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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise also to support this Motion. I think it is a timely Motion. I am surprised that the Government Bench is not full. They should be here to listen to what we want to tell them about a working nation. Indeed, they should be here to support President Kibaki's slogan of a working nation because this is what this Motion translates into. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we know that hungry people are also angry people. That is what we see in our youth who have joined the Mungiki sect. They are hungry and, therefore, angry. There is so much that this Government can put in place to get all able Kenyans to support the wealth creation of this nation. Indeed, it can keep the citizens of this country busy contributing to their nation. That is the only way to make them proud of their own country when they feel their efforts are being recognised and their brains and capacities are contributing towards building the nation. Indeed, they feel happy and appreciate the Government. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, our people are very hard working, but they lack support. They have the tools and knowledge. Indeed, they appreciate working on their land. As we have seen over the years, they lack the support they need. Those who go into farming, for instance, get loans which are given to them under strict conditions. Instead of being encouraged, these 2600 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 18, 2007 conditions end up making them lose their land for auction. Sometimes the weather becomes unfavourable and the farmers do not get good harvest. Instead of encouraging them by giving them farm inputs, their farms are auctioned. This has denied the small-scale farmers the opportunity to participate fully in the creation of wealth for this nation. It goes without saying that the biggest contributor to the economy of this country is the informal sector. When we talk about the informal sector, we are talking about the Jua Kali sector. The Jua Kali artisans have made a tremendous contribution to this country. It is surprising to see that they are the least supported. These people are looking for small loans to support their businesses, but they hardly get them. Since their businesses cannot generate a lot of money, they are not given loans by the conventional banks. When they source money for business among themselves, they only fall back to the merry-go-rounds. Sometimes, it is not enough. They get very little amount of money from the merry-go-rounds, which cannot help them to make any profit. They get very little which they spend on their domestic needs. They do not get anything to enable them to hire other people to work for them and, therefore, create job opportunities for this nation. It is important, indeed, that the Government looks into this situation critically and finds ways of supporting those people who are able and have started their businesses to move on. Those who have skills, such as the many boys and girls who are being churned into the market by secondary schools, training centres and even universities, they are in the streets. They are unable to contribute anything of importance to this nation, as if they do not have any skills and brains. They have brains because the nation has invested a lot of resources in training them. Their Parents have put their energies and resources in training them. They only need to be given the start-up capital. It should not be attached to stringent conditions and red tape so that they can be encouraged to start small businesses for themselves. More importantly, they should be able to come up with businesses that can assist them to employ their brothers and sisters and reduce unemployment in our midst. There is no need for any Kenyan able child, man or woman to find themselves without work to do. There is a lot of work around. All we need, as a country, is to inject resources into our working environment, support and trust that if our people are given the resources, they will use them to create more resources and profits that can benefit our economy. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we talk about economic growth---We have time and again criticised the notion that economic growth is seen in the upper echelon, among those people who had money in advance and those who have big businesses. Many people who are contributing to the day to day running of the nation do not even know that the so-called economic growth is taking place. This is because the financial institutions that have money lend out to big people they know who have big businesses running. It is important that small business people at household levels be supported. In other countries, even housewives are supported to run homes. It is an activity. Running a home is an industry! Even housewives should be encouraged. That is how nations that believe in welfare support for their families start cottage industries at the village level. The little activities that go on to support those families also create employment for those people. That keeps people busy in their environment and communities. That avoids influx into urban centres, congestion and lack of essential facilities. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is time we looked at what we have. We do have a lot to appreciate in this country, in terms of manpower. Kenya is gifted in education and, indeed, Kenyan children have been educated in large numbers. That education should not be left to go to waste. The only way we can stop it from being wasted is to create an environment. That environment can only be put together by the Government of the day. So, we are calling upon the Government to utilise the many opportunities that they have, the money that is being wasted by individuals who take it away or \"sit\" on it in banks, while others take it out of this country. We have lost money in the Goldenberg and Anglo Leasing scams. We should use that money to ensure July 18, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2601 that it is spread. That is why we talk about regional distribution of resources, so that everybody can have access to resources of this country. They, too, can use it to contribute towards the growth of this nation, as they improve their own lifestyles. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion by hon. Angwenyi is very timely and it should be supported. We hope that the Government will, indeed, think seriously about pumping enough money into activities such as the Women and Youth Enterprise Development funds, with a proper programme and legal framework, where it can be distributed equitably to all those who deserve it. We should have a programme of making that money create employment, yield results, contribute to the revenue base and be part of wealth creation in this nation. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}