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{
    "id": 1219257,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1219257/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 123,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dagoretti North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Beatrice Elachi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Deputy Speaker, as we celebrate International Women’s Day today, I thank all the women, especially 80 per cent of Kenyan women who work at the EPZ and in the agricultural sector. I appreciate the Budget and Appropriations Committee for giving the EPZ money to create shades. It has also looked at how the industry can support Kenyans, especially young people to get jobs. The AGOA programme started when the Americans decided to support and have a trade framework with Kenya. Within this framework, we were able to see Kenya move in the right direction. The programme cuts across East Africa. There are EPZs in Ethiopia even though they are closed because of the conflicts there. This is a company that can create a lot of impact. When the Government wants to employ, it can make use of the EPZ. So, we need to enhance the EPZ, so that it contains a clear supply chain. More importantly, this is an institution that employs more than 60,000 people meaning we can go beyond that number. I am sure if the Government can put in more effort, we will have a million people being employed. It is important that once in a while we just visit Kitengela and see how the EPZ works. You will be surprised to find that it is women who produce the good jeans that you go to the United States of America (USA) to buy. It is a product made in Kenya yet we buy it when we are out of the country. It is important to note that there is a big challenge that the EPZ is facing today. After COVID-19, many organisations and industries were closed, including where we used to get our raw materials. Kenya does not have cotton. This is something we need to start speaking about. We must set aside agricultural areas where we must plant our own cotton if, indeed, we want to buy Kenya, build Kenya. Here is a product of Kenya, but Kenyans are unable to buy it yet we say we have given ourselves a 20 per cent waiver. This Motion seeks to request the Government to extend that waiver of 20 per cent to tenders from Government to the EPZ. For example, we have just passed a Motion on uniforms. If, indeed, they were being done by our own here under the EPZ programme, definitely, it would be affordable for our parents to buy those uniforms. We have been talking of police uniforms. We can also talk about uniforms for hospitals, so that this company can stay afloat and women are not sent home. That way, a whole industry worth millions of shillings will not close down. We must try. This House should ensure that 20 per cent is sourced locally for them to keep the employees afloat. The EPZ also helps us to maintain our currency. Right now, we are having a lot of challenges with our currency. However, if you want export to continue, then you need to find a way of selling back our currency and the dollar will not be at a rate that will kill us. Therefore, we have to come up with industrial parks plus the shades that we were talking about. I will give you a story. Just when the Ukraine war started, an investor came to Kenya and went to Kitengela. At that time, he wanted land to plant sunflower seeds for business in oil. The EPZ told the investor that it was unable to give him any land. There were no shades. The investor moved to Tanzania and Tanzania is now benefiting. The EPZ does mass production of nearly Ksh4 billion. I know many people will not understand, but it is good to visit them. You will then realise the impact that most of the EPZ companies have in Kenya. 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."
}