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{
    "id": 774425,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774425/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 272,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am the Senator for Kericho County. It pains me that tea farmers in my county at the end of day sell a kilogramme of may be tea for Ksh300. Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri and every other Senator who is here and represents tea planting counties knows this. What ends up in the pockets of the farmer is only about Kshs70 or Kshs80 at best. Kshs220 or Kshs230 ends in the pockets of these brokers that we are trying to get rid of through such a Bill and such thoughts. I support this kind of thinking. It is my sincere hope that this is the beginning of better days for our farmers. If we begin to have this kind of thinking where as legislators we pay attention and listen to the keen demands of the people that elect us into office and generate such Bills, then this Parliament can redeem its glory. People will feel that we are not just grumbling about the attacks but we are rightfully doing what we are elected to do. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, another provision that I am happy that the drafter of this Bill included is the penalty provisions. For example, Section 39 of this legislation states that: “A warehouse operator, any officer, agent or employee who issues or aids in issuing of a receipt knowing the goods for which the receipt is issued have not been received by the warehouse operator or are not under his actual control at the time of issuing the receipts commits an offence and is liable, on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding Kshs1 million” I want to suggest to you, Sen. Fatuma Dullo, that in my view, this is too lenient. This is a slap on the wrist. We are talking about warehouses that are storing goods worth hundreds of millions. When a person who has forged systems and aided the deception of systems is being fined Kshs1 million, they will comfortably participate in this crime because there is no proper mechanism for punishing them. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to suggest that when you later retreat and as you rise to respond to us, you give us an assurance that you will keenly look into this and may be, propose imprisonment of ten years and a fine of Kshs5 million, then, you will win more of my support. Among other penal provisions that you have provided for, that is the kind of thinking that I feel should guide you when you respond. In conclusion, as I was reading the final notes about the things that this Council may do, I also noticed that the Council that shall be set up has provided a forum for public participation. It states that the Council may invite any person to attend any of its meetings to participate in its deliberations but such persons shall not have a vote in any decision of the Council. If you remember the history about how farming corporations went down in this country, the buildings that are on the end of Haile Selassie Avenue are a constant reminder of how we mismanaged agriculture in this country. These include the Coffee Plaza and the Kenya Planter's Cooperative Union (KPCU), which are shells of concrete. But back in the days, they used to be thriving businesses. But the reason they failed is because we allowed people who we sent into office to represent farmers in those institutions to stay in Nairobi throughout and forget the tribulations of the famers who sent them there; and we insulated them. 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."
}