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{
"id": 1385341,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1385341/?format=api",
"text_counter": 421,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
"speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
"speaker": {
"id": 13165,
"legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
"slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
},
"content": "institution, are telling us to do as Parliament. That every Kenyan, including the ordinary citizens, those that they sometimes purport to represent in petitions, must pay this particular levy. It was the general thinking of many of us given the fact that we live in an almost a quasi-socially state. Any adult who lives in this country and has gone through public education, has been educated through the taxes of other Kenyans; all of us in this House, including the members of staff. The reason why we have formal education is that in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when we went to school, there were people who were working, and their salaries were deducted. That is what paid for our education. The thinking at that particular time was to move this particular nation forward and its citizens into living in decent households. Madam Temporary Speaker, further on, while moving this Bill, I challenged the people to read it. I have heard some fools out there, asking who told the Government that Kenyans do not have houses. Article 43 of the Constitution on the economic and social rights in this country does not just talk about houses, but it talks about decent houses with access to good sanitation. Madam Temporary Speaker, at that particular time, it was the thinking that those of us that are doing well and have a salary and form a very small portion of our country, would do well to support this programme, so that it benefits the entire country. Unfortunately, LSK and the courts and all those that petitioned, have asked that this be levied on all Kenyans, including those that do not have a salary. Like I have said, since we are a constitutional democracy, we are left with very little to do other than pass the Bill as now proposed. This is so that for anybody to benefit under this programme, be it under affordable or social housing because there two parts of this programme, then they must at least pay something. It is not a very bad thing because it is also a show of commitment on our citizens. Madam Temporary Speaker, the second thing is that it provides the legal framework establishing the board and the institution that will run this particular fund. I congratulate the Committee on Roads, Transport and Housing for working expeditiously over the last few days in ensuring that they give us this programme and guide the House. I have seen that they listened to Kenyans and tabled a report. Last week, I followed when presenters such as Jua Kali workers and ordinary citizens who are going to benefit from this programme came before them. In fact, affordable housing programme is a wrong title for this programme. It should be the jobs programme for ordinary citizens. This is because millions of young people are going to be employed. Many jobs that you can imagine such as plumbers, masons, electricians, architects, carpenters and others will arise out of the successful implementation of this programme. The United Nations (UN) Habitant told us that by 2063, more than 50 per cent of the world will be living in urban areas. When you fail to plan, you are actually planning to fail. If as a country, we do not make a decision on what we are going to do with our urban population that is paroling and growing, then, in another 10 or 20 years, we will"
}