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{
    "id": 241366,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/241366/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 212,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Odoyo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 340,
        "legal_name": "Peter Ochieng Odoyo",
        "slug": "peter-odoyo"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Provincial Trade Office is the same as it was 50 years ago. They still see their role as purely issuing out licences. In fact, they are becoming obsolete in view of the single-licensing and permit requirement that is coming on board. Their role in other areas like training in Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) has become almost non-existent. I wish to bring the District Trade Joint Loans Board (DJLB)--- In the latest Kenya Gazette, the Permanent Secretary and the Minister have gazetted new members of DJLB in a certain district. DJLB is dead, and yet it was the bedrock under which Africanisation was based. It was also where rural commercialisation and manning of the rural sector was based. I wish to request the Minister, at his own time, to bring a Bill to this House that combines small scale enterprises and small scale retailers. Those people employ the bulk of our people. They also provide a very valuable service, be they kiosks and other services. We need to support those people. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I went to Turkey and found out that they have a taxation measure called MSE Tax. When you buy anything, there is an indirect tax that goes to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs). That tax is controlled by the Ministry of Trade. That is because they realise how important that sector is to their economy. Today, this Ministry's plans are is still geared towards large enterprises. It was the same 30 to 40 years ago, when I was a humble Assistant Trade Officer and Economist in that Ministry. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, time has come when the Minister, while undertaking the WTO factors--- He has done a good job by briefing this House. Indeed, at one time, the Minister was touted to become the Director-General. I commend him for turning down that opportunity because we would have lost a very able Minister. I request him to continue in his technical capacity at that level. However, I want to fault him that, up to date, we do not have an international brand. Anybody involved in international trade and politics knows that brands rule the world. We need to have a brand. We may have a brand in tourism, but we do not have a brand beyond tourism. I went to London, New York and Berlin and found white Egyptian cotton shirts being sold; both short and long sleeved. Egypt has cotton as a brand. Why is it that we have not reached a point where we have Kenyan tea as a brand, being sold in supermarkets as Kenyan tea? The same should be done for coffee. He may have achieved the same with flowers, and I commend the Minister for that. However, our main traditional brands like coffee and tea are not there in the supermarkets abroad. They should be there. I request the Minister to consider Kenyan tilapia fish as a brand!"
}