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"speaker_name": "Mr. Syongo",
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"legal_name": "Zaddock Madiri Syong'oh",
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"content": "If you look at the current stalemate in WTO, the only other important trade agreement is the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which as you know is fluttering and EPAs, our trade and investment agreement with the EU. How can you explain the absence of these key Ministries? I can bet Kshs1,000 out of my salary for every single day until this Session ends that the Ministry of Trade and Industry has not seen this document and it is not taking into account the wonderful resolutions which were made at this meeting when going to face the EU in the next round of negotiations! No wonder then that Kenya has not been able to meet its quota ever since the Cotonou, Lome 1, 2, and 3 agreements. Even when the EU agreed on quota-free and duty-free market access to the EU, Kenya is unable to sell any significant quantities to the EU. We cry about unemployment, yet we have idle land and labour. We have markets there, but, of course, we are not serious. This is, obviously, a demonstration of how serious we are! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the question of the need for political leverage cannot be over-emphasized. More often than not, the negotiations between ACP countries and the EU are April 10, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 479 done at technical levels. But as I have already said, at those fora, our technical delegations are completely overwhelmed by the numbers as well as the quality and knowledge of those who meet the delegations from EU countries. It, therefore, is extremely important that we must use political leverage where the opportunity presents itself. Unless we do that seriously and understand the constraints which are related to the capacity to produce the volume and the quality of goods which are needed in the European market, and address the issues of the non-tariff barriers, such as vital sanitary, fresh produce, fisheries and use political leverage, we will not benefit. Only last week, you heard that the British Government or Tesco, which is one of the most important outlets for our fresh produce and flowers, has threatened to ban Kenyan flowers and horticultural produce, simply because they believe that aeroplanes flying across are contaminating our shambas where we grow these crops. Yet we have not heard a single word or any serious statement from that side of the House. Much as we appreciate that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, led a small delegation to go and negotiate, it requires much more than just a very small delegation led by a technocrat in the Ministry. I would have expected the Leader of Government Business to be listening to this, so that even as we talk about the serious unemployment of our people because we are not expanding our production capacity, that indeed, the Government will be taking heed and form policies. Just the other day, the \"Vision 2030\" was launched, which touches on some of these issues. However, I can bet you another Kshs1,000 paid to this Government every day for the rest of this Parliament, some of these things which are so important were not taken into account when formulating the \"Vision 2030\". The capacities which are required to be addressed in order to achieve the \"Vision 2030\" will not be addressed and so, this will just be another beautifully bound and very well-written document, which other countries are going to steal and go and implement and then after five years, we shall go to those countries, which will simply have used our document, to find out if they can advise us on how to do what we should have done with our own ideas. I want to conclude by thanking hon. Kamotho and hon. Poghisio for leading a small but very effective delegation to the Conference whose Report we are debating this afternoon. I want to commend them, but I would have wished that in future, there is provision for them to insist that they carry along with them technocrats from the various relevant Ministries. Secondly, they should be allowed to take along with them Members of the relevant Departmental Committees of Parliament such as the Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade as well as the Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}