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{
    "id": 798049,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/798049/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 133,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "content": "The other thing that went to my heart is the President’s foresight in terms of his Big Four agenda. In 2015, I went to South Korea. I was told that in 1963 South Korea got US$ 10,000 from Kenya. Can you imagine that in 1963 they were poorer than us? Look at where South Korea is now. They even have 40 kilometres of tarmacked road across the sea. In Kenya, Likoni Channel is just two kilometres. Up to now, we do not even have a bridge to cross over. So, the President’s dream for the Big Four agenda is valid. All Kenyans should endeavor to fulfill this dream. In terms of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), today, South Korea is 20 times higher than Kenya’s. Therefore, the President has greater dreams for this country. The Big Four agenda speak of that. I ask politicians to stop derailing the President’s dream through discussions about 2022. It is too early to discuss 2022. We have not even finished our first year in Parliament. Let us allow people who need to work for this country to do so, so that the Big Four agenda can be realised. In the Devolution Conference, we discussed about the Big Four enablers. I will discuss two disablers of the Big Four agenda. One of them is security threat; terrorism along our borders. I thank the President for talking about Somalia and for working with her in terms of keeping peace there so that we have better security in Kenya. The other one is what I would call financial terrorism. It has much more destabilizing effect. This is fraud and corruption. If the money that is set aside to do great things that the President talked about is taken to other channels, then achievement of the Big Four agenda will remain a dream. I know for a fact that since our President took over, he has been fighting corruption. I also support Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri on protection of whistle blowers and other strategies that the Government has put in place to ensure that they are protected. Another interesting thing in the Presidential Address is that we should avoid negative ethnicity. That has a dividing impact and instability. The economy is about perception. If we have political instability, the economy will never thrive. Regarding negative ethnicity, when we speak as leaders, let us do so positively so that our economy can improve and the youth of this country can look up to us as role models. They will follow our good examples. I also commend the President for reminding leaders that they represent everybody and not only those that elected them. This also goes to governors. There are some areas in Wajir County where I come from that had been marginalised. I am sure that there are also other areas that have been marginalised like Turkana and all that. They need to develop everywhere equally and should not leave out areas where people never supported them in the spirit of forgiveness that the President talked about. I also commend the President for 3,000 kilometres of roads. Where I come from, there are two county headquarters which up to now do not have roads that lead to there. Right now, there is no proper road network in my county Wajir because there are no tarmacked roads and because of the rain and floods, right now they are cut off. I urge the President to ask the State Department for Infrastructure to ensure that those roads are completed so that the economy of Wajir and Mandera counties spur like the rest of Kenya. I thank you for giving me this opportunity. 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."
}