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"id": 1489991,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale",
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"legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
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"content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, I am very happy for what has happened in the National Assembly and what I am hearing about this Bill in this House. I am extremely happy for the industry of the Committee because they went around the country--- I remember when they came to Western, I was traveling to Kigali. I cut short my trip and joined them in Kakamega. I made my contribution and our people made their contribution and I can see all those contributions included in this Bill. Being a very happy day for me, allow me to congratulate them, and also congratulate the new Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, Prof. Kithure Kindiki. Madam Temporary Speaker, how things change. Just the other day, Professor was our Leader of Majority in this House. I had a new entrant and we used to call him Junior. He is a very humble man. Little did we know that he would be where he is today. I have no doubt that he will do a good job. I want to tell the farmers back home that this Parliament has given them a godsend breath of pure oxygen becaue this is an industry that supports eight million people. This is an industry that supports 600,000 small-scale farmers. This is an industry that supports five government-owned factories and nine privately-owned factories. All these factories come with jobs. We allowed the sugar industry to collapse, purely because of poor legislation, through an animal called the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA). I have never understood what became of the 11th Parliament when they did that misadventure. For our sugar in this country, thanks to the kind of climate and soils that we have. We have sugar which is in a high-refined form and it is known for its great crystalline shape and purity, free of smell and 100 per cent fit for human consumption. Madam Temporary Speaker, I am privileged to come from Kakamega in the catchment area that produces 80 per cent of all the sugar consumed, not just in Kenya but 80 per cent of all the sugar that is consumed in the East African Community (EAC). This is led by Mumias Sugar Company, which is the biggest and the best. I want to use this opportunity to congratulate the new investor in Mumias Sugar Company. He has brought order to the nucleus farm, 12,500 acres that had collapsed. He has regenerated it. I was there yesterday and the cane is so beautiful. When you fly over with a chopper, you feel like you have just seen life in Kakamega when you see that kind of scenery. I want to speak to the cardinal issues in this Bill that should be the reason why all of us should support it wholeheartedly. The first one is the New Schedule. In the New Schedule, we have managed to contain through legislation the conmanship, fraud and trickery that was being practised by one infamous investor in the sugar factory. An investor who would actually poach cane from other factories that had developed that cane. You would see those days trucks pulling trailers of 36 wheels. This nonsense has been controlled by the introduction of sugar zones, which are now catchment areas. In the counties of Kisumu, South Nandi and Kericho, they have been given the central catchment area. Upper Western has been given Bungoma, Kakamega, excluding Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, and Northern Nandi districts. The lower Western, has been given Mumias, Busia, and Siaya counties. Southern Western has been given Migori, Homa Bay, Kisii, Narok counties and finally, Coast is Tana River, Lamu and Kwale counties. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}