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{
    "id": 1393841,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1393841/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 271,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you asked me what my point of order was when Sen. Orwoba was just about to conclude. Sometimes, I wish you would accede the courage of just giving us this chance because sometimes there are some pronouncements that are made in this House that do disrespect your Chair. You have ruled a number of times that in this House there is no term called the “handshake” Government. I want to encourage some Members of this House that we are at a point where the country is trying to move forward. We have seen the spirit of bipartisanship in several instances, including last week when we exercised our rights and our responsibility as a House with respect to the Kisii impeachment case. You saw amazing bipartisanship when this House rose above any kind of party positions to speak to the nation on some issues. I want to encourage my sister, Sen. Orwoba - through the Chair because now I missed the point of order - that these statements that tend to polarize the House are very unnecessary, especially when you look at what we are discussing now, which is the issue of managing our debt as a country. This is a very important issue that I wanted to chime in. I would have wished to have spoken almost last on this matter, given that I sit in that Committee that drafted this report with the diligence and keenness it deserves. I have seen several concerns being raised in the House; some from my side of the House. I heard Sen. Sifuna talking about the issue of including the voices of the ICPAK in the conversation that applies to this debt management strategy as well as other Senators from the other side, including Sen. Cherarkey who raised the same. As a Committee, we did a lot of work in trying to consider a number of these ideas. We find ourselves in an important place as a country. We need to rethink almost every single time, almost every single month how we manage our debt. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when you are faced with an accumulation of debt to the level that we see our country being faced with, the most obvious strategy is always fiscal consolidation. The idea is that you must contract your fiscal space. There are several strategies that the committee pondered in the response to the National Treasury. The National Treasury composition is always a hybrid one. However, given what we are facing in the country today, it is either you choose to cut your expenses as a Government or you are faced with the other angle of increasing taxes. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}