{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=402","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=400","results":[{"id":4001,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4001/?format=json","text_counter":280,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mrs. Odhiambo-Mabona","speaker_title":"The Temporary Deputy Speaker","speaker":{"id":376,"legal_name":"Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona","slug":"millie-odhiambo-mabona"},"content":" Hon. Poghisio, I am told that you are not the one responding to debate. It is Dr. Shaban who will be responding."},{"id":4002,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4002/?format=json","text_counter":281,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Poghisio","speaker_title":"The Minister for Information and Communications","speaker":{"id":202,"legal_name":"Samuel Losuron Poghisio","slug":"samuel-poghisio"},"content":" That is correct, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker."},{"id":4003,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4003/?format=json","text_counter":282,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Dr. Khalwale","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":170,"legal_name":"Bonny Khalwale","slug":"bonny-khalwale"},"content":"On a point of order, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. This is a very serious Motion, and hon. Poghisio is the substantive Minister in charge of this particular sector. Would it not be good manners for Dr. Shaban to speak and then we allow hon. Poghisio to give us the substantive response?"},{"id":4004,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4004/?format=json","text_counter":283,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mrs. Odhiambo-Mabona","speaker_title":"The Temporary Deputy Speaker","speaker":{"id":376,"legal_name":"Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona","slug":"millie-odhiambo-mabona"},"content":" Dr. Khalwale, hon. Poghisio is not the substantive Minister responsible for the matter before us. So, Dr. Shaban will respond to the Motion on behalf of the Government. Please, proceed, hon. Poghisio!"},{"id":4005,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4005/?format=json","text_counter":284,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Poghisio","speaker_title":"The Minister for Information and Communications","speaker":{"id":202,"legal_name":"Samuel Losuron Poghisio","slug":"samuel-poghisio"},"content":" Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I thank you for protecting me from my good friend, Dr. Khalwale. I stand to contribute and support this Motion. It is very interesting that I have to change my statement midstream. I want to start by saying that I support this Motion. I support it because I know that my Ministry will be enjoined in the matter contained in this Motion, and I thought it would be important for me to give it support very early. I would like to say that this has many advantages for the country, not just for information per se, but it also means that infrastructure, which is much needed in this country, will be built across the country to enable information to be collected, stored and disseminated. So, this is in line with the policy of the Government to make sure all parts of the country and all sectors of our economy are covered. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is very clear, as hon. Members have said that with the availability of data, we can do very many things. We will not have to go to historical things; but we can do very many things that are ahead of us. However, we will also be able to cross-reference very easily and enable the Government to be more efficient. So, this is not just for the hon. Members who are raising it but it is actually for the efficiency and effectiveness of Government as well. So, this will be part of e- governance and I do not want to pre-empt what my colleague will say when responding, but this is effectively an improvement on what we have thought about. I know that many hon. Members have raised the issue of the Ministry of Lands and the information there and the people being able to know which land is clear, which land has got encumbrances and so on. I think this is very good because this will be the easier way, less expensive and cost-effective because one does not have to travel to any office. There is one particular station – and now that the Government is setting up digital villages all over – it will be very easy for anybody in the village to go to a digital village and seek information, find information and apply that information effectively to their own purposes. So, I would not like to over emphasize the fact that this is a very important and quality Motion. I think hon. Members who bring Motions like this have to be congratulated because they are thinking on how we can improve the situation for all people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I come from a very rural constituency and solving problems in a rural constituency is difficult if we have to do that physically or by walking to places or by driving to places. So, technology will come in handy in making sure that we do solve these problems. So, I want to congratulate not only the hon. Member, Dr. Ottichilo, for thinking about this, but also the other hon. Members who have contributed and wished well this Motion as it passes through the House. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Once again, I support this Motion."},{"id":4006,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4006/?format=json","text_counter":285,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Dr. Khalwale","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":170,"legal_name":"Bonny Khalwale","slug":"bonny-khalwale"},"content":"Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support this Motion and just recollect that if, today, we are constructing the Thika Superhighway, then today must be the reason when we should decide to construct an infrastructure that will give us an information superhighway. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kenya is, indeed, a giant in matters of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and, therefore, we would not have to make any extra effort to create the prerequisite manpower that we would need to support this particular initiative because hon. Members will recall that, today, the mobile phone connectivity or users in Kenya are as many as 25 million. With this awareness of the ICT, it is a shame that we have not gone further and given our people an infrastructure of information from which they can operate. That we are such a giant in matters of ICT and we are still disorganized is a shame. We do not even remember that a small third world country like Kenya today is the one on the forefront in terms of being innovative on issues of ICT. You know we are the ones who are the brainchild or, rather, mobile money transfer is a brainchild of a Kenyan innovator. It is a shame that having been the leaders in mobile money transfer, even the little boy – I understand he is a boy from Kisii, I am not too sure and probably the Minister for Information and Communications is aware – who invented M-Pesa is not a celebrated hero in Kenya. I am told that he does not earn any royalties from this kind of innovation. If we were having this kind of infrastructure, then we would have recorded that this young man is actually the owner of this and he would be having the patent and would be earning royalties. