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"speaker_name": "Dr. Wekesa",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Science and Technology",
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"legal_name": "Alfred B. Wekesa Sambu",
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to support this Motion. I agree with my colleagues, and I do not want to sound repetitive, that this Ministry ought to get more money, because it is the face of Kenya. This is the Ministry that has put Kenya on the map. Our image out there is very good, and it is because of such things like good democracy in Kenya. Since we got Independence, every five years, we have had elections and in Africa, that is something that we should be proud of. We have good sportsmen, and I agree with the hon. Member from Matinyani that we do not use our sportsmen enough. Recently, I was invited to go to London to do a Harambee for Mukuru. The British Airways was in charge of that project. As you know, very good things are happening at Mukuru. The British Airways said that they wanted Prof. Maathai, and a few sportsmen to attend. I indicated that Prof. Maathai was unavailable, but they agreed that one sportsman from Kenya could attend. This was because people in Great Britain know of these sportsmen, and we can use them to popularise our country. 3574 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 29, 2007 We have good wildlife like the \"Big Five\" in Maasai Mara. This is a natural resource that we have that can attract a lot of tourism, of course with economic benefits accruing from it. As much as we know that we have some natural gifts like good climate, we need to do something about our roads. We need to do something about electricity, and that is being done because with good infrastructure we can get more tourists. We also need security. Lack of security is one thing that keep our friends away from visiting Kenya. I have suggested in many fora that there is no point of sending our young people to Sierra Leone, Liberia and many other places to keep peace when, indeed, Kenyans are dying in their own country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have done a lot of commendable work on corruption. We should be more assertive. We should deal with corrupt people more than we have done. We hope that, when we are back in Government in January, we will deal with the issue of corruption more strictly than we have done before. I want to also comment on some of the deficiencies in our embassies. Members have expressed views that some of our staff are not up to it. Indeed, that is true. I think you have also had a chance to visit some of those places. You wonder: \"How did this guy ever get appointed to this post?\" I think the officers are here. They are listening. They ought to assist the Minister so that we move away from rewarding politicians. I announce here today that, if I am not elected, I will go and look after my cows. I will not want a post out there. So, let politicians stick to politics. We want career politicians. We want career politicians who can do a good job. We have quite a number of those officers. We have a very good officer in Egypt. That person is up to it and very modern. He is up and about. We want Kenyans with extra languages. We can start that from the school level. French, Chinese and Arabic are the languages of today. When we are appointing our ambassadors and considering their special capabilities, they should be able to speak the language of the country they are posted to. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have no ambassador in South Africa now. There is a lady there who is very good. I do not want to say her name. The Minister and this officers know her. That lady is good. She is a career diplomat. If Government recognises the importance of affirmative action, why not appoint that lady to the post that is now vacant? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I had an opportunity to visit Ireland last year, when I was the Acting Minister for Education. I was invited by the Ministry of Overseas Development. I was amazed at what a ministry official said to me. He said: \"Do you know Irish people have always had many connections in Kenya? All the missionaries--- Many schools have been established in Kenya by Irish missionaries. He told me: \"We have so much money that we want to give to Kenya. But Kenya does not have a protocol with us!\" I was surprised because Ireland is a country that we have known for a long time. We know its association with Britain. He went ahead and told me that small countries in Africa were getting so much assistance from Ireland and yet, Kenya which is a friendly country to Ireland, has no embassy there. I am happy to know that the Government has now taken action. We are going to have an embassy in Ireland. We hope that they will too establish a mission here, so that we could have a good relationship. About 20 years ago, Ireland decided to embrace technology. Of course, its economy has boomed. When we are appointing our officers, we should be looking at those opportunities. That is a country where technology has improved the economy. We should send officers there who are also experts in that field, so that we can borrow from them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on international appointments, I think we have lost opportunities. I remember the issue of Mr. Mukolwe, who would have gotten a job internationally. I do not think we, as a Government, supported Mr. Mukolwe to get that job. He is not the only one. We have had other instances. As recently as last year, there was a talk about an international job that Kenyans would have taken. So, I am appealing to the Minister to protect and support our professionals out there. He should also support professionals within Kenya, who are looking for international jobs. That way, the Government will support them to get those jobs. Of course, Kenyans must recognise that to get international jobs, they must be qualified. You must have August 29, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3575 several languages. With those few remarks, I beg to support. Thank you."
}