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{
    "id": 493745,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/493745/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 109,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. M’uthari",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1576,
        "legal_name": "Joseph M'eruaki M'uthari",
        "slug": "joseph-meruaki-muthari"
    },
    "content": "Currently, the rate of birth shows that there are fewer boys than girls. All the funds that have been created have been for the youth and women. In as much as I respect the spirit of this Motion, it is high time we amalgamated or brought all those funds together. Eventually, we will have the Youth and Women Enterprise Funds. All the men will be marginalized and nothing will be allocated to them. There is nothing to show that there is a strategy to include certain groups of people who have been left out. Therefore, it is important to have a serious consideration for all the categories. Maybe, a solution would be to create one fund that would take care of all those vulnerable groups, whether they are men, women or youth. This will enable them access the fund and eventually carry on with their own businesses. The other alternative is to change the business environment so that we can create a fund and ask ourselves why various groups are vulnerable to high levels of poverty. Hon. Deputy Speaker, unless we look at the root causes, even some of those funds that have been created with very good intentions, either to create jobs--- I am not sure they have been able to make much impact. Otherwise, if they have made an impact - like we have through the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, Women Enterprise Development Fund and the Uwezo Fund - and if they are targeting the same categories of people, so what is really the problem? The whole thing is not about the money, but when will it be given and under what conditions? What is the procedure for the issuance of that money? Even when people have been given that money, has there been any training on how to use the money? We have the Uwezo Fund which has not been able to take off. For all that time, money cannot be accessed by various groups. People have been given the money at the constituency level but, at the same time, there are groups that have been given responsibility for training. In some areas, that has not happened. There is money but people are asking when it will be given out. Thereafter, it is found out that the money is not there. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I believe it is important for this House to pass this Motion. Once the Motion is passed, a Bill will then be generated to enable us come up with suggestions or proposals and consider all the factors. In as much as this is an important Motion, it has to be looked at in the context of the business environment. When we talk about banks and Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (SACCOs), especially banks and their interest rates, what is it that can be done to reduce the high interest rates so that our people can access money from the existing financial institutions? That will make it friendly to do business. We have so many micro-finance institutions, but they end up making people poorer than they were before they accessed the money. Therefore, at least, if we can create a fund and look at all the categories, we can move towards Vision 2030. I support the spirit of this Motion, but I do not know how far we can go as a country to create money for every category and age groups. All in all, I support the spirit of the Motion. Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker."
}