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{
    "id": 374105,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/374105/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 225,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "July 17, 2013 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 25 Hon. Kemei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Speaker I want to support the extension of six months. When we sat in the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives and we were faced with a big institution that was now being established and it would take effect in the next few days, we realized that we were not going to be in a position to mid- wife it. We are talking of an institution that will bring together 41 parastatals in the Ministry of Agriculture. We are talking of an institution that will handle eight major crops grown in this country and most of them with different marketing systems and value chains. We are talking of hundreds of regulations and circulars that govern the entire agriculture sector. Some of them are still colonial. It was not going to be practicable for this country to implement ALFA at this point in time. We therefore ask for an extension of six months so that the Committee looks at this Bill critically and see whether or not there are merits in this Act. In terms of fears, we must admit that any change anywhere brings about conflicts, confusion and resistance. However, look at it critically. We are dealing with institutions most of them technically insolvent, moribund, and outright corrupt. We must take action on them. The only thing that we must do is to study this critically so that when we come back we are able to tell the House the direction we are taking. We should not fear the autonomy of some of these institutions. The Kenya Sugar Board is different from the Sisal Board of Kenya, or the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya. The Act gives them management autonomy so that they are able to discharge their services professionally. We are simply asking that we get the extension of six months and once we are done with that we should be able to sit with the Cabinet Secretary and all the stakeholders. We understand that there are certain peculiarities that may not relate to crops and that is why the livestock component was removed from this Bill. I support the extension of six months."
}