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{
    "id": 949264,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/949264/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 57,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Were",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13183,
        "legal_name": "Petronila Were Lokorio",
        "slug": "petronila-were-lokorio"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, the consultations are too loud. Therefore, I would like the loud consultations to be limited. Let me proceed. As I was saying earlier, there has mainly been no framework to guide counties or the national Government on how to deal with the issue of hawkers or street vendors. This law provides for licensing of hawkers in a manner that should be improved, instead of them having to be categorised. They should be given numbers as somebody suggested yesterday, to appear both at the back and front of the uniforms they wear. Those uniforms can be coloured depending in what area of business or trade the hawker or the street vendor is involved in. Licensing will also create some formality in the sector and make this sector recognizable. Once the hawkers are registered, we want them to be able to approach banks for loans so that they can improve their operations. It should also be known that the informal sector largely contributes to the economy of this country and it has been doing so without any form of regulations. With this law, we expect that the Government will be able to reap more in terms of revenue from this sector. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Clause 8 of this Bill talks about vending zones and providing both restrictive and non-restrictive zones for the hawkers. However, I would like to remind the sponsor of this Bill, Sen. Kibiru that, hawkers usually follow where customers are and, therefore, they will be found at bus stops, crossroads or stages, as we like to call them. There should be consideration of where these zones are placed in relation to where the flow of customers is. We have seen many market centres put up by NG-CDF and national Government affirmative funds yet hawkers do not go to those beautiful markets that have been built because customers are not found there. Customers are found in places of convenience and that is where hawkers go. Therefore, unless we look at this issue with that in mind, we will continue to have hawking as a menace instead of a benefit to our economy. In Clause 9, the Bill also calls for public participation. We know that we are still working on the public participation Bill and the executive is working on the public participation policy to guide public participation. However, it is an important tenet of our Constitution to have the public involved in whatever decisions we make. The harassment we keep seeing between hawkers and the inspectorates of the counties is mainly because the hawkers as key stakeholders are not involved or are not participating in decisions that are affecting them. This Bill provides that the County Executive Committee (CEC) will conduct business with hawkers in consultation with them and, will develop a framework of public participation to ensure that every decision about them involves them. The disconnect that has been existing will be a thing of the past. With those many remarks, I beg to support the Bill with amendments."
}