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{
"id": 492284,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/492284/?format=api",
"text_counter": 220,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Njenga",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 1510,
"legal_name": "Francis Kigo Njenga",
"slug": "francis-kigo-njenga"
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"content": "“The values that underlie an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality, equity and freedom.” Article 21(3) says:- “All State organs and all public officers have the duty to address the needs of vulnerable groups within society, including women, older members of the society, persons with disabilities, children, youth, members of minority or marginalized communities, and members of particular ethnic, religious or cultural communities.” I consider men to be members of a cultural community. I also consider men to be the people who really suffered while fighting for the freedom of this country. What they were looking for was to be entrepreneurs, to own land and be able to run an economic and social livelihood that would be all inclusive. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, if you go to the social media, you will find that about 90,000 men were executed while 160,000 men were detained. Twenty thousand men were killed in that struggle while others were castrated never to be men again. Fifty or 60 years down the line, we are here enjoying a free country and economy. So, it is high time that we equated men to all other entrepreneurs of this country that create value. I am sure you are all aware that all that you see in this country are houses and land that is tilled. All that you see in this country, men used their strength when they were strong enough to build. This includes this Parliament. This Parliament must have been built by men who have returned back home. So, when as a country, we forget the labour they gave us when they were young then we are unfair to the Constitution which we swore to uphold. We are also unfair to the common law of justice which should equate people. More importantly, we become unfair to the people who also pay taxes in their large numbers. Men are also huge taxpayers and they should be considered to also enjoy the benefit of the tax they pay. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, someone has said that we are already a second world economy and true to it, we are a second world economy. The resources, goods and services that this economy develops can be good enough for everyone if they were freely and truly well distributed. However, if you look at the resources of this country today, you will find that they are not well distributed. In fact, if you interrogate and do a research, you will find that about 43 per cent of our income as a country is enjoyed by 10 per cent of the population. This shows that our income is not well distributed or is unevenly distributed. Therefore, creating a fund that will be for all including men will be justice to the Constitution. A true economy like we are should be putting the energy to distribute income fairly and equally to the people of Kenya. Uwezo Fund has Kshs6 billion for men and women. We also have Kshs4 billion in the Youth Enterprise Fund and the Women Enterprise Fund. This is a total of Kshs10 billion. So, if you look at what a man who is over 35 years has, you will find that he absolutely has nothing. So, it is my request to this House to resolve this matter because I know that Prof. Nyikal, all these people and myself will soon retire, be in the villages and be entrepreneurs. The Budget and Appropriations Committee should allocate from Kshs5 billion to Kshs10 billion for men who are marginalized and are not enjoying what they fought for. As a member of the Budget and the Appropriations Committee, and I am sure I will be supported by many, we need to allocate a fund for men. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}