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{
    "id": 1493647,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1493647/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 84,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Hon. Temporary Speaker, I want to join my colleagues in celebrating the Solomonic wisdom of the ruling by the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kenya. The reason why the Finance Bills for the last two years have become a subject of discussion in the whole country is because the Departmental Committee of Finance and National Planning made a deliberate decision that we would engage members of the public to seek their views and to have their voices heard on the matters that are going to affect their lives and matters that are going to affect our economy. I, however, noticed that during the process, perhaps, what we should have started with was civic education on what a law-making process is and how it is done. We even saw very educated people display their ignorance on the process of law-making. I dare say that we had one of the most progressive reports that the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning tabled in this House and was approved at the Third Reading. The issues that members of the public were raising had sufficiently been addressed in our Report. We are finding now that those matters that should have been passed then, for example, reducing the weight of taxes on payslips by making those statutory deductions like Social Health Authority (SHA) and Housing Levy become tax allowable for PAYE, were matters that we had considered. We have thousands, if not millions, of Kenyans that were locked out of the tax amnesty. It is a matter that we had considered and extended the tax amnesty to next year. We said that you pay your principal tax or you have a commitment to your principal tax and you have your interests and penalties all forgiven. Those matters were left and we are hoping that, as we consider the several other legislative proposals that are coming to this House, both the House and the members of the Executive should consider civic education. I am happy because civil societies, activists, and even upcoming politicians have now taken upon themselves to understand how laws are made in this country. Even as we had the previous discussion about the impeachment of the Deputy President, there were questions about comparing how the process of assumption of Office of a Deputy 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."
}