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"id": 241930,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Balala",
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"legal_name": "Najib Mohamed Balala",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Housing was established after the Referendum and that is why I have said that he was a beneficiary of the Referendum. I congratulate him because I know he is a capable Minister. However, I have some worries. In the last general elections, we, in NARC, promised that we would build thousands of houses. We promised to build 350,000 houses. We are used to always deceive our people. But nevertheless, has this Ministry built even a single house in the last three years? It was a department before, but I know that the Minister is putting a lot of efforts. However, nothing has happened so far. I am aware of a proposal that was done to build low cost houses to replace Kibera, which is an embarrassment to this nation. Over US$100 million was allocated to purchase land in Kitengela and Mlolongo, to build decent low cost houses. That money has disappeared and no land has been purchased. It is an obligation of the Government to provide land. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need to be serious in providing shelter for our people. Our people are living in abject poverty. The living conditions in the slums are pathetic. We have seen the transformation in South Africa. When you drive on their highways from the airport to their cities, you will find many low cost houses. No low income earner in Kenya can afford to buy an apartment worth Kshs4 million. Something has to be done. In the first world, this is called capitalism. In the United Kingdom, if you are unemployed, you are paid a weekly allowance and if you do not have shelter, you are given shelter. These countries have now transformed themselves from capitalists to social democrats. We are believers of social democracy and we believe that we can deliver and balance issues for the sake of justice for our people. We should not allow the big fish to swallow the small fish. In this country, we have allowed this to happen. We have made banks to be even richer and I wonder what they give back to the community or to the nation. Some of these banks are foreign-owned and their profits go back to their mother countries. We have allowed businessmen who benefitted from the previous regime to own land which has been ditched out for political expediency. Today, these people have become millionaires because the development of houses has become a big business. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Ministry can work very well in conjunction with the UN Habitat, which is based in Kenya. It is unfortunate that the UN Habitat is based in Kenya and it does not have a local project in Kenya. This Ministry should be serious in providing shelter for our people. This fund should be created. All the housing proposals should be implemented, so that we can raise funds to provide shelter for our people. I do not believe that this Government does not have funds. This Government can have money to build a residence for the Vice-President, get involved in scandals and purchase military equipment as if we are going to war, and yet it cannot afford to build low cost houses for our people. There can be incentives in the provision of shelter, for example, giving land for free, but why should we not create an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) model in this sector? The EPZ is 2182 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 19, 2006 supplying clothing and apparels to the Americans while we in Africa wear mitumba . This is an embarrassment. Let us all be united and make sure that our people live in decent houses. If those houses are to be built, the Government is supposed to be a facilitator and not a barrier of development. It should provide sewerage systems, electricity, communication and roads. Today, if we had a clear highway from Mombasa to Nairobi, some of us would not stay in Mombasa because it is congested. We can stay even in Voi and work in Mombasa, Athi River or work in Nairobi. If the highway was clear, Athi River, Voi and Mombasa would be a shorter distance. We spend two hours to drive from Kiambu to Nairobi. If the highway was clear, we can spend one hour to travel from Nairobi to even further than Athi River, and we should have decent housing for our people in those places. I support the creation of this fund. Definitely, we should be pragmatic and realistic on interest-free loans. There is nothing for free, but if our people can access funds at a maximum interest rate of 3 per cent without political patronage, this will assist them. Political patronage and loyalty that is bought just with a wave of a note is what is killing this country. This is where the problem is."
}