Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1052380,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1052380/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 69,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nairobi CWR, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Esther Passaris",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12475,
        "legal_name": "Esther Passaris",
        "slug": "esther-passaris"
    },
    "content": "I agree with Hon. (Dr.) Otiende Amollo that waiting for 2022 to consider other players in the market when we should have actually done this in 2018 would be denying the Government the kind of revenue that it needs right now. In addition, it denies Kenyans, traders and the people that actually work in this area the opportunity to have more profits. It seems like the profits are tilted towards Grain Bulk Handling and not the various players – not even the Government itself. Moreover, I feel the fact that the small timers who handle the 2 per cent that is not handled by Grain Bulk Handlers have to pay more by over USD7 per metric tonne is also showing unfairness in trade. As a country, we are trying to say that we want to encourage other players to be able to get into some of those playing fields. There is no way they can get into it when they are actually charged more. Therefore, I have to commend the Committee for actually looking at this particular area. Moreover, there are many other areas we could look into and where we can actually improve our efficiency as a country in terms of ensuring that we have food security. Besides the grains, they also handle fertilizer. For me, I think once we commence… We have actually got ourselves as a country in a place where we are actually making some milestones. However, there comes a time that you also have to look at other players. This is because handling 98 per cent of the country's grain is too huge. It is a monopoly. We have allowed it because of the investment. However, also as a country and as we are trying to license other players, we should look at the cost-benefit analysis and the returns on investment. We cannot allow an investor to make astronomical profits because we want the State to earn income - our neighbouring countries are landlocked and they depend on us – and to be food sufficient. However, we also have to understand that when we have an efficient mechanism of handling grain, you are also able to ensure that you have safety. Therefore, for that investment that was made by that company, we have to say thank you as a country because we have been able to handle grain in a more efficient and safe manner. However, in terms of price, I believe that the country has actually lost a lot of money in terms of the income that it can earn – that is USD3 as opposed to USD7 from the 2 per cent. There should have been some way to negotiate. As we go forward and looking at licensing other players, I think we should also look at when we are licensing them in terms of PPP, what is in it for the Government? That should be clearly understood. We have the express highway. There are many speculations about how many years it will take to recoup, how much money will be made, and how much Kenyans will be paid. Therefore, in every public private partnership, the Government has to make sure that the people of Kenya come first in terms of receiving efficient, affordable and accessible service. The next thing is to ensure that the Government itself finds alternative revenue. This is because we know that our debt ceiling is high and it should be rising as well. The only way to bring it down is to actually earn money efficiently. Therefore, I stand here and commend the Committee for the Report they have come up with and I support the Motion."
}