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"speaker_name": "Mr. Kabando wa Kabando",
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I was among the delegation that was led by Prof. Kamar. With a lot of pride, though Kenya was disadvantaged and, therefore, was put on the agenda of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, our participation from this House was very well received. The President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and the Chairs of the other plenaries said it was very befitting. I want at this juncture to recognise the very able leadership of the delegation by my colleague, Prof. Kamar. This was recognised by the President of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and by other participants. Her presentation of the issues at the Assembly was very lucid. She was also very eloquent. That, indeed, helped to add value to the previous meetings that were held in Brussels, where Kenya was discussed without any representation. This time round, Parliament having nominated the two of us, the participation was more significant and was taken more seriously, since it was coming from political leaders; very uniquely, it was from two sides of the political divide of that time. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also like to thank the Speaker of the National Assembly for our nomination to participate in this Joint Parliamentary Assembly. It was, indeed, April 17, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 545 very good exposure, and gave us an opportunity for our first business as new hon. Members of this Tenth Parliament. I would like to address only one issue on page 28, which says:- \"The Assembly urged the Kenyan authorities to address the economic disparity between the rich and the poor in order to pave way for a more balanced distribution of wealth in the country, and urged them also to address the underlying issues such as land ownership, that have undermined governance in the country.\" Indeed, these are matters that have been raised in different forums, for example by the civil society, the various opposition groupings since 1992, and also in the current times. Today, His Excellency the President and His Excellency the Prime Minister addressed these issues as being urgent and critical matters that need redress, if this country is to move forward and realise economic empowerment. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are a few things that we need to do beyond policy formulation, or even pronouncements. This Tenth Parliament has an ideal opportunity, as it is walking through the tight rope of political reconciliation and improvement of governance through constitutional review and other legal and administrative reforms. We also need to walk the path of giving freshness of ideas through this House, and outside the House, to ensure we get real and concrete achievements that can be celebrated by our country. We may have a very good Constitution, but we need to have the culture and commitment to do things differently. We are happy that Northern Kenya now has a special Ministry in order to focus on that area, which is huge. That area is almost equal to Nairobi, Central and Eastern provinces combined. We also have the Ministry of Fisheries Development. With lakes Victoria and Turkana having an abundance of fish, those areas have not had any reflection of economic prosperity. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are areas we need to fast-track. This country has been celebrated in various places. If you visit Europe or the United States, it is very expensive to obtain--- I am happy that the Chair is one of the Kenyans who have lived in the USA, and am sure he knows how expensive it is to obtain a mug of coffee. It is called the Kenyan gold in some areas. Other people will say fish or tea is their gold. But coffee is an example of a cash crop that has not translated into actual benefit for the people who grow it, just like fish and livestock may not have translated to actual earnings. I remember that as His Excellency the President was opening this Session in this House, he mentioned that among the Government agenda is a Coffee Bill. This is something we need to focus on in order to address the question of economic disparity. We have land and a hard working population. Kenyans are celebrated as very optimistic and vibrant. We have sportsmen in this country. If you visit any country outside Africa and mention Kenya, you will be asked whether you are an athlete, yet we do not have a sports policy. These are things that we need to put on the table in order to harness talent and convert the abundance of skills that we have to wealth. If you mention Kenya anywhere outside Africa, you will be told that it is a country of wildlife; more so, the \"big five\". However, the workers and small-scale entrepreneurs in the tourism sector are not enjoying the earnings that are mentioned and covered in the assessment and studies that are done in that sector. So, we need as a House to fast-track and address the question of the tourism policy. We are a tourism hub and yet we do not have a national tourism policy. Other countries that are smaller than Kenya have tourism policies that ensure that there is easy conversion of domestic wealth into household income for their people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need to fast-track the already existing reforms in the water sector to ensure that stakeholders have greater ownership on the ground. Consumers need to have a greater say on the ground. Investment in this sector should not be commercialised blindly. You know that the Water Act, 2002 addresses this question very well, but sometimes because of 546 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 17, 2008 narrow politics, we have not managed to diversify and take this legal instrument to the ground in order to carry it the way it is required. We have not given it the seriousness and attention it requires so that water becomes a driver for economic development and not just for consumption. Water should be used for agricultural purposes, for example, in horticultural farming. This will lead to production of fruits which will then be enhanced through the new Ministry of Industrialization. That way, whatever products we have in this country will be processed or finished products. The next level is to ensure that the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) that exist within the ACP countries address the question of trade imbalances with Europe so that our processed goods are not taxed more in those markets than the unfinished goods. