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{
    "id": 252449,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/252449/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 242,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Kituyi",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Trade and Industry",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 293,
        "legal_name": "Mukhisa Kituyi",
        "slug": "mukhisa-kituyi"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to contribute to this debate. In my contribution, I intend to say that I am satisfied that this House has persons who can take the challenges that floor us down on our responsibilities and, in fact, rise beyond partisan rivalries and competition and do what is right. That is exactly what we are going to do today. I will also attempt to say a few things about what I think is the rationale of the Supplementary Estimates and the reallocation of public resources. Lastly, I will attempt to make a personal response to some of the things that gleamed out of the statements made by my friends hon. Raila and hon. Prof. Anyang'-Nyong'o. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the desire to settle scores to show that there is weakness here and, that this Government is bad, can sometimes blind us to the opportunities that we have to constructively say what we need to do together. I know that there have been some issues which have been raised by the Opposition about the Supplementary Estimates which are legitimate issues 646 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 25, 2006 for the Government to respond to. We are operating on the reality where the media can set a momentum for us. The media in this country today feels very disappointed when we have consensus in this House. I saw the faces of my friends in the media gallery when we had consensus on the PAC Report; that drama had been avoided and that an opportunity to see people settling scores had been sidestepped. They like it when some bloodied noses appear on the Floor of the House. If you look at the build up today, you will think that the country is on the brink of war and that the gladiators will meet on the Floor of Parliament today. It is very interesting because drama sells but the reality can gleam the substance from the rhetoric. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is my hope that the Minister for Finance has heard the very legitimate concerns raised by some of the more constructive critiques from the Opposition. Particularly important, is the issue of transferring ministerial benefits from the Treasury to Parliament. I would like urge the Minister for Finance to heed this call and rectify this situation so that the ministerial allowances can go back to the Treasury away from the Parliamentary Vote. I think it is a legitimate concern. I think it makes sense and I think the Minister was wrong. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think it is an atrocious economy with truth for an hon. Member of Parliament to manufacture a story before this House that this Government wants to put Kshs600 million in the Supplementary Estimates for famine relief, because he wants to show how bad the Government is. Either he does not know what he is talking about or whoever advised him showed him the wrong figures which had the same net effect. That is the better part. Otherwise, it is a bit of opportunistic negativism. These Supplementary Estimates seek to put together out of the different components of the Supplementary Estimates, Kshs13.8 billion for famine relief. I listened to a critique of how the Government prepared the Printed Estimates. When I was listening to the bloating of further---"
}