Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is the Motion on the Supply Estimates for the Financial Year 2008/2009. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Budget for the Financial Year 2008/2009 that was presented to this House on June of 2008 was formulated within a fiscal framework aimed at achieving and sustaining macro-economic stability for laying a firm foundation for reducing unemployment and poverty as envisioned under Vision 2030 Medium-Term Plan.

Order, Mr. Minister! Order! Your first duty is to move the Motion, and you seem to be debating before you have moved the Motion.

My apologies, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion:- (a) THAT, a sum not exceeding Kshs16,355,411,140 be granted from the Consolidated Fund to meet expenditure during the year ending 30th June, 2009, in respect of Supplementary Estimates of 2008/2009 Financial Year (Recurrent) having regard to the proposed reduction of Kshs15, 633,315,630 therein appearing; (b) THAT, a sum not exceeding Kshs9,895,900,650 be granted from the Consolidated Fund to meet expenditure during the year ending 30th June, 2009, in respect of Supplementary Estimates of 2008/2009 Financial Year (Development) having regard to the proposed reduction of Kshs11, 695,894,670 therein appearing.

Very well! Go ahead!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, with your permission now, I beg to move. The Budget for the Financial Year 2008/2009 that was presented to this House on June of 2008 was formulated within a fiscal framework aimed at achieving and sustaining macro-economic stability for laying a firm foundation for reducing unemployment and poverty as envisioned under Vision 2030 Medium-Term Plan. The assumptions underpinning the fiscal framework included an average economic growth of 5.8 per cent for the Financial Year 2008/2009, sustained and enhanced performance of exports and domestic demand and, indeed, sustained political stability. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Budget, as presented to Parliament, was made of Recurrent and Development Expenditure amounting to Kshs759.7 billion, of which the net expenditure to be financed amounts to Kshs673.5 billion. This expenditure was to be financed with receipts of Kshs546.5 billion comprising of ordinary revenue of Kshs467.9 billion, Appropriations-in-Aid (A-in-A) of Kshs44.8 billion and donor project grants of Kshs33.8 billion. This left a deficit of Kshs127 billion which we had planned to finance with proceeds from the sovereign bond of Kshs33.6 billion, external borrowing of Kshs25.2 billion, privatization proceeds of Kshs8 billion, domestic long term infrastructure bond of Kshs18.5 billion, net domestic borrowing amounting to Kshs41.6 billion; including refinancing of Kshs5.7 billion.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, whereas I have tried to adhere to the fiscal programme presented to this House in June, 2008 the implementation of the Budget has, indeed, faced numerous challenges which have undoubtedly disrupted the original assumptions that formed the basis of the Budget. Key amongst these challenges are:- i. The slow-down in economic growth to now 3 per cent as opposed to the previously envisioned 5.8 per cent associated both with the post-election violence and the global economic meltdown, resulting in a revenue shortfall amounting to Kshs7.2 billion, ii. The postponement of the issuance of the sovereign bond for Kshs33.6 billion due to the global financial crisis, iii. Delay in the privatization process, thus denying the Exchequer the expected receipts of Kshs8 billion; and, iv. Additional requests for resources by Ministries, largely to mitigate the effects of the post election violence, prolonged drought, domestic food production and high fuel and fertilizer prices. Of the total additional requests amounting to Kshs148 billion, which I have received since July, 2008, the Treasury, working with the Ministries, rationalized and reduced this to Kshs26.1 billion. Rationalizing is mainly to cater for food and fertilizer importation, provision of subsidy on food and fertilizers to make them more affordable to mwananchi and the Kazi kwa Vijana programme is intended to provide productive employment to our youth. Mr. Speaker, Sir, arising from the above challenges, the resultant financial gap is, therefore, expected to be Kshs71 billion. To close the financing upward while ensuring that we maintain a stable micro-economic environment, we did institute expenditure

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to second the Motion on the Committee of Supply. I wish to thank the Minister for Finance for having found it prudent to re-arrange the Budget. I mark his words when he said that he has “postponed”, not necessarily cancelled, certain development projects that are key to turning around this economy. I also want to appreciate that the Minister has, indeed, provided money both for the importation of fertilizer and maize into the country. This House may want to know that the first one million bags of fertilizer imported into the country was used for the planting season this year, and was actually purchased out of a loan that parastatals, under my Ministry, went to borrow from the bank. If we had waited for money from the Exchequer, we might not have had the necessary fertilizer for us to plant this season. However, I want to thank the Minister because the Government has now provided Kshs2.3 billion. I want to inform the House that, already, the fertilizer has been ordered. In fact, the first consignment arrived last week. The other consignment is arriving on the 15th of May.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion.

