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{
    "id": 736586,
    "url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/736586/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 219,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Chanzu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 11,
        "legal_name": "Yusuf Kifuma Chanzu",
        "slug": "yusuf-chanzu"
    },
    "content": "The Ministry of Finance and the Office of the President (OP) used to have professionals who used to advise Government and not the other way round. Leaders should not talk about what they do not know but what they have been told by technocrats and not creating their own things. People who are appointed into positions including us, sometimes it is just because of political expediency but you cannot be an expert in something and want to talk about it. You may not be agriculturalist but then you are appointed a Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Agriculture. I think the experts in the ministries should be given more powers to advise the Government than the other way round. How long has the laptops project taken us? I said in the Departmental Committee on Education, Science and Technology that the President should be advised on how to approach it. This was unnecessary expenditure and it has not worked out up to now. The political statements we make in public must have some kind of policy and we should be guided on what to say. The reason why this is happening is because there are a lot of erratic issues being raised here and there. The Government should take this seriously and entrust technocratic to advise it. Local producers do not have incentives and taxation is very high. So, local production is a problem. We have been talking about KICOMI which existed many years ago and collapsed. That was an industry which could have created a lot of employment but because our people want to import things to avoid paying duty and make a lot of profit it has not been revived. You have seen expensive vehicles being imported. Some people avoid paying taxes because of a very high appetite for money. They want to amass a lot of money which they will not spend. The aspect of corruption in this country is causing a lot of trouble which I would like Members to address. We have put laws in place and there are agencies which are supposed to deal with corruption but are not doing any work. When you go to the county offices you will find a lot of corruption. They are given kickbacks there and bring positive reports when there are none. You can remember a governor being called to the Senate to defend Kshs2.6 billion which had gone missing. How long has this taken? I heard that governor saying he would not come because the vehicle he was to use broke down. Nobody took serious note of that. Kenyans are suffering because some people want to run away with corruption and there is nobody to control it."
}