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"id": 229072,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/229072/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Obwocha",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Planning and National Development",
"speaker": {
"id": 356,
"legal_name": "Henry Onyancha Obwocha",
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I would like to make a few comments on the exposition of public policy by the President in his Address. I want, first of all, to thank him for the very elaborate Address which touched on many aspects of our lives as Kenyans. I want to start by commenting on what some hon. Members were asking about the Kenya Vision 2030, which we are drafting for the country. I want to indicate that we are at the initial stages. Right now, we have scheduled meetings in every province from yesterday for the next two weeks, so that we can hear views about what Kenyans think, and in which manner they are receiving this information about the Kenya Vision 2030. So, Kenyans are stakeholders in this programme, and we are going to consult them and walk together with them on this economic path. But the bottom line is that the vision is based on three pillars. The first one is the economic pillar, which aims at this country's economy growing at 10 per cent. The second pillar is the social pillar, where we want a just society, and a clean and secure environment for our country. The final pillar is the political pillar, which these Members of Parliament are supposed to address. We want an issue-based, people-centred and democratic political system. That is the only way in which we can grow and become a middle-income society that affords good life to its people. I wish many hon. Members were here to just hear that we are going to consult them. We are going to consult the people of this country. Our experts are working on the programme in the same manner as experts in Malaysia, Morocco and other countries did, so that we can work together. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also wanted to comment on the issues that have been raised here about poverty programmes. The poverty levels in this country are based on some exercise that was done 10 years ago, in 1997. The Ministry of Planning and National Development did initiate a one-year programme under which we are consulting members of the public, 13,000 people in every area throughout the year. We ask them about the kind of money they receive, what happens with it and so on, so that we can arrive at the poverty figures. We are putting this 222 PARLIAENTARY DEBATES March 28, 2007 information together, and we should be releasing it soon. But it is safe to say that the pro-poor programmes by this Government are in place and, therefore, we should not say, as another hon. Member was saying here, that we are promoting the rich instead of the poor. Even some of the devolved funds that are going down to the grassroots are supposed to address some of these issues. I was shocked by one of my colleagues here, who is actually my neighbour, hon. Ahenda, who claimed that the only person who can plan for this country is Prof. Anyang'-Nyong'o, a political scientist who is not even an economist. Any Kenyan with adequate education and sound knowledge like Obwocha can plan for this country with the help of other people. I do not think we should be parochial to that extent. Some of us went to some of the best schools in this country, and some of the best universities in the world. Planning is not about Obwocha; it is about people coming together and putting their knowledge together. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the Constitution, I think we are ready as a people to talk together, because this is our country. But some of the proposals that are coming up, like the President dismissing some of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) commissioners--- Have you read what the Constitution says about appointments of those people? Once such people are appointed, there is a manner in which they can be removed from office. Theirs are constitutional offices. I think our country should also try and strengthen multiparty democracy. If we did that, there would be no need for all this quarrelling about the President garnering 50 per cent plus one votes in a general election. It is not necessary. What we need to do is to strengthen multiparty democracy in the country. If we do that, then we will get somewhere. But I do not think the Opposition should tell us to choose for them their Presidential candidate by imposing conditions like this one. I think we should sit down as a country and say: These are the issues that we want dealt with. For example, we know that constituencies boundaries are reviewed after every 10 years. We have done it all through. I remember that in 1987 they were reviewed by the late hon. Nyamweya and in 1997, they were reviewed by the late Justice Chesoni. I think in 2007, we should do it. There is no way we can skip this issue about review of constituencies boundaries. We should have new constituencies. I think both sides need to talk to be able to deliver to the people of this country new constituencies. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to say that some of the development programmes that the Government has put in place are there for all to see. President Kibaki is not talking much. But if you go to the ground, the common man will tell you: We do not know whether we are going to elect you, but for President Kibaki, we are going to elect him for what he has done for us. So, some of these development programmes have taken effect on the ground and they have a lot of bearing on the common citizen on the ground. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the CDF issue, I think as an Assembly, and for us in the Ministry of Planning and National Development, we need to put in place a programme that will control the project committees. The money is not misused by the CDF committees. Once the CDF committee has allocated money to the project committee, we must have a system in place to check whether that money has been used for the intended purposes and used well. I think this is the issue we should address. We should not say that so and so has this or that kind of CDF committee. That is not the point. The point is: Who are using this money? It is the project committees that are using this money. How are they using the money? Are they using the money to benefit the people of this country? I think that is the issue we should address. Hopefully, our brothers in the CDF National Management Committee will be able to bring these committees back on course. I want to finish by indicating that when we prepared the African Peer Review Mechanism Report, which covers a cross-section of many issues in this country, many of the countries in Africa were shocked. Out of the 53 African countries, it is only three countries that have been able to March 28, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 223 prepare this report, which is self-examining. We re-examine our systems, and Kenya was rated to be one of the brave countries that have been able to do this. The other countries are Ghana and Rwanda. South Africa is in the process of presenting their report. The Chair of the African Peer Review Mechanism, which is Nigeria, has not even done it. So, many of these brothers of ours, who are go out to malign our country, should know that this country is far ahead of many other African countries. We should promote tourism. If you go to some of our neighbouring countries, you will find that they do not even have decent hotels. With those remarks, I beg to commend the President and support the Motion."
}