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{
    "id": 1496995,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496995/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 217,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Thang’wa",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "people or pulling them towards their agenda. However, when you read it, it is curtailing the belief that Kenyans have always had. Harambees or fundraisers have built schools and provided medical assistance to people who are very vulnerable. We have helped families to come out of hardship. We have done harambees and fundraisers to buy someone a cow or a boda boda or help someone start a small business. However, we are told that for you to do that, you have to register 14 days prior to that event. Some of these fundraisers are emergencies. Everybody who has spoken to this has mentioned that the Government is supposed to make the lives of our people very easy and not harder. If you say that you need 14 days to apply for a permit to conduct a harambee, yet it is an emergency caused by the Social Health Authority (SHA) and Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) cards that did not work--- You know what our hospitals do - They cannot admit a patient unless money is paid. They need a deposit to admit a patient. If the health systems of our country were working, maybe we would not be worried with this. Kenyans are known for coming together. Even the Government through Red Cross, has invited Kenyans to come together to contribute to save Kenyans because of disasters. We had the Kenya for Kenya Initiative. Now, if we make harambees and fundraisers very hard to achieve, they will be like drugs. We will now convert the good gestures of helping each other like a drug. People will be helping while hiding, yet politicians will be able to flush their money when helping and taking pictures so that they can get votes. We are however curtailing those who do not want votes, but are there to help each other. Why we are stopping them? The reason I would oppose this Bill is the undue restriction on charitable activities. If you read clause 14(2), it says- “A person who intends to conduct a public fundraiser appeal shall submit to the Cabinet Secretary or the respective County Executive Committee Member (CECM, as the case may be, an application for a permit, at least 14 days before the date of the conduct of the fundraising appeal.” Someone is looking for money and we are asking them to travel to look for a Cabinet Secretary or CECM. Remember, every county has one headquarters, so, we are asking someone to travel from one place to another to go and apply for a permit. That is why I said we are over-legislating. We are even telling people that when they conduct a harambee, the administrative money that they are going to use should not exceed five percent of what they are going to collect. How do I even know how much I am going to collect? If people do not turn up and I was so prepared with Kshs1,000,000 or Kshs500 or even Kshs10,000, and I receive Kshs3,000, that becomes a crime. The most important issue is not to make Kenyans feel as if we are on their throats; that whenever they try to help each other, the Government and askari wa kanjo are there telling them that they saw them having a harambee the other day and would want to have some amount from what was contributed. The other issue is that Clause 13 is an infringement of the freedom of association. Yes, I understand that a state officer should not conduct harambees. However, why are we stopping them from association? Not every state or public officer is a thief or corrupt. Probably the little money they have will not be enough to cater for some of the sudden emergencies. It could be your harambee, but you cannot even contribute in your 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."
}