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{
    "id": 36201,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/36201/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 324,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mututho",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 97,
        "legal_name": "John Michael Njenga Mututho",
        "slug": "john-mututho"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this Motion. I want to remind hon. Members that you might be in the Executive tonight but your cardinal call is in upholding what we are here for and we are here for three things: To represent the people of Kenya; to make laws and to do oversight. We are not here as entertainers and neither are we here to do anything else. We have a banner outside this Chamber so that in case an hon. Member forgets, it is to represent the people. The people of Kenya are now living in poverty. In 1975, Dr. Mark Namala who was then the World Bank chief defined poverty as follows:- “People living in conditions so degrading as to deny human dignity.” That is where we are. People are living in conditions so degrading as to deny human dignity. These people have to go to bed as early as 6.30 p.m. depending on the sun because they cannot afford lighting their houses. These people cannot afford to have firewood. These people do not have enough to eat. You are forcing them to be truly members of the dark continent, Africa. If you Google “Africa” at night, it cannot be seen. We thank Esther Passaris because at least, Nairobi can be seen by Google at night. We have to do something and one of the options that we have is the Government. I am glad that the Assistant Minister, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance is here to look at taxation levels. The decision of taxation levels is a decision of the Executive. A decision to help the people of Kenya is our mandate. Our people are suffering. So, whatever you are working on concerning taxation levels, talking of direct or indirect subsidy or whatever you are talking about, the net effect must be the same. I really cherish those old days when I bought my first car in 1970s. For Kshs20, you could travel around Nairobi and then go home in the evening. The salaries were less than Kshs2,000 at that time. Today, who is eventually collecting all that money? Is it the marketer or the Government? If it is the Government and there is that additional revenue and they are talking about Kshs40 billion, I want to give them an alternative and I want the Assistant Minister to listen. By doing the right thing like introducing value addition in agriculture from Naivasha alone, you can collect your Kshs41 billion. It is there and it is documented. The only reason why you are not collecting that amount of money is because you still export our flowers in bulk to an extent that they give you double entry and you are not able to capture the right taxation levels. That way, you lose your Kshs41 billion. If"
}