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{
    "id": 120366,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/120366/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 299,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Gaichuhie",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 17,
        "legal_name": "Nelson Ributhi Gaichuhie",
        "slug": "nelson-gaichuhie"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for recognizing my presence and my need to support this Bill. I want to thank Eng. Maina for the Bill that he has brought in this House. We are supporting this Bill because it talks of essential commodities. When you look at our Government, we are even practicing double standards. When it comes to buying maize from farmers or fertilizers by farmers, the prices are almost controlled. However, when it comes to buying the flour or any other essential commodity, there is no comparison. Farmers are even now discouraged to plant because at the end of the day they sell a 90 kilogramme bag at a price of Kshs2, 000. On the other hand, a two-kilogramme packet of flour is Kshs100. Farmers really feel discouraged. They wonder why their products are sold at a very high price by the brokers or millers. Farmers are very discouraged. Lack of price control for essential commodities has even made it very hard for Kenyans to plan. You cannot say that out of your salary you can save 5 per cent because before you even save it, prices of essential commodities rise far beyond your economic reach. This has encouraged the Government to go the wrong way. Instead of subsidizing for farmers, they have decided to bring in free food. I wonder how long these foods will feed Kenyans. Currently, if farmers are discouraged, it means we have to import food and give Kenyans. The Government should turn around and instead of buying food for Kenyans, subsidize farming so that we can be self-sufficient. That will control prices because if all farmers can generate income from that, they will afford to buy whatever foods they want from the good returns that they get. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not want to repeat what others have said. Whenever we come here in June we only reduce taxes so that food prices can go down. However, we are not able to control food prices because we have a free market. Instead of reducing taxation, the Government should control prices for essential foods. Most things have been said and I see other Members also want to contribute. With those few remarks, I support."
}