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{
    "id": 896913,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/896913/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 174,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Bomet Central, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ronald Tonui",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1242,
        "legal_name": "Ronald Kiprotich Tonui",
        "slug": "ronald-kiprotich-tonui"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity to also contribute to the President’s Speech which was delivered well. I do support most of the issues which were raised in that speech, especially the one dealing with devolution where the President stated that Kshs1.7 trillion has already been devolved to the counties to help in development. Most of the key functions which we have as a nation are devolved. The functions of water, agriculture and health services are devolved. Therefore, funds must follow these functions. It is unfortunate that we keep talking about the Kshs1.7 trillion to the counties and yet we are not talking about the much that still remains at the national level. We are not talking about what that money has done or not done. I believe that we require to devolve at least 50 per cent of the national revenue to the counties so that we can have improvement in the standard of living amongst our people right in the villages. When you move around, you can easily see that roads have improved due to devolved funds. Health services have improved because of devolved funds but we are even unable to oversee, as a National Assembly, the funds which remain in the national Government. I believe it is because the resources are in plenty. Most of the resources are misused. I support some and not all of the issues in the Big Four Agenda. I strongly support the issue of universal health services. It should be critical in terms of getting support. The issue of food security and that of manufacturing to create employment should be supported too, but this animal called affordable housing programme is so hard to sell to my villagers. The people in my constituency are wondering. Sometimes when the President overemphasises it, people think he lives in his own world because they already have their houses and they are comfortable in their houses. The issue of houses is not a major one. The major issue to them is the roads which they are using and the health services they are supposed to access. People conduct fundraisers nearly every weekend. You will hear this family is dealing with a budget of Kshs200,000, the other one Kshs1 million and the other one Kshs8 million for somebody to go to India for medical attention. We should channel the funds which we intend to generate from the housing levy towards the universal health programme. That way, we can then bring to our counties the equipment which patients go for in India. There are vested interests in the housing agenda by those who came up with this policy. That is why we are overemphasising it and, in fact, providing Kshs100 billion per annum and yet we are doing very little with regard to providing health services. There are vested interests in those who came up with this policy. People came up with the idea of affordable housing programme without public participation. I have never heard of a situation where the only public participation done is in State House. That is very awkward. It gives an The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}