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{
    "id": 1443324,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1443324/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 94,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "you can see how Parliament and the Cabinet has conspired against Kenyans to do business. When the NHIF used to work, money would be collected from the public and there was a Department for making payments to all Kenyans when they were sick. That necessitated them to have a system of clearing those payments. However, the two Houses of Parliament passed the SHIF. How is it going to operate? The NHIF used to have Ksh24 billion saved to the extent that they would buy Treasury Bills (T-Bills). That meant that if they did not collect any money, they would still pay health insurance for people in this country. Today, that entire amount of Kshs24 billion is missing. I hope the Senator for Marsabit is here. We know very well that the SHIF was forced to procure a system that they did not need. They procured a private entity to offer insurance. They spent Kshs10 billion to procure that system which failed when it was taken to Marsabit. This is a matter of public knowledge. All these are deals and businesses. Parliament has become a place of deal-making and not Bill-making. We must face these challenges as a people. There is one thing that the President must confront. This vested interests in the Government must stop and allow for the private sector to create decent jobs for our young people because the Government cannot create enough jobs. I want to confront the President of the nation. As a result of the magnitude of the crisis we are seeing today, the response must also be the same. In Physics, an action must have an equal reaction. We should not just talk about conducting dialogue for the sake of it. The dialogue must be on specific issues that are denying young people economic opportunities in this country, so that those issues are sorted out once and for all. At the heart of the issues are Cabinet Secretaries that we have in the country today. The President must confront this reality. It is either you die with these few individuals or the country. It must matter to the President to give an explanation to the young people as to why it is so difficult even in areas where Cabinet Secretaries who are extremely known in the country to have committed economic crimes to leave the Cabinet. He should explain to the country why the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development must continue holding that position. This must come to the House so that issues that we have been fighting on separation of powers--- Parliament should play an oversight role autonomously and have independent operations. One of the radical ways that the President can help this country is to rethink the entire leadership, particularly of the National Assembly. Under our Constitution, the National Assembly has got all the powers to deal with Money Bills. That is why it becomes easy for Members of the National Assembly to mix personal and public interests. I have checked on the quality of leadership in this House. At what point do you compare Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, the Senate Majority Whip, to Hon. Osoro in the National Assembly when looking at issues of budget and inance Bills in the country? Concerning the depth and passion for the country, at what point do you compare our Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Cheruiyot, who has actually brought this Bill, to Hon. Ichung’wa in the National Assembly and say you have a sober Assembly? 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."
}