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{
    "id": 418195,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/418195/?format=api",
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    "content": "this issue. I suspect that the free port has been frustrated by the same people who own ware houses. They would not want to lose the benefits that go with the numerous warehouses that are there. There should be no fear at all that a duty free port would cause loss of revenue in terms of customs duty. If anything, we should ensure that we collect all the revenue that is due unlike the bonded warehouses that we have. There is another area that we do not seem to have exploited and which has potential to grow our economy and create employment. These are the shipping lines. We have a port, but we do not seem to have a ship that belongs to Kenya or the public. This is an area that the Government should look at, even if it means buying a few ships and registering them. There are countries in the world and even in Africa like Panama, Senegal and Liberia which have ships registered in their name. They earn a lot of money. Going along with that, there is also the issue of off-shore banking. It is time that this country had a facility for off-shore banking. There are countries that do it and they are benefiting from all the monies making rounds in the world. We should also have that. Cruise ship business is good for us, being a tourist destination country. We should take care of our cruise ship business which cannot even compete with other countries like Zanzibar or South Africa. It is high time that we invested in this area. It has the potential to generate money. I recall that there was a time when there was a hoax that there were cruise jobs in the Middle East. There were very many young people who had volunteered to work there. Many of them were very qualified. We should use those opportunities to get jobs for our people. The other area is fishing. We have an ocean, Lake Victoria and other lakes. There is a lot of potential for fishing in our economic zone. The Koreans, the Chinese and everybody else is fishing, except Kenya. We should look for a way of encouraging our youth and even procuring boats that can go out there for fishing. We should also invest in technology that can ascertain what ships are illegally fishing in our waters because this is happening. When it comes to infrastructure, having a port alone is not enough. We must have an effective railway system that can deliver goods out of the port. Save for the procurement issues that should be sorted out as quickly as possible, it is important that we have an effective railway system even if it means going electric. Other countries are moving the electric way. Why should we continue using the locomotives? We understand that we do not have enough power, but we should exploit the geothermal. We have coal in Kitui. These are issues that we should address urgently and ensure that we get the best of the railway system. We should have a railway system that will serve us in the next 50 or 100 years to come. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we should also invest in improving the pipeline and increase its capacity in terms of the speed at which we can pump. With regard to the roads, if you visited Eldoret today, you will find many tankers parked there. For you to cross that town from east to west, it would take you one or two hours. There is a lot of congestion. We do not have a bypass or a railway system. That pipeline should be extended all the way, either to Busia or Malaba, so as to discharge fuel to the market where it is intended to go. The refinery at Mombasa is old. The technology there is outdated. However, we still need the refinery. We should construct a modern one at a place which is The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}