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{
    "id": 1495556,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1495556/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 440,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Gichugu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Gichimu Githinji",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Let me say that I am one of the Members of the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives who have worked very hard to bring this Bill to this level. Actually, it is one of the biggest or most voluminous Bills we have in this House. It has 168 clauses and three detailed schedules. This is all done and sponsored. This is a Government sponsored Bill. That shows this Government is very keen on addressing issues that have bedevilled the cooperative sector in this country. Let me start by thanking Members of the Committee because we had to sit for very long hours. We have had very many meetings. We have gone clause by clause and considered the numerous summations given or submitted by the public during the public participation that we did across the country. We divided ourselves into various groups. I led the group that went to Mount Kenya. The response by co-operators was very encouraging. They need this law like yesterday. I also thank the team from the Ministry that the Permanent Secretary for Cooperatives, PS Kilemi, led. Of course, I also thank the Cabinet Secretary who came in. They even used to attend our meetings during consideration of the Bill. That shows the commitment this Government has given in addressing issues of cooperatives in this country. I am also excited because my coffee farmers in Gichugu Constituency will benefit much from the passage of this Bill. The issues of governing cooperative societies, including dairy cooperative societies, will now be addressed by this Bill. Going into the meat, this Bill asserts the supremacy of members of cooperatives in making decisions during general meetings of cooperatives. Cooperatives have sometimes operated even without registered offices. It also addresses that. Once we pass this Bill, briefcase cooperatives will be a thing of the past. The Bill requires a registered office where members can access their books of accounts and all the details pertaining a cooperative society. That is a very progressive matter. The Cooperatives Act being repealed was enacted in 1997. That is 27 years ago. We are living in a very dynamic economic situation, and not every person is straightforward in this space. That is why when this Bill says that proper books of accounts must be kept according to international standards, that will also require cooperative societies to employ professionals to run their affairs as CEOs and other staff running these cooperative societies. The law that we are making also demands that those books of accounts should be audited annually according to international standards. That is a space that most of the cooperative societies have been failing because some have been taken like personal cooperative societies."
}