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{
    "id": 777279,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/777279/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 240,
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    "content": "suffering much; what they do not have is proper facilities. They can live much better lives. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there are people who have made money from these urban slums. It is called the ‘kadogo’ economy, where you have Blueband for Ksh10. For Ksh100 you can have a decent meal. There are people who are making money from these slums. When you talk of upgrading of these slums, there are people who will suffer. There are businesses that will close down because they thrive on this sort of settlements. A Kenyan in Nairobi should live in a better standard. There is no reason we should have the bulk of Nairobi residents living in such squalor conditions. In 2006 – and I repeat this all the time - when I was president of my rotary club, I went to a place called Silanga in Kibera. I had a grant of US$300,000 from the Rotary Foundation to build ten modern ablution blocks. The only space available were the dumpsites where they do the flying toilets. Even when I got to do them, they were asking me whether the local Member of Parliament at the time had given me consent to clear their dumpsites. It took me and the Rotary Club of Langata three weeks to clear the dumpsites that were four feet deep of polythene bags and lots of waste, some dating up to 1970s.The Rotary Club did absolutely first-class ablution blocks. As we think about upgrading and making sure these people live well, some basic amenities are missing. When I saw the former Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning building toilets in Kibera I thought they would come back after a while. Those are the things we need to face. I have built toilets in Mathare. I saw them during a by-election for one of the Members of Parliament. There is a school called Kiboro Primary School that is next to St. Teresa’s in Pangani. As we consider upgrading the slums and where people are living, we should also include the schools that are within the area. I would have been happy to see us create a fund. Since, this appears to be part of the ‘Big Four’ agenda, we should start considering funds for making sure that the Kenyans in informal settlements can start living a better life; eating well, sleeping well, medical care, access to fire engines, ambulances and good schools. There is no point of upgrading where they sleep and yet, the schools that are within the slum are terrible. The schools have not been upgraded. Once we create a fund and an Act of Parliament, beginning the following year--- I will now speak to my colleagues on the other side. When you push the ‘Big Four’ agenda, do it with money. Unless there is money this ‘Big Four’ agenda is for lip service. If we are to make this a reality, it must be in the budget. So, we must have a budget for this in the next financial cycle. Therefore, maybe in another ten or 20 years, we should take pride that Nairobi has no slums. That is what we should take pride in. If we need to create a proper structure, whether it is the Government and counties, to ensure that we can help these people, so be it. For once, we seem to be doing the right thing; we are considering the bottom of the pyramid. Majority of Kenyans in this City and maybe other cities do not live well, yet the centre of power in Kenya, the economy, the leadership, each one of you live in this City. The workers who work for you are living in such squalor conditions. Remember that we are defending the people who are taking care of your children when you are here The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}