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{
"id": 192730,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/192730/?format=api",
"text_counter": 199,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. J. Nyagah",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Co-operative Development and Marketing",
"speaker": {
"id": 269,
"legal_name": "Joseph Nthiga Nyagah",
"slug": "joseph-nyagah"
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"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I stand to support this very important debate on the subject of the Budget. As we all know, the Budget is a very important tool a Government or a country uses for purpose of its development and for purpose of its activities. I would like to start by thanking the Minister for Finance for the efforts he has made in trying to put together a Budget under very difficult circumstances. As we all know, the country has experienced a difficult time. During this difficult time, many things went wrong. But we are happy that at the end of that, we have come June 24, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1351 together as one nation for purposes of remaining united. Let me mention a few things about this Budget that I think the Minister for Finance needs to take into account, particularly in relation to the production sector. For a very long time, the agriculture-rural sector of, which I am the Minister for Co-operatives Developed, used to be very important. In the first few years after Independence, the biggest Budget support went to that sector. The result was that this country was self sufficient in food and exported food. The question of famine and shortages of food did not arise. Granted, land was plentiful and we did not need as much fertilisers as we need today. I would have liked more resources to be allocated to the agricultural-rural sector. At the moment, slightly less than 7 per cent of the national Budget has gone into the productive sector that I am talking about. There was an agreement among all African Presidents a few years at Maputo to allocate a minimum of 10 per cent of the national budget to the agricultural sector in order to encourage its growth. This will ensure that African countries feed themselves and exported food. If you look at the amount of money allocated for the importation of food during this year and the last few years-- If that amount of money was put into the agricultural and productive sector, this country will do very well. So, I am disappointed to some extent that we have allocated so little money to this sector. I am disappointed that we are spending huge sums of money to import food. Sometimes, I wonder what the role of the private businessman who imports food is. Is it possible that there is some insider trading? All am saying is that we need to be self-sufficient in food production. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the production sector will also not do well, if the seven million people in the co-operative movements do not play their part. As we all know, agriculture produces food. My Ministry is involved in mobilising people, production and processing of agricultural products that our farmers produce. If you look at the Budget of my Ministry, you will be shocked. How am I expected, as a Ministry, to assist in the food production with the meagre resources that I get? My officers walk and board matatus, but I am not complaining. I hope that we will have sufficient resources next year so that we can make positive contribution to the food and agricultural sector such as coffee, tea and all the others. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to say the same for fisheries. Fisheries is a very important sector in this country. My Ministry, through the fisheries co-operatives, is also involved in the sector. I would like to say the same for the livestock sector because we are also involved in the livestock sector. I think we need more resources in those sectors in addition to water. If that happens, I want to assure you that Kenya is capable of feeding itself. Kenya does not need any assistance. Kenya does not need to beg for food. I would like to thank the Minister for the support he has given to infrastructure. A country with potholed roads, a country with a port that is so inefficient, a country where the railway line is very old and has never been extended cannot survive. I want to thank the Minister for the resources that he has put in the Budget this year. I know it is the beginning and I am confident that next year, we will see more resources. We need to encourage more private sector/Government participation in the sector. Why should we continue mismanaging the Port of Mombasa when Dubai and Singapore, with very little government resources, are efficient? Let us accept that the private sector can play a key role. I see a key role for the private sector in the management of the port. As I said a few years ago, Mheshimiwa Balala brought a Motion in this House which proposed that part of Mombasa becomes a Free Port. I would like to encourage the Minister to look into that seriously, because we need industries around the port, and also it would encourage a lead into more efficient operations in the greater Port of Mombasa. 1352 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 24, 2008 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also see a growing Kisumu Port. In the colonial days, Kisumu was a very key area when it came to Lake Victoria economic activities. As we put money into infrastructure, let us put substantial resources into the regional capital of the East African Community agency that looks after Lake Victoria activities. That is important for the economic development of that part of the country. As I said, the railways need to be improved. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Minister for providing a starting budget for the Nairobi Metropolitan Development. Nairobi controls a very big chunk of our economy. Its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is big. So, within a short time we need to come up with laws that will reflect and address the problems that we have been having within the city of Nairobi. I wish my colleague, Mr. M. Kilonzo, all the best as he tries to bring Machakos, Ruiru, Thika, Limuru, Kiambu and Ngong towns into the Nairobi Metropolis. All the big cities of the world are run that way. I know that cities like Brussels, and other major cities and capitals, are run that way. So, we need to support and see resources put into that Ministry, because of the importance that a greater Nairobi has. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to see resources being diverted to the Ministry of Housing. The Minister made a good beginning, but we still can do more. Let him come up with laws that will encourage the private sector to get more involved in the housing sector. Our people continue to live under a very difficult environment. If you travel around Nairobi, you will get some of the biggest slums in Africa. I would like to encourage the Minister to continue giving as much incentives to the housing sector as is humanly possible, so that our people can live with dignity, and our cities can continue to absorb the traffic of people coming from the rural areas, thinking that opportunities can only be found in Nairobi. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also important that, as we start planning, we look at the development of the other regional towns like Embu, Nyeri, Mombasa, Nakuru and so on, so that we can dissuade human traffic from thinking that life can only be good in Nairobi. By making these other towns attractive we will be able address our problems in Nairobi. In conclusion, as you know, in the next few weeks, we will be bringing to this House a SACCO Bill. As you know, this sector is very important. It is bigger than the insurance industry in this country, and needs to be assisted and regulated, so that it can grow into a much bigger institution. Agencies will be formed to advise and regulate the SACCO sector. We have over 4,000 SACCOs. Most Kenyans live on the help of SACCOs, whether in rural or urban areas. This is More so for the poor people, middle class people, salaried people and those who have dependants in this country. I look forward to that Bill being passed in this House, because I believe that it will help our people and strengthen management of our SACCOs and other areas that my Ministry will address in the coming months. We shall also try to address issues of coffee and other sectors of our economy. My Ministry covers not only agriculture but also the matatu industry. We are in almost every sector of the Kenyan economy and we need assistance in terms of a budget that will assist us in terms of achieving the goals that we have set for ourselves, and also in terms of meeting the goals of Vision 2030. As soon as that Bill is through this House, I will introduce other Sessional Papers relating to the co-operative movement, because we think it is important for the House to be with us and understand what we are doing in this very key Ministry that affects millions of poor and middle class people of this country. With those few words, I wish to support the Budget as presented by the Minister for Finance."
}