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{
    "id": 381608,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/381608/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 105,
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    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, the reason we have agreed with the Mover to move this amendment is to broaden the spectrum of Government intervention in terms of also being able to respond to every area which we believe will be prone to diseases and where pastoralists deserve to be given adequate Government intervention to ensure that their livelihoods are protected and their ways of life are also protected and sanctified. I bring that amendment by way of Standing Order No.53 (2) for these particular reasons:- I want to demonstrate that the right to development is not a right that is inherent in areas that have voted politically correct or otherwise. Our mouths and stomachs are neither Jubilee nor CORD. They are simply mouths and stomachs of the Kenyan people. I think our public policy and guidance must be at all times guided by what is in the best interest of this nation and the best interest of our people wherever they might be. Madam Temporary Speaker, the truth is that there is a part of this country that has been marginalized for a very long time. Despite the fact that Mombasa appears to be a big city with bright lights at the airport and sometimes with potholed roads, I do believe that Mombasa shares broadly in the popular discourse that is shared by all the marginalized communities of this country. Our development in infrastructure may be higher than most of these areas of West Pokot and Turkana. Our challenges in terms of representation, participation and development are almost the same. We must realise that Mombasa has had no meaningful development since the colonial times. Most of the buildings in Mombasa were built in those days. Article 19(1) and (2) of the Constitution is the opening paragraphs of the Bill of Rights. These paragraphs make it integral for Kenya to include the Bill of Rights in the rights of its people in the socio-economic and cultural policies. Therefore, it is mandatory as we look at the rights of the people, we also look at the rights of those who were disenfranchised historically and ensure the country factors in the less privileged in areas which are marginalised. Many of us are well travelled. We travelled to Samburu the other day and to Turkana for the homecoming party of the Speaker. I can tell you that probably, the Speaker either as an institution or as a person who leads this Senate is one meaningful development. I think it is imperative that we put in our resources to meet the expectations and the spirit of the Constitution. That is why the Constitution talks about historical injustices. It talks about the Equalisation Fund. I think this Fund and other resources are inherent. The Equalisation Fund is inadequate to meet the realities of development. We need development and interventions of Government that are asymmetrical. Those who know mathematics, the word asymmetrical means that you privilege some areas in comparative terms as opposed to others. The asymmetrical of development in this country has been skewed to certain areas. We must readjust that symmetry and areas that have previously been marginalised require fundamentally investments. These are pastoralist areas and areas which have been neglected for a long time. This will help us improve the health status of these areas. In fact, the foundation for improving the livelihoods of these pastoral areas will lay the ground work, undoubtedly, for the realisation of a number of rights. I believe that trying to invest in the economy of pastoral areas means that we are building livelihoods, enriching the society and ridding them of poverty. That means that we are providing a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}