Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 439891,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/439891/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 276,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gichigi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1909,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Kamunye Gichigi",
        "slug": "samuel-kamunye-gichigi"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this Bill and like my colleagues, I congratulate my brother, hon. Ichung’wah for acting on this prevalent problem. The reason I support this Bill is because it brings clarity on the function of the establishment of the rehabilitation centers. As we speak, it is an issue that has not been addressed by the law and it is left to any person. It is not a responsibility of any person as per the law but now it is. This is a law that we need to pass very fast because under the current Budget for the next financial year, NACADA is getting funding for this purpose of establishing rehabilitation centers. We have a problem in the country, in that there are few centers. Where I come from in Nyandarua County, we do not have one and sometimes we get into problems trying to transport a person with alcoholism to some centers in Kisii. It is, therefore, very costly. I have had a look at the principal Act and it gives NACADA and other Government agencies the duty to sensitize and educate masses so that we can prevent alcoholism. Apparently, this has not been done and this Bill is now dealing with the consequences of that failure. The adage “prevention is better than cure” is exactly what we ought to focus on. Looking at the amount of money that we are spending in our hospitals trying to treat people who are not only suffering from the effect of the poison that they are drinking as alcohol but also the habitual drunkards suffering from liver failure, we are using so much money. Secondly, we have the problem of catering for the vulnerable groups that are left behind by people who die from the usage of alcohol; the widows, orphans and widowers. It is a big problem and even if you go to your constituency and look at the number of orphans that you have to give funding through bursaries or cash transfers, people are suffering. Some people are also literally the living dead. Some of the people you meet our there are living dead. The guy is there, he has not left us but he is not with us. He is literally dead because of alcoholism. On the issue of taxation, for a certain period I think since 2007, the law was that the Keg beer was not attracting Excise Duty. What happened is that most of the people shifted from the ordinary bottled beer to the Keg beer. The Government realizing that it was losing a lot of tax; it reintroduced the Excise Duty on the Keg beer. Perhaps, we need a scientific study and research---"
}