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{
    "id": 1233288,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1233288/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 59,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kirinyaga, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Njeri Maina",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support the Motion by the Hon. Member. It is not only young people that are plagued by betting. If you go to the villages you will find old people getting lured into betting by media stations. I remember at one time there was a conversation on the social platforms of this nation, specifically Twitter, with regard to addiction and havoc that betting is doing in the villages. I can remember my neighbour. I think they sold their cow and the only thing they did not sell was their dog. I can tell you it was hell for that family. This creates conflicts in the villages. Anything that is unregulated is poisonous because we normally say too much of anything is poisonous. I am calling upon this House to regulate the betting industry. We must think of it expansively and cater for every genre. The young people of this nation are driven to betting because of desperation. Nowadays, we have a culture in the slums called ‘glamming’ where people want to get rich overnight. They bet to richness. We are talking of young people who have gone to universities. I speak as a young person of this nation. Before I joined Parliament, I was unemployed. This does not mean I am uneducated. I am a qualified advocate of the High Court. I have colleagues who up to date have never found employment. These people have studied medicine and many other disciplines. So, this is something we need to look at from a wholesome perspective. Besides regulating it what are we doing to empower our people? What are we doing to sensitise those in the villages? If you listen to any of the local stations, you will realise that most of them have a programme where you win some money. I remember at some point it was discovered that the person being called on the other end of the line has already been notified. It is a game they play to dupe the masses to give them money. The person is given a portion of the money and the rest is kept by the station. We must investigate why media stations are engaging in betting and why it is unregulated. I call upon Members to look at this matter from a holistic perspective so as to protect our people from exploitation. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support the Motion."
}