Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1554949,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1554949/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 413,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "has major challenges. Top among them are the events that have happened in the United States of America with tariffs being loaded onto many countries, including Kenya, at a rate of 10 per cent. This will have new challenges for our goods and commodities, especially our tea and coffee that are largely exported to countries in America and Europe. As the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee has said, there are a number of economic partnership agreements that are in the works. Before this House, we have the Economic Partnership Agreement between the Republic of Kenya and the United Arab Emirates. I would like to alert her that she will need to put on very light shoes to be able to run around the world to engage many more trading partners. This is so that our country is not dependent on one or two destinations for our commodities and products, whether it is our agricultural products or our manufactured products. She needs to open up more trade destinations. Opportunity lies within the African Continent. Encouraging more countries to sign up to the African Free Continental Trade Area is one of the quick wins we can get. I hope Ms Regina will be able to move with speed and encourage many more African countries to open up their boundaries for our goods to access the very huge potential that lies within the African continent. Even as we look at countries out there, we may not have the muscle to flex with those who are imposing tariffs like the USA on our products because we largely depend on many of them even for our tourism sector. But it is possible to open up many more destinations, open up more trade routes between our country and other African countries. The African continent is the continent of the future in terms of trade. We are the continent with the youngest age in terms of population that is productive and that can produce and consume. Therefore, the ageing generations in America, Asia and Europe increasingly will consume less and the African continent will increasingly consume more. Therefore, there is a great opportunity within the African continent. That is why I just want to encourage Ms Regina as she takes the office, should we approve her, to move with speed and help us open up more economic partnership agreements with many other countries and open up more trade routes within the African continent. This is even as we constructively engage with our colleagues and our partners in Europe and in America, including the Government of President Donald Trump. They also need our products. President Donald Trump is talking about America first. We must also begin talking about Kenya first and that which benefits the Kenyan people. In Nebraska and Seattle in the USA, they consume our coffee. As they do that, it must be Kenya first and Kenyan coffee first. We must not get enticed to get into the tariff war. However, we can position our country and brand our coffee, tea and other products in a manner that the population in countries that think of putting tariffs on them tell their countries not to tax Kenyan coffee because it is the best coffee in the world. I beg to support."
}