Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1192602,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1192602/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 336,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kamukunji, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Yusuf Hassan",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 398,
        "legal_name": "Yusuf Hassan Abdi",
        "slug": "yusuf-hassan-abdi"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity. I salute my sister, the Member of Parliament for Dagoretti North, for bringing this Motion to the House on a unified national policy for our small and micro-enterprises. This is something that should have happened yesterday. It is very necessary because at the moment, we have a very fragmented and disjointed system of helping small and micro- enterprises. To a certain extent, the right does not know what the left is doing. Successive governments have not been very serious about supporting our small and micro-enterprises. There is a lack of commitment. It is mostly lip service. I hope that there will be change as a result of this Motion and other interventions. Many of the smaller funds that have been set up like the Uwezo Fund, the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, and other well-meaning funds could have gone a long way in helping young SMEs that have been bedevilled by wastages, leakages and embezzlements of funds and have not benefitted many youths involved in that sector. If you look at the figures, the informal sectors in Kenya employs the largest number of people in our country which is roughly 14.5 million. This means that 80 per cent of our population is employed in this sector called jua kali. Many of them are employed in the small and medium enterprises and, therefore, this sector if well-funded with the right policy inputs that could form the foundation for the economic development and building blocks of our economy. Some of the most advanced countries like Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand started with cottage industries. You will see a large number of people in this sector for example, in my neighbourhood of Gikomba and Shauri Moyo. There are thousands of people who if given the right opportunity of funding and policies, could probably, become the next manufacturing sector of our country and grow our economy. It is therefore, important to consider this particular Motion because SMEs can expand the livelihood opportunities of our population and create more employment opportunities to our workers. It can really be an important component of our economic development and policy and contribute a lot to the well-being of ordinary people particularly in the capital city with five million people. Many of the people from Kawangware, Kibra, Mathare including my own neighborhood of Kamukunji and many of our informal sectors have a large number of people who are dependent on this sector. With an input of the right policy and funding, they could take off. I once again congratulate my sister, Hon. Beatrice Elachi, for bringing this particular Motion. I think it will make a big difference to the young and upcoming SMEs in our Capital city, and our rural areas and will play a big role in fighting poverty and creating equality. Thank you for the opportunity. I support."
}