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{
"id": 1461417,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1461417/?format=api",
"text_counter": 210,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I add my voice to this important debate. I start by appreciating Hon. Wanjiku Muhia for the passion on matters relating to the East Africa Community, having served there for five years. If you remember well, we joined Parliament together with Wanjiku Muhia. She had a break of five years while you and I remained here. She then came back. During the five years she was in EALA, I am sure she got very good exposure on what happens there. There are regional blocs or what we call ‘regional integration’ in economic terms because there are many advantages associated with coming together as a bloc, and more so when you consider the population that comes with one unit. If you are to sell goods in such kind of a bloc, you can do business. After looking at the Committee’s Report, I agree with Dr Nyikal’s observation that in the East Africa Community, we have been doing a lot of talking and minimal action in terms of pushing the real issues. Hon. Temporary Speaker, if you listened to what Hon. Mwalyo of Masinga Constituency said on the issue of trade barriers and non-tariff barriers, I always wonder why it is so difficult for the East African countries, for example, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, to trade amongst themselves. For example, each of these countries has what I call competitive advantage on a specific issue. Someone has given an example of Tanzania. They are doing very well in terms of agricultural and food products. Similarly, Kenya, Uganda and the DRC also have their respective competitive advantages in various sectors. The thing is, if we came up with an enabling environment for trade to be promoted, it would be very easy for each of these countries to take advantage of their competitive advantage to do serious business and grow their local economies. But you realise that we always have trade barriers being imposed by one country against the other, and as a result of that, we cannot trade effectively. In the old days when politics was at the centre of it, countries were aligned in terms of their political alignment. But now, issues of politics have taken a back burner and issues of trade have taken the front burner. If we are serious about trading, all these countries should do what it takes to ensure that trade is facilitated and is done without any minimal challenges. Look at the labour movement. For you to move to countries like Tanzania and Uganda, even though Hon. Muhia says we require an identification card, I thought that since we are all brothers and sisters, it should be a walk-in, walk-out thing. Anytime you want to go to Tanzania, one has to carry an identification card or a temporary pass from the Immigration Department. Why should it be like that? Anytime we meet in the national meetings, we talk about “my brother from Tanzania, my sister from Uganda, and my brother from Kenya”. If we are at that level of integration, we should not require these travel documents. Look at the issues of money. You have the Kenya Shilling, the Uganda Shilling, and the Tanzania Shilling. What the hell? You spend time exchanging and the issue of exchange levies also comes into play. Why do we not just have the East African Community Shilling and do business without any problem? We need more action than talking. We need to see the political leaders, and the Council of Ministers coming out strongly, outlining their next move of action and seeing them take action so that we can take advantage of integration like the European Union (EU). By so doing, we will be helping the people who live in these countries as well as growing the economies for the better."
}