Kosgey on health and draft constitution: There is need for the private sector to get involved more in the health care sector
Posted by African Press International on April 30, 2010
ByAgwanda Jowi, in Kisumu – Kenya
INDUSTRIALIZATION Minister Henry Kosgey yesterday said that people in the Rift Valley Province will massively vote in favor of the proposed constitution.
Speaking in Kisumu, Kosgey said that those who were campaigning against the draft were wasting their time despite the fact that they have the right to do so as democracy dictates.
He said that the NO camp currently led by Minister William Ruto have no point to convince locals to vote against the draft since the land clauses that they peg their argument on are fairly accepted by majority of the residents in Rift Valley.
The minister noted that the proponent of the NO camp should only be sure of their own votes and not even their neighbors since the YES wave is strongly sweeping across the region.
Kosgey said that nearly half of the 4 million votes in the region in the last year’s general election were not from the native of the region but from immigrants who are likely to vote YES.
He said that the area is a cosmopolitan region and one leader can not out do majority who are supporting the constitution.
He said government will continue to provide an enabling environment for private sector to thrive and grow as they are the engine for the growth of the economy in the country.
Kosgey said that most countries in Africa are economically stable due to the presence of private sectors.
Kosgey who spoke at the start of the 7th TICH Annual Scientific Conference at Great Lakes University in Kisumu says that there is need for the private sector to get involved more in the health care sector.
He said that health care has remained a major problem for the government as population continues to surge and access to health care will reduce poverty, hunger, productivity, child and maternal deaths.
Kosgey said that the country has received tremendous donor assistance but poor utilization coupled with corruption has remained a bottleneck to ensure the funds address the glairing needs in the communities.
The minister says that without proper utilization of such resources and good accountability then the country will not be able to attain the Millennium Development Goals.
He decried the mushrooming of universities in the country and warned that education standard risk being lowered.
Kosgey says that the degrees being offered at such institutions may be worthless in the local market if the mushrooming is not tamed.
He says that universities have failed to engage in meaningful research that can take the country a head in development of different shares.
The minister says that universities are just knowledge oriented.
He urged the local universities to revert to their mission and vision to impact knowledge and do research for the betterment of the country.
ENDS
