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{
    "id": 1164726,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1164726/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 483,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Shiyonga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13181,
        "legal_name": "Masitsa Naomi Shiyonga",
        "slug": "masitsa-naomi-shiyonga"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to support the Statement by Sen. Cherargei on the high cost of food, farm inputs and the cost of living. When you look at the high cost of living in this country, you feel for those people who are not employed and even those who are. The country needs to grow from the COVID-19 pandemic that we just had. Prices are skyrocketing. When you go to supermarkets and wholesale outlets, you will find that the cash at hand cannot accommodate what you want. This will lead and is leading to corruption. This cannot cure corruption that we have been talking about in this country. It is unfortunate that corruption comes with high cost of living because one wants to accommodate himself within the budget. When it is not possible, he or she turns to be a corrupt individual in an institution. Insecurity is the other thing that comes with high cost of living. We are not comfortable in the environment we live in just because people are struggling to make end meet, put food on the table and to accommodate their families. It is unfortunate that the high cost of living comes at a time when we need to have money in our pocket yet, we do not have. In respect to the farm input that Sen.Cherargei mentioned in his Statement, for instance, a 50 kilogrammes of fertilizer bag has risen from Kshs2,500 to more than Kshs6,000 plus. How can you explain the story to a normal Kenyan who lives below a dollar a day? It is bad. There are people in Kenya who earn a wage of less that Kshs6,000. How do you tell this person to go and buy a 50 kilogrammes of fertilizer, equivalent to the salary that he or she is earning. That is even before deducting their daily fare and money for basic needs. It is very unfortunate. Kenya needs to redirect itself. Let us come up with a budget that can accommodate Kenyan because we are rightfully in Kenya. We did not choose to be born in Kenya. Maybe Kenya is taking a wrong direction for most of us. It is a disadvantage. Most of us are not going to cure the suffering that comes with poverty and meeting our basic needs. I come from the rural area where there are high poverty levels of poverty for most people. If you tell that person that you are comfortable where you are living, then you are subject of discrimination. We are pushing our Kenyans to a corner with this high cost of living where they cannot sustain themselves any longer. Most Kenyans are so uncomfortable and depressed. You can see the level of depression.I can give an example of the police officers where many of them are committing suicide because of the high cost of living. On the contrary, there is no salary increment for them as opposed to other civil servants. Kenyans need to live comfortable and decent life. This is a country that attained its Independence over 50 years ago. It is said that we were at par economically with Korea. In fact, they got their Independence at the same time with us. How we cannot compare the levels of our living standards with them. They are far much ahead of us."
}