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{
    "id": 867711,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/867711/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 121,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Cecily Mbarire",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13169,
        "legal_name": "Jeniffer Shamala",
        "slug": "jeniffer-shamala"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Motion on ratification of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Kenya, Jordan, Jamaica and Bahamas. This is a matter of great interest to me having had the privilege of being an Assistant Minister in charge of civil aviation in the last regime. I served as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Transport and later, for another five years as an Assistant Minister for Tourism. So, I fully appreciate the amount of work that goes on in terms of negotiations around BASA and even the time it takes. I remember in particular that I was deeply involved in the one between the US Government and the Kenyan Government. That was over 10 years ago, when I was in the Ministry of Tourism. You can see that it came to fruition only this year. I would like to inform colleagues, especially Hon. Nyikal, who was wondering what has been happening all those years that, the negotiations around BASA take a very long time. There is a lot of back-and-forth. Sometimes, you sign agreements and the following year, something new happens. Also, because of change of business and trade interests, you find countries changing overnight on a particular matter. Of course, with consideration of security of certain countries, you find that it takes a while. All the same, this is the route. I know that as a country, we hold the open skies policy as very dear and very important for us in order to bring into our country Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and create employment opportunities. I am happy to see that we now have a BASA with Jamaica. It is one country I have a very keen interest in. As you are aware, the other day, reggae music was taken up as one of the cultural treasures by UNESCO. That is a huge fete for that music that all of us across the age groups in this House are aware of. This also gives Kenyans a chance to visit that country. I also know that Jamaicans love to visit Kenya. They have a strong attachment to our country. This will give us a chance to visit and to know those countries."
}