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"speaker_name": "Mr. Oparanya",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. First of all, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Syongo, for bringing this Motion on trade. It is rare that we have an opportunity to discuss trade issues in this House. Trade is as old as mankind. It is, therefore, very important to the economic development of any country. That is why the Motion clearly states that trade contributes 20 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kenya, just like many other developing countries, is in what we call a trade trap. In a trade trap, we are over-reliant on a particular sector of the economy; in our case, agriculture. Because we are over-reliant on agriculture, where prices of our commodities are either flat or declining all the time, despite the fact that we have tried our best to increase output; it will be very difficult for us, as a country, to develop unless we have proper trade policies. We are constantly in trade deficit because we are bound to import goods from developed countries where prices are stable. The prices keep on increasing because the developed world produces manufactured goods which we import, while we, as a country, depend on agricultural commodities. It is, therefore, important that the creation of Kenya internal and external trade authorities, a strong Kenya Chamber of Commerce and, of course, an advisory committee, will foster trade in this country. We, as a country, have to have trade imbalance. It is because of this that now we are trying to survive. Several regional economic communities have come up. Kenya, as a country, because of reacting to globalization, now belongs to some of those regional economic communities. We belong to the East African Community (EAC), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). However, despite the fact that we belong to these two regional blocks, there are conflicts in policies. Sometimes, it is very difficult to make decisions October 25, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3113 between the two. Kenya belongs to the EAC where we have the East African Customs Union. At the same time, Tanzania, which is a major country in the EAC, belongs to another trading bloc called the South African Development Community (SADC). At the same time, Kenya belongs to COMESA. Unless we have proper internal policies to guide this country, there will be conflicts and we will lose opportunities. The COMESA is coming up with a customs union, and yet there is a policy that a country cannot belong to more than one customs union. What will happen then, when the COMESA comes up with a customs union in 2008, keeping in mind the fact that Kenya exports 70 per cent of its total exports to COMESA countries? This means the COMESA is a major trading bloc. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with globalization, it is important that we come up with proper policies and institutions that will guide trade in this country. With trade, we are likely to alleviate poverty that is affecting millions of Kenyans. When we visit our missions abroad and talk to the ambassadors and trade attaches about trade, they tell us that they normally write to the Ministry of Trade and Industry to get any information on trade. However, they are not able to get information about the Kenyan products in good time. This is because we do not have proper institutions that can disseminate such information, so that we can seize any trade opportunities. As I said from the outset, Parliament rarely has an opportunity to discuss trade matters. At the moment, there are negotiations going on between the ACP countries and the European Union (EU). When those agreements are signed, they affect our people. It is important for this Parliament to discuss all the trade issues that affect our people and this country. Those trade negotiations have an impact because they affect the supply side of our trade. Therefore, it is important to address those issues. We should tell our people who are already in business about the effects of signing such agreements. A local example is the case of hawkers. We have lived with the problem of hawkers for years, but we have been unable to solve it. Hawkers are part of us. They are just looking for a livelihood. They have been allocated a place in Ngara, but when you go there, there is no infrastructure. There is no parking space. How do you expect customers to buy those products? It is important to have internal policies that will enhance trade in this country. Those internal policies should address the problems affecting hawkers and other stakeholders in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, a long time ago, estates, complete with shopping centres, used to be developed. But, at the moment, that does not happen. When people stay in an estate, they expect to get general provisions nearby. It is important to have trade policies that would cater for the needs of our people. Most countries have what we call zoning. There is zoning even in the cities. You will know a particular area is selling a particular product. If you go there, you will find a variety of shops selling that particular product. That enhances competition that is beneficial to customers. It is because of wrong trade policies that you will find cases like the ones at Mlolongo. People were allowed to put up business premises by all the necessary Ministries but, at the end, they were told: \"What you have done is wrong!\" That is in spite of the fact that they received the necessary approvals. They are now likely to lose investments worth millions of shillings. All that is happening because we do not have proper internal trade policies. That is why I am seconding the Motion and advocating for the formation of a Kenya External Trade Authority, Kenya Internal Trade Authority and the Kenya Chamber of Commerce which will bring together all business people--- Of course, there should be an advisory body that will provide all the necessary information to the business people, so that business can thrive in this country. With those few remarks, I second the Motion."
}