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"id": 217331,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/217331/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Maj-Gen. Nkaisserry",
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"speaker": {
"id": 192,
"legal_name": "Joseph Kasaine Ole Nkaissery",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Budget of this financial year. From the outset, I would like to challenge His Excellency the President to sack all the Assistant Ministers who tried to intimidate him. They were telling the Head of State that they were idle and have nothing to do. If that action is taken, this country could save a lot of money. We can then use that money to support children from poor families. The cost of one Assistant Minister to the Government of the Republic of Kenya is in the tune of Kshs500,000 per month. If we get rid of these Assistant Ministers, we will save enough June 20, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1909 money to help children from poor families. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue of Vision 2030, the Government has not come forward to explain to Kenyans what that Vision is all about. We understand that Vision was borrowed from a foreign company. If that is true, then this Government is visionless. It is leading Kenyans to nowhere! On critical issues of the Budget, the Government did not consider ASAL areas. I concur with my brother, Mr. ole Metito, that nothing has been considered about ASAL areas. In the area of infrastructure, if you go through the Printed Estimates, nothing has been set aside to improve infrastructure in the pastoral districts. There is no allocation to supply water, build facilities and construct roads. Therefore, the ASAL districts do not exist in the radar of the Minister. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other critical issue concerns the livestock sector. The budget for that sector has been reduced by Kshs94 million. The Minister knows very well - and I am glad we have technocrats here - that pastoralists, especially the Maasai from Kajiado District, lost many of their animals. We would have expected the Government to set aside some money, at least, for re-stocking. We also expected the Government to allocate some money to cushion the farmers who took loans from the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC). If the Government is writing off loans for coffee farmers, why can it not write off the AFC loans for livestock farmers? That is a fundamental question. When you look at the allocation of money to the road sector--- I hope that this time, it will not happen like last financial year, where money was allocated to constituencies of friendly Government of National Unity (GNU) Members. That is critical. All the districts in this country must develop at par. It does not matter whether an hon. Member is in GNU or migrated from KANU or FORD(P) to join GNU. Kenyans must have a balanced development agenda. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Police Force and other security organs in this country for taking drastic action to stamp out insecurity in some areas of our country. But it is very unfortunate that, as I speak now, we have a region where people are training a private army and the Government is sitting idle. It is not taking action. It is a tragedy that a Government, which is supposed to provide security and protection of peoples' property, is sleeping on the job! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when you look at the goodies which this Government has distributed---"
}