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{
"id": 216541,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/216541/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Awori",
"speaker_title": "The Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 290,
"legal_name": "Moody Arthur Awori",
"slug": "moody-awori"
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir. I have got very few observations to make. First of all, I would like to once again thank the Minister for the way he has crafted the taxation in all the taxes that are quoted on the Order Paper. My only observation is that we have a constituency called \"people with disabilities\". These are people who require various equipment which is not easily available in our country. We would like to equalise the position, so that, because they are disadvantaged due to the disabilities, they do not continue to spend very much more of their meagre income in order to bring themselves on the same level with people without disabilities. I am talking mainly of people with physical disabilities, who need, for instance, motorised wheelchairs for movement. While there is a proposal in the taxation measures that there should be exemption, it is not entirely clear and, from time to time, whenever we have disabled people trying to import those items, it takes a very long time before officers at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) can understand and give the exemption. By that time, sometimes, the demurrage charges have been levied to the extent that the advantage of getting the exemption is totally lost. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, it is not just the physically handicapped. We have people who cannot hear, who also need stuff that will help them to come to the same level as others. There is no very clear showing on how this exemption can be done. All we need is fine- tuning, so that whenever the stuff comes, it is exempted immediately, particularly that which comes as donations, some of it being second hand. I think we need facilitation to get it into the country easily. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, the other constituency that I would like to talk about is that of vulnerable groups such as orphaned elephants and rhinos. When they are orphaned, they need special formula which is not available here. It is available outside, and it has to be imported. From time to time, people who are looking after these orphans have had to call me, and I have had to go appealing to ensure that this formula is not taxed. These are things that need to be fine-tuned, so that they become automatic, so that there is no question of those who are importing in order to protect our wildlife. They do not need to go to someone to use influence, because we have been told that influence, sometimes, is called, in other words, \"misuse of office\", and before you know what is happening, the word \"corruption\" sets in. Let us be quite clear on these matters, so that there is no doubt on what our Government is doing. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, I want to thank the Minister for the allowance he has made for those who are developing houses for the low-income groups. We are involved in upgrading slums. What we need are big investors who should be doing more, not just the 20 houses that the Minister has talked about. It does not matter what the amount of money is, which the investor is putting in; it could run into billions. But as long as it is directed at low-income people, then this should fall in line with what the Minister has intended to do. Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, those are the few observations that I thought I should make, since everything else in the taxation is all good; it in agreement with the Budget. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}