HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 192716,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/192716/?format=api",
"text_counter": 185,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Shakeel",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 140,
"legal_name": "Ahmed Shakeel Shabbir Ahmed",
"slug": "shakeel-shabbir"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to make my comments on the Budget. Firstly, I would like to commend the Minister for getting us a theoretically good Budget. In theory, the Budget looks good. Economics and financial theory is good. It can even be quoted in the economics books. However, the actual trick and the expertise of trying to have it appropriately related to the economy of the country is what is the difference. I am very concerned by the way the Budget has treated certain issues very lightly. In Abuja, we, the Kenya Government, committed 15 per cent of our Budget to the health sector. But if you look at the amount of money allocated to the health sector, you will see that it is not 15 per cent. No Anti-Retrovirals (ARVs) drugs are available, and yet we have been told that our stocks of ARVs are running out. Our medical supplies are running out. Our nurses are not being paid well. I was really surprised by the budgetary provision for hiring of nurses. People take it very lightly. I will not describe it as a joke, because that would not be the right thing to say. We are told the Government will employ 1,200 extra nurses. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I chair the Board of the New Nyanza General Hospital in Kisumu City, where we have a shortage of 500 nurses. Now, saying, in the Budget that, for the whole country, we will employ 1,200 nurses throughout the country, I think it is a joke. These nurses will not even cover the New Nyanza General Hospital and the district hospital, leave alone the entire country. The Minister should have looked into the issue of health. All over the world, there are four critical issues that every budget addresses: Health, education, housing and water. Those are the basic facts. Our Budget spends a lot of money on recurrent expenditure. None of it goes to the sort of level that we would like. June 24, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1347 On education, we have put in a lot of resources, but at what cost? We have done so, at the cost of health and housing. We have been told that the police will get housing. We budgeted last year and the year before, but still the infrastructure in the housing of our police officers is totally broken down. Yet, we are telling them that we want them to work. Any qualified nurse in this country has just to go to the British High Commission and he will be given a visa straightaway. Some of us may not get the visas, but a nurse will get one straightaway, because the United Kingdom (UK) has a shortage of nurses. I have been to the United States of America and the UK. The number of Kenyan nurses that you see there amazes one and yet, here, we are not prepared to pay our nurses; not even a monthly salary of Kshs15,000. We have not paid them whatever we have promised them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Budget, totally ignores the issue of population. I have good information that our population will grow between 50 million and 55 million in the next two years. In 1963, we were the first country in Africa to sign an understanding on the issue of population management. We did very well between the 1960s and 1980s. However, due to lack of attention to this issue, in the period between the 1990s and 2000s, we lost all the gains that we had made. We are now moving towards 58 million people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are also totally disregarding certain elements of our society. That shows you how sick our society is becoming. The elderly have rights in our society, yet not a cent has been spent to safeguard their needs. Yes, we are hearing of a women's fund, a youth fund, little bits and pieces here and there, but I would have liked to see what this country is doing towards the welfare of the elderly, who have served this country all their lives. It appears that this country, and the Government, does not respect anybody but only those who are in positions at the moment. We dump the elderly and the pensioners like toilet paper, because they are no longer of any use to us. I would have liked to see something special done for those members of our society who are challenged, and those who have special needs. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, over 18 per cent of our population is challenged, yet they get less than two per cent of the Budget. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the school feeding programme is only on paper. I suggest that the Budget that was read is only a technical issue. It is only on paper. To get that Budget realised, we have to get serious. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, much has been said about payment of tax by Members of Parliament. I support that proposal. However, we are not going to take it lightly. The Members of Parliament should pay tax on whatever earnings that we get; however, we should then not be prejudiced. We should not have it held against us. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you are a limited company you set against your income expenses which are wholly, exclusively and necessarily for your business. Even if you are a consultant, you then set against your consultancy fee those expenses that are required for you to do your consultancy. As such, I put it to you that there are certain expenses that we, as politicians, and only as politicians, meet. These are wholly, exclusively and necessarily our expenses, be they on funerals, education or other things that we meet every day. The voice asking for taxation is right. We do not mind paying the tax, but you have to then realise that you must allow us to claim expenses against that taxation. We are prepared to give you vouchers for this. I propose that tax be charged by all means, but then return to us the equivalent amount of tax charged under the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) under a special line item that can be spent on funerals and other things. So, we will pay the tax very clearly, and the tax funds be utilised by the community through the CDF. Let it be put under a line item. Therefore, if I am paying Kshs300,000 tax, that is fine! We are prepared to pay the tax. Do not make us to be villains who are taking advantage. I read in the newspaper the other day that we are worse than the Ninth 1348 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 24, 2008 Parliament. This is absolutely untrue. I am saying that I am quiet willing to pay the tax, but you must give back an equivalent amount under the CDF. Let it be scrutinised by CDF, but let it be under a line item for funerals and other such expenses. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kshs1 million for sports per constituency--- I know it is not much. This is a start; however, I would rather have liked to see that Kshs1 million given towards the elderly, or those with special needs. Some of the things that have come up in the Budget are specifically designed to help certain people; an example is gymnasium equipment in hotels. This is perfectly designed to help those who build gymnasiums. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the Equity Bank and other banks, why are you increasing the capital to Kshs1 billion---"
}