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{
    "id": 1569441,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569441/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 396,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tharaka, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. George Murugara",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "There is a pending Treaty-Making and Ratification (Amendment) Bill. Its purpose is to compel the Executive to involve this House in treaty negotiations and international contracts. By so doing, we would not be caught unawares ratifying an agreement or a treaty whose contents or particulars we are not familiar with. Once the Bill comes to the House, we will be debating it and trying to pass it. On behalf of Tharaka Constituency, Tharaka-Nithi County, it is good to inform the country that we have a lot of interest in the Blue Economy. That is the reason we have donated to the Broad-Based Government an expert in Blue Economy, the Principal Secretary, Ms. Betsy Muthoni Njagi, who comes from Tharaka-Nithi. She is doing a fantastic job there. As the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation, Hon. Kangogo Bowen would confirm. We debate this with passion, knowing very well that we have an expert who is going to ensure that it is implemented the way it is supposed to be, for the benefit of the Republic of Kenya. The agreement talks about fishing in “Least developed countries.” I thought we had stopped using that term? But it shows that these people still believe that we are down there in terms of development and they have to come to our aid. The aid is acceptable, provided it has no conditionalities which make it untenable or unequitable. We have our territorial waters where we do a lot of fishing, but we are also at risk of being invaded by pirates from other countries who come to steal our fish because we are not able to guarantee security along those territorial waters. Agreements like these, including subsidising fishing, are of benefit to this country. As we diversify our food security strategy, fish comes in handy. We do not have to go to China to bring in fish whose source is unclear to us. Sometimes, we are given interesting stories about plastic fish coming from certain countries. There is also a lot of wealth in the high seas and the deep seas, but we do not have the resources to go into deep waters to mine. If this agreement is going to assist in fishing by giving subsidies, it is a welcome development. We should agree with it, ratify it, and then prepare our country to mine in the deep sea so that we are able to bring to the shore seafood, which is important and nutritious to our country. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}