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"id": 193011,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/193011/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. D.M. Muoki",
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"legal_name": "Daniel Mutua Muoki",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to also contribute to the Budget Speech. My name is hon. Muoki and I represent the noble people of Mwala. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to support the Budget Speech presented by the Minister for Finance last week. Indeed, the theme of the Budget Speech this year was an appropriate one. It attempts to address issues that have affected this nation for many years. There are issues of the Grand Coalition. Holding Kenya together as one nation and causing our people to think and act as members of one nation and one family called Kenya. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister tried to address historical inequalities in our nation. He went ahead and spoke candidly about the many issues that have affected our people. Some of our areas have been unfairly treated and lag behind in development. Whereas the Minister attempted to address those issues, many questions remain begging for answers. Take, for example, the issue of food security. Ever since we were young and since Kenya became an independent nation, we have witnessed our parents queuing year in, year out, for food rations almost on a yearly basis. More than 45 years after Independence, Kenya cannot feed its people. We find that an embarrassment and a shame to our nation. A country that has over 60 per cent of its land arable, cannot feed its own people and yet, year in, year out, we hear about billions of shillings that are used to enrich a few people at the expense of the masses. About 45 years after Independence, our people cannot have access to three meals a day. In fact, some of them cannot even have a meal a day. But when there is a food shortage, money is readily available to import very expensive food from our neighbouring countries and overseas. This year alone, we are going to spend in excess of Kshs10 billion to bring foodstuffs from outside this nation; money that is enough to irrigate the whole of Ukambani and provide water to our people and, in so doing, 1310 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 19, 2008 achieve food security. Sometimes, we wonder whether some of these things are done deliberately so that they can create some businesses for some of our corrupt people. Why can we not in a good year use the Kshs10 billion that will be used to buy food this year to irrigate Ukambani and some other arid areas? Ukambani is a rich part of our country which is capable of providing enough food to feed our nation. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, unless we address the issue of inequality effectively, we will remain a nation that cannot be held together. However much we talk about cohesion, we will not be able to achieve it. Look at the roads in our nation. In some areas in this country, there are roads that are Classes D and E that are tarmacked! Yet, in some other areas, roads that are Classes B and C are not tarmacked. There are key roads that are not tarmacked and yet are not even targeted in the budgetary allocations. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, indeed, some actions are even embarrassing. In my own constituency, a road that connects Yatta and Mwala districts was advertised for tarmacking last November, but when you look at the allocation for this financial year, there is no money that has been allocated for the construction of the road, yet the Government went ahead to seek our votes by advertising for the tarmacking of that road. These are some of the inequalities that make some of us feel like we are lesser Kenyans than others. We demand that the money that is being allocated for the construction of roads this year, there be a fair distribution of the same so that many areas can be reached. Even some areas can be favoured in terms of getting more allocation than others, so as to achieve faster development in those areas and provide means for faster development. A poor road network makes doing business very expensive. We demand that allocation of development funds be done fairly. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the Budget, the Minister talked about Kshs280 million to develop classrooms and new secondary schools. I wonder which schools he meant, because he did not say which areas these schools are going to be built. You wonder why the Minister could not increase allocation to the CDF. We know that money from the CDF has been used in the construction of classrooms. We are the people at the grassroots who can access areas that have secondary schools which do not have enough classrooms. Instead of keeping CDF allocation at the same level and yet the money from CDF has been proved to be able to accelerate development--- It is the only devolved fund that reaches the poorest of the poor in our nation. We demand some of the money that is being allocated to areas that are not clearly spelt out, to be channelled through the CDF kitty so that we can accelerate development equally in all the constituencies. In fact, Members of this august House would not mind being taxed if the CDF money was increased threefold. Instead of conducting fundraising meetings every weekend or midweek, we would be able to meet some of our people's needs. The money from CDF is the only money that reaches people at the grassroots, where the poor of our country live. We pray that future Budgets will consider increasing the CDF money so that we can alleviate poverty in our country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the Budget Speech, the Minister talked of increasing the quality of our health services. However, as you travel across this nation, you find clinics and dispensaries that are manned by health workers or nurses who also double up as general practitioners. They do everything from washing, prescribing and so on. We do not consider the money that is allocated for the provision of healthcare adequate. More money should be allocated to health services in this nation. More health workers should be employed. Clinical Officers should be posted to all health centres so that our people get quality healthcare and not just a semblance of it. Our people need that quality healthcare. Our dispensaries and health centres should be equipped and have qualified staff. Kenya is an agricultural country. We have employed agricultural extension officers all over June 19, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1311 the country. They report to their offices but have nothing to do. They cannot move because they have no means of transport. There are no vehicles. They do not have equipment to help them do the work they are employed to do. Money should be set aside to assist these officers who can do a very commendable job. Their services are required by our people. They need facilitation to enable them move from one place to another and, therefore, increase our agricultural capacity. I support the Budget Speech."
}