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{
    "id": 1441129,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1441129/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 205,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kibwezi East, MCCP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mwengi Mutuse",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I wish to make a very brief contribution to this debate and debunk some erroneous myths being perpetuated. A perception has been created that the contestations around the Finance Bill only happened after President William Ruto became President, which is far from the truth. Those of us who are students of history know that taxation began 3,000 years before Christ in the ancient kingdom of Egypt, and even at that time, taxation was contentious. It has also been said that the Finance Bill is an annual event, and that has never been a smooth sail for all the governments of the day, be it Kenyatta I, Moi, Kibaki, or Kenyatta II. However, something different has happened this year. Many times, when the Finance Bill is presented before Parliament, the voices of the people are never factored in by either Parliament or the Executive. For the first time in history, the voices of the people have been heard and factored in the Report presented before this House by the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning. One of the principles of good governance is responsiveness to the wishes of the people. I laud the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning for being responsive to the wishes of the people of Kenya. Politics is a very interesting game. On Tuesday, after we finished our parliamentary group, I had a discussion with some of my friends on the other side. They were asking why they had removed everything that they wanted to oppose in the Finance Bill for optics. I asked them why they had complained about these provisions in the first place. They told me that the main function of the opposition is to oppose. And now that we pulled the carpet under their feet, they must find something new to hang on. Kenyans should know that politics and not the content majorly inspire the opposition to the Finance Bill. Hon. Speaker, kindly add me one more minute to conclude. The issues people are raising here have already been overtaken by events—they are adios . Finally, what is the effect of rejecting this Finance Bill? It means we will resort to the Finance Bill of 2023."
}