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{
    "id": 1083953,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1083953/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 110,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "relaxed and let our guard down yet the numbers are crazy. I agree with 50 per cent of what Sen. Murkomen said. There is indeed a problem in Nyanza. We have lost too many people to COVID-19 from that regions. Tomorrow, a good friend of mine, the late Bishop Welly Odende, will bury his mother who dies of COVID-19 pandemic in Siaya. Let us think of what to do with respect to oversighting. When the ad hoc Committee oversighted the various agencies, we could see the effort they were making because they would come back to report the progress to us. The second issue that I would like to address is a matter that we keep forgetting. In one of the reports that we brought to this House, we dealt with cushioning the economy such as SMEs. This morning, the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare had a meeting with the creative sector who include musicians, artists, filmmakers and other players in the industry. It is clear that they are still suffering because they depend on performances which take place in the evening, and on selling music. We have asked for accountability on the Kshs100 million that was offered to them and we have been given a list. In as much as some of the creatives got something, it was a drop in the ocean. We thank the President for giving them the Kshs100 million. However, we need to think of better ways to cushion the creatives. Last year, the President reduced taxes in certain areas. The VAT was reduced by two per cent, the PAYE was reduced by five per cent while other taxes were paused. Many counties went ahead to waive licensing requirements. However, at this time when the pandemic is hitting the hardest we see that the Finance Bill that was passed by the National Assembly increased taxes on even cooking gas which has gone up by over Kshs350. That move is coming when citizens have been discouraged from using charcoal because it leads to deforestation. When the price of cooking gas goes up by Kshs350 during a pandemic, Kenyan really suffer. I am calling on this House to do more where we can. I am aware that on matter of budget, all we can do is appeal to the National Assembly to review the provisions that we had at the start of the pandemic such as lowering of taxes such as VAT and PAYE as well as levies on fuel and gas. Fuel affects every aspect of society. The statement by Sen. Khaniri needs to be taken seriously. Everyone we represent in this House is affected by the increase in the price of cooking gas. Finally, as my distinguished uncle, Sen. Wetangula said, we need to take the issue of vaccines seriously. The United States of America (USA) has vaccinated 60 per cent of its people. When I visited the United States of America (USA) at the begging of the year, people were almost being bribed to go and get vaccinated. People were receiving free Uber rides to vaccination centres or receiving a free burger and coke as incentive for being vaccinated. Kenya has vaccinated less than one million people out of a population of 50 million. The number of people who have been vaccinated so far is a drop in the ocean. The only weapon we have against the COVID-19 pandemic is vaccination. The Committee on Health must tell us what plan there is for vaccination. Kenya cannot keep waiting for donations of vaccines yet we are spending billions on infrastructures. Who is going to use that infrastructure if our people are dead? We must get people vaccinated."
}