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{
    "id": 245903,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/245903/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 159,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Kosgey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 177,
        "legal_name": "Henry Kiprono Kosgey",
        "slug": "henry-kosgey"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this vital Budget Speech. From the outset, I would like to say that we normally discuss the Budget as \"pro-poor\". This Budget can be described as \"pro-rich\". I wish the Minister would pay attention while I am making my contribution because I have a few important things to say. During the launch of the economic survey, the Minister said that the economy of this June 27, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1615 country has grown by 5.8 per cent. He indicated that the faces of many Kenyans were shining. I do not know which face the Minister was looking at. Maybe he was looking at his own face. The faces of many Kenyans are not shinning, I think it is only his face that is shinning because poverty levels in this country have gone up. Kenyans are ravaging in poverty. I would have expected that this Budget would have critically addressed the question of poverty. Poverty levels have risen from 42 per cent to the current average of 56 per cent. I know that in the Mount Kenya Region, for example, where the Minister comes from, poverty levels are between 30 per cent and 40 per cent. Unfortunately, poverty levels in other regions of this country are as high as 80 per cent. In some parts of this country, everyone is virtually poor. I expected that poverty issues would have been addressed in this Budget, but this was not done. The Minister instead increased fuel by Kshs3.20 per litre for the Road Maintenance Levy (RML). This will make life very difficult for every Kenyan. Most goods and services related to oil will be affected, from transport, food, clothing and so on. Therefore, the poor are actually being hit below the belt, if they still have any belt to tighten."
}