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{
    "id": 736615,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/736615/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 248,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Maanzo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": "We have a disaster in this country because agriculture has been devolved. Food security should be experienced in the counties. Counties should provide food for their people. But this kind of arrangement does not give Kenyans enough food. It is not clear where our investments are going. It is not clear where Kenyan taxes are going. When it comes to insurance, they are not well balanced. Under Article 174(g) of the Constitution, resources should be distributed equally across the country. That is why the money we collect as taxes should be taken care of. When you overtax Kenyans, then this money should not end up in corruption. It should be put to good use. It should go into, say, investments. We should be in a position to produce more food through irrigation. We are supposed to have a big dam called Thwake, in Makueni Constituency. Its construction has been slowed down because of lack of finances and proper arrangements in the country. If such investments were to be made, then the one million acres Galana-Kulalu Irrigation Scheme would be sustained. As we talk now, there is not enough water to sustain the project. If we can have a dam built upstream, then there will be sufficient flow of water. Therefore, the Government needs to take care of that particular project which has been sponsored by Kenyan taxes. We tax Kenyans using this Finance Bill. I have even seen something to do with cigarettes here. The ones with filters attract a different tax from the ones without filters. In fact, the worse cigarette is the one without filters. This is the one which is killing Kenyans and so it should be very expensive. A lot of Kenyans suffer from cancer which is as a result of smoking cigarettes. They go to Kenyatta Hospital where the cost of medical care is cushioned through the taxes that we pay. So, as a country, we are paying a lot of money towards medical care and we need to tax more the cigarettes which are not filtered than the ones that are filtered. I will be bringing amendments at the Committee of the whole House. I support."
}