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{
    "id": 226767,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/226767/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 121,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mwenje",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Co-operative Development and Marketing",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 257,
        "legal_name": "David S. Kamau Mwenje",
        "slug": "david-mwenje"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. From the outset, I would like to say that I am not the Government Responder. The Government Responder will give his views later. My views are not those of the Ministry of Agriculture. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I totally agree with Mr. Khamisi on the question of reviving the factory and looking into the issues that led to its closure. I once visited that factory when I was in the then Ministry of Supplies and Marketing. Therefore, I appreciate how it used to operate. It is a national shame when you look at the way that factory was brought down. It is a shame because the Government at the time was unable to salvage and save the situation. Many members of that factory were affected by its closure. Some could not even raise school fees for their children. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, at one point, cashewnuts had to be imported from Tanzania! There is a cashewnut factory in Tanzania. Those who were buying cashewnuts from Kenya bought processed cashewnuts from Tanzania. That was a real shame. It should never have been allowed to happen. Those who made it happen are well known. They are Kenyans living in this country. It is a shame because we now import cashewnuts, which are grown in this country. Our cashewnuts were even taken to Tanzania for processing. That is very bad. I joined the team from the Ministry that was supposed to look into that issue, after the scandal happened. I remember the Minister was Mr. Mudavadi. I was in the Ministry when our current Speaker, Mr. Kaparo, was there. We were both Assistant Ministers. We joined that Ministry after that factory had collapsed. When we mentioned anything to do with the revival of that factory, it was a shame because the powers that be at that time were behind the collapse of that factory. It was a very bad situation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, one thing on which I do not agree with my friend, Mr. Khamisi, is the composition of the Members of the intended Select Committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the collapse of this factory. It is a one-sided affair. I thought that he would have mixed both hon. Members of the Opposition and Government in the committee, so that they can both work together. This is because we cannot just put names of hon. Members from one side of the House and expect the investigation to be fair. It will certainly not be fair. It is for this reason that we will vote to reject this Motion or ask hon. Khamisi to amend the list of names. However, as long as the names remain as they are, I will ask the Government side to vote against this Motion. The collapse of this factory cannot be investigated in that manner. It will be biased, one-sided and it will not work. It will not come up with any fair solution at all."
}