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"id": 216922,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/216922/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. O.K. Mwangi",
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"id": 240,
"legal_name": "Onesmus Kihara Mwangi",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Minister for bringing a well-thought-out Budget Speech. But, despite the fact that a lot of money has been allocated, almost double in every docket of the Government, it is sad to look at the manner in which this money is being spent on the ground. I am, particularly, concerned about the operations of the Ministry of Roads and Public Works. About Kshs22 billion has been set aside for development in the Ministry of Roads and Public Works. But when you go to the ground, you will find that after money has been allocated to a given project, either that project takes too long or it is done in a very shoddy manner. Mainly, you will find that the money that is allocated for that project will never be used to complete the project. I am perturbed to note that a lot of money that is allocated to the Ministry of Roads and Public Works, is left to the District Roads Engineers (DREs). Once money is allocated, particularly, in the District Roads Committees (DRCs), it is left to the DREs to get contracts or procure whatever needs to be procured. At the end of the day, you will find that only half of the job is done. I am calling upon the Ministry to look at the manner in which the money is expended on the projects, because a lot of it is going to waste. I believe this is happening because of improper supervision and corruption within the districts. I remember a case in my district where a major road was allocated money, but the construction is taking very long. When we go to the DRE, we are told that the money is finished. There is a bridge there which has been under construction for the last five years. Everytime it is allocated money, little work is done and then the contractor disappears. About two months back, I was told that the contractor was coming to finish the project. But the contractor came and only put a cover on the bridge and left. Even the iron bars which were kept there were left for people to pick and steal. I am, therefore, very concerned. I am actually asking the Minister to look into this issue, because I think a lot of waste is taking place. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other area which the Minister for Finance should look into is the Fiscal Policy, particularly, matters touching on the commercial banks that we have in the country. You will find that commercial banks are, actually, collecting a lot of money from the public, yet, there is very little payback. If you take a loan - and I believe that there are very many Kenyans who are taking loans from these banks - you will be charged exorbitant interest rates. Mr. Speaker, Sir, by any chance, if you have got a little money that you want to deposit in your savings account in the bank, you will receive paltry returns of between 1 per cent or 2 per cent as interest. We know banks charge between 16 per cent and 20 per cent as interest rates on a loan. 2102 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 27, 2007 It is a pity that when a Kenyan deposits money in the banks, the returns are almost negligible. I, therefore, believe there is something wrong in the fiscal policy. The Minister for Finance must supervise the operations of commercial banks in this country. I think there is lack of control in the operations of these banks. Mr. Speaker, Sir, under the Central Bank Act, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) is mandated to supervise the operations of the commercial banks. That is why I am asking the Minister to take a step towards controlling the operations of these banks. At the end of the day, we find that they are making a lot of profits, while Kenyans are suffering. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other area of concern to me is the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. This Ministry is allocated a lot of money, but our forests, especially in the countryside have been depleted. In the areas where tea is grown, factories use wood fuel. This has caused a lot of depletion of our forests. I remember there was one time the Minister for Energy told us here that he was going to subsidise oil fuel, so that tea factories could use it and we save our forests. I expected the Budget to address this problem because it is touching on almost every area of the economy. When our forests are depleted, we will not have enough rains. Without rains, ours will be an arid or semi-arid country. At the end of day, we may be left bare without forests covering our land mass. We know the backbone of our economy is agriculture. The environment is one very serious area that the Government must address. If possible, I would urge the Government to subsidise the oil fuel and save our forests. A lot of wood used in tea factories. The Ministry of Agriculture has been allocated little more money in this Budget. However, in my opinion, this money is not enough if we are going to depend on agriculture as the mainstay of the country. I believe we should allocate much more resources to this Ministry. We have now allocated them almost Kshs7 billion. Although it is double the amount of last year, but it is not enough. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am particularly concerned with the awakening of the coffee growing areas. We all know coffee growing had been devastated and almost depleted in this country. I realised that the Ministry has re-established the Coffee Development Fund (CDF). However, its operations leaves a lot to be desired because the requirements are very stringent. Some of these requirements are that when a farmer borrows from the CDF, he must have ten guarantors who must themselves also be farmers. There is also a requirement that should one farmer default, instead of the management of the CDF following up that particular farmer, they follow those farmers who guaranteed him. That alone has barred many farmers from accessing these loans. If they cannot access this loan, then there is no way they will revive coffee growing in this country. I fear that, by and large, if the Government will not intervene in this and do something, then coffee growing will be history in this country. I hope the Government will look into this issue seriously. I believe by reviving coffee growing, our economy can tremendously improve. I thank the Government that it is doing all it can to reawaken the economy, but, definitely, if the agriculture sector will not be looked into seriously, then it will be bad news for our country. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to support."
}