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{
"id": 949875,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/949875/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Kibiru",
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"speaker": {
"id": 13196,
"legal_name": "Charles Reubenson Kibiru",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. For avoidance of doubt, I will restrict myself specifically to issues of African commerce. We need not engage ourselves in that direction. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I just wanted to lay that background, so that we can understand that sometimes we have very good policies. Sometimes we set very good standards of going about our business. It was not until the infamous Structural Adjustment Programmes in the 1990s, when some of these policies, especially trade issues, were disrupted. Why the background? This country has undergone several transformations, from a protected or open market to a liberalised market. Of late, we have opened ourselves to the global market and are among the so-called emerging markets. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood) Bill, literally tries to say that we have a chain of distribution or trade that has been neglected. The other day I saw Sen. Kihika up in arms, saying that street hawkers in Naivasha were being harassed. It is a paradox that we are talking about unemployment and investments. It appears like we only look at investments in terms of people who invest billions. I have in mind school leavers in the rural village, who decide that they want to farm fruits. Since they want to add value to their economic activity, they will sell the fruits to retailers or people who pass by. The same people are being harassed, arrested and treated as criminals. This Bill seeks to formalize and recognize the street hawkers. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we used to have the manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers in the distribution chain. This is the line that we are talking about; the line of the retailers. It is said that billions of Kenya Shillings and the contribution to the GDP comes from the people who do that kind of retailing. The Bill seeks to force or ensure that both the national Government and the county governments, do recognize the street vendors. They should be registered, given badges and specific designated areas where they can trade, as a way of recognizing them. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you go to Turkey or even Oxford Street, there are some specific areas that are designated for people to vend their wares, especially clothes. We can offer employment and make our people have gainful income if we formalize and recognize the vendors who move around trying to sell their wares. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Bill also seeks the participation of the vendors, so that we do not designate them to areas where they will not get customers. For instance, in Nairobi, we have seen that every time there are issues, we kick out our vendors for one reason or another. What we are saying is that let us have designated days and streets. Let us even be able to separate those who hawk food and wares, so that we can also uphold hygiene. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the Bill, it is also recommended that people who do various businesses need to conform to certain rules and regulations. For instance, those who The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}