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{
    "id": 1566519,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1566519/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 272,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "This Bill also provides a very good framework for promoting good governance and ethical conduct in co-operatives. This is one of the measures to try and deal with the challenges that we have seen in the co-operative movement such as looting, stealing and corruption. Most importantly, this Bill seeks to have a framework to ensure we have a sustainable and competitive co-operative sector in this country, which has been lacking over the years. It also provides a clear framework on how primary, secondary and even co-operative federations and apex co-operatives are going to interlink with each other. The primary co-operative has a minimum of 20 members, and the secondary has five on the minimum, who are from the primary co-operative. The federation has at least two secondary co-operatives, and then we have the apex. That kind of structuring is important, because you saw KUSCCO was even performing, competing with the ordinary co-operatives in their function. I am happy that the new Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development has come out clearly to say that their role will be limited to advisory, training, capacity building and such. This should have been the case from the beginning. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, one important thing that cooperatives can contribute to this economy is in addressing the housing problem. Our Government has a housing plan which it is charging us in our payslips - the housing levy and many of us are not happy about it. How I wish the Government could put more effort in promoting housing cooperatives, so that people can invest with the purpose of borrowing to build or to own a house. The scenario that we now have, of being deducted money and you do not know when you will own a house is a challenge. Let us develop housing cooperatives and empower them. Even the money that is being deducted from our payslips should go to a housing cooperative. Let it go and be managed there so that when I want a house, I will go there and borrow using the money that has been deducted from me and own a house. The cooperative movement contributes to about 500,000 houses a year, which is 25 per cent of our requirement for housing. Why can the Government not invest in a housing cooperative? Maybe, when this Bill becomes law, it should be a matter they need to reflect on so that we have investment in a housing cooperative. The money that is being deducted from salaried Kenyans will now be directed to a housing cooperative so that people can access that money because, right now, we do not know how we are going to access our money. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is a tax. Let it be a fund which can be funded through cooperatives and then people can recoup back their money and participate in economic development. I also join my colleague, Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale, to say that the new Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development is doing a wonderful job. This sector had been forgotten. However, I see the kind of energy, hard work and attention from hon. Oparanya and it is unmeasured. These are the kind of Cabinet Secretaries we need in this country. We need Cabinet"
}