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    "id": 780966,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/780966/?format=api",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Speaker, I also want to mention that when the Grand Coalition Government was formed in 2008 and with the promulgation of a new Constitution in 2010, there was renewed hope among Kenyans. The GDP rate in 2010 was the highest so far recorded in the history of this country at 8.4 per cent. With political uncertainty which has caused anxiety among Kenyans over the last few years resulting into a poor business environment, the GDP has been dropping steadily and by the end of 2017, the GDP growth rate had dropped to 5 per cent. In the first quarter of this year 2018, it now stands at around 4.4 to 4.5 per cent. This trend should torment us as lawmakers who approve taxation. We want to address the worrying trend that now bothers all Kenyans irrespective of political or ethnic background. This is what we have in mind. In 2017 we had a hotly contested general election which sowed seeds of discord among Kenyans and for the first time in our history as a country the Presidential election was annulled after a successful petition in the Supreme Court. A fresh Presidential election was called but as the Opposition, we did not trust in the process and called for the irreducible minimum reforms that never happened. I hope this House will remember that we kept on singing: “irreducible minimum” I have taken this House through this history to understand where we are and where we are heading to, and the reason why it became necessary that we work together as a country. Despite our call for a reformed fresh, free and fair poll, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) went ahead and set a date for the repeat elections. We did not however participate in the repeat elections, a process that resulted into His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta being declared the President again. The events were characterised with violence, police brutality, massive boycott from NASA strongholds and serious ethnic polarisation that once again reminded us of our tribal affiliations albeit in bad taste. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}