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"speaker_name": "Dr. Kibunguchy",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Health",
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"id": 294,
"legal_name": "Enoch Wamalwa Kibunguchy",
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"content": " Thank you Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to say something about His Excellency the President's Address. I would like to start off by thanking His Excellency the President for his Address that was both inspiring and gave hope to Kenyans. I would like to commend the Government for some of the good things it has done for the last three years. We can count them and they can be seen. At the same time, I would like to say that there are certain things which tend to tarnish or spoil or make dirty the image of the Government. As part of the Government, it is our duty to speak out and say the things that tend to spoil or mar the image of the Government. We must be strong enough to say them. We must suggest what should be done about them. I would like to commend the Government for sustaining the free primary education initiative. The Assistant Minister for Education has just told us that the second tranche of the 128 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 28, 2006 bursary for this year has been released. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we must also at the same time condemn some of the actions of this Government, even if we are part of the Government. It is said that there are many ways of skinning a cat. I would like to say that certain ways are clinical and clean. But certain other ways are dirty and messy. I would like to say that the operation that was carried out on the Standard Newspapers and KTN was one of those that I can say was messy and bloody. We must be bold enough to point out where we have gone wrong. There are two characters who have occupied the minds of Kenyans. They have also taken up space in our newspapers. They have taken up radio and television airtime. These are the so- called \"Armenians\". I would like to say that, as a Government, the best thing we can do for Kenyans in this matter is to put these two fellows on a plane on a one-way to hell. We should do that because they are spoiling the image of the Government. I am saying that this Government has done nice things but little things are spoiling its image. As part of the Government, I would like to say we must be able to look at ourselves in a mirror and see where we are going wrong. The issue of corruption has also occupied the minds of Kenyans. I would like to say that we must be able to deal with corruption of the present and past corruption. I agree with the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, who said that we must be able to look at all shades of corruption. I am saying so because whether corruption happened last year or ten years ago, it was robbery of the people of Kenyan. We must be able to look at all types of corruption. Sometimes I wonder whether some of the people who speak loudest in this country can pass the test. Are they beyond suspicion? Can they look in the mirror and tell Kenyans that they are clean? We must reach a stage where we can say that they are clean. I say this with a lot of humility that, some of the people who have told Kenyans they want to be the President of this country are not clean. I think time has come for Kenyans to look at somebody, not because he is handsome and dresses in a trendy way; and not because he comes from a particular tribe or region. I think the issue of corruption can only be dealt with once we are bold enough, as Kenyans, to elect people who are transparent, clean and accountable. Where I come from, we say that a calf that will be sweet is known in its early days. We also say that for us to be able to build a walking stick, it must still be green. That is what we are saying; that the people who want to be the President of this country should be able by now to tell us that they have not been involved in corrupt practices. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will conclude my contribution by touching on the issue of famine and drought in this country. It is very sad that at this time, over 43 years after Independence, we can watch people in our television literally dying because of hunger. We have said this many times that one of the issues in which this Government has failed is that we have not managed to transport or move food from areas that produce it to those areas which do not produce enough food. I think a system must be put in place. At the same time when people in the North Rift and parts of Western Province, like Lugari, had bumper harvest last year, our brothers and sisters in several parts of this country were facing drought. At the same time when we were having problems selling our produce to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), there were people in this country who were dying of hunger. A way must be found where what is produced in a certain area can easily and quickly be transported to the areas that have no food. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, issues of famine and drought in this country need to be looked at in two ways. First, we must be able, at this time, to give incentives to people who can produce agriculturally. We should be able to give incentives to farmers who produce food year in, year out to feed Kenyans. How can we do this? One of the things that we can do is to make sure that whatever inputs are required by farmers, for example, fertilisers and seeds, are given out at a subsidised and reasonable price. The other areas that we need to look at are the areas that are perpetually devastated by March 28, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 129 drought. We should be able to put programmes in place that will help people in the drought-prone areas. How can people in such areas get water? Once we have water, we can produce anything. We need to look at these issues in order to move forward. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to agree with my colleagues who said that the economic growth rate of 5 per cent and above has not yet translated into the fight against poverty in this country. We still have very many people, even in places where we think there is fertile soil, who are extremely poor, landless, squatters and survive from hand to mouth. Of course, the big question follows: Where is the 5 per cent growth rate confined? I would like to state with a lot of respect that what we have managed to do in this country is to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. When you walk around, imperatively, you will find that there are many more cars on our roads this time round than at any other time in this country. Who can own cars? Is it not the rich? It is the middle class and the upper class only who can own cars. These are the people who have benefitted as a result of the 5 per cent growth rate. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}