{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=159538","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=159536","results":[{"id":1613562,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613562/?format=json","text_counter":4602,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kanduyi, FORD-K","speaker_title":"Hon. John Makali","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to these budget estimates for the Financial Year 2025/2026. First, allow me to also congratulate you for hosting a very successful 62nd Madaraka Day celebrations. We in Bungoma, hosted the 61st Madaraka Day and thought we were the best. But the way you hosted it left us thinking we could have done even more! Secondly, I thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee for burning the midnight oil to produce this Report. This is the third Budget Report of this administration since it came into office and the first under the Broad-Based Government. Let me start by highlighting a few issues that are arising from this Budget. About 28 per cent of the total budget has been allocated to the education sector, which is commendable. Education remains the ultimate equaliser. We must invest seriously in it if we want to develop the human capital that is required to drive this country forward. Three things arise from this allocation. First, the budget has allocated money towards the promotion of teachers and the recruitment of more teachers. This is a commendable move by the Committee. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informationpurposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."},{"id":1613563,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613563/?format=json","text_counter":4603,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kanduyi, FORD-K","speaker_title":"Hon. John Makali","speaker":null,"content":"Since Independence, last year marked the first time we employed 50,000 teachers at once. If we are to employ more teachers, I have some in my constituency who graduated as far back as 2014, and have not yet been employed. We must address the unemployment scourge that is affecting our country. As much as we have allocated funds to education, our universities are still having problems. Capitation is a problem. We have a problem with the formula for disbursing the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) loans. I am hoping that in the new Financial Year, we will have a seamless remission of capitation to our schools so that the headteachers can run schools fairly and properly. My second issue is in the agriculture sector. Agriculture contributes 20 per cent of our Gross domestic product (GDP). I have seen that the Committee has allocated Ksh78 billion towards that sector. Food security is very important. We want to thank the Government for the overtures it has made in the subsided fertiliser programme. How I wish that more funds are allocated towards the free fertiliser subsidy to enable farmers to go back to work in their farms so that we can be a food secure nation. My only worry in the agriculture sector is the sugar sector reforms. Last year and the better part of this year, we embarked on the sugar sector reforms. The train for the reforms in the sugar sector left the station. I come from an area where farmers rely on sugar-cane for their upkeep. The sugar factories have been leased. While I appreciate that the Committee has allocated Ksh2 billion towards the sugar sector reforms, my main worry – if you look at Annexure IV – is that there are unfunded areas. The Committee has clearly pointed out that we will require another Ksh5.3 billion towards payment of workers and cane farmers. I hope when we get to the Committee on Supply, we will allocate some money towards the settlement of those arrears of sugar-cane farmers, specifically of the poor Nzoia Sugar cane farmers and employees who their factory has been leased to an investor to run so that the Government can actualise that particular promise. In schedule IV, you will see unfunded areas. The third thing is in the health sector. We appreciate what the Government is doing to ensure that universal health care is working. Every Tuesday when we come to this Assembly, we find the universal health workers demonstrators …"},{"id":1613564,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613564/?format=json","text_counter":4604,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Peter Kaluma","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Hon. Wanjiku Muhia and the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Education will have two minutes each to register their comments, and then the Mover will reply."},{"id":1613565,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613565/?format=json","text_counter":4605,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kipipiri, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Wanjiku Muhia","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I first thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee for doing a good work. However, it will not go well for me if I do not record some issues, especially on primary schools. As a country, we know that primary school education is the foundation of education. This is a sector that did not require any reduction but increment, considering that currently, the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) are in primary schools. In agriculture, particularly on fertiliser, it is high time that we delete the money for the delivery unit. I do not know what they deliver. When the ministries allocate money - so that the Committee can evaluate and agree or disagree with - it is important that we see some research effort from them. If we were to need fertiliser, what will inform the Ministry of Agriculture to require a given fertiliser in a tonnage that is specific to a region? For instance, Nyandarua County is a potato growing area that requires a different fertiliser from counties that grow maize and sugar-cane. However, there is no such information. That money will be allocated in lumpsum for fertilisers. As I conclude, on lighting in this country, connecting people to the national grid in Kenya is a development agenda and it is a much welcome move. I hope that the money that has been allocated of Ksh50 billion will be utilised equitably. Some regions are claimed to be well connected up to 60 to 70 per cent and, when you go to the ground, that is not the case. Some counties like Nairobi are well connected and they continue to receive the allocation. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informationpurposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."},{"id":1613566,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613566/?format=json","text_counter":4606,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kipipiri, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Wanjiku Muhia","speaker":null,"content":"That is why I am calling upon ministries to conduct research, categorise regions as per their needs and allocate money with that information in mind, so that it can meet its purpose. Thank you."},{"id":1613567,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613567/?format=json","text_counter":4607,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Peter Kaluma","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Hon. Julius Melly."},{"id":1613568,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613568/?format=json","text_counter":4608,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tinderet, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Julius Melly","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this time to also register issues on the Report on Consideration of the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2025/2026. Firstly, I want to appreciate the Budget and Appropriations Committee led by Hon. Atandi, for the good work. On the issues of education, I want to bring to the attention of the House that this is the sector that has the highest funding of almost Ksh700 billion. On that, we got almost substantial amount of money especially on capitation, but we still have a deficit. The Ministry of Education has always had less funding by Ksh22 billion in the last seven years. Secondly, I also want to thank them for they have manged to allocate money for various examinations: Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and all the examinations that are going to be done this year. We have enough money and exams will run normally. Thirdly, on the issue of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), I want to appreciate that the Budget Estimates are providing enough money to construct and finish TVET colleges across the country, and also providing more money for capitation. Even for the machinery, there is money to equip the institutions that have been finished. On university education, yes, we have money for university education, especially on capitation of the new funding model. More importantly, we still need more money so that we are able to fund every student, especially in the Kenya Medical Training Colleges (KMTCs) and Teachers Training Colleges (TTCs). On agriculture, we are grateful that we have subsidised fertiliser. We want to thank the Government for sugar sector reforms. However, we have issues in the tea sector. I ask that next time we provide money to modernise the tea sector, give money and get rid of the problems in that sub-sector."},{"id":1613569,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613569/?format=json","text_counter":4609,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tinderet, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Julius Melly","speaker":null,"content":"Lastly, is the issue of the Universal Health Care (UHC). I have seen that we have provided enough money for that sector and, more so, for the health of this nation. We need to ensure that the UHC workers are not demonstrating every other time."},{"id":1613570,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613570/?format=json","text_counter":4610,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tinderet, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Julius Melly","speaker":null,"content":"I thank you. I also thank the Committee for the good work."},{"id":1613571,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613571/?format=json","text_counter":4611,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Peter Kaluma","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" The Mover will now reply."}]}