I will start by lauding the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for reducing the Development Vote by close to Kshs12 billion. We know the difficulties that our country has gone through. We also know the impact on our economy, of issues born elsewhere, ranging from Wall Street Fraud in the United States of America (USA) that has messed up the banking industry worldwide, the oil prices that have become extremely erratic, and internal factors, including drought, shortage of food and many other things. It is important that we pass this Motion so that the wheel of the Government can keep turning until the end of the financial year.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also want to laud the Minister for allocating money to the agricultural sector. For a long time, in fact, since Independence, Kenya has always been rightly described as an agricultural country. We produce food for export and domestic consumption. However, it becomes a terrible challenge when a country gets to a level where it becomes difficult to feed its people. Indeed, one of the neglects that previous successive Governments have had on the people of Kenya is the failure to pay sufficient attention to the farming sector. We fell into the trap of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank doses of kicking out the Government from the management of agricultural facilities such as cattle dips and others. We were constantly reminded that the duty of the Government is not to do business and yet out there, farming is heavily subsidized. The provision of subsidized fertilizer to farmers must be an issue that this House must ensure it never gets out of our Budget books. Farmers must be supported at all levels. I would like to see a situation where the Minister for Agriculture helps in reviving farming institutions so that farmers can pick inputs with a ready off stake of their products and availability of credit to enable

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir. While I support the Motion, I would like to make a couple of comments. One is that we should not be congratulating the Minister for varying the figures that are contained in the Printed Estimates. This is because Supplementary Estimates are meant to deal with unforeseen items. However, there is nothing unforeseen when I look at the list of the reductions and additions. Either they should have been captured in the Budget originally or they should await the next Budget and be passed alongside other ordinary expenditures. The Supplementary Estimates only exist to make it possible for the Minister for Finance to deal with unforeseen circumstances. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in this case, I think the unforeseen circumstances were the consequences of the post-election violence. Therefore, what should have been captured in the Supplementary Estimates ought to have been issues related to that. I cannot congratulate the Minister when I see, for example, an increase in the refurbishment of embassies overseas amounting to Kshs800 million at this point in time, when that money could have been diverted to something elsewhere.

I have a number of questions to ask when I see figures in the Supplementary Estimates showing an increase in Government investments. What are these investments? What do they relate to? What role should Parliament play before the Government actually commits that money to those investments even if they are contained in the Printed Estimates? There must be a procedure to be followed. When you want to dispose of your assets, there is a law that governs that. There are two laws; either you will be dealing with the Procurement and Disposal Act or the Privatization Act. When the Government wants to invest some of those monies in some enterprises, then there must be a procedure whereby Parliament must be informed in time, so that they are on board to know where the taxpayers’ money is being invested. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you look at some of the Items I see in the Printed Estimates; on page 150 of the Supplementary Estimates (Development Expenditure), I see Equity Participation in Domestic Public Enterprise where the figure has increased from Kshs6.3 billion to Kshs7.2 billion. This is an increase of about Kshs1 billion. What would the Government be investing in public enterprise at this point in time? I hope the Minister will make that clarification. Then I see Equity Participation in Domestic Public Financial Institutions, where the figure has been reduced but this does not matter. What was it originally anticipated to be and what has led to the reduction? Is it because we are short of money or was the original policy to do so faulty? There is also Equity Participation in other Foreign Enterprises. Which is this equity participation by the Government of Kenya in foreign enterprise amounting to Kshs200 million, which has now been removed in the Supplementary Estimates? What is this? What was the problem and the reason for the change of heart and rationale? Mr. Speaker, Sir, at this point in time, I wish to add that when the Minister for Finance presented his Budget last year, he stated that he was going to finance that Budget partly, among other ways, through a sovereign bond. He also said he was going to finance the Budget through privatization process. I know the Minister has made some comments

