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{
"id": 237819,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/237819/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kimunya",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Finance",
"speaker": {
"id": 174,
"legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
"slug": "amos-kimunya"
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"content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that The Licensing (Repeals and Amendments) Bill be now read a Second Time. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the purpose of this Bill is basically to refine the legal framework of the licensing regime governing the conduct of business activity in Kenya. In this respect, the Bill seeks to abolish several licences that impact negatively on the cost of doing business in Kenya. These licences are either outdated or impose higher cost to users as compared to the actual or anticipated benefits. Some of these licences emanate from the colonial period, some of which are mischievously in our books and it is time we got rid of them. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as indicated in my Budget Speech this year, the framework for sustaining our competitiveness requires that we reduce barriers to business investments in order to create an enabling environment for private sector growth. In this regard, the Government has so far repealed over 1,300 licences that directly affect trade and investment in Kenya. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Bill contains various proposals to repeal certain statutes and to make minor amendments to the law relating to business. It is our firm believe that when this Bill is passed, it will lower the cost of doing business, encourage existing investments to expand as well as attract new investments into this country. In addition, it will lead to infusion of new investments, new employment opportunities for our people and improve our standards of living. These reforms are intended to transform our country into an ideal and competitive investment destination, which October 26, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3223 is what we all want to do to make Kenya the destination of choice for anyone wanting to invest in this side of the region. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Bill contains a number of amendments, more specifically to do with trade, liquor, including traditional liquor and a number of them regulating when we can shop and when shops can be open. These things should have disappeared long time ago. It goes further to eliminate some of the ones that were even segregating between shops in Mombasa and elsewhere. These are the colonial laws we want to wipe out so that our people can do business freely. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would also like todraw the attention of the House that over time, so many laws have been formulated in this House without adjusting and amending the laws that were grossly affected. We have ended up with duplication and conflict within the laws. As a result, people are finding it difficult to know which law applies to them. As I mentioned during my Budget Speech, this is only the first batch of a set of laws that we will be repealing. There are over 700 laws that are currently being reviewed within the Ministry of Local Government. We gave the councils up to September to discuss with the Minister for Local Government the laws that they want to carry forward. I expect that by the time the Minister reports back in December, we will only have a few laws that we will be carrying forward so that our people can do business without being stopped left, right, centre for breaking this law or the other. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Members have had adequate time to read this Bill, and I hope that we can take minimum time to actually go through it, pass it and take it to the Committee Stage so that our business people can have the freedom to operate in a friendly environment. Without having to take a lot of the House's time on a matter that is very straightforward, I beg to move and ask my Assistant Minister to second."
}