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{
"id": 233647,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/233647/?format=api",
"text_counter": 196,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kajwang",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 164,
"legal_name": "Gerald Otieno Kajwang",
"slug": "otieno-kajwang"
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, Mr. Nyachae is complaining that I am supporting him. However, I am usually his friend. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to say that what he said about prioritisation of development projects in this country is correct. I also want to say that his frustrations about imperialism - ukolonimambo leo - is also true. It is only that to me he sounded a bit frustrated, although I thought he was in a position in which he can put policies to work, especially in the Cabinet. Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me say the following. First of all, I want to remind myself of my job description. I have always understood my job description to be representation, legislation, which includes taxation and appropriation, which is what we are doing this afternoon. When we tax Kenyans, as we have proposed to do in the Finance Bill, we are expected to also appropriate that money properly, and hope that it will be used appropriately. That is the point from where I want to continue. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when we appropriate money to certain projects in this country, you will find that the absorption capacity of Government departments is usually less than 60 per cent. Sometimes we wonder why the Government should ask for money which it presumably has planned for, put in the Budget, but then returns it to the Treasury after 12 months, because it has not used it. It has no capacity to use that money. You really wonder why you should even tax Kenyans, if you are not going to use the money eventually. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am talking of real issues. Let me start with my constituency. There is a causeway across the Mbita Channel, which was done by some engineers who had no idea of the environmental impact, when they blocked the flow of the lake. Because the current passage through the Mbita Channel was blocked and we created a causeway, the entire Gulf of Homa Bay, Kendu Bay and Kisumu is a cesspit, as we are speak now. The water is dirty and cannot even be consumed by livestock. In fact, I can tell you that my father, who keeps some livestock, told me that he has to treat the water before he gives it to the livestock. Otherwise, they will all die. The water is dirty because somebody blocked a channel which used to clean the Gulf of Homa Bay. For three years running, we have put money in the Budget for design and construction of a bridge across the channel and the demolition of that causeway, so that we can revive the gulf which is dying. In fact, fish are not breeding in the gulf, because the water is too dirty even to sustain them. Year in, year out, money is returned to the Treasury, because the Permanent Secretary, or somebody in the Ministry of Roads and Public Works, has not found it fit to design the bridge, build it and demolish the causeway. We are destroying the lake by not doing that. We are also destroying the life of fish and livestock. We are not worried because we are not in a hurry to do anything good to this country's environment. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another example is that we have been told in this House, for three years running, that there is money acquired from the African Development Bank (ADB) to construct a runway at the Kisumu Airport to improve it. This is borrowed money. First of all, by the time we went to borrow, we were sure of what we wanted to do with the money---"
}