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{
    "id": 1030461,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1030461/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 155,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kang’ata",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1826,
        "legal_name": "Irungu Kang'ata",
        "slug": "irungu-kangata"
    },
    "content": "Madam Deputy Speaker, let me first take this opportunity to thank the Senator who has brought this very good Statement because it is beneficial to the country, and in particular, the fact that tea is a major export for this country. There are three key earners of foreign exchange in this country. We have diaspora remittances, tea and horticulture. I take pride that I come from the county that produces the largest volume of tea from small-scale farmers. Murang’a County has ten tea factories. Madam Deputy Speaker, we start from Gatanga at a place called Kariara Ward. You go to Kandara at a place called Githumu region or Rocho. You go all the way to Kigumo where we have two wards namely Kinyona and Kangare. You go to Kiharu where we have Murarandia Ward. In Kangema, we have two wards that is Kanyenyaini and Rwathia. At Mathioya, again, you will find the entire Kiru Ward and part of Gitugi, where they grow tea. Those of us who come from Murang’a County, we have ten tea factories serving the small-scale farmers in that county. On average, every year, Murang’a County earns between Kshs11 billion to Kshs12 billion from tea. We have about 50,000 farmers. When you do a multiplicar of about four per every household, we are talking of about 200,000 persons from Murang’a County who depend directly on tea. Madam Deputy Speaker, personally, as a Senator from such a county, I will do everything to support this sector. I will stand with the tea farmers and support all the reforms that will ensure they get better payments. It is a shame in this country that the tea farmer who assists this country to get major source of foreign revenue currently earns a bonus of about Kshs20, Kshs30 or Kshs40. From where I sit, a tea farmer should be earning a bonus of about Kshs200. Madam Deputy Speaker, there are several problems that have been bedeviling tea farmers in my region. First, we have subdivision of land to uneconomical levels. Secondly is the issue of fertilizers. We have had a situation where fertilizers are becoming so expensive. Thirdly, there are instances where you find the county government has been receiving money on behalf of tea farmers. It is failing to remit that money to the respective tea factories. That is money that is used to make and repair roads, which are used to transport tea. Madam Deputy Speaker, therefore, I urge the relevant committee, when it will be considering this Statement, to compel respective county governments, including the County Government of Murang’a, to release cess money that it had received on behalf of the tea farmers. I also strongly urge this House to positively consider the so-called rules that were being proposed by the Government to spur this sector into growth. I strongly believe the Government of His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta is acting in good faith when it is pushing for reforms in the coffee and tea sectors. Therefore, I urge every Senator to support those reforms once they are tabled before the relevant committees of the Senate and National Assembly. I would also urge tea farmers to be provided with what we call a Guaranteed Minimum Return (GMR) scheme. When I was in the National Assembly, I proposed The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}