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{
    "id": 695394,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/695394/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 80,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kipyegon",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1453,
        "legal_name": "Johana Ngeno Kipyegon",
        "slug": "johana-ngeno-kipyegon"
    },
    "content": "products. This Agreement will allow us to have good trading relations. The issue of non- reciprocal preference trade regime, which has been in place, has not been favourable to our country, but with these new changes, we are going to have good trading opportunities with those countries. We must remember that the problem that has been bedeviling this country in matters of trade has been high tariffs which this Agreement will lower and thus allow us to have serious benefits. With regard to access to the EU markets, our countries are under-developed and we cannot compete with developed countries. This Agreement will allow us to compete in a way that will not be disadvantageous based on our under-development. There used to be imposition of some products on matters of technicalities and health standards. Our country is not so developed industrially like some other countries. So, imposing certain standards that we must meet especially on health and technical products was disadvantaging our countries. With this Agreement, they will readjust and remove the unilateral imposition of those technicalities. This will allow our countries to have proper access to their countries. On what the EU market will offer our countries, there is an imposition on goods that will have duty-free or quota-free market. I agree with them on the exception especially on arms and ammunition. If we were to have free access and allow free market on arms and ammunition, most of our countries do not have a serious moral ground on how to use arms. If arms were that cheap and easy to access, most of the people would acquire arms to kill each other. Another issue that caught my eye is the zero duty on 15,000 tonnes of sugar. This country has been having serious problems on matters of sugar and this market will allow our farmers to face the challenges that we normally have. There is something that touches on the liberalisation of 82 per cent of the EAC market for European imports. One thing which I would have liked to be noted is the issues which have been liberalised up to 82 per cent. When you look at the annexes, you realise that some rules have been placed to safeguard issues like anti-dumping. Most African countries have been turned into dumping grounds. When I look at these regulations, I am very happy with them unlike the regulations that we have with countries like China and Asian countries. Countries like China, Russia and other Asian countries have no serious rules. Most of them have made this country like a dumpsite where they dump all kinds of materials. When you look at these agreements, they are very special and safeguard our country from consuming products from such countries and from counterfeit products. So, I am happy with this Agreement because it protects our country from being turned into a dumping site. I am also happy with the rules which have been mentioned here especially the rules of origin. They state that in order for this country and other countries to trade in goods, there is the question of origin of the goods especially from the EAC. There was a time when people would import cars into this country through other countries with no barriers. We have had situations where people import sugar into this country claiming that there is a shortage of sugar, thus importing cheap sugar from one country and exporting it to another country using the same rule that the sugar originates from Kenya. So, I believe the rule which has been imposed by this Agreement will not allow cartels to import sugar from other countries and export it as if it originates in Kenya. The rule will stop such cartels that have been trading with sugar. Another rule which I am happy with is the simplicity of the standards of our products because of industries which are not of the right standards. The last one is the source of raw 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."
}