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{
    "id": 1105886,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1105886/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 130,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Kang’ata",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Were it not for that money that is being sent directly to the families by our people outside this country, our shilling would be very weak. There would be inflation and we would have thousands of Kenyans living in abject poverty because of having a very weak shilling. However, that is not the case now owing to the fact that we now have a large diaspora community that is able to leverage and support our Kenyan economy as they send their remittances. If at all the diaspora currently are now the largest source of Kenyan foreign reserve, why is it that we cannot have a stand-alone desk or even Ministry to deal with diaspora matters? We have a Ministry of Tourism that is dedicated to championing matters tourism. Now tourism is no longer a major foreign cash earner in this country, but we still found it fit to have a stand-alone Ministry to deal with matters tourism. We even have almost four or five parastatals or State bodies that have been established by an Act of Parliament to deal with matters tourism. For example, we have the tourism development fee which is levied on various stakeholders that deals with matters tourism. Surely, if we can invest all that energy on tourism, why can we not now do that for diaspora people? I have done a comparative study to compare Kenya and other countries and I have seen other countries have put in place more measures to take care of their diaspora people. They include a country like Philippines. It is one of the most important labour- exporting countries with a huge diaspora community. Also India has a huge and vibrant diaspora community. I think it is time as a country we now started focusing on coming up with measures to ensure the people in the diaspora are currently given their due recognition in the National Government or in this country. I strongly believe that Kenya should be run like a good business. When you are a good businessperson, you invest your money in a sector that is giving you large returns. Clearly, we have seen our people in the diaspora have been the most important sector currently giving us a lot of foreign reserves. So, in the same breath we need to reciprocate by coming up with policies to boost diaspora remittances to ensure that the diaspora people also get the due recognition which they are asking for and that is not too much to ask. I have not even proposed to create a parastatal or a State body that is going to drain Government resources. I have just come up with an idea to come up with a lean entity that is not expensive just to ensure diaspora people are not ignored and that are given their due recognition because they continued to support this Republic of Kenya. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, allow me now to refocus on the counties and the people of the diaspora. Let me take this opportunity, first, to thank Governor Tolgos of Elegeyo-Marakwet and also Governor Mandago of Uasin Gishu County. They made efforts to ensure their counties have entered into some form of partnership with a university in a place called Tampere in Finland where I saw Governor Mandago has taken almost 60 young people to that university. I feel that was a very important idea. The youth unemployment problem in this country is the most pressing issue that we need to address as a Republic. Millions and thousands of young people are graduating from TVETS, colleges, universities and high schools, but they are not getting employment locally."
}