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{
    "id": 1230933,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1230933/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 61,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Homa Bay County, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Atieno Bensuda",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I want to make my contribution on the Motion brought by Hon. Jane Kagiri on reduced cost of electricity. I think there is no shortcut on this because it is quite critical, urgent and clear that all stakeholders in this field need to look into this, beginning with the Managing Director, Kenya Power. I want to strongly urge the Departmental Committee on Energy to call upon all those who are involved in this so that the cost of living can come down. First of all, the Members I have listened to have talked about industrialisation with regards to the effects and impact the cost of increased electricity has on production. They have also talked about investors in the country not wanting to continue investing because of the high cost of living. I want to make my contribution in support of reduced cost of electricity on the following facts, namely, security, education, human resource, the local juakali artisan, and economic enterprises in our counties. I am talking specifically about Homa Bay County. We know there are issues that have not been addressed. As a country, we cannot keep talking about continued increased cost of living without addressing the prerequisites underlining what is causing the problem, for example, in terms of the jua kali artisans. Has Kenya Power tabled or made known the reasons why the cost of electricity continues going high? In the 13th Parliament, the manifesto given by the Government was to ensure there is sustainable economic empowerment of our youths and this has not been realised. I am looking at the barber shop or kinyozi boy who wants to be empowered in what he is doing, yet the units he gets once he purchases electricity are too few. Are we going to realise what we are talking about ‘youth empowerment’? This is crazy. Looking at the fishing industry, there are people who can afford to buy big tracks with ice coolers. We are unable to buy them in our local areas, and so the cost of electricity must come down. I am looking at the education sector where we are talking about Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). The children in the gallery are not equal to those in the rural areas. There are areas we are talking of going digital or a digitalised economy using Information Communication Technology (ICT). How will we realise this? The Departmental Committee on Education and Research should investigate the cost of electricity bills that primary and secondary schools are paying. Is this affordable or sustainable? These are questions to ask."
}