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"id": 252539,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kagwe",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Information and Communications",
"speaker": {
"id": 229,
"legal_name": "Mutahi Kagwe",
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"content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is very important to appreciate that the expenditure on famine relief is multi-ministerial in the sense that it is not just the question of purchase of food. Indeed, the purchase of food probably takes up about half of the money. Most of the money will go to areas such as transportation of the food. 660 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 25, 2006 Transporting a plane-load of food to North Eastern Province, for example, may be more expensive than the cost of purchasing the food. However, that notwithstanding, that food must be taken to the places where Kenyans are suffering. Therefore, in considering, and in hon. Members looking at expenditure on this area, it is very important to keep that at the back of our minds. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in supporting this Motion, I would like to congratulate Kenyans. Kenyans have kept this country going, and they are the ones who are paying this money. It is Kenyans, as opposed to popular opinion, where the thinking is that the donor community is the one that keeps Kenya running, who keep this country going. The expected revenue from our own people this year is about Kshs327 billion. The expected Recurrent Expenditure this year, from what we have seen in the Printed Estimates, is Kshs237 billion. This tells you that Kenya runs on its own. This is something that we should all, as a nation, be very proud of. When you consider that the Uganda budget is 50 per cent donor-funded, and the one in Tanzania is approximately 45 per cent donor-funded, this nation has a lot to be proud of. When I talk about this nation, I am not necessarily talking of the Government side. Kenya is made up of both the Government and Opposition sides. We should all remember that when we speak in this House, it is forgotten out there that we are simply playing the roles that we are supposed to play. We are not necessarily saying that the Government is evil; we are simply saying that there is a role for the Opposition, and that is to oversight the Government. However, there is a sense in which the media begins to think that because somebody in the Opposition is opposing the Government, it means that, that person hates Kenya. That person does not hate Kenya. That person is doing what they are supposed to do. Therefore, I would like to urge that those who oppose various issues, like my good friend, Prof. Anyang'-Nyong'o, do so in that same spirit, appreciating that you oppose not for the sake of opposing, but you oppose to correct so that all Kenyans, irrespective of whether they sit on that side or this side, and irrespective of whether they are in this House or not, can continue to benefit from the good work that the Government will continue doing. One of the issues that we are suffering from even as we sit on opposite sides, is that we are being demonised out there, particularly by the media. I understand that there is a Ministerial Question to this effect. I will respond to it when it is asked. I understand that there was a wish within the media fraternity of an individual speaking in the morning and saying that he wishes that lightning would strike and that the whole of this House would be demolished, including yourself, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}