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also stand to support the Supplementary Estimates and thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for presenting these Estimates because, as you all realise, the Ministry of Education is one of the hardest hit. This is because of the Free Primary Education Programme and the free day secondary school education. Disbursements to these programmes are of necessity and more so when schools reopen next week. Therefore, the bringing of the Supplementary Estimates at this level would be an impetus in ensuring that our institutional centres and particularly primary, secondary and tertiary institutions are given an opportunity to be able to achieve their stated objectives. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you remember one of the most ambitious and yet very noble programmes was the School Feeding Programme. The drought we have experienced, which ended last week, and poverty indices that have been so clear, have made it very difficult to reach out to 1.2 million children who needed to be given the subsidy in the School Feeding Programme. Albeit with the support of the budgetary provisions and additional support from the Treasury; being conscious of this problem, and the World Food Programme (WFP), we are now able to finally approximate the number that requires a very aggressive school feeding programme. In this way, they can also join other children to attain their potential. Mr. Speaker, Sir, these Supplementary Estimates will unlock some of those finances which are necessary and important for us to have a flow-in of other stakeholders supporting this programme. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other aspect of this is the tragedy we have had with the recent onset of rains. There have been very ghastly winds which have blown off roofs and flattened some schools. Some children may not have a place to study in. I would have

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. I also stand to support the Minister for what he is trying to do to change the course of financing of projects and Development and Recurrent Expenditure in this country.

As Mr. Okemo said, we expected that this Budget would take care of three very important areas in Kenya today. One is the issue of food production. I think it has been done very well because we have an able Minister for Agriculture. I am sure that the Ministry is going to improve food production in this country. But while I say that, in my own constituency today, the whole constituency is literally littered with maize. Farmers have grown so much maize that we are able to provide some food to this nation in the coming harvest. However, when it rains, we have no roads to transport this food to the market. I believe that whatever was being allocated to my constituency, for example, in terms of roads maintenance –

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish the Minister for Finance could listen to what we are saying! Could his colleagues allow him to listen to us? In my own constituency, the money that was allocated for road maintenance has been reallocated. So, as of now, in the Estimates, I have no money to do the roads yet we produce a lot of food for this country. It means that, that maize is going to rot in the farms because farmers are not going to transport it. This is the dilemma of financial management in this country; that it does not go to priority areas but to interest areas.

Another issue which should have been addressed is that of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). It is a shame, as a nation, to see our people living in tents the way we have been watching for the last 20 years; people living on roadsides. These Kenyans suffered because of electing us to come here. What are we doing, as Government and as hon. Members, to address this matter? Why can these people not be resettled in their former homes? Why can the Minister not set aside money to cater for this situation whether these people are there or not? Some of these people are there because they have nowhere to go. If they have nowhere to go, let them be taken somewhere so that we are not ashamed. It is a shame to this nation.

The other area that has not been addressed is the issue of environment. I hope the Minister will allocate money to address the issue of environment. Today, the Mau Forest is being destroyed. We have continuously asked the Government to remove people from the Mau Forest but nobody seems to care. We have many people walking up and down with committees and commissions doing nothing and spending all that money for no reason. I have always told the Government that there is no reason for keeping people there to destroy what is going to destroy us all. Today, the Mara River and other rivers flowing into Lake Victoria are drying up. Even the power generation we are trying to do down those rivers is not going to be there. Why is it so difficult to remove these people from Mau Forest and resettle them somewhere? One of the crucial things is Agenda Four in the National Accord and Reconciliation Act which I think Dr. Kofi Annan briefed this country on. I applaud and thank you, Mr. Speaker, because of what you did yesterday because we are now able to speak here and manage this country once again. We do not

