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{
    "id": 876521,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/876521/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 475,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "A few minutes later, I saw somebody looking for me and he told me; ‘excuse me, Sir, you gave me more than enough. Please, take back your money.’ The biggest question in my mind at that time was; ‘how do such societies get to the place where their citizens live honest and decent lives?’ The truth of the matter is that it is not complicated. That is a society where you are assured that you do not need to have all the money in the world to access the basics of life. That is where the problem begins. You will find people stealing without shame if they get to know that the only way to ensure that their sick child gets proper healthcare is by having all the money in the world. If people get to know that the only way to ensure that their children get the best education is by taking them to private schools, then those people will begin to think that money is the answer to all problems. Many of us, who are here, went through a properly functioning public education system. However, we have killed our public education system such that it is the pride of everyone, including us who are in leadership, to say that; ‘my kid does not attend a public school right from kindergarten all through to primary, secondary and university.’ That is unfortunate because these are the issues that this Bill is speaking about. This Bill talks about the basic issues that matter to man. They are the things that ensure that you live a descent life and that your children can prosper and live happily in a particular society. If we do not have a way of guaranteeing it and ensuring that the Government, in all its policies, ensures that these values are inculcated in our people and that development is not just sent out on the whims of how a President feels like, then I am sorry to say that things will not be fair for us, as a society. Therefore, I agree with the general intention of this Bill. We must have a way, a safety net, of ensuring that we have a reporting mechanism for development programmes like equalisation fund where we can be told that you do not have a one size fits all approach to many of the needs that are being faced by a particular segment of society. It does not make sense that despite Kenya being independent for almost 55 years, almost 70 to 80 per cent of its citizens live in mud houses. All they do is to ensure that there is a roof over their head. Nutrition is a struggle even for adults. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), not more than 10 per cent of our population can afford a decent meal or even get the very basic three meals per day and it becomes worse when you talk about clean and safe water. In developed counties or what is considered as urban counties like Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, you will find that only a small segment of the population is able to access clean and safe drinking water. Therefore, when this Bill finally becomes law, it will be important that we get to see the status reports based on the parameters that are before us like social security. How many elderly people are not able to sustain themselves under a social security programme? The current social security programme that we have is only accessible to those who are employed who will then retire and access their benefits. What about the bulk of the population; the 70 to 80 per cent, that never had the chance to have a formal employment? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}