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{
    "id": 386418,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/386418/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 118,
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    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "When I read this document, on page 20 and 24, I found out that page 20 purely speaks about agriculture. It says that we must invest in, modernize and open up at least one million acres. Page 24 says; “this Government will ensure food security by investing in and modernizing our agricultural sector.” The Ministry of Livestock Development has now been lumped together with the Ministry of Agriculture. I have no doubt that the Ministry of Livestock Development will be overshadowed in this process. The Ministry of the Development of Northern Kenya and other Semi Arid Lands will only be a department; probably under the Ministry of Agriculture. I have a feeling that policy makers and planners for development in this country have, on a sustained basis, over time contributed to negated growth in the regions that we come from; pastoral areas. Development is viewed in many ways by various people. Pastoral development is unique in its own way. Development of pastoral areas has its own needs. What you would do in central Kenya would not be applicable in Wajir, for example, in livestock, agriculture, and water and in other several areas. I have listened keenly. Some of us were fortunate enough including me, to have listened to the first Speech of hon. (Rtd) President Kibaki. Some of us were fortunate to listen to him when he came back. He did a good job, I must confess. We were fortunate again to listen to this one of 2013. Where I come from, they say that what is better than good words are good actions. What we are asking for are good actions. We are not saying that the entire document has serious flaws. We are saying that in specific areas like the livestock and the roads sector, there has been no single mention of any development. There is no mention of roads in the area we come from, for instance, between Garissa and Wajir, which is 400 kilometers from where I come from, the only commitment that the Government has undertaken in the last five years, is a 15 kilometre stretch between Garissa and Nuno. I remember visiting this area along with others like the retired Head of State and pleading for some commitment through the Treasury and even to donors. This has never happened. Unless there is political goodwill and commitment from the leadership, mere political statements or policy statements will not bring development. I will leave that at that and move to the topic of devolution. Without taking too much time, I feel that two things will be critical for us to move as a team if devolution has to take off. One is by giving it the much needed requisite funding. Many people spoke about the Treasury this morning and even this afternoon. The much needed development could not take place because of the bureaucratic and red tape systems that existed over a long time in the Treasury. So, we require availability of funds to county governments as pledged and also capacity building. This does not have to wait for funding. The Transition Authority should identify gaps in our respective counties and not just to sit alone and draw salaries. They must identify gaps particularly in the areas that 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."
}