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"speaker_name": "Mr. M.Y. Haji",
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"speaker": {
"id": 26,
"legal_name": "Yusuf Mohammed Haji",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Ijara is 200 kilometres away from Garissa. Last year, for three good months, the roads were impassable. The Government had to do air-dropping. Even fixed-wing aeroplanes could not land in any of the airstrips. We cannot expect a patient to be driven on such roads for 200 kilometres. The nearest place we have is Tana River District Hospital which is about 16 kilometres. We have to cross Tana River using a canoe. I remember one time the MOH's boat capsized and he was almost eaten by crocodiles. Can anybody really stand here and say that many things have been done for this country while we know very well that there are certain favoured areas of this country and some are always marginalised? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is not enough for us to talk about achievements, if any. This is because achievements are things which have already been done and are there. We August 1, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2931 should be discussing what has not been done and can be achieved in the future. For example, the malaria epidemic is very high in this country, particulary in my constituency which is close to Tana River. People tend to emphasize the HIV/AIDS scourge locally and internationally. We know very well that HIV/AIDS scourge is the creation of human beings. It is people who want to enjoy themselves who get infected. However, mosquitoes have been with us all this time. It is high time the Government took the issue of malaria seriously by introducing sprays. In Ijara, we do not have a single borehole. We have over 200 dams with stagnant water. This is where the mosquitoes breed. It is not surprising that last year we lost over 137 people in the North Eastern Province as a result of the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) which is transmitted by mosquitoes. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, cholera is another disease that is ravaging the country in many parts. I remember in 1970s, there was a big campaign to introduce toilets in Nyanza Province in order to curtail this disease. Similarly, I think in many parts, particularly northern Kenya where people are not used to using toilets, the Government should give out money--- This question of passing the buck to the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) as if Kshs30 million can do wonders of the world, is unfair. The Government should consider introducing facilities, particularly toilets, in those marginalised areas. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another big problem is bilharzia. As I speak, I am informed that there are no drugs for bilharzia in this country. I am not just saying this for the sake of it, but I have done an investigation. Children swim in stagnant water in dams and, as a result, contract bilharzia. Likewise, many people suffer from bilharzia. There is need for the Ministry to do some damage control; by disinfecting the dams using chemicals, or providing the necessary medicine for treating bilharzia. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, under the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), just like my colleague said, several health centres have been constructed. Before this construction is done, normally, the projects are discussed in the District Development Committees (DDCs). We are told that once a project is approved in the DDCs, it is going to be the Government's responsibility to manage it. These facilities have been constructed using the CDF but, up to now, there are no medical staff to run those facilities. Government money has been used to construct these facilities, yet, they are now going to waste. They will be dilapidated as times goes on. In the future, it might not even be useful to have those facilities. So, there is need for the Government to come up with a policy of some kind; either to take over the health centres or stop any further development of health centres using the CDF money, so that we can save that money in order to undertake other projects. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}