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"id": 916089,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Ugenya, MDG",
"speaker_title": "Hon. David Ochieng",
"speaker": {
"id": 2955,
"legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
"slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
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"content": "can be talking about President Magufuli in this House without bringing a proper Motion to discuss him. The issue in question is whether we are allowing foreigners in this country without vetting. Under the EAC Treaty in the Common Market Protocol, there is a right of establishment. A Tanzanian or a Ugandan can come to Kenya and establish a business and vice versa . The failure is ours as a country. Today, it is easier and cheaper to produce an egg in Uganda than in Kenya. It is easier to produce one sack of maize in Tanzania than in Kenya. That is failure of ensuring that when we liberalise, we follow Government policies that will ensure we produce cheaply and in a manner that promotes trade. That is important. How many Kenyans are in Tanzania today? They are many. So, the moment we start making statements that are inflammatory and show that we are at war, we are not helping Jaguar and anybody in Eastleigh or anywhere else. We are endangering the lives of Kenyans in Tanzania. We do not know what will happen tomorrow. This House is a House of laws. We have made laws and we must respect our own laws before we think of breaking laws of other countries. What happened yesterday is a case of ignorance and lack of capacity to understand that what one is doing is wrong. We must condemn it as we condemn the Government of Kenya for liberalising the opening up of our borders without a proper plan. The issue is not the person in Eastleigh. The issue is the Government of Kenya making commitments out there without ensuring that, as a country, we are well protected. This country has laws. In the last Parliament, we passed a law called the Kenya Trade Remedies Bill, 2017. The law is meant to ensure that if any imports are endangering our local products, we can take action. We have enough laws. We are just not enforcing them. It pains me that every time this kind of issue arises, people want to whip up emotions about imports to Tanzania or whichever place. We are not doing the right thing here. In the next four months, you will hear farmers from the Rift Valley saying that they cannot sell maize. Then two months later, the Government will say that we have no maize. Why do we want to blame Ugandans and Tanzanians? I grew up in Ugenya. It is 40 kilometers from Busia border. We get fish from Busia cheaper than the ones we get from Kenya. We get maize from Busia cheaper than the ones we get from Kenya. That is the truth. So, the issue is: Can the Kenyan Government ensure that it cushions it citizens against these kinds of malpractices and not blame anybody? I want to make it clear that when this Parliament set up a Committee on Regional Integration, it was meant to help us address such issues. I wish that the Member is advised. I want to request the Leader of the Majority Party, and this is a member of his political party, to ask Hon. Jaguar to take his sentiments to the Committee on Regional Integration so that they can be investigated. The issue of migration is one of big concern. We are allowing people to come to this county without following the law. It is not about lack of laws; it is about enforcement of those laws and corruption. We are allowing people to come here to sell goods in the streets. You cannot blame the Tanzanians for that. It is because of our weak enforcement system. We are not vetting the people who are coming into this country. The Tanzanians are doing their job and that is why they are able to know that, probably Mulinge does not qualify because of one or two reasons. If you can remember, that lady had a case in court. Probably, she was convicted."
}