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{
    "id": 1363575,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1363575/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 176,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Endebess, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Robert Pukose",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for allowing me to contribute to this very important Motion. At the outset, I want to thank the Committee that is headed by Hon. Wanjiku Muhia for having visited the One-Stop-Border- Post in the Northern Corridor. I am informed that she went to Busia but she forgot that there is also Suam One-Stop-Border-Post in Endebess, which is bordering Uganda and Kenya. This Report has important points that promote trade within our areas. However, there are various challenges that are brought about by our own employees who work in the One- Stop-Border-Posts. They are frustrating the people who cross the borders, be it from Uganda to Kenya or from Kenya to Uganda. We want to see free movement of goods and services across those places. One of the biggest challenges that you face after crossing the One-Stop- Border-Post as you come to Kenya are the too many police road blocks, for example, between Suam and Kitale. At those police road blocks, they ask for kitu kidogo from those who are transporting either maize or beans. They even ask from those who are transporting wananchi. So, this is something that is not promoting free movement of people and free trade within those areas. The Inspector-General of Police should look into it. I saw the other day the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration saying that all police road blocks should be removed. Unfortunately, in many of those border points, we still have many police road blocks collecting kitu kidogo from bodabodas, matatus and lorry transporters. That is a shame. It is a very pathetic thing to watch. This is something that has persisted and I do not know how this country is going to solve it. We have talked about it but it never changes. Unfortunately, the EACC has not sorted out that pathetic situation on our roads. We know that –with the East Africa agreement – whether you are in Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda, you are allowed to own property in any of those countries. However, our people face many challenges. For example, if you are from Bukwa and you have a farm in Endebess and you do maize farming, when you want to transport your maize back to Bukwa, you will have to pay something for you to do that. Hon. Deputy Speaker, if you are farming on the other side and you want to bring your maize to Endebess, then going through that border post becomes a problem. I think those are 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."
}