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{
"id": 239409,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/239409/?format=api",
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"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": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to start my contribution by paying tribute to the Government, and particularly the President, for the recorded improvement of this country's economy. I also want to ask Members of Parliament to remember to pray for our former President, Mr. Daniel arap Moi, who is now recovering. I hope that he will soon be discharged from hospital. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are in an era that is concentrating on improving our economy. Farmers have now seen the very big difference that has been made, particularly in the sale of their produce. I want to ask co-operative societies to enhance and assist farmers to ensure that they achieve their goals by producing enough food commodities for our country, particular those who undertake coffee farming. Coffee farming is still lagging behind whereas prices at the world market are improving. I appeal to coffee societies to wake up and ensure that we produce enough coffee. We have been given an opportunity by the Chinese Government to sell to them all the coffee that we can produce. So, that is going to improve the market. The world market has been improving lately. Even in New York, the coffee market is getting better by the day. So, I appeal to those managing farmers co-operative societies to start producing enough coffee. We will very soon have a shortage August 3, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2621 of coffee because we have not been producing enough of the produce. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to appeal to the Ministry of Youth Affairs to, immediately, determine how the Kshs1 billion Youth Development Fund should be used. Youths in our constituencies keep on asking us how the money will reach them. Since the Minister for Finance announced the creation of the fund on Budget Day, they have been waiting for that money, so that they can also start going. The Ministry of Youth Affairs has been dragging its feet on this issue. It needs to decide on how this money should be shared out amongst the youths in our constituencies, so that they can get going. It is no good keeping money at the Treasury when people wait for it on the ground, so that they can use it to help themselves. It is necessary to move faster because the bigger percentage of our people are the youths. Jobs are not easy to come by. If we release this money, a lot of them will engage in self employment through the Jua Kali sector, among other sectors. As leaders, we should also assist the youths to use this money by providing them with the necessary infrastructure; be it in the Jua Kali sector, farming or whatever area. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I agree with the previous speaker that the CDF has gone a long way in assisting our people. The only problem we have is that some media houses have continued to criticise and look at the bad side of CDF activities. It is also important for the media to highlight the achievements made by the CDF. Let the media not just be critical minded. All the time, they criticise development efforts, without suggesting solutions where necessary. Individuals interested in coming to Parliament after the next general election are only using the CDF to attack sitting Members of Parliament. Even before the CDF came into being, Members of Parliament were working towards development in their constituencies. So, let those who want to come to Parliament start working out there rather than just criticise sitting Members of Parliament. We need to achieve a lot not necessarily for political reasons, but for the wellbeing of our people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I agree that each of the three Arms of the Government has a duty to perform. So, when an hon. Member criticises the Executive, he should know that the Legislature is also being criticised. Even the Judiciary has its own part of the problems being experienced in this country. It is, therefore, important that we all work together, appreciating the fact that Kenya is our country. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}