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{
    "id": 539828,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/539828/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Maanzo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Sugar being a very important commodity in Kenya and part of trade in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries, it would be very important to privatise these companies so that Kenyans can participate in their management. They can be listed on the stock exchange. Some of them which have been running into debts, of which I can see the Government is assisting, can now be owned by members of the public who can inject capital into them. The public owners will be responsible. Outgrowers were proposed in this Report to be part of the owners. The regions where sugar is grown have small- scale farmers who could sell it to the main companies. They will, therefore, feel more comfortable than the situation is currently. It would also be good for the Government to retain its shareholding in the companies so that it becomes part of the owners. Now that it is writing off some debts, the Government would continue to benefit from similar investments. This will also ensure that companies dealing with sugar stabilise. Farmers who have been suffering when these companies stagger in debts and are unable to pay them can be paid and the companies run profitably. So, I support this Report. All the sugar companies named in it should be privatised. Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity."
}