Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1089734,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1089734/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 319,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Were",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13183,
        "legal_name": "Petronila Were Lokorio",
        "slug": "petronila-were-lokorio"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the County Licensing (Uniform Procedures) Bill (Senate Bills No. 32 of 2020) that is ably sponsored by Sen. Chebeni and has been properly seconded by Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve. The objective of this Bill is to put in place uniform procedures for the licensing of various activities by counties. Presently, there are varied procedures in applying for licenses which has a negative impact on the ease of doing business in the counties. This Bill will ensure that there is some form of sanity in the process of issuing procedures to applicants and ultimately encourage the players in the private sector to do business in the counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, other than just the ease of doing business, I would like to illustrate the kind of frustration a business person goes through when they are going through various counties in the line of their business. I will give an example of a potatoes trader who picks his potatoes from Nyandarua County which is the place that produces the most Irish potatoes in this country. When the trader leaves Nyandarua with his potatoes to transport them to Mombasa County, he will require a license from Nyandarua County. When he gets to Laikipia County, he will be required to get another license. Once he is through with that, he has to pass through Nakuru County where he will go through a different process of licensing. After that, he will have to pass through Kiambu County and go through a different process of licensing before getting to Nairobi City County where he will also be expected to go through a different process of licensing. There are also other counties including Machakos, Makueni and Taita Taveta which also have different licensing procedures before they get to Mombasa County. Those kinds of frustrations discourage trade. By the time the potatoes reach Mombasa County, their price is exorbitant for the people who require them. That will then affect the nutrition of Kenyans in the long run. By putting up these uniform procedures, you may think that it is a simple Act, but the ripple effect is significant to this country. This Bill provides for timelines that should be adhered to in providing a license to a trader. It states that it must be within 28 days across the counties and where it is not provided within the 28 days, then the license is deemed to have been approved. The imposition of licensing fees is currently carried out in a manner that hampers the"
}