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{
    "id": 777292,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/777292/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 253,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Omogeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13219,
        "legal_name": "Erick Okong'o Mogeni",
        "slug": "erick-okongo-mogeni"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, just for record, I also want to first congratulate our two able Senators; Sen. Cheruiyot and Sen. Khaniri who were sworn in today as commissioners of the Parliamentary Service Commission. I also want to be on record supporting this Sessional Paper No.2 of 2016 on the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Policy. The problem of slums has largely been caused by our successive governments. Though we want to lay the blame of the uprising of slums on people who migrate from rural areas to urban centres, I put the blame squarely on the doors of our successive governments. The first breeding ground of upcoming of slums is when we as a government or a country fail to have proper planning. If one was to visit Kibera, you would realise that the people who live there have never known what it means to have a government that can provide infrastructure for its own citizens. Those people do not even know that in this city we have firefighting machines because there are no roads. If there is a fire breakout, firefighting vehicles cannot drive through to the deep part of Kibera because there are no proper roads. The people in Kibera have never known what it means to have street lights. You will be shocked that the people of Kibera have never known what it means to have sewer connection. They miss what I would call basic fundamental human rights. As a people, we have treated people who live in slums in the most inhumane manner. I want to submit that the best way to move forward as we discuss the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Policy is for the government to recognise that those who are less endowed in society are also human beings and they have a right to enjoy some basic human rights from their own government. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as we discuss the Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2016 on the National Slum Upgrading and Prevention Policy, the Government must go back to the drawing board and ask itself how they are going to ensure that people who live in slums can also be recognised as Kenyans. They deserve good access to essential services like infrastructure; roads running through the slums, street lights, connection of sewer and clean tap water. If we deal with these issues, then we can succeed towards the first essential step of upgrading those slums. Secondly, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we cannot lay a lot of emphasis on wanting to concentrate on dealing with slums in the City of Nairobi and forget about the various county headquarters. With this new concept of county governments, there are people in the rural areas who get attracted to settling in the headquarters of various county governments. So, if we do not put a lot of emphasis and supervision on our county governments to check new settlements, we would be trying to come up with a solution in Nairobi but also creating another problem in our county headquarters. 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."
}