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"id": 729923,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Bunyasi",
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"speaker": {
"id": 2511,
"legal_name": "John Sakwa Bunyasi",
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"content": "I join my colleagues in thanking the Committee for its solid work. This is not an easy job. We still quibble with the numbers and allocations, but I know the process of arriving at this Report is usually a difficult one. For that reason, I would like to thank all the Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee. They deserve all the accolades they can get. I have some concerns which have to do with relativities across the allocations the Committee has made. I note something with regard to the allocation for education, which is my pet subject. We have been given the impression that in respect of university education, there will be county university school systems. In Busia, I have made various requests to the Government to fund Nambale University Campus, which is supported by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University in Bondo. We were, however, told that further expenditure, to the extent it occurs, will be within the context of the county university system. I note with a bit of dismay, and without any objection to it at all, that, say, Maasai Mara University, which is located in Narok County, is being allocated money for the establishment of a campus in Laikipia. There is nothing wrong with that, but is it the policy? If it is a policy, we ought to know it. We ought to have a transparent system because we are going to get a dual society in which some places get access to education while others do not in this country. We cannot bring all our students to the national universities. So, that is something that the underlying policy is not clear on. You remember that as a result of some complex process, we did not receive all the money we expected to receive for the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG- CDF). We were asked to budget some money for our secondary schools. We, therefore, took money from the NG-CDF allocation. We promised schools money. As I speak, the money has not been disbursed. In fact, it has been reduced, and essentially, we are telling a lie on behalf of the national Government. This is unacceptable. I have a number of very young schools. Our secondary and primary schools have two classes each. I operate under that kind of setting and we have basic programmes such as building classrooms. Laboratories are treated like they are a luxury and yet we must have them. That reasoning has not come through yet. People at the National Treasury, or wherever the obstacle is coming from, need to know that, that is how the Government loses credibility. That is how people develop distrust in the Government. Such things should be looked at. I do not know where the national Government has been spending infrastructure money meant for secondary schools. I have not seen it my constituency. I do not know if there are other places which receive that money. What is the policy? We need transparency. It is extremely important. We, in Nambale, are pained and are under enormous stress. As you might notice, our demographics are a bit different in the western part of Kenya compared to central Kenya and other parts of the country. We have a steep rise in fertility. It has not stabilised. I am afraid it cannot stabilise. We all know the factors that stabilise fertility over time. As I speak, our classes are full to the brim. We do not have a problem of a shortfall of students in western Kenya and yet in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, we have a policy that is based on declining registration of schools. Apparently, registration of schools is a big headache, but it is borne out of the fact that enrolment rates are declining. In accordance with the rights of the child, it is wrong for us not to provide facilities where they are truly expected. Application of policy needs to be transparent. It is not about what the Budget and Appropriations Committee has done. I guess you have to do what you have to do, but we must push these departments to come out clearly on where they stand. Investment in youth support through the National Youth Service (NYS) is one of the most innovative programmes that we have had since Independence. Forget about the aberrations 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."
}