Dr. David Eseli Simiyu

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 501 to 510 of 1379.

• 24 Jun 2014 in National Assembly: Thank you, hon. Speaker for this brief time to contribute to this Motion. The issue was not whether we required the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) or not. We require the SGR for very many reasons that have been enumerated by my colleagues. The question is: Did we require it at any cost or at all cost? I believe that the cost we are dealing with here is inflated. They are saying that because of the topography, the cost had to go up. That is a red-herring. That is not the truth. One, this railway is one track and it is ... view
• 24 Jun 2014 in National Assembly: caught it. I believe that posterity will trace those costs in future and Parliament will remain with an egg on its face. Hon. Speaker, I oppose this Report. view
• 5 Jun 2014 in National Assembly: Listening to the Chairman of the Committee in charge of Security, I was rather disturbed as to whether he interviewed the Cabinet Secretary or if the Cabinet Secretary has come to the realization that registration of persons is a very serious security matter. When we go ahead to hear that this problem is happening throughout the country and yet, the country right now is facing a serious problem of insecurity and terrorism, it is surprising that the Cabinet Secretary would come before hon. Abongotum’s Committee and still talk about waiting for funds. I think in a situation like that, we ... view
• 3 Jun 2014 in National Assembly: Thank you, hon. Speaker for giving me this chance to contribute to this Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill. It has become a rather dangerous habit recently that we try to amend very fundamental and serious laws of this country through a miscellaneous amendment and yet, some of those laws are so crucial. Before we try to amend or repeal them in an underhand way, they need more debate. Hon. Speaker, I am particularly zeroing in on a very interesting inclusion in this Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill. They want - in a roundabout way – to do away with the ... view
• 3 Jun 2014 in National Assembly: whereby devolution would have been carried out in stages. Counties would get functions as they are able to manage them. However, due to a presidential decree, devolution was done in a precipitated manner so that functions were devolved in one swirl swoop in one evening and all the counties had the functions devolved to them. The Transition Authority was, therefore, caught unawares before it had finished the work that it was supposed to do. Hon. Speaker, we have now reached a very crucial stage of devolution which nobody is mentioning. Now we have reached the point where sharing of assets ... view
• 29 Apr 2014 in National Assembly: Thank you, hon. Speaker for giving me this chance to make my brief contribution to this very important Bill. Hon. Speaker, we are all desirous that the Government be allowed a leeway to borrow on the international market where we, perhaps, hope to get more favourable interest rates, so that we can relieve the local money market. However, as the Bill stands, I fear that it has certain loopholes which have not been completely sealed. If we agree with this Bill that money be disbursed directly to the suppliers from the loan source--- This is a very cheeky way of ... view
• 29 Apr 2014 in National Assembly: Thank you, hon. Speaker for giving me this chance to make my brief contribution to this very important Bill. Hon. Speaker, we are all desirous that the Government be allowed a leeway to borrow on the international market where we, perhaps, hope to get more favourable interest rates, so that we can relieve the local money market. However, as the Bill stands, I fear that it has certain loopholes which have not been completely sealed. If we agree with this Bill that money be disbursed directly to the suppliers from the loan source--- This is a very cheeky way of ... view
• 29 Apr 2014 in National Assembly: Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. As I said when I was contributing to this Bill, this clause is specifically meant to circumvent the Public Procurement Act, because some people have gone on record saying that the Public Procurement Act is convoluted and difficult to implement. What I know is that if somebody is using that Public Procurement Act genuinely and properly, it is not difficult to implement. Even if this clause is left without the amendments of the Chair of the Committee, it still exists purely to circumvent the Public Procurement Act. This is because there is no provision ... view
• 29 Apr 2014 in National Assembly: Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. As I said when I was contributing to this Bill, this clause is specifically meant to circumvent the Public Procurement Act, because some people have gone on record saying that the Public Procurement Act is convoluted and difficult to implement. What I know is that if somebody is using that Public Procurement Act genuinely and properly, it is not difficult to implement. Even if this clause is left without the amendments of the Chair of the Committee, it still exists purely to circumvent the Public Procurement Act. This is because there is no provision ... view
• 29 Apr 2014 in National Assembly: Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade talked of pre-negotiated expenses and felt that the amendment would cure any possible mischief. Pre-negotiated expenses can still come to 30 per cent of Kshs30 billion. I do not know whether the amendment is curing anything. If we really want to cure anything, we must propose amendments that really cure it rather than come up with cosmetic amendments. If the intention of this Bill is to circumvent certain provisions in the Public Procurement and Disposal Act, pre-negotiation is really not going to be a cure ... view