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{
    "id": 1088042,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1088042/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 552,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "matters, they had not involved the hawkers and their leadership. If you do something without involving the leadership and the people affected by the project, it will not work. I am glad that we have this legislation. On behalf of the people of Nairobi City County and street vendors, I thank Sen. (Dr.) Ali. May I tell them to be confident and let no one look upon or talk down to you because you are a street vendor. This includes the Government. When you call the private sector players, hawkers are in the private sector. They contribute more to the economy than many of these big companies with big names. It is just that they have not been recognized. They should be on the table. I thank the President because he has really come through for me and my people. The other day, we had issues with our traders in Nyama Kima and Kamukunji because the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the Anti-Counterfeit Agency (ACA) were hounding them like thieves. They would go to them and tell them what they are selling was counterfeit. How can a duvet that covers people or a bulb, be counterfeit? Just because a bulb does not come from Philips, if a Kenyan wants that quality, they go for it. Have you heard of a counterfeit vuvuzela which is blowing? That is how you monopolise and put the majority of Kenyans outside the formal economy. These street vendors, traders and importers are a direct link to the formal economy because what they sell is what we are supposed to produce in our country. Until we have produced it, let us allow them to bring it in. I am grateful that Mr. Mburu of KRA has really tried now and changed the perspective. You cannot keep strangling the goose that lays the golden egg. I like how President Kibaki used to say kulipa ushuru ni kujitegemea and he encouraged us to pay tax. This one is now a criminal offence because instead of them helping you, they want to strangle your business. If you formalize these street vendors, we can increase our revenue in our urban areas because they want to pay. I was in Gikomba a few weeks ago and the ladies told me they pay Kshs50 to Kshs200 every week but they do not see what the money was doing. They said they are ready to pay even Kshs1000 if they were sure the market would be cleaned and their goods secured. So, do not worry. Sen. (Dr.) Ali, I will be implementing this in Nairobi City County in 352 days, God willing. I believe that is where the real heart of our city must lie and create a vibrant ecosystem of our people. I was talking to them outside Kenyatta Market and at Burma Market. If you tell them that you will chase the ones outside, you will create war. Look at what is happening on Kang’undo Road where a huge market has been built. Some traders who were at Mutindwa do serious trade and I know traders there who sold me things when I was a teenager. Since you want to clean the city, you sweep the dirt under the carpet by chasing them. Now, we have Members of County Assembly (MCAs) and people in the County Government who have sold stalls at Kshs300,000. There is a list of people who are supposed to be compensated on Outering Road and Mutindwa. That is a crisis we are looking at. If you go to my Facebook page, there is a picture of an old lady hugging me because I had gone to rescue them. My mother introduced me to that lady at Westlands Market when I was seven or eight years old. She is there to date but the Government"
}