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the multitude of people you see fertile for incitement or rioting are the youth. This is because of joblessness and desperation. It is a time bomb! We were reliably informed that last year, the Ninth Parliament was given a very detailed presentation by the Ministry of Youth Affairs on issues to address, but politicians did not take it very seriously. You saw what happened and you know what is likely to happen and what is even happening now. Perhaps, as a House, it may be proper now, as a way of redressing the economic disparities, to consider true and concrete leadership assimilation of the young and vibrant generation. We are talking about gender. It is very important so that we redress the historical injustices, particularly, against women. However, we also need to say that for the case of companies, board of directors shall not be composed without, say, 45 per cent of members being below 35 years of age. In this House, today, one of the Members who was sworn in as a Minister is 34 years of age. One of the Members of Parliament in this House graduated in December, 2007 and is, in fact, a doctor. So, we have a lot of young people who are endowed intellectually and who need to be harvested so that they can input strategically and concretely into national rebirth. It is not necessarily so that just because you have a policy paper and a requirement that the youth shall be involved, the leadership will take it just naturally. We need to have young people also talking for themselves in order to address their issues. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the final point I want to make is on investment law in order to address the economic disparities. In some countries, for example, South Africa and other developed countries, you cannot, as an investor, just enter that nation and construct an industry, wholly owned by a foreigner. We need to bring a law in this country that compels any foreign investor to have a local partner. That way, we shall harness the local skills and ensure that there is a trickle down effect or a multiplier effect on wealth creation even as more jobs are created. We need to ratify treaties as a Parliament. We need to empower Parliament more. We need to do many other things. Even though we were sworn in today, there is a cloud of doubt hanging upon us about the size of the Cabinet. Indeed, His Excellency Kofi Annan mentioned that. There is an international and local cloud about that issue. Is it really necessary? Parliament needs to play a role in firmly enacting a system that will compel the size of the Cabinet and also define its responsibilities. The Report before this House, I realised with some concern and I am sure the head of delegation, Prof. Kamar has noted it, may have reached some hon. Members late. I think it is time that all Reports of Parliament are online We are in the ICT age now. It is the 21st Century and mobile phones are being used to send and receive e-mails. They can even display websites. I think Reports of Parliament, even before the HANSARD is complete should be availed on the Parliamentary website and Members' e-mail addresses should be utilised effectively. That way, Reports will be submitted in a very speedy manner. This will also allow this country to comply with very many treaties and laws that require conservation on paper. There is so much paper that is being produced in Parliament and I am not sure that all Members of Parliament are able to store all April 17, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 547 these papers in the libraries in their houses. I think we need to go online. Let us go to our websites and personal e-mails and get all these documents in time. When you are travelling or you are out of town, you should be able to access the documents. Currently, no Member of Parliament can access any Parliamentary documents online; be it a Bill or an Order Paper. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to what was mentioned about impunity, it is important to understand that this country was going through a difficult time. However, it will be very unconscious of us to also imagine that this country is over that. The fact that the Cabinet has been composed and sworn in is not any reason to say that we are now over the bridge. We are yet to cross the bridge. We need to develop a culture of responsibility, smartness and patriotism. I do not agree that we need to suspend our laws. If, indeed, you kill anyone and you are caught, you should be taught a lesson. Rwanda did not do it. They had more people killed; nearly one million. The Germans also never did it. So, it will be foolhardy for Kenyans to do it now. Nobody in this country has any reason; be it a Member of Parliament or a Cabinet Minister or a big business person, to say that we need to conveniently hide under the carpet of forgetfulness. In fact, the greatest tragedy of this country is that we forgot many things about the past. We are very fast to forget like the warthog. We are chased across the ridges and deserts, but we forget very fast and then say that our history is gone. History is very rich. If it is a history of prosperity and patriotism, that is good for us. However, if it is the history of being a criminal or being irresponsible, people need to pay for that. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me repeat that you are among the Kenyans who were in the USA. You are respected as a leading intellectual. The Head of delegation to the ACP- EU Parliamentary Assembly, Hon. Prof. Kamar, is a leading intellectual too. She has studied in Europe and the USA. Today, no country in Africa, among the over 50 African nations, is leading Kenya on the number of intellectuals residing in the USA. The USA is a big country with over 300 million people. Therefore, our country is very rich. The question is whether we have converted our intellectualism to harness national ideals that will allow this country to move to the next point. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we are being spoken down by other nations - and I will say this very proudly - I think people should carry their own crosses. You remember when I was written a letter by the United States of America (USA) Ambassador to Kenya, I came out on my own. Some Members of Parliament wanted to come out and defend me. But I said: \"I do not ought to be defended by members of any political divide, because I should carry my own cross.\" If, indeed, I was involved in any violence, I should carry my own cross and be taken to the Hague. In USA, a lot of things are done to promote the culture of diversity. They celebrate the black culture and the Hispanic culture. In fact, even the national Parliament of the USA, the Congress, has a black caucus. Let us be proud of who we are. Let us be proud of our roots, like Marcus Garvey, the civil rights leader in Jamaica would say: \"A people without a culture are like a tree without roots.\" It is very humiliating and, indeed, an insult to Africa, that the most eminent African political leader, the symbol of patriotism, freedom and justice, Mr. Nelson Mandela, remains banned from entering the USA. The Nobel Peace Prize holder cannot enter the USA without special clearance by the Foreign Department of the USA. That is why we must, firmly, stand our ground and tell anybody speaking to us: \"Put the facts on the table\". I will use this opportunity to ask whether, indeed, the Americans need not look back and ask themselves whether they are not insulting Africa by retaining Mandela on their black list, just because he was a freedom fighter in the African National Congress of South Africa? Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I support this Report as a Member of the Delegation."
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