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for granting me this opportunity to make two comments. Firstly, I am delighted that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance has indicated that he has consulted widely before bringing these Supplementary Estimates. Secondly, I also note that the President of this country has also given his consent to these Estimates. But of great concern is that these Estimates will facilitate the management of the Government, our institutions and Ministries. I note that one key component is the management of the Ministry of Education. You will recall that last year, students in many schools went on strike and a lot of unrest was noted in our schools. That situation was triggered off by the shortage of teachers in our schools. I note that with these Approved Estimates, the Ministry of Education will be able to render the necessary service in that sector. Secondly, the Ministry has already assured the whole nation that bursaries will be released as soon as possible. They will not be released until these Supplementary Estimates have been approved. I also recognize that the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) is not in a position to award loans to students in our universities. After we pass the Approved Estimates, students in our public universities will be given a chance to continue learning. I also recognize that there is a huge outcry concerning the curriculum development in the Ministry of Education. Some money should be released to the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE), so that the curriculum can be reviewed and developed as per the aspirations of our people in this country. I recognize that the leadership of that institution is giving the best, but it cannot give the best service, unless it is fully funded by the Ministry of Education. It is, therefore, important that we approve these Estimates as soon as possible. I also recognize the creation of new districts. We have newly created districts and we have already posted District Commissioners to them. Those DCs do not have funds, vehicles, buildings or any means of transport. It is from these Estimates that the newly posted DCs, other than travel in matatus and boda boda, will be bought some vehicles and facilitated to operate in decent offices. I note that in Kiambu West, we have been allocated about Kshs6 million. This is not little money. It will do something in the newly created district. It will help to do a facelift. So, the Estimates are geared towards improving the welfare and the management of our institutions. It is also important to improve the capacity of our security systems in this nation. Our borders are really exposed. There is a lot of influx of strangers into this nation. We need to tighten up the porous boundaries. We cannot do that unless we facilitate our security apparatus to reach the borders and improve the security situation there. If they cannot do that, it will be a total shame because the investor confidence and the tourism sector will be affected badly. It is also important that, once this money is released, we will facilitate the services offered by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the police. Those institutions are handicapped right now. As has been noted in this House, most of the Members are complaining of Officers Commanding Stations (OCSs) who do not have vehicles. Vehicles will be bought with this money and security will be improved tremendously. With those few remarks, I support the Motion.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to make my contribution to this Motion. I listened very carefully to some parts of the speech made by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance as he moved this Motion. He is seeking the permission of Parliament to be given Kshs16 billion and the rest of the other variations that he wants for the Supplementary Estimates. One of the things that is coming out clearly is that the Supplementary Estimates had to be adjusted because there is a shortfall in the collection of revenue within the economy of this country. I wholly support his Motion today, but there are many things that he must start thinking about very seriously. Yes, we have had political troubles in this country and they could have contributed to this. We have had all these other variations, but another reason why we are having a shortfall of revenue collection in this country is that the recession that has been a global phenomenon is actually slowly creeping into our economy. People in the First World have lost jobs, homes and their sources of income. People who would have been millionaires have become paupers all of a sudden, from the stock market. People who were employed in industries for decades have found themselves unemployed. Families that had riches stretching over generations have become paupers all of a sudden. This issue of recession is coming into this country. I am worried that the Minister has not yet found it necessary to state out clear steps that he intends to take to cushion the economy against the recession. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when we say that there is a shortfall of the collection of revenue and, therefore, we have to adjust the Budget, we are going to go this way until when? I am standing here as a Kenyan to ask the Minister to sit down with his bureaucrats and think of what we will do to save those jobs and the shortfall of revenue collection. This money must come from businesses and people employed within this economy in Kenya. It must come from those who would have invested in this economy to generate more jobs in this economy.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I know that the Minister is a thinker who can think outside the box. I want to see him come to this House and tell us how he will cushion this economy against the recession effects. If we do not do so, he will come back here for other Supplementary Estimates. We do not want this to happen. This is why I am standing with just that one point, to ask him to come here and tell us what we will do as Kenyans. We are getting worried!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, people are losing jobs in Coast Province. We are already starting to feel the recession. The tourism industry, which has been the backbone of support in that area, has been affected. Hotels are closing down. We want to know what we will do with our relatives, brothers and cousins who are losing jobs. This is the cause of the shortfall in our revenue collection the Minister is talking about. We want to know what we will do with them as Kenyans. I know he will do something about it. I urge him to come to this Parliament and explain to us, so that we can move together as a nation in fighting this recession.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, one other thing that I would like to mention is the wastage in Government today. People keep on talking about cars at the national level. However, the wastage is really on the ground. A lot of money in Government goes to waste at the district level. It is useless for us to support the hon. Minister to pass these Supplementary Estimates and, in fact, agree even to adjust some of the development expenditure that we expected to have from him, then this money is wasted on the ground. Again, I wish to ask

