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"id": 217178,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/217178/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Michuki",
"speaker_title": "The Minister of State for Administration and National Security",
"speaker": {
"id": 183,
"legal_name": "John Njoroge Michuki",
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"content": ". Secondly, I must commend the Minister and his team at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for the very efficient manner in which they have been able, in consecutive years, to collect 2024 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 26, 2007 increased taxes from existing rates without raising them. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the third reason why I support the Minister for Finance is that our Budget continues to increase and to shift emphasis from Recurrent Expenditure to Development Expenditure. The total gross Budget is Kshs693 billion. Of this amount, we are only financing about Kshs181 billion from revenues obtained from the sale of parastatals, and our own local sources. Some hon. Members have stood up here to criticise the advent of deficit in the Budget. A deficit is a very good thing, if only the money borrowed does not go into consumption. The Minister has successfully reduced the Recurrent Expenditure by 13.3 per cent, and increased the Development Expenditure by 10 per cent. So, we are moving in the right direction in terms of allocating resources that add value to the economy by creating what we call \"capital formation\". The Budget will also do that. I also want to appreciate the provision that has been made for security in the country. Our aim in this country is to ensure that we reach the international standard in the staffing of our Police Force. As of now, whereas the international requirement is that there should be one policeman for every 450 citizens, we have now reached a ratio of one policeman to 550 citizens. The figure of 250,000 policemen mentioned in the Budget Speech is to facilitate the attainment of that international standard. Many people, who are not aware, think that the police are not working. We do not hold Press conferences every day to announce what we have done, because we do not want to politicise security matters. These are matters of life and death. I want to assure this House that a lot of measures are being taken, and they are all in place, despite all that is happening, particularly where killings have taken place in very macabre circumstances. Most of those who have undertaken that killing have met the police, and the police have also retaliated. The security strength of any country lies in its own people. The police will come in to help. The people must be able to accept that community policing must work, in which case they must continue to pass on information to the police. The Minister's Speech also highlights various areas that have come out of a Speech made by His Excellency the President to our Ambassadors and High Commissioners at their conference this year. The political, social and economic pillars of this society--- The areas that require to be financed in order to promote the objectives of the year 2030 are in tourism, agriculture, micro- finance, wholesale and retail businesses and quite a number of others, up to six sectors. I have no doubt in my own mind that we should be able to achieve this, if we do not actually lapse as we did during the first two years of this Government because of political bickering. After that bickering ended, we have been able to achieve economic growth of six per cent in two years in succession. That is what we should aim at, because, although as a country we have political independence, we do not have economic independence. Let us not pretend that we do, because we do not. This is where we should all unite and fight poverty, ignorance and all those aspects that are not complementary to better life. It is in this way that we shall be able to say that we have delivered. It is in this way that we shall have met our mission as leaders of this country. It is all very well speaking very nicely here. What is the agenda of those who oppose what the Government is trying to do? What is their agenda on roads? What is their agenda on water, health and on all those sectors of agriculture? What is it that is not being done that they are seeking to do? Would any one of them stand up here and tell us what he seeks to do that is not being done? Therefore, I want to conclude by saying that the Government is on course, and we shall deliver. We will, because of what we have done, get another five years to complete our work. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}