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{
    "id": 1119276,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1119276/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 353,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "people are going hungry and businessmen have no money. There is no explanation on earth why operation and maintenance in Government is Kshs50 billion. It cannot be. This means that Kenyans are just paying people’s salaries to keep the Government running. That must be addressed. I am glad that we looked at the Public Private Partnership Bill, because we can take a lot of projects that are coming off our balance sheet. We must reduce those budgets. Number three, we must limit the proportion of domestic borrowing by the national Government. The reason I keep insisting for us to look at the deficit issue more than anything is that in 2007 our debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was high; 62 per cent. However, the economy was growing at 7.1 per cent. There was growth. People could feel it, such that the debt to GDP ratio made sense. The economy was actually growing. In 2006, it was 61 per cent. Those were the best economic years we have had in a long time. After the post-election violence, it went down to I think -0.7 per cent in 2008. At that time, it went up to 63 per cent or so. Madam Temporary Speaker, the Committee on Finance and Budget needs to be bolder. Instead of just giving us general recommendations, there should be actual sanctioning. They should say that until they show us one, two or three, we shall not approve additional requirements on the part of debt. The Constitution says that the burden should be shared equally amongst generations. This Government has done projects. The next two governments might not be projects. They might not be able to do any development. So, we must match the resource absorption rate with project completion rate because of these projects. We must make sure that there is fiscal discipline. Madam Temporary Speaker, you can even look at the reports by the Auditor- General. I am glad that in our constitutional make up we have different independent offices that can tell us the truth. Imagine if all this information was to come from the National Treasury only. We would be told a lot of English. I have looked at the recommendations and not seen anything exciting. There was something about a six-month adoption of the Report and a legislative proposal. There is a Bill already. There is a Public Debt Management Bill in the National Assembly by Hon. Sakwa Bunyasi, the Member for Nambale. He has proposed a Public Debt Management Bill that creates a public debt management authority and talks about how this will be done. Why do we not adopt that Bill? As the Legislature, when we pass a recommendation asking the Executive to propose legislation, our work is to legislate. If we already have such Bill, why do Sen. Kibiru, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. and the rest of the Members not come together with them? Our Standing Orders tell us how Committees can sit jointly. Look at it even formally. Let us do what you did. Beyond being blamed for raising the ceiling, let us see what we did in the management of public debt. Right now, no one is talking about public debt out there. In fact, all the candidates are talking about how to increase the public debt. There is one side saying that they are going to give more than Kshs100 million to every constituency for the bottom up approach. Another side says that they are going to give Kshs6,000 per person to those who have no jobs. Apart from Musalia Mudavadi, who is talking about this debt report that we are talking about, where will we be next year? Madam Temporary Speaker, I saw a very funny photo of two fellows on a wheelbarrow with their hands on their heads after the election. It said that this is us"
}