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{
    "id": 191052,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/191052/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 225,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Ruteere",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 92,
        "legal_name": "Silas Muriuki Ruteere",
        "slug": "silas-ruteere"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to support the Motion because the budget-making process should be all inclusive, consultative and hon. Members, being excluded in that process, is a major omission. Parliament is made up of all the representatives of the people. We are the voice of the people. So, it does not make sense that Parliament only comes to approve what has been done outside. Hon. Members are asked to approve strange things, so that the Government can continue. Yet, what Parliament is asked to approve is done outside its knowledge. Parliament is not consulted. It does not give its input. If you recall, we were elected on 27th December, 2007. We have been in Parliament from January to 12th June, 2008 when the Budget was read and none of us knew what was coming. We do not know how it was done and presented to this House. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the major work of Parliament is to impose taxation on its citizens, and to see how that taxation is used. The Budget that we are reading now has money which has been set aside for quite a number of Ministries, both infrastructural and service. The kind of infrastructure that we are having in the various constituencies is different from constituency to constituency. The irony of it is that the constituencies that have better infrastructure are the ones which are getting even more money for the improvement of their infrastructure. The constituencies that have very poor infrastructure are the ones that get the least allocations. That is because Parliament has not been consulted. To minimise that imbalance, it is vital that Parliament is consulted and involved. Given the July 2, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1563 fact that constituencies also differ in size, population and demographic situations, it is only vital that when money is given per constituency, it reflects all those factors. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for example, if the Youth Development Fund that was given Kshs1 million per constituency came to North Imenti, is like Kshs20,000 per Sub-location. That is very little money to run youth organizations from January to December! It is like Kshs1,000 or Kshs2,000 per month. If we start the youth activities, they have to be continuous. They should not be seen to have a time when they cannot continue."
}