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{
    "id": 470426,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/470426/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 155,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "the past 50 years, take a tour and get to know the North Eastern Province where my former Minister and former District Commissioner Mohammed Yusuf Haji comes from. Take a walk to the Speaker’s place and to Kitui County. There are no roads. When you celebrate about roads here, I feel very bad because Sen. Haji does not have an inch of tarmac and yet, when that point is raised, some people stand on points of order. Why should we have points of order when that is true? The Government should address this matter properly and squarely. This is not the first time that a President has stood before us and said that he will do “a,” “b,” “c” and “d” and thereafter we clap. This is my fourth time to be elected. Every President who has spoken before us has told us these things. So, this is not a matter of a Speech being beautiful. Yes, it is beautiful, but let the President walk the talk. Let the President ensure that all the areas of this Republic have roads. Let him ensure that those areas that have been given more roads than others hold on for a while for those which do not have their share. There are places where there are no teachers. The issue of laptops is noble, but not applicable. We have the Free Primary Education (FPE) which holds 100 pupils in a classroom, if a classroom exists. Some study under trees without teachers. How will they play around with laptops? We have secondary schools that go up to Form Four with only one Teachers Service Commission (TSC) teacher and yet they expect these schools to compete with others in the country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am appealing that we should not be bipartisan when we are talking about these issues. Issues of development are very sensitive. That is why we have been brought here. I was brought here by the people of Kitui County to address the unequitable distribution of resources. During the last 50 years, it has not been done fairly. My county and other counties have been marginalized in the last 50 years. There is no hope because 50 years is a long time. There are people who were born and are now adults and yet they have never seen a tap with running water. There are people who were born and are now 50 year old adults, but they still receive hand outs of food because they cannot grow their food since they have not been facilitated to grow it. I welcome the President’s statement on irrigation. This is not the first time. Every time we hear that we clap. This is my 16th year of representation. This has been the same thing and the same story, but there have been no results. Therefore, we hope that this time round, we will be serious. We are the people who have been entrusted by our people, to at least, for a change, make sure that there will be change in this country and that it develops. But when I say I have no roads you stand on a point of order to say the contrary. Why should you say that I have roads when I do not have roads? Why should you say that in Turkana there are roads when there are none? Why should you say that the people of North Eastern Province have roads when they do not have any? This is a real issue that we, as Senators, must approach soberly in a bipartisan manner. The way I have seen this afternoon, I am sorry, we will not live up to the expectations of Kenyans. I beg of my colleagues that we look at these issues in a bipartisan manner, so that this country can move forward. We have been entrusted with this. I come from Kitui County and I know that there are people who come from the Central Province - my most favourite posting and where I started when I joined the Public Service Commission (PSC). When I say that there are more roads in Central Province compared to Kitui, I am not lying. I am speaking the truth. All I am asking is, please, Mr. President, do not just 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."
}