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{
    "id": 836998,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/836998/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 325,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mumias East, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Benjamin Washiali",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 151,
        "legal_name": "Benjamin Jomo Washiali",
        "slug": "benjamin-washiali"
    },
    "content": "From the latest report of the United Nations (UN), the estimated population of these six partner states of East Africa is 436,467,104. This reflects 5.68 per cent of the world population. What am I saying? I am saying that if we work together in East Africa with the cohesiveness that we need to have, we will provide a very huge market for any product. For us to be able to attract producers and manufacturers of products that are fast-moving, we need to be efficient at our borders. As EAC, we need to quickly look at the issues that have been raised about Isibania so that it can benefit us. If this happens, then it will provide employment for our youth in the partner states because if trade among our countries was smooth, then we will attract the big companies that would then also provide employment for youth in our place. We have also noted the challenges that the Committee has had, especially the one they have pointed out. I would not want to repeat what the two Members who moved and seconded said but we really have a very big issue on the issuance of work permits. Just recently, we had a lady by the name Sylvia Mulinge who was working for Safaricom Kenya and she got a very lucrative position of being CEO of Vodafone Tanzania. It was shocking that despite Tanzania being one of the member states of East Africa, they denied her work permit to the extent of making her lose her employment. Because she was a good worker, she came back and reclaimed her position in Safaricom. However, Vodacom had to go ahead to hire someone from Tanzania by the name of Hisham Hendi who now took over the position that this Kenyan lady would have occupied. Now people start wondering why we have Tanzania and Ugandans here working and living in this country and when ours go out there to look for employment so that we have a balance of how the members the people of East Africa are getting opportunities to work within the member states, you find we have a problem. We also have had other problems. I am sure Members from Nyanza will agree with me that it is the Kenyan side that has observed diplomacy. At Migingo Island, the police from neighbouring Uganda have been frustrating Kenyan fishermen to the extent of snatching their catch yet nobody takes issue with that. If the Kenya Government was a reactionary government, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}