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{
    "id": 234178,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/234178/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 258,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mirugi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 367,
        "legal_name": "Kariuki Mirugi",
        "slug": "kariuki-mirugi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. I will try to be brief. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to register my disappointment in hindsight for what happened in this House last week. We had a grand opportunity to rein in on these tobacco manufacturing companies. The Ministry of Finance brought the Finance Bill that was to increase taxes on tobacco products. However, this House rejected it. It was very sad. We could have killed two birds with one stone. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the target groups that have been misused by multinationals are the youth. I want to urge this House that, as we sensitize our youth to the dangers of tobacco use, we must also find for them alternative activities. The media plays a big role. Sometimes, it seem fashionable for our youth to smoke. They are very impressionable. They want November 16, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3767 to explore. That is why most of them fall into this smoking trap. It is high time we held multinational companies accountable for the ills of smoking. Our people should sue the companies through Class Action for their losses. We should not have a limitation on the fines that are imposed on these companies. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for example, in the United States of America, the Congress came up with a pay-out plan for the Philip Morris Company which has the best stocks in the US Stock Exchange. For the next 50 years, they will be paying a fine to all the States in the US. This House should also hold these companies accountable. Just like we want to inject accountability in this country, we cannot allow these people to bring in poison and kill our people everyday. It is highly treasonable for them to come here and manufacture cigarettes, which have about 4,000 chemicals. They add lead, which is the addictive factor in cigarettes among other chemicals. We should criminalise these acts that are killing our people. Unknown to many people, cancer is one of the biggest killers in this country. After a person dies, that is when we find out that he had cancer of the brain or lungs. Because of poor detection mechanisms in our health institutions, we never know that our people have cancer until they have passed away. I would like to urge the Government to put in place more stringent measures and heavy fines against people who are caught trying to lure our youth into the bad behaviour of smoking. With those few remarks, I support the Bill."
}