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{
    "id": 1431463,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431463/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 3819,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tharaka, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. George Murugara",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I stand, I also agree that we should take five minutes, but we are not bound by any rules because we did not start with that. I implore Hon. Members and myself also to take five minutes to contribute so that as many Hon. Members as possible can speak to this important Motion. I begin by thanking the Budget and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Hon. Ndindi Nyoro, for a fantastic job. I appeared before them, and they were really grilling. They asked many questions that we were able to answer, and that is how this Report was made. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the net effect of what we are doing is to reduce the budget allocations, especially the ones on expenditure. This is purely because we have not been able to attain the targets that were in the original budget. This is the right thing to do simply because we cannot borrow all the time so as to bridge gaps in our budget. Therefore, sometimes we have to bite the bullet and reduce what we had budgeted for so that we can live within our means. We are not being over-ambitious. It is perfectly in order for a country to be ambitious, but if that ambition is not attained, then you make a tactical retreat by admitting that you cannot attain it; making a reduction and moving on. We are making gains in terms of our local currency, which is appreciating. As a trade country, we should take advantage of this so that we are able to trade well, especially in terms of imports, which are benefiting from the local currency gains. As we move on to do the budget now, we must think of civil servants, including police officers, who are craving a salary increment because they say they are living in very poor conditions and their salaries are very low. We must look into this. We must also look into the Fertiliser Subsidy Programme, which we have spoken about a lot. We are informed that due to the good long rains in the country, we will realise the fruits of the subsidy we have given for fertiliser. We must again caution the criminals and crooks out there who have found an opportunity to exploit this subsidy so that they do not go on to do crooked things to try and sabotage such a noble idea on subsidy and production that our country is banking on. We have spoken about Article 223 of our Constitution, which allows the Government to spend money on emergencies without the approval of Parliament. This is extremely important, and the Government must stand warned that the only money to be spent under Article 223 is on emergencies. We have spoken about the emergencies of El-Nino that we have been experiencing and the damages we have seen on our roads. Those who live near river banks have experienced flooding and other problems. If any money has been spent on this, it is justified. We must speak to it. As Parliament, we must approve that the Article comes in handy, and the Government was right to use it to spend money on the emergencies we experienced. Demolitions are happening in riparian sections and in areas where people are living in reserved areas. Every Member of Parliament, especially from Nairobi, is speaking passionately about it. However, we repeat that the Government must be cautious. These are human beings who must be treated with utmost dignity. We even have entities that have old title deeds with respect to lands that neighbour riparian sections. The net effect is that we cannot have any challenge to those title deeds, and we must tread with caution. Finally, we have spoken about universities. I must point out that my two universities— Tharaka and Chuka—are in dire need of money. We must allocate money even if it is not in The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}