{"id":1549939,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1549939/?format=json","text_counter":218,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Molo, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Kuria Kimani","speaker":null,"content":"Why should Kenya join AFC? Kenya's economy is growing, but our infrastructure financing gap remains a great challenge. To realise our national goals, whether it is Vision 2030 or our Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), we must secure sustainable and affordable financing. Acceding to AFC will provide Kenya with three capital advantages. One is the access to long-term, low-cost capital. The AFC prioritises investments in member States, meaning Kenya will gain access to cheaper and more flexible project financing. Second, it is going to lead to a stronger regional influence. The membership ensures that Kenya has a say in which projects receive AFC funding, which will allow us, as a country, to push for investments that align with our national interests. Third, there will be enhanced private sector growth. Kenyan companies, especially those in infrastructure and energy, will have a direct pathway to AFC funding. That will spur job creation and industrialisation."}