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{
    "id": 1521511,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521511/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 71,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "I want to comment on the statement that has been brought by the Senator for Narok County, Hon. Ledama Olekina, regarding the status of the farmers in Narok who are currently staring at very serious losses. As a country, we have at least pretended to take care of our farmers. When we do something on one side, we seem to take with equal measure on the other side. As sugarcane farmers, we have complained for a very long time. The newly minted Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, the Senator for Bungoma County, will tell you that as long as you allow a wanton importation of sugar, you are hurting the local farmer in the sugarcane growing areas. That is the same situation now with wheat. I am quite surprised that Kenya would subscribe to such a situation, where we have farmers in Narok whose crop is literally rotting in their stores and yet we have allowed importation of wheat to this extent. The legal notice that the Senator has brought is a copy of the East African Community Gazette. There is a legal notice here that has been signed by Hon. Deng Alor Kuol who is the Chairperson and Council of Ministers for the East African Community (EAC). He is allowing a total of three million tonnes of wheat to be imported into the country. This is unacceptable. When we speak about these issues, some people say we do not like certain individuals in certain offices. The Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning is a former Chairperson of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party. The ODM party, through the acting party leader, Hon. Anyang’-Nyong’o issued a statement on the same issue about two weeks ago. If he was a good man, he would have listened then. It would not take the Senator for Narok County to bring this matter before this House again before it is resolved. Hon. Speaker, I stand with the Senator for Narok County and the farmers in Narok County. We must give priority to our own people when they are trying to get themselves out of the economic mess. We cannot have our own farmers produce rotting and yet we are allowing importation of the same commodity we have in plenty here. This committee must have both the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning to appear before it and make sure that we put an end to this and get explanations. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am also getting tired of explanations. The farmers in Narok do not want an explanation. They want to be put in the right place in terms of compensation for what they have lost after putting their sweat in their land and being let down by their own Government. I thank you."
}