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{
    "id": 816041,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/816041/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 362,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I can see the Senate Leader of Minority is happy and this means that we are doing well. I know Sen. Olekina has been having a lot of issues saying that he is in Government, but I emphasize that he is in the opposition. So, he should be careful on other issues of national importance. I rise to thank and support Sen. Kasanga. I am happy because therehas been an issue to do with foreign contractors. Last week, we were discussing so many issues concerning the racism that workers of African descent in the SGR face, and so I agree that we must protect them. We should adopt “Brand Kenya” because we are outsourcing mega projects and the complaints that we are receiving from SGR is that they do not have technological transfer. So, how can they build the capacity of our local contractors if all the serious government and private projects are outsourced? So, as a country, we are headed for capital flight. The other day, I was watching a documentary on Al Jazeera and they were showing the former spokesperson of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a consultant from China and a consultant form the United Kingdom (UK). I realized that Africa is headed to “modern day slavery” because of over- reliance on heavy borrowing. The person from Senegal was saying that Senegal has borrowed heavily from China and other big tigers from the east. They have borrowed over 80 trillion. That is why we have the President of China touring Africa. As Africans, we do not like anything with strings attached and the aid that we have been getting from the western countries has strings attached. They want to look at our human rights records, issue index, democracy, the gender rights, equality rights, communal rights, marginal rights and others. It was sad watching that documentary because it seems in Africa, we have totally outsourced all serious projects at the expense of developing our countries. Besides, the people who finance most of the key projects in Africa are people who do not care about human rights. In fact, the other day it surfaced that even our business people who go to China and Japan are subjected to racial discrimination. Madam Temporary Speaker, I agree with Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., that “Brand Kenya” must take its rightful place. The reason the sugar industry is being destroyed in this country is because of such unethical conduct. The reason why anything that is made in Kenya is being destroyed is because of the public perception that anything foreign is better or superior. This is the reason why we have a problem of foreign contractors. I agree that we have cowboy contractors in this country, but they are genuine. They are tenderpreneurs. It is not an offence in this country to get 10 per cent commission, even as lawyers in our practice we get commission. However, it should not be a precursor to make sure corruption spirals out of control. I can dare all of us today that the phones we use, the clothes we wear and the pens we use most likely are all imported because we suffer from inferiority complex – plain and simple. This is the reason why if I bring a contractor from Kakamega County where Sen. Malalah comes from, you will not trust that person, even if he is a mason or a carpenter with over 50 years experience. However, if you get a Chinese who is a prisoner The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}