Ababu Namwamba

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 1441 to 1450 of 1948.

• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: It is also clear that the working nation that we have come to pride ourselves in is increasingly becoming a walking nation. What has been a working nation for the last several years is now a walking nation. More and more Kenyans now resort to using their feet rather than their vehicles because of the very high cost of fuel. Of course, this is a matter which has been repeatedly talked about. The cost of basic and essential goods like maize meal, sugar and rice also remain inexcusably high. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is, therefore, obvious that we have ... view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: I believe that the good Lord has endowed this House with sufficient sense, reason and intellect to inquire into this challenge and find solutions that can move this country out of the problems we have found ourselves in today. We need to ask why the cost of fuel moves in only one direction – upwards – even when the international cost of crude oil drops. How come that the cost of fuel can only increase, and never decrease, despite downward motion in the international cost of crude oil? view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need to re-visit a certain measure that the Government had attempted to take in the past. I am especially thinking about an inter- Ministerial task force that was put in place by Amb. Francis Muthaura in the year 2005, which released a report titled “Report of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force to Investigate Cartel-like Behaviour of Major Oil Companies in Kenya”. This report was submitted to the Government in the year 2006. It had proposals on how to resolve some of the issues within the oil sector. We need to know why this report and its ... view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: We need to identify ways of diversifying our sources of energy, and especially making more robust investment in wind and solar energy as an alternative to fossil fuel energy. We need to seek innovative ways of cushioning the most vulnerable in our midst from the vagaries of inflation and related economic uncertainties. We need to find an answer to the vexing question of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, and especially the almost immoral disparities in salaries within the Public Service. We need to answer the question as to why we cannot meet the minimum salary demands ... view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, economist David Ricardo, in the 18th Century advised that there can be no rise in the value of labour without a fall in profits. We must, indeed, inquire into how we can strike a delicate balance between the rise in the value of labour and the level of profits that the private sector makes even as we grapple with the question of income for our least remunerated Kenyans. We must move away from the scenario that the late J.M. Kariuki described in the 1970s, of a country made of 10 millionaires and 10 million paupers. You ... view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: We must wonder whether the society that Julius Nyerere described as “a man-eat- man society” continues to be the Kenya of today. We need to re-trace our steps to Sessional Paper No.10 of 1965, which had given hope to this country, in terms of reaching out and supporting the most vulnerable in our midst, and ensuring that Kenya is a more equitable society. We need to take a long hard look at the cost of running this Government and agree to share in the burden of ordinary Kenyans. Isenhour once warned that people who value their privileges above their principles ... view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we must ask ourselves whether it is beneficial to this country to continue having a Cabinet of 42 Ministers, with all the bureaucracy that supports it, and whether it is not time for this country to consider reducing the size of the Cabinet. We need to find ways of cushioning the poor through pro-poor budgeting – budgeting that takes time to prioritise interests of the most vulnerable. We have had instances where huge sums of money are allocated to particular segments of Government operations, like national security. While I appreciate that national security is significant, and ... view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, of course you know that I am quite magnanimous. Of my ten minutes, I will donate a minute each to hon. David Ngugi, hon. Sofia Abdi, hon. Charles Onyancha, hon. Elijah Lagat and hon. Sheikh Yakub, so that I will have five minutes within which to respond. view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to applaud this House for standing up tall today to actualize Article 28 of the Constitution on human dignity that guarantees every Kenyan dignity and Article 43 that guarantees the people of this country a raft of social economic rights to make their existence better. We are just about to establish a platform that can enable this country to critically look at this challenge and offer tangible solutions. I also thank the ODM for sponsoring this Motion and the Members for rallying around this Motion notwithstanding our political affiliations. As I close this Motion, ... view
• 11 May 2011 in National Assembly: Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. First of all, let me express my disappointment that a Motion of this significance – and which is really critical - is being debated in a near empty Chamber. When you look at the public gallery, you will see young Kenyans eagerly here to witness the leaders of this country thrash out issues of this significance. One can only stare down at a very poorly attended session. This is disappointing. It is indeed shameful and I think hon. Members need to take the business of the House more seriously. view