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{
    "id": 240719,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/240719/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 189,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Syongo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 316,
        "legal_name": "Zaddock Madiri Syong'oh",
        "slug": "zaddock-syongoh"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to start by thanking the Mover of this Motion, hon. Midiwo. This is an idea that is long overdue. With the advent of liberalisation, there are all sorts of suppliers of goods and services. The fact that the Government has institutions such as the Kenya Bureau of Standards, whose primary mandate is to ensure that quality of products is adhered to and the right process of producing them is acceptable, is not enough. There is an urgent need to protect consumers of goods and services. Products such as medicine, food and pesticides have the capacity to injure our internal organs. These are products that we cannot just allow consumers to be exposed to. We should put in place an institutional framework for mitigating the dangers posed by harmful goods and services. We should establish institutions to check and hold to account producers and suppliers of such products. This is because there is no doubt whatsoever that, as we expand our production and service sectors, dishonest and fraudulent 2352 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 26, 2006 players can injure our consumers. I would like us to ensure that the interpretation of the meaning of producers and suppliers is widened to include the Government and its various departments, municipalities, health-care institutions and the judiciary. All these sectors offer services which citizens of this country are entitled to. But the quality and timeliness of those services should be acceptable and commensurate to the cost consumers pay for them. This proposed board, if established, will be an important addition to this country's arsenal of other institutions responsible for quality assurance. I also believe that by passing the Bill and creating the proposed board, some kind of a force will be created to encourage manufacturers, sellers and distributors to think very seriously about quality assurance. They will know that if they do not do that, there will be some kind of punishment for them. So, this will be a way of creating incentives for improving the quality of products and services. It will also be an assurance to consumers, and would be consumers, that they can purchase and consume goods with confidence, knowing that anybody who offers his goods or services will be fully aware of what they stand to lose if they offer shoddy products. I would like to appeal that at the end of this debate the Mover of this Motion works closely with all the relevant departments of Government. In that way, this proposed board will have some kind of judicial responsibilities. As you know, we do not have provisions for small courts, which handle small claims in other countries. Such small courts deal with small claims against producers of poor quality products. Rather than subject a consumer, who has a genuine complaint to the long process of the High court and magistrates' courts, this board should have powers to address such complaints and make awards. It should have that kind of responsibility. I know that it is not going to be an extra ordinary thing. We have the Industrial Property Organisation, which operates in the quality assurance area. This is something that can actually be achieved. I believe that, at the end of the day, for this to be achieved the Mover will need to work very closely with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, whose mandate covers the basic institutions responsible for quality assurance. The proposed Bill should be consistent with the provisions of our current laws. Its implementation will be facilitated by working in partnership with institutions such as the Kenya Bureau of Standards. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}