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{
    "id": 680784,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/680784/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 114,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Chepkong’a",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1154,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Kiprono Chepkonga",
        "slug": "samuel-kiprono-chepkonga"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Speaker, I rise to second the very important Motion that the Deputy Leader of the Minority Party, Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo has brought. I thank him for raising this issue last week when we had a very animated discourse. We agreed that he comes in this format, which he has done. I congratulate and thank him for the manner in which he has moved this Motion which is very important. I know that very many people, in their mind, ask why this Motion was not referred to a particular Committee. The issues that this Motion is dealing with cross-cut a minimum of three Committees, including the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade; the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security; and the Departmental Committee on Justice and the Legal Affairs. We thought we should have a Select Committee because we wanted this to be done fairly quickly. If we were to bring together all those three Committees, we would have a Committee of about 90 members. That will not be manageable. We need a few people who can deal with this matter in a more expeditious manner. This issue has exercised the minds of Kenyans. What we knew as Charity Sweepstake looks like a nonstarter as we speak right now. No one thinks about it anymore. It is now a totally different ball game. We are now talking about new gambling companies like Sportpesa, Elibet,Betway, Betin Kenya, mCHEZA and many others that have booths all over the place, as has already been said by the Mover. This has become the new business in town, where you do nothing but buy something and win. People have been fixated to something that is not productive. As the Mover has just said, a company by the name Sportpesa is proposing to sponsor a football club in the United Kingdom (UK) by the name “Hull City” to the tune of about Kshs6 billion. We are no longer witnessing brain drain. We are witnessing money drain from this country to another country which has a lot of money. I do not know whether we call this development or we are retrogressing. In fact, we should expect money to come from those countries, having taken away our raw materials without paying for them. Secondly, we served as slaves in those countries for free and they have not paid up to date. We now have fellows who want to ship our money to those countries. This is neo-slavery, where our hard earned money is being taken away from this country. We cannot accept this. This is not the way to develop a country. We develop a country by engaging in productive activities. There is nothing productive about Sportpesa and gambling to the extent that you can spend Kshs6 billion to just gamble that whoever will win this time is not going to be this other new club that won the premier league. We have seen very many things happening in this country. We have seen people die because they have gambled away hard earned money which they were given by their parents. We have people who have sold their vehicles or property to get money to gamble. That money disappears and some people are unable to explain. They do not even know how to reconcile themselves with that loss. The only thing they are engaged in is plotting on how to take themselves out of this world to avoid the shame they have brought unto themselves. Hon. Speaker, we are encouraging people to commit suicide. People are seeking ways of acquiring money, including gambling and stealing from others. There is something which is popularly referred to as kupiga mtu ngeta in the rural areas, which is very popular. Many people will be waiting for us in dark alleys. I am afraid. Although Hon. Kamama is in charge of security, he will lose security very quickly because of this gambling. Many people will be timing him round the corner and gamble him away by taking away his very good vehicle and then sell it. We must discourage gambling. There is no regulation today. The legislation which was 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."
}