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"id": 251694,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/251694/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Omingo",
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"speaker": {
"id": 180,
"legal_name": "James Omingo Magara",
"slug": "omingo-magara"
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Today is a day meant for the poor in this country. If this House was to think on those lines, then we would achieve something. I want to imagine we will achieve something because 56 per cent of our population is poor. Having accepted that we must address an issue that affects the poor, today will go down in history as a day that focused on the poor. This Motion is critical. It is a kind of a cross-cutting Motion that will affect the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and that of Transport because they are all intertwined in this Motion. Fundamentally, the Motion focuses on alleviating the suffering of our people. It is hard to imagine that we can improve our forest cover with the currect kerosene prices. We cannot save our forest cover if our cheapest source of fuel is charcoal. We shall be destroying our forests at the expense of multinationals and high taxes which we need to revise downwards. In fact, in effect, we shall be translating directly to the common person the benefits of tax collection. That way, we shall reduce our poverty levels. Our women, who suffer when fetching firewood, will actually access this fuel cheaply and neatly. I want to agree with the Mover of this Motion that, indeed, the critical thing that we should have done was not to think of the affluent in terms of LPG, but to look at the reduction of excise duty on kerosene because most of our villages do not have electricity. Our children study using the kerosene lamps and so they require a lot of it. In terms of equity and our efforts to reach out to people, we require to introduce something of this nature that will effectively cut across the society, and empower those who cannot access electricity to continuously use kerosene. We shall also be able to improve the lives of our people. It is important to note that when we focus on LPG, it only benefits the affluent. The critical thing we ought to have done is to zero-rate kerosene. That means that the consumer is not charged any rate when buying kerosene. However, if somebody has incurred an import tax, then he can claim it. That is what it means to zero-rate as opposed to exemption. I think that zero-rating should be a welcome move even to manufacturers because whatever they would have incurred when importing the product, they can recover it because the output rate is zero to the consumer. We really must touch that raw nerve if really we are serious and genuine in serving our people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to our environment, we keep on worrying about the water levels in our dams when faced with dry seasons. Why are we suffering? It is because our forest cover has been destroyed. I am sure that the Ministry of Energy will support this Motion. Basically, what the passing of this Motion will mean is that we shall be able to maintain our forest cover or even improve it and thereby have plentiful of rain that will come down in good time to fill our dams. That way, we shall not be experiencing constant power rationing in our country. We shall also have reliable water catchment areas and prevent soil erosion. If hon. Prof. Maathai was here, she would be the one to second this Motion. If we reduce the cost of fuel; for example, kerosene and diesel, we shall definitely reduce the cost of production of our goods and services. This does not necessarily touch the rich, rather it will cut across our society. I am sure that the Ministry of Finance, which worries too much about April 26, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 701 deficits, can reallocate funds and direct the shortfall to luxurious goods, which include cigarettes and beer. So, this proposal to reduce by Kshs2, the excise duty on kerosene is just the beginning of our efforts to reduce poverty. I would like to petition the Minister for Finance that in the future, he should finally look at the zero-rating of this very important commodity for our people. We are suffering in the hands of multinationals. They have formed cartels! This Government should know that liberalisation does not mean abdication of responsibilities and not protecting the citizens of this country who it is supposed to protect. These people seem to gather in a club and all of a sudden, every fuel pump has got the same price every day, almost all the time. Are we sincere? We need to move fast and salvage our people from suffering. We need that liberalisation, but it does not translate in terms of price cutting. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is corporate social responsibility for multinationals to pay back to society what they are taking from us in terms of the business they are doing in this country. They should plough back their profits. One way of ploughing back their profits is by addressing the issue of poverty by either reducing their prices or contributing to society. I do not see them doing much along those lines. Today we can get fuel from Sudan. The same multinationals tell Kenyans and other countries around Sudan, that they cannot process the same fuel from Sudan because the refineries in Kenya are designed to process other types of commodities whose source they have an origin and an interest. The reason for this is that they want to repatriate profits out there. Southern Sudan will not benefit them. We must address this issue. Every hon. Member of Parliament represents about 62 per cent constituents living below the poverty line. In every constituency, 62 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. How many votes can an hon. Member of Parliament get when the 62 per cent is neglected? That is why I think that this issue of reduction of fuel prices will carry the day because Parliamentarians represent very poor populations. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we could address this issue more candidly when we put in place the Parliamentary Budget Office. Parliamentarians must address themselves to issues that affect people directly in terms of taxing luxury goods. When the Parliamentary Budget Office Bill comes to this House, Parliamentarians will have an input, prioritise and direct Ministries on what is to be allocated where and for what purpose. At the end of the day, the buck stops with the House. Our constituents are suffering and we cannot run away from the responsibility of addressing their needs. I believe we want to talk for the people, the majority of whom voted for us. Women are religiously good voters as opposed to the affluent people who live in the cities who cannot take long queues to vote. Women out there vote with the hope that one time they will get a reason to smile at from their MPs or their Government. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, were it not for the fact that the taxes we collect more often than not are misused, we would be comfortable that this money would go to the Treasury. Appropriation of resources has been wanting. If we could take a shortcut and give \"Wanjiku\" that Kshs2 that would be of benefit to her. I am sure the Minister of Finance will be very warm towards this. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are all here for a common purpose. When Ministers want us to join them in issues they normally say that we should put our differences aside. We need to put our differences aside and agree that this will benefit our people. We know that when our girls go to fetch firewood there are so many things that afflict them in the bushes. If they can get paraffin we will have saved that girl who would have ended up being a victim of rape. We must stand as a Parliament to translate this benefit directly to that \"Wanjiku\" or \"Adhiambo\" who requires cheap fuel in the interest of enhancing forest cover and water catchment areas. 702 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 26, 2006"
}