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{
    "id": 823470,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/823470/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 215,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kilifi North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13373,
        "legal_name": "Owen Yaa Baya",
        "slug": "owen-yaa-baya"
    },
    "content": "If the coconut sub-sector supports more than 150,000 households, and if each household has at least five members, then we have almost 500,000 people in this region that have no income because the coconut tree that they were depending on is no longer there. There has been no deliberate Government effort up to date to look at what the issues are. Today, when one speaks about it, people say that agriculture is a devolved function. Yes, it is devolved, but when drought hit coffee, tea, miraa as well as the sugarcane industries billions of shillings of the taxpayers’ money was aligned to save these sectors. Today, over Kshs2.3 billion was spent to save the miraa industry. If you calculate what coffee and tea have received from the national Government, it is over Kshs10 billion to save the industries. When the sugar sector had problems, the Government put in a lot of money. Pan Paper, a moribund company, the Government gave billions of shillings to save it and the paper industry in the country. When the meat industry had issues, the Government put in billions of shillings to save it. Many other sectors in this country have been saved by the Government yet they are devolved because they are important for the growth of the economy of this country. So, the coconut tree is equally important. If it is equally important, it deserves to be rescued. And the first rescue line is to ensure that the people of Kilifi are compensated just like other farmers in the country have been because of drought. The financial assistance that will go to these people will leverage them to pay school fees, buy food and plant a new crop. This should be a new crop that is properly researched and that would put many agronomists together to ensure that within the shortest time possible, the men and women from Kilifi enjoy the fruits of the coconut tree just like any other Kenyan enjoys the fruits of the crops for which God bestowed them in their regions. The livestock sector in the country has immensely benefitted from the national Government insurance programme on livestock from drought. Billions of shillings from the national Government, donors and other partners have been spent in the sector to save the industry. This sector has continued to be broadened to include other parts of the country apart from North Eastern and other parts of the country. The same way this sector has been saved through the insurance, we are saying that drought has killed the coconut tree that is as good as livestock. Therefore, money should be put in the coconut sector whether through insurance or direct payment to farmers to save the industry. Otherwise, as years go by, those who enjoy coconut rice, a delicacy in many parts of the country and those who come to the Coast to enjoy the delicacies from coconut, will forever want an opportunity in future because the coconut tree will not be there. We have an opportunity, as a House, to stand and be counted that we stood with the coconut farmers from the Coast region and stand up to ensure that coconut does not disappear from the face of Kenya. The House has an opportunity to urge the Government to resolve that it puts in money to save the coconut tree and the coconut farmer, to ensure that like the coffee farmer and any other farmer, the coconut farmer has an opportunity to receive money from Government so that they can reorganise their lives as they look forward to the future."
}