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{
"id": 1357393,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1357393/?format=api",
"text_counter": 419,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13588,
"legal_name": "Osotsi Godfrey Otieno",
"slug": "osotsi-godfrey-otieno"
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"content": "You are blaming the former Government that we have a leakage; that water is flowing and our visitors are seeing the shame in this country, yet you have had 13 months to fix the problem. Please, let us stop the propaganda and focus on the job. Let me talk about the cost of living, we cannot ignore it. Yes, I see some attempts, although very minimal, talk about the cost of living. However, it is a bigger issue. It is more than just giving people fertilizer of Kshs2,500. It is a complex issue. We expected to see very specific measures that the Government is taking to address the issue of the cost of living. They say, “A hungry nation is an angry nation.” So, when we talk about the cost of living, it is also a serious security issue which should have been part of the speech based on Article 240 of the Constitution. It requires the President to mention something about national security. I also expected the President to address the increasing economic hardship in this country. Our people are suffering. Some county governments have even borrowed from him. You find people like Sakaja harassing poor people who are on the streets just looking for some little money to buy unga for their children. They are increasing taxes, harassing people and the Kenyans are suffering. We cannot continue politicking, regardless of which side of the House you are, on serious issues like hardship that our people are facing. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, people are going to bed on empty stomach for days. Nonetheless, because we have tea there in the canteen, we have taken good lunch and we will take good supper, we do not think about that. We come here. We forget our role as legislators and start becoming the defenders of the Executive. That is wrong. I also expected that the President will in specific terms and not in general terms, talk about punitive taxation in this country. There is no country in this world, which has grown by over taxing its people. Over taxation will affect the savings, innovation, investment and even lead to increase deficit. It will also discourage work. We cannot say that we want to increase taxes so that we have more revenue and do well as a country. That is wrong. Already we are receiving reports of capital flight and closure of companies and, therefore, loss of jobs for our people. These are issues that I expected the President to talk about. The other issue is inclusivity and non-discrimination, which is one of the values of Article 10 of our Constitution. We expected the President, because he was appearing before a House of honour, to talk about what his Deputy President has been telling Kenyans, that Kenya is a company with shareholders; that some Kenyans are bigger than others. Nonetheless, the President kept quiet, yet the second in command; the person who would take over as the President if something happens to the President, is the one promoting the culture of discrimination, non-inclusivity and ethnicity. We have heard reports that recruitment to KDF, TSC and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) was done in a very discriminative manner. Some communities benefited than others and Mr. President kept quiet on this. These are serious issues that people wanted to hear about from him. When you talk about international obligations, the bigger issue is that of Haiti. That Kenya is going"
}