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"id": 240951,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/240951/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Ahenda",
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"speaker": {
"id": 256,
"legal_name": "Paddy Ahenda",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am glad the Minister is just walking in. The internal trade has been far much abused, in that, our trade officers have merely become tax collectors. In fact, I would prefer the Minister to transfer all of them to Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) where they can become tax collectors because they are very much preoccupied with collecting fees for trade licences without actually trading. The internal trade should have been expanded by the trade officers going out to the markets to see how traders are doing and what problems they are experiencing. There is a lot of internal trade that could be expanded countrywide so that it can flourish. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am a very disappointed person, in that, a lot of money was pumped into Uchumi Supermarkets Limited. It was stolen and then the Minister pumped another Kshs600 million into it which will also be stolen again. This is not trade. Pure and simple! When the Minister was talking about Uchumi Supermarkets Limited, I was very happy when he first said that its former directors should have been prosecuted for the loss of these millions of shillings. However, alas, he went again and gave them another Kshs600 million to steal again. Even if they are not the same directors, that is not trade. If you remember the case of Enron Company of the United States of America (USA), these directors of Uchumi Supermarkets Limited ought to have been locked up long time ago because their actions amounted to killing trade. The collapse of Uchumi Supermarkets will recur if the Minister continues giving its new directors money. You can change the faces but the system remains the same. If you change new directors, you will not have changed anything. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, branding and packaging are essential things that our traders need to do. Our internal and external trade will only flourish if we brand and package our products well. If a product is not of a superior quality, but well branded and packaged, it will fetch more value. Officials from this Ministry should be more concerned with branding and packaging of our products rather than harassing traders on issues of licences. They should inculcate this culture in our traders. If they did so, traders will appreciate it and internal trade will flourish. It appears as though our traders seem to be running more of charitable organisations because they make very little profit, despite the fact that, they keep on pumping more resources into their businesses. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, patenting is another major issue we need to consider. There are a number of laws that govern patenting. I do not even know whether the Ministry has come up with proper patenting laws to protect our products. Once a upon a time, there was an Export Promotion Council (EPC) in this country. However, I do not know whether it still exists. I will tackle it in a few minutes when I talk about external trade. At the moment, I would like to address myself to issues that concern the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). The KEBS has done very little to help traders. If anything, KEBS officers have frustrated the traders so much so that some of them are now afraid of those officers. I believe KEBS should be part and parcel of traders. They should tour the business premises to boost traders' morale. Traders should be looking for KEBS officers. This is because having a stamp of the KEBS on their products would actually enhance their trade. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Business Premises and Rents Tribunal is another department that has become more of a monster to the traders. The Minister should look into issues that concern that department. We want to see this department promoting trade. Traders should not runaway whenever they see officers from this department. Let me now take a few minutes to tackle the issue of external trade. There is a lot of promotion done in other countries by the EPC, however, the system for our products to reach those markets is lacking. I have in mind the distribution, wholesale and retail of our products externally. 2392 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 26, 2006 There is no need of spending a lot of money promoting, for example, Kenyan tea in Germany and yet, we do not have ways of pushing it into their market. Trade attaches in embassies would be wasting their money promoting such products if they do not create the supply chain to reach those countries where they are doing promotion of our products. We need to have a supply chain for all our products. That is the only way we can access external markets. This will also ensure there is continuous supply. If we do that, within a short time, external trade will flourish. Some years back, I attended an external trade exhibition show in Germany. The Germans were very proud of Kenyan products, particularly Kenyan coffee and tea. However, after the show, the exhibitors packed up their things and came back. The supply chain was cut off. Therefore, the trade of our products collapsed as soon as the show ended. As of now, we do not have a steady supply of our tea and coffee in some of those external markets. If that could be looked into deeply by our trade officers, this would be very good. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister should assist traders in terms of weight and measures. I do not know whether there is a proper legislation governing traders with regard to weights and measures. However, something seems to be lacking and traders do not even know where to go to when they have complaints. The Ministry should check this issue so that those charged with the issue of weights and measures become part and parcel of the traders. Once they visit a trader's shop, it should be seen as a boost to them. I believe such visits would enhance their sales. Traders should not run away from such officers. That would also increase our traders' morale and boost their trade. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}