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{
    "id": 837821,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/837821/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 43,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Halake",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13184,
        "legal_name": "Abshiro Soka Halake",
        "slug": "abshiro-soka-halake"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, as a middle-income country, funding to Kenyan institutions especially in the philanthropic or humanitarian field has reduced very much, as I said, by close to half. The United Nations (UN) which is the blue pillar for humanitarian response recently did a survey which revealed global reduction in humanitarian support in the year 2016 to a 40 per cent funding shortfall for the UN coordinated humanitarian appeals. Normally, whenever there is a disaster, an appeal is made, through the Kenya Red Cross Society and the United Nations (UN) movement. All of these have dipped by 40 per cent. This means that the Kenya Red Cross Society has had to work with less people, volunteers and prepositioned commodities. Therefore, our people will suffer. I am privileged to know the figures, but do not want to put them on the Table. However, this deficit will affect the ability of the Kenya Red Cross Society to respond to emergencies and disasters throughout the country, since it lies largely in the operations of disasters. This is where the rubber meets the road in terms of the major work of the organisation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the organisation does much more than disaster risk response and has been a key pillar, as an auxiliary to the Government of Kenya. We have ambulances that are seen on the roads and prepositioned around the country on a cost sharing basis. Those who can afford them pay, but they respond for free to the people who cannot afford. Ideally, ambulance services should be provided by the Government, but the organisation is bearing the brunt of it. Therefore, we urge this House to stand with institutions that are accountable. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}