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{
    "id": 988210,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/988210/?format=api",
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    "content": "Hon. Deputy Speaker, as we speak, agriculture is the only activity that is going on in the rural areas of Kenya. Nothing is going on here because people have gone back to the rural areas. He has saved all the amendments to the agricultural sector, and I am sure he is going to give more details on that. Let us view this Bill in a way because if the Government gives relief on one side, it must find a way of getting money to pay the gap. The Committee has looked at this Bill and balanced it. The Bill also amends the Excise Duty and Miscellaneous Fees and Levies Act by removing exemptions on certain non-essential goods such as samples. As I was reading this Bill last night, something came to my mind that these masks we are wearing and asking Kenyans to buy carry a duty of 25 per cent and an additional Value Added Tax (VAT) of 18 per cent. I have told the Speaker that this afternoon, I will move an amendment on masks to remove the 25 per cent duty and the 18 per cent VAT so that they can be as cheap as possible. You cannot ask Kenyans to buy masks and yet, one costs between Kshs80 to Kshs90. I spoke to the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for National Treasury and, together with the Government, they are in agreement with my amendment. We have realised that in the old Act, masks had both Import Duty and VAT. The Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) have been catered for in this Bill. There was an oversight on masks. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I said this last week, and I want to agree with Hon. Mbadi that it is not a joke. We must follow the protocol. There are Kenyans who cannot buy food today. They have no jobs and cannot even afford to buy the soap that Hon. Mbadi is talking about. There are people in settlements. The President has said that there will be enough food and they will be cushioned. Money must be released immediately we pass the Supplementary Budget and Kenyans who are living in low-settlement areas must be given food. The Nairobi Metropolitan Area Services together with the County Government of Nairobi and other counties must provide food, even to the poor Muslims who are starting Ramadhan at the end of this week on Thursday. It is time to give in. As Members of Parliament, we must use our National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) emergency fund, and our Women Representatives use their emergency fund and look for vulnerable members of our society and support them. With those remarks, I beg to move and ask Hon. Limo to second. I want you to give him more than 5 minutes… Maybe 7 minutes."
}