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{
    "id": 1106338,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1106338/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 227,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Emurua Dikirr, KANU",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kipyegon Ng’eno",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1453,
        "legal_name": "Johana Ngeno Kipyegon",
        "slug": "johana-ngeno-kipyegon"
    },
    "content": "in the international CRB. Why are we criminalizing our people who have just borrowed some small monies because they could not pay as they are not employed? When you employ someone that is when they can pay whatever loan they owe any entity. The question of HELB has been coming up on and off. I remember, Hon. Kang’ata who is now a Senator had brought an amendment in this House which was meant to change the engagement of HELB with students. I wish to ask Hon. Keter to go further especially on this question of HELB. I am no longer a youth. I would have wished to bring that particular amendment here. I am, however, asking Keter and other youthful Members to bring an amendment to this House so that all the students who owe this country money in terms of HELB, should not have any interest. There should be zero interest on HELB. We were paying HELB to assist students get education. We were not giving them money to do business or to run up and down, we were lending them money to acquire education. Education in this country should be free. If we make it as a loan, then let us make all those loans, students have taken to be interest free. We should wait until they are employed for them to repay that money and not with a single cent in interest. I am requesting Hon. Keter to do that. He is still a youth. Save the youths out there. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, how much money goes to corruption or wastage in the government departments in this country? If you accumulate the total amount of money that is stolen in this country in ministries, it will pay for all the loans that students owe this Government. It cannot go beyond Kshs 12 billion. Yet, every year, over Kshs 50 billion is stolen in this country. Over Kshs 50 billion goes to waste in this country. I think this country needs to find a way of getting money, but not through taxing students and youths. We should make it free. I also wanted to request Hon. Sankok to ensure that education is made free for all people with disabilities from primary through secondary schools to universities. Why should we tax them? These are people living with disabilities, they cannot run up and down like we do. When you hear a person with disability being asked to produce a document to prove that he or she has paid HELB or they are not listed in CRB, you wonder how this country is saving itself from that shame. Lastly, I would wish to say even as this country is grappling with the high cost of fuel, it sometimes looks for money through unscrupulous means. Why would you tax this country to the level that you pay Kshs 150 per litre for petrol? It is sad. The country should find ways of making money not through taxing citizens and even young people. I support this amendment in totality."
}