Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1159115,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1159115/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 355,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "A county government shall not charge a fee for registration. This is important to note. For example, you will remember there was the issue of payment of Kshs5,000 for registration of boda boda to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). It is important that they should not pay any fee. I agree with this provision of the law. It will assist the local people, hustlers, people who are still struggling, the farmers in the village and the people who are doing startups in farming register as cotton farmers. Clause 25(1) indicates that: “A person shall not engage in manufacture or processing of cotton products unless such person has applied for or obtain license in accordance with the Act.” It is important that this function has been given to counties. We have seen cases where investors have been discouraged. For Example, Kisumu County Government might need to establish a factory. When you draft the Bills of Quantity (BQ), they might need Kshs500 million. Is it practical to allocate Kshs500 million in a financial year to that project? They might need Public Private Partnership (PPP) engagement or investors. Madam Temporary Speaker, the issuance of licences should be seamless and very straightforward. Many people have blamed us in this region that it is our bureaucracy that has destroyed us. This is because they have been comparing that when you go to Rwanda, you are able to acquire the licence within the shortest time possible. We should have a one- stop shop in terms of access of licencing within establishments of factories. Madam Temporary Speaker, we went with you to Kibos in your county with the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. You saw the factory had bought a very expensive machine to crash cane, but because of bureaucracy, that machine cannot assist farmers. In the regions where you and I come from, we want that sugarcane to be crashed very fast, so that people get sugar and our farmers get paid. However, somebody is seated somewhere in Nairobi, they know a machine has been acquired by a factory in Kisumu County, but they find there is nothing wrong. How then do we encourage investment in this country when you can allow investors to establish, bring their own machines, but you cannot assist them? That is also corruption. I do not know what else you can say about corruption. So, we should stop bureaucracy when it comes to issuance of licences. The county executive has been given too much power under Clause 26. They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Therefore, the refusal or denial of a license should be subjected to a board. For instance, you can say that the sub-committee of a county government should review the refusal or acceptance of a license so that you do not give absolute power to a CECM in charge of Agriculture and it will become a very big problem. I think in revocation, the principles of natural justice must apply and ensure that they are in place. Madam Temporary Speaker, I thought I would speak for long the way our Judges have spoken today. Regarding the renewal of a licence, I think I will just run through the remaining part because apart from debating, I know our colleagues might want to prosecute other things on the Order Paper."
}