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{
    "id": 1626203,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626203/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 175,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "people involved will make exponentially more money than the Government collects. Meanwhile, the impact of the vice on society will be severe. I was giving an example from my own community in Migori. There are several cases of people going through depression that have been brought to me. We have seen cases of people committing suicide after losing their basic assets. Some women have sold goats to go gamble. Some young people have sold their motorbikes, which they had saved for over three years to buy. Then they sold them to gamble and ended up losing everything they had. The impact is so big. It is not only about mental health disorders with suicidal cases, where people have killed themselves because of this gambling problem. It also furthers crime. When someone, young or old loses their assets or jobs through gambling, the effect is severe. If they do not commit suicide, but have lost everything, what are they left with? To survive, they may turn to criminal activities. We see these vices repeatedly in society. I know there is temptation to regularise this Bill. The idea is to create a framework that encapsulates the entire gambling industry into a tax bracket. However, this is one of those areas that should not excite us, as a country. We should not view it as a place to collect tax because that taxation is regressive. More importantly, even if you collect a lot of money from it, the revenue cannot solve the societal vices caused by gambling. Instead of just competing to build roads, the Government will also compete to fund treatment for mental disorders in society. When we talk about car hire services at a cost of Kshs42 million and competing to build roads and deal with issues of mental disorder in the society--- When you are competing to build roads or provide water services using the same taxation, there is another problem. You are not only dealing with provision of water, but also with crime that will come in the society. I can see that politicians might be worried about this because it is an avenue for some dubious politicians. I am not saying any particular politicians, but there is potential for dubious politicians to take advantage of this Bill and have mushrooming companies for gambling, so that it becomes a conduit for money laundering by the political class and other people who are outside of the political class. This is something that as a House, we must be bold, courageous, remain solid and distinct in our decision as a House, that despite the fact that this Bill has gone through a mediated process, this is a Bill that we must kill as a House and make sure that we do not give a licence to auction the future of our children or the healthcare of our children, by making sure that we enable an avenue for serious mental disorder. If we, as a country, must consider the issue of gambling, then I would wish this House the courage because we are established under Article 96 of the Constitution to protect devolution. Let us enhance the legislative capability of our counties to handle things like gambling Bills, so that they are customized. This is so that we only make sure that we do not touch the unconstitutionality of gambling allowance into the country. With regards to giving certification and legislation to operate, why can we not pass a Bill that will enable counties to determine this as an area for raising resources for specific services? This is not for all services, not even as a place for all sorts of revenue 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."
}