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"id": 203651,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/203651/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Angwenyi",
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"speaker": {
"id": 326,
"legal_name": "Jimmy Nuru Ondieki Angwenyi",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to contribute to this very important Bill. This is one of the few positive steps that the Minister has taken to assist this country. We have travelled to various countries in this world over and over again. Departmental Committees have prepared reports and tabled them in this House. Sometimes, they are adopted by this House. Those reports are meant to streamline our operations, especially the aspect of licensing for businesses. But this country has, over the years, put those reports in the shelves to gather dust. It has continued to run as usual to the extent that, we have lost many businesses. If you visit countries such as Malaysia, Singapore or even Uganda - just across the border - they have streamlined their operations. You can get a licence in two or three days! As Dr. Oburu has said, the licences are given for environmental, health and standards, so that fake and substandard goods are not brought into their countries. Even for revenue collection, there is one licence for the collection of revenue for the country. If we were to have three, four or a maximum of five licences, instead of 1,300 licences in this country--- Imagine 1,300 licences exist in this country! Sometimes, it takes more than a year to get a licence. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister should be commended for having thought about this. But I do not think he has addressed the entire problem. The challenge is: He should have repealed all those licences, and come up with four or five licences. We will give him credit as he finishes his first term in this Parliament. Maybe, we can pray for him to come for a second term, if he can do something like that. That is something positive for a change. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, most countries persuade investors to invest in their countries. That also happens in developed countries. We were in Germany recently. They persuade people to invest in their country. Just imagine! The third largest industrial country in the world persuades 4006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES September 18, 2007 people to invest there. It gives incentives. But in Kenya, we persuade people to give bribes. To give a maximum bribe, we try to give the investor 10, 15, 20 or 30 licences, so that he or she can be bribing at every stage. He or she must bribe 30 times! By the time he finishes the process, the amount he or she would have invested ends up in corrupt peoples' pockets. This country should support the Minister. In fact, we should encourage him to go deeper and further to manage and harmonise our licensing system. We should have a one-stop centre, maybe, at the airport. If you visit Singapore and you want to get a licence to do business, you get a licence at the airport as you arrive. You go to the licensing office and you get a licence. The next day, you can start your business. If we were to do that, we would not have the problem of establishing hospitality centres in this country."
}