Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 610241,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/610241/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 214,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Washiali",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 151,
        "legal_name": "Benjamin Jomo Washiali",
        "slug": "benjamin-washiali"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Speaker. I want to start by saying that I support this Report. I actually want to second it and thank hon. Langat for picking me to second this Report. Parliament, in its wisdom, decided that matters that require investigations and a little bit more than what the plenary can do, should be referred to Committees. I want to say right here that the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade had quite a bit of time trying to investigate the pros and cons of this issue. I sit in the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives and initially, as a Member of this House and especially a Member who comes from where sugarcane is grown, I was opposed to this privatisation because of the experience we have had. However, after I had some time to join the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade as a friend of the Committee when they were discussing this issue of privatisation, I was convinced and that is why I have accepted to second this Motion. I just want to remind the House that we are signatories to the COMESA treaty. The COMESA treaty actually dictates that you can buy sugar where it is cheap and sell the same commodity where you find a better market. For a while now, as a Member of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives – I am happy my Chairman is here – we have been fighting day in, day out on sugar that is coming from COMESA countries because it enjoys preferential duties. For us to solve this problem once and for all, we must comply with COMESA regulations because in the sugar industry, it is not just about the investment, which is the factory and everything else, but we also have farmers who farm cane and their income is the proceeds of that sugar cane. We have workers like the cane cutters and those who do the weeding, who 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."
}