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{
    "id": 1363637,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1363637/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 238,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitui Rural, WDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David Mwalika",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "countries. Looking at the Report, they are saying the mobility of goods and services is being hindered by legal framework and un-harmonised border procedures. If East African countries want to benefit from trade among themselves, they must harmonise the legal frameworks. There is no way a country will develop if it will not open up its borders and have common legal frameworks and procedures at the borders. This will reduce the cost of doing business. It is very alarming that within the corridor, we have six weigh bridges. So, how many times are trucks weighed between Mombasa and Malaba and how much time is wasted? In fact, if you go to Mlolongo, you will be surprised because the trucks are too many and they waste a lot of time. I think it takes one week to travel from Mombasa to Malaba. So, if we reduce the border posts, as the Report is suggesting, to two, we will reduce the travel period from Mombasa to Malaba to two or three days instead of one week. If the time is reduced, we will reduce the cost of doing business. Double taxation is whereby goods from Kenya are taxed here and when they cross the border, they are taxed again. I am in the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning and I am seeing the Chairperson here. These are some of the things we need to look at to make our goods competitive out there. Instead of levying tax on them here, we can decide not to levy tax on goods going out. On the issue of police roadblocks, they are very many. I do not understand why we should have too many of them. On trucks, the KRA has a very good system for tracking them. They can tell when a truck stops. They can see it in their system. They usually call the driver to ask him why he stopped there and what he is doing there. It is important that roadblocks plus weighbridges are removed."
}