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{
    "id": 450236,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/450236/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 96,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "June 10, 2014 SENATE DEBATES 16 Sen. Kajwang",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I wish we could be sincere to ourselves because we really want to help this country. To be sincere to ourselves, we must do two things; we must remove traditional alcoholic drinks from the list of the whole definition of alcoholic drinks; I have seen it there in the definition at Section 3. Every country must have a traditional drink; every community must have a traditional drink and if you outlaw it or if you must take it to this authority to approve it so that I have to carry it in a pot and take it to the authority to approve it before you come and give it to your brothers in-law, then it will no longer be a traditional drink. I think we must separate the two things. Secondly, we are importing something called the licensing of importation of alcoholic drinks. This is giving too much authority to this authority that we are creating. What are we going to do? We are going to make some of these people billionaires by restricting importation of vodka or other alcoholic drinks, and giving licences when they feel like; and refusing to give licences when they feel like. These drinks are already good for the international market, so why are we giving somebody authority to licence their importation? At what points are they going to be licenced; is it when they are still at the port in Russia? Or are we going to licence them when they have already arrived in Mombasa? What if he refuses to licence it when you have already imported them? I think we are missing the point. We want to give too much power in the hands of one person or a few people who will, I think, abuse it and hurt our economy if we are not very careful. Now, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this thing called Senate Beer, which was being done by our friends; Kenya Breweries; in fact, they did it on consultation with the Government. The Government said “people are dying because they cannot afford whisky like we can; and they cannot afford the other beers. So, what do we do?” Kenya Breweries said “we will do a cheaper beer for the common man;” and they did the Senate Keg. What did we do when the Government came into power? They immediately imposed Value Added Tax (VAT) on this drink, and its price shot up to become almost the same as the other ones. The net effect was that all these people who were drinking keg and were very happy went down to drink these other alcoholic drinks, which we say are bad. That is how these deaths have arisen. So, the first thing we must do is to recommend the removal of VAT on the Senate Keg so that the industry that produces safe beer can continue to produce that safe beer for the people of that class. We should not be so elitist as to forget that we are not the same in our purchasing capacity. Some people can do 18 or 21 year old single malt; other people can only do busaa ! So, we must allow people in this country to enjoy whatever they want to enjoy at the cost at which they can afford. If you make it criminal for them, then they will go underground; but they will drink all the same as I had said earlier. Lastly, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this registration of alcoholic drinks; I had already said that we should remove the traditional drinks from the list of alcoholic drinks. But if you insist that it must be registered, how are you going to register a beer that has been brewed by an old woman in my village for people to enjoy in the evening? In fact, our villagers know that Mrs. So-and-So is brewing beer, and by Friday, it will be ready. So, are you going to register it and The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}