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{
    "id": 242541,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/242541/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 212,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Eng. Okundi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 344,
        "legal_name": "Philip Okoth Okundi",
        "slug": "philip-okundi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I am talking about very serious issues and I thank you for giving me a chance to be heard. HIV/AIDS prevalence in Suba District is the highest in the region and yet a mere Kshs3 million has been allocated for the construction of roads. Roads in this district are in a terrible state. Another Kshs3 million has been allocated for Rachuonyo District. If you read the Estimates carefully, you will find that a lot of money has been allocated to areas which are politically-correct. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this should be reviewed thoroughly and the allocations should reflect the aspirations and the needs of Kenyans for development purposes. If you look at the overall tax collected in each province, you will find that some provinces like Nyanza, which have been allocated the least amount of money, are the highest collectors of tax for the Government of Kenya. Where is this money going? Tax is collected on the basis of the 2142 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 18, 2006 economic activities in a particular part of the country. In this particular case, our tax is going elsewhere. We are trying to promote inequality deliberately and using Parliament to approve it. I feel very bitter about this. My people have said that there is no use of I being in this Parliament when we cannot approve what affects their lives and yet they are paying taxes. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am glad that the Minister has announced a number of measures to ensure that roads are done. He has said that roads will now be done faster than before. Let us see this when the Budget has been re-allocated, so that money is allocated equally to all the parts of this country. There is no use of announcing something that makes everybody happy, but in practice, it does not affect our people. If you look at the Development Expenditure, you will find that more money goes to constituencies, whose Members of Parliament are more favoured than the others in the particular districts. You can see this very glaringly. You can see very well that a place is given Kshs4 million while the other one is given over Kshs280 million and they neighbour one another. To me, this means that the allocation has been done on a biased basis. I have the right to speak and guard against bias in allocating resources. So, I am saying that we need this to be recast. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in Homa Bay District there are old main \"C\" roads. Kendu-Bay-Homa-Bay-Mbita is a C19 road. Homa-Bay-Rongo is a C20 road. Sori-Rodi-Kopany- Imbo-Rangwe-Nyawita-Oyugis is a C18 road. This is a road which the Government had already contracted for tarmacking and put aside Kshs78 million for that purpose. That road actually started being tarmacked, re-levelled and putting culverts on it. It is now abandoned. Why is the Government spending money like this and abandoning a very essential road which is important for the improvement of the economy of the region? The Oyugis-Kendu-Bay Road is a \"C\" road. It is a very crucial road for opening up that area. The roads in the lake region ring around the lake. They improve the exportation and exploitation of the fishing and farming resources like cotton which the Government is now improving. The farmer needs the roads. If there are no roads then we are joking. Last year, Kshs250 million was allocated for cotton farming revival in that region and this year Kshs265 million has been allocated for the same. All that money may go to waste because there are no roads for these products to reach their markets. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Lake Victoria provides well over Kshs7 billion worth of fish in exports and this requires very first class roads. The roads around that region do not have hills and corners and so in terms of transportation economics, it is more cheaper to use them so that the country can earn foreign exchange as much as possible. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would not like to oppose such an important Motion but for the above reasons, I beg to oppose it and hope that it will be re-organised so that it reflects the needs of all Kenyans."
}