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{
    "id": 603533,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/603533/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 164,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. F. K. Wanyonyi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2065,
        "legal_name": "Ferdinard Kevin Wanyonyi",
        "slug": "ferdinard-kevin-wanyonyi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for this opportunity to support this Bill. First and foremost, I thank Hon. Priscilla for what she has done. I was here when she was moving the Bill and I was very impressed. Indeed, she had done a bit of research. She even gave us information I did not even know that this Bill was first presented by Hon. Mukhisa Kituyi in the 8th Parliament. We are now in the 11th Parliament. She has done research on this matter and I thank her for the good work she has done. She gave us detailed information that some of us did not know. As most people have said, information is power. It opens transparency in what we are doing. It helps us to use our natural resources properly without fear or favour. I know that accessing information is a human right. As citizens of this country, it is our right to get information. Therefore, I know for sure that with that kind of information, I will do what is supposed to be done. I was perplexed by the disclosure by Hon. Nyokabi that out of 108 countries in the world that have passed this law, 17 of these countries are in the African continent, yet we have not done it. She gave a list and I was surprised that South Africa did it in 2007. You cannot compare Uganda with Kenya in terms of development. She also mentioned that South Sudan passed the Bill in 2015. Burkina Faso, Rwanda and Liberia also passed this Bill. These are troubled countries and yet since the 8th Parliament our country has not passed this law. It is important that we guard our Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). If we compare ourselves with a country like Rwanda, we will find that it has had a lot of direct investment because the Rwandese Government gives free information to potential investors. There is also free information in Uganda. I thank Hon. Nyokabi for bringing this Bill to this House. Therefore, when an investor wants to invest she/he will access information to know how long it will take to form a company. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, you and I know that it has been taking us as long as four to five months to form a company here. Thanks to the current regime because I understand it now takes about three weeks. That information is not out there because it is not open and free. If it had been open I am sure this country which is strategically placed in Africa could be getting a lot of Foreign Direct Investment. We do not have that because we had not passed this law on Access to Information. I thank the Mover because we will get the information. Those who are trying to invest in this country would like to know how the business environment is. It cannot be disclosed if this Bill is passed. Therefore, this is a very important Bill and I hope it will take a short time for us to fast-track it so that we move alongside others. 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."
}