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{
"id": 961693,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/961693/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Suba South, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. John Mbadi",
"speaker": {
"id": 110,
"legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
"slug": "john-mbadi"
},
"content": "is someone I would say was born where fishing was taking place. Above all, when he became an adult, he showed great interest in fishing. He is one of the directors of one of the largest fish firms in Lake Victoria. It is one of the firms or companies that are doing fish farming in Lake Victoria. That is the fish farming that is now commonly now known as “cage farming”. Therefore, in terms of passion or interest, Ochieng’ Mbeo fits the bill. He has interest in fishing. He has demonstrated that interest. More importantly, Hon. Ochieng’ Mbeo’s intellectual capacity is well demonstrated. He is there in our records. He has been a Member of the Kenyan Parliament. He has also been a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). It is not just being an MP. Those who know Ochieng’ Mbeo know that he is someone who has academic capability which is further demonstrated by his curriculum vitae that the Committee has ably enumerated. Hon. Ochieng’ Mbeo also has the capacity of being a very good communicator. To be at the helm of the Kenya Fisheries Management Authority, one needs to have the ability and capacity to communicate, and the ability and capacity to be someone who understands international economics. We know Hon. Ochieng’ Mbeo as someone who has travelled all over the globe. As we support this appointment, I also want to highlight that the Committee has pointed out that there was a bit of an issue with the KRA. We need to be very careful, as a House, with seeking clearance from some of these agencies. The records of these agencies are sometimes never accurate. Yesterday I was discussing with Hon. Amos Kimunya. He was telling us that the KRA had asked him to pay tax on his salary of Parliament. That is a salary which, we know, Parliament deducts Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) and remits it to KRA. After he wrote to them, they wrote to him telling him that it was a mistake, and it had since been corrected. Then, a third letter comes reminding him to pay. There is a bit of confusion. I now understand why KRA has a problem with meeting projections of revenue. As we put this as one of the conditions for approving nominees or appointments in this House, we need to be alive to the fact that these agencies are sometimes not very careful; they are not accurate in the records they keep. On the issue of his directorship in a company that is doing fish farming, it is very important for him to resign. Maybe, the Committee is citing conflict of interest. When it comes to heading the KFMA, I thought, having such direct interest is even important. I really do not know how the conflict of interest will come about. If he has already promised to resign, I do not think I would want to raise that matter further. But, if you asked me, I really do not see where there is conflict of interest. I also wanted to point out that, of all corporations and agencies we have formed as a country, this is probably the only one where the Chairman of the Board is being vetted by this House. It is a matter we need to look into. Really, it is discrimination, to say the least. If all other chairs of State corporations are never vetted here once appointed by the President, I do not see why this one is so unique that his name has to be brought to this House for vetting. Allow me to say two more things before I sit down. The fishing industry has had a challenge. As someone who has known fish from his childhood – from the date of his birth, I would imagine – it is high time he demonstrated that someone who has fishing industry in his heart is very important to be in this authority. We have not had this previously, and we saw fit, as a House to create through legislation so that we see a difference. Our fish market has been shrinking in the global market, yet this country produces some of the best fish in the whole world. So, we need to market our fish properly. There are a lot of rumours about how we handle fish. We need to dissuade those market rumours, especially in 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."
}