{"id":585391,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/585391/?format=json","text_counter":154,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Gikaria","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":2489,"legal_name":"David Gikaria","slug":"david-gikaria"},"content":"The involvement of, say Nakuru County Government in buying land would have gone a long way in addressing this matter. In Njoro we settled over 567 IDPs. Again, some of the IDPs cannot occupy land because some of the so-called squatters went to court. Consultation with the county governments regarding particular parcels of land would have helped a great deal. The IDPs moved from Nakuru and went to set up camps in Subukia and Njoro. That does not auger well for the Government. Government money was spent yet we are still in courts. Consultations with the respective county governments would have gone a long way in addressing this issue. I would also like to talk about the Pyrethrum Act and the pyrethrum growing areas. Nakuru County happens to be the headquarters and it also harbours the factories. It is sad that the Cabinet Secretary one day took a chopper, landed on the premises of the Pyrethrum Board, installed the Chairman of the Board and then took off. He did not even care to know what the county thinks, especially after we had brought some amendments to the Pyrethrum Act. The CoG had a small caucus comprising of 19 counties which grow pyrethrum. These counties have an issue to do with the growing of pyrethrum; so, consultations with them were necessary in as far as appointment of the Chairman of the Board was concerned. As we talk now, Kshs600 million has been given by the national Government to the Chairman to do some activities in order to encourage pyrethrum growing. Nothing has happened to date. The money was intended to offset some of the outstanding debts owing to the farmers. Part of the money was also to be used to buy pyrethrum seeds so that we encourage pyrethrum growing. By doing that we would be able to revive the factory. There is no need of growing pyrethrum and then we sell it without doing value addition. That factory is meant to grind pyrethrum and come up with an end product which should be sold competitively in the international market. In the days gone by, Kenya was leading in terms of production of pyrethrum. Now we are lagging behind our neighbours like Rwanda, which has now taken the lead in the pyrethrum market. Counties ought to have been involved with regard to the appointment of the Chairman of the Board. Regarding sports, it is sad that the Ministry of Sports, basically, has no budget whatsoever for any sport. We keep on bragging that we want to lead in sporting activities. Under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, 2010 it is clear what the national Government is supposed to do with sports. I totally concur with the Senate when it comes to this issue of sports. The national Government should give money so that we enhance and promote sports rather than just--- Most of the governors are saying that they cannot pump money into sports because the national Government has taken over that mandate. It is true. Why should we remain with a function, yet we do not have a budget for it? As we talk now, football issues in the country are in a mess. When players cannot honour an international match because the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) cannot afford the costs, it is not good. Why has the Government not set aside even a shilling for fare for players? Again, I want to concur with the Senate that counties need to be involved in these issues. The only thing to do now, as Hon. Gichigi said, is to bring some amendments, so that we do not involve some people unnecessarily. Athletes from the Rift Valley Province are very good. We need to enhance and promote athletics in the counties within that region. A similar approach will not be required in, say 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."}