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{
    "id": 1393776,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1393776/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 206,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "They must explain to us whether they actually understood the scope of the farmers they need to supply to. They ought to know the number of farmers who were targeted by this shipment. If we cannot know the number of farmers, then, at least, the regions, they were certain that they were going to supply. If you talk about a place such as the North Rift, it is where the serious backbone of the leadership of this country comes from. Sen. Cherarkey himself is a serious and ranking Member of Parliament (MP). The North Rift is also where our dear President, who I have nothing against, comes from. If you go to a place such as Eldoret, people are queuing up to the evening for fertilizer but 60 per cent of them do not even get it. You can imagine, if people are queuing for fertilizer and they cannot get it in places where Sen. Cherarkey, the Senate Majority Leader of this House and the President come from, how about a place such as Nyatike where I come from? Nyatike does not even have proper roads to begin with. Masangora in Kuria is at the far end of Migori County. How are farmers in Rongo – a place where farmers are passionate and dedicated about agriculture – supposed to get fertilizer if there is no fertilizer in a place such as Eldoret? Last year, we had Senate Mashinani in Turkana and we visited Katilu Irrigation Scheme. We realised that fertilizer was only found in places such as Lokichar and Lodwar. People in remote areas such as Katilu were not getting fertilizer. This is something I hope we can have a bipartisan approach on. I hope this will not be one of those Statements where Sen. Cherarkey is serviced with a response from the Ministry. The responsible Cabinet Secretary must appear before the relevant committee. I encourage some Senators in this House, such as the Senate Majority Leader, to go there and ensure that the Cabinet Secretary is put to task to answer to the fact that farmers are not getting fertilizer. Madam Temporary Speaker, as I finish, I have always held the view that when we think about subsidy for farm inputs, it must not stop only on fertilizer. Sen. Cherarkey will not eat only ugali without some meat or fish. I know he loves meat so much. When there is subsidy for crops in this country, we should also have subsidy for animal feeds for people in Nyatike, Kuria, and Narok as well as people who grow fish in Lake Victoria. We need to start seeing the Government also subsidize animal feeds to make sure that agriculture is subsidized in totality, to make it a real production and not a pseudo-operation that we are seeing. I hope when they start subsiding animal feeds, there will be more transparency in terms of the suppliers and contractors and the shipments that bring the items in the country. Madam Temporary Speaker, this is an important Statement. As I support it, I hope that we will follow it to fruition. I thank you."
}