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"id": 1083625,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nominated, ANC",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Godfrey Osotsi",
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"content": "imported sugar from 5 per cent to 10 per cent. This will greatly help in checking the problem of flooding the market with imported sugar. On the issue of transition, the Bill proposes that the employees who work for the Sugar Directorate will be transitioned to the Kenya Sugar Board. I want to suggest that we must conduct suitability interviews for the employees. It is one thing to have the law and another to have the people who are involved in managing the whole thing. Some of the people who work at the Sugar Directorate are corrupt and they should be taken through suitability interviews, so that we have the right people to work for the new board. Allow me to digress a bit, but still on the sugar industry. As I stand here, I am wondering why we do not have the sugar taskforce report before us. The report was given to the President, but has not found its legs to this House. It would do justice if we are debating this Bill with the report of the taskforce before us. Several months later, a lot of funds have been used in formulating this Report, yet the taskforce’s report is not before Parliament. So, I would like to ask the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, through the Committee, to find ways of getting the report to the House, so that we can also discuss it because it has very good recommendation on what needs to be done. Lastly, on the revival of sugar factories particularly Mumias Sugar Company. All of us from that region, whenever we pass through Mumias Sugar Company, we cry for it. It needs to be a great company, but when you move around there and you see what is happening, you cry for the people of that region. We are asking the Government of Kenya, if you love the people of Western Kenya, do what you are doing to Kenya Airways, to Mumias Sugar Company. We have seen many reports in this House that try and nationalise the Kenya Airways. We have a Bill before us, the National Aviation Management Bill, which is trying to nationalise the Kenya Airways and putting more money from the Ex-Chequer. The same can be done to Mumias Sugar Company. Why is it not being done? At the Committee of the whole House stage, we will introduce amendments, so that private sugar millers that collapsed for one reason or another, are nationalised, the same way we are trying to nationalise the Kenya Airways using tax-payers money. The Mumias Sugar Company, at its best, needs to give a lot of money through taxation and shares to the Kenyan Government, but what are we doing about it? This is a very important Bill. How I wish the Members who talk in funerals from Western Kenya accusing our party leader, are in the House discussing this Bill, so that when they leave and go to funerals, we know they are genuinely working for the people’s interest. You can see they are not here, but on Saturday when they go to funerals, they are the best advisors on sugar matters. With those few remarks, I fully support this Bill."
}