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{
    "id": 729818,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/729818/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 87,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. A.B. Duale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "Committee because a sum of Kshs27 billion has been allocated for construction of low volume roads. Those who have ears can hear, and those who have eyes can see that the administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta has ensured that in every part of this country, there is at least a tarmac road being constructed, irrespective of whether a region voted for him or not in the last general election. The extra Kshs27 billion will be used to increase the number of kilometres of tarmac roads that we are going to construct. A sum of Kshs59.6 billion has been set aside for construction of the Nairobi-Naivasha section of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The President said in his recent address on the state of the nation; that, for those of you who will be available after the party nominations, there will be a free train ride from Nairobi to Mombasa on 1st June, 2017. Those of you who are interested can book early by visiting my office. It will be a four-hour First Class, Business Class and Economy Class train ride on the SGR line. If you have baggage, we will carry it. That is the only railway of its kind built in four years’ time. Hon. Speaker, the Committee felt that Kshs10 billion was to be allocated for LAPPSET; about Kshs9.75 billion and Kshs6.2 billion for the Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, respectively. A sum of Kshs3.3 billion was set aside for water dam construction, and Kshs3 billion for installation of transformers. A sum of Kshs9.7 billion has been set aside for the Last Mile Electricity Connectivity programme, among other projects. An extra 3.7 million Kenyans have been connected to electricity. I was shocked when certain leaders faulted this administration by alleging that we are connecting electricity to mud houses in slum areas. In this country, it depends on who your father was. If your father was a camel herder, like my father, if you get electricity you will appreciate. However, if your father was Vice-President or Government Minister or President; if your mother delivered you in the best hospital in the country; if you were raised on Cerelac baby feeds and Lactogen milk as opposed to some of us, who saw such things when we were grownups, you will not understand these matters. We want everybody in Kenya to access electricity. This Jubilee Government wants to ensure equitable distribution of electricity among the rich and the poor. We have provided for waiver of examination fees to the tune of Kshs2.9 billion so that children from poor backgrounds do not drop out of school for lack of money for examination fee. The Committee’s Report says that the Department of Irrigation has been allocated Kshs13 billion, including an allocation of Kshs50 million for the Lower Kuja River Irrigation Scheme in Migori County. This is commendable because, if well utilised, this amount will resolve the issue of food insecurity in our country. However, there is the famous Thwake Multipurpose Water Development Programme, which of late has put the Ministry of Irrigation in the limelight. There was a lot of interference. We want to remind the Accounting Officers, who are the Principal Secretaries in this case, to stick to the accounting regulations and ensure value for money for any awards they grant to companies with integrity and record of performance, as required by Article 10 of the Constitution. Hon. Speaker, in the past four years, this Government substantially enhanced provision of information to this House. I agree with the Committee’s Report that since 2013, substantial steps have been taken to streamline the budget-making process. The level of detail in budget books has greatly improved even though there is still room for improvement. The Report that has been presented today also includes changes occasioned by the various departmental committees of this House, as required by law. The law requires that Parliament serves as neither a rubberstamp nor a conveyor belt. The ownership of the Budget belongs to the people’s representatives, which is the National Assembly. A lot of reallocations have been done to make sure that this Budget 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."
}