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{
    "id": 1085696,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1085696/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 105,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Ali",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.48(1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations regarding suspension of flights between Kenya and Somalia. It has now been opened but it has caused a lot of harm. In the Statement, the committee should- (1) Provide justification, if any, for the suspension, by the Kenya Government, of flights to and from Somalia. (2) Explain if the Government has put in place measures to mitigate the losses the Kenya aviation industry is incurring on daily basis as a result of the suspension. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this has been happening several times. It happened in 2020 and also recently for about four months. Nearly 4 million Somalis travel to and from Somalia and all over the world. Nairobi used to be the hub. The airlines from Nairobi used to transfer them but now Uganda Airlines, RwandAir, Ethiopian, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways are benefiting while local businesses here which are mainly private are literally dying. In 2017, the airlines industry in Kenya created over 130,000 jobs in supply chains, 58,000 jobs in employee spending and 410 jobs in tourism. Currently, the industry directly supports over 35,000 people. However, whenever we have a kneejerk reaction and the airspace is closed within two hours, many people lose jobs. People are really suffering. I urge the committee to look into these issues. If at all an issue arises, then the Government should give the industry some time. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}