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"id": 226762,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/226762/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. L. Maitha",
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"id": 249,
"legal_name": "Lucas Baya Mweni Maitha",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I wish to second the Motion. This is one of our past painful moments. It is one of the examples we can lay bare today to show how sections of our society can be deprived of their wealth by a few individuals as the Government watches. As Mr. Khamisi said, this was a clear case of fraud and the Government knows it. Thousands of farmers have had their hopes raised in the last four years that the Government would take action, but this has never happened. Through this Motion, we urge the Government to take action. This is an issue of commitment. Is the Government really committed to reviving the cashewnut industry? In the 1970s and 1980s, cashewnut growing formed a critical part of the economy of Kilifi, Malindi, Kwale and Lamu Districts. I remember that the Kilifi District Co- operative Union, through its affiliate, Galana Farmers, had even bought huge capital assets, for example, Sindbad Hotel in Malindi. Farmers were rich in those times, but they are now poor; they are beggars simply because they invested in this factory. Today, everybody is telling them that their shares were stolen. Nobody is telling them how they are going to get back their shares. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Khamisi has said that even today we have interested parties who are running the factory. But if we look at the performance of the factory today, we see that even farmers are not prepared to sell their cashewnuts to the factory, because they are bitter. Many farmers are now cutting down the cashewnut trees. After four years of a big let down by the NARC Government due to its failure to take action, they are disappointed. Although the PIC Report was not very conclusive, it shed a lot of light on who actually played which role. We know the thieves and we need to have action taken against them. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, today, cashewnut farmers are being exploited by middlemen because they do not want to sell cashewnuts to the factories. There are rich middlemen who are 512 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 11, 2007 buying cashewnuts from farmers at a very cheap rate and exporting them to India and other countries. Our farmers are helpless. It is unfortunate because those farmers cannot sell their cashewnuts to a factory that they once owned. Currently, there are no answers as to what led to the closure of that factory. The former management team of the co-operative union are there. They are extremely wealthy people. It is known that they are wealthy because of the way they mismanaged the shares of that union. They sold those shares to private individuals and made huge profits. Many of them are now flaunting their wealth and the Government is unable to take action. Many of those people are now moving closer to the Government. Is it because they are closer to the people who are in power that action cannot be taken? Many of them have joined groups that are lobbying for the Government in the hope that it will not take action against their mistakes. That is a very serious issue. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we want hon. Members to support the establishment of that committee so that the truth could be unearthed. Governments have a habit of only receiving reports. We want action. If somebody is a thief, he or she should carry his or her cross. The Government will be taken seriously if it takes action. Mr. Khamisi laid down all the facts and circumstances that surrounded the collapse of the factory. As hon. Members of Parliament from the region, we have held a series of meetings with the Government. We have been promised that the factory will be revived. That is not the first factory to collapse in this country under mysterious circumstances. When this Government came to power, the Kenya Co-operative Creameries (KCC) had collapsed. But it was revived. Why can the Government, as it investigates and takes action, not take steps to revive that factory? Farmers want their shares back. We know the Government can do it. The Government is not doing anything because it is simply not interested. Could the Government wake up and assist our people? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, today, we know that very little money has been allocated in the Budget for purposes of conducting research on the cashewnut plant. We know that there are modern varieties that give yields in a few years. Today, cashewnut farmers in Kilifi District still harvests from 50-year old plants. How will we revive the industry? We know that the Ministry of Agriculture has a budget to research on crops because Kenya is an agricultural economy. That is deliberate so that some people can remain poor. We want the Government to allocate money to research and assist our farmers with new varieties of cashewnuts. Cashewnut farming is big business in Brazil, India and Sri Lanka. It was big business in this region in the 1970s and 1980s. But it is no more! Therefore, this Motion raises very serious issues which will boost the morale of our farmers. At least, farmers should see that something is happening and the Government is caring and addressing their issues. We urge hon. Members to support this Motion so that the truth could be known and action taken. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not wish to say much. I want to support the facts as laid down by Mr. Khamisi. I also urge hon. Members to support this Motion. With those few remarks, I beg to second."
}