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{
    "id": 821317,
    "url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/821317/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 211,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, we recently had a meeting in this Chamber with the Presidential Task Force that was formed to look into the challenges in the coffee sector. I requested the gentleman leading the task force that once they are ready with the draft legislative proposal, they should hand it over to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries so that they bring it to this House, where we shall do justice to it and liberate the ever-suffering coffee farmers of this country. Madam Temporary Speaker, I believe that this Committee shall also do the work expected of them by the maize farmers of this country so that we can address the root cause of these challenges. That way we shall, for once and for all, forget this challenge that we continue to face year in, year out. Why would the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) be centralized? First of all, it is unconstitutional, wrong and it even goes against the cardinal principle of common sense. The most obvious thing to do will be to devolve the functions and operations of the NCPB. This is so that if we were to ask the County Government of Uasin Gishu to give us a list of farmers so that we know how much produce to expect at the end of this financial year and how we shall pay them, we shall eliminate brokers and people who make the lives of farmers extremely difficult. However, because of other peculiar interests that are not material to the interest of farmers, people find it necessary to continue with this concept of centralizing everything. Madam Temporary Speaker, that is the reason why, if you read through our budget, you will find that more than Kshs90 billion has been allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation while we know, for sure, that agriculture is 100 per cent devolved constitutionally. What is this policy that is being formed using Kshs90 billion? What is this obsession with holding things here in Nairobi? That is why, on many occasions, you will hear me making contributions in this House that continue to question why we are forming agencies and domiciling them here in Nairobi. Nairobi, to me, speaks of all the ills and challenges that this country continues to face. We should decentralize all the headquarters of the national institutions, including the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC). Is there any reason why we want to have its headquarters in Nairobi while the Government can easily devolve it and send conditional grants for it to be run by our county governments? County governments know who the farmers are and they can easily do background checks on them to find out whether the amount of money borrowed is commensurate to the size of land they have; and whether it warrants the borrowing or not. However, because of the ills that have continued to dog this country for many years, people find it necessary to keep and manage things at the centre. This is despite the fact that 55 years down the line, we have proved that it is extremely difficult and impossible to succeed when we take that kind of approach. Madam Temporary Speaker, when the Committee finally retires to consider its report and bring a proposal to this House, that report would not be sufficient to address the challenges that our maize farmers face. I would be more comfortable with a legislative proposal that radically changes how farmers are compensated and paid in a timely manner. It is ridiculous that a person sitting in Nairobi in a comfortable and posh office can write a letter stating that maize farmers should not be paid because they are The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}