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{
    "id": 246549,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/246549/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 184,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Chepkitony",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13,
        "legal_name": "Lucas Kipkosgei Chepkitony",
        "slug": "lucas-chepkitony"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister committed a big mistake by zero-rating wheat. This country has been producing 50 per cent of the country's wheat and when the Minister zero-rated wheat flour and grains, it will provide unfair competition to the local farmers whose production cost is already very high and cannot compete with imported wheat. We need to support our wheat farmers just like other farmers in other agricultural sectors are supported because they all contribute to the economic growth of this country. The Government should not neglect any agricultural sector. When the Minister zero-rates wheat, it will affect the farmers because subsidised wheat will come into the country to compete with local wheat which is produced using taxed inputs like petroleum, agricultural chemicals, high labour and fertiliser costs and so on. So, the Government should not follow the examples of Uganda and Tanzania because they do not June 20, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1459 produce any wheat, and so they try to cut down on the costs of bread by reducing taxes on imported wheat. However, here in Kenya we still need to support our wheat farmers to continue producing the 50 per cent of our requirements because that is going to provide employment to our farmers and support our industries. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would have liked the Minister to have increased the Constituency Development Fund kitty. We have requested that it be increased to 7.5 per cent of the ordinary Government revenue but he has offered a small increase which is not enough, particularly when you consider that we are going to shoulder the burden of the bursary funds which used to come from the Ministry of Education. He mentioned that the Kshs750 million which was being allocated to the Ministry of Education will be transferred to the CDF. This bursary allocation of Kshs750 million still needs to be increased. It should be tripled because with poverty increasing, a lot of parents are unable to pay school fees for their children in secondary schools, colleges and universities. So, I would like to see the CDF kitty increased substantially because that is the only development which Kenyans have recently witnessed. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}