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{
    "id": 129905,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/129905/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 293,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mungatana",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 185,
        "legal_name": "Danson Buya Mungatana",
        "slug": "danson-mungatana"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to request for a Ministerial Statement from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. It concerns the special issue of the Kenya Gazette Notice dated 14th August, 2009 in which the Minister has given the notice of his intention to dispose the assets of 26 parastatals. I wish to lay on the Table that Gazette Notice for use of reference for the Minister. I have very quickly a few clarifications I wish to seek from the Minister. First of all, the whole issue of disposing of public assets is based and premised on the fact that there are some loss making public enterprises. Amongst the list of those proposed to be disposed of include KenGen, Kenya Pipeline Company Limited, Kenya Ports Authority, Eldoret Container Terminals, Stevedoning Purposes, the National Bank of Kenya, Consolidated Bank of Kenya and Development Bank of Kenya. The Minister should clarify to us whether there is a fiscal burden that KenGen or those other profit making State enterprises are imposing on the Treasury and whether there is any justification for their disposal. Secondly, the Minister should clarify whether there are any private companies that have been formed on the sideways waiting to take over those Government assets that belong to all of us. We know that there is a power shortage in Kenya today. He should clarify to us why he intends to sell isolated power stations under 26, together with KenGen and yet, we know that obviously, with the higher demand for power, money can be made there. He should also clarify how he will ensure that strategic assets and participation of the Kenya Government in the energy sector is not compromised by that disposal. What amount of money does he expect to raise from that sale? He should also clarify what that money is intended to do. Is it going to benefit Kenyans whose assets are being sold with new social protection measures, for example, a new health scheme, or are they just going to dispose of the public debts that Kenyans incurred without their knowledge? Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Minister should clarify what protection measures he is giving to all the people who are going to be laid off. The moment he sells off KenGen and others, people will be fired. What protection measures has he put in place? Could he tell us whether the Cabinet has tried to build consensus on the disposal of public assets? In particular, have they followed the provisions of the Privatization Act, Cap.202 of 2005, which requires amongst other things, to be transparent enough and to advertise in the daily newspapers for the nation to know what of their assets are being sold and for what purpose? Could he also clarify whether given the concern that this House has shown, they will go back and confine themselves to selling only the loss-making parastatals, for example, the Numerical Machining Complex, whose assets are idle? They should strictly confine themselves to selling only the loss-making parastatals, so that public assets are not wasted. Could the Minister also undertake not to proceed with the sale of public assets until he has come to this House, so that Kenyans can know that their assets are safe? We"
}