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{
    "id": 241328,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/241328/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 174,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Prof. Oniang'o",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 363,
        "legal_name": "Ruth Khasaya Oniang'o",
        "slug": "ruth-oniango"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to support this Motion. I would like to congratulate the Minister, but in the same breath not to spoil him by overpraising him. We are aware that this is a key Ministry although the money they have might not be enough. However, money is never enough and it is a question of prioritising and seeing how you can achieve the best in the shortest time possible. The Minister has shown us that his Ministry has continued to perform well internationally, July 25, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2315 for example, under the World Trade Organisation (WTO). His Ministry has really flown our flag high. He has shown us that he can equally do well locally given the way he handled the Uchumi saga. We, however, still need to do more locally. It is sad that more than 40 years after Independence we are still talking of such concepts as Africanisation and Kenyanisation. Surely, we must be going backwards; something is very wrong here. We must, therefore, do something straightaway. The Ministry of Trade and Industry depends on so many other sectors. It depends heavily on the infrastructure. Those of us who travel to the rural areas of this country know that our roads are in a deplorable state. We know that we have never constructed a single inch of railway line since Independence. What has really gone wrong? You cannot industrialise the rural areas unless you have proper infrastructure in place. People have to transport their goods, communicate with others and stay connected with other countries. Unfortunately, this Ministry is handicapped. It is a question of whether it is the chicken or the egg which came first. Should it be trade first or infrastructure? Clearly, there is not much that can go on unless other sectors perform well too. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kenya is a rich country. I get embarrassed each time we say that we are poor and go begging from the outside world. Foreigners tell us that we could be as good as Dubai. Why do people pass through our airport to go to Dubai? Why should they leave our country to go to other countries and yet we are strategically placed? We should be providing those services that they go to seek elsewhere. With regard to industrial parks, we had promised to create them in our major public universities. We have the top brains like engineers and technologists of international repute in our universities. Recently I was invited to attend a professors' luncheon at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). This is a university full of innovation and it is recognised internationally. In fact, they sell their services to neighbouring countries. They are now trying to engage in industry partnerships with other universities. They put to me one complaint, and I hope the Minister for Trade and Industry will be told, that scrap metal is exported every week from this country. They would like to get the scrap metal and use it to manufacture products that can be used both locally and abroad. The university that I am talking about is holding its graduation ceremony today. If you go there, you will be very much impressed. One other request that they put to me is that the Kenya Railway Corporation has a foundry which is unused and yet there are business people who are interested in taking the foundry. If the university is given the foundry, I am sure they will make good use of it and propel Kenya forward. We need to utilise our universities. It does not take a whole law to create industrial parks. We want to give incentives to our lecturers so that they can produce goods for export. With regard to the new Ministry of Youth Affairs, I am aware that the youth are now forming groups. However, what will they be doing when they get loans from the Ministry? We should encourage them to venture into industrial world in the rural areas. We know that there are women entrepreneurs, but nobody talks about them. There are so many Kenyan women who keep flying out of the country to do business. We also need to give them incentives. If we"
}