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{
    "id": 1079487,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1079487/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 185,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tarbaj, PDR",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ahmed Gaal",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13487,
        "legal_name": "Ahmed Bashane Gaal",
        "slug": "ahmed-bashane-gaal"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Finance Bill of 2021 with its amendments. Let me also thank the Committee for doing a good job with its able leadership of Hon. Wanga. Let me take this early opportunity to condole with my colleague and friend, Hon. Hassan Hulufo, for losing six members of this constituency. We condemn such kinds of acts. It is very wrong. Money which would have been spent on useful development projects is now spent on security, which is wrong. In addition, as colleagues from the pastoral community, we get such kinds of problems once in a while and we need to sit as communities and solve these issues. As much as we would like to broaden our revenue base, unless we cap expenditure, we will have a problem as a Government. Consumption over the years has been increasing and some of the suggestions I will raise to cap these kinds of expenditure are two. One, over the years, there has been an increase in the number of parastatals which are found in the ministries. Ministries have the tendency to increase the number of parastatals. In addition, this also increases costs. I remember sometimes back, there were suggestions that parastatals which were not making profits are either merged or removed altogether. That has to be taken as a serious need to reduce parastatals. One other aspect which is very important is public-private partnership. We need to have private entities to fund public projects such that the costs are later recovered after the projects are done. That can save on costs from the Exchequer. The traditional ways in which we can raise revenue and broaden the revenue base is to open up areas. If we open up the northern region especially by building the tarmac road from Garissa to Mandera, it will broaden the revenue base since the people who live in those areas are entrepreneurs by nature. Over the years, since August 2017 when I first joined Parliament, every time I ask why this has not been done, I am told it will be advertised anytime. I do not know what is delaying this project; tarmac road from Garissa to Mandera. The revenue which we will gain from the livestock in the northern region is enormous. As you also know that area is vast and the opportunity to invest in the vast land will be available."
}