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{
    "id": 1565385,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565385/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 70,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Okiya Omtatah",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to contribute to the Motion on the Coffee Bill that is on the Floor. I have looked at the amendments proposed by the National Assembly. Most of them are technical in nature. I hope that when it goes to the Committee of the Whole, we will interrogate them in detail. They seem to be supportive of the Bill. Therefore, we should finalise this Bill because it is extremely important to the economy of this country. Coffee growing, right from the colonial days, was made a political crop. We hope that this Bill will look into studies that have suggested that Nyanza and Western Kenya, that is, Homa Bay, Siaya, Kisumu, Kakamega, Busia and Migori counties, have very high potential of producing very high-quality coffee. These studies are documented. I would request that as we look at this Bill, we will be able to unlock the potential of these crops. As you can see, the sugar barons have already invaded Western Kenya and they have made mincemeat off the sugar industry. It is hardly there. I support this Bill and I pray that the Committee will give its best attention. As I am still on my feet, I want to raise a matter of great concern to the Senate in terms of our emergency preparedness. Today I just learnt that we are sitting ducks. Should an emergency happen where you need an intervention from a medic, I just learnt that the Senate does not have an emergency department. We do not even have first aid. We have to rely on St Johns Ambulance to give us first aid. The challenge we had this morning should be an eye opener. It also occurred to me that the Bunge Tower as high as it is, does not have a lift where a stretcher can fit. We are only lucky that the emergency we had today happened on the first floor. Therefore, we were able to carry the victim using a stretcher by the staircase. Imagine if it had happened at the top of that building, what could have happened? I think it was a terrible thing and time has come for us to hold people to account. That building cannot continue being like that. When I leave my office, I have to go and look for a shoe shiner to shine my shoes because the carpet gets off and sticks on my shoes. I need the service of a shoe shiner when leaving my office. It is very sad. These people need to be arrested and locked away. Right from people who designed it, those people who supervised it and people who stood for it. We know there are people who made millions of shillings out of that building. We know there are people in this House who bought houses in Karen from---"
}