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"id": 228501,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/228501/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Abdirahman",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Trade and Industry",
"speaker": {
"id": 161,
"legal_name": "Abdirahman Ali Hassan",
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to contribute to the debate on the Presidential Address, which was delivered here on the 20th of last month. I stand to support the Address since it covered numerous issues that affect Kenyans. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Address was not founded on false hopes. It had very clear targets. It also enumerated a number of achievements that have been witnessed at every corner of this country. It also had very good strategies, if they are employed very well. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, all cannot be achieved by the Government alone if it does not get the necessary support and goodwill from a number of players. Time and again, I remember very well the direction from the Chair and the top leadership in this country on how best, particularly the National Assembly, can act as a catalyst for development, and also provide visionary leadership if it remains focused. Unfortunately, over the last few years, something very bad has crept into this country, particularly after the referendum. That has mainly come from the leadership of this country, particularly hon. Members and those who aspire for certain positions in the Government. This country has a population of over 33 million Kenyans. It has several tribes. That was not very April 3, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 313 prominent under the leadership of former President Moi. I am surprised that tribalism is being propelled by people who are seeking leadership positions in this country. It is very unfortunate. Even the El Molo people will, one day, want to hold leadership positions in this country. But if what we now see being propelled by individuals becomes the order of the day, it will be very unfortunate. This country will be in tatters. What we are doing now is not issue-based politics, but personalised and divisive politics that will not help Kenyans move forward. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to comment on a number of issues which this Government has achieved. I want to see how best I can articulate them, so that we can improve on them. The Government made a bold step and started the Free Primary Education Programme (FPEP). That programme has been viewed differently in various quarters. But any new initiative has teething problems. The shortage of teachers, classrooms and physical facilities in general are teething problems. I am sure those issues can be addressed. There are funds available beyond this Government - even from the donors. I am sure that, if we can marshal those resources, we can address even issues affecting secondary education so that this country can prosper. If we invest in education, we can address all the gaps we have in terms of development. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, a number of hon. Members who spoke before me talked about the minimal amounts that are sent to constituencies for the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF). Funding is never a problem. A sum of Kshs1 million is a good amount of money. But the question is: How best can we have those programmes sustained over time by communities? My focus is on how best we can sustain that Fund. Channelling funds directly to the youth will enable the Government create informal jobs. I am sure that is a good step towards the development of the youth, who form the bulk of our population. The Women Enterprise Development Fund (WEDF) is also a good initiative. Women form majority of the Kenyan population. They also form the backbone of our economy. Most of them are in the rural areas where they engage in farming and other household chores. I am sure the WEDF will improve the lives of ordinary Kenyans right from the household level, where a number of women are single mothers fending for their children with very little support or even none in some cases. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the Speech by His Excellency the President because there were clear figures on the progress of the Rural Electrification Programme (REP). It is worth noting that between 1963 and 2002, the total allocation for the REP was only Kshs6 billion. In four years, since the NARC Government took over the running of this country, Kshs7 billion has been utilised for the REP. That has opened doors for a number of people in this country. I would like to thank His Excellency the President for steering us to the road towards development. On the issue of Vision 2030 which envisages a 10 per cent growth over a period of 25 years, I would like to say that, that shows a leadership that is accountable and one that is geared towards development. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Constitution-making process is not a Government or Opposition affair alone. We lost a new Constitution because of divisive leadership, which was bent on self interests. We closed ourselves in black boxes in November, 2005. It is unfortunate that we rejected that draft Constitution because we did not want to help Kenyans achieve a new Constitution. It is was not the Government that had contributed to that alone. My advice is this: For now, let us concentrate on the structures and processes that are expected to move forward the Constitution-making process. The content can follow later. It is like we are in agreement on both sides of the House that we all want minimum reforms. How best can we achieve that? We can achieve that by having goodwill from both sides of the House. We can reach an agreement on the way the process will be done. Let us not lose the Constitution-making process again because of political mileage, which a few people may seek. Elective positions are open for everybody. We 314 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 3, 2007 should guide Kenyans, so that they can have sustained growth, live in harmony and remain as one. I come from the North. A few hon. Members come from the lake. Others come from the Coast. But we are expected to build a visionary leadership which will help this country. Finally, my last comment is on corruption. Corruption is a much talked about issue, whether it is present or past. When we talk about corruption, people think it is the current corruption. But it also has to do with the past corruption. That has been a culture that has developed over time in this country. Quite a number of people who are rich, whether in political or business circles were, at one time or another, engaged in some corrupt practices, although that has not yet been proved. If we want to stem corruption, the leadership and the people of Kenyan should collectively attempt to deal with it. We should not tackle it as a Government project. The Government is the first stakeholder. But those who engaged in corruption should, as a sign of goodwill and good demonstration towards able leadership, return what they obtained from this country. We can add that to the billions that we are currently using from the taxpayers' money to develop this country. It is a collective responsibility and all us should take credit for dealing with it. It is easier to criticise than support any system. Let us root out corruption. We need to learn from past mistakes and help this country develop. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}