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{
    "id": 429577,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/429577/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 403,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kajwang’",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2712,
        "legal_name": "Tom Joseph Kajwang'",
        "slug": "kajwang-tom-joseph-francis"
    },
    "content": "On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to thank you for a very well considered ruling and Communication that guides us in how we are proceeding with the business before us and also restating the law as I think it is. But I just want to beg for a small clarification because I am obliged to follow your decision so that in future we are well guided and also in future the Committees that are responsible know what to do. As I read Article 114, it says many things but at the end of it, it rests with the following words “the Assembly may proceed only in accordance with the recommendation of relevant Committee after taking into account the views of the Cabinet Secretary responsible for finance.” This presupposes, therefore, that the Assembly will be seized of the recommendations of the Committee and those recommendations can only be good recommendations if they are accompanied by justification. Secondly, it is important that Members who are either proposing amendments or the National Assembly at large, therefore, know the proceedings in this Committee so that we are able to appear before that Committee and make presentation as to why the amendments we are proposing should or should not be taken into consideration. This is so that when they make either an adverse or positive recommendation, it is with a participation of the Members and you note, therefore, that this Article does not say that there will be concurrence by the Cabinet Secretary. It only says that there will be views by the Cabinet Secretary. Although this decision has been made, we need to uphold the preserve of this House which is to make law and take control of budgetary issues. If we are going to have a situation which either the Committee we have delegated powers to or the Cabinet Secretaries makes decisions for us, then the Assembly will be releasing the very important power that we only have. So, I was just asking for a clarification that could the Chair of the relevant Committee supply us with justification of those recommendations so that we understand why, in the view of either the Committee or the Cabinet Secretary, those amendments that we have made have not been taken on board. We have spent time discussing this Bill and you remember that we passed it overwhelmingly during the Second Reading. This really touches the heart of Kenyans. My amendment concerns vegetable seeds. No farmer will have anything to plant if we go the direction we are going. This is in Mwea, Rift Valley and Machakos. There is no way you will get seeds in this country if you do not import them. Why is this the case? This is because we are in the tropic and tropics only have 12 hours. Those seeds can only grow in places where there are more than 12 hours and this is Europe. So, every vegetable seed that you see or all the foliage that we have which farmers rely on must be imported and we are putting tax on them. This is the opportunity we could use to relate with the common man and show them the justification why we cannot have the amendment. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}