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"id": 240960,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/240960/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Kagwe",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Information and Communications",
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"legal_name": "Mutahi Kagwe",
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"content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was educating hon. Members on the issue of a back office operation. It is very simple business where a client overseas saves money by employing officers here in this country and communicates with them by an efficient working telephone. That is all it takes! A couple of computers and hard working people and you have a back office operation for a company in London or a place like Sydney or elsewhere. The biggest advantage we have in Kenya is our people as far as trade and investments is concerned. Our huge cadre of educated people will provide the backbone on which we can industrialise our nation. However, I would, particularly, like to emphasise that the ICT business is where the world is going. We cannot be left behind on this issue. I also want to congratulate our business people, particularly, our industrialists, for learning at last to ignore the issue of politics and not to fear. In particular, foreign investors tend to think that the minute they see some little difference in political parties; the minute there is a simple by- election in this country, they tend to believe that Kenya is on the brink of collapse. Politics is to Kenya what football is to the Brazilians. The fact that the Brazilians always discuss and talk about football, does not threaten the stability of Brazil. The fact that we are political animals in this country and tend to over-politicise our nation does not, at any time, threaten the stability of their business or their investments. What you find is that the minute there is a little by-election going on somewhere, investors tend to withdraw and think that they are threatened in some way or other. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would, therefore, like to use this opportunity to tell our private sector that Kenya a is politically mature nation. Differences thrive within the context of a stable nation. Those of us who argue, do so within the context of stabilising our country. I would also like to urge our Parliamentarians and my colleagues here in this House, to appreciate that the differences we have should be exhibited within the context of a stable environment in which investors can come and take advantage of. I just want to emphasise on that. 2394 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 26, 2006 The breakdown of the Doha development round in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is an issue that we hope the Minister is going to apprise this House. He should tell us the implications of the fall of the Doha development round. I have had the privilege of sitting as the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade and we had predicted that as soon as the western world is asked to make some sacrifice to the developing countries, the WTO will be threatened. That is precisely what has happened. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the minute you ask the French person to sacrifice his subsidy for a cow, where a cow is being subsidised to the tune of US$2.50 per day and our fellow colleagues are living on less than US$1 per day; a cow in Japan lives on US$7 per day - as soon as developed countries were asked to sacrifice those subsidies and allow us to sell milk to Europe and sell rice to Japan, that is when problems began. Therefore, it appears with the fall of the Doha round of the WTO, developed countries will only deal with us provided they have something to gain; provided they are the winners in whatever negotiations we carry through; and provided it is their jobs that are being protected in Europe at the expense of jobs being exported from this continent. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when you think about it, our country is not actually a net receiver of donor aid. In fact, Kenya is a net donee. If there is a donor, then there is a donee. A donee is people like Kenya because what we are donating to Western Europe is jobs. We are donating jobs to Europe when they are packaging and processing our tea and coffee. Therefore, I think that Kenyans should be encouraged in whatever way possible. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, As a Government, we have committed ourselves to encourage Kenyans as much as possible to make use of the raw materials that we have and to add value to our raw materials and in the process create jobs. The case with the Doha round is the same case with the European Union/Afro-Caribbean Pacific (EU/ACP) negotiations. On the one hand, the Europeans say that the ACP countries contribute very little in the economy while on the other side, they want to continue negotiating packages or agreements that are to their advantage. We urge the Minister to be particularly vigilant in the discussions that are going to follow. We also urge Parliament, particularly the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade to also be vigilant, as far as influencing or being influenced by foreign parliamentarians is concerned. In their meetings with other parliamentarians, they should emphasise on the importance of the development part of both trade and industry. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}