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{
    "id": 253291,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/253291/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 271,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Okemo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 198,
        "legal_name": "Chrysanthus Barnabas Okemo",
        "slug": "chrysanthus-okemo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. We must make a big distinction between insecurity and lack of peace, because the two are very distinct. I believe that when we talk about insecurity, we are talking about skirmishes and people stealing cattle from other people, and so on. When we talk about peace, we are not talking about the absence of war. Peace is a very big and embracing concept. I believe that both insecurity and peace can be dealt with differently. When we talk about the Government deploying security personnel to certain areas, we are talking about insecurity. To me, that is not a solution. On the other hand, it is a temporary way of dealing with lack of harmonious co-existence between either the groups outside Kenya or groups within Kenya. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we know that every year, there will be drought and that people will die of hunger. For instance, we know that next year, we will experience drought. April 19, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 589 What surprises me is that we wait until it happens then we act as if it is a serious emergency or something that has completely come upon us by surprise. This brings us to the idea of some kind of response mechanism and putting in place a plan that can be used to pre-empt the consequences of drought. Today, the Government can do a number of things. Parliament can do a number of things. Members of Parliament can do a number of things. Political leaders other than Members of Parliament can do a number of things. Religious leaders can do a number of things. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is so much emphasis on material solutions, and yet even the spiritual angle is very important. You cannot talk about peace in terms of just materialism. For example, when one community pits itself against another, what is it? Besides competition for scarce resources, it means that there is lack of love or lack of friendship between those communities, to be able to sit down and discuss issues. You can actually share poverty if you have peaceful co-existence. When it comes to material solutions to the problem, we must address the issue of allocation of resources. I would like to suggest the following: We are soon going to have an allocation for the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) and the Budget for Financial Year 2006/2007. As part of the Economic Recovery Strategy, even the World Bank and all other donor agencies that help the Government with resources talk in terms of ring-fencing social issues. This means, dealing with issues that directly affect poverty. We should ring-fence social issues, meaning that we should deal with issues that cause poverty. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government should ring-fence a certain percentage of the total Budget and allocate it to the ASAL areas. For example, about 2.5 per cent of the total Budget should be ring-fenced and allocated to the ASAL areas in North Eastern Province and parts of the Rift Valley Province. This money can be ring-fenced and made sure that it goes specifically to those areas. If you do that for five successful years, the effects will be felt and seen. That is what I understand by equitable distribution of resources. You must try and have affirmative action to bring the areas that have been marginalised to the same level with the areas that have usually enjoyed more resources. The Government and this House can jointly implement this proposal. The Budget is soon coming to this House. We should agree here to scrutinise the Budget to see what is the total component for ASAL areas that has been provided. With those few remarks, I beg to support the Motion."
}