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{
    "id": 1461411,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1461411/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 204,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Migori County, Independent",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Fatuma Mohammed",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I stand here to support the Report and congratulate the Committee, led by the Member for Kipipiri, for a good job. Indeed, we are a family as East African Community. It is important to make it clear that countries do not divide us. It is just the borders. We are one country under the East African Community. Provisions were put in place when the EAC Treaty was signed about 25 years ago and times have changed. Some countries will feel left out if we do not do this fast. They feel like they are lesser children in the EAC family because the Treaty was just for three countries. There are many countries under this Treaty. It is important to consider it. The faster we do it the better so that the other countries can feel that they belong to the Community. There is an inter-university council in the East African Community. We should have a way of ensuring that students who sit for exams in schools or colleges in Kenya, for example, can have their academic credits transferred to similar institutions of leaning in Tanzania, and vice versa. That way, students in East African institutions of learning will feel that they belong to one community, and it does not matter whether they study in Kenya or Uganda, or in any other country within EAC. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I come from Migori County where we undertake fishing. I live next to Lake Victoria. There are incidents when our fishermen go into the water. The water has no boundary. You do not cross the water with any passport. You just fish there. Fishing is usually done at night. What happens very late at night is that our fishermen are harassed. They are arrested and told to throw the fish back into water. They are told that the water belongs to them but the fish belongs to those who arrest them. Without mentioning any country, I wish the neighbouring country that knows what I am talking about to remember that we are one community. When we are a community, one should not feel bad when whatever is served on my plate is not served on theirs. We all are fishermen within the East African Community. Just as we can cross the border easily, we should also cross the water easily and catch fish on the other side when the person on the other side is not interested in fish. It is very frustrating, emotional and stressful work trying to rescue fishermen arrested and taken to the other country. Sometimes they are charged with things that do not exist. I request all countries to feel that we belong to one home. Let us treat each other as brothers and sisters. With more countries in our Community, I am very happy that there is peace in our region. However, a few countries are experiencing problems within their boundaries. I request the Chairperson to consider peace more. Crisis in one country affects neighbouring countries. We should look more into how to harmonise peace amongst the East African communities so that we live as brothers and sisters more. The Committee recommend that the Council of Ministers urgently completes the ongoing staff recruitment process, which is necessary. One, it will create job opportunities for people in our countries depending on where a person is employed. Again, this will help us to understand each other's traditions. When as a Kenya belonging to the Luo or Kikuyu community you go and work in Tanzania, you get a chance to learn the cultures and traditions of the people of that country. We know that we share cultures because we are Africans. Therefore, integration is important. 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."
}