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{
    "id": 1000759,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1000759/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 1407,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kipipiri, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Amos Kimunya",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": "much to it yet. To me, it is a very fundamental thing that we could look at given all the discussions we have on our exposure to debt. We are already over-exposed. We cannot borrow more from the economy. We do not know how much revenue we are going to generate. It is something that the Cabinet Secretary needs to consider. How much can we raise by the Government selling part of its stake, for example, in Safaricom? We own 25 per cent of a multi-trillion company. If the Government could just cede 10 per cent of that within the next one year, plus a few others like Kenya Pipeline Company, we could generate close to Kshs300 billion. That money could go towards reduction of the debt exposure that we have and to mitigate some of these expenses. This is something that I just want to flag for the Cabinet Secretary to consider so that. as he comes here on Thursday, he might want to tell us much more on what he wants to do in that direction. The other item I want to flag out is that we have some money that has been pushed for expansion of education infrastructure. I hear Members say that we should remove some money from education and put it in agriculture. However, we have 15 million children waiting to go back to school. The teachers are still being paid, notwithstanding that they are not in school teaching. So, personnel emoluments expenditure is not being saved because the children are not in school. By the time they go back to school, there will be need for social distancing. Currently, one desk is shared amongst three pupils. They will now be required to sit one per desk. So, you will need like three times the number of desks that are currently within schools. So, we need much more investments in education if our children have to go back to school and observe the social distancing norms that are critical for the prevention of COVID-19 in those schools. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, allow me to appeal to the Members that in addition to the money that has been set aside through the economic stimulus package for education purposes, if Members could commit more resources through their NG-CDF to expand education facilities like building an extra classroom or purchasing extra desks, the Government can then provide extra teachers. That way, we will not be just preparing for mitigating against COVID-19, but we will also be preparing for the competency-based curriculum rollout. So, let us work on it together knowing that we will not have all the resources as a nation, but each one of us could help be it through our NG-CDF resources, National Treasury and the extra teachers that will be there. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I do not want to go beyond that, but if the Cabinet Secretary could perhaps consider what we are talking about, which is the divestiture as a source of extra revenue, then it would be good. The last time it took place was when I was in the Treasury in 2008. Since that time, no single parastatal has been divested. I do not know why, but we are sitting on so much resources out there that could be harnessed to come in and help our debt exposures and raising more money to intervene on the current issues. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}