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{
    "id": 625905,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/625905/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 559,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Eng.) Mahamud",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 373,
        "legal_name": "Mohammed Maalim Mahamud",
        "slug": "mohammed-mahamud"
    },
    "content": "which are along the pillars that have been put here by our National Treasury, especially infrastructure and energy, there are many gaps which need to be funded. We have elections every five years and successive Governments come with policies and manifestos of what they want to do, but not forgetting that programmes which are funded through Government funding take time to materialise and the Government lives in perpetuity. You cannot abandon programmes that were started by previous Governments and pretend that you are going to start afresh. That is why we are getting a lot of difficulties. Many projects that have been highlighted by this administration have not been realised especially in terms of infrastructure. We are still doing projects that were identified during the Government of President Kibaki although continuing with them is helpful for this country. It is said that our debt levels are very high. The Government has to borrow to finance its programmes that cannot be funded by its own funds. But we must be careful, so that we do not spend all our money on debt servicing at the expense of funding ongoing programmes. Sometimes, you see the Budget on paper, but the actual cash to Ministries is not disbursed in time. That is why you see projects are delayed. You will see a project that is costing ‘X’ amount of money funded in a trickling manner over the years and projects are not completed. Hon. Speaker, on the current process of Budget-making, it is said that Parliament will take part. On paper, we are supposed to have a lot of say in that, but in reality, there is no difference in the way we make the Budget today and the way we used to when I was a young officer in the Government up to the time when I became an Accounting Officer. Ultimately, the National Treasury and Ministries make the Budget. We have just become a conveyer belt. As Parliament, we need to come up with a way of how we can have an impact on this process. The Executive has the mandate to look at what needs to be done in terms of programme making, but as the people’s representatives, we must be able to say what the priorities are. Although water provision is devolved function, major infrastructure projects have not been undertaken. A lot of gaps need to be filled. On infrastructure, urban transport is a nightmare. If you look at Nairobi today, you have to think twice before you decide to move from one point to another. A lot of work is being done. In the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing, we have said that we must deal with the urban rail transport, which will ease urban transport in this country."
}