{"id":116926,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/116926/?format=json","text_counter":22,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Lesrima","speaker_title":"The Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security","speaker":{"id":178,"legal_name":"Simon Saimanga Lesirma","slug":"simon-lesirma"},"content":"(a) It is not true that the DC, Kirinyaga South provides Administration Police (AP) security to hired goons to harvest other farmer’s rice. The truth of the matter is that both the regular and the APs have always been hired by farmers’ co-operatives to escort their staff to recover debts owed to them by rice farmers with the full knowledge of the District Security Intelligence Committee (DSIC). The support given by the security personnel to the co-operative societies is necessary as failure would lead to their collapse, leading to unemployment and increased poverty. These farmers’ co-operatives include Mwea Rice Farmers SACCO Society Ltd which is owed Kshs55 million by rice farmers and Mwea Rice Growers Multipurpose Society Ltd which is owed Kshs118 million by rice farmers."}