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"id": 217328,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/217328/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. ole Metito",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Youth Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 199,
"legal_name": "Judah Katoo Ole-Metito",
"slug": "judah-ole-metito"
},
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I was talking about the customs issues at the border points. The KRA should take steps to ensure that the Kenyan youth at the borders are really given priority in terms of loading and reloading of goods and even services that are offered at those points, instead of going for our neighbours on the other side. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also wish to register my appreciation on the economic growth that we have experienced over the last four years. Some of the sectors or even all of the sectors in our economy have shown great improvement. As we have been told by the Minister for Finance, the Ministry of Wildlife and Tourism - that is with regard to hotels and hotel beds - registered the highest growth rate of about 15 per cent last year. I have also seen, with great appreciation, money being factored in the Budget that is going to improve the infrastructure within the parks in order to boost economic growth to a higher level. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, however, I would also wish to note that not much has actually being ploughed back to the communities where that economic growth is being experienced. I am referring to the communities that live around national parks and game reserves. Despite the fact that 15 per cent growth rate is being experienced in the sector. As the Government tries or endeavours to improve that growth rate to a higher level, we should not only be concerned about what goes to the central Government, but how much also goes back to the rural communities that are really working up and down to ensure that there is safety in those national parks and there is hospitality for our visitors. Much also needs to be done for them to benefit in terms of employment, resources and the exact financial assistance that goes back to uplift their living standards. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on agriculture, I have only one point. We have had some good rainfall over the last one year. Some of the agriculturally rich areas have really had a good harvest. But we are experiencing some problems with the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) whereby farmers have harvested a lot. They take their maize to the NCPB, but it is taking a long time for them to be paid. As a result, those stores are getting packed and our farmers are failing to get places to take their maize. I specifically have a case in point of my constituency, where a lot of maize is lying in our farms because the NCPB in Loitokitok has no space. So, I would kindly ask the Minister for Agriculture to expedite the discharge or removal of maize to other areas so that farmers can get space. He should also expedite the process of payment to farmers. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me thank the Government for the bold step they have taken to create new districts. I have seen that they have factored those new districts in the Budget as independent districts from their mother districts where they were carved out. We have already seen the benefits of those districts in terms of employment, where we are actually having 1908 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 20, 2007 them as the focal point, where employment of our young people is done in all sectors, like in the recent recruitment of the police where those new districts were taken as recruitment centres. The Government should speed up the operationalization of all the departments in those new districts and, more so, because of the rising insecurity in the country. We should facilitate the District Commissioners (DCs), District Officers (DOs) and the chiefs in order to be mobile so that they can move around those districts and try to assist in security issues. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, regarding health, there was a Question this morning on the gazettement and operationalization of the new dispensaries built up by hon. Members through the CDF. That is a very, very serious problem and the Government, through the Ministry of Health, should actually move very quickly and operationalize or facilitate the gazettement of those facilities because they may end up being white elephant projects. In my constituency, for example, eight dispensaries have already been put up. More are required. But since none of those eight dispensaries are operational, we will not build others until those ones are gazetted, registered, staffed and supplied with medicine. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, under the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands Programme, the Government has not factored in the new districts in the Budget. For some of us who come from those areas, water, boreholes and schools are some of our core development points. Some of the new districts that were created fall under the ASAL areas. Some of the new districts were hived off from other districts in ASALs. So, they automatically qualify for that programme. The Ministry of State for Special Programmes, where the Arid and Semi-Arid Management Project (ASAMP) falls, has not factored in the new districts. It is wrong for those districts to depend on their mother districts while others are totally independent. Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister of State for Special Programmes to look into ways of making the new ASAL districts independent. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, a lot has been said about education. We welcome the waiver of tuition fees for students in secondary schools. That has been factored in the Budget. Last year, I moved a Motion in this House to allow free secondary education for orphans and vulnerable children. It is necessary that, in that proposed waiver of tuition fees in secondary schools, orphans and vulnerable children should be given priority. We should not only waive their tuition fees, but they should be given 100 per cent free secondary education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, still on the issue of education, we know that the Government is planning to employ 11,000 teachers. I believe those are not enough. We have a shortage of 40,000 teachers in this country. As the Government recruits 11,000 teachers, even the new districts need a share. The focal point of registering new schools and employing new teachers should be the District Education Board (DEB). I kindly ask the Ministry of Education to ensure that DEBs in all the new districts are in place before the recruitment of the 11,000 teachers, so that those new districts could get a share. The Ministry should ensure that equity and fairness prevail in that exercise. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, finally, water is very crucial. I kindly---"
}