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{
    "id": 1156175,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1156175/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 82,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I also join in thanking Sen. Madzayo for giving us this Statement on the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) process that took place recently. I was wondering why there were all these people at Serena Hotel. I think that was what was going on. Many times in this House, Members do not engage fully with these committees of regional and international nature. These include the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA), ICGLR and African Caribbean and Pacific European Union Joint Assembly (ACP-EU), which I have been part of. Members do not know the impact these discussions have on us. I remember part of the insight that informed the negotiations of Economic Partnership Agreements with the EU were held in the ACP-EU sessions that we had in Strasberg and those that have taken place in Europe, where we have a seat. Our Constitution notes the role of Parliament in treaty making, but Parliament only engages when the treaty is brought. These are processes that take years. Whether it is multilateral or bilateral agreements, they take many sessions and Parliament comes at the tail-end. I think our governance, international democracy and diplomacy need to focus on Parliamentary diplomacy, where we sit with colleagues. I am glad that I have made friends across the world. Today, based on the sessions that we have had in Parliament, I can call somebody at the EU Parliament and they will consider me a friend. I have friends in the House of Commons and Congress because of these engagements, which are extremely useful. I would encourage Members, in the next House, to participate in these multilateral engagements such as this one. Our region is extremely important. For a long time, I was not for the political union of the East African Community (EAC). I always thought the political and economic union will slow down Kenya because our revenue alone is bigger than that of our partners combined. I had that myopic thinking until many years ago, President Uhuru Kenyatta sat me down and told me that I do not realize what I was talking about. We might have fewer seats at the United Nations (UN) or African Union (AU) when we become one political union. However, we will create a huge market of hundreds of millions of people for our goods and services. Number two and most importantly, which I did not believe that would come, he said that we are fighting in this country because of a few tribes. There is an issue of Kikuyu, Luo, Kalenjin and Luyha. However, we will have to deal with the Congolese, the Chagas and the Rwandese. It reduces the small silly competition we have been having in this country about a few tribes. The caste mentality needs to change and we need to think of how the world is going. We are stronger together and big is better. I foresee our young people in Dandora, who are producing something due to their innovation being able to showcase it in Kinshasa or Arusha because it is one market."
}