Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 195330,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/195330/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 131,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Baiya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 8,
        "legal_name": "Peter Njoroge Baiya",
        "slug": "peter-baiya"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion April 30, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 773 on the proposed Consumer Protection Bill. The issue of protecting consumers in this country is fundamental. The bulk of the people in this country live in the rural areas. Most of them have no expertise to scrutinise most of the products that they use. We have all manner of products. We have instances where manufacturers make fake products; some produce chemicals for use by farmers on their farms. It is high time this House considered coming up with a legislation that will ensure that such practices are outlawed. Necessary institutions and mechanisms should also be put in place to ensure that exploiters are brought to book. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the main motive of most manufacturers is to make profit, and they do not necessarily consider the needs of the consumers. The marketing tricks and gimmicks that are used are actually designed to ensure that consumers use the products whether they need them or not. These marketing tricks, to ensure that consumers buy the products, are the driving factor. It is important that we come up with this legislation that will ensure that these products meet basic safety requirements. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, consumers in the urban centres in this country are very vulnerable, especially in cases where there is no protection. In the case of food products, for example in urban set-ups, we are getting to an era where there is scarcity of food, and the consumers quite often find themselves without any option but to take what the manufacturers have presented. In that scenario, unless there is a mechanism for ensuring that the Kenyan consumers are protected, they do not have options available but to take what the suppliers and manufactures have made available. This Motion is very timely. The proposed Bill should put in place safeguards for the consumers. Where the consumers are vulnerable, the proposed Bill should seek to enforce protection in such a way that consumer vulnerability will not be a weakness capable of being exploited by the manufacturers. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to support this Motion."
}