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{
"id": 229508,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/229508/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr. Murungaru",
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"speaker": {
"id": 227,
"legal_name": "Christopher Ndarathi Murungaru",
"slug": "christopher-murungaru"
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like, particularly, to recognise the major milestones that the Speech by the President illuminated, regarding economic recovery. Where I come from in my own constituency, I can speak with authority and say that we have, indeed, been beneficiaries of the economic recovery achievements in this country, and, more so, in the dairy sector. The dairy sector is the most important sector in my constituency. We have, indeed, benefitted from the recovery of that sector. I was very pleased to hear His Excellency the President mention that there is going to be a strategic reserve of dairy products which will be intended to strengthen and stabilise the dairy sector. The figure, if I am not wrong, which was mentioned, was Kshs600 million. However, I would like to urge the Government, through the Ministries concerned, to increase this reserve, at least to Kshs1 billion. That, I think, has been the assessed level of reserves that would truly result in sufficient support to the dairy sector. The dairy sector is important: It employs more than 3 million individuals in this country directly and perhaps, as many as 7 million indirectly. So, I would like the Government to address that particular sector in such a manner. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government has gone ahead to formulate the March 22, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 95 Vision 2030, which is intended to make this country an industrialised country by the year 2030. In order to achieve this, and I am happy that the Minister for Science and Technology is in the House, there is no doubt that the Government must invest seriously in technical training and education. You cannot industrialise if you do not have artisans and technically- trained personnel with the necessary skills. I urge the Government, through the Ministry of Science and Technology, to give impetus to science and technology training. We can do so by, first of all, reviving the moribund institutes of technology, village polytechnics and, indeed, even revisit the curriculum that is taught in these institutions, and particularly village polytechnics. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also like to take the opportunity, now that I am on the Floor of this House, to urge Kenyans everywhere to support the Government's initiative in reviving technical education. Technical schools, particularly village polytechnics in the past, have been treated by most parents and pupils, indeed, as institutions of last resort. If a child does not make it to secondary school, or a recognised intermediate institution of learning or a tertiary institution of learning, they have been relegated to village polytechnics. I would like to urge parents and pupils to see this as one of the surest ways to an assured job. I have no doubt that the Government is determined to actualise Vision 2030. That being the case, technical training will be the surest way to a job in the future. Let me also congratulate the Government on the establishment of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund and more recently, the Women Enterprise Development Fund. I have no doubt that both those funds will make a fundamental difference to the unemployment in this country and more so the Women Enterprise Development Fund. \"Mama mboga\" and \"Mama makaa\", that is how they are referred to in the countryside and estates, are the majority of the workers in this country. I think that this Fund will have a tremendous positive impact on the economy of this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, allow me to talk very quickly about roads. I have no doubt that many hon. Members will agree with me that when you compare the output of the levy that is channelled through the District Roads Committees (DRCs) in terms of work done, that is, what is done by the DRC funds and what is done by the CDF, the difference is like day and night. There is a problem of implementation of road projects using those funds channelled through the DRCs. I urge the House to amend the rules so that roads funds are administered in the same fashion as the CDF money. We will see more kilometres repaired and rehabilitated than what we are seeing at the moment. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, turning to the Ministry of Local Government, I would like to join those who have said that the Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF) should be subjected to the same rules and regulations as CDF. I think, at the moment, most hon. Members will agree with me that of all devolved funds, LATF is the most misused. I have tried to discern this in my own constituency and district projects and programmes that you can be able to identify with the LATF money. In spite of the total sum being more than what is allocated to the CDF by the Treasury, there is almost nothing to be seen of the LATF money. I would like to urge the Government, through the Minister for Local Government to look urgently into this issue with a view to making Kenyans get a fair return on what they invest in the LATF money."
}