Kenyans have been encouraged to sire more children as a strategy of growing the economy and increasing productivity in the country by providing it with the requisite manpower.
Safina presidential candidate Jimi Wanjigi urged Kenyans to bear more children, promising parents who have over three children generous tax benefits.
Wanjigi elaborated his agenda to Murang'a residents on Sunday, April 10. Under his plan, those who have over six children will pay zero taxes while parents who have at least three kids will get a 50 per cent tax relief.
"When I see children, I become overwhelmed with joy because even when I walk around in my campaigns, I usually encourage people to bring forth more offspring. Even God ordered that we multiply and fill the earth.
"Having two children is not multiplying, that is a replacement because when you die one child fills in your position. When your wife passes on, the other takes up her position; multiplication means having three, four, five children," Wanjigi stated.
His remarks come at a time when Kenyans are facing difficult financial times owing to the high cost of fuel, subject to its availability, whose ripple effect is the spike in the prices of basic commodities.
Wanjigi has made the family institution among the core pillars of his campaign. Unlike most leaders who push for reduced population citing exhaustion of natural resources, he opines that a bigger population is a necessity for expedited development.
Many a time, he has asked Kenyans to draw examples from China, whose population stands at 1.44 billion. He claimed that China's development was due to its large population which provides cheap, and readily available labour.
In December 2018, the tycoon drew controversy when he suggested that individuals should consider having children out of wedlock as well.
"For many years we have been told not to restrict our children to one or two by the West who claim that we do not have resources.
"Numbers is a market. Let us make babies in the family unit and if we, unfortunately, do not succeed there, let us do it elsewhere because these children are our power today and tomorrow," Wanjigi stated.
On their part, his opponent and Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga hopes to support needy families with a Ksh6,000 monthly stipend as a means to cushion them from the biting economy.
Ironically, the billionaire politician has only two children.
