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{
    "id": 761489,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/761489/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 1290,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Lentoimaga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2756,
        "legal_name": "Alois Musa Lentoimaga",
        "slug": "alois-musa-lentoimaga"
    },
    "content": "to prepare. Actually, they have already prepared. This is a budget they prepared themselves, they know what they are supposed to do and the money will go along that particular budget. As for Raila withdrawing, it does not matter. To me, it is like a young man going for initiation and at the last minute he fears the knife. So he is a coward. He has run away. But this country must move on. We must move on. It is not a must that Raila should be in the ballot. It is not a must that Raila should run so that this country can move and have election. We need to have election either way. The third issue is about enhancing safety transfer, the money that is meant for the elderly people. At the age of 70 and above, what an old person needs is food and medication. He has no strength to work. So this Kshs6.2 billion for the provision of safety net transfers for the elderly has come at the right time. And we need to support it. This House has to support it so that these elderly persons, men and women, can extend their lives in this country. This money is important and I support it. I know it will help them so much so that they can live extra years with us. The fourth issue that is very critical is livestock off-take for those counties. Fourteen counties are facing severe drought. I know this money is not enough but all the same it is going to add to the budget of the counties, because in most cases, livestock function is devolved to the counties, so this is just an added budget for the counties to improve on the disbursement of livestock off-take. This particular sector has not been doing well, especially the livestock off- take. We even did it two months ago and what we realised is that people implementing the off- take programme do not normally target the most poor, the most affected. I want the Ministry of Livestock this time round to use this Kshs950 million to target those who are very vulnerable. In every county not all areas are affected by drought; only certain areas. And we have methods of doing assessment. There are officers on the ground from the National Drought Management Authority who do continuous assessment to identify the most vulnerable in areas that they work. For example, Samburu County, Samburu North and Samburu East are the most affected. In that case we need to focus this money, if it is allocated to the county or a department, it must focus on Samburu North and Samburu East so that we can make an impact on the problem that we have in those areas. Instead of giving out blanket allocation, we should focus on particular areas that really have problems of livestock dying and people lacking food and income. We also want to recommend that if this money is given to the livestock keeper to enable him sell his cow, the animal should be slaughtered and the meat given as relief food to the local people because it is public money. The Government does not make profit and so it does not have to take back the animal and sell it. Rather, it should be given back to the community to consume as relief food alongside the normal relief food like maize, beans and other necessary foodstuffs that are given by the Government. The last one is the issue of allocation of Kshs1.9 billion to the Parliamentary Service Commission. It is very critical. Initially when we met the National Treasury, its recommendation was that they should slash Kshs9.2 billion from PSC. This would have seriously affected the construction of offices that is ongoing. It could have created a variation because there is a contractual agreement. So, this particular allocation should go along to complete that building. Since my time is over, I want to support this Supplementary Budget Estimates and urge Members to also support. Thank you so much."
}