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{
    "id": 1032549,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1032549/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 88,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba South, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Mbadi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": "over Ksh160 billion. If you add the two, you are almost hitting a trillion in a very short period of time just because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That raises our debt as a country. I am sure we are almost passing Ksh8 trillion and so, heading to Ksh9 trillion. We must bite the bullet. Hon. Deputy Speaker, if you look at our expenditure, the entire recurrent expenditure and the figure from the National Treasury, it is coming out that, as a nation, we are spending over Ksh100 billion more than what we are collecting on salaries and recurrent expenditure. That, therefore, means that we are borrowing to pay recurrent expenditure. That is not only unconstitutional but it is endangering the financial health of this country. I keep on talking about this and I want to ask the President to come out boldly on this matter. Even if it is a matter of all public officers taking a pay-cut, we should to protect the economy. Otherwise, if we continue pretending that things are normal, things are not normal. We had this even without this COVID-19 pandemic. Even with the 5.4 per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth that we were realising, we were still not able, as a nation, to meet all our recurrent expenditure including the debt repayment with our locally generated revenue. So, that is something that the President, the Government and this House must address themselves to. Otherwise, the future generations will blame us for having neglected our duty. I thank the President for the efforts that the Executive has taken in trying to improve the dignity of our citizenry. He talked about eradicating the poverty of indignity. It is truly there is poverty of indignity. If you see the conditions in which some Kenyans are living even in towns like Nairobi in the slums, it is the poverty of indignity. The Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) under General Badi is trying to help correct or, at least, reduce the embarrassing situation that Nairobi has found itself in. That then moves me to ask Kenyans to think seriously of electing good leaders who can improve the welfare of the citizenry of that electoral area. When you elect clowns, you do not expect services. A City and county like Nairobi with its high levels of literacy should think seriously of who they put in place to run its affairs. If the national Government did not take the initiative of putting Nairobi under a different administration, the five years would have been wasted and the services in Nairobi would have deteriorated even further. I am not saying they were better before, but they were slightly better than what we saw under the kind of leadership which was put in place because people were giving out unga to be voted for and not selling their agenda and policy. I am also happy that the President has observed and recognised that mental health is very critical in this country and that we need to give it proper attention. Upgrading Mathari Hospital is a good move. If there will be any support that the President requires from this House in terms of budgetary allocation, we should not hesitate to help. I have talked about liberation of the urban poor from the poverty of indignity. I have also mentioned what the President talked about with regard to the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC), which has been put in place. It has been incorporated and capitalised. That is also a good move in helping achieve the Big Four Agenda. I also agree with the Leader of the Majority Party that the Big Four Agenda is not some event or activity that has to be realised as a project. It is a strategy. I agree with the President. It is a strategy to provide universal healthcare to all citizens of this country. It is difficult. You saw the emotion the Member of Parliament for Seme showed yesterday. I share with him. He has been a doctor. He knows what doctors are going through. The challenge of health must be confronted. Even developed countries like the United States of America are still struggling to provide universal The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}