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{
    "id": 250420,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/250420/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 191,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Khamasi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 300,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Lyula Khamasi",
        "slug": "daniel-khamasi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion. I want to thank Mr. Ojode for seeing the sense to bring this Motion to this House. It is high time we addressed the issue of oil companies seriously. They make huge profits, but they do not care about the consumers. They have no feelings at all. The multinationals in the oil industry have formed cartels. They control the prices of oil and the Government has got no control whatsoever because of the policy of liberalisation. The Government is totally toothless. It seems to have no control even as it watches its own citizens suffer in the hands of these multinationals. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government is not protecting its citizens from this type of mafia cartels. To be honest, those in authority are asleep. This is because as the oil companies increase the price of fuel left, right and centre, this Government does nothing. When international oil prices go up all sectors are affected. This includes the transport and agricultural sectors and the price of foodstuffs. It affects everybody in the economy. The Government does not compensate the ordinary mwananchi whom it is supposed to protect. When oil prices go down, the oil companies will never reduce their prices. They keep all the proceeds. At the end of the day, all these profits are repatriated back to their home countries. We never hear of any multinational company; whether it is Shell BP, Caltex or Mobil giving anything back to the people of this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have never come across a school or any water project which has been sponsored by any of those companies. It is time for the Government to rise up and protect the citizens of this country from such like mafia type cartels. The Government should not cry all the time that this is a liberalised economy. We know some countries in this world where there is liberalisation. But they will not let their citizens suffer under similar circumstances that we have in the oil industry. It is time to tell people in authority to wake up and protect Kenyans! What is happening is filthy. Those cartels are carrying away filthy profits to their own countries. It is unnecessary for us to continue saying that we are a liberalised economy. We cannot do anything and yet, we see the oil companies making huge profits which they do not plough back into this country. It is important to address the issue squarely. More often than not, we are threatened that, if we bring in any controls, those people will wind up and go back to their home countries. I say: Let them go! Even it is tomorrow, let them go! There are people who can invest in that industry. It is a lucrative industry. So, there is no point in the Government telling us: \"You know, if we bring back controls, we will be scaring away investors. We will lose everything!\" Let us take the bull by the horns. Let us control the prices of oil, which is a very important commodity in our economy. We cannot let it go unchecked any further. We cannot allow those cartels to go on charging any prices as they wish. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, one day, I would wish to see a scenario where, when international oil prices go down, you go to a petrol station and find that prices have been reduced. That has never happened. Those people do not care at all. I do not know why this Government is so sympathetic to companies which exploit the citizens right in front of its eyes. It is unfair. That is not why we were elected. We were elected to control and help the citizens of this country. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}