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion. In doing so, there are quite a number of critical reasons why this House must pass these Supplementary Estimates. We need to pass these Supplementary Estimates because there are a number of Government projects which need to be attended to.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you very much for this opportunity. I rise to support. I have no option. Looking at the figures brought here by the Minister, I can see an increase in expenditure. There is an increase in Recurrent Expenditure of Kshs16 billion and a saving of Kshs15 billion, giving a net expenditure of Kshs722 million. I also see a net saving from the Development Vote of Kshs1.7 billion. I also see a net saving in the CFS of about Kshs7 billion. In total, there is a total saving of Kshs8.1 billion. That is a good reason in the Budget for support. When I combine that with Appropriations-in- Aid, I see a total increase in the Budget of Kshs1.7 billion, giving us up to a total budgeted figure of Kshs761 billion for this financial year. Mr. Speaker, Sir, having said that, I want to record my disappointment with the failure to assent to the Fiscal Management Bill. As you are aware, we have figures that amount to billions. As we debate here, we are supposed to approve these figures. The responsibility on us is that of approval and oversight. I stand here as the Chairman of the Budget Committee and I have only ten minutes to contribute. It is impossible to make a sensible contribution. Parliament has a role of scrutinizing the Budget. Between the time this Budget was laid on the Table of this House and the time its approval is sought, it is practically impossible to effectively scrutinize it. When I go through the changes in the Budget, I see changes in the Department of Defence (DoD). One wonders why the figures were brought in the first place and yet we know that the DoD has been very poorly managed of late. They are just in the barracks as we face threats from our neighbours across the borders. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to go to CFS; I see a number of debts that had been proposed for settlement. Fortunately now, most of these debts have been removed from the Budget. The question one asks is: What was the wisdom of putting them in the Budget in the first place and what is the reason for removing them now? One is persuaded to think that those loans are being removed from the Budget because of the noise that has been made, questioning their authenticity. This House needs to involve itself a lot more in the Budget-making process. It is against that background that you may recall, in the Fiscal Management Bill, we had a provision that was asking the Minister for Finance to ensure that he places before this House a Budget Policy Statement in good time so that we are able to see what is contained in the Budget. Another provision in that Bill requires continuous reporting. It is because we do not get continuous reporting on the Budget execution that we find ourselves caught in a hard place like we are today. Looking at the Budget, you will see that there is a very huge deficit. The assumptions that were made initially do not seem to be withstanding the test of time. The only reason that we relied on those assumptions is because they were brought so late in time that we had no time to question them. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to say today, that the Budget is the single most important programme in a country. Nothing can happen in a country without money. We look upon the Minister for Finance to ensure that we have a macro equilibrium in this country. At this point, I wish to say that one of the macro-economic factors that this country has to look at very closely is political stability. This is a factor that has affected our economy so adversely without us knowing. We want to look at this Budget so that it is made in a way that will ensure political stability and peace. I say that because one of the reasons why we have political tension in this country is because of inequality. We can only use the Budget

Order! Your time is up! Yes, Mr. Nyammo!

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion on the Supplementary Budget with a few remarks. First and foremost, I commend you, rather belatedly, for your ruling yesterday. It goes without saying that you saved the country a great deal. This is the second time that you have risen to the occasion and saved this country once again.

I am pleased by this Budget because it has not interfered with the Development Expenditure. Development Expenditure touches on roads, water and many other things. Those are the things that will last us beyond this generation. However, I want to zero in on a touchy matter; that is, security. This is the issue of security pertaining to our youth in some areas, known as Mungiki. All of us must admit that our youth are a product of our society and more so, our education system that does not lay emphasis on skills. The students, up to the university level, are told that they should go through the education system, after which they will be employed. At no time do we emphasize on self- employment. We complain that our youth are lost. My contention is that they are not lost. We have run away from them. If you go back to schools, you will find that parents have run away from Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs) and Boards of Governors (BOGs). They seem to think that children belong to teachers. Nothing could be more injurious. Children can only be brought up by parents, teachers and their neighborhoods. We seem

