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{
"id": 1521332,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521332/?format=api",
"text_counter": 213,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John Mutunga Kanyuithia",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity to add my voice to this very important debate on the proposed legislation concerning the management of the Equalisation Fund. The drafters of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 thought it wise to develop Kenya as a unit, which is very important. That is why Article 204 of the Constitution provides the Equalisation Fund. This was upon the realisation that some areas of this country are not as developed as others. This Fund has been utilised in some areas. Even testimonies on the Floor of this House show that the Fund has done a good job. The need to recognise that Kenya needs to develop as a unitary country was important. However, before I speak to the legislative proposal, I would like to introduce some dimensions which may have led to discrimination in determining the areas that need to be considered for the Equalisation Fund. I come from Meru County. If you tell anybody that Meru County may need the Equalisation Fund, they will refuse. This is because they think the county is 'on top of Mount Kenya or Nyambene Hills', which has all the water you can imagine. In fact, we have trees or twigs that are chewed, miraa, which may make one imagine that Meru County does not require an Equalisation Fund. This is why Members of this House pushed for the formula to stop recognising counties and instead recognise sub-locations. The exercise that followed was to find out whether the Equalisation Fund can be spread further and leaner. My constituency is Tigania West, which borders Isiolo County. For practical and theoretical purposes, Tigania West is an Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL) to a large extent. From the content used to develop the formula for the Equalisation Fund, the people of Tigania West are considerably locked out. One of the parameters that they look at is proximity to a school. In Tigania West, people have occupied every available piece of land, whether arid, semi-arid, dry or desert. They live everywhere in the county. If people from Isiolo County get an Equalisation Fund, yet those from Tigania West cannot get the same, there is a problem. This is because our problem is a shortage of land due to the increased population that has occupied all parts of the countryside. The idea is that vast tracts of land are idle in some areas. Therefore, the people who live in those areas or make a living from there should qualify to benefit from the Equalisation Fund. This is based on the parameters, such as proximity to a school, health facilities, watering points, and motorable roads. People cannot live in the countryside without a school. This is because they need to educate their children. We need to look at the state of the school; how has that particular school improved? I have schools in a pathetic situation despite trying to bring them up. The funding in the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) alone is insufficient to improve the schools. Additionally, the effort made by the Ministry of Education is not enough. So, the Equalisation Fund is important in some of these areas. When we proposed that these areas be looked into, a team was sent from headquarters to re-assess. However, they used the same 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": 1521333,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521333/?format=api",
"text_counter": 214,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John Mutunga Kanyuithia",
"speaker": null,
"content": "formula that we had rejected, therefore, the exclusion. So, we were once again excluded from those sub-locations that require the Equalisation Fund. The Equalisation Fund is important because, for instance, most of the parts could be developed in Meru County. However, Tigania West and other parts of the ASAL sub-counties are not developed. This is a serious problem. As I said earlier, people cannot live in an area without water, so they must try to get some water. They may access water because they live there. They do not just graze animals and move around; they live there. They are farmers and not herders; they are cultivators of the land. On the other hand, they may have some makeshift health facilities that are not of good quality. The watering points are just improved dams or water ponds. Therefore, we need to dig deeper to understand whether we should reconsider such areas for equalisation. Some areas are rarely productive because there is not enough rainfall to sustain crops to maturity. People living in some of those areas in my constituency, such as the lower Kianjai, Athwana, and part of Akithi Wards, are marginalised. We have a serious problem there. Therefore, we need to revisit the formula and ask ourselves whether having makeshift health facilities, some watering points, or living in an area with an ill-equipped school is good enough. These areas should not be excluded from the Equalisation Fund. The other issue I would like to consider is the management of the Fund itself, which many Members have spoken to. The proposed legislation is to moderate the management of the Funds in view of identifying projects that are supposed to be done in an area. It is the prioritisation of the projects. Identification has to do with public participation. In most cases, you will realise that public participation sometimes lacks credence. It is not exhaustive and overly inclusive. Prioritisation needs to ask the people exactly what they need. The initiation of projects vis-a-vis the availability of money is the other issue that comes up. In some cases and to a certain extent, Exchequer releases have been an issue in this country. Members have complained that the Equalisation Fund is not working because initiated projects are not progressing at the expected rate. It takes quite a while before they progress to maturity and closure. The legislative proposal is needed to moderate the committees that have to sort out issues of identification, prioritisation, initiation, project implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of some projects. The management aspect of the Fund is an issue that needs revisiting. On the other hand, the amount is 1.5 per cent of the Budget. When you look at the vastness of this country, 80 per cent of Kenya falls under ASALs. Do we want to maintain people doing business in ways that may never be fully sustainable? We have more or less maintained the kind of animals we have had since we became inhabitants of this country. We have not considerably improved the animals. Animals have not changed in the northern rangelands, which include parts of where I come from-Isiolo, Samburu, Marsabit, North Eastern, and other areas. The genetic pool of the country has not impacted them. Animals in the southern rangelands may have changed, but not in the northern rangelands. We need intensification to bring AI services to people. We need to think about AI services for people to use. The idea is to make water available to ensure these animals are in centralised places. Then, we can improve the quality of the animals. The most important thing is the turnover and not following the animals forever. Let us have animals that get to market weights at a good age. You do not have to keep an animal for 10 years for it to get to market weight. It may need a maximum of three years. Many countries in this world are developing like ours. However, they are doing 18 months to get 500 kilogrammes of an animal's live weight. We should be able to do that because we are properly endowed scientifically. We have what it takes. We have a whole Kenya Animal 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": 1521334,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521334/?format=api",
"text_counter": 215,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John Mutunga Kanyuithia",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Genetic Resources Centre that is quite equipped. It can help us get our animals where we want. Therefore, equalisation is important even as we look at lifestyle and utilisation."
