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{
    "id": 695380,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/695380/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 66,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. A.B. Duale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "Executive to make sure that we have recalled the House today. That is having the Executive doing their bit and the Legislature doing their bit by ratifying this agreement. What happened when the matter was before the EU Parliament? That matter was about Kenya, the regulations and the deadline of 1st October, 2016. Kenya had only one option. Kenya took the initiative to counter this eventuality by seeking an opportunity to sign the EPA in view of the regional decision by the partner states to sign the EPA later. Kenya assured the EU of an accelerated process of ratification in order to meet the 30th September deadline by which the country will have ratified the EPA and notified the EU Council on the same. So, the moment we ratify this agreement today, the CS and more so, the Executive, will have 10 days to notify the EU Council on the same so that, altogether, the Executive, the Legislature and the EU Council, will save our country from the imminent deadline of 1st October, 2016. The effect of this will be to guarantee Kenya market access in the EU. What we are doing today, the moment we ratify and the Executive does its bit, will guarantee Kenya market access in the EU market under the Market Access Regulations on Duty-Free, Quota-Free basis as the East African Community (EAC) member states sort out the regional process of signing the EPA. Finally, what are the threats of not ratifying the EPA? This is very important. If Kenya does not ratify the EPA, the EU will subject our exports to the ordinary tariffs effective 1st October, 2016. That is a date that may not be pushed to 8th January, 2017 as our member states are asking for. When the EU meets, it will vote Kenya out of the Market Access Regulations if we will not have ratified the EPA. So, the matter is between our obligation to the EAC and our obligation to the citizens that we and the Executive represent. Secondly, Kenya will be losing its market access opportunities to EAC countries such as Tanzania and Uganda and other African countries like Ethiopia, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia that already have duty-free and quota-free access in the European Market. For Tanzania, whether they ratify or not, they will not be a victim of the 1st October deadline. Thirdly, the overnight loss of the EU market will have major, serious and fundamental ramifications to our economy. The first will be undermining the country’s fight against unemployment. Huge losses will be realised and livelihoods of an estimated 4 million people will be affected. Flower, tea and coffee farmers, among others, will be affected. I am sure that even the miraa market will be affected in the event that we get it back to the EU market."
}