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{
    "id": 1200707,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1200707/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 110,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Matungu, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Peter Nabulindo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "this opportunity to congratulate you for having been elected as the Deputy Speaker of the 13th Parliament. I also want to congratulate my mentor and friend, Hon. Moses Wetangula for having been elected as the Speaker of this House. I have a history with him because he is my political mentor. When I left employment in Parliament, he was the first person to embrace me politically. He campaigned for me, gave me a ticket in his party and has mentored me up to this point in time. Secondly, I take this opportunity to sincerely thank the people of Matungu for having overwhelmingly voted for me twice in a span of two years. First in 2021 and second in 2022. This is a show of the confidence they have in me. I embrace it, promise to work for them and ensure that I achieve what I promised them during the campaigns. Let me take this opportunity to say a few words about the President’s Speech in this 13th Parliament. First, I applaud him for acknowledging the fact that the NG-CDF is important for the constituencies’ development. He encouraged us to work out something that can align it with the Constitution so that it can work for the Members of Parliament and constituents, who are the direct beneficiaries. By all means, everybody understands that the NG-CDF is an important fund for the development of constituencies. Millions and millions of children have been educated through the NG-CDF, and a lot has been achieved. Unfortunately, it is only the Judiciary that does not understand the importance of this fund, but that is a matter for another day. Hon. Deputy Speaker, other than that, I want to register my disappointments. This is because the President did not give any commitment on the revival of the sugar industry in the western region, and more so the revival of Mumias Sugar Company. I am a representative of the people of Matungu and for many years they depended on Mumias Sugar Company 100 per cent. Mumias Sugar Company collapsed with dreams and aspirations of the people of Matungu and Mumias at large. It is imperative for the Government of the day to give some importance to the revival of the sugar industry. We have sleepless nights, and we are saddened when the Government of the day decides to ignore the issue of Mumias Sugar Company. This is because it is a very thorny issue to us. The residents of Matungu are desperate since it was their only livelihood. We depended on that company 100 per cent to achieve all our dreams. Unfortunately, it collapsed. All efforts to revive the sugar company over the years have failed. For whatever reasons, everything that has been tried to revive that company has failed. Right now, we have a businessman who is trying to revive it but there are numerous court cases ongoing to stop its revival. It is high time the Government intervened and ensured that this company stands on its feet for the benefit of the people of that region. The people of Matungu are tired of being told to move from sugarcane farming. We are not going to move on. This is because sugarcane farming is the only business we know. We have tried everything else and it has failed. We have tried maize, sorghum, cassavas and even avocado farming but nothing works for us. Therefore, we want our sugarcane back and it is only the Government that can help us. If it cannot help us, then we shall remain hopeless because we are not going to move on. We are not going to do other things. So, people should stop telling us to move on. We are going to farm sugarcane, and we want it revived. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the issue of youth employment did not come out strongly in the President’s Speech. Seventy-five per cent of this country’s population consist of the youths. Where do we then take them? There is no elaborate plan for youth employment in this country. Neither is there one for people to rise against poverty. We hear of the hustlers’ fund. If the Government is serious about this fund, they should then give a good percentage of it to the farmers of Matungu and Mumias at large. This will enable them to re-plant sugarcane and 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."
}