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{
    "id": 7302,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/7302/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 463,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mbadi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": "Rachel Shebesh, hon. Nkoidila ole Lankas, hon. Eseli Simiyu, Shakila Abdalla and, finally, hon. Joyce Laboso. This report was adopted unanimously and the recommendations herein were arrived at after thorough consultations with all the targeted stakeholders. It is my pleasure to commend and commit this report to the House for adoption. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I just want to mention a few findings. It is important to note at the beginning that in all the places where the Committee has interacted with Kenyans through open public hearing, one strong message that has been consistent is that the citizens of this country are literally panting under the unbearable burden of the cost of essentials of life that has spiralled well beyond their reach. The rapid increase in inflation without a corresponding rise in incomes has seriously eroded the purchasing power even for the middle class. Actually, we were told that Kenya has become a “walking” nation instead of being regarded as a working nation. It is important to note that Kenyans are laying their tribulations squarely in the lap of the country’s leadership, who they believe are insensitive and I am quoting this from what we heard from the Kenyan public. The Kenyan public said:- “…Unresponsive and obsessed with games of political brinkmanship and hunger pangs ravage children, women and men across the length and breadth of the country. Kenyans feel neglected and shunned by a leadership that is insulated from their grim reality. Farmers feel abandoned to the mercy of brutal profiteers while transporters are exposed to merciless wheeler-dealing cartels in the energy sector. There, indeed, is widespread concern about cartels and corruption networks that have infested all spheres of life.” Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think it is appropriate for me to mention at this time that many times when we interacted with the public, the way the public sees leadership in this country, they see a leadership that is corrupt; they look at us like we are the same ones who cause their problems and then we run to ask them what the solutions are. In one of the sittings, I remember we were asked whether it is really true that we do not know the causes of the high rising cost of living. According to the general public, they believe that the leadership is very much aware of why they are facing problems in their day to day lives. But they feel we are reluctant to help them solve these problems. We identified and met various stakeholders as I mentioned. We started with the oil sub-sector and we held meetings as I did say. Specifically, the Committee was interested in knowing whether cartels exist in the oil sector and what really causes the sky-rocketing cost of fuel in Kenya? Thirdly, we wanted to know the percentage cost of taxes in the high cost of living or the portion of the tax element in the cost of fuel. The other one was the effect of price regulation. Since we started price regulation through the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on the cost of fuel, has it achieved any desired objective? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I could not speak at a better time. Recently, I remember the Departmental Committee on Energy, Communication and Information questioned even the rationale of having this commission in place. They actually called for its disbandment. I think it was important for our Committee to also address this issue. We also wanted to know the relationship existing between the percentage increase in international oil market prices and the pump price of Kenya; we wanted to know the role of the National Oil Corporation in stabilizing fuel prices; we wanted to know the real"
}