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"speaker_name": "Mr. Ligale",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. At the outset, I want to say that the President's Speech was well prepared to paint the positive aspects of the achievements of this Government, and they have made effort in many ways. Certainly, the free primary education is something that we are proud of in this county. It has brought many children on board who may have been ignored or who could not have afforded to go to school. We commend the Government for that achievement. But we have to point out that, without adequate staffing in most of our schools, most children are not getting quality education. I hope the Government will move with speed to ensure that teachers are employed both in primary and secondary schools to fill gaps which have been created by way of natural attrition, death and other causes. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I agree with the President that, in view of the increased number of primary school enrolment, we must put up additional secondary schools. Day secondary schools are, indeed, going to be the answer. For us to be able to construct them using 274 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 29, 2007 CDF facilities, we would like to request that the allocation to that fund is increased substantially. If it is not increased to 7.5 per cent that had been proposed by this House, we should try and increase it at least to 5 per cent. That, will to a very large extent, ensure that we can put up these facilities because majority of the CDF funding goes to the construction of educational facilities. That increase will enable us to go a long way towards achieving that objective. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on affirmative action, particularly taking into account women and the youth, I commend the President for suggesting that 30 per cent of public appointments be given to women amongst our lot. But we need a law to support that pronouncement, otherwise at the moment, it remains a political pronouncement or it remains just a political statement. We must have a law to enable us to bring about affirmative action. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the question of the Women Enterprise Development Fund (WEDF), which is also a commendable suggestion, one nevertheless, gets the impression that since it is coming towards the tail-end of the term of the President, it is an incendiary gimmick. Why was it not suggested before? Do we have adequate time within the remaining months to bring about the necessary legislation to ensure that, that pronouncement comes into being? We need to ensure that the Youth Development Enterprise Fund (YDEF) is operationalized first, before we bring in this additional factor that may not be able to stand the test of time. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have heard about the economy growing at the rate of between 5.8 per cent and 6 per cent, and there are some indications of that growth. There is some indication that the economy is going to pick up. However, as some of my colleagues have said, this growth has not trickled down to the mwananchi . The ordinary Kenyan has not begun to feel the effects of that growth of the economy. One of the indications of this economic growth is the performance of the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE). We have seen some movement. An hon. Member on the Government side did refer to the NSE being controlled by market forces, and we agree. However, I was somewhat baffled yesterday to hear the Chairman of the NSE make a political pronouncement to the effect that if ODM(K) holds together, that might affect the performance of the NSE. What is the position of Mr. Jimnah Mbaru to make pronouncements to that effect? He has no locus standi to make a political statement. Let him confine himself to what he knows best, how to run the NSE. Let him leave politics to politicians. We want an effective Opposition in this country. The ODM(K) is providing that effective Opposition, and it is going to form the next Government. So, he should not get involved in that kind of political statement. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, what did not come out strongly from the President's Address are the areas he, obviously, wanted to either gloss over or not to speak too loudly about. There are four of those areas, namely, insecurity, corruption, unemployment and ethnicity. Let me just elaborate a little on each of those areas. The question of insecurity cannot be swept under the carpet. It is with us. We see it every day. Yesterday, we witnessed all those skirmishes pitting"
}