Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 109806,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/109806/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 140,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Kimunya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am not aware that Kenya is an unfriendly place to do business in . In fact, the reverse is true. Even in the midst of economic recession, the companies that have returned the highest profit almost at the global level are the companies operating in Kenya. If you look at company closures, more closures have been seen in the USA and Europe than in this country. I believe it is because the environment is conducive to doing business; that is also in terms of the thriving of the Kenyan entrepreneurship. Now, in terms of whether there is any discrimination between foreign and local companies, I am not aware of any laws passed by this House that discriminate against locals as compared to foreigners. In fact, the one law that I am aware of that actually protects the locals is the Public Procurement and Disposal Act that has specific preferences for local products vi- a-vis the foreign products. So, all in all, I believe that every business operating within Kenya is treated equally, whether local or foreign. Unless there are any specific cases that have been tabled, I am not aware of where there is discrimination. But I am very happy that, obviously, the business community, especially in Kenya, is doing very well, and not just within Kenya. Mr. Speaker, Sir, just allow me to share some of the statistics with the House. Look at the flow of foreign direct investments within the region--- If you look at Tanzania, the number one source of direct investment is the United Kingdom. The number two source is Kenya. So, Kenyans are not just investing and doing business within Kenya, but they are the second leading investors in Tanzania. If you look at Uganda, it was the same scenario until India and Libya replaced us. A similar thing is true in Burundi and Rwanda. So, within the region, Kenyans have already asserted themselves; all that shows that charity begins at home; they can do business at home and transfer the same best practices and the same way of doing business in the region. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}