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{
    "id": 1056558,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1056558/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 250,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kajiado South, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Katoo ole Metito",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13239,
        "legal_name": "Janet Marania Teyiaa",
        "slug": "janet-marania-teyiaa"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I also rise to support this Motion. All speakers have said that we are not growing the economy, which is very true. Therefore, I will not talk a lot about the overall BPS. Let me highlight on the agencies that my Committee oversees: National Intelligence Service (NIS), Ministry of Defence, Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development which includes the Northern Corridor Development and the Ministry of Foreign affairs and International Trade. In terms of growing the economy, let me talk about foreign affairs. We can use foreign affairs to grow the economy. We should shift from the political policy as far as foreign relations is concerned and focus on the economic policy. If we focus our missions on those countries that have economic value more than even the political value to this country, this is achievable. As far as this BPS is concerned, we are funding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to a tune of only 35 per cent. This is the time it is being funded the highest. We should focus on trade and post trade attachés to these missions. They are called lobbyists in the United States of America (USA). They are people who can lobby for economic opportunities for this country. However, you have to spend money to make money. If we focus on the economic policy, there is a lot that can be achieved. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, even as it is now, 35 per cent is almost 100 per cent Recurrent Expenditure. For instance, it goes to pay rent for our missions. We have been talking of moving from renting premises to acquiring them. We can even acquire big flats. For example, if you go to New York City, just next to the United Nations headquarters, you will see Uganda House which is a 12 storey building and they only occupy two floors. They use the other 10 to generate income. Nigeria owns a 44 storey building in New York and they only use four floors; the other 40 they use to generate income. Some of the income is ploughed back to their country and most of it is used to meet the cost of all their other missions. Let us put money to our Foreign Affairs Ministry and focus on activities that generate money abroad, to this country. By that, we will be growing the economy."
}