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{
    "id": 444561,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/444561/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 265,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. M’uthari",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1576,
        "legal_name": "Joseph M'eruaki M'uthari",
        "slug": "joseph-meruaki-muthari"
    },
    "content": "We also have other elements in terms of development. As a country we have increased funding to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but at times they do not represent our interests well. I happen to come from Igembe North Constituency, which is the cradle of miraa . I realise that even some of the countries that we visited have had committees of miraa . You hear that even our representatives there, like our representative in the Netherlands, made no appeal at all against that Government’s decision to ban miraa . The ban of miraa in London has frustrated the people that I represent in this House. Even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not represent all the sectors of our economy. Therefore, it is important that when people are given assignments they take care of the interests of the country. Representation is about representing the country’s interests. Hon. Speaker, in this year’s Budget, we have allocated funds to the Ministry of Industrialisation for its activities. There is talk about youth employment and expanding the economy, but we cannot do business the same way all the time and expect different results. It is high time we reviewed the way we do things. Even talking about trading, we are trading things that have been made in other countries. Most offices use furniture from other countries. What does that mean? It means that we are exporting our jobs rather than provide for strategic funding of certain sectors of our economy. If it is industrialisation, we should specifically put money in areas that will improve not only the climate but give more serious incentives in that particular area. As a nation, we have been very much involved. Even in the Supplementary Budget there is allocation for the Southern Sudan Liaison Office but how much does Kenya benefit from that peace in that particular country? Hon. Speaker, in this Budget, we could have an allocation of even Kshs2 billion for construction of warehouses to support business people. We can hold our goods near the border with Southern Sudan. So, when we export goods to South Sudan, instead of doing so through Uganda, the goods can be taken near the border of Kenya with South Sudan. That way, we can take advantage of the investments that we have made. As a country, we have invested heavily in the peace building in countries like Sudan, just as we are doing in Somalia. This has cost us heavily but by the end of the day, how do we locate ourselves strategically? This has to be identified in the Budget. We may delay certain infrastructure investment but by the end of the day, we invest in other areas that may improve trade, as I said, around our border with our neighbouring countries. Hon. Speaker, Ethiopia is a large country with a big population. If we could have facilities near our border with Ethiopia to enable us fasten the cross-border trade, our economy would expand and be in a position to support more Kenyans, in terms of employment creation. This will provide our manufacturers with a ready market. Therefore, they will increase their production. Another area we may need to look at more seriously is research and development. The Asian tigers and other countries that are developing fast put good money in the area of research and development. As a country, we are involved in service delivery. We are The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}