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{
    "id": 421389,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/421389/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 365,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ababu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 108,
        "legal_name": "Ababu Tawfiq Pius Namwamba",
        "slug": "ababu-namwamba"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I do not have much in the way of time, but let me just say that we are a legislative Chamber. We sit in this Chamber primarily to make law and pretty much in the mode of Hammurabi the law giver; the sixth king of ancient Babylon. In making law, we can make, unmake and re- make any law. That is what the Constitution grants us and the people have mandated us to do so. Therefore, we should not feel apprehensive like we are doing anything wrong if we made a law in this Chamber and that law did not meet the expectations of the people we represent here. We should be ready to look at that law again because primarily, a law is supposed to cure mischief. In this case, the placement of a broad range of products under VAT, when we passed the VAT law last year, caused a lot of pain across the board. Therefore, we must look at this law as being some kind of relief to the people out there. I want to urge my very good friends on the side of the Jubilee Coalition that this law is, in fact, in the best interest of the Jubilee Government, in the sense that it will address a lot of pain and concern among the ordinary people across the country who have definitely felt the pinch of the VAT law as it is now. Therefore, this is one piece of legislation that should enjoy overwhelming support in this House. When you look at the areas that this law is targeting, the benefits will accrue very directly to ordinary Kenyans, whether you are talking about farmers and enabling them to access affordable inputs. You are talking about people who depend on products like milk at a very basic level. You are talking about ordinary Kenyans who constitute the majority of the people we represent. Sitting here and listening to the Chair of the Finance, Planning and Trade Committee talking about the need for the Government to finance its operations, of course, that is given, but even as the Government seeks to raise revenue, it must also manage the revenue it collects better. It is on record and the President himself has admitted this that there is wanton wastage in the Government. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}