{"id":736550,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/736550/?format=json","text_counter":183,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Wandayi","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":2960,"legal_name":"James Opiyo Wandayi","slug":"james-opiyo-wandayi"},"content":"I have scanned through this Bill, even though I must admit not in detail, but it is true that it is coming at the most critical moment in the history of this country. As we discuss this Bill, people in the countryside and slums of our cities and towns are going through very difficult times. I have been in the village for the last couple of weeks. Life has, indeed, become totally unbearable as a result of the skyrocketing prices of basic food items. Governments, the world over, exist to serve the interests of those that they govern. Governments have no business being there if not to serve the interests of those people they claim to govern. The paradox in this country is that we have had successive governments that have got no touch with the persons that they purport to be serving. One classic example, you will agree with me, is the Jubilee Government. I was perplexed last week and early this week to hear none other than the President of the Republic of Kenya coming out and to explain that they know there has been a problem with the cost of food items, but it is not that they have been sleeping on the job. That they have been trying to plan on how to address it. How long does it take a Government to address the issues that affect the common person? It would be an excuse to imagine that the leaders of this Government have been living outside this country because for one to claim that they are planning on how to address the issue of skyrocketing prices of basic food items, it is indeed to insult the intelligence of Kenyans. When you narrow down to the matter of basic food commodities, any sensible Government would employ the policies that would protect the farmers within its borders. Even in the USA, the Government goes an extra mile to provide protection. Indeed, governments give subsidies to farmers to enable them produce enough food, both for consumption and export. It must be understood that farmers are rational human beings. They will indulge in farming and they will invest more in it only if they are assured of returns. Unfortunately, that has not been the case in this country. As we speak, the key sector of agriculture has virtually collapsed in the hands of Jubilee. We were made to understand that this Government would implement an ambitious irrigation scheme that would cover one million acres in order to address the matter of food insecurity. That has not happened in Jubilee’s last few months in power."}