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{
    "id": 1067142,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1067142/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 136,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Machakos Town, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Victor Munyaka",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 86,
        "legal_name": "Victor Kioko Munyaka",
        "slug": "victor-munyaka"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Speaker, when you look at the Kenyan situation in five years, we are going to have four elections. In 2017, we had two elections. This year, there is a proposed referendum and next year there is the general elections. I think elections are very expensive and also Kenya will take a long time to recover from that. I even think that we have not recovered from the effects of 2017 elections as a country. We are still struggling to recover. Not forgetting the issues of COVID-19 which we may take more than five years to recover as a country. Therefore, I think it is ill-timed and especially when we have to do the referendum this year and the general elections next year. I also want to take issue with the issue of representation; bloated National Assembly and Senate. For a country of 47 million people having more than 500 members of Senate and National Assembly, I think that is over-representation. This is considering that a country like USA, which has 330 million people, has got 100 senators and 435 congress people. That is with their rich economy of US$21trillion GDP against our Kshs10 trillion GDP. Therefore, I think as a country we should be able to check our economy so that we do not blow our public debt. After implementing the new Constitution in 2012, our public debt was at Kshs1.6 trillion. Now, eight years later, due to the implementation of that particular Constitution, our public debt has grown by almost Kshs6 trillion to Kshs8 trillion. Therefore, I think this BBI should actually have addressed that part of public debt. In fact, we should have proposed reduction of elective posts, leadership positions and commissions. This is so that we can save Kenyans the problem we are facing of public debt. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to thank you very much for giving me this opportunity, I pray that some miracle happens so that we are given the opportunity to really amend this draft. There are still many good things in this Bill. That way, we can carry everybody on board and pass it when it is okay. I thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker."
}