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this debate on the Supplementary Budget. From the very outset, I want to say that I support the Supplementary Budget for the obvious reason that Kenyans from all walks of life are finding it very difficult, especially the IDPs who are still in the camps and are contracting waterborne diseases just because of the inability of the Government to settle these people. So, that it is not going to be an excuse, we are committed to supporting the Government. However, Mr. Speaker, Sir, as we support this Supplementary Budget, I want the Minister to take into account that the youth of this country form more than 70 per cent of the population and the Government must start taking matters of the youth seriously. I want to commend the Government for initiating the Kazi kwa Vijana Initiative. But, sadly, the way the project is being managed is clearly going to fail, if the funds are not going to be checked. Mr. Speaker, Sir, why I say this - and I want the Minister to listen to me - is because in this Supplementary Budget, you are asking for Kshs49 million for the Kazikwa Vijana project to go to hospitality. Why would Kshs49 million go to hospitality whereas it is supposed to be put in the funds that are going to be paid to the young people of this country as they develop the country?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is not the only part of the Supplementary Budget where the Minister has slashed allocations to very essential items in the Development Vote. For example, in the education sector, the Minister has reduced the Development Vote and yet, he has increased the hospitality budget for State House to Kshs120 million. Why should your Ministry do that whereas State House is just a residence of the President? I think we have to be focused because when we talk about issues to do with the Supplementary Budget, we are saying we want to deal with emergencies. There are better emergencies in this country and if you want me to show them to you, Mr. Minister, I want you to visit

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I want to make a few comments to support this Motion. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it has been said here that we are really being hit by the recession that is around the world today. That is one of the reasons, probably, why adjustments are being made in our Budget. While it is true that there is that recession across the world--- We cannot deny it. It is with us. But there is one thing which, I believe and we all know, is our creation – the political crisis that has been with us since the elections. Recently, it was reported that even the number of tourists coming to Kenya has gone down. One of the reasons is our political instability. But this crisis is mainly because of the leaders. There are some big leaders who were in the Kenyatta Government and they are still around with us. Those ones who were with Moi--- Those people have blocked their brains and they cannot open up!

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. I want to make some reference from the

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. Mr. Speaker, Sir, before I speak on the Motion, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you most sincerely for saving this nation by your yesterday’s ruling. The whole nation was watching and waiting for your ruling. You really did much. Whatever is pending must wait. The whole nation now is at peace. While supporting this Motion, I would like to remind hon. Members that we should be very cautious with whatever we say here and outside this House, because the whole nation is watching and listening to us very carefully. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to request all the elected leaders to ask themselves: Since the time they came to this House, as elected leaders, have their contributions and comments inside and outside this House been detrimental or have they helped to heal this nation? We are all aware of where we have come from. This nation is still nursing the problem we had. There is one thing that is sadly worrying. Although we are going to pass these Supplementary Estimates, we would like the Ministry to look very seriously into how this money is going to be spent. Mr. Speaker, Sir, right now, in my constituency, some people in some areas have been promised that they will be re-settled and compensated. They are still living in the transitional camps, waiting to be given whatever they were promised by the Government. The other issue is on security. I have been complaining, to the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security. However, whenever I go to them, they tell me that they do not have transport. So, I hope that after the passage of this Motion, money will go to the intended purposes, so that the Government can buy the required vehicles and provide security personnel with enough fuel. It is very shameful that when you make a distress call to a police station, you are told that the particular police station does not have enough fuel. The other issue that I would like to talk about is the Kazi Kwa Vijana initiative. Although this programme has already been started, really, as elected leaders, we could be wiser. People who have already attained the age of 55 years should be retired to create vacancies for our young men and women, so that they can be employed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, and Sir, for giving me this opportunity.

I would like to support the Motion but as I do so, I would like to say that it is, really, unfortunate that a document such as this one, which needs to be accessible to many of us, is not made available. The budgeting process is so closed that the majority of Kenyans do not know how these figures are arrived at. I believe that if we made the budgeting process people-friendly, a lot more Kenyans would understand how resources are allocated and the functions they are allocated to.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, many times, we sit here and complain. Once the whole process is over, we are brought a document but we do not understand whenever it is brought here. We only see figures allocated to the various Votes. I would like to request that the budgeting process be made more open.

For instance, if we had something like a gender responsive Budget, each of the different groups in the country would be targeted. That way, we would, for example, know the needs of women in this country and budget for them appropriately. We would equally know the needs of men in this country and budget for them appropriately. That way, even young men and young women would be covered. This document is so detached from reality that you cannot really understand what it is that you are allocating funds for. On top of that, we want a Budget that is pro-poor. A lot of the money that is provided in this Budget does not reach the poor. We know that on several occasions, we have been complaining that money remains with the Central Government. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir that is where the mischief begins. All the scandals that we hear about happen there, because all the money we supply is held in one “pocket”. Therefore, we need to, quickly, embark on the constitutional review process, so that we can devolve these funds.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. There is an hon. Member in this House who has kicked an empty plastic bottle onto the Floor. Could you allow him to pick it up?

