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{
"id": 1431461,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431461/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3817,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon David Ochieng'",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " You know that you should have done it earlier. This should have been done at the beginning of this debate. However, Hon. Members, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1431462,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431462/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3818,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon David Ochieng'",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I request that when we give you a chance, be fair to others. Try to use as little time as possible so that as many Hon. Members as possible can contribute. Hon. Murugara."
},
{
"id": 1431463,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431463/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3819,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tharaka, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. George Murugara",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I stand, I also agree that we should take five minutes, but we are not bound by any rules because we did not start with that. I implore Hon. Members and myself also to take five minutes to contribute so that as many Hon. Members as possible can speak to this important Motion. I begin by thanking the Budget and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Hon. Ndindi Nyoro, for a fantastic job. I appeared before them, and they were really grilling. They asked many questions that we were able to answer, and that is how this Report was made. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the net effect of what we are doing is to reduce the budget allocations, especially the ones on expenditure. This is purely because we have not been able to attain the targets that were in the original budget. This is the right thing to do simply because we cannot borrow all the time so as to bridge gaps in our budget. Therefore, sometimes we have to bite the bullet and reduce what we had budgeted for so that we can live within our means. We are not being over-ambitious. It is perfectly in order for a country to be ambitious, but if that ambition is not attained, then you make a tactical retreat by admitting that you cannot attain it; making a reduction and moving on. We are making gains in terms of our local currency, which is appreciating. As a trade country, we should take advantage of this so that we are able to trade well, especially in terms of imports, which are benefiting from the local currency gains. As we move on to do the budget now, we must think of civil servants, including police officers, who are craving a salary increment because they say they are living in very poor conditions and their salaries are very low. We must look into this. We must also look into the Fertiliser Subsidy Programme, which we have spoken about a lot. We are informed that due to the good long rains in the country, we will realise the fruits of the subsidy we have given for fertiliser. We must again caution the criminals and crooks out there who have found an opportunity to exploit this subsidy so that they do not go on to do crooked things to try and sabotage such a noble idea on subsidy and production that our country is banking on. We have spoken about Article 223 of our Constitution, which allows the Government to spend money on emergencies without the approval of Parliament. This is extremely important, and the Government must stand warned that the only money to be spent under Article 223 is on emergencies. We have spoken about the emergencies of El-Nino that we have been experiencing and the damages we have seen on our roads. Those who live near river banks have experienced flooding and other problems. If any money has been spent on this, it is justified. We must speak to it. As Parliament, we must approve that the Article comes in handy, and the Government was right to use it to spend money on the emergencies we experienced. Demolitions are happening in riparian sections and in areas where people are living in reserved areas. Every Member of Parliament, especially from Nairobi, is speaking passionately about it. However, we repeat that the Government must be cautious. These are human beings who must be treated with utmost dignity. We even have entities that have old title deeds with respect to lands that neighbour riparian sections. The net effect is that we cannot have any challenge to those title deeds, and we must tread with caution. Finally, we have spoken about universities. I must point out that my two universities— Tharaka and Chuka—are in dire need of money. We must allocate money even if it is not in The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1431464,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431464/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3820,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tharaka, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. George Murugara",
"speaker": null,
"content": "this Supplementary Budget but in the main budget. Universities must be taken care of so that we can educate our children. With those many remarks, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to support the Motion."
},
{
"id": 1431465,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431465/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3821,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon David Ochieng'",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Well done, Hon. Member for Tharaka."
},
{
"id": 1431466,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431466/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3822,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tharaka, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. George Murugara",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you. The next chance goes to Hon. Member for Dagoretti North, Hon. Elachi. I hope you will do the same."
