budget, as per what I understand from the booklet, requires US$2 billion. That is a lot of money. If you look at this Vote today, the budget for Vision 2030 is slightly over Kshs150 million. Do we have a secretariat in place? Not yet! We want to do it. We mean well. We plan well, but execution is where the problem is. We are so good in planning. Do we execute or follow the plans? No! I think it is very important to do those things. The core issue about planning is data collection and statistics. Do we have them right? You are aware that the last population census was terrible. It took so long for it to be made public. Population census and poverty index became a problem. Today, we want to devolve resources to the people and have equitable distribution of resources all over the country. We cannot do that effectively if the statistics and methodology of this statistics is wrong. First, we need to be told what methodology is being used publicly and let it be a public debate. Let us create a data- integrated system that will work and give us results. We are talking about giving resources down to the mwananchi. If you want to make areas that have been marginalised the same as those which have been developed all the 45 years of Independence, then there is unfairness. We heard it very clearly in the Minister's speech. By giving a larger allocation to Central and Nyanza provinces, 2862 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 21, 2008 actually he is creating a dangerous precedent. Tomorrow, if I become the President or Prime Minister of this country, then it will be about my region getting the lion's share. I think that this should not be allowed. That is why people like us want to demystify the issue of presidency and power. A leader is a servant of the people and he or she should take care of the country equally. You should not favour yourself. It is important for us to look at this Ministry carefully. Vision 2030 is a superb document just to read, but not to implement. In my Ministry, we are being told to create three resort cities. We wonder where and under what budget! We are not even given a budget to market this country properly! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are fundamental issues that we need to do. They are very simple and can be effective. Infrastructure is the key word! If we transform the Port of Mombasa and make it a free port--- Concession it to the best managers of ports in this world - Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Rotterdam--- Those are the best managed ports in the world! We are dilly-dallying trying to put our brothers and sisters to run the Port. That is why we never develop! We think small and nothing happens! Think big and you grow rich! That is the philosophy that we should have! The Port will be key in transforming not only tourism, but the economy of this country forever! We have seen what has happened in Dubai. Every successful country in this world has a port. It does not have to beg! I want to tell you that there is no shortage of money and funding in this world. There is plenty of money available! America's budget today is under deficit. Look at their country! It is well developed! Developing infrastructure does not need money but ideas! But those ideas need to be implemented and done professionally. Not under the tables where there is a \"cut\" for me! That culture has to stop! It has to stop from the leadership of this country! All of us together have an obligation! If we misbehave, then there is a problem in this country! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we talk about the Public-Private Partnership (PPP). We need clear guidance for PPP! That is why people like the Libyans will come and have problems. There are many investors like the Libyans! The problem of transparency and corruption in the Kenyan Government is not a problem of the private sector! If you are corrupt, it is you and me! I am a businessman trying to do a deal! That is the idea of the businessman. I think it is for us to put our House in order. We should bring policies that are transparent, efficient and straightforward! The problem is that a businessman does not have time to waste, particularly when there is competition. We are told that if you go to Rwanda, within 24 hours, all your approvals are on the table. But, come to Kenya! It will take you two years and you are frustrated! The courts are not working! Corruption is everywhere! Everybody wants a \"cut\"! I ask myself: \"Why do we not have the Sheratons, the Marriots, the Kipinsky's in Kenya?\" Zanzibar has them. Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania has them. Djibouti, a tiny little desert, has them. Why not Kenya? That is because we do not have a clear PPP guideline. When I meet an investor, I do not have to dilly dally! I make the deal and sign it within 24 hours! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important for us to review the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). Mvita Constituency has only two secondary schools in the last 45 years! You cannot tell me that you will give me an equal CDF allocation to Gichugu, which has 56 secondary schools! That is unfair! Today, Mvita Constituency is the least funded constituency in the country. It has been allocated Kshs36 million, while others are getting Kshs60 million! Are you telling me that you want to bring my people to your level? Are you telling me that you want my people to be competitive and compete with people from Alliance High School? I had a girl who wanted to do medicine. She had \"As\" and 46 points! A girl from Alliance Girls High School got 47 points. Who should be given priority? Is it the girl from Mvita or the one from Murang'a? It is because we do not have the facilities in Mvita! We are not privileged to be given those facilities. October 21, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2863 Those are very important facilities for us to succeed! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think it is important for us to have a proper modern way of budgeting and planning! When a Minister comes with red roses on a national Budget Day and gives shocks to the private sector by announcing taxation to take effect by that midnight, it is totally unfair! The national Budget should be predictable! If you want to plan properly and be modern, let us plan! If I have a ship full of sugar or fertiliser on the high seas and when it is coming, you slap me with taxes, it is unfair! You are not a friendly Government or a Government that wants to conduct business in this country! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important for us to have predictability in everything that we do. Most importantly, we have to plan properly and together. We should not think about a special region! Let us bring regions to the same level like the rest of the country and then tell us: \"Let us bring equality across the board\". When you give me Kshs1 million for sports and I do not have ground for sports, where do you want me to play football? I will not play football! My children will not play football! But in areas where they have land and all those facilities, I think it is important to consider what we want to think, think together and move together! We are slow! We let until things happen and then we react! We need to have think-tanks constantly working on what is going to happen before it happens! That is what today's world is doing! It is unfortunate that we just address a crisis when it happens. We do not even have the capacity to address those issues. It is important for us to support this Ministry Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to support."
}