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{
    "id": 334068,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/334068/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 222,
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    "content": "been a major problem to those of us who grow pyrethrum. I notice we have two Sections 13. That must be a typographical error and that will need to be sorted out when we are at the Third Reading. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we have an authority collecting levies on behalf of the Central Government as others have said, other than just it being a possible source of conflict, I think we also deny the county governments some source of revenue that may be very useful. We actually do not know exactly how much we will need to run the counties and also to make them vehicles for development within those areas. It may be necessary to re-look into that aspect as to whether we want the levies collected on behalf of the Central Government or they should be left with the local or county government. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, while we appreciate that there is that consolidation of these Bills, I am wondering whether this is enough to ensure that the farmers who have continued to literally get exploited by the middlemen and the rest will benefit. I do not see provisions that would directly help the farmers benefit from their sweat. I also think Section 11 is a good intention to ensure that land that is meant for agriculture or for the farming of these crops once identified, perhaps it is used for that purpose. But I find the section weak. I doubt whether once the Cabinet Secretary has identified the land, he will be able then to ensure that, that land is used for that purpose which he has identified. A case in point is where we have developers, especially within the neighbourhoods of Nairobi who think that the best way to benefit from their land is to turn it into a residential block. How would the Cabinet Secretary stop that from happening because I believe what we are doing in this country is that we are losing all the agricultural land to the residential estates and we will be left with land that cannot support any agriculture. The question is that even after identifying that land, have we given the Cabinet Secretary enough powers to ensure that we can be able to enforce it once that is done? Mr. Mututho talked about pyrethrum. I listened to the Minister when he was moving the Bill and I was careful to hear whether she would mention the word “pyrethrum” which she did not. I do not know what the latest statistics is, but for a long time, pyrethrum has been the fifth foreign exchange earner in this country and it has continued to go down because of mismanagement by the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya and it is important to mention that. I know there is fear that pyrethrum - using the words of Mr. Mututho – can be a source of poison. Even as we stand here and make these contributions, I want to confirm to the Minister and the Ministry officials that if you visit Ndaragwa, you will find farmers who are keeping this thing in their homes and they have kept it for a long time. We do not know whether there are long term negative effects but we do not also want to hide under the cover that it is poison and for that reason, we deny the farmers an opportunity to manage that crop and get the benefit out of it. Even as we support this Bill, I would want to be convinced that it has taken care of all my concerns on the pyrethrum industry to the point that the Bill that we have - in the coming week I will be moving the Pyrethrum Bill – will be in line with the provisions contained under this Act. I know that pyrethrum has been grown by Kenyan farmers since 1926 and it has not harmed them in a manner that we know. As I support this Bill, it is unfortunate that we did not have enough time. But I will ask that the Minister tries and clarifies and wins"
}