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{
"id": 85367,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/85367/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Gunda",
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"speaker": {
"id": 25,
"legal_name": "Benedict Fondo Gunda",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, the emerging role of parliamentary diplomacy cannot be over-emphasized. Modern parliaments, including that of Kenya, are expected to play a more proactive and definitive role in the development of relations between our countries. Parliament, on the one hand, represent the people, and on the other enact legislations, ratify international treaties, and engage in inter-parliamentary dialogue. Thus, the delegation which attended the two day conference in Moscow took that into account. Parliamentary delegations to conferences, workshops, or visits are not done in vain. The conference discussed, among other things, the role of the Russian Parliamentary diplomacy in solving the problems of providing safety and democratic development on the African Continent; enhancing co-operation in the sphere of the economy between Russia and Africa, and in particular, what our parliamentarians can do to identify, widen and strengthen bilateral trade and economic co-operation, and how they should do it. The Conference also held discussions on the humanities front within the focus of the Russia/Africa Inter-Parliamentary co-operation. This forum is expected to be regular, and will be targeted to translate recommendations into actions. Mr. Speaker, Sir, âRussia should return to Africaâ was the overriding spirit of the conference. As we are aware, Russia was one of the first countries to open missions here in Kenya at Independence. If I am not mistaken, it was the first. When they say âRussia should return to Africaâ one wonders why and what happened. An answer can be obtained from the fact that the cold war placed a hindrance on the Russia/Kenya relations. They were not able to propagate, maybe, what they had wanted to do. As a result, they lost out. We have now seen it proper that they should return to Africa, and to Kenya in particular. That is why this conference was organised; it was only befitting that the Kenyan delegation was invited to the conference to be part of Africa in learning more from Russia, and what it wants to do upon their return to Africa, and Kenya in particular. Mr. Speaker, Sir, one of the issues which came up at the conference was, obviously, that of trade. We were informed that Africa accounts for less than 2 per cent of Russiaâs total international trade. There is a lot we can do as a continent, and as a country, to improve this percentage in terms of trade. Russia is one of the countries which today offer Kenya a lot of support in terms of education. We get a lot of support from Russia in terms of partial scholarships. Sometimes one wonders why all the partial scholarships are not taken up. The delegation learnt that many of the places which have been offered have not been taken up. Thus there are interactions not only with the conference participants but also with the Russian Duma. The delegation learnt that the leadership of the Parliament of Kenya and the State Duma Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation can, if a recommendation is made, nominate members and staff to form a permanent joint friendship group that will spearhead the co-operation between the two parliaments. It is also a recommendation of the delegation that a joint Ministry of Trade and the Russian Embassy in Nairobi joint trade council or team be formed to expedite the organization of trade exhibitions, fairs and expos to showcase products from the two countries on a regular basis. This will, of course, open avenues for potential investors and attract investment. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is also during the interactions with Kenyans in the Diaspora, and this has become a feature of delegations which you approve to go out--- Whenever the delegations are out of the country they make sure that they interact with Kenyans who live in those particular countries. The delegations learn from them what problems they have and what ideas they have to improve our country Kenya. In one of those discussions with Kenyans in the Diaspora, it was learnt that a company or a private agent who sends Kenyans to Russia for study may not be providing the correct information about the situation in Russia. For example, the agent avoids telling the students the fee that is supposed to be paid. The students are only told that they are sponsored by the Russian Government but in effect that sponsorship is partial. That information is not passed on to the students. They are also not told that while they are in Russia the opportunity for them to work and supplement their incomes from Kenya is not there. This leads to many of the students sent to Russia finding the going to be very difficult and eventually drop out of school and come back to Kenya. It is also during those discussions that a request was put across by the students that they be considered for loans through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank your office for having made it possible for this delegation to go for this two-day conference and for them to learn what Russia intents to do in its return to Africa. With those few remarks, I beg to second this Motion."
}