HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 208554,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/208554/?format=api",
"text_counter": 194,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dr. Mwiria",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Education",
"speaker": {
"id": 190,
"legal_name": "Valerian Kilemi Mwiria",
"slug": "kilemi-mwiria"
},
"content": "In many ways, that is monopolistic, whether it is in terms of actual trading businesses or in terms of the land that people own. It is the same people who acquired so much land at Independence that have continued to accumulate wealth and add to what they got. So, monopoly should also be seen from that point of view. Secondly, we should learn from experiences of countries which were originators of monopolies like America. The Americans had a big problem with Bill Gates, if you remember. Bill Gates was forced not to continue owning so much of the software industry in the computer business. That was dealt with and it was a painful experience in a country where the idea is for monopolies and people to grow, as far as they can, without any control. That is a very good example in terms of how one person who has an advantage can make it much more difficult for August 15, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3199 other people to enter a market that spreads beyond national and regional boundaries. I would like to say that even as we change this law, we need to do more in terms of addressing issues of procurement procedures because you can change the law but still leave loopholes with regard to the procedures that favour those that are well connected and those who have the means to bribe their way and ensure that small actors do not come in, in the first place. Secondly, I think it is important for us to get into the habit of publishing names of companies in this country and their owners. This includes giving backgrounds of where those people come from and even listing their families because you can make it impossible for a person who is well established to have a monopoly but they can use their children and relatives. I do not know how we are going to go around that because you can still extend monopolies by using other connections. It is important for us to be clear, even if it means involving the investigative wing of Government like the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS). They should be able to tell us who the owners of companies in this country are. This is to ensure that the same people are not duplicating themselves in different ways. I think that would be worth it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the same breath, apart from reducing duplication of the bigger companies in terms of what the companies have, we should also address the issue of monopolies with regard to small-scale players. Part of the reasons why small players are not growing is that, for example, if a small player starts bringing cars from Japan, so many other people begin to do the same thing. If you open a boutique and you are bringing clothing from Dubai, everybody else picks that example. So, we must find a way also, of ensuring that you do not license new players to repeat what is already going on. It is not just those with big companies that would repeat that, but also the small players would repeat that, thus making it impossible for small players to grow because of competition. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also useful for us to ask questions about the sale of parastatals because this is one way that those that are in monopolies are increasing on their advantage. They use their connections through the stock exchange, in Government, with already existing companies and their economic muscle to buy parastatals that either would be closed or would be in the bidding of their respective companies so that they extend that monopoly. In this regard, the example of East African Breweries Limited (EABL) has been mentioned and Nakumatt where more or less this is happening. For example, EABL bought a plant from Castle and closed it. It cannot be that they closed it if they were not taking the money. If this is allowed, it is going to be very difficult to introduce local competition. The effect of that, is that we continue to import beers because we cannot produce a different brand of beer in this country. There are beers from Belgium, Holland and so on because EABL do not have any fair competition in this country. That applies to so many other organizations. I just wanted to say that unless we also look at the political dimension, where politicians are part of it, and continue to support their own advantage or support people that are closer to them to continue the monopolies, it is going to be a problem. Therefore, I just want to support the Motion and say that I hope that we get to it very soon, so that many Kenyans who are not so powerful economically and who are not so well connected politically can also enter the market and begin to reap from the rich wealth that is available in this country from so many Kenyans. With those few remarks, I support."
}