},
{
"id": 1521335,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521335/?format=api",
"text_counter": 216,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Martha Wangari",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13123,
"legal_name": "Martha Wangari",
"slug": "martha-wangari"
},
"content": " Thank you. Your time is up. Hon. Samwel Moroto."
},
{
"id": 1521336,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521336/?format=api",
"text_counter": 217,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kapenguria, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Samwel Chumel",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you for also giving me the opportunity. Sometime back during colonial times, where I come from was a closed district. That is why the Kapenguria Six were taken to that place. Nobody could come from here to that place. It was totally closed. Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965 came in after Independence. It was not until 2010 that we saw light at the end of the tunnel. During the time, West Pokot was a closed district. I have also said that we only got missionaries who came through Uganda and not even Kenya. The Catholics came and settled in a place called Tartar. Only those missionaries lifted that area to where it is now. They are still operating there. In fact, we have a girls' national secondary school in Tartar, which is doing very well. Then, the Protestants settled in Nasokol, where we also have a wonderful girls' secondary school, a primary school, and other institutions. The word of God spread all over. Muslims came from Uganda, not Kenya. Now that the good Kenyans who drafted the 2010 Constitution considered us and remembered that some Kenyans were suffering somewhere. Somebody has said that we are the 14 ASAL counties here. A timeline of only 20 years was given to improve disadvantaged areas to come to the status of others. Unfortunately, nothing is going on now, and we have only started. I was there and was still a Member of Parliament. This is my fifth time here. People were called for public participation. All the people in West Pokot came to a place called Mtelo Hall. Others went to other places. We agreed to improve some areas. We were considering even schools. I started class one in 1972. I was having my Class One to Class Four lessons under a tree. There were problems. Blackboards and books were flown in. Sometimes, we ran to collect the books. It was already noon by the time we came back. We would just sing \" naskia sauti, sauti ya mama. Kwaheri mwalimu’’ . Everything would remain under that tree. We prayed and thanked God when the Equalisation Fund came. We said God had given us good people and leaders who listened to us and said, “Some areas are suffering\". Now, it is not working. We do not mind if they extend the Equalisation Fund to 20, 28, 34, 38, 40, or all the way to 47 counties. They are also Kenyans who may be suffering. However, we also need to increase the amount that goes into the kitty to cover these other areas. I am a teacher by profession and have been with people for a long time, seeing what they are doing. As the leadership of this House and Kenyans, my prayer is to be considerate. We should ensure these people get whatever is given to them. Unfortunately, other counties are now being brought in. It means there is no proper administration and a problem if, for instance, a county government constructs a road and puts money into it only to claim later that it is by the Equalisation Fund. I pray that the Committee in charge will go down to see what is happening. I am happy that from the time we began talking about the Equalisation Fund, most colleagues have really been talking. Let us keep the spirit so that we see the lives of our people and Kenyans improved."
},
{
"id": 1521337,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521337/?format=api",
"text_counter": 218,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Martha Wangari",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13123,
"legal_name": "Martha Wangari",
"slug": "martha-wangari"
},
"content": " What is out of order, Hon. Chairman? Hon. Moroto, hold on."
},
{
"id": 1521338,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521338/?format=api",
"text_counter": 219,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
"speaker": null,
"content": " This is more of a point of information to my senior. We have done public participation and received the views of the public by the time a Bill comes for Second Reading. The Report is available."
},
{
"id": 1521339,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521339/?format=api",
"text_counter": 220,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Martha Wangari",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13123,
"legal_name": "Martha Wangari",
"slug": "martha-wangari"
},
"content": " Hon. Moroto. 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": 1521340,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521340/?format=api",
"text_counter": 221,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kapenguria, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Samwel Chumel",
"speaker": null,
"content": " I agree with him. This young man is doing well. In fact, we were with him outside this country. It is my prayer that we keep such leadership. He will come later as part of the leadership to assist us. I want to wind up by stating to the leadership of Kenya that things are not going well. As I said, I have been here. This is my fifth term. I served President Moi and President Kibaki all the way to the current one. However, things are now changing. It is not as it used to be. In Athi River, there is this cement factory that has a lot of problems. I request that the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives visit and see. Two Managing Directors were appointed and gazetted; it is now a tug-of-war. Each has a friend in their corner. Thank you very much."
},
{
"id": 1521341,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521341/?format=api",
"text_counter": 222,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Martha Wangari",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13123,
"legal_name": "Martha Wangari",
"slug": "martha-wangari"
},
"content": " Hon. Member for Baringo County, Hon. Jematiah Sergon."
}
]
}