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"id": 245217,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/245217/?format=api",
"text_counter": 132,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Cheboi",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 329,
"legal_name": "Moses Kipkemboi Cheboi",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. As I said yesterday, the Budget Speech that was read out this year was one of the most political budgets anybody has ever heard in recent times. It can be understood because next year we are going for elections. I think it is political and also populist. Why do I say so? Mr. Speaker, Sir, in this Budget there is some fund for the youth amounting to Kshs1 billion. I must commend this Government for thinking about the youth for the first time in a very long time. The only problem is that I am not quite sure how this money is going to be spent. I hope this money is going to be spent in a way that every youth in this country will benefit. I want to see 1734 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 29, 2006 how it is going to be divided into constituencies so that every youth is able to access this money. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when you look at the Budget, the taxation that is waived on the bicycles tells us that really there is a particular population of bicycle users who are being targeted politically. This also applies to the gender issues and that of the land clash victims being given funds. That is a good move but as much as it is good, there is also a problem of another type of land issues that was not addressed in this Budget. The Settlement Trust Fund which was allocated Kshs500 million only caters for those areas which were affected by tribal clashes. However, there are these people who have been given land through purchase by the Settlement Fund Trustee. They are suffering under interests and compound interests. I hope in the next Budget they will be catered for. Mr. Speaker, Sir, basically, this is a rich man's Budget. I say so because the withdrawal of road licences only caters for those rich people who have vehicles but the rest of the people who travel by matatus and so forth will be affected adversely by the increase of Kshs3.20 per litre of petrol. The price of commodities will increase and so will inflation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when you talk of issues to do with tax on sale of land and property, that basically removes the middle-class earners from owning properties. Also in this Budget there is a curious issue that the Department of Defence (DOD) has been allocated a whooping Kshs26 billion when we are not and have never been at war. I have been asking myself a few minutes ago whether we are preparing to go to war with our neighbouring countries maybe because of the issues of the portraits that we were shown by hon. Munya. In fact, Kshs26 billion for the DOD is a disaster to this country! I say so because agriculture which is supposed to be revitalised was just given Kshs5 billion and we say this is an economy that is driven by agriculture. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife which is one of the best foreign exchange earners for this country was only given Kshs1.6 billion. That is very little. Since more than 80 per cent of Kenyans do not have clean water, it would be terribly wrong for us to accept Kshs2.5 billion for the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, for the basic infrastructure which is roads, Kshs13 billion for the Ministry of Roads and Public Works is peanuts. For us who drive towards the western part of this country as we go home, the major highways are impassable. The road between here and Nakuru is impassable. I do not believe giving that Ministry Kshs13 billion will cater for the main highway let alone the other good roads which we are supposed to use. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in this Budget, the Office of the President has taken over Kshs70 billion. That includes the Provincial Administration which has Kshs36 billion, the DOD has Kshs26 billion, State House, Kshs1 billion, the Directorate of Personnel Management (DPM), Kshs2 billion, the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS), Kshs5 billion. I wonder why we are supposed to give so much money to NSIS when they are not able to tell us that Artur Margaryan and his brother are criminals and fictitious people. In fact, Kshs5 billion is too much for the NSIS! Mr. Speaker, Sir, we need to revitalise the right paths of our economy. Agriculture is very useful. For us who come from the pyrethrum growing areas, our farmers have not been paid for a long time and yet the Minister did not consider them at all in this year's Budget. Every other part of our agricultural economy was affected adversely. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is also the bit of the growing public debt in Kenya. I believe the way forward is that we must start thinking of a way of stopping unnecessary Government borrowing, both from donors and the local market. The best way would be to amend Cap.422 and introduce a clause whereby we can be able to stop the Government from borrowing from each and every bit and for every small reason. Our children are going to pay these debts forever and yet the money is just borrowed for the sake of lavish spending by the Government. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the good bit of this Budget, I think much as the Minister may not have given so much, he attempted to give us some little money for the devolved funds, that is the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), the Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF) and the June 29, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1735 Road Maintenance Levy. However, I hope the Government is not going to give us with the right hand and take it away with the left hand. What has come to our knowledge is that part of what were bursary funds--- The Minister seems to be interested in sneaking them into the CDF allocations so that he can give us little money for bursaries. Some constituencies were receiving over Kshs12 million for bursaries. If you introduce this money and place it under the CDF, then the increment which we would have received would be of no consequence. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we must cut costs in every department of the Government. I was pleased to hear the Minister say that the Ministers will be allowed only one vehicle. That was a very good measure of cost-cutting but unfortunately---"
}