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{
    "id": 1219346,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1219346/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 212,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kanduyi, FORD-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Makali",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to also express my views on the Motion that has been brought by my great sister, Beatrice Elachi. Before I do that, let me also join my colleagues in thanking and congratulating the womenfolk of Kenya on this very great day – International Women’s Day – starting with you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, and the Mover of this Motion. The Motion could not have come at a better time. I congratulate all the women of Kenya. I will forever remain indebted to the women of Kanduyi who came out very early in the morning to make me their Member of Parliament. Happy International Women’s Day. I will forever remain indebted to them. I say, happy International Women’s Day. Fast forward to the Motion that is before the House. From the outset, I wish to state that I support the Motion. When we were growing up in the early 90s, there was a clarion call of “Buy Kenya Build Kenya”. I do not know where we lost track. If you look at the so-called “Asian Tigers” like Malaysia and Singapore, we got independence with them almost at the same time. However, they moved from Third World countries to First World countries while we are still a Third World country. Where did the rain begin beating us? My understanding is that they invested a lot in manufacturing. They set up cottage industries that built their economies so much that today we import from them the clothes we wear. I am alive to the fact that we created the Export Processing Zones Authority Act. What was the purpose of the Act? It was to promote investment and ensure that Kenya is a friendly investment country. Can we say that now as we speak in this particular House? I must say that the rain began beating us somewhere. Where did the rain begin beating us? When a survey was done about the cost of doing business in Kenya, Kenya was rated as one of the countries that have a high cost of doing business. Why? It is because of excessive bureaucracy in registering a business, a high and oppressive tax regime, and high cost of electricity. All along, successive governments have not been putting in a lot of funding towards making Kenya a country that is export-oriented. Kenya is import-oriented. If we look at the surveys that are there, Kenya’s exports only account for 11.2 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product while its imports account for 20.2 per cent. Do we need to go on with this trend? I say no. What do we need to do? The issues have been identified in the Motion that has been brought by our dear sister, Beatrice Elachi. One of the problems is underfunding. As it came out in the President’s Speech, we have been subsidising consumption rather than production. Moving forward, we need to strengthen our EPZs and ensure we allocate adequate funds to fund cottage industries so that we move from a consumption society to a production society. Looking at the Export Processing Zones Authority Act, we need to expand these centres to almost all counties. In the counties, what governors are calling “Industrial Parks” are places where we can have cottage industries to ensure that there is job creation for our people. The cost of electricity is very high in this country. I do not envisage any cottage industry operating without electricity. We need to look critically at the cost of electricity in this country. It is hampering the cottage industry and it is one of the reasons that were identified for non- performance of EPZs. Equally, our tax regime is harsh. For example, if you look at your electricity bill, you will find that almost 60 per cent of the items on that bill are levies. So, we 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."
}