That is not a point of order! Continue, Dr. Laboso!

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for that protection. I was talking about making pro-poor budgets. This country needs to, seriously, address the question of the poor. We collect a lot of revenue in this country, but we hardly see where that money goes to. We are told that 97 per cent of the Budget, or thereabout, is supposed to be going to the line Ministries. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thinking of my own constituency, yes, money is going there, but it is very difficult to have tangible evidence of what that money is actually doing on the ground. I am still having women being transported on wheelbarrows. Women in my constituency are still being carried on wheelbarrows to dispensaries because there are no good roads. When they get to the dispensaries, they find that there is no medicine. If they get the medicine, they will not get the medical personnel to attend to them.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we will examine the Budget, we will not only look at the figures, but also what the money that has been allocated will do. I will continue saying that we must devolve funds. The Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) is a model that has worked. We must use the same model to devolve funds, even if it means 20 per cent of the national Budget going to constituencies. I believe they will be put to better use than they are in the current situation.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, since I want to give a chance to my colleagues to speak, I will leave it at that.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion. It is important for all of us to appreciate the fact that most of the economic environment we are in is either macro or micro. “Macro” are beyond our control while “micro” are those that we can control. For instance, we cannot afford to cry foul over issues that we can control and yet, we do not do anything about them. We should regulate ourselves and move forward as a nation in terms of creating wealth.

I want to start my contribution by saying that there are issues that politicians are required to do as a matter of necessity in order to create investor confidence. However, we have also participated in creating political instability by making various pronouncements. We can actually regulate our tongues in the interest of this nation. We complain that tourists are not coming to this country. This is because they are not too sure of what they will get next time. They are not too sure as to whether they will have the National Accord holding or people throwing stones and bottles at each other under the guise of agitating for their rights. It is important, as the leadership of this country, to participate as a team in building this economy. We cannot pass the buck over the decline in revenue collection. It is all about the economic environment in this country. If there is something politicians can do, please, let us do it together because it will be for the benefit of all Kenyans. If it is a question of speaking less and doing more, let us do that. If it is

Thank you Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to support this Motion as brought to this House by the Minister for Finance. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to register our dissatisfaction in the way programmes have been brought in the Printed Estimates, only to be pushed to the next Financial Year. This is a worry to most of us because if that be the case, it means we are always passing a Budget that is not within the financial year that we are talking about. Specifically, there is the issue of improvement of roads in this country. This is a major issue. It is very important that we improve the road network. Therefore, any strain

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to support this Motion. Let me on the onset, congratulate the Minister and his team for the Supplementary Estimates and the manner in which that Ministry has been managed for sometime now. We are proud to see that since 2003 when the NARC Government came to power, we have managed our Budget. The economic growth in our country has been well managed. There has been good discipline and that is how we have been able to pay for the Free Primary Education Programme. We have also been able to pay for health, subsidized secondary education and infrastructure, at a level which had not been seen in this country for a long time. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is a pity and it is a sad day for Kenyans when we see ourselves going back to where we might start depending on donor funding which we had said goodbye to. This is a problem of our own making. If we had been able to grow our economy, we should never have allowed ourselves; the political class, to slide backwards because of selfish reasons. I feel we should guard our nation so as never to go this route again, where we forget our economy and only think about power and things like that. That is why Kenyans are angry with the political class. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we want to encourage the Minister for Finance and his team to step up the collection of taxes. We know that they can only collect as much as the economy base allows. That is why we must show leadership in this House. We must be at the forefront not to confuse the world. We must show that we are a responsible Government. We must show that we are a Government that can respect the signature of its Head of State. All governments in the world, even a parastatal, a house and a home, have a head. We are sending a very dangerous signal to the world when we refuse to accept the signature of the Head of State. What happens tomorrow when the President puts his signature on an internationally discussed agreement? Is it going to be said that it cannot suffice because he has not consulted? It may be a stopgap measure right now but I feel that we have endangered ourselves, our future and trustworthiness as a Government than any other time in our history.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we cannot collect enough taxes to pay for all our needs. For example, I would like to implore the Minister that there are certain areas, especially health, education, infrastructure, food security and water that unless we can give enough money, our country cannot develop. I am thinking of the current threat of Swine Flu that has now broken out in certain countries including Mexico and which we are trying to put surveillance mechanisms to be alert to keep that disease out of our borders. Our border health facilities need a lot of upgrading, equipment and resources so that we can to keep those diseases out. Our officers have enough modern equipment to screen those diseases. Likewise, on food safety and security, the Government Chemist requires modern equipment and technology for us to test what foods are imported in this country to make sure that nothing that can harm the lives of Kenyans and probably even kill a lot of people comes into the country. Therefore, those are only very few areas I have

