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{
    "id": 1123684,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1123684/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 101,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wetangula",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 210,
        "legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
        "slug": "moses-wetangula"
    },
    "content": "We encourage the Government, that as they focus on coffee, cotton and other crops, the sugar industry in this country sustains the lives of more than 22 million people in the entire Nyanza and Western belt, now extending up to Trans Nzoia. The Committee has rightly said, and I agree and salute it because without it, and the Statement brought here by the distinguished Senator for Kakamega, Mumias Sugar Company had been pawned away in the most opaque and unaccountable manner. Following the Statement that came here and the debate that ensued, they went back to the drawing board. The bids that we are now seeing being put forward for privatizing the management of Mumias Sugar Company look attractive and real. I just hope that they will choose a company or an individual with proper expertise and access to finance and capital that can revive Mumias Sugar Company. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you come from the Western Sugar Belt and you know the pain farmers go through. Sometimes, they keep their cane that is supposed to be harvested in 24months on their farms for up to 48 months. Others decide to sell their cane at a throw away price to jiggery operators. I want the Committee, over and above what they have done to a take step further and interrogate the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture. This is because we must appreciate that while agriculture is a devolved function, over 90 per cent of its money is kept in Nairobi. While water and health are devolved functions, over 90 per cent of the resources in these sectors are in Nairobi. We want this House to come up with clear oversight responsibilities to ensure that resources follow functions. That if agriculture is devolved, there is no point of holding money for cotton in Nairobi and being used now as tokens to cotton growers in the country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I urge the Government that the sugar factories running from Nzoia, Mumias, Chemilil, Muhoroni, Sony and all those other public sugar companies must be supported. Recently, the Sugar Act was revived bringing back the Sugar Development Levy that used to support the maintenance and supply chain activities to the factories. I hope that this Bill once it is passed, will be implemented to the letter and change the fortunes of farmers. We salute the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, but the Committee should go beyond the report they have brought and do a follow up. Mr. Speaker, Sir, lastly, you told us that you have ordered the revival of the Committee on Implementation. To date, we do not know where that lies. This is because it is that Committee that will pick these reports and do routine follow ups fortnightly, monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis to ensure that decisions of this House are not made in vain. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I finish by joining you in welcoming our visitors from Kilifi. We hope they will learn from what we do here. I urge them to salute my Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya (Ford-K) Members of County Assembly (MCAs) that are in their Assembly when they go back. They should tell them that Simba iko imarakama kawaida ."
}