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"id": 197278,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/197278/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "Gaichuhie",
"speaker_title": "The Member for Subukia",
"speaker": {
"id": 17,
"legal_name": "Nelson Ributhi Gaichuhie",
"slug": "nelson-gaichuhie"
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"content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, my names are Mr. Nelson Gaichuhie, the hon. Member for Subukia Constituency. First, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to, at least, address the House. This is my first time and I am happy to be here. I also want to thank His Excellency the President and Mr. Raila, for giving us the opportunity to, at least, have a debate that is free, fair and in an atmosphere where we do not have to worry about our people at home. When we were being sworn- in, things back at home in Subukia Constituency were different. We could not speak the way we are doing today. But immediately the Accord was signed, Kenya became a peaceful country. People down there are happy apart from the few issues that they are still pondering about. I also want to thank the eminent persons and both parties, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the Party of National Unity (PNU) and their representatives, who were able to sit down, talk and, at least, come up with a solution to the whole problem. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also want to urge this House to, at least, be united, so that both political parties trust and respect each other's different views and accommodate each other, so that this process that has been started, can continue without hiccups along the way. I also want to urge the Government to quickly resettle the people who have been displaced, put up structures, provide procedures, ways and means, so that these people can be settled once and for all. I also want to ask the Government to see to it that we do not have a repeat of clashes like it happened in 1997, 2002 and the worst, in 2007. I also would like to see the people who planned and financed these acts taken to court. Some of us saw what happened. We know the pain that was experienced. Some of those people who were purportedly said to have financed the violence are still enjoying themselves. Some are in this House; they are very happy. I do not want to mention names. May be time will come when we shall mention names, after we have had the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. But I would like to ask this House to see to it that those people are punished, so that we can have lasting peace. I also want to thank you for the way in which you have been conducting business in this House. When we came to elect you, we were divided. We thought you would be favouring some hon. Members. But I have seen that you have always been non-partisan. You have forgotten what was happening during your election. You have put that aside and you are very fair in the way you are conducting the affairs of this House. I also want to thank hon. Members because of the way they behaved yesterday. Actually, both sides were suspecting each other. But yesterday, I saw a very unified House. I wish that we continue being that way, so that we can pass more Bills. I do not want to be in this Tenth Parliament and we pass only 17 Bills, as it happened during the Ninth Parliament. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I come from an agricultural place, but we are having a big problem. The prices of fertilizers have really gone up. Farming in Subukia Constituency has now become a hobby. It is no longer a commercial thing. If we do not look into that, people may stop farming, and 270 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 19, 2008 we might have a big problem. This is a constituency in the Rift Valley Province, which is said to be the food basket of this country. The prices of fertilizers have doubled. The selling price of a bag of maize has gone down. I do not think people will be able to continue farming, if we do not look into that. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the issue of infrastructure, we have only been looking into issues of highways. We have not been able to make good our feeder roads. We find that whatever is farmed, cannot even be taken to the marketplace, because the roads are terrible. I would urge the Government not to look into highways only, but also into the feeder roads. I wish to ask this Government to look into the matters of the youth. In Kenya the youth form the largest component of the population. Once the youth finish school, if they want to get employed, they must have experience. I do not know where experience will come from, because before you are employed, you will have \"tarmacked\" for five years, which is not taken into consideration as experience in \"tarmacking\". When the youth want loans they are told they must have a surety or guarantee. The only thing someone may be having is a bicycle, which does not even have a logbook. I urge this Government to increase the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF), so that the youth are able to start their own businesses, so that they can do something. Employment has become something which is almost impossible to get. Finally, Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is a cry from the students at the university, who are pursuing a course in bio-medical technology. These students are not registered with the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board (KMLTTB). When these students complete their university degrees, there is nowhere they can be employed. They are not even considered for anything. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}