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{
    "id": 896535,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/896535/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 115,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Buuri, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13315,
        "legal_name": "Mugambi Murwithania Rindikiri",
        "slug": "mugambi-murwithania-rindikiri-2"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency the President. I do not want to repeat the issues other Members have raised, but I had a lot of concern on the President’s Speech particularly on the enablers of the Big Four Agenda. You will recall last year the Government withdrew the development budget for electricity. When we talk about manufacturing, we are talking about electricity being provided to the consumers. And those are the people who brought us to Parliament. I am happy to note there is a mega project the Government of Kenya is undertaking but, my concern and that of the people of Buuri is that there is no electricity connectivity into their houses. So, in as much as we are talking of manufacturing, when power is lacking, then the President needs to go back and revisit the matter of development money for electricity to the rural areas and particularly to those young men who want to start Jua Kali sector in their areas. The President spoke about transportation. He said that transportation is one of the enablers of the Big Four Agenda. But last year, there was a lot of rain that caused a lot of destruction to a majority of roads in the country. This year again, there is rain coming. The roads were not repaired. The emergency money that we had spoken about in Parliament here to repair the roads that were destroyed by the rains was withdrawn. So, when we talk about transportation as an enabler of the Big Four Agenda, we are not being sincere. We must revisit this issue. The President and his handlers must revisit this issue. I noted that there is the element of education with poor infrastructure and the 100 per cent transition where we are required to have taken all the children to high school. There is no much interest and support from the Government through infrastructure. We are left only with National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) and this is not enough. The Government needs to be sincere. When the President says there are no new developments, then he is not being sincere to Kenyans. We are left wondering where we are going to get new laboratories, classrooms, toilets and new dormitories. The other concern is that I come from a potato-growing zone. The President and the Government spoke only of coffee and tea. I think it is high time the President addressed himself to the plight of potato farmers in this country, particularly where I come from, which is the main potato-growing region in the whole country. There are concerns by our farmers in terms of fertiliser. We have seen so many fertilisers being brought to this country in the name of being subsidised fertiliser, but it has destroyed our soil nutrients. In fact, a majority of farmers are not using fertilisers anymore. They are using manure, which the Government, again, is saying farmers should not use. The issue of milk is another concern. So, when the President talks about agriculture, he needs to put emphasis on the zones that do not grow tea, coffee, maize and wheat. They should look at other crops to support. I thank the President for supporting miraa, but it is not enough. We cannot talk about creating jobs. We must fund the Technical Vocational Education and Technical (TVET) institutions. How many constituencies in this country have TVET centres? The Government must fund all constituencies in terms of TVET institutions."
}