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{
    "id": 1032440,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1032440/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 349,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tharaka, DP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. George Gitonga",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13491,
        "legal_name": "George Gitonga Murugara",
        "slug": "george-gitonga-murugara"
    },
    "content": "United States of America (USA). Before going there, we were tested and we were all negative. Again in America, we were tested before we left and we were negative. If there was any problem with the Kenyan testing, I think the American results have confirmed his status. My condolences and those of the people of Tharaka should go to the family of the late Member for Matungu, Hon. Murunga. The media is awash with news that he may have succumbed to COVID-19, but we will wait for the postmortem to confirm what killed our colleague. The NHIF has been a cash-cow for a long time. We are very scared now when we are told that it is not going to cover COVID-19. We know for sure that the money that we contribute to NHIF has been used for various activities, some of which border on illegality and corruption. My humble plea to the Cabinet Secretary would be: Let Kenyans be considered. The NHIF is actually for the poor person down there; the one popularly known as the ‘hustler’ – a person who does not have any other means of taking care of his or her own medical needs. The NHIF comes in handy. It is for the welfare of citizens to ensure that everyone has some form of cover that would help him or her meet medical expenses. If we bring corruption into NHIF, Kenyans are done. Maybe, this is going to be the last nail in the coffin… I was keeping an eye on the warning lights, but I did not see any. As I conclude, let us have fidelity to our medical practices, including insurance. In as much as pandemics are not covered by insurances, there are exceptions and one exception should be COVID-19. We must have those exceptions in the case of COVID-19 and extend them to the people of Kenya. Let the people of Kenya enjoy medical cover in regard to this disease as we continue to combat it. Let the Government also invest as much money as possible into this fight. Let us not allocate money to other extraneous matters that are not as important as the welfare and health of the citizens. With those remarks, I support the Motion."
}