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{
"id": 1284803,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1284803/?format=api",
"text_counter": 152,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Molo, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kuria Kimani",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Hon. Speaker, the joint Committee further recommends as follows: - THAT, this House vacates the privatisation model that was approved by the National Assembly in 2015, as proposed by the then Minister for Finance, Hon. Njeru, so that we adopt this new model; THAT, this House approves the Cabinet's decision to write off total taxes amounting to Ksh16,37,998,407 comprising Ksh9,926,209,019 of principal tax and Ksh231,917,718 as interest and Ksh6,221,571,670 as penalties owed by the five state- owned sugar companies; THAT, this House approves the Cabinet's decision to write off loans owed to the Government of Kenya by sugar companies through the Kenya Sugar Board and the Commodities Fund amounting to a total of Ksh65,778,448,646; THAT, within 90 days of this House's resolution to adopt this Report, the National Treasury shall cause payment of Ksh1,683,397,053.69 as arrears owed to farmers for those five state-owned companies. THAT, within 90 days of the House's resolution to adopt this Report, the National Treasury shall cause payment of Ksh5,234,465,033 as salary arrears and other emoluments for the five state-owned sugar companies. THAT, the House rejects the proposed merger of Chemelil Sugar Company Limited and Muhoroni Sugar Company Limited, and that those two companies be leased separately. THAT, the House approves the introduction of the five cane catchment areas as I said earlier; and, THAT, this House approves those five catchment areas apart from where cane supply contracts have been signed between the farmer and the miller. Hon. Speaker, we want to make sure that sugarcane is available to millers. At the same time, we want to protect millers who will have sugarcane contracts with farmers, so that we do not have a situation where farmers are forced to sell their sugarcane when they do not need to sell. The sugarcane supply contracts should include timelines, a developed sugarcane pricing formula, and that the cane pricing formula should be developed by the Sugar Research and Training Institute and approved by the Sugar Pricing Committee. Farmers were worried that they were not getting the correct prices for their sugar. That is what we are calling guaranteed minimum price in other areas. Therefore, that cane development contract would include the price of cane. The Sugar Research and Training Institute will propose the price of cane. That is because it is the institute that has done enough research to know how much it costs to develop the cane. Hon. Speaker, the joint Committee further recommends that the National Treasury and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development should conduct an audit of the debt portfolio of outgrower companies, including Mumias Outgrowers Companies Limited and Nzoia Outgrowers Company Limited, and establish whether they are solvent and can be utilised for cane development and present a report to this House within 60 days. I would also like to congratulate Hon. Salasya. He was very particular in his support for Mumias Outgrowers Company Limited in articulating the plight of his farmers. We recommend that, within 90 days of the adoption of this Report, the National Treasury shall cause allocation of Ksh600 million to the Sugar Research and Training Institute for the multiplication and popularisation of 27 sugarcane varieties already generated through research. We recommend that, within 60 days of the adoption of this Report, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development will put in place regulations to protect the recommendations of this Report. The regulations shall be submitted to the National Assembly 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."
}