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, because Kenyans like football, sometimes I sit before the television and listen to commentators of the English Premier League. You will be amazed at how much information these people have at their fingertips. You will find a commentator, when a goal is scored in the third minute, just on the spot like this, the commentator will tell the viewers that this goal that was scored through a back pass in the third minute was last scored in the 16th Century. You hear this and you really get impressed. Then, they will go further and say that Pele scored very many goals at the age of 21, and that kind of stuff. This is the case and yet when you come here, you will find that we do not even know how many clubs our celebrated Joe Kadenge played for, how many cups he won as a Kenyan player or how many goals he scored. Let us not just talk about sports. Let us talk about the National Assembly. We have a library here which is completely incompetent because you cannot go to that library and have quick access to information like the works of George Anyona, one of the most outstanding debaters in this House. You cannot have quick access to the works of Martin Shikuku, including the contributions made by one Gitobu Imanyara. To my mind, I believe that if we have this kind of instrument, then this invaluable information will be readily available and we will make positive use of it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to talk about security in line with this Motion. If we had this kind of instrument, it would be very easy for you just at a flicker of a button to know the crime patterns in the country; which parts of the country are insecure; which parts of the city are insecure and then you will make an informed decision to visit those parts. This would also help the police to know which areas of our cities require more policemen at any particular time because they would know that if you go to Eastlands, for example, there are more instances of crime there, and they would post more police officers there. They would then say that the police officers who are wasted on the safer sides of the city like the Karen area and so on, for purposes of security, they should be concentrated either in the Central Business District (CBD) or the Eastlands side. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, because I can see that this Motion is capturing a lot of interest, let me conclude with my last point on the fight against corruption. If we want to fight corruption, we must pass this Motion. Hon. Mungatana has earlier on talked about the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). The IFMIS is a move in the right direction. But the IFMIS that we are having at the moment is being rolled out half heartedly. In spite of it having been here for more than five years, we, at the Public Accounts Committee, still hear of situations whereby officers who are supposed to be conversant with IFMIS do not know how to use that system. It is half hearted to the extent that it only captures one side of the accounts. It is important that IFMIS should capture both revenue collection and revenue expenditure for it to be effective. We all know about corruption that has been going on with the donor-funded projects especially the free primary education. It is a shame that because of lack of access to information, the taxpayer is today refunding the World Bank Kshs2.5 billion that was stolen by officers who are alive, some are still in the office and others are half-heartedly being cosmetically put on half salary through interdiction and stuff like that when, in fact, all that was required was this kind of system to track all primary schools, how much money has gone to those primary schools, who is supervising the money, who is the head teacher, who is the Assistant Education Officer (AEO) or the District Education Officer (DEO). We must refuse, as a country that a payment, due to lack of information of Kshs347 million can be made as a refund to the World Bank without even Treasury caring to come to this Parliament and seek approval and, shortly thereafter, another Kshs63.7 million, all in refunds for monies that were embezzled by senior officers who are still in the Ministry. When Parliament raises the red flag, all the Executive does is to shuffle the officers. You will find that the Accounting Officer is moved from this Ministry to another one. We must fight corruption and to do so, we must pass this Motion."},{"id":4007,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4007/?format=json","text_counter":286,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Dr. Khalwale","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":170,"legal_name":"Bonny Khalwale","slug":"bonny-khalwale"},"content":"With those few remarks, I beg to support."},{"id":4008,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4008/?format=json","text_counter":287,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Imanyara","speaker_title":"The Temporary Deputy Speaker","speaker":{"id":22,"legal_name":"Gitobu Imanyara","slug":"gitobu-imanyara"},"content":" Minister, your time is actually ten past eleven. So, let me allow Eng. Gumbo to make some contribution. If you could be kind enough to your colleagues, give them two minutes because the Minister would be responding at ten past eleven."},{"id":4009,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4009/?format=json","text_counter":288,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Eng. Gumbo","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":24,"legal_name":"Nicholas Gumbo","slug":"nicholas-gumbo"},"content":"Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to take as little time as possible. Allow me to start first by thanking my good friend, the very learned hon. Member for Emuhaya, Dr. Wilbur Otichilo, for bringing forward this very useful and timely Motion."},{"id":4010,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/4010/?format=json","text_counter":289,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Eng. Gumbo","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":24,"legal_name":"Nicholas Gumbo","slug":"nicholas-gumbo"},"content":"I want to urge the hon. Member and Parliament in general that we should pursue this Motion strenuously so that as a useful product, we end up creating very interactive information portal that can serve the whole country. This Motion has come at a very right time because many things that we try to do even in our constituencies become difficult because there is very little information. I remember recently, we were sitting in our District Education Board (DEB) and we wanted very basic information where the issue of drop out of school girls from school came up and we just wanted basic information from the DEO where we wanted to know the number of girls that have dropped out of school due to pregnancy. We then came to the distribution of constituency bursary where we wanted to know the number of total orphans in our schools. This information is missing. I think that some of the basic decisions that we have to make at the level of the constituency within the areas that we come from, is this sort of basic information that we need. I also remember cases where we have sat in the District Food Security Committee and we just wanted to know accurate figures of those who are food deficient in the constituency but it is very difficult."}]}