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{
    "id": 241325,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/241325/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 171,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Wekesa",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Science and Technology",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 209,
        "legal_name": "Noah Mahalang'ang'a Wekesa",
        "slug": "noah-wekesa"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary July 25, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2311 Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to support this Motion. First of all, I would like to commend the Minister for Trade and Industry for a brilliant performance in the Ministry. We have read in the Press about his performance in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meetings. He has been recognized as one of the best Trade Ministers in Africa. This must be a credible performance on behalf of this country and we would like to support him. Indeed, I would like to say very clearly that this is a very important Ministry. It cuts across all Ministries. In my own Ministry of Science and Technology, there are many areas we can co-operate with the Ministry. It also cuts across the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Agriculture and others. It is one Ministry that touches every other Ministry. Therefore, I would suggest that possibly as we move forward, next year, we should allocate enough funds for this Ministry to enable it to do all the things that they are not doing today. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I heard a colleague say that we have trade attaches everywhere. However, I want to disagree with my colleague and friend who we worked very well in the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources. Recently, I have been travelling a lot and one thing that I hear from many of our embassies is that they want trade attaches. The importance of trade attaches cannot be over-emphasised. Without having trade attaches, we will not be able to sell Kenyan goods. We will not even be able to persuade investors to invest in Kenya. Therefore, while I support the proposal that the Ministry should be allocated more funds, I am also thinking that this will enable the Ministry to create offices in our embassies so that matters of trade can be fully looked after. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me now turn to the issue of investments. Two months ago, I was in Dubai and I heard a very interesting thing; that any investor who wants to invest in Dubai must identify a local person. Before you can form a company to trade in anything, some of the directors must be local people. Trade in that country is booming. I think we could borrow a leaf from there. We must have mechanisms where we encourage investment. We can link those investors with our own people and make sure that we train our own people so that they can be partners in trade with investors. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to commend relevant Ministries for making it possible even for trade in the region to succeed. Currently, the Government is addressing the issue of the bureaucracy involving the registration of companies and issuance of licences to potential investors. This is the way we should go. We should make it much easier for any investor to invest in this country by reducing any bureaucracies involved in the registration of companies. I also agree with the hon. Member for Saboti when he talked about transport and other infrastructural arrangements. Trade cannot be smooth without having proper roads and transport facilities and air communication. We also need to address those areas so that we can make it possible for investors to invest in our country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are living in a technological era. I just want to refer to an issue that impressed me. Many years ago when I was at school, a small country, Ireland, had problems of unemployment. I think that was in the middle 1960s that I visited Dublin. I was there recently and I found that this country is one of the most progressive countries in the European Union. Talking to the people there, I found that they have taken technology as the engine for development, creation of jobs and trade. I saw many people from India and China. I think for us to move forward, we must recognise that we are no longer living in that age; we are in a technological age. We should, therefore, work closely with the recent developments in technology to improve our trade. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue I want to talk about is business in Sudan. As Kenyans, we should be pro-active. Sudan is an area that is open. If you go to Sudan now, you will find that the Japanese and Ugandans are there and yet this country has had very good relations with Sudan. I want to urge the Minister for Trade and Industry to really open up these 2312 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 25, 2006 areas and encourage Kenyans to take up jobs and business in Sudan. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, coming back home, in Trans Nzoia, Kitale Town has remained very dormant for a long time. This is in my area. Probably when I am dead, they will say: \"We had an hon. Member called Dr. Wekesa and he did nothing.\" I just want to tell my colleague that we can do something in Kitale. We have land there. We have offered Namandala Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) as an export promotion zone. I think the Minister has said that he is going to do something about it. For my own private reasons but mostly for the benefit of people in Trans Nzoia, I am urging the Minister to consult the parastatals within his Ministry to ensure that an export promotion zone is established there. With those few remarks, I beg to support this Motion."
}