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{
    "id": 508897,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/508897/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 221,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Once, for example, Mumias Sugar Factory has produced its sugar, it knows how to take that sugar to that outlet and how that sugar will then be sold. If a factory is built, why would it require a board to do marketing for it? This is a joke because all you require is a marketing manager for that fertiliser factory. The Board is supposed to facilitate the provision of fertiliser in a timely manner. In fact, the word “facilitation” is an opportunity to line people’s pockets. May I now move away from this joke of functions and go to membership. This is now a clever move again by some so-called “educated Kenyans” who want to create parastatals and jobs for themselves. They are saying, in the membership of the Board, that you should have two persons of either gender representing prescribed farmers’ association, competitively nominated and one person of either gender from the Fertiliser Association of Kenya and that these persons should have a minimum of a degree. This means that the sugar cane farmers of Kakamega and Migori will all be locked out of this Board because they do not have degrees. You do not need to have a degree to be the owner of two acres of tea or a rice farmer from Ahero. What is worse is that there are no recognized farmers associations in Kenya. If you are talking about a workers association, probably you are talking about COTU. If you are talking about a teachers association, you would talk about KNUT and lawyers, the LSK. How about farmers? They even want to go ahead and form a new association after they have created the law, called the Fertiliser Association of Kenya. Which one is this? Is this fertiliser that is gotten from cow dung or chemically? I do not understand. We must oppose this. Madam Temporary Speaker, may I move on and look at the remuneration of Board members. They are saying that the Board shall pay its members such allowances as it may determine upon the advice of the body responsible for matters relating to remuneration. This is exactly how board members have fleeced Mumias Sugar Company and Chemelil Sugar Company. They sit and pay themselves astronomical allowances which have brought these companies to their knees. If these members had just been a little bit hard working, they would have seen that in the current reports of the Committee on Agriculture in the National Assembly, they have indicted current and former managers of Mumias Sugar Company for exactly this reason. This thing must fall. As I conclude my presentation, I want to appeal to colleague Senators, that this Bill is meant to perpetuate corruption and nothing else. It is an opportunity for some well placed characters in this country to have an opportunity to justify abuse of public funds through trips abroad to, for example, China to go and visit a fertiliser processing plant so as to see whether they can duplicate it in this country; the so-called “benchmarking”. They want to line their pockets. How I wish that some of their children would pay for these sins so that the children of the poor can have a break in life. We cannot legislate something that will open up floodgates for corruption. I, therefore, oppose and request hon. Chris Wamalwa who is my kid brother to bear with me because we have to move the country forward. I oppose."
}