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{
    "id": 1363700,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1363700/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 301,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nandi County, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Cynthia Muge",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "This is the point where you appreciate experience. Having been a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), she has been able to tackle issues that affect our borders adequately. The reason we must have working border points is because we want to simplify trade across the borders, just like what Hon. Members have said. Everyone in this country must have a side hustle, even if he or she has a job, which is always business and trade. Parliament has a responsibility to ensure that we have policies and laws that are responsive to the issues that affect our people. The adoption and implementation of this Report is a responsibility of this House. As it has been noted by the Committee when they went for the fact-finding mission, there were too many issues. They have spoken about lack of proper legal frameworks, the number of weighbridges in the Northern Corridor, issues of double taxation and police roadblocks. Allow me to call it thuggery because the kind of things that people go through when they are stopped on these roadblocks are not printable. We have trade loopholes that should be sealed. We have serious bureaucracies that come with trade and clearance. There are also inadequate holding areas. Like you have heard, many trucks are packed on the road causing traffic congestion. I went through the Busia Border to Uganda in 2020 and the documentation there is very poor. I crossed the border and my passport was scanned and stamped. However, when I came back, I was told that I went to Uganda illegally because of poor record keeping. We also have the number of waiting days. You cannot make someone’s son or daughter wait for five days in a queue. That is inhuman. The Committee has effectively spoken to the proposals that they feel will help us in sorting out the One-Stop Border Posts issues. I support what they have said in totality. We must reduce the roadblocks and stop that thuggery. We must make them two at most, and they should be coordinated. We must also make people aware of their rights, so that rogue police officers do not erect roadblocks and tax people. We must also ensure that we follow up the implementation of this Committee’s recommendations because they are well-thought-out and well-researched. 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."
}