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{
    "id": 515406,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/515406/?format=api",
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    "content": "look at the education system in Ethiopia – the infrastructure and so on – they are doing very well. There is really no fear that we should express when we are going this direction. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this Bill has been accused of having too many bureaucratic bottlenecks. In the Third Reading, we shall see to what extent Senators who have expressed this idea can bring amendments to that Bill so that what is seen as bottlenecks, but which are seen as institutions of regulation, are run in such a way that they do not lead to bureaucratic bottlenecks. A progressive development agenda that will make a difference in this country, is one in which regulating harambee in this era, is extremely important. We have seen how harambees have been misused during campaign times. As a sequel to this Bill, I will subsequently propose that we have a Bill on campaign financing and I will pray for a vote in this House when this Bill is presented. We will then have a specific law of campaign financing in cognisance of what is provided in the Kenyan Constitution and the Political Parties Act. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in terms of way forward, the adoption of this Bill in our society will lead to a speed up in social development. This is because the proposals of tax rebate in the event of people contributing money to social welfare projects through voluntary contribution are made in the Bill, as many Senators observed. Further, we see in the Bill that tax exemption for philanthropy is recognised and, perhaps, it goes progressively beyond the Act that is being repealed – the Public Collections Act. Finally, I must say that in thanking the House, the line between harambee and extortion is very thin as Members observed. Sen. Ndiema did make that point very strongly. Another point that he made, which I would like to emphasize, is that harambee has actually made our economy very non-competitive in character. This is because the pressure for harambee leads public officers to be used for rent seeking. When people are looking for resources to go to harambee, they know that their salaries alone cannot bear the burden of harambees. If you went to public offices, you always found a public officer, whether a DO, a DC, a principal of a college or a headmaster of a school, had a stack of cards on his or her desk giving you service. After the service, you feel more or less psychologically compelled to contribute to the harambee they are seeking support for. Now, when this happens to potential investors in the economy they begin running away because in Kenya there are very high transaction costs. These are realities in our economy and we should be frank enough to say that something which was started as a noble cause has over time degenerated as an albatross around the neck of our economy and our society. Therefore, the easiest thing is to take the bull by the horns and call a spade, a spade and get a proper spoon for the food we want to eat. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to conclude by saying that this Bill will go a long way to remove that albatross around our neck and to ensure that we now begin supporting social welfare projects either through public resources or by genuine volunteerism to social welfare. In line with Standing Order No.54 (3), I would like to request the Chair to put off the--- 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."
}