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"id": 253002,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/253002/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Ochilo-Ayacko",
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"speaker": {
"id": 347,
"legal_name": "Ochilo George Mbogo Ayacko",
"slug": "ochilo-ayacko"
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleague, Mr. Oparanya, for his generosity. About 1.5 million people who reside in the larger South Nyanza, Kisii and Kuria Districts, depend on sugar-cane growing and are victims of what has been the subject matter of debate in this House today. In 1978 when I was a small boy, I was present at the inauguration of the South Nyanza Sugar Company. At that particular time, our people had great hope. My colleagues who know where I live refer to me as \" Nyakwar Jamoko \" and I want to say why they refer to me like that. In 1979, the late Ignasio Ayacko, who is my grandfather was alive and part of his land had been taken for the cultivation of sugar-cane. There were other older people like the late Ishmael Owiro and the late Nelson Ogango Oyugi, who were very wealthy because there was food security. If today you were to ask the same question to the people who reside in South Nyanza Sugar Belt, you will never find anybody claiming to be Jamoko or a rich person today. The sugar-caning farming that was brought with a lot of fun-fare and was providing hope to these people has turned out to be a crop that is bringing poverty to the very people that it was supposed to rescue. You will acknowledge the fact that I was given a very short time, and so, I want to go straight to the point. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is an organization called the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) which, as I speak today, is trying to get Kshs700 million from SONY Sugar Company. That money is back-taxes that SONY Sugar Company ought to have paid the Government. SONY Sugar Company is 98 per cent owned by the Government. So, one arm of the Government is trying to get Kshs700 million that is supposed to pay sugar-cane farmers. All the money being generated from SONY Sugar Company is going to the KRA and other organizations and farmers are not being paid a cent. As I speak now, I believe that SONY, Miwani and Chemelil sugar companies are the only factories that owe farmers more than five months in arrears. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the responsibility of improving the sugar sector, particularly those companies that are owned by the Government, is the Government's itself. In fact, at times, those who understand Company Law know very well that when you talk about SONY 548 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 19, 2006 Sugar Company, you are really talking about the Government. When you talk about Chemelil, you are talking about the Government. It is the Government that owes the farmers! SONY is just an organization through which the Government is collecting money. Why is it so difficult for the Government to get this money and pay farmers so that they can get their wealth? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the little money we get through the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), which we give out as bursaries, is being sought after by everybody because of the poverty situation. If all this money was released to farmers, I am sure this country would do very well and farmers would be very happy people. If the Minister for Finance extended his kindness - because I know that problem is with the Ministry of Finance, the Minister for Agriculture is a very good person in so far as farmers are concerned because he has tried to help them here and there - Farmers would be happy because the Exchequer has a tendency of collecting all the money in the name of taxes and returning nothing to the farmers. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that my colleagues want to contribute to this topic and I will, therefore, sit down. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir."
}