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{
    "id": 935077,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/935077/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 97,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Turkana West, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Nanok",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2947,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Epuyo Nanok",
        "slug": "daniel-epuyo-nanok"
    },
    "content": "the Constitution in a more effective and efficient manner. Currently, and as speakers have already observed and stated, the Equalisation Fund has been actualised through the public finance management guidelines prepared by the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, which has domiciled the operations, administration and implementation of the Equalisation Fund in the State Department for the National Treasury. In my observation, the current administration has been very inefficient. The identification and implementation of projects by the administration has been very ineffective. When you look at the Equalisation Fund as it is currently implemented, monies were appropriated by this House. From the beginning of the Fund - which was in 2010/2011 - up to 2018/2019, out of a possible amount of Kshs20 billion that was supposed to have been disbursed, only Kshs12 billion has been disbursed. Of that money that has been disbursed for projects to be implemented in marginalised areas, none of those intended projects have been completed under the Fund. That is the inefficiency that I am talking about. The intention of the Constitution and the Republic of Kenya to uplift the lives and the living standards of the people in those marginalised areas is not moving forward. It is not being achieved as it was intended. I urge and request my colleagues to support this Bill. I can see the trend is that Members are in support of the Bill. The few amendments that were proposed by the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning will make it possible for the targeted areas to get the services that will be given through the Fund’s disbursements. When you look at the areas that are targeted for the use of those funds such as education, power connectivity, roads and water, this is very basic infrastructure that is required in those areas. As has been observed - and I support - arid and semi-arid (ASAL) areas are lagging very much behind in the area of infrastructure development. If there are any statistical figures and ratios that bring down this country, they are found in the marginalised areas. The effective implementation and utilisation of the Equalisation Fund will raise the standards of this country and of those particular regions so that there is equitable development across the country. The future of this country lies in the uplifting and development of the ASAL areas. Areas that were developed by the Sessional Paper No.10 of 1965 are running out of space. We need to build hospitals, schools and water structures. The cost of constructing those facilities in already-populated areas is becoming a challenge. The cost of doing any development is becoming expensive. The lands in the ASAL areas in the northern part of Kenya, for instance, are idle and fallow. They are being utilised for pastoralism. It will not be a challenge to have those required facilities being constructed. It will be cheaper. The future of Kenya is in the expansion of the development agenda in the north. The Equalisation Fund is supposed to take us in that direction. It is for this reason that there should be a legal regime that makes the Equalisation Fund effective in achieving the intended development agenda. Finally, as I wind up my contribution, look at the way the country’s population is growing. The northern part of this country is still sparsely populated. If you read any records or statistical data that speaks to the issue of population, you will find that the north is still sparsely populated. Population is an asset to the development agenda of any country. If we develop the northern part of this country, we can spread out our population by making those areas attractive. If we concentrate on the population in the smaller parts of this country which are very densely populated, we will have challenges of conflicts because of land. We want to protect our water towers, but the population pressures cannot allow that. If we developed the ASAL areas in the northern part of the country, we could easily shift population by ensuring that the underdeveloped areas get infrastructure development which will attract populations and, therefore, attract development into the areas of this country that have not been reached. 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."
}