Order, hon. Members! It is now time to call upon the Mover to reply.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to take this opportunity to thank all hon. Members for the contributions they have made. However, I would like to donate some of the time to my colleagues; Mr. Godhana, five minutes and Mr. Mudavadi, ten minutes before I conclude.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand here to support the Motion. I want, in the interest of time, to point out a few issues. The purpose of leadership is basically to deliver on services. However, that is not possible if we cannot increase production. Production is not possible if we cannot deal squarely with the problem of infrastructure. I stand here to echo some of the sentiments made by my fellow hon. Members and an issue that was raised from the beginning of the opening of this House, which is inequitable distribution of resources. We are all aware in this House that this country has neglected some areas. I come from one of those areas which I believe were left behind in the past but I am happy that in last year’s Budget, Kshs900 million was allocated towards the construction of Hola-Garsen Road, although it is not enough. What I was expecting from this Budget is that an additional amount of money would have been set aside to supplement the construction of that road to completion. I know the Minister might not be aware but the Minister for Medical Services is quite aware that the Hola District Hospital is currently condemned. I was expecting that some money would have been set aside in this Budget to take care of that hospital. I think and believe that the Minister gave me these five minutes because he wanted to capture my views so that he can also allocate some funds towards the construction of the Hola District Hospital. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, one critical issue that is affecting this country today is the issue of food security. I come from Galole and you know where it is. It lies along the River Tana but I am a bit aggrieved today because despite Galole being along the River, it is relying on relief supplies for the whole of this year. For the last 20

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Let me, at the outset, thank my colleague hon. Kenyatta because, in the process of giving me a bit of his time, he has come out very well to demonstrate that the Grand Coalition Government can share. I will make sure that I utilize the ten minutes as effectively as possible. At the outset, I want to support the Motion. By and large, this is more of a procedural process, bearing in mind that very soon, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance will be delivering to this House his Budget Statement and also elaborating on the programs and how they should be financed for the next financial year. More importantly, I just want to add my voice to the fact that, perhaps, in Kenya, we may be under-estimating the crisis that we have. It is really important that we talk about it, so that people can appreciate it. You will recall that when the Budget was presented, the projected economic growth was 5.8 per cent. On the basis of the 5.8 per cent, revenue projections and expenditure programs were made. Many other issues were factored in on the basis of that level of growth. The reality now is very different. The reality is that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 have downgraded the projection to show that the economy is going to slow down to about 3 per cent growth and, perhaps, it will be worse. They have, indeed, listed quite a number of factors. The question that we have to ask ourselves is whether we shall be able to recover rapidly from the 3 per cent growth to a growth level that can come back to 5 per cent within the next financial year. These are very fundamental issues. What are the factors that can enable us to achieve continued

I want to thank my colleagues for the remarks that they have made in support of this Supplementary Budget. Indeed, it is possible for people to work together, if only they can give time to listen to each other.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to once again thank all Members who have contributed to this Motion today. As I thank them, I wish to say that I would like to begin with the remarks that were made by hon. Okemo where he stated, as a Chairman of the Finance, Planning and Trade Committee, that, indeed, Supplementary Estimates are really to take care of unforeseen circumstances and are not really policy making times.

Hon. Members, I have been informed that the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Review of the Constitution is not ready to move the Motion. So, the Motion is hence deferred.

Hon. Members, there being no other business before this House, it is time to adjourn. The House, therefore, stands adjourned until tomorrow Thursday, 30th April, 2009 at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 5.45 p.m.