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{
"id": 97930,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/97930/?format=api",
"text_counter": 322,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Prof. Ongeri",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Education",
"speaker": {
"id": 124,
"legal_name": "Samson Kegeo Ongeri",
"slug": "samson-ongeri"
},
"content": " Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to add my voice to support this Report for many reasons. I was Kenyaâs ambassador to the United Nations (UN) for five years and some of the issues which were finding their way into debate within the ACP-EU Joint Committee meetings at that time were at the rudimentary level and most of the conventions that were deliberated at that time, the issue that we were grappling with was the question of the legal framework and other measures which may be required to mitigate against certain other issues. Of particular interest was the desertification convention with particularity to Africa and this being a global problem, it was very difficult then to get the so-called developed nations to be supportive economically in order to mitigate against the effects of desertification, particularly with Africa. I remember when we had these negotiations in many fora, we were heavily handicapped in the sense that within the continent itself and within the ACP machinery, we did not have effective nations except Brazil which came out clearly. India and Kenya were extremely vocal in some of these debates. Therefore, I am delighted to note that one of the issues that may have found its way into the joint meetings between the two organizations; the ACP and EU was the issue of climate change. We spent endless hours debating on the framework of climate change and its protocols and it was very difficult for people to understand particularly when we talked of our virgin forests and acid-rain forests in the so-called developed nations. We told them: âLook, you are virtually cutting away some of our raw materials from our flora and fauna and very vast and important forests. We needed just to put one stop-gap measure in order to be able to create a legal framework under which we can participate on equal terms with youâ. It was quite clear and I am happy that the Committee is grappling with some of these issues and more so, in the creation of intellectual property rights. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I remember I had to bring a Sessional Paper to this House in order to be able to develop an Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in this place because of the innovations and inventions that occurred in this country and, therefore, were carted away. One which is a very painful experience was the kiondo which was again taken over by Japan and patented as one of their inventions. These are the sort of mistakes and gaps that we needed to stop. Therefore, we lack the legal force behind it to effect some of these changes. Therefore, when we developed the Intellectual Property Rights in this area, one of the issues and one of the challenges that I had to grapple with much later was the question of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. I am glad that one of the most important issues we have been discussing is about trade, and more so, that the one that immediately concerned us was when we were bringing in the Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs. Because of the Intellectual Property Rights, the costs were phenomenal. It was extremely difficult for me, as the then Minister for Health, to be able to bring down the cost of ARV drugs because most of these ARVs enjoyed patent rights. Therefore, we could not be able to access the generic versions of the drugs into this nation. This forced us to be able, under the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights Services, to create a window of opportunity on the origin of these drugs. Thatâs is how we managed to bring down the generics from Brazil, India and other places and that moderated against the price structure. At that time, it cost us US dollars 700 to treat a HIV positive patient for a year and we brought it down to below US dollars 300. By the time I left the Ministry of Health, we were hoping that we would come down to a reasonable level. The point and the message here is very simple; that some of these raw materials for manufacturing some of the bio-medicinal products and other chemicals originate from Africa. Africa has had a very raw deal through very flimsy and loose ended trade agreements that do not confer the benefits to the African Continent. I think through this forum, you are able now to address the issue on the question of equity and fair practices in terms of trade. I support these kind of delegations because they are able to crystalise and bring the whole issue to the forefront, so that we can be able to trade as equal partners. Yesterday, we had the Brazilian President here talking about the bio-fuel. In fact, we have explored this area and we have the molasses which is also generating the bio-fuel, and Mumias Sugar Company is already contributing to the national grid through the bio-fuel. So, all that we can do is to share experiences. Therefore, these sort of meetings will be able to bring minds together on various innovative technologies that have come into the forefront. So, we can share in a cost- effective manner. I think these type of meetings are very useful, they are very enlightening, and they add value to what we want to do. The area that concerns me most is one of bio-diversity convention. When we created the bio-diversity convention, and I remember negotiating this for almost 48 hours marathon in one of the islands in South America, off the American Coast. It was a very difficult thing to be able to share and agree that they must give incremental benefits to the raw materials that come from Africa. Therefore, when we asked for them to compensate for the raw materials that come from Africa, particularly in the medicinal plants, it was very difficult to get countries to agree to a bio-diversity convention programme, leave alone a bio-diversity protocol, and particularly, those developed ones like the US were very resistant. I think it created a lot of difficulties for us in the debate to the extent that in my stint as the Kenyaâs