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{
    "id": 241322,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/241322/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 168,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Capt. Nakitare",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 348,
        "legal_name": "Davis Wafula Nakitare",
        "slug": "davis-nakitare"
    },
    "content": "was formed by experienced artisans who quit their jobs to go and work under scorching sun to earn and promote Kenya's industry. How do we support them? How is Kshs1.5 billion going to July 25, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2307 support micro-industries? Unfortunately, I did not hear the Minister mention anything about this crucial industry. Why do we have to look at the World Trade Organisation? What do we benefit from there? We have to look at ourselves and build Kenya: \"Buy Kenyan and build Kenya\". We do not have to look at the outside world. Why do we have to look at countries like Jamaica and countries that support multi-laterals? Why do we not look at the Jua Kali sector and nurture it? The Kshs1.5 billion must circulate around Kenya to build Kenya and make the country recognisable. Recently, for example, a farmer set out to manufacture wine out of pawpaw using primitive technology in Kakamega. Now, we have pawpaw wine even in overseas shelves. Is this not trade? Is this not an industry? Is this not something that we should support? We can produce wine and whisky from pawpaw, pineapples and anything that is sweet, including sugar-cane. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has to come out as the principal body to manage such enterprises. I do not see how we can put this Ministry in the background when we need money from overseas. In this country, we do not have long-term strategies. You spend money to make money. You cannot keep money in the pocket and expect to get profit out of it. We have to make use of this Ministry to improve our strategic reserves, like Botswana which has US$8 billion in reserve yet Botswana is a desert. They buy food from overseas and yet, Kenya, a productive country is a beggar. What a shame! We have to promote local industries. We have to give our people the morale to work. We can invent things through this Ministry. Our women and men out there who have technology can even invent computer chips the way Robert Knowes invented computer chips that run computers all over the world. We are muzzled. We are not given time to use our brains. I would like to see the Ministry of Trade and Industry do anything to bring in foreign exchange. How can a farmer export his produce without passing through the Ministry? We used to have trade and supplies where we used to monitor foreign exchange. We knew how much we had and we knew how much we were going to spend to order material from outside. That theory died in the 1990s. Our country does not even know how much we have in foreign exchange reserves. We are only being told that we have to borrow so much. For how long are we going to remain beggars? Kenya has matured. Surely, 43 years after Independence and we are still wobbling like a toddler? This is the time we have to tell the world that we are able to produce. Soon, we are going to exploit oil and we do not want to be like Nigeria. We have the economy. Agriculture is the structure, it is our pillar and fountain. So, when we do any other industrial manufacturing or invent something new, we shall be supplementing what we already have. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}