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{
    "id": 1119312,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1119312/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 389,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "We cannot lie to Kenyans by telling them that the unsustainable public debt, that is Kshs7.7 trillion, is because of Kenyans or the Executive. The Executive brought a proposal here, I think six or seven Senators voted against and the rest agreed with the Government. Madam Temporary Speaker, it behooves all of us. It is we, as a Parliament, to be part of how to rectify this public debt. As many of my colleagues have alluded, how will most of the people running for presidency manage the country? If the country was a company, it should be declared under receivership. We have a public debt and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) is not meeting its taxes. It is chasing everybody helter-skelter and trying to collect by squeezing the same people. One interesting thing is my fourth point. This country is funny especially KRA. You will find KRA trying to chase somebody helter-skelter. Those are small businesses looking for that revenue and they close that business. They do not think how they are going to assist by creating a good environment to ensure that business is sustainable. Madam Temporary Speaker, I heard President Samia Suluhu Hassan in one of her speeches. She was asking the Tanzania Revenue Authority: “When you go and close that business for non-payment of taxes, and it is closed forever, where will you get the next tax?” The KRA must also be creative in terms of revenue mobilisation. How do we create a sustainable business environment that in as much as taxes need to be paid, and avoid tax evasions and we do not encourage smuggling of goods and non-payment of taxes by everybody? How can they be creative to create an environment that would be better for all of us? Madam Temporary Speaker, another point they have said here is inconsiderable in debt servicing expenditure constraining space and causing budget inflexibility due to diminishing revenues available for other critical government expenditure. At the beginning of COVID-19, and I expected the Committee to tell us this, there was what we call austerity measures. Parliament cut its expenses. We were told that even the President and the Deputy President took a pay cut and they said the economy is not doing very well. Madam Temporary Speaker, what happened to the austerity measures that we have in Government? It is sad that we are told austerity measures are in place, but you do not see that money, for example, in terms of running Government operations. It is important that the Committee has noted this. What happens when the Government says we must put in place austerity measures? Should we wait for World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international agencies to give us structured adjustment programmes like the way it happened in early 1990s for us to fix our economy? Should we wait for another set of structural adjustment programmes that have been given by IMF, World Bank and other international advisors? Madam Temporary Speaker, as a country, in a way, when we say we need austerity measures, we need to save and the Government must spend some of the little money that they have, then it must be in an honest and fair way. I want to advise the Committee as I disagree with the Report. I would request the “incoming” Governor for Murang’a County to be patient because you can become a governor and there is no money to run your county. You will be thrown out by"
}