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{
    "id": 1283574,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1283574/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 289,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Hon. Temporary Speaker, I should have ignored what Hon. TJ has said – that he has no shares in that company. I do not know which company it is. Because I can hear what he is saying from his position, he is speaking about none other than the Deputy President who spoke about shareholding in government. Without defending him, because this issue has also been taken out of context, he indicated that you are shareholders in government but not in Kenya. Government is established by those who are elected by the people to govern. You subscribe your shares to the government by voting for it. However, you remain a Kenyan and shareholder in Kenya, including the corrupt, whom we are telling will be banished, jailed, or find a ticket to heaven, whichever way they find a ticket to go there. It can be through salvation, restitution by giving back what they have taken from Kenyans, and seeking forgiveness from the Almighty God and Kenyans. You may find your way to heaven in many ways, Hon. TJ and Hon. Sunkuli. I beseech you. If you know those cartels, speak to the masters of doublespeak, and you have a direct line to the merchants of state capture, please tell them time is nigh. This Bill will address some of those issues. You will remember the issues of the Kenya National Shipping Line Limited in the last Parliament. Hon. TJ is fortunate to have been with me in this House then. You will remember the retrogressive laws we made, which we made sure they did not see the light of the day. I must thank Hon. TJ because he was very emphatic on the National Aviation Bill. He said that we must not use state capture to privatise state-owned corporations like the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to achieve selfish family and private interests as it was envisaged under the National Aviation Bill that came to us in the last Parliament. I invite Hon. TJ and Hon. Members. This is a law that will ensure that never again in this country shall a president or any member of the Executive use his office and state capture to advance the interests of a family or his private interest. This House must take its place to ensure we play our oversight role. The privatisation programme, as approved, will be followed to the letter and within strict timelines to ensure that value is realised not only for private individuals or families but also for the people who own these state-owned enterprises because they are not government entities. These are public entities owned by the people of Kenya. We must protect them. We must ensure that if they are sold, they are not sold for a song. The people of Webuye in Western Kenya, Bungoma County, will tell you what happened to Webuye Paper Mills. Under state capture, the same cartels utilised it under the pretext of privatisation to take over Webuye Paper Mills. They have killed all our state-owned sugar industries to advance the private interests of private sugar mills. They do that because those in power protect them. I submit today that those things will become a thing of the past. I invite all Members of this House to not only support this Bill and speak about corruption but also act against corruption. Let us not be excited in defending the corrupt. Let us not be so quick to rise to defend and protect cartels that are injuring and killing our people in Western Kenya and other parts of the country through corruption. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I have said too much, probably more than I should have. This Bill speaks volumes as to how we will ensure that we privatise our state-owned entities, derive maximum value for our people, enhance efficiency in the provision of services through state corporations, utilise private capital and expertise in the running of state-owned enterprises, and grow wealth not only for those who invest in state entities but also for our country. More importantly, we will ensure that Kenyans enjoy the fruits of their labour, which provide taxes invested in state-owned entities. Therefore, through their elected representatives, they will oversee how these entities will be privatised, and how the Executive will roll out the programmes in a time-bound manner. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}