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{
    "id": 835755,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/835755/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 49,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "cost of living further up. The most punitive measure from the Act is the 8 per cent Fuel Levy and increase in the price of kerosene. Currently, there is a logging moratorium which has led to increase in the price of wood fuel. Most families had opted to use kerosene stoves for cooking, which has now seen increase in pump prices. This is placing most Kenyans between a rock and a hard place. Furthermore, the fuel tax was preceded by an increase in electricity tariffs in August, 2018. This high cost of factors of production is also affecting companies which are closing shop and relocating to other jurisdictions and countries. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is unfortunate that people and animals die of hunger and famine in Kenya today, yet we have one of the best climatic conditions in the world and fertile soils that can produce sufficient food for both consumption and export. We are in a country where we routinely import maize, milk, sugar, fish and other food stuffs, all in excess not to correct a shortage but to make quick cash by cartels. All these excess importations have turned out to be scandalous, where the Government has lost money through tax exemption and the people exposed to unsafe food. Farmers in Kenya are crying because they produce food at high costs, but cannot get market. The Ministries concerned cannot explain how we got into this situation of shortage, glut and poor storage of food, all at the same time. This is total failure by the Government in its planning role and it is regrettable that the officers in Government who caused this mismanagement are still in office. The constant excuse in all this is the cartels. Everyone in Kenya knows that we have cartels who are the source of most of our problems but nobody, including the President himself, is willing to unmask these cartels. One wonders if this cartel is actually the Government. I wish the Senate Majority Leader would be bold enough to table the identities of the cartels in the maize, sugar and other contraband goods scandals. When we held out sittings in Uasin Gishu, one of the highlights was delayed payments to the farmers who delivered maize to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). The people also complained that they have maize which has not yet been purchased by the Government. One wonders why the Government has not considered trading the excess maize in the international market. Even the President confirmed recently that he does not understand how money for the purchase of maize from the farmers can be allocated in the Budget but not paid to farmers on time. What surprises me is that such incompetence has not been punished. Why would a president lament about people who are messing up the country and just leave it at that? Who will take action for Kenyans? It should be remembered that during the discussion in Uasin Gishu, farmers questioned the rationale of having food security as one of the Big Four Agenda when actually the Government is shooting itself in the foot by increasing the prices of farm inputs through taxes. We all know that corruption is our main undoing as a country. We have institutionalised corruption at all levels of Government such that it is normal for corrupt deals to pass the audit test so long as all the procurement processes were followed (all boxes were ticked). The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}