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{
    "id": 1452598,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1452598/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 851,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kiharu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ndindi Nyoro",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "time. Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee were meeting Chairpersons of the Departmental Committees within the precincts of Parliament. There was a time when we had a meeting on a Monday at the County Hall. I confirm that we left there at 3.30 a.m. working on these Budget Estimates. I thank our team, led by Hon. Speaker and the Clerk of the National Assembly, which works very closely with the Budget and Appropriations Committee led by Ms Julie, Dr Abel and Mr Dan Kachumbo. They have been working round the clock to make sure that we complete this process in time. I have read out Ksh99 billion, which appears as if we have added some money. The decrease in the Budget is less than anticipated. What has brought out this? The Report we brought here is slightly different. We have added monies to the Housing Levy – over Ksh45 billion – which is A-in-A. It is not money that will be collected through taxes. It is being collected through the Housing Levy. Therefore, we also provided expenditure for it. That is why it seems that there is enhancement in expenditure. I know that we are going home. I can see Hon. Osoro prompting the Seconder. It is important for the Members of this House to note this. Give me two minutes, Hon. Osoro. Besides the decrease in the Budget, there are things we have safeguarded. I am repeating them for the benefit of doubt. This House has declined to reduce the money that was meant for confirmation of the JSS intern teachers. That means we have provided Ksh18.7 billion for confirmation of our brothers and sisters who were serving as intern teachers into permanent and pensionable status. We did not also cut the budget meant for the confirmation of the interns who were serving in the health sector, amounting to Ksh3.7 billion. Hon. Deputy Speaker, even as we institute austerity measures, we have allocated Ksh1.5 billion to New KCC to act as defence for raw milk prices so that farmers can get a net of at least Ksh50 per litre of raw milk. Hon. Sabina is here. I know she has some coffee bushes. We have been able to provide an extra Ksh3 billion for the Coffee Cherry Fund so that coffee farmers can continue to count coffee farming as a business. We have also provided Ksh2 billion for waiver of coffee debts owed to farmers and coffee societies so that coffee farmers do not continue to be overloaded by debts. We have provided a lot even for sugar reforms. We have allocated money for payment of arrears owed to sugarcane farmers out of the supplies they did to public sugarcane factories. We have provided Ksh8 billion to the Equalisation Fund so that development programmes in areas that have been marginalised over the years can be jump-started to bring those areas at par with the rest of the country. We are all Kenyans despite which part of the country one comes from. There is a lot that we have done. With those remarks, I beg to move and request Hon. Mary Emaase to second."
}