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{
    "id": 1566497,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1566497/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 250,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Today, we do have a strong youth bulge in Kenya. A number of young people have left school and want to start small businesses. We have seen young ladies and young men, who have just left school, going to train on how to use the camera after which, they start a business. The best way to support them is to ensure that we do not put them in a perpetual state of politics. We should not radicalize our young people with the kind of language that I hear from the former deputy president. I have heard him call on young people to take arms and be violent. The best way to help the young people is to put them into cooperatives and support them. That will happen if this Bill passes in this House. This is a very good Bill that we must support. I beg this House to ensure that the clauses on governance structure being proposed in this Bill in Part II and III of the Bill are amended. I wish the Senate Majority Leader was here. If people are to abide by the framework proposed here, why can we not talk about enabling the cooperatives to have a tax advantage? If that is done, the cooperatives can be exempted from some taxation and concessions, which can make it difficult for them to thrive when they have not made good money from the pooling resources by members. We are devolving governance to the grass root level. I, therefore, feel that there is an opportunity for an amendment of this Bill to make sure that we can interrogate the cost of running cooperatives by lowering the transaction structures that membership must then be able to put. Some of the costs of registering cooperatives, which have long been housed at the national level, tend to cater for those facets. However, with this organization, we are now taking cooperative governance to the grassroots by integrating national and county government elements. If this framework passes, I believe there is an opportunity to reduce transaction costs in SACCOs. Cooperatives exist to build businesses that can then access the market. I will also be moving an amendment on the issue of market, in consultation with the Senate Majority Leader. If possible, we should rethink the market power of cooperatives. We must find a way to ensure that the products offered by the cooperatives we are supporting through this Bill do not suffer the harmful effects of market dominance by more established businesses. What do I mean by this? We have seen instances where laws passed in these Houses of Parliament in the past, where cooperatives in the milk industry have faced challenges from monopolies that impose ridiculous standards on the type of milk or the equipment required to bring their products to the market. These standards disadvantage grassroots cooperatives. These are three areas that I believe, if addressed through amendments, will ensure that the cooperatives covered by this legal framework are properly supported and effectively managed. This framework, encompassing both counties and the national government, will play a crucial role in democratizing the governance of cooperatives. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, allow me to conclude by stating my support for this Bill put forward by the Senate Majority Leader. I look forward to its role in strengthening cooperatives within our borders and ensuring a proper environment for business sustainability. I thank you."
}