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{
    "id": 384264,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/384264/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 117,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Abdirahman",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 161,
        "legal_name": "Abdirahman Ali Hassan",
        "slug": "abdirahman-ali-hassan"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I wish to join my colleagues in supporting this Motion by Sen. (Dr.) Wilfred Machage. This is really a very important Motion for all of us and the whole country. Madam Temporary Speaker, the truth of the matter, as stated by a number of my colleagues, is that Kenya as a country and its leadership through successive governments have been fighting from Independence – what they told us from childhood – ignorance, disease and poverty. For instance, ignorance in places where I come from, unlike in Central, is at 30 per cent today. In about five out of eight regions in this country the literacy levels could be as low as 30 per cent. Diseases are also very prevalent. Wajir District, where I come from, is said to have four district hospitals. The other day I said that even the oldest hospital at the county headquarters can only supply condoms and people asked me:- “Why do you say that the people of Wajir do not need condoms?” Yes, we need them. But as I said, it may not be a priority. Unfortunately, I feel that the problem has not been that we missed resources. The problem has been misplaced priorities. Just before the elections, one of the district headquarters in the southern part, which I come from, received Kshs15 million to construct a fence in a new district hospital when it does not have the basic drugs. Is that not corruption, colleagues? That is corruption of the highest order or level in this country. If we do not combat corruption in this country, we will not be able to establish what we are talking about. We are lucky that health now is a county function. Unless they devolve it fully with power and resources, we will not be able to make a difference in this country. Health is a right in the Constitution, just like education. Section 43(1)(a) states that everybody has a right to the 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."
}