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{
    "id": 7322,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/7322/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 483,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mbadi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": "(i) to reduce the extent of damages suffered as a result of disasters; (ii) to mitigate the effects of disasters by taking certain measures; (iii) develop effective early warning systems to alert in cases of disaster; and, (iv) planning for disasters. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other proposed Bill is the Social Safety Nets Bill. Cash transfer programme and meal voucher system, as I mentioned, should be features of that Bill. Each programme is to target a specific section of the population. Cash transfer could target the unemployed and elderly, while meal-voucher programme could target the urban poor and those with very low incomes. Finally, the relevant Ministry could establish a body to implement this programme. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other Bills include: (i) Workers Protection Bill; (ii) Social Health Insurance Fund Bill, which I think has also been talked about widely in the public; (iii) Housing Regulation Bill. Here we should include categories of housing regulated. We should also allow construction using modern low-cost construction technology, incentives to investors in identified housing schemes, form and means of rent regulations, nature and scale of Government involvement; (iv) Competition (Amendment) Bill to eliminate cartels. We have also canvassed features of that Bill and I do not want to go into the details. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Committee is also asking this House that we consider the Sugar (Amendment) Act to overhaul the sugar sector. Here, I want to mention the following and this will be my concluding remarks:- The Committee recommends that The Sugar Act be amended in consultation with all stakeholders to create sanity in the sugar industry. The regulator, Kenya Sugar Board (KSB), which issues licences to millers has failed miserably in discharging this role effectively by numerously authorizing construction of factories without proof that they have developed adequate cane for processing thus resulting in theft of cane. The proposed law should, therefore, overhaul the KSB and propose changes in the manner in which the board members are elected, so as to incorporate professionalism and good management practices. We need to look at the management of that board. We noticed that the KSB is licensing very many sugar factories without cane being developed. Finally, what happens is that these factories compete for cane to an extent that farmers are forced to harvest immature cane which has very low productivity, hence the shortage of sugar in the country. The Committee is aware that the Member for Naivasha has proposed a Sugar (Amendment) Bill which is due to be introduced in the House. We will call upon the Member to revise his Bill in consultation with all stakeholders and to incorporate in the Bill, the views of the Committee considered in this Report. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Committee will also propose amendments to entrench zoning in sugar-cane growing areas so that each sugar company can know the extent to which it can grow cane or contract farmers. This will avoid poaching of cane which is currently rampant in the industry, especially in the Nyando Sugar Belt and Nzoia area. Because of time, I just want to add that this Report has also annexure. We have annexed a number of items which the hon. Members will find important in their reading."
}