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"content": "there is, at least, a computer laboratory in every school. This will make sense and what we will be providing our children with will be sustained for a long time. I want to also touch on the welfare of teachers. Much as we applaud our teachers for the work they are doing, I feel that we are not doing much for them, because we have a lot of understaffing in this country. For example in my constituency, Belgut, I have almost 300 teachers lacking. When you to a school, there are four teachers, eight teachers lacking in another school and you wonder what could be going on in those schools. So, because I have been given this time, I feel that something should be done about understaffing in our schools. I know it is not an issue in my constituency alone; the same problem affects Arid and Semi-arid Lands (ASAL). They are most affected because the people in those areas are used to moving from one place to another. Hon. Speaker, on the welfare of teachers, we have had retirees since 1997 and up to this day, despite conclusion of court case in their favour, they have not been given their dues. I wonder why this is so. These are people who have given this country service for many years, some 25 or 30 years. When time comes for them to retire they are denied dues which they are supposed to be given. I feel something should be done, and should be done urgently, for the teachers who are on retirement. May I turn to the issue of infrastructure? I come from Belgut, which is a tea growing area, and should be well catered for in terms of road network. This will boost the economy of this country. But if you go to these areas, the major problem is roads. There are many roads which are impassable and tea cannot reach the factories; therefore, you find that a lot of tea rots on the roads. Sometimes it gets to the tea factories, but it is rejected, and we lose a lot of money. I would urge our Government to increase the allocation for the roads in Belgut Constituency. I recall particularly a road that leads to Kabianga University College - we are very thankful to the Government for having come up with that facility; we feel proud as people of Belgut and the neighbouring districts; but the problem is roads. There is no road which is passable. The road which connects the premium side and the university is completely impassable, yet we have about 4000 students in the college. Sometime you see them going to and from university on foot, and carrying their boxes on their shoulders. So, I urge our government to look into our roads, particularly the Kabianga Road, so that we facilitate, not only the students, but also the transportation of tea to the factories. Hon. Speaker, Sir, allow me now to comment on this Motion, which is very timely. This Motion is very timely because we are all going towards that direction. It is a way forward for the aged. The question is: Who is aged? If we are not there now, some of us will be there in one, two or three years to come. I recall one Assistant Minister and how he led the last days of his life on this earth. He was neglected. I do not know who was neglecting him because one of his children was in Germany and others were deep in some social habits like the local brews. The old man was left alone at the mercy of the villagers yet he was a very prominent man. We should look at this Motion more critically and come up with a comprehensive health care programme for the aged. I laud the Government for giving a stipend of Kshs2,000 to the aged although it is not uniform in all the constituencies. We should look into this issue. If we give a stipend of Kshs2,000 to the aged in some areas, unless it is a pilot project, and leave the aged in other areas, then"
}