HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 254070,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/254070/?format=api",
"text_counter": 87,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Munyes",
"speaker_title": "The Minister of State for Special Programmes",
"speaker": {
"id": 187,
"legal_name": "John Kiyonga Munyes",
"slug": "john-munyes"
},
"content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Motion. I also want to thank His Excellency the President for his Address to the House, which really expounded on the direction this country should take. I want to support the Motion, because the Presidential Speech touched me, especially regarding the portfolio I am managing as the Minister in charge of Special Programmes. Since December last year, we have been facing serious drought and famine. As a result, people have lost their lives and livestock. For the first time, we, as a Government, tried a lot, including using the military, to provide assistance to the affected Kenyans. So far, we have spent Kshs4 billion. We also intend to spend another Kshs7 billion by August, 2006. If the drought and famine continue, this Government will spend another Kshs18 billion. This is commendable. It shows commitment by this Government. It also shows that the President loves the people of this country. However, I want to raise an issue concerning these responses. Next time, we need to be more prepared. For many years we have allowed droughts and famine to affect our people because we have not been well prepared. I think we need to improve on our preparedness. We need to ensure that we have enough water in areas prone to drought. We also need to ensure that we have improved irrigation technology in these areas, so that people can have enough food and pasture for their livestock. I think, next time, much of this money should go to recovery and not famine mitigation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on recovery, I want to suggest that we need to expand our fields in terms of stakeholders. We should not only involve the Government alone, but also the private sector. We have seen what the private sector has done in this country. It has contributed a lot of 334 PARLIMENTARY DEBATES April 5, 2006 money through the Kenya Red Cross. So far, it has contributed about Kshs300 million. This kind of involvement through the private sector will save the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). Also, I think the ASALs have lacked the right policy. We need to fast-track the ASALs policy which is not in place. No direction is given to the ASALs. We want to put resources into the ASALs, but there is no guiding procedure or policy. I think that is where we need to start from. This country has no disaster management policy. We need a disaster management policy that will actually state the way forward for all kinds of disasters that are affecting us, for instance, the building that collapsed recently. We had to wait for the Israeli Army personnel to come and sort us out. I am happy that the Government has sent our experts to Israel and other countries to be trained on disaster management. I also want to commend the Government on the fact that the ASALs and disaster management policies are now being discussed and, very soon, they will be tabled before the House for discussion. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me turn to the issue of corruption. A lot has been discussed about corruption cases, for example, the Anglo Leasing and Goldenberg scandals, and the Ndung'u Report which touches on land. We must commend the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) for the work it has done. I also wish to commend Kenyans for their openness and demand for the truth on all these issues that have come up. However, I would like the list of shame that was discussed by this House to be included in the corruption cases, so that we have a comprehensive list of all those issues, and we pursue them to a conclusion that is acceptable to all. However, I foresee a problem with the Ndung'u Report. Investigating something that the Late President Kenyatta or the former President, Mr. Moi, did, might be difficult for us, because they did so, in their capacity as Presidents. I do not think those are things we should pursue now. In fighting corruption, we need transparency. I want to thank our Government and His Excellency the President for the openness shown. Former regimes in this country were quiet. Nothing was said on corruption. But, for the first time, corruption is being discussed openly up to the grassroots level. What I do not like is the selective way of addressing corruption in this country. We do not need to question why So-and-so has built a big house. People can get money from many sources to build houses. I can also build a house. What is wrong with that? There are hon. Members in his House who we know have built houses using questionable funds and yet, those houses are not highlighted in our newspapers. We should not use corruption to victimise people. I think we need to investigate and get the truth. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Kenyans should not be selective and discriminatory. A few days ago, the results of an opinion poll were highlighted in the Press on the popularity of presidential candidates and there was no indication of FORD(K). Mr. Kombo, did not feature in the opinion poll. I could have voted for him. The problem is the Press in this country."
}