HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 244567,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/244567/?format=api",
"text_counter": 138,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Sambu",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 137,
"legal_name": "Alfred B. Wekesa Sambu",
"slug": "alfred-sambu"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for recognising me because I am referred to as a \"Shadow Minister for Agriculture\", but I do not know what it means. I shall be the real Minister very soon. I want to start by thanking the Mover of this Motion, hon. Khamisi. I want to thank him for accepting the amendment, so that we can include not only cashew nuts, but all nuts, whether as edibles or for oil extraction. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, by recognising the fact that not only does the cashew nut industry need to be streamlined but also strengthened, this will help this nation because, at the moment, the cooking oils used in this country are scarce. I do not want to mention the brands but whether they are the liquid or those solidified by the process called hydrogenation, all of them use imported edible oil mainly palm oil. We import palm oil from as far as West Africa and the Middle East and those are countries which are not better agriculturally than Kenya. That is why I am saying that if we want to save our foreign exchange earnings from tea, coffee and tourism, we should start by telling the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to intensify the production of edible nuts and those that are used for edible oil extraction. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, macadamia nuts, for example, are in high demand when roasted and they also have other uses. So, I want production of macadamia nut seedlings distributed to the areas which are suitable for their growth. I hope His Excellency the Vice- President and Minister for Home Affairs was here because he comes from a groundnut-growing area. Groundnut-growing has come almost to nil because its market has been destroyed by imported edible oils. The groundnuts that remain now are only those for roasting and packaging. We want to grow more groundnuts for oil extraction. Who says that we cannot grow palm trees? We should grow palm trees so that we extract all the oil that we require in this country and there are also useful by-products from palm trees. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, sunflower is a crop that can grow in many areas of this country and it can be planted twice in a year. Why are we voting KARI so much money and yet it has done nothing to enhance sunflower growing? Sunflower can be grown in Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Western Kenya, Nyanza Province, Eastern Province, Central Province and even Coast Province. Sunflower is a crop that suits or adapts itself to many climatic and topographical areas. We should grow more sunflower for edible oil extraction. When I worked as a seed researcher after graduating from university in the early 1970s, I did a lot of research work in sunflower at the Kitale Kenya Seed Company but now if you go to the July 5, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1829 farms in Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nandi and areas of Western Province, you will not see a single crop of sunflower. Sunflower is a crop that we need to resuscitate and KARI should be able to do it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the audit committees of Parliament have passed a lot of resolutions about KARI. Why are the properties that it has lost be it in Limuru or down there in Trans Nzoia not being repossessed? If I am challenged to substantiate my claims on KARI I will produce facts to back them. Why has the Attorney-General of this nation not implemented the decisions of the audit committees? Does he take Parliament as nothing because it is a constitutional body? Parliament is one of the three organs of Government. On many occasions, the Public Investments Committee (PIC) has recommended, and its recommendations have been adopted by the House, that the Attorney-General should help the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) to repossess those plots. I strongly believe that the Attorney-General ought to implement the recommendations of Parliament. However, I do not know whether the Attorney-General is fast asleep or he is afraid. We have even seen cases which are in court being challenged. When people are taken to court, he does nothing to assist the prosecutions. We are accusing the Kenya Anti- Corruption Commission (KACC) of not doing its work, it is he who is not doing his work. He should resign for letting down this nation. He is sitting on the files of people whom KACC has recommended for prosecution. What is the reason behind this?"
}