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{
    "id": 393777,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/393777/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 188,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "s. You will find people from the UK coming to look for jeans from here. So, as we struggle to get imported stuff, they are also coming to get the local stuff. Look at the Maasai ornaments that we sell; with those, we own a cultural identity and we are proud of it. That, in itself, can be a real source of income for a long time. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we need to look at what is going wrong with our industries. It has been mentioned that energy costs are very high. This is true. In about two of the investment plans that we have visited in the last two weeks, there was a complaint that energy costs are very high, especially from electricity. That creates a problem in terms of investments because the profits then become very low. But the geothermal development Company already has an initiative of producing cheap and available energy, and that is one area to explore. We can tap into our low skilled labour and try as much as possible to move towards manufacturing at low cost. I think if we begin to look at what our problems are; that we have the skills, we have people who are unemployed, we want to be able to push our agenda, then I think this upside down sort of thinking and mindset could be eradicated in the long run. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, from the Motion, there is a ready market outlet for the garments that can be created locally. If we can have a policy where the Government takes up to 70 per cent, as Sen. Elachi said, even maybe 100 per cent; Why not? - from what has been generated locally, then already we have a local market where these products can go into directly. That, in the long-term, will help us to spur development and also to build this particular identity. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are skirting around the issue of procurement, because that is where the problem really is. I think we need to be very direct and clear here. We should send a clear message as the Senate that we expect to have a procurement process that entails what is locally manufactured and produced to be utilized within this country. Let us be proud of Kenya; let us be proud of our industries. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir."
}