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{
    "id": 351864,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/351864/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 85,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Members and hon. Senators, the world is fully engulfed in deep economic crisis, made worse by the recession in the West and also rising costs in the East. However, here in Africa, our economies continue to grow as a young, educated and vibrant population makes its appearance on the economic stage. While our financial and ICT sectors are strong, our agriculture, manufacturing and transport sectors that should be driving export-led growth are under-performing. As a nation, we still face the challenges of slow growth, unacceptably high levels of unemployment and pervasive poverty. My Government’s goal is for Kenya to become a middle-income country within our generation. This means attaining and sustaining double digit growth. The kind of growth rate that will, if we are prudent managers, lead to a better quality of life for Kenyans and as skilled Kenyans are able to find decent jobs and many are lifted out of poverty. This growth will be delivered if we pursue the right combination of policies with a steady hand and determination. As a priority, we must exercise prudent management of public finances, especially our wage bill. Today, Recurrent Expenditure is reaching unsustainable levels, squeezing out resources meant for development. We must keep the public wage bill in check. In the current Financial Year, for example, the total estimated wage bill is Kshs458 billion. This wage bill is at slightly over 12 per cent of our GDP, is well above the internationally accepted standard of 7 per cent and accounts for almost half of the revenue collected by the Government. This is unsustainable and poses a serious threat to the funding of important development projects, and has the potential to severely affect the country’s economic prospects. All arms of the Government must set the example and lead the way in bringing this wage bill down. Our focus, both as the Executive and the Legislature, must be on"
}