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{
    "id": 732130,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/732130/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 88,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. King’ola",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2328,
        "legal_name": "Patrick Makau King'ola",
        "slug": "patrick-makau-kingola"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance. I join the other Members who said that the President’s Address to Parliament was a good public relations exercise. Constitutionally, the President is supposed to address Parliament annually and dedicate the state of the nation to Kenyans. The President said that our country’s GDP has grown by 5.74 per cent, which is an indicator of a growing economy. However, if you look at the prices of basic necessities like milk and bread since Jubilee Government came to power, you will see that they have doubled. The price of a two-kilogramme packet of maize flour was Kshs65. It is now Kshs140. That is not an indicator of an economy that is growing. Therefore, I do not understand how Members can stand here and support the President’s Speech. I agree, it is his right to solicit for support for his presidential bid this year, but an economy that is doing well does not call for slashing of State officers’ salaries. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I was waiting for the President to address the issue of external debt. The other day this House was called upon to raise the external debt ceiling in order to allow the Government to borrow externally. Looking at our national Budget and the level of our external debt, there is no way we can say that this economy is growing. Even when the price of crude oil drops at the international market the pump prices of fuel in Kenya remain the same or are raised. Even when they are lowered, Kenyans enjoy the low prices for just a week. We cannot say that the economy is growing when the fundamental contributors to economic growth are underperforming. For instance, the tourism industry in this country is no more. Exports of agricultural commodities are no more. One wonders how the President can stand in this august House and claim that the economy is doing well. The President went ahead and said that Kenya is the third-best destination for doing business in Africa when we know that our failure to fight corruption has driven investors out of this country. Nobody wants to come and invest in Kenya. I expected the President to be categorical when he said that every household in the country is connected to electricity. 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."
}