{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=160496","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=160494","results":[{"id":1623142,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623142/?format=json","text_counter":4569,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Marakwet East, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Kangogo Bowen","speaker":null,"content":"state that the budgetary allocation to the water sector is very low despite water provision being a constitutional right under Article 43 of the Constitution. I had earlier proposed to this House that there should be water allocation per constituency. As a starting point, I recommend allocating Ksh50 million per constituency to support a water access program for the people, including the sinking of boreholes or the excavation of water pans. We often see donor-funded projects worth billions of shillings concentrated in one corner of the country. As for Government of Kenya projects, you may find a dam worth Ksh20 billion, Ksh30 billion, or Ksh50 billion under construction for twenty years, and yet people still do not have access to water. If the funds that are allocated to dam projects were allocated to the NG-CDF and each constituency gets, say, Ksh100 million, totalling Ksh28 billion, the impact on water provision would be bigger. We need to avoid the big dam projects. Let us complete the stalled projects and invest in small projects that can ensure people access water within a month or two of implementation. Regarding last-mile electricity connectivity, I support what Hon. Naisula said. Some constituencies, particularly in Nairobi, are oversupplied and may not require additional funding. However, in areas like Northern Kenya or Kerio Valley, including my constituency, we have less than 10 per cent connectivity, whereas others have 100 per cent. The ministry should prioritise regions with the lowest coverage when allocating funds for last-mile connectivity. As a House, we also need to take this seriously so that every Kenyan can benefit. Lastly, I would like to comment on the issue of pending bills, which is very important. There are so many contractors in this country whose properties have been auctioned. Some sold their properties to raise money to service government projects, but they have not been paid. Payment of pending bills has a trickle-down effect on everyone, from the driver in the contract to the mama pima, who cooks githeri for construction workers. With those remarks, I support."},{"id":1623143,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623143/?format=json","text_counter":4570,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Peter Kaluma","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Next is the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security."},{"id":1623144,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623144/?format=json","text_counter":4571,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Narok West, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gabriel Tongoyo","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to add my voice to what my colleagues have already said. I commend the Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC), led by its very able Chairman, Hon. Samuel Atandi, for a job well done. This is Hon. Atandi’s first assignment as the Chairperson of the BAC, and he has managed it with precision and expertise. Congratulations to the entire Committee. All Departmental Committees have also made effort and added value to these Budget Estimates. They took a lot of their time burning the midnight oil listening and interrogating State Departments to make the Report what it is today. It was not an easy task, and I want to really commend my colleagues. It took dedication. I will not take much time. I just want to highlight a few critical areas that have been factored in the Budget Estimates. I will start with agriculture. We all know that agriculture is the backbone of our economy. Since the inception of the Kenya Kwanza Government, the agricultural sector has continuously taken the forefront in the budget allocation. It should not be lost on us that when William Ruto and Kenya Kwanza took over the Government, they had a robust policy of investing in production and not consumption. That is why the issue of fertiliser subsidy took centre stage. We can attest to the fact that it has given us good results in food production in the country. There is a steady increase in food, and the price of food has gone down. The inflation rate in the country has also gone down, which is very commendable. It is also notable that the subsidy has been considered in the Budget Estimates allocation. We appreciate that in the provision of sugar reforms, including the operationalisation of the Sugar Act 2024, there is an allocation of about Ksh370million in the budget estimates. 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":1623145,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623145/?format=json","text_counter":4572,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Narok West, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gabriel Tongoyo","speaker":null,"content":"It is also good to note that some money has been allocated for the provision of cotton revitalisation. More importantly, the Ksh2.3billion that has been allocated for derisking will go a long way in cushioning the pastoral communities in terms of mitigating the impact of the drought they experience year after year. As a member from a pastoralist community, I know that this will be a game changer. It is something that was not there before. I know that the issue of milk will also help the pastoral communities. On water, I will not belabour. The Chair of the Departmental Committee on Water, Sanitation and Irrigation mentioned it. Some money has been allocated to it, but we still need to do more. Being that we are an agricultural economy, water is crucial for the realisation of its goals. We need to give more emphasis to the issue of water. On roads, we need to appreciate where we are as a