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{
    "id": 926296,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/926296/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 337,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Yatta, Independent",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Charles Kilonzo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 46,
        "legal_name": "Charles Mutavi Kilonzo",
        "slug": "charles-kilonzo"
    },
    "content": "that there was not enough exchange of maritime information from member states within that area. Most of them were arrested off the shores of different countries. This Agreement gives us an opportunity under Article 12. It governs the shared maritime information for judicial purposes. Information shared under this Agreement may only be provided for use for judicial proceedings with the consent of the sharing party and limited to the information required. If we are going to fight piracy through judicial purposes, we have to make sure that we have information which is available and can be shared from other member states. Allow me to refer to the other Agreement, the Regional Agreement on the Coordination of Operations at Sea in Western Indian Ocean and the Explanatory Memorandum. The difference between the two Agreements is that one is sharing information and the other is the operations after sharing the information. For example, we might have our navy operating within a region where members have signed agreement. We need agreement on the guidelines, regulations and rules of operations. There is a very interesting article which is very important and I want to quote it. Article 4 says that all parties to cooperate in the fight against visible threats listed in Article 6 which include, among others, piracy. It also says that all parties are to provide assistance to regional coordinated cooperation at the sea in terms of material, human and legal means, and for ad hoc mutual assistance, facilitate clearance procedures, encourage efficient… The whole idea is that some of the neighbouring countries are very small and may not have the resources to operate in the sea so the stronger brothers in the Agreement will assist them. Article 6 is very specific on fighting piracy. All parties in the Agreement undertake to fight piracy and organised crime which is one of the biggest threats. Organised crime and drug traffickers, because of lack of agreements of this nature, have been having a field day. All they need to do when you are pursuing a suspicious vessel, when you exit your territorial boundary, you cannot pursue it. This Agreement allows that under Article 12 and underlines the manner in which state parties are to treat other vessels beyond territorial waters of any state. This Agreement will allow us if we are pursuing traffic traffickers to do so even in territorial waters of other countries who are party members. This is something that was totally impossible before. To finish, one of the biggest benefits in the Agreement, in the last page is that the European Union through the Indian Ocean Commission has made provisions for initial funding amounting to 5 million Euros to support coordination of cooperating states’ actions at the sea. The EU has committed to fund the operation made under the programme up to 2022. So, this comes with a benefit. Immediately we ratify this Agreement as Parliament, then the benefits will be financial. We will be funded. It will not be taxpayers’ money to be used but there will be assistance from the EU. With those remarks, I beg to second."
}