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"id": 229258,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Prof. Oniang'o",
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"legal_name": "Ruth Khasaya Oniang'o",
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"content": "strive to survive, they do not enjoy life. Now, here I am thinking of say accessing water. Many Kenyans buy water and yet, it is a basic human right. Many Kenyans do not even eat a decent meal. Food is a basic human right. Many Kenyans live in the slums. We have the biggest slum in Africa in this country and maybe the biggest one in the world. It is a pity that we are not worrying about where these slum dwellers will live decently. Look at the cost of public transport, for example. Some Kenyans walk for up to ten 130 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 27, 2007 kilometres to their places of work, because they cannot afford public transport and yet, in many countries in the West, it is heavily subsidised, so that the majority of the people can actually afford it. We need to look at the remaining months before the next General Elections and ask ourselves: \"Yes, we have created wealth. But how do we begin to get it going to the majority of Kenyans, many of whom still live in abject poverty?\" I would like to see us, the hon. Members, really being the voices of those Kenyans who are very upset with us because they believe the taxes they pay actually pay us, and we do not really care about them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am happy to see that the Budget is actually based mostly on Kenyan-created wealth. This is because we have to move away from donor-dependency. Donor funds should come in only to help the social aspect areas which the Budget does not take care of. I want to congratulate the Minister for Finance for the Budget he came up with last year. I hope he will do the same this year. He should ensure that most of the money in the Budget will come from the taxation by Kenyans. But at the same time, we need to see what the taxes are doing for us. Effective tax collection should relieve the burden on many Kenyans. The cost of living should go down, because we pay taxes to take care of those other areas. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not want to complain so much about what I did not see in the President's Speech, because at the end of the day, it is just a speech. But, as the President said, whether in the Opposition or the Government side, we are all Kenyans who want to move forward together. But that does not mean we should kill democracy. It should not mean that if I move to the Government side, I should become a sycophant. My role in the Opposition is to provide checks and balances. For example, before we appoint people to hold public positions, they should be vetted by Parliament. We should not just pick people from the streets and overseas. Even if they qualify, there are so many other Kenyans who also qualify for the positions. So, we have to vet them and ensure proper distribution, so that even the small tribes in the country can also feel that they also can provide something and bring it to the table. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}