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{
    "id": 1385339,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1385339/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 419,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I beg to move that the Affordable Housing Bill (National Assembly Bills No.75 of 2023) be now read a Second Time. As the Senate Majority Leader, I have had the opportunity to lead the session in moving many Government Bills. However, this is one that seats in a pedestal of great pride doing this great task this afternoon. This is a single Government policy in the present administration’s manifestations, otherwise known as the plan, that I strongly believe in. It has the power to transform our country from a country that is dogged with poverty, sickness and all the challenges that you can think of a poor African economy. Affordable housing programme will catapult us into a middle-income status courtesy of good planning, visionary leadership and the determination to do the right thing. Many times, when Members of this House travel to various parts of the world, they are impressed by how cities are properly planned. They are impressed by how nations confront their challenges and set their countries on a path of prosperity by making bold decisions. The affordable housing programme is a bold programme. You are aware that the reason we are here today is because in November 2023, the High Court ruled that the affordable housing levy lacked a legal framework for implementation of the affordable housing programme. Therefore, it further ruled as well that in the context in which the levy had been designed, it was discriminatory. This is because the levy is only charged upon salaried employees. The rest of the citizens do not pay of it. Madam Temporary Speaker, it has been debatable why we are levying only salaried Kenyans. There was an argument, which I do not agree with. However, since we are a constitutional democracy, I respect the verdict of the court, thought, I greatly disagree with it in their view and direction that, we should charge this levy to all Kenyans. By and large, that is what the courts and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) as an"
}