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{
    "id": 1444106,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1444106/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 217,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Maanzo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13589,
        "legal_name": "Maanzo Daniel Kitonga",
        "slug": "maanzo-daniel-kitonga"
    },
    "content": "There are many people who carry goods and sell them on the streets, but they are harassed by the existing laws. Therefore, there was need to protect and nurture such businesses into big-time businesses and this law will serve such so that we can have organized street vending. Already there is some organized street vending. Sometimes they sell African regalia, kitenges ’, Maasai beads and all that, in the car parks. This happens periodically and it does not have a certain law. It is even better when certain streets are gazetted and preserved for this trade in an organized manner, and the young people will self-employ themselves. If you work hard, you will get success. Unfortunately, when there is taxation at the national level and the county level or levies of all manner, then whatever little these people can collect daily, quite a huge chunk is taken away. There is nothing wrong with taxation either at the county level or at the national level. The problem is, do those levies make your life better at the county and national level? Street vending comes with taxation, but the taxation has to be reasonable. It should not be in such a way that it kills those businesses. More importantly, if these street vendors are organized in Saccos' and Cooperatives, it becomes better. They should be able to make savings so that they can grow their businesses. When I was the Secretary of Cooperatives, there were organized street cooperative saccos. One of the most successful one was with the mechanics in Kisumu and every day, everybody who has been trying to make a living the whole day would make a saving in the evening. That kitty was so big that they could borrow money there and improve their businesses or come up with something reasonable. I am aware that the Cooperative Bank has a system of loaning mama mbogas. They are given the money very early in the morning, they go to the city markets, buy their wares and sell them somewhere in the streets. They can return the money later in the day or week with a profit. They are able to advance their lives, take their children to school, have hope and make a living. Now that we need to grow our economy, we need to give hope to the young people and the poor. The system should not be such that a poor person will never have some breathing space. It should be such that everybody has an opportunity. I believe many families have business skills and can sell goods from shoes, sweets and all manner of businesses. They can make a profit no matter how small it is. More importantly, we need to take care of disabled people. Every time I meet people in the streets or beggars at the traffic lights, as I give them something small even if they have a disability, I take time to talk to them and encourage them that they can do something more useful, other than begging in the streets. They can end up with businesses, but how does that person end up with a license? Licensing itself is chaotic. How do those street vendors end up with a clean environment? It is very important that as a nation we grow even the smallest. Everybody in Kenya should feel their entitlement, that they can grow and do business no matter how small it is. This is from selling fruits, mboga, clothes or even second-hand clothes or whatever clothes or wares they have. 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."
}