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"speaker_name": "Dr. Rutto",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. It is a fact that poverty is a condition that dehumanises people. By dehumanising, I mean that it devalues the status of the human being and our dignity. It also devalues our bid to be self- reliant. Poverty denies us access to opportunities to realise our potential and to live as human beings. It denies us opportunities for good education, better health care and economic benefit. It devalues the totality of our lives. The Motion points to that fact; the evil that can be created by conditions of poverty. It makes us disabled in many respects and deprives the poor of the voice to speak for themselves and re-make themselves in a bid to become better human beings. Poverty should be a condition that all of us should fight, whether we are in the Government or in the Opposition. It deprives the poor of the capacity to make their history. History is a series of events through which the human person manifests his potential and growth to become a better human October 25, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3131 being. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is need, therefore, to create conditions for humanising the poor. Recently, we witnessed battles on the streets of Nairobi between the hawkers and the Nairobi City Council, and perhaps the Government as well. This has been a fight for economic space. The poor are asking the Government and the NCC to provide space for them so that they can push the horizons of poverty away from themselves. It is sad that we have a Government that is not sensitive to the plight of the poor. Instead of listening to them, it clobbers and shoots them around like wild animals. This is sad! The Motion brings us to the point where all of us should focus on the plight of the poor. What are the causes of poverty? I think these are very clear. One, of course, is the unequal distribution of resources. There is plenty of that in this country. That scenario is not new. We are all aware that resources of this nation are unfairly distributed. If you look, for instance, at the plight of pastoralists, they are struggling with bad weather and climatic conditions yet we have done very little to improve their plight so that they can move away from poverty. We also know that in this country, roads are not fairly distributed. Some regions have all-weather roads while some have impassable roads because in the past, we have unfairly distributed resources. This Motion calls on us to focus our attention on the unequal distribution of resources, while at the same time paying attention to the legal framework it points out to be unfair. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another cause of poverty is the widening gap between the rich and the poor. There is immense falling of household incomes and rising prices of commodities. If you compare the cost of fuel a few years ago and now, you will find that it has gone up. That affects the prices of commodities that are common, particularly for the poor. In other words, I am saying that the plight of the poor, particularly, the women, children and the disabled is worse today than ever before. This is simply because the gap between the poor and the rich has widened. Another cause of poverty, as the Motion points out, is lack of a level playing ground when it comes to the access of credit or investment opportunities. In other words, the legal provisions are not level. The Motion has pointed out that fact. The Motion asks us, as legislators, to look at the legal framework and make it level. As we introduce factors and contents into the Bill that will address the plight of the poor, we should also address the unequal distribution of resources in this country. We have paid lip service to this call for many years. It is high time we sat down and looked at the unequal distribution of resources. If that is not addressed, it will rubbish the intentions and spirit of the Motion that is before us. There is no need to enact laws on investment opportunities while at the same time, not pay attention to unequal distribution of resources. If we do not put in place measures to address the unequal distribution of resources, we will distribute that investment unequally. One of the primary things that we should do is to address the unequal distribution of resources. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the point that has been made by the previous speakers; that, there is need to create a fund for the poor. While working with women and young people in our constituencies, one of the major problems they tell us they face is lack of access to credit facilities or funds to enable them engage in the activities they want on the ground. I think such a Motion provides an opportunity for us to create a fund, specifically for those activities that young people, women and the marginalised groups engage in, in the rural areas. As we debate this Motion, there is need to encourage entrepreneurial capacity on the ground. If you visit our constituencies or villages, you will discover that people are willing to engage in business. However, the problem is that they lack entrepreneurial skills. I am happy that this Motion addresses that aspect and urges us to pay attention to the development of entrepreneurial skills. We need to set aside, as leaders of this country, funds that will help us impart 3132 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 25, 2006 the entrepreneurial skills through training. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is need to introduce and develop marketing authorities for what these entrepreneurs produce. My observation is that some of the things that these people produce cannot be marketed effectively simply because we have not established marketing authorities on the ground. There is need to assist the common mwananchi in this respect. There is need for the Government and leaders in general to be more sensitive to the plight of the poor. I support the Motion."
}