Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 362866,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/362866/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 84,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Deputy Speaker, my comments will be brief and I just want to give an example of what Nigeria has done with respect to fertilizer and with respect to distribution of subsidies. In Nigeria, they have used technology. From May 2012 they came up with a system called the “Electronic Wallet Programme” and in that system farmers were getting credit on their phones to go and collect fertilizer subsidies and that cut out so many levels of corruption. The company that did it says that they disbursed 28 billion worth of agricultural subsidies and in addition to that, they made a saving of 16.3 billion. We know that even when the Government gives subsidies of agriculture, many times they do not reach the intended recipients and farmers. We know many times middlemen in between take the subsidies and sell them at higher costs to the farmers but we need to solve that issue. We need to ensure we have a Fertilizer Board that is efficient and you will be glad to know and the hon. Members will be pleased to note that, indeed, the company that did that in Nigeria is a Kenyan company called “Cellulant” and they made savings of more than Kshs.16.3 billion. We have these solutions in our country. We have the solutions of technology. I look forward, once we have set up the Fertilizer Board, to look at other avenues through which we can indeed make our country a food basket because a country that cannot feed itself cannot claim to be a sovereign country. We must ensure that no Kenyan goes hungry in this land. We must ensure that no Kenyan goes hungry in any part of this country, whether it is Turkana or North Eastern Province. Yesterday, I heard hon. Members from some dry areas saying that if only they had water, their counties could feed this country. Hon. Deputy Speaker, it is sad that in the 21st Century – in the digital age – we are depending on factors that we cannot control like the weather to feed our people. There are technological solutions that indeed can be effected. So, I want to thank Mheshimiwa Wamalwa for bringing this Motion. I want to fully support it and I urge this House,"
}