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"speaker_name": "Prof. Oniang'o",
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"content": "I am not complaining. I am just taking note that Kenya was the key issue in that particular meeting. I am also aware that there have been delegations of more than two Members. But they reserve seats for only two Members. You may be there with two seats, but have more Members listening. So, we should have more Members listening so that, when we come back, we can engage our colleagues more. I agree with that. I also hope that, as we change rules--- We must change rules. The issues are so critical and different. We cannot just go on using the rules of yesterday. We can change the rules so that we can have more Members taking part in those meetings. That way, we can be aware of what goes on there. But this is a very good report. It covers all issues. It talks about good governance and insecurity. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have noted that there are nine pages on fish and fishermen. That is because fishermen in this country are some of the poorest and most neglected people in our society. Secondly, fish is very key to the European Union (EU). I remember that meeting was between Africa and the Caribbean. The Caribbeans are the Africans in the diaspora. Africans talked with the EU, whose people eat fish. The EU wants to make sure that our fish is good enough for their market. So, they even want to offer support and funds, so that we can produce good fish. I am happy to see that Kenyans, with Government's support, are looking for opportunities to produce more fish. But our fish must meet their standards. Fish is a source of protein and is very healthy. Many people do not want to eat beef because of the mad cow disease. Thank God it never reached us. Nobody wants to eat chicken because of the avian flu. Thank God it has not reached Kenya yet. So, fish is very critical. If we were forward looking, we would actually capitalise on fish production. We would capitalise on fish trade. We would also make sure that we access those funds. I learn from reading here and there that our people are not even aware of the fact that there is an EU Fund meant to assist us to improve our fishing methods and come up with a very high quality product that would stop the EU from chucking us out of their market. Somebody comes to you and says: \"This is what I want! But because I want it so badly, I will help you to produce it to the standards that I want,\" yet we are not even aware of that Fund. We do not take advantage of it. It is sad that nobody from the Ministry of Trade and Industry is here. They cannot be telling us of Vision 2030. It was Vision 2020. But it has now moved to Vision 2030. Soon, it will be Vision 3010, when some of us would have already gone. Really, that is the job of the Ministry of Trade and Industry! If we want to create more jobs; if we want Kenya to make more money; if we want Kenya to position itself strategically; if we want Kenya to position itself economically and market our fish, we need a Ministry of Trade and Industry that has a different face, altogether. Our Minister stands here and often uses a good language that takes all Kenyans by surprise! They are surprised by what he knows. But we cannot take advantage of what exists out there. This country can produce the best fish. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, today during lunch hour, I met with the officials of the Kenya National Academy of Scientists. They are extremely well qualified Kenyans. They asked me: \"Why do you not use us? Why does Parliament not use us? You are the lawmakers. We are not lawmakers. We do not want to be politicians. You are the politicians! You go out there. You have April 10, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 483 no facts and issues to discuss. We want to tell you that we would rather pair up with you and give you the information.\" They even mentioned the issue aflatoxin poisoning in maize that killed our people. They mentioned the issue of kumi kumi which killed many of our people. They also talked about the Rift Valley Fever which has also killed many of our people. They would give us an objective view. We are not using our professionals properly. It is sad to note that, whereas the EU has that support, we do not. Whenever you travel- even the Chair has gone to those meetings - you see the EU delegation accompanied by very young people; scientists with papers and computers who give them information. They tell them what to say. The rest of us go there and wonder: \"When will the session end, so that we can go to the shops and buy something?\" We need a different kind of leadership. We need a different kind of Parliamentarian. We also need a Government that gives us the kind of leadership that helps us to do what we are supposed to do. It is also very sad that we talk about a growing economy. I now spend more time in the rural area where I was born. Butere, where I come from, does not have a single tarmacked road. For a good reason, I have to campaign and get that seat. It does not have a single inch of tarmac. We should construct more roads to open up our rural areas. Why are the people crying all the time? They cannot even keep their cars running. The road between Kakamega and Eldoret is a nightmare. You take three hours instead of one hour! It is a \"potholed\" tarmac road. It would have been better to have murram. I am talking about the whole of Kenya. Over 40 years after Independence, Kenyans are crying. Those are the things that are in this Report. These were the issues that were being discussed. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to talk about Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). They are in this Report. For hon. Members who do not know, EPAs are just later day structural adjustments. We are talking about countries which are well positioned. They are well developed and have everything. We are telling them: \"Come! Let us talk about how to market with each other!\" They will come and create all kinds of reasons as to why they cannot take your produce. Through the internet, I learnt about Ethiopia. It has some of the best coffee in the world, just like Kenya. An international company called Starbucks was claiming intellectual property over Ethiopian coffee. It had to take activists all over the world to tell them: \"We are going to boycott starbucks coffee if you will not allow Ethiopia to claim its coffee!\" Starbucks uses Ethiopian coffee. You are also aware of our kiondo . You are aware of our lesos ! They are being taken away because we are not lobbying. We have not learnt to position ourselves to claim what is ours. What am I saying here? I am saying that we need a different kind of engagement. We need to be informed ahead of time. We need to be part of the reasoning. We need, as a country, to lead the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa and East Africa. We have the professionals but we are not identifying them. We are neither giving them space nor using them. If you called all of them here, you would be shocked at the level of expertise we have. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, I am an educator. I remember when I was going to school, I had an opportunity to learn French. I took three courses of French but I did not go on with them. I said: \"There is enough work to do without French.\" Everybody now is learning Chinese because China is the emerging super-power by the sheer numbers of the people. So many children here are going to the Chinese Embassy and facilities to learn Chinese. However, these are urban and Nairobi-based children. How about our rural children who have no facility to learn Chinese? In our educational system we must insist on Kenyans' right now to learn another foreign language. It must be a requirement! It must be a national policy because that is one of the reasons why we do not fill our quota in the United Nations (UN) because we do not know another 484 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 10, 2007 language."
}