At one time, Hon Ruto intimidated by the crowd passed on the unga debate to Hon Raila. The Prime Minister scared of shouldering the unga load passed the buck to Minister for Agriculture, Hon Ruto. What was crystal clear at the rally is that ODM members of parliament were caught flat footed by the voters over one of their campaign promise.

On many occasions at rally there were shouts of " ulisema tutakula...njaa nauwa sisi" ( you said we will eat, hunger is killing us). Times are definitely changing in Kenyan politics.  We do hope the media will report objectively the mood of citizens who attended the rally. Bunge la Mwananchi through its Kibera networks had brought the following message to the attention of Kibera residents the previous night and early morning of saturday:  

KIBERA RESIDENTS : WHAT IS THE CELEBRATION FOR? DO YOU KNOW? 

1. That MPs can buy 2kg packet of UNGA for 35 years daily at 120/= from his 1(one) month salary only.
2. That MPs have refused to pay TAX on their KSh. 1,100,000/- but they want you to pay on your meager salary.
3. That if MPs paid tax KRA would receive extra Ksh. 600,000,000/-   
4. That MPs have refused to regulate FUEL industry that  is why you can not afford Matatu fares
5. That MPs gets a Tax Free monthly Salary of 1.1 million for attending Parliament for 12 days a month only.
6. That MPs gets 15 million shillings as housing scheme whereas majority of us are squatters, homeless or in mabandas.
7. That MPs gets Free Ksh 3.3 million for Family car whereas our matatu fares have hiked fares twice.
8. That our Electricity tariffs are the most taxed in the world.
9. That MPs receive life- insurance cover of 10 million and you (90% of the country's population) cannot access Healthcare.
10. That our fat cabinet of 42 ministers earns 46.2 million per month while 5 (five) people die in Turkana District, Kwale and West Pokot daily.
11. That YOU have the power to change all these?

  TODAY PETITION THE PRIME MINISTER:

1. Reduce 2kg packet of Unga to K.Shs. 40/=

2. Reduce Petrol prices to K.Shs. 65/= per litre.

3. Reduce Electricity tariffs to K.Shs. 3/= per KW/h.

4. Reduce Kerosene prices to K.Shs. 35/= per litre.

5. Reduce Bread price to K.Shs. 20/= per 500mg.

6. Reduce 2kg packet of Sugar to K.Shs. 40/=

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written by gathara , November 30, 2008

While fully agreeing on taxing MPs, I still wish you would give figures of taxes on unga, fuel and other commodities to enable the wananchi weigh for themselves the government's pound of flesh and so assess its ability to lower prices to the levels you wish. Otherwise, it all sounds rather like the sorts of populist policies that have ruined many a country. I do not want to reverse course and have the Minister of Finance tell me every June how much a packet of milk is going to retail at. Such decisions are better left to the market.

What we should be petitioning Raila for is a reduction or elimination of certain specific taxes and better enforcement of existing regulations to deal with the cartel-like behaviour of our oil companies.

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