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{
    "id": 470133,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/470133/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 61,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "90 per cent of the population of Kenya. Half of those who are in the SMEs are women. It is important that the business enterprises they engage in should be able to guide them and take them to higher heights. There are other initiatives like water harvesting in dry areas which can be enhanced so that communities can move away from poverty, especially the marginalized communities. Marginalized communities have to encounter specific challenges that are not encountered by other communities. At the recent hearing of the task force in Mombasa, it was disheartening to hear people from Kwale, Kilifi and Malindi talking about the notion of marginalization, whether it be in terms of education, access to university and so on. The land issue has been mentioned because we have people who are actually squatting in their own land. Around Mariakani, you will find community land that has been fenced off and the families are living right in but the land has been taken over by somebody else. The resources are there. Therefore, we can go back and develop them. For example, we have cashew nuts and coconut trees in Kilifi. We also have sugar-cane in Kwale. All those industries can be revived, but that cannot happen if proper policies have not been put in place. Somebody should put them in place and ensure that they are well implemented and sustainable. As I conclude, I just want to talk about the importance of building structures and institutions. This started off well with the restructuring of the judiciary. Those reforms are going on. The other issue that we cannot live behind while talking about restructuring is the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). One of the Senators here said that it is all over and the elections are finished and we should move on. It cannot be over when we still have so many elections that are going to come up in this country. We need to have a proper audit so that during the next elections no one feels that even one vote has been put towards another person. We should be able to account up to the last vote. I think we have to sustain true peace in this country. Peace is a relative situation. It is not the absence of war. It is a process. So, I think we should begin that audit and try to ensure that by the next elections we have a Commission that, in the end when we get the results we feel that they resonate with every Kenyan. Last but not least is the role of the Diaspora. This was mentioned in the morning when we had a meeting with the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA). There is need to also make sure that their role in building in this economy is enhanced. They can be brought to the fore as partners to ensure that we are actually able to attain economic, social and political development. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}