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"content": "I am sorry, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. There are so many presidential candidates. People in the village do not understand who a presidential candidate is since they think he is a president and that is why I referred to that term. However, the main presidential candidates who are roving all over the country are misleading our people. In this respect, development is being reduced. Therefore, I want to say that let us respect authority and elected people. Even in the Bible leaders were appointed by God and we cannot change it. Even if one came today and ran all over the country the president will be one. Therefore, let us support the Government and do everything possible to develop this country. If we continue at this rate, in another ten years Kenya will be a very different country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I commend the Chairman of the CDF Committee for bringing another Motion to increase the CDF funds to 7.5 per cent yesterday. If we use the 7.5 per cent for another two to three years, Kenya will be a different country. I think we need to support it. In other words, we should support the idea that the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) funds should be increased and allocated to the CDF because we are now able to manage those funds in the constituencies. Because of poverty I think the Government should be able to add more bursary funds to the secondary schools and even in the universities. The little 5 per cent in the CDF is not adequate to educate our children because we need manpower in this country. We do not want illiterate people and, therefore, we want these children to go to school so that we can have hard working skilled people in the future. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am talking from experience as far as our hospitals are concerned. We have a big problem. Much as I know the Minister for Health has tried as much as possible to make things start working but staffing is impossible. Two days ago I visited one of my health centres where deliveries take place. There are about 10 to 15 beds and patients come in an emergency state at night and yet they have got only one clinical officer. This clinical officer also doubles as an administrative officer and comes at 8 o'clock and leaves at 5 o'clock. What happens to emergency cases which come at night and there are no good roads to take them to the district hospital? They have no ambulance. So, I think it is a matter that we should look at very seriously and we should spend a bit of our money to train nurses, doctors and health officers to manage our hospitals. Sometimes we sympathise. March 29, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 221 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to talk about what has befallen this country recently which is famine and drought. It will continue occurring. At least, we should have a programme on how to be self-sustaining. I am happy the Minister for Agriculture is here and listening. I want to commend him for what he is doing but I think we should be self-sufficient in food production. There are many areas in this country which are very productive but the kind of farming we practice in these areas is dubious. If the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture came up with a system to support those farmers in those areas where land is vast--- I am talking about land in Eldoret and Kitale. I have no land there but those people with land there tell us that they can produce anything. Go to Narok here and you will get high quality maize and beans. Therefore, farmers in these areas should be supported to supplement those areas which are hit by drought perennially. Those areas which experience severe drought like the North Eastern Province should also be supported through various programmes. Most communities in those areas are pastoralists. Therefore, the Government should come up with programmes to develop pastoralism. Since agriculture is practised in the very fertile parts of this country, we should increase production, so that we help people living in the dry parts of this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the other hand, people living in the ASAL areas are renowned pastoralists and, therefore, they should sell their animals to us. There should be that kind of exchange. By so doing, this country will be self sufficient in food production. Famine will be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, this year, famine hit the citizens of this country very hard. If we focused on such programmes, we would be able to sustain ourselves rather than depending on donations from other countries. Agriculture is the backbone of the existence of our people. We must make sure that our people have sufficient food. We recently witnessed a very pathetic state where animals and human beings were dying in large numbers because of persistent drought. This should be a thing of the past in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to comment on the issue of electricity. Electricity is very important in the development of any country. In those areas that small scale industries can blossom, electricity should be supplied, so that our people manufacture various items locally. If we do this, we will reduce importation of some very simple implements and equipment, that we can manufacture locally. So, the Ministry of Energy should fully implement the Rural Electrification Programme (REP) in the country, so that quite a number of our people benefit and become self-employed. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
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