Yusuf Hassan Abdi

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 321 to 330 of 672.

• 4 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. First of all, I am going to pay tribute to the many professional dedicated men and women who are serving in our diplomatic services and representing us internationally. They are flying our flag high. They are the face of our country. These are the people we are talking about. I must say that we need to consider foreign policy and relations as an important component of our sovereignty. There is no country in the world that does not have foreign relations; we are not an island. We need to interact and engage other countries. Foreign ... view
• 4 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: They are not luxuries. They are essential components in our development. In a very competitive global environment, we need to be there to project, promote and protect Kenya’s interest and image globally. As a country, we have a very ambitious foreign policy to achieve our national goals and aspirations. It is to consolidate our position as a regional power, to assert our role in Africa and in global affairs. That is why we need to continue to support and have our missions, to have the best and the most qualified people with the appropriate competencies to represent us internationally – ... view
• 4 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: The other area was the export of vegetables and other agricultural products which we produce in abundance. We are not able to access the markets in those countries for lack of engagement in the area of trade. Therefore, we recommend tourism and trade to be looked into as far as Korea is concerned. view
• 4 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: In the case of the Republic of China, it is not easy to imagine the importance of this very powerful country in terms of economics and population. It is a major global power. We engaged with them at various levels but it is important that we intensify that relationship and put more resources in developing our relationship with them. One of the things we found out is that China is the fourth largest country. Beijing, the capital is in the north but most of the people who engage with Kenya in terms of trade are in the southern part of ... view
• 4 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: In the case of Japan, we also think that Japan does not have a tourism office. The case of Japan is same to that of China. We believe that we can benefit from millions and millions of tourists that come to our country. This could be a growing area of our economy because those countries have affluent populations that have surplus incomes. We should not just be looking to the West; the East is an area that we must invest in, in terms of engaging in trade, agricultural trade, ICT and tourism. We think that tourism industry there needs an ... view
• 4 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: Finally, I was able to lead the delegation to Canada. Canada is another country which is very effective in international relations. It is now re-engaging with Africa and particularly Kenya. Our President has recently been invited there for the G-8 meeting. Canada is at the moment engaged as a partner and a co-host of the Blue Economy Summit Conference which will be held here in Nairobi next month. One of the things we felt about Canada was lack of engagement at a higher level in the areas of tourism and trade. We also felt in many of these embassies, there ... view
• 4 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: With those few remarks, I second the Report that has been tabled by our Chairman on the missions that the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Affairs visited in those countries that have been outlined. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. view
• 3 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute and support the Urban Areas and Cities (Amendment) Bill 2017. I must say that this is quite a timely Bill because we face major issues and challenges in urban development. By 2030, about 40 per cent of our population and the growing majority of our population will be living in urban centres. We already have high urban poverty, inadequate basic services and environmental degradation. This Bill addresses some of the governing and management issues that we face. There is a vacuum or gap because we have counties ... view
• 3 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: I represent a neighbourhood which has the massive Gikomba Market, Eastleigh business hub and Jua Kali. All those areas are lumped together in one district without any structures or ownership. There is no management when there is a fire, flooding or natural disaster. There are simply not enough social amenities or facilities at the time of crisis. Many countries are moving to create smart cities and neighbourhoods which have proper facilities. This Bill contributes in a significant way in creating the structures that will inform the county of the basic needs of the people down there and give ownership to ... view
• 3 Oct 2018 in National Assembly: The other element that is very attractive in this Bill is the creation of the fund because you need money and the means to do some of those things. It is meaningless to have boards or councils that will not do much. When they make decisions, they will not have the necessary funds to implement them. It is important for us to engage the stakeholders at that lower level to create partnerships. This Bill may help in some of those ways. Nairobi, for example, is considered to be one city. One of the Hon. Members mentioned that it is a ... view