{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=148329","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=148327","results":[{"id":1501472,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501472/?format=json","text_counter":67,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"His Excellency the President","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":168,"legal_name":"Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta","slug":"uhuru-kenyatta"},"content":"We have also prioritised the empowerment of individuals within the informal sector by unlocking their potential through targeted investment. This includes accessible loans, capacity building programmes and regulatory reforms designed to ease growth. A notable achievement is the partnership with the banking industry, which I participated in a month ago. This extended an additional Kshs150 billion in loans to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), complementing the Government’s efforts to nurture this vital sector. On financial inclusion, we have made remarkable progress through the Hustler Fund. To date, this innovative initiative has disbursed Kshs60 billion, benefiting 24.6 million Kenyans and mobilized over Kshs3.3 billion in savings. The Fund maintains a repeat customer base of 8.5 million beneficiaries, with a repayment rate of 79 per cent. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1501473,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501473/?format=json","text_counter":68,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"His Excellency the President","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":168,"legal_name":"Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta","slug":"uhuru-kenyatta"},"content":"To mark the Fund’s second anniversary, we have taken a bold step by launching a third product, specifically tailored for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This new initiative will initially target two million beneficiaries who have demonstrated a strong credit history with the Fund. By so doing, we aim to create a pathway for these entrepreneurs to transition into the formal banking system, thereby deepening financial inclusion and strengthening the SME sector. This milestone underscores our commitment to build a financially inclusive and economically resilient nation. The progress we have made has been possible only because the people of Kenya have been courageous, strong, determined and patriotic. It has also been enabled by a number of early interventions under our Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), and at the same time created space for us to implement the agenda in full. As we proceed with the implementation, we expect to quickly capitalise on the gains we have secured and invest resources in the economy, with an emphasis on strategic pillars of our plan. As more projects get off the ground, more people get hired, liquidity levels improve, more money ends up in people’s pockets. Hon. Members, you know we are a democracy. Democracy is a founding principle and defining value of our nation. Democracy is a hard-won non-negotiable right and guarantees freedom that we are proud of and must always defend. Our national democratic culture expresses itself energetically through robust discourse, boldly speaking truth to power and holding leadership to account. It is a tradition of fearless expression and vigorous public participation. This is who we are and there is nothing anyone can do about it. We understand, therefore, that protests are always legitimate and permitted by the Constitution. Protests are conducted by citizens who are peaceful and unarmed. Assemblies, demonstrations and picketing to advance constitutionalism, increase accountability and defend the rule of law are constitutional imperatives. Conversely, mobilisation in pursuit of criminal agenda, chaos and anarchy are explicitly forbidden because we all have a duty to defend our Republic, our Constitution and the rights of all people. The Government, in particular, must remain vigilant at all times against modern threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our nation, as well as public order, peace and security."},{"id":1501474,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501474/?format=json","text_counter":69,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Applause)"},{"id":1501475,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501475/?format=json","text_counter":70,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"His Excellency the President","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":168,"legal_name":"Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta","slug":"uhuru-kenyatta"},"content":"In this digital era characterised by transformative innovations, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), it has never been easier to inform, educate and entertain the people. At the same time, it has never been easier to misinform, mislead, disinform, incite and alarm the public. Criminals and subversive elements who infiltrate and hijack peaceful protests are a threat both to legitimate protesters and the public. Incidences of violent criminality in the name of protests threaten the safety of innocent people, public assets, private property and the social order. The tension here is stark. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1501476,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501476/?format=json","text_counter":71,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"His Excellency the President","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":168,"legal_name":"Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta","slug":"uhuru-kenyatta"},"content":"We have a democracy which we are proud of, must defend and should defend by all means. At the same time, we have citizens whose lives and rights we must protect and a nation whose security, stability and prosperity we must safeguard. The task at hand is complicated if citizens and state agencies dilute the distinction between the lawful and the criminal, the just and the unjust, thereby making it difficult to tell protesters and security officers from bandits, gangsters and criminals. It is only by following the law that we are able to achieve our aims and apportion accountability properly. It should not be possible for robbers and looters to escape accountability by claiming that they were taking part in a protest."},{"id":1501477,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501477/?format=json","text_counter":72,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Applause)"},{"id":1501478,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501478/?format=json","text_counter":73,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"His Excellency the President","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":168,"legal_name":"Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta","slug":"uhuru-kenyatta"},"content":"Likewise, it should not be possible for security officers to wound, maim or even kill citizens and claim that they were engaging violent criminals. We all have a duty to make the necessary distinction and do so clearly to protect democratic expression and guarantee public safety and security. I must now confront an issue of widespread concern regarding the relationship between citizens and the security services in the context of immense threat and intense political dynamism. Numerous allegations have been made concerning disappearance of people during protests. A number of these cases have been resolved, while others have been uncovered as fake news, undermining efforts to find genuine cases of missing persons. A good number of alleged disappearances have also turned out to be arrests made by police officers. In such cases, the suspects have been duly arraigned in court. I must, however, make it very clear that there is no attempt to justify or excuse illegal arrests. Such would be a serious threat to the life and liberty of citizens. I condemn any excessive or extrajudicial action, which puts the life and liberty of any person at risk, including disappearances and threats to life."},{"id":1501479,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501479/?format=json","text_counter":74,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Applause)"},{"id":1501480,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501480/?format=json","text_counter":75,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"His Excellency the President","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":168,"legal_name":"Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta","slug":"uhuru-kenyatta"},"content":"I urge all Kenyans with information about such cases to forward the information to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DPP) and to Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), where they suspect members of the police service to be implicated. I am aware, for example, that many of the cases that have been raised are being handled by the IPOA, an important step in accountability and justice. Many citizens, as well as various organizations representing and championing women's rights and welfare, have expressed concern about gender-based violence and the increasing cases of killings of female victims by male criminals, motivated by primitive expressions of gender-based brutality and impunity. Left unaddressed, these incidences will cause the women of our nation to feel increasingly unsafe, even in their own homes."},{"id":1501481,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501481/?format=json","text_counter":76,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Applause)"}]}