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{
    "id": 1352738,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1352738/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 2498,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Laikipia East, TSP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mwangi Kiunjuri",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Looking at the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), they are distributed across the country. Nobody can argue these loans were directed to one region of Kenya. They are distributed all over the country, from North Eastern to Coast, western, Nyanza and Central regions. Therefore, this is our problem. As we blame each other, let us remember that the monies were directed all over. No region can say it benefited more than another. The question is whether the loans were correctly used. Looking at some, they enhanced water and agriculture. We should ask ourselves when Ksh5 billion or Ksh10 billion was taken to a certain region to develop agricultural value-chain, was it used for that purpose? If it was about water, was it used for that purpose? In the last 15 years, we have done a lot of work in Northern Kenya on water development. Look at what is happening today. The El Nino rains are here and people in that area will be left without a drop of water. Also, looking at the western region, a lot of our agriculture value-chain money went there. Today, are we able to pay the loans out of the intended use of that money. Looking at the MSMEs, are we able to generate money. Ten years down the line, we ought to see the benefits that would have accrued from the loans taken. When we talk about agriculture value-chain, are there supporting institutions for livestock, horticulture and cash crops grown in this country? All the directorates are dead – sugar, tea, coffee and horticulture. Everything is dead. Looking at the pastoralist areas, are we improving their animals, controlling disease or are they selling the same bull which is 20 or 30 kilogrammes when it is supposed to be a high breed that weighs 100 kilogrammes? Are we supporting farmers and institutions which can give us immediate income? When I was the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, we had a programme which required Ksh2.4 billion to make Kenya a potato seed exporter. The programme was only taking 21 months. If you look at how we can improve our animal breeds today, in three years’ time, you can turn around that economy. The Hon. Temporary Speaker can tell us that we can turn that economy around in as short a period as two to three years. Today, a coffee farmer will line up looking for grafted seedlings when we have the Coffee Directorate. which is dead and cannot be supported."
}