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"speaker_name": "Mr. Arungah",
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"legal_name": "Julius Odenyo Arungah",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I would like to thank the Minister for giving me the three minutes to make a point or two. I am very happy to note that out of the Kshs832 million that the Ministry has decided to give to the rural areas, I think my district of Butere is going to benefit to the tune of about Kshs20 million. This is the first time that this has happened in a long time. As I appreciate the allocation we have received, I have a very big concern about the operations of these so-called \"boards\". In my area, I think there is what is called Lake Victoria North something, and from the time when this board was formed, there is only one borehole which, in my view, was allocated Kshs3.7 million. This is a borehole which is only 70 metres deep, and they extended a pipeline by two kilometres to some market. When I asked some questions on how the costing was done, nothing happened. These people underground. I do not know of a single project, other than that one, that has been undertaken in my constituency. What I am saying is that it is important that when these boards are going round they involve the hon. Members, because we, in our own right, have the capacity to mobilise the people, so that, at least, we know what is going on. Secondly, we also allocate some money from our Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) kities towards this end. It is important that we know what programmes, if any, the boards have, so that we do not have duplication. I find it difficult to believe that from the time the boards were formed, there is only one project which, in my view, should not have cost more than Kshs1 million. They were allocated Kshs3.7 million, and God knows that I asked what had happened to that money, and nobody has given me an answer up to this time. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Kshs20 million has been allocated to our district. These people have a tendency of inflating the cost of this thing. Instead of going to procure the equipment from the source, or the manufacturers, they decide to go and procure them from third parties, to the extent that 40 per cent of whatever money is allocated is spent, in my view, very unnecessarily. I want to give notice, for example, that for the money that has been allocated to the district, I am going to follow it up, particularly the procurement, because I am not satisfied with the way it is done because a lot of money is wasted. I want to appreciate the efforts and the reforms the Minister has undertaken, and the professional manner in which he has allocated the money. August 22, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3403 The only observation that I make is that he is spending about Kshs4 billion in urban areas and about only Kshs800 million in rural areas, yet 80 per cent of our people live in the rural areas and only a small fraction lives in urban areas. That allocation, in my view, is not proportionate. Apart from that, I thank the Minister for the work he has done, together with his staff, particularly at the Ministry's Headquarters. He has very able and hard working staff. They allocate money, but the problem is at the uptake areas. They have a duty not just to allocate this money, but to follow it up to make sure that it is properly used. I hope I will not be misunderstood to be interfering when I follow up to make sure that this Kshs20 million is not paper allocation, but is money that is going to be used on the ground. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support."
}