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{
    "id": 774406,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774406/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 253,
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    "content": "Many a times, I get home and, among other things, ask myself what it is that I have done for my constituents that has made their lives better as their representative. It is only in putting our minds and thoughts into such a Bill that is before us today that we can justify the huge amount of taxes Kenyans pay to send us to this House and keep Parliament alive. By passing this kind of legislation we will be securing the interest of the farmers and ensuring that they get value for their hard work and their investment in matters agriculture is secured. I support this Bill from the outset. There are many things that are quite illuminating as you read the Bill and wonder how we have survived as a country. It reminds me of a Bill that we discussed and debated last week. You wonder how it is that for the over 50 years that this country has been in existence, certain laws have not been in place. You cannot help but continue to wonder. I now understand why our farmers continue to be poor. As legislators, there are so many things that we can do to make their lives better. In this Bill we are assuring the farmers of Kenya that once they are through with the hard work and the crop is ready for harvesting and storage, it will be kept in good condition. There will be no instances of coffee disappearing in the coffee mills and farmers losing their money or tea disappearing, as we may have read in many newspaper articles. This Bill assures them that their sweat is guaranteed. At end of month, they will be able to educate their children and feel proud to be farmers. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in many developed nations, farmers are very respected people. In such countries you cannot claim to be a serious candidate if you do not get the nod of farmers. Unfortunately, in a country like Kenya, many farmers have been impoverished by the potato brokers, coffee brokers, tea brokers and sugar barons. They enjoy the sweat of our farmers. We have not put our minds so much into legislations, such as the one that is before us today. Therefore, I laud the creation of this Bill. It assures our farmers that from now henceforth, when they deliver their crops, say, the potato farmers of Nyandarua or the kind of farmers that Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri was talking about, they are guaranteed that their produce will be stored well and they will get good value for their money. At the end of the day, they will feel proud about it. There are certain issues that I want to pick out. When listing the qualifications of the Chairperson of this Council that is known as the Warehouse Receipts Council, they say that the chairperson and vice-Chairperson shall be of the opposite gender. The intention which we all know, thanks to the history of our country, is that we are trying to protect the girl child. This is because we have had male dominated boards and heads of institutions in many occasions A few years back, or is it a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}