},
{
"id": 1431467,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431467/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3823,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dagoretti North, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Beatrice Elachi",
"speaker": null,
"content": " I will, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Thank you for this opportunity. I also rise to support the Motion on Consideration of the Second Supplementary Estimates for the Financial Year 2023/2024. I appreciate our Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the team for appreciating that we all have to stand in the gap for the challenges we face and, more importantly, to ensure that we reduce the budget. Hon. Temporary Speaker, if you look at the whole budget that we are reducing, we have to ask ourselves why we are reducing so much on the social side and leaving more on the defence side, yet that is where our people are suffering. We need to increase resources in the social sectors like education and health. I appreciate what we have given our community health workers and promoters an allocation. I also appreciate that we are looking at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in this House. Going forward, we have to ask ourselves how many KMTCs we have now. Can we try and work together so that students can go to the existing facilities rather than build new ones? Those are some of the things to consider. If we want to tighten our belt, then we do not have to do it by building new schools. Instead of building new schools, let us look at the ones that we have and improve their infrastructure. We can see how children can go to the schools rather than every one of us wanting to build an entirely new school, yet we are saying we want to work together. Some schools now have 100 students. You have a whole school, and you will still need to maintain those schools and make them better. Hon. Temporary Speaker, let me speak for Nairobi. Indeed, I know we have a crisis of classrooms and all these challenges facing us. We also want to see that we are improving academically. Yes, we have huge numbers of students in our schools, about 5,000 of them. Even if I improve these schools, I will always know that I will have to look for maintenance funds in the next five years. We also must start to have a moral sense in this House, to believe that Kenyans gave us the opportunity and privilege to make their budgets. When we are making budgets, we see our people feeling agitated. They are in a crisis all over. Nobody understands how an entrepreneur with a start-up can survive in an environment that is not conducive to doing business, like in Kenya. We have decided to have a common tariff within East Africa. I can go to Uganda and start a company, then open a branch in this country. So why are we chasing away people doing business in our country? This is because our business environment is very hurting. In as much as I support, as Parliament we must stand with courage and tell the Executive that our people cannot live like this. We have to do so because we were elected, unlike the Executive. We were voted in, and so we have to stand up and fight for our people. As I finalise, we cannot continue the way we are doing. For example, Nairobi City County gives allotment letters. You find somebody has demolished a building in Kileleshwa because it is on riparian land. Then, tomorrow, you will see another building built there. They are hurting some people, yet they are the ones who allow them to build on riparian land. So, every Kenyan will want to build on riparian land. As leaders, what we are doing is very unfair. Most of us have shops that sell clothes and other things there, but we want to finish Mathare and Ruaraka. This is not right. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1431468,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431468/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3824,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dagoretti North, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Beatrice Elachi",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support, but it is high time this House stood for what is in the Constitution."
},
{
"id": 1431469,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431469/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3825,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you. Next is the Member for Mwingi West."
},
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"id": 1431470,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431470/?format=api",
"text_counter": 3826,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mwingi West, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Charles Nguna",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for allowing me to add my voice to the Second Supplementary Estimates. From the onset, I will take two minutes because I know Members have a lot of interest in this. I thank the Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, Mhe. Ndindi Nyoro, and Members for the effort they put in working on this Supplementary Estimates. Based on the economic issues this country has been experiencing, I want to laud a few sectors that have gained from this Second Supplementary Estimate, such as the higher education sector. Most universities and tertiary institutions have been suffering. The increment is good because it has given them life. Also, the NPS in the security sector has gained. I was happy when I read the President's Speech during Madaraka Day and was optimistic about this current financial year. Indeed, we have enhanced fertiliser subsidies, and sugarcane farmers will also gain from the Second Supplementary Estimates. Our country experienced the El Niño phenomenon, which still affects some parts, and the people affected will gain. Also, for the welfare and just Government of the people, our bodyguards and drivers have gained. I am worried because we have reduced Government spending on infrastructure. This country has many stalled projects, especially in the road sector. Every time we allocate a lot of money to this sector, it ends up being reduced. In the future, we need to stop new projects and complete the ones already estimated in the budget. This way, we will ensure no white elephant projects in our country. The other issue is that we are doing a supplementary budget a few days before the end of the financial year. It would be good if the last supplementary budget was done, at least, two months before the end of the financial year so that we can enable the users of this money to escalate services to Kenyans. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. With those few remarks, I support."
}
]
}