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{
"id": 370273,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/370273/?format=api",
"text_counter": 263,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. H.K. Njuguna",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 1508,
"legal_name": "Humphrey Kimani Njuguna",
"slug": "humphrey-kimani-njuguna"
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"content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise in support of this Motion. Although it looks fairly technical, since you are raising issues of trade, when you talk about globalization, the central focus on globalization is trade. When you control the world in terms of trade, you control economic power, hence political power. So, I urge the House to go beyond this Motion because the issues that are raised in this Motion impact very heavily on the economic growth and development of Kenya and East Africa. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you interrogate issues of World Trade Organization (WTO), as originally formed in 1946, and look at its growth, the aim of WTO was to liberalize trade across nations. The assumption is that, trade among nations takes the nations as equal while on the contrary, nations are not equal and, therefore, trade cannot be based on equal partners. Looking at Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), the European Union is trying to engage other trading blocs on issues of trade. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue before this House is that, if we enter into these agreements with the EPAs as currently constituted, the result is that trade will be very unfavourable to our nation. The bar set on EPAs is so high on agricultural products, manufactured products, health products and all other products going out of Kenya. Therefore, meaning that the trade imbalance between Kenya and Europe will be such that we will be disadvantaged. I am saying this because I have in mind products like horticulture, where we will be saying, for example, flowers should have minimum moisture content. So, the bar is so high that our flower products will not be able to enter the European market. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am aware there is already a case in court in Kenya on the issue of EPAs. If we pass the EPAs as currently constituted, then it means Kenya will not be able to access most of our health products like medicines, because most of the medicines cannot meet the standards. They will have a lot of negative impact on the agricultural, horticultural, manufactured goods and health sectors. Our textile industries as well as our industries in Thika have gone under. If we pass the EPAs as currently constituted, even whatever else is remaining will go under. Hon. Members, if a Kenyan doctor wants to practise medicine in the USA, however qualified he may be, he must go back to class. If a Kenyan lawyer goes to United Kingdom, he cannot practise law, but when professionals from those countries come here, they want us to receive them and they practise, even in other sectors."
}