Ambassador to the US, one of the issues that they wanted to do was to take away the headquarters of UNEP from here, relocate it elsewhere simply because we did not have very efficient telecommunication system. If you remember through the history, that is the time we created the first fibre optic cable to UNEP so that you could be able to lift your telephone and talk to New York within a split of a second. That was the first onset of the fibre optic cable dedicated to United Nations. They wanted to bring a satellite supported by 12 EU countries, sponsored by Spain and other countries. We told them that there is no problem if they could relocate that satellite to Europe, but the actual origin and the status of UNEP in Nairobi remains the same. Therefore, at that stage, not only did we get UNEP being confirmed as the environmental capital of the world but we also confirmed that the Habitat came in. We wanted to unify the services of the UN organizations working in Nairobi. That was the first beginning of the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON). The first time that we were able to get the rank of a UN organizationâs hierarchy Secretary-General being posted to the Gigiri area. Recently, there was a debate whether the UNEP should be upgraded to another much higher level, and I think this is the debate that seized your attention when you went to these joint meetings both in Brussels and Rwanda. I am glad that you were able, through your Parliamentary debate to sustain this debate because there has been always a feeling that Kenya does not deserve to host some of these international organizations. Last time, they were hitting at us that we did not have effective telecommunications. We had installed telecommunications, everything is in place but then, there was the question of security. In fact, it was the first onset when you saw the Diplomatic Police being placed at Gigiri with a full fledged police station and tracking of the diplomatic members through the Diplomatic Police Force. That was able to be sorted out. Now, they are saying: âOh, we think we should share these opportunities.â I think the best that Kenya can do, and we as Parliamentarians, and I am very proud of the team, you are few but effective. That you were able to again reinforce the need for us to maintain not only the international status, but we should be a global environmental centre where it becomes a reference point for anybody who wants to talk about environmental matters, anybody who wants to talk about bio-diversity matters, desertification, the hazardous wastes although that is being located elsewhere, and anybody who wants to talk about the convention of informed consent on the handling of hazardous wastes. The reference point should be in Nairobi. About the Atomic Energy Programme, that can be referred to Austria but as far as the major environmental concerns are involved, Nairobi should be the centre-piece. Now, what does the nation draw out of this arrangement? I think apart from the influx of experts who come in, we can be able to enjoy the benefits of a location of an international status of an organization like either UNEP or Habitat or other organizations coming here. Apart from the meetings, the job opportunities are available to our people, the foreign exchange remittances, there will be an added value of advancing technology beyond where it is today. Therefore, we will have a state of the earth knowledge of what is happening around the globe and domesticate it internally. That is why I concur with my colleague, Prof. Anyang-Nyongâo, that our universities must wake up to the reality; that indeed, we have a globally satisfactory organization in this country. In the area of research, they should be at the forefront generating materials, information on what should happen in all these sectors that I have mentioned that are of a global nature. All these sectors that I have mentioned, and that have a global nature should be a point of reference in our universities. We should not be getting references to go to Sao Paolo, for instance, for biodiversity, or to go to Amsterdam for forestry. I think we should have that knowledge and information; that is how a country becomes richer and it is possible. Through research programs, we should be able to domesticate some of these findings to assist this nation to go beyond our current level of development. Therefore, when we talk of matters of trade, economic development, it is just more than economic development â it is more of research, more of science, and innovations; it is more of value additions, and that is where we are in this nation. If we have to achieve Vision 2030, then the economic pillar, the social pillar and the political pillar must go hand in hand. I am glad that, at least, with the political pillar, we hope that by 4th of August, we should be able to enact the proposed Constitution into a fully fledged Constitution. It will help us to be able to create institutions to tackle some of these emerging issues. Hopefully also, at the economic front, we should now bring on board some of these very successful innovations. Brazil, for instance, has done so much in the area of science and technology and biodiversity. Cuba, which is a very small country, is able to reproduce the anti-retroviral drugs at cost-effective prices! You cannot even match the prices that are available in Cuba with those of anywhere else. Therefore, in Kenya, I believe that when we have a well co-ordinated scientific research, with the Scientific Council being able to monitor some of these research programmess, we are richer than any other country. Therefore, I have a reason for standing to support Prof. Kamar. Thank you for a job well done; that is the direction we must go. We must support you. Therefore, the Ministries that deal with environmental issues, science, technology and research should come together and be able to produce a formidable programme for this nation. I am sure that the kind of a report on the Floor of this House is more than useful. It is a pity that many hon. Members are not here, because when they see a parliamentary report, they think it is one of those casual reports. This is more than just a casual report; it is a very substantive report, with far reaching economic and social implications. Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker."
}