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{
    "id": 1231049,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1231049/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 177,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Emurua Dikirr, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Johana Kipyegon",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "into Bills. That way, we will put to use the debates in this House to enrich the process of making law. Hon Temporary Speaker, I thank you for that very serious advice. On this issue of betting, I remember we had a very serious debate in this House last year in the life of the last Parliament. It was about betting companies; one of them being SportPesa. It was a very serious debate and heads rolled. I remember very well that very many betting companies were removed. They were banned and their licences were withdrawn. The same reasons that we are discussing here today are the same reasons that we used then to withdraw licences of particular betting companies which were destroying our generations. I have heard the Deputy President of this country talking about illicit drinks, which are almost wiping out a whole generation of young men. The same thing is happening with betting companies. The betting industry is destroying a whole generation. Even students who are in school do not take time to study anymore. They are glued onto radio or television or phones as they wait for betting results. We pay school fees for very many students either at a personal level or in our capacity as Members of Parliament. Students have a lot of demands, including asking for money which they cannot substantiate its use. We do not know whether that money goes to schools. They will tell you today that they want money, or that school needs a certain amount of money. Normally, it is not big money – sometimes, it is just Ksh500 or Ksh1,000. We have since learnt that 80 per cent of the monies that we send to students do not go to the schools but, rather, it is channelled to betting. They load the money in their phones so that they can bet. I count myself lucky because I have never participated in betting my whole life; even when I was young. That time, people used cards to bet and they would say: “ Hii kadi ni yapesa.” I resisted to participate in betting because I knew it would attract me to those gains which I always understood added nothing but only wasted one’s time. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I fully support the Member who introduced this Motion in this House. For the television and radio stations that participate in betting, we are not saying we stop them from this particular business, but they must acquire licences like other ordinary betting companies out there. So, if they want to participate in betting, they must have the licences."
}