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{
    "id": 691147,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/691147/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 215,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kubai Iringo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1574,
        "legal_name": "Cyprian Kubai Iringo",
        "slug": "cyprian-kubai-iringo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. At the outset, I stand to oppose this Motion. Much has been said. It is said that one man’s meat is another man’s poison. This Report is skewed to favour our former colonial masters. It is skewed in a way that whatever we are trying to ratify here is not balanced. Gone are the days when we used to be told do something and we just do it. We need to ask why we are doing it. I am saying this with a lot of bitterness. It is not because the British Army does nothing in my constituency, even though I see then in Nanyuki when I pass there as I go to my constituency. I am bitter because of an action they took in 2014 of banning the trade in miraa. They also influenced other European countries to do the same. This is a livelihood for my people. An ad hoc Committee, which was formed here in Parliament, went to London to plead with them to reconsider their action. The reasons they gave are the same reasons they gave today when we met the British High Commissioner. They told us that there were some communities in London which were complaining about miraa and so, they had to pass that law banning miraa . That decision, which was influenced by a small community in Britain, has affected thousands of people in Meru. They did not take into account the plight of producers of that crop. They also did not consider the effect of the action on the merchants of that crop. They did not consider the families that are now affected. They also did not consider the effect of the ban on the consumers of miraa. The reasons they gave were not convincing, scientific or otherwise. At the end of the day, we managed to convince the Committee which was handling the issue, but when the matter was brought on the Floor of the House of Commons in London, miraa was banned. Today, we are being asked to ratify this agreement and the rider is this: “Your complaints will be looked into.” This has been put into writing and has been signed by the people concerned. Why did we not come up with a memorandum listing what we are pledging to do before we sign? As a leader and an elected Member of the great people of Igembe Central, I am not going to accept lip service where we are told, “we shall do this” and yet, we do not know when it will be done. Why should we pass this one before ironing out the teething issues? We went to the Committee of Defence and Foreign Relations Chaired by Hon. Gethenji---."
}