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"id": 193115,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/193115/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Ojaamong",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Labour",
"speaker": {
"id": 196,
"legal_name": "Sospeter Odeke Ojaamongson",
"slug": "sospeter-ojaamongson"
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"content": "We always talk about an effective and efficient Civil Service but, when you go to the police force--- In fact, if you ask any child in the village what is the work of a police officer, he or she will tell you that the work of a police officer is just to arrest people who drink busaa and chang'aa . There is nothing else they know about a police officer other than collecting bribes. That has worsened especially after the post-election crisis. The police officers in areas where we come from, like Busia and Teso, have taken it upon themselves just to harass the public without any provocation. That is something we must address because our people want to live in peace. A Teso who has grown his rice and wants to go and sell it in Uganda should not be charged Kshs20 by the police so that he can do so. We want our people to move freely. Likewise, the police are all over impounding motorcycles from people who operate boda boda business and taking Kshs20 from every motorcycle that passes by their roadblocks. Those are the most basic things that we have to address, if our country has to move forward. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when it comes to the utilisation of our funds, again the Civil Service--- We, as Members of Parliament, are not interested in handling any Government funds. We want to play our role of legislating and exercising our oversight functions. But when that money is moved from the Treasury to the districts, it does no work at all. The reason why we started agitating for the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) is because wherever we went, the public would tell us: \"We want a road here. We want to be supplied with water!\" But we could not trace that money. So, we decided to take a chunk of the national Budget so that we could deal with the most urgent problems. But money allocated to major projects in constituencies is never utilised well. 1208 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 18, 2008 For instance, if you look at the Local Authorities Transfer Fund (LATF) money, unless we overhaul the Local Government Act, no services will be delivered to the people. In my constituency, I have three local authorities. In total, they receive over Kshs60 million from LATF. The local authorities are also very rich in their own right. So, together with whatever they collect, they get over Kshs100 million a year. But there is very little they can show in terms of development. All the money goes to just a few employees. The question I ask is: Is it the function of the local authorities to deliver services to the people or to enhance corruption? It is just a few people who enjoy the money that the wananchi are supposed to benefit from! I think it is good that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) was given the docket of the Ministry of Local Government so that we can see how they can reform that Ministry for the benefit of the Kenyan people. If the ODM fails to manage the local authorities and ensure that we see tangible projects, then it will be pointless for them to go and ask for votes. They have been given a very key Ministry which can transform this country. We want to see a situation where LATF funds are managed very well. Last year, and the previous years, I tried to intervene in my local authorities by asking the Minister to send auditors to audit them. But it was like I was just showing the Minister where to go and compromise with the officers out there, and get some liquid cash for themselves to share out. It was a very unfortunate scenario that money meant for low cost housing schemes in Busia Municipality, a project that I launched, all went to waste just because the Ministry officials at the headquarters were abetting the misuse of funds. A bridge connecting my home to Busia Municipality was allocated Kshs7 million, but all that money disappeared! What you can see is only one lorry-load of sand. To date, the Government has not even gone there to investigate where that money went to. We are tired of complaining. What actually is the role of the Kenya Anti- Corruption Commission (KACC) in this country? I reported that case to KACC! The Director earns a lot of money and yet, he does very little investigation. When the Attorney-General tables their quarterly reports here, the Director only says that a chief was found stealing chicken or taking a bribe. Those are the kind of corruption cases that he is investigating. He leaves out millions of shillings which would have benefitted Kenyans and the perpetrators go scot-free. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, even the Minister for Finance should not concentrate so much on allowances paid to Members of Parliament. That is because the tax on allowances paid to Members of Parliament will not transform Kenya or put food on the table of every Kenyan. Let him fight corruption. We have a lot of funds which are just going to waste. Let us not try to fool around with Kenyans and tell them that if we deduct allowances from Members of Parliament, they will be the happiest people in the world. No! Let us prevent corruption in various Government departments. That is why I am not even interested in seeing any allowances paid to Members of Parliament being chopped off. They should remain the way they are. We should look for ways of improving the lives of Kenyans. Let the Minister go out and look for donors. We have so many donors out there who want to assist Kenyans. Let them bring investors to Kenya to put up factories like the Busia Sugar Factory. That will ensure that wananchi earn some money, rather than focusing on the allowances paid to Members of Parliament as if that is the alpha and omega of everything in Kenya. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have the issue of roads. If you look at the Budget Estimates, you will find out that the same regions which have been getting money are still getting. Likewise, those areas which never used to get money are still not getting it. That boils down to the issue of inequality which was the cause of the post-election violence. I think the Minister and the Government should be able to learn. If you continue giving out money unequally the way you are doing, I think the 2012 post-election violence might be worse than what we had. Even if we increase the budget for the police force, they are very few. June 18, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1209 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}