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{
    "id": 924782,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/924782/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 68,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kiminini, FORD-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Chris Wamalwa",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1889,
        "legal_name": "Chrisantus Wamalwa Wakhungu",
        "slug": "chrisantus-wamalwa-wakhungu"
    },
    "content": "Kshs500 billion. So, the trade deficit in value terms is about Kshs1.1 trillion. This is very dangerous to the country. I went through some research and I realised that about 60 per cent of the imports into this country come from China. This is where the country needs to focus. We must put structures in place that can help the business community in this country to export for purposes of foreign exchange earnings. We have a parastatal called the Export Promotion Council (EPC) and one of its core businesses is to help the local community, the small and medium enterprises to access the global market through trade fairs and exhibitions. We have big trade fairs in the world specifically in Europe, Asia and America. The EPC is supposed to organise SMEs to help them access the international market. I also call upon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to come in. That is why it is given that title. The foreign policy of this country is now commercial. One of the responsibilities of ambassadors is to market their country. It is high time we measured the performance of our ambassadors based on how much business they have created for this country. We see many of them looking for more money to be given to their missions, but in value terms, the returns on investment cannot be accounted for. China is a communist country and everybody in China is looking for business so that they can create market for their production. This is a learning lesson that our ambassadors and high commissioners, wherever they are, should always look for market for our products to promote our exports. When you talk about imports, we should not just import every Tom, Dick and Harry. In China, there are different categories of products. There is product segmentation. There are products for the higher market, the middle market and the lower market. When you look at the products with your naked eye, it is very difficult to tell the difference. But they will tell which product is for what market. They have done market segmentation. I think it is high time we also did the same in Kenya. When we want to take our products to the market, we should segment them so that we can know which one is for high market, middle market and lower market. The law of demand must be backed by capacity to purchase. You might want to drive a Mercedes Benz, but your pocket may not allow you to buy one. You will end up going for a Toyota. So when we produce our products, it is important for us to do market segmentation. Secondly, the Jubilee Government has put measures in place before. We have the Uwezo Fund, the Youth Enterprise Fund and the Women Fund. Unfortunately, this money is not being used to promote business. There is corruption. In the last Parliament, we saw the Youth Enterprise Fund being misappropriated. So, corruption is killing every industry in this country. We know very well that many Chinese businesses here have been involved in corruption, but in their own country, corruption is not allowed. The Communist Party is in the forefront in the fight against corruption. In China, if you are found corrupt, they shoot you. But for their citizens who are in this country, corruption is being tolerated. We asked so many questions and we are yet to do a report, so that we can see why China is going very far. I have gone to America, Europe and everywhere, but I have not seen any country that can beat China when it comes to infrastructure, particularly their roads and the belt system. They 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."
}