HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 192689,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/192689/?format=api",
"text_counter": 158,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mrs. Noor",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 375,
"legal_name": "Sophia Abdi Noor",
"slug": "sophia-noor"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir for giving me this chance to contribute to this Motion on the Budget Speech. I wish to indicate that the Estimates that were presented to this House were not friendly to pastoralists, women, children, people with disability and to the internally displaced persons (IDPs). There is nothing that is as frightening as the failure to learn from history. Kenya's resource allocation and distribution is very clear. Resource allocation has been based on Sessional Paper No.10 of 1965 which was drafted by the late Tom Mboya and heavily contributed to by his then Assistant Minister, the current President of this nation. The Sessional Paper divided this country into high potential and low potential areas. The Estimates that were presented also reflect those disparities. They clearly show us the kind of resource allocation that has been done. If you look at the health sector, you will notice that there are about 900 dispensaries that have been constructed using the CDF. This is public money which has already been used, yet the institutions are not functioning to-date. There is no need putting resources into projects which are not functioning. These are institutions that provide services that are required by our people. Resources from the public coffers were used to put up those facilities. However, the estimates as presented here by the Minister, do not indicate as to whether we will post staff to those health facilities. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the educational sector, the Free Primary Education Programme (FPEP) is noble policy. It is a policy that has been in existence now for some times and it has served this country very well. However, I have my own reservation about it. It is not as free as we see it today, because it has discriminated heavily against the marginalised and pastoralist 1336 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 24, 2008 communities. There are no educational services provided to those communities. The FPEP is giving allocation equally to every child in this country. To me, that is very good. But it is not fair to see a child in a well developed primary school in Nairobi with all good facilities such as classrooms, library, workshops and science laboratories getting the same amount as a child in Turkana District who is learning under hardship. A child who is learning under a tree and who cannot access a glass of clean water. That is not the right way the Government should be distributing resources in this country. It is not the right way for us to continue distributing resources in this era when every Kenyan understands and knows that they have equal rights in this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the livestock sector, let us look at what is happening in Botswana. Livestock industry generates the highest income for that country. We have more livestock than her in this country. What happens to our livestock industry? We do not promote and market our livestock. In this current estimates, there are no allocations for promotion and marketing of our livestock. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands, this Ministry was created because of a felt need. This Ministry was created because like-minded individuals saw there was a problem in this part of the country. Even the Minister himself alluded here and said that there are regional imbalances and inequalities in this country. If this Ministry initiate proper programmes that region could really be transformed. But when we give it Kshs400 million for administrative purposes, then that is a political gimmick. There is no need for us to play politics at this time. Kenyans expect to get services from us. The northern region and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) need to be transformed. If we make use of potential in those regions, we can transform our country. Israel was once a desert, but it was transformed into a major agricultural country because they exploited its potential. We can transform those regions and they become the basket of food for this country. We could not have been in a food crisis had we been honest in our dealings. We want to really empower and develop our country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the Constitution and other reforms that we require in our country, it is really against the wishes of Kenyans not to allocate money to these demands. Kenyans need change, systems and structures that can function, serve them and give justice to every individual in this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the criteria that were put in place for people to access the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) and the Women Enterprise Development Fund (WEDF) are not friendly to the pastoralists. The pastoral communities cannot access the YEDF. Even the women and disabled from the pastoralist communities cannot access the (WEDF) because of the strict criteria that were put in place for people to access it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is unfortunate that the estimates for this year have really failed to articulate the issues of women. Women form more than half the population of this country. They are the backbone of the Kenyan society. They have also invested heavily into Kenya's development. If we cannot think of allocating meaningful amounts of money to address women issues, then it is unfortunate. I beg to oppose the Minister's Budget."
}