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{
"id": 180347,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/180347/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Waititu",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 147,
"legal_name": "Ferdinand Ndung'u Waititu",
"slug": "ferdinand-waititu"
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Bill. I wish to point out some issues that I feel should be attended to by the Ministry. There are proposals on private- public partnership policy that, if speeded up, are going to increase investment by private entrepreneurs. In Nairobi, there are roads that should be built immediately, so that the eastern part of Nairobi can be opened up. For example, Outer Ring Road is a very important road in eastern Nairobi. If we had the policy of public-private partnership, some private investors could have invested in roads like this one. Therefore, I wish the Ministry speeded up the policy of public- private partnership, which will go a long way in encouraging people to invest. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister should also look into land policies, which are supposed to encourage some local authorities to increase their revenue. In Nairobi, we have so many estates and pieces of land, but land rates are never paid, because people are still waiting for title deeds. In the parts of eastern Nairobi, most of the owners of pieces of land have to go through a long process in the Ministry of Lands and the City Council of Nairobi to acquire title deeds. Before they get the title deeds, they do not pay anything to the Government. I believe that the policy of land rates should be changed, so that anybody who has land in Nairobi and has built on it can pay something to the local authority; the local authorities will then grow financially strong and avoid getting funding from the central Government. That way, the Ministry of Finance will also get some income. There is also a problem in our local industries. The Ministry of Finance should protect our local industries by increasing some taxes, so that they can benefit. Industries like textiles are now suffering due to foreign imports. I believe that if we increase tax on imported clothes, our local industries will benefit. There are also some imports that could be avoided. For example, regarding supplies to the Government, there should be a condition that those people who supply goods to Government agencies should get their local supplies from the local market. Right now, anybody who gets a tender goes to purchase the items to supply out of the country. I believe that the Ministry can do something, so that the procurement policies in our country can restrict the source of supplies to the Government and Government agencies, so that people can acquire products locally. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, recently, we had a big problem in the petroleum industry due to high prices. The Minister intervened, and he is now in control. We should avoid 3364 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES November 11, 2008 that in future, and the Minister should put a mechanism in place to make sure that in future that situation does not recur. Many people suffered when the prices were high. With those few remarks, I wish to support the Bill."
}