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{
    "id": 1231063,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1231063/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 191,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Buuri, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I thank my friend, Hon. Maina, for coming up with this Motion. However, just as my colleagues have said, something is missing in the Motion in the sense that we need to have an implementation framework. We should not just talk, but we should also carry the Motion forward for implementation. My colleagues have spoken about gambling in this country. I had the great opportunity to be in Las Vegas in January and I saw a completely different world. One thing that I picked up from there is that there are professional gamblers and those who are addicts. In all the gambling premises, I would always find people who looked like zombies, who were drunk and were drug addicts. They would move backward instead of forward because they did not know the difference between day and night. The gambling culture is seriously creeping into our lifestyles. I came across a policeman the other day who was gambling while on duty. I walked into his office and found him gambling. Gambling is coming up more and more in our lives. We all know and have heard of cases of suicide in this country that are associated with gambling. There is an emerging trend of petty thieves amongst our youths who steal eggs, onions and other small things from their mothers so that they can get some money to buy illicit alcohol, drugs and engage in betting. Whether we like it or not, that is slowly emerging. There is increasing conmanship associated with gambling. I am sure that many Members of Parliament have fallen victim to petty conmanship because people are now borrowing Ksh500 to engage in gambling. That money is borrowed at night which means that our children leave home to go and gamble. We have heard about broken families because of gambling. It is a serious matter in this country. I know of girls who have fallen pregnant after being lured into gambling dens. We are losing homes to bars and gambling dens. One of the things that this Motion has brought forth is the element of tax evasion. It has also exposed the failure of the Government in terms of registration of companies, which falls under the Office of the Attorney-General and the Registrar of Companies. The Kenya Revenue Authority has totally failed in tax collection. They “sneeze” whenever Members of Parliament engage in small businesses, but they cannot go after gambling firms that advertise on television and radio stations in broad daylight, unless Members of Parliament start making noise. The KRA and certain ministries and departments of the Government have failed this country. We have been saying that people have not been paying taxes. Unfortunately, it has now come out very clearly. About 70 per cent of the companies, television and radio stations that Mr. Maina read out all belong to the Royal Media Services and the Mediamax Network Limited – the big boys in the television and radio business. Those stations are at the forefront in condemning the Government for doing certain things irregularly. It is a shame that the Royal Media Services, radio stations…"
}