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{
    "id": 1048412,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1048412/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 68,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Lusaka",
    "speaker_title": "The Speaker",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Uasin Gishu, the same flowers come to Nairobi only for the Emirates flights to leave Eldoret and come to Nairobi to pick them and fly to Amsterdam. It makes no sense at all. I support that there are a few things that we must deal with. As the Committee looks at this, let them go beyond transport and address the issue of trade. Sometimes we talk of trade imbalance and we have no goods to give to anybody. In Uasin Gishu, for example, we should have been exporters of both flowers and grains. We are aware that the UAE is a net importer of food. There are many grains, including beans and pulses that we should be able to export. When we talk of export of beans and avocadoes, the processing has been standardized. Anything that goes to the EU is processed by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) the same way they would process goods that go to the UAE. Our biggest problem is the fact that we have not gone forward to do what we must do. There must be somebody exporting avocadoes and mangoes which are in the shelves in Dubai. If there is somebody who is doing so, then it means that it is possible to do it. As the Committee is looking at the restrictions being imposed on the flights, they should also look at the barriers that seem to exist that affect the export of goods. I know that we have tried, we have been thinking about this in Eldoret for a while. There are things which must be done by either the county government or the national Government to address trade imbalance. For example, having storage that is of the right standards and cooling structures for fresh produce. We do not have those facilities. Therefore, we cannot blame anybody when we cannot send anything from Uasin Gishu. We have that challenge and we will address it. The minute we discovered that the Emirates actually comes to Nairobi to pick our flowers and take them to Amsterdam, we realized that we should be releasing our flowers from Eldoret itself. This is what we are working on with our county government. I hope that it will be done very soon. In addition to the issues that have been raised, I think that trade angles should be looked at. The Committee should invite, not only the Government officials in charge of transport and infrastructure, but also bring in the issue of trade so that we deal with it, so that will rescue our airport in Uasin Gishu. Thank you very much for giving me the chance."
}