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{
    "id": 1501709,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501709/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 189,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Khwisero, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Christopher Wangaya",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you. I also rise to join my colleagues in applauding the President’s State of the Nation Address. More particularly, I will dwell on one issue that is the state of the economy. The drop of inflation from 9.6 per cent to 2.7 per cent has occasioned a reduction in the cost of the basic commodities. I reside in Western Kenya where maize and ugali remain our staple foods. The price of a two-kilogramme packet of maize flour has reduced by 100 per cent. That is when we compare with the prices that were there a time like now in 2022. I also laud the economy of this nation for the resilience of the Kenya Shilling against the Dollar. We will pay our foreign obligations at a lower rate when our shilling is doing well against the dollar. That creates more fiscal space and more money that can be appropriated to development. Third is the recruitment of 46,000 Junior Secondary School teachers on permanent and pensionable terms. It has reduced burden in our schools that were recruiting teachers using much money from parents. That policy is a plus to the President. The change in strategy from consumption subsidy to production subsidy has really improved our food reserves. Irrespective of a few challenges here and there, we can take pride that this country is now food secure. We are happy that our National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has enough food that can easily sustain this nation. As we laud the President for his Address, we need to appreciate that there are challenges in the recruitment and onboarding of Kenyans on the SHIF and SHA programmes. It is our onus, as Members of the Parliament, Members of the County Assemblies and all the leaders, to wake up and mobilise our people. We should ensure that all of them are registered and onboarded onto this programme. The challenge we have is that infrastructure in our Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals does not match the demand from the public. There are no basic drugs and equipment in our hospitals that can be used. As we laud this programme, we must also call upon county governments in conjunction with the national government to ensure that the infrastructure in our health sector is commensurate to address the issue. Farmers have harvested enough maize and we laud the food security we enjoy in this country. Farmers will be at a loss if they sell a 90-kilogramme bag of maize at Ksh3000 considering the inputs used. I call upon the relevant ministry to look at better ways of creating market linkages for this produce so that it can fetch a better price for our farmers who are doing a good job in farms. Some Hon. Members of Parliament asked about the Opposition. We are here to say that the broad-based government is the best thing that happened to this country. We"
}