Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino, on Friday, wrote to President Uhuru Kenyatta urging him to write off all debts owed to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).
Taking to social media, the youthful MP noted that it was common practice for governments to write off debts in areas with significant impact on the economy.
He cited cases where the government had previously written off debts and asked the President to consider his request in the next financial year for the sake of all Kenyans.
“Since taking office in 2013, H.E Uhuru Kenyatta’s government has written off over Ksh 2.4 billion shillings in debts owed by coffee farmers and most recently, the government secured a Ksh20 billion facility to write off debts owed by the national carrier Kenya Airways,” he stated.
“The total national HELB debt currently stands at Ksh6.8 billion. In comparison to the coffee debt and the KQ debt, the impact of HELB loan write off will be felt across the nation in all segments of society, “ Babu added.
The outspoken MP reiterated that in order for the economy to grow, the government needed to provide a conducive environment for the youth to flourish.
“One of the biggest contributors to unemployment is the inability of young people to get jobs due to HELB debts and numerous other requirements such as Police Clearance Certificates, EACC Certificates and so on that all cost money,” the first time MP retorted.
Similarly, on Thursday, Babu wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi seeking to compel the National Police Service Commission to increase the salaries of police officers.
In a draft bill, the legislator wanted the current National Police Service Act amended to increase the allowances of all police officers based on the nature of their work.
According to Babu, there needs to be a mechanism for rewarding police officers who go the extra mile by putting their lives on the line every day to protect Kenyans and their property.
