GET /api/v0.1/hansard/entries/240169/?format=api
HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 240169,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/240169/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 175,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Musila",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 94,
        "legal_name": "David Musila",
        "slug": "david-musila"
    },
    "content": "and sometimes the hawkers themselves. We must know that hawkers are here to stay. Hawking does not just go on in Nairobi. Even in developed countries hawking is permitted. In this case again, I think the problem is that of management. Therefore, I would like to urge the Minister - whom I know has made some efforts but has not yet quite succeeded - to ensure that hawkers are given their rightful places to do business. He should ensure that, like in the developed world, certain streets are closed over the weekend to allow hawkers to sell their wares. We must accommodate these poor people. We all belong here, and we must accommodate them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, going further to the rural areas, county councils and town councils are literally robbing the poor traders of their money, pretending to be collecting licence fees for very small kiosks . So, I urge the Minister to refuse to approve proposals by local authorities on exorbitant licence fees that they propose from time to time. I have in mind a kiosk, probably with a turnover of Kshs500 per day, from which local authorities demand a licence fee of up to Kshs2,000. I think this is ridiculous and someone ought to look at the plight of those people because local authorities in the rural areas are simply syphoning money from poor people. Whenever poor people want to transport chicken to Nairobi, they have to pay tax as they cross certain areas. So, I am actually fighting for the poor people. Where people are involved in collecting things like minerals and other things, tax must be collected. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the administration of the LATF leaves a lot to be desired. Just as we want to ensure that monies from the Constituencies Development Fund are properly accounted for, we must also insist that the Minister for Local Government reins in on councillors and local authorities to ensure that LATF funds, which is public money, are properly distributed within the councillors' areas of jurisdiction. He should also ensure that we can see programmes being implemented using these funds. We have heard of cases where councillors distribute money from the LATF amongst themselves. That is not fair and must not be done. At the same time, I must say that we have been underpaying councillors for far too long. It is high time that a deliberate policy to remunerate councillors in accordance with the cost of living was made. I have in mind councillors earning as little as Kshs7,000 per month. I do not think it is fair. In the Public Service, we have increased salaries across the board. We have even increased salaries of Members of Parliament. We have been very unfair to councillors. So, I would like to propose that ways and means be found so that we can remunerate councillors in accordance with the wealth of the areas they serve. Where there is no sufficient wealth, the Exchequer should be able to provide funds to supplement the local authorities. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, I have been looking at the book that the Minister has provided, which pretends to show the allocation of funds to districts. Every time I stand here, I talk about the manner in which Ministries allocate funds. First and foremost, a lot of districts are missing from this book. Talking about my own district, Mwingi, we have been allocated Kshs3 million. The other day, I got Kshs7 million from my friend, the Minister for Roads and Public Works and today I am being given Kshs3 million by the Minister for Local Government. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, is it not a shame that we can sit here to discuss a Kshs2 billion budget and all that I can take home is Kshs3 million? What is this money for? Incidentally, it is for putting up a cattle open-air market which is not necessary. I would like to put 2486 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 1, 2006 it to the Minister that it is time that he and his colleagues went back to the drawing board and learnt how to distribute the resources of this country in an equitable manner. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}