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{
    "id": 445779,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/445779/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 361,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Nyenze",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1987,
        "legal_name": "Francis Mwanzia Nyenze (Deceased)",
        "slug": "francis-mwanzia-nyenze"
    },
    "content": "reason is that we have allowed export of scrap metal. The countries that import from us produce steel products at cheaper cost. Those who allow exportation of the same produce steel products at a higher cost because they find themselves with raw materials deficit. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I have said many times that in Kenya, we have the Numerical Machine Complex, which has a very big foundry for converting scrap metal into steel. Let us use scrap metal to make the Numerical Machine Complex very active. It will employ our people and produce steel at cheaper costs. We will be able to manufacture steel and iron products cheaply. Currently, the Numerical Machine Complex operates at a very low rate. We should make it to operate at 100 per cent capacity. We anticipate the growth of the manufacturing industry. In order for this country to grow economically, we have to undertake manufacturing. Most of the manufacturing, especially of steel, iron and so forth, require the scrap metal that we export to other countries. If our economy is to grow by a double-digit, we have to learn from the countries that have succeeded. They went into value addition in the agricultural sector. They went into manufacturing of basic items, instead of importing everything. They created jobs and modernised their transport infrastructure for smooth flow of goods to the market. Those countries took off economically. Hon. Speaker, today most of those countries are middle income economies. It has been repeated over and over again that at Independence, Kenya was at par with the Tigers of the South-East Asia. Today countries like South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia have GDPs that are over 30 times that of Kenya. What went wrong within a span of 50 years of Independence? What went wrong is that we never embraced manufacturing. We started importing everything. We never added value to our exports. We export a lot of tea and coffee. We export a lot of raw materials. Instead of undertaking very simple manufacturing to add value to our agricultural produce, we sell it in its raw form and get very low income. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is my opinion that this is a very timely Bill and it is in line with Vision 2030. We have to work very hard to industrialize this country so that we provide jobs because of the cry in the villages where these Members come from. It is about employment, creation of jobs and creation of wealth. Our people need somewhere to work and have an income to live happily."
}