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{
    "id": 1192525,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1192525/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 259,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ugenya, MDG",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Speaker, the focus of this Government, be it through the Hustler Fund or the established affirmative action Funds, should be to ensure that our SMEs are self- sustaining, are getting business and are not bombarded with so many regulations. Today, a person who has a business idea should be given a chance. The person cleaning this House for example, will be required to, first of all, register a company and get several licences for the business. They include the ones for cleaning, sanitation, NEMA and many others. The growth of SMEs is hindered singularly by the so many regulations that we have put in front of them, and the many hurdles that we have put on their way, thus causing them not to move. The Government can help SMEs through credit guarantees. We normally give work to young people through AGPO and YAGPO under the NG-CDF. The work given to them most of the time will take a long time to be finished because they cannot access credit and thus cannot get money. How best would you ensure, for example, that people who get the NG-CDF jobs can get prompt payments, or advanced payments, to enable them start their businesses? The way we have structured our procurement laws, even where we want to support small businesses, we cannot. We should be able to say that if an SME gets a job in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development today, it should be able to get an advanced payment or do the job and then get paid. If you are, however, swimming with the sharks; or if you are a young man or lady trying to get your hand in business, and you have got a tender through YAGPO but, you cannot get money to implement it, it is useless to talk about us wanting to grow SMEs. Hon. Temporary Speaker, research and development play, and will continue to play, a very important role in the growth of SMEs. However, we have heard where we are investing now. The Minister for Education is a very close friend of mine. I do not know whether what he said was a mis-speak or not, but we must continue to invest in research at the university, college level and KIRDI level. This will enable our SMEs to get new technology and update what The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}