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"id": 242598,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Ms. Karua",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 166,
"legal_name": "Martha Wangari Karua",
"slug": "martha-karua"
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"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was very surprised that from the year 2003 to December, 2005, there was no work going on. I was almost agreeing with Back-benchers that this Ministry should be scrapped. We are now seeing a Minister at work, only after six months of him being there, and the results are evident. I would like to once again congratulate Mr. Minister, and his staff and encourage them to carry on. Just to show how the distribution is fair, I have just noted that Nandi South District has been allocated Kshs710 million. Congratulations! I do not mind that. Those people living there deserve good roads. Let them get money this year so that other districts can get the money next year. My district has been allocated only Kshs170 million, and my brother, Mr. Salat, has talked about it. But I am not complaining. I am just saying: \"Mr. Minister, remember us next time!\" I want to be happy for the districts that have been allocated money this year. I agree that it is not possible to fund large projects in every corner of the country in one year. What matters is: The Ministry should have a programme that ensures that every year, there is a new district which gets money for roads. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am looking at page 39. Makueni District is not allocated too much money, compared to Kirinyaga District. It has been allocated Kshs138 million. I am happy about that. Machakos District has been given Kshs263 million. I will not complain about any part of Kenya being funded. But I urge the Minister: \"Please, remember my district next year!\" That is because if we were to forgo our roles as national leaders and cry wolf every time neighbouring districts are funded, we shall never progress. I want to urge my colleagues to remember that, once you come to the National Assembly of Kenya, you are not just the Member of Parliament for your constituency, but you are a national leader, looking after the whole country. Think local, but also national. Let us appreciate one another and show leadership by uniting Kenyans, and not cry wolf every time. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was surprised to hear an hon. Member who was in Government several years ago, lamenting! During those days, funds would be concentrated only in one corner. Not that we cried, but the only surprising thing is: The money used to be embezzled. Even those corners did not get the money. I want to urge the Minister for Roads and Public Works, who is my colleague and friend, to be very vigilant. We have terrible cartels that have been operating on the fringes of that Ministry. Some have friends who are workers in that Ministry. I know the capability of the Minister. He is very able. May I ask him not to spare the rod. He should weed out all the bad elements in the Ministry. We do not need cartels in public works. The Ministry of Roads and Public Works has previously been responsible for distorting prices of major commodities, from vehicles to partitions. You remember that, in this very Parliament, they had given bills of quantities showing the value of a Member's seat to be Kshs200,000! That was a shameful thing. I know that with the current leadership, those details will be revealed. We will July 18, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2157 have realistic estimates. We will then guard our money and make sure that more constituencies are looked after every year, so that we do not have complaints of how much money has been given to a certain district. We should be going for cost effectiveness to ensure that our meagre resources reach as many people as possible. May I urge hon. Members to support the fight against corruption. You cannot be a contributor to corrupt practices and then cry wolf when no money is allocated to your district. It is the corrupt people who are taking our resources in terms of pending bills and other ways. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, let those who are suspects in corruption cases, inside and outside this House, know that they cannot intimidate the law enforcement agencies. We are going to smoke you out, if you are not already smoked out!"
}