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{
    "id": 1463616,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463616/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 529,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you. Allow me to sincerely thank my colleague, Hon. Nabulindo, for bringing this Motion to the House at this particular time. It is a timely Motion. The history of sugarcane farming in this country is a very sad one. It is, indeed, a very sad history that a country of the stature of Kenya should never have allowed to happen. I remember the late President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi used to quip that: ‘ Siasa mbaya, maishambaya ’. The politics of sugarcane, sugar merchants and sugar trade have crippled sugarcane farming in this country. We were here in the morning talking about the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) under the County Government Additional Allocation Funds Bill. One of the key things that we raised, and Dr. Mutunga clearly prosecuted it is that, unless we focus on production of raw materials, all the edifices, structures and industrial parks we are putting up will become white elephant projects. This is because we forget the people who generate the raw material. We cannot talk about the end product if we do not invest in the production of raw materials. In every election cycle, sugarcane farmers are the pawns in all election campaigns. It is even reported that quite a number of politicians have never wanted sugarcane millers to be operational, especially the publicly funded ones. That is because in every single election cycle, there is an avenue to raise funds for campaigns. We keep on ignoring the farmer; we keep on forgetting the farmer. That is why the plea by Hon. Nabulindo, in the Motion, should move the powers that be to ensure that we concentrate on the farmer. What do we do with the farmer? He has lamented that farmers are abandoning sugarcane farming, but any rational person will not continue investing his time, efforts and money where the returns are negative! None! Even a mad man in the village will never agree to stay in a market centre where he cannot get a source of livelihood. He will move to the next one. So, it is all about rationality. In land economies, we have the principle of the highest and best use, where any landowner will only commit that particular land where he is going to get the highest returns. Sugarcane, over time and because of mismanagement of sugar milling factories, no longer offers the highest and best returns for even half an acre of land in Mumias. Why plant, wait for 24 months, supply and, again, wait for 36 months to be paid? How do you eat? How do you pay your medical cover? How do you pay your school fees? How do you entertain yourself? How do you feed your family? How do you increase your household, if you have no source of income because you have tied your investment in sugarcane that is not likely to earn you anything in the nearest future? Has there been any incentives accorded to farmers? The answer is zero. We came here last year and moved a Motion to allow the national Treasury to pay sugar factories some money. Where did that money go to? It was used to write off pending taxes. Who benefited? The sugar millers. The farmer was ignored. We said we will pay the farmers because they were fourth and fifth in priority. I am sure Hon. Nabulindo will tell us whether those in the Mumias Sugar Belt, even himself, were paid. I 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."
}