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{
    "id": 954677,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/954677/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 369,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Gichugu, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Gichimu Githinji",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13341,
        "legal_name": "Robert Gichimu Githinji",
        "slug": "robert-gichimu-githinji"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to contribute to various aspects of this Bill. I particularly support the amendments to Clauses 44 and 45 of the Bill, which seek to bring a legal framework that introduces what we call cargo consolidators. This is a very crucial amendment to the Standards Act because it will enhance sanity in importation. On many occasions, goods of substandard value and counterfeit goods have been imported into this country. This is largely because the business of consolidators has no legal framework. In this case, we have also seen that most of the importers who have piled their goods with certain consolidators have also lost goods in the process, because you identify those consolidators at the point of import or from the country of origin. However, when you come into this country, you cannot find the person who consolidated your goods. In the process, we also have misinformation and a lot of issues relating to mis-declaration of some goods. And you find someone who imports, maybe, oil which is substandard may declare it as something else. So, this will bring a lot of sanity. It will also make sure that the consolidators who have been operating legally are not short-changed by other unscrupulous people who masquerade as consolidators. The other aspect of this Bill that I would like to contribute to, but which I do not support, is the clause that seeks to delete Section 33B of the Banking Act. This is likely to plunge Kenyans again into high interest rates in this country. We have seen so many people auctioned at this time when the interest rate is capped at 14 per cent. What if we increase the interest rate to 20 or 28 per cent? People might even lose their lives. We have seen so many people losing property. You look at the newspapers and you notice that three to five pages are auctioneers’ advertisements about property of people who had taken bank loans. And this is likely to escalate. So, I agree with the majority of the Members that this amendment is being sneaked in again to defeat the resolution of this Parliament to place the interest rate cap. This is a provision that needs to be amended at the Committee of the whole House so that we can conclude the debate that has been re-initiated in this Parliament, on the advice of the courts, by Hon. Jude Njomo."
}