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{
    "id": 989190,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/989190/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 306,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Maanzo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to this very important Motion. It is clear that we are passing a Supplementary Budget which is going to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been donations and there is an emergency team that has been set up to deal with those donations. We are aware that the first time we sat in this House; the Co-operative Bank first gave Kshs100 million. Quite a number of other organisations have been making contributions and now the Government of Kenya is also going to play a key role to make sure that we fight this pandemic financially. Woe unto people who are waiting to reap out of this kitty that is being put together by us and the Government. There was even talk that Parliament was doing very little to fight this pandemic initially but now, every Kenyan is clear that Parliament is doing its best and it has the task to oversee that money. We have the Departmental Committee on Health which is very active. We have the Committee on Delegated Legislation which I sit in and it is doing a lot of work on this particular matter. We also have other committees who do oversight as a Parliament to make sure that the particular kitty that we are setting up today goes to do the right job and serves the people. The plight of the people with disabilities has really been lost between the county governments and their emergency kitties and also the national Government. We need to have a clear guideline on how the people who are suffering from disabilities in the country – and who are over one million - are supposed to be taken care of in these special times of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. That is one team which has been abandoned completely and it seems to be lost between the two sides. As much as we are fighting this disease, the Constitution of Kenya has not been suspended. The Constitution having not been suspended, then we expect the rule of law to be followed. I also commend the Government and the people of Kenya for having done very well so far to contain the virus and for people having co-operated. However, there is one major thing that we must do - prevention. This can best be done by people keeping social distancing and, more importantly, wearing masks. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is our duty, as a House, to make sure that the masks are fairly distributed. This will help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus by at least 50 per cent. Water and sanitizers should also be supplied mostly to the boda riders and people in the transport industry. That is because most parts of the country do not have clean water for people to wash their hands regularly. Therefore, the provision of sanitizers is key. Indeed, that has been provided for in this Budget. I am aware that other Members want to contribute. So, I support these provisions that we allocate money to fight the pandemic and ensure that other Government processes go on. As I finalize, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the move to allocate money that is meant for payment of pending bills to business people who have made supplies to various Government departments, especially to the Prisons Service and even counties, is very important. This is what will stabilize the economy which has been hurt by the pandemic. I thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker."
}