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{
    "id": 60247,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/60247/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 231,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Ojaamong",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Labour",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 196,
        "legal_name": "Sospeter Odeke Ojaamongson",
        "slug": "sospeter-ojaamongson"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it might be that the President was expressing that. But as I had indicated earlier on, he means well for Kenya. He might not have said that if he was surrounded by reformists. Maybe, the Speech he was given emanated from the graduates of KANU as I indicated earlier on. The President highlighted a myriad of problems that are affecting our people and which should not be wished away. For instance, he talked about the food shortage in the country. This is a country-wide problem. I come from western Kenya where we now have rains. People have prepared their farms. However, they have not received the subsidized seeds or fertilizer that they require. The President should move fast and tell the Minister for Agriculture to reach out to areas which are having rains now so that the people there can be supplied with seeds, fertilizers and other farm inputs. That way, they can grow food for themselves and the rest of the country. On the issue of counties, we support their creation. However, as we make laws that will govern the counties, it is important that we look at exactly how the interests of minority groups will be catered for. Recently, we held a meeting in our county to decide on the location of our headquarters. It was not easy. It took us almost five hours to decide because the people were pulling in different directions. However, just because we were starting, everybody feared. In Busia County, we agreed that the current Busia Headquarters remain as the county headquarters. However, it was not an easy task. We foresaw that there will be problems in future. So, when we are making laws, hon. Members must remember that there are minorities in the counties and we should enact clear laws to cater for them. The governors will have very many powers. The county assemblies will have too much power in adjusting the boundaries. We should have very strict laws so that the powers of the governors and county assemblies are checked. With regard to education, the President said that we should provide our youth with education. If you go to the villages now, what kind of education can you provide under trees where there are no classrooms? What kind of education can you provide when Free Primary Education Funds (FPE) are being mismanaged? The funds do not even reach the schools. What FPE are you providing when text books do not reach the pupils in the rural areas? The Government has to pull up its socks, move forward and start providing all secondary students with bursaries. As a Member of Parliament, you cannot move freely in the constituency because everybody wants money for bursary and school fees. The Government should come up with a clear policy and announce that majority of Kenyans cannot afford school fees and take care of Free Secondary Education once and for all, just as it has done with FPE. There is the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) which was to set up centres of excellence. I do not know what happened to those projects. It was only carried out in one financial year. Most of the projects have now stalled. It was our wish, as Members of Parliament, that in each financial year, every Constituency should get a centre of excellence or a primary or secondary school so that we create learning facilities for our pupils. With those few remarks, I beg to support the Speech by the President."
}