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"id": 203645,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/203645/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Obwocha",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Planning and National Development",
"speaker": {
"id": 356,
"legal_name": "Henry Onyancha Obwocha",
"slug": "henry-obwocha"
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. First, I want to congratulate the Minister for Finance for bringing these amendments and for the 110 licences that were repealed and done away with. This is basically procedural; as he has said, we want to improve the environment for business in this country by lowering the cost of doing business; we should remove some of these licences. The 1,300 licences are just too many in one country. For example, professionals pay their annual subscriptions and licence fees to their professional bodies. The same professionals, when they are operating in cities--- If you operate in Nairobi, you require a licence and if you operate in Nakuru, you will require another one. Some of these are unnecessary licences, and we would like to congratulate the Minister for bringing these amendments to the House. As he has said, when the Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS) came into force in 2003, it was addressing the issue of economic growth, which we have seen rise in the country from 0.6 per cent to now 6.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2007. For wealth creation, we have seen devolved funds go to our people at the grassroots. The Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), the Local Authorities Transfer Fund (LATF), the Bursary Fund, the Road Levy Fund, the HIV/AIDS Fund and the Poverty Eradication Commission Fund (PECF). All these devolved funds are supposed to create wealth by taking off the burden from our people on the ground, so that you can leave them with more money. For employment creation, particulary in the wholesale and retail business, which are the informal sector, a number of jobs have been created. So, to that extent, the ERS has done very well. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, lastly, I really want to join the Minister by touching on the three pillars of the Vision 2030. These are: The economic pillar, which is going to increase the economic rate of growth from the current 6.3 per cent. By 2012, we hope that it will be at 10 per cent and then continue to grow for the next 20 years at this rate cent. The second pillar is the social pillar, from which we want a just society with a clean environment. This is important for this country, if we are going to be a middle level income country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, on the political scene, we want a people-centred and issue-based political democratic system. Therefore, we would like Kenyans to adopt this Vision and get together. We have, in the course of time rolled out 26 flagship projects all over the country. We want Kenyans and the private sector to participate in them, so that this country can grow economically. Therefore, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, to be able to grow--- I am saying that I want to congratulate the Minister, because once some of these barriers are removed the country will grow economically. With those remarks, I beg to second."
}