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{
    "id": 1052352,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1052352/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 41,
    "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": " Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, as I support the Report of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning regarding grain handling services at the Port of Mombasa, I want to speak to a few things. I have not read the Report, but I listened keenly to the Chairperson while moving the Motion and the Vice-Chairperson as he was seconding. I have some background information about grain bulk handling and I cannot agree more with the Committee in their findings. Even though I agree that before the grain bulk handlers at the Port of Mombasa were engaged, grain handling was manual and there were a lot of challenges. We have since moved and I do not understand why we should continue as a country to have monopoly in handling grains at the Port of Mombasa. There is no justification because this is a service that should be opened up and liberalised. Other players who have capacity should come in to reduce the cost. As a Member of the PIC in the 10th Parliament, there was a very heated debate on the monopoly of the Grain Bulk Handlers Limited. During that time, the monopoly was supposed to be renewed and a number of us were opposed to that move. It is surprising that about 13 years down the road, we still have a single business entity monopolising grain handling at the Port of Mombasa. This monopoly is costing Kenyans because he charges what he wants because there is no competition. When there is no competition, the extra cost of handling the grains goes to Kenyans because maize will come to our table in terms of the ugali we eat. This is something that must be looked into. I do not support the fact that we are still engaging the Grain Bulk Handlers Limited. If they are efficient, they will defeat the other competitors in an open and competitive environment. I want to agree with the Committee’s findings that this is a service that must be opened up for competition. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Committee also made an observation on Government investment. We must call a spade a spade. There is no Government in the world that is efficient and effective in doing business. Business should be left to private players and the Government should provide infrastructure and a business environment. We can only have Government investment in a service that is critical. We had the Awuondo Commission which came up with very good recommendations but the Government has failed to implement them. This Commission had very good brains that included Hon. Abdikadir, the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Review that went to Naivasha and came up with the 2010 Constitution. It is high time we told the Executive to implement the Awuondo Commission Report and have most of these loss-making institutions closed up or we sell them out. I can see my time is up. I want to agree with the Committee that their findings need to be implemented. Let this not be a Report that..."
}