country. Initially, there was a lot of debt on the roads. The policy on sectorisation of our roads has opened up more parts of the country that were previously neglected. These areas can now realise their development. On education, the government has continued to allocate a big chunk of our budget to the education sector. We all appreciate the importance of an educated society in realising industrialisation and modernisation. The other critical area is the State Departments that I oversee as Chair of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs – the National Police Service and the National Police Service Commission. A sum of Ksh2.8 billion has been allocated to the Police Service Commission for the recruitment of about 10,000 police constables and officer cadets. Since you sit in that committee, you know that the Commission envisioned recruiting 10,000 officers. You appreciate that, for the last three years, we have not had any recruitment, and we are approaching a general election while already experiencing natural attrition of approximately Ksh4,500. The money is not enough, and discussions are still underway to see how to close the gap, but we cannot fail to appreciate that it is a positive step. Although Kenyans are eager, we had also promised them that we would conduct the recruitment above board – in a more transparent manner, devoid of corruption, when the time comes."},{"id":1623146,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623146/?format=json","text_counter":4573,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Narok West, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gabriel Tongoyo","speaker":null,"content":"As a way to continuously equip our security officers who are doing their best to keep this country safe, the modernisation programme that has been envisioned has been allocated about Ksh3.4 billion. This is to continue equipping our security agents, especially those in the National Police Service, with the necessary equipment and tools to enable them to perform their duties and mandate more effectively to protect the country that they so love as patriots. You are well aware that it is a long-term programme estimated to cost approximately Ksh30 billion. We have done slightly above Ksh10 billion, and moving forward, it is likely to receive continuous budget allocation."},{"id":1623147,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623147/?format=json","text_counter":4574,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Narok West, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gabriel Tongoyo","speaker":null,"content":"Hon. Temporary Speaker, still in the immigration sector, it is worth appreciating that the passport, National Identification Cards (IDs), Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and the issue of Visas has been allocated a fairly good budget so that, as a country, we continue to handle at least the crisis that was there before. We recall a year or so ago, the big problem of long queues at Nyayo House, as Kenyans waited for weeks or even months to collect their passports. Others even missed travelling for medical care and other reasons, simply because we could not process the passports and provide them in real time. With these allocations and the prospect of continuously providing more resources to the State Department, Kenyans will receive their passports promptly. That is the spirit. Of course, this House recommended withholding A-in-A so that the Ministry can execute its mandate with less problems, without relying on Exchequer releases. That has been a game changer in this sector. Regarding the issuance of IDs, we are all aware that His Excellency the President has abolished vetting. Our brothers in the North Eastern region, the pastoralist communities who have been victims of unnecessary vetting, have truly appreciated this. It has 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":1623148,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623148/?format=json","text_counter":4575,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Narok West, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gabriel Tongoyo","speaker":null,"content":"gone a long way to help them because all along, they had been treated as second-class citizens. With the budgetary support of this programme, I am confident that we will reap significant benefits, and Kenyans in areas that have previously been affected will appreciate this. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I also want to talk about the issue of…"},{"id":1623149,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623149/?format=json","text_counter":4576,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Peter Kaluma","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Yes. The point that he is making about the operationalisation of the newly gazetted administration units is critical. Do you need two or three minutes? Add him two minutes."},{"id":1623150,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623150/?format=json","text_counter":4577,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Narok West, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gabriel Tongoyo","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for your consideration."},{"id":1623151,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623151/?format=json","text_counter":4578,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Narok West, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gabriel Tongoyo","speaker":null,"content":"Colleagues, I was saying that we have many gazetted units running from sub-counties, divisions and locations. It is an issue that has attracted constant requests for statements in this House. In this Budget, we have managed to allocate Ksh600 million to at least address the most crucial units. I still implore this House through the Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman to continue looking for more resources to put into this programme, so that Kenyans can enjoy the success of having government offices next to them. With those remarks, I support."}]}