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{
    "id": 1558951,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1558951/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 191,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitui Rural, WDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David Mwalika",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Apologies, but we need to prioritise those aged 70 years and above and persons living with disabilities. This money helps them to cater for their day-to-day needs, especially for food and other essentials. I have also realised that some people use this money to pay school fees for their grandchildren. The disbursement of funds has been a challenge; sometimes, they go up to six months without receiving any payments. As a result, the impact of this money is not felt. Another issue is that, for a long time, there have been no new registrations for the elderly. Some individuals are 70 or 75, but they have not been registered. The Government needs to address this because, as a Member of Parliament, you do not want people approaching you for support when they get to 70 years. Inflation is another challenge. The Ksh2,000 they have been receiving since they registered, possibly over 10 years ago, has significantly declined in value due to inflation. The Government needs to seek additional funds and increase this stipend from Ksh2,000 to Ksh5,000, which will assist our vulnerable groups. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the other issue is access to basic healthcare. This is where the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) come in. Before SHIF, we had the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), but SHIF has faced several challenges, including the registration of participants. I understand that, as of last week, 21 million people were registered, but fewer than 5 million are contributing to the Fund. Therefore, when it comes to funding and disbursement, providing support for 21 million people with contributions from only 5 million is challenging. The money is not enough. In Naivasha, we were informed that they contribute around Ksh6 billion each month, but the demand exceeds that amount. 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."
}