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{
    "id": 1102679,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1102679/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 248,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kipipiri, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Amos Kimunya",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support the Report of the Committee and call upon the House to support the approval of this Sessional Paper on the cooperative movement. This is a sector that most of us in this House have probably come to know and become part of as an integral part of their lives. We are talking of farmers’ cooperative societies and credit and savings cooperative societies – the whole essence of people coming together and harnessing the power of unity of small farm holders or small savers and creating a bigger pool from aggregation of their small investments. We are talking of small farm agricultural producers enjoying the benefits of economies of scale and translating this into better prices and better marketing opportunities. Be it farmers, fishermen or all manner of people engaged in small- scale production; in their disaggregated state will never be able to succeed. However, when these groups of people are aggregated through the cooperative movement, they are able to enjoy the benefit of economies of scale plus the quality controls that come with it. This is something we know since the cooperative movement has been with us since 1908 even though this Report has not mentioned it. It is something that has actually been with us for more than100 years. Lessons have been learnt in the operations of the cooperative movement. I believe Kenya is among the first countries to embrace the cooperative movement in Africa. Most countries, including South Africa, have learnt from Kenya. Even some countries across the world learnt from the operations of the cooperative movement in Kenya. It evolved from the original socialism of “Let us put together” and “I am because we are. So, let us work together for the common good rather than individualistic operations.” I am happy that with this policy, we will be able to streamline the cooperative movement in Kenya and align it with the relevant constitutional provisions, especially taking into account the scheduling of functions within the Constitution. A number of these things were taken to the counties. Some have been left at the national level. However, the dividing line is usually vague. This policy aims at refining what has remained at the national level and what has gone to the county level so that people can take responsibilities for what needs to be done where. The cooperative sector is something we need to save. Hon. Speaker, you may remember that the cooperative movement in Kenya was initially a success story but towards the late 1980’s and parts of the 1990’s, the sector was invaded by all manner of buccaneers and thugs; and people who had no idea how the sector operated were appointed to run it. So, they invaded the cooperative sector and ripped it apart. Following its death, most farmers became hopeless. Small-scale farmers in agricultural subsectors like dairy and pyrethrum were aggrieved. Small-scale traders in these subsectors ended up losing out. I hope we The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}