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{
    "id": 1132935,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1132935/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 47,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ainamoi, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Sylvanus Maritim",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13289,
        "legal_name": "Sylvanus Maritim",
        "slug": "sylvanus-maritim"
    },
    "content": " Hon. Speaker, this is Public Petition No.76 of 2021 regarding the use of heavy mechanisation in tea plucking and harvesting and declaration of employees redundant by multinational tea companies in Kericho and Bomet counties. I, on behalf of concerned tea plantation workers and residents of Ainamoi Constituency and the entire Kericho and Bomet counties, draw the attention of the House to the following: THAT, tea is the top foreign exchange earner to Kenya and supports livelihoods of close to five million Kenyans directly and indirectly; THAT, the tea sector plays a crucial role in our GDP and is estimated to employ over 200,000 workers directly; THAT, the agricultural wages earned by labourers in the tea industry are a major source of livelihood for many households in Kericho and Bomet counties and other tea-growing areas in the country. The earnings constitute a major source of income for these households, enabling them to educate their children and access healthcare, thus improving the general quality of their lives; THAT, the introduction and continued use of heavy machines by multinational companies such as James Finlay, Unilever Tea Kenya, George Williamsons and Sotik Company in the midst of the ravaging COVID-19 Pandemic caused the layoff of over 50,000 workers, especially manual tea pickers; THAT, the tea plantation workers are paid abysmally low wages despite enduring appalling working conditions, forcing them to turn to shylock money lenders, which has condemned them to an endless cycle of indebtedness and made them vulnerable to the detriments of their poor quality of life; 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."
}