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"id": 229476,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/229476/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Akaranga",
"speaker_title": "The Minister of State for Public Service",
"speaker": {
"id": 299,
"legal_name": "Moses Epainitous Akaranga",
"slug": "moses-akaranga"
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"content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue of performance contracting, I am pleased to inform this House that Kenya has been nominated and shortlisted for an award by the United Nations; the Public Service Award. We will be receiving that award in June, 2007. On the same issue of the public service, we have also placed the process of application for all public service jobs online. People can just apply for the jobs online, and they do not need to walk to the Public Service Commission Headquarters to pick the application forms and complete them. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Government has given out funds to various constituencies through the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). This year, the CDF will be given Kshs10 billion. When we criticize that the Government is not giving funds to Kenyans, we as hon. Members must ask ourselves one question: What are we doing with the CDF? Even if the funds are little, we need to show Kenyans who voted for us, that we, as hon. Members, can utilize the funds effectively. I am sorry to say that if you go around this country, wananchi are complaining about the distribution of CDF within the constituencies. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me talk about the cleanliness of our cities, especially a city like Nairobi. Today, we have street lights and our streets are all safe. We used to walk in darkness at night but today, when you walk in the streets of Nairobi, you will be a happy person because there are lights all over the town. Look at our roads, especially in some of our constituencies, where we have used the Roads Development Fund to repair our roads. If you walk along our streets, you will be a happy person to see that trees have been planted all over, and this town is soon going to become the \"Green City in the Sun\" the way it used to be many years ago. March 22, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 87 Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, look at the landscaping in this town. When I talk about Nairobi, I also include Mombasa, the City of Kisumu and Eldoret. There are good things taking place there. Recently, I toured some of the public toilets in this city. You cannot believe that they are the same toilets which you could not even move near before. They are quite clean! As the Minister in charge of Public Service, when I see that, I become a happy person because Kenyans require quality services. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me look at the telecommunications industry. If you go through the streets, you will find that today, we have more than six million Kenyans who own cellphones. You will agree with me that just six years ago, any Kenyan holding a cellphone was like he was holding gold. But today, the way we communicate to one another is so easy. We have around 260,000 Kenyans with fixed telephone lines. Today, Telkom (K) Ltd has come up with wireless lines which look like mobile phones, but they are wireless telephone lines. Perhaps, you are not aware that there is the fibre-optic network and infrastructure which is being laid throughout the entire country, and that is going to cost us more than Kshs4 billion. That means that in a few months, all Ministries are going to be interlinked, thus making service delivery easier to Kenyans. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is also media freedom in this country. We have FM radio stations which now talk openly. They come out and criticize anybody, and the Kibaki Government does not go out there to order for the arrest of those people who are criticizing the Government. Today, we have 16 television stations, 30 FM radio stations and 50 regional FM radio stations which have since been licensed. Now, all Kenyans enjoy human rights without fear, and that, to me, is important. Fear is in the Bible, as you are aware. The Bible says clearly that fear is sin and, therefore, since Kenyans do not have fear, they are excused from that sinful act. Today, I am proud to say that we do not have any political prisoners. We do not have any! Even the torture chambers in Nyayo House were closed down and there is that freedom of speech. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if I may look at women, they have been empowered. On the Women's Enterprise Development Fund, which is going to be established very soon, I want to urge the Ministry concerned to work on this issue very fast. It should not take long like the Youth Enterprise Development Fund so that women can be given funds and start small-scale businesses outside there. Apart from that, women are guaranteed at least one-third of all public employment opportunities. Where that does not happen, then we should be asked to say why it is not there. Recently, the Gender Commission was created and it is there. The women of this country are respected, and they are the majority. When we go outside there to look for votes, women and the youth are the majority and, of course---"
}