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"content": "their loans not because they wish to default--- In fact, allow me to applaud the Kenyan farmer today who survives primarily by the grace of God. This is because this country has not put its money where its lips have been. This country celebrates agriculture as the back bone of the economy of this country. The Government celebrates agriculture as the anchor of Vision 2030. However, I can say without fear of any contradiction, having recently chaired the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Cost of Living and having gone across the country to talk to Kenyan farmers one on one, that if, indeed, agriculture is the backbone of the economy of this country, then successive Governments in this country have deliberately broken that backbone to the extent that this backbone can no longer support the Kenyan farmer. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, many farmers told us, and you were a Member of that Select Committee and, therefore, very familiar with what I am saying, that unless the Government changes and treats the Kenyan farmer with the seriousness that the Kenyan farmer deserves, this Government should revise Vision 2030 to become Vision 3020. This is because there is no way Vision 2030 is going to be realized when the anchor of this Vision, that is, the agricultural sector continues to be treated with the casual, cavalier and disdain manner that the Government has repeatedly done. To come to the subject of the loans that are currently rated as difficult to recover and which amount to Kshs1.819 billion, I have a schedule here which I will be tabling for the record. The schedule proves that the loan portfolio is spread across the length and breadth of our country from Baringo to Nyeri, West Pokot to Mombasa, Machakos to Kajiado, Kakamega to Laikipia, Lamu to Uasin Gishu and so on. Across the length and breadth of the country, you meet farmers that are panting under the weight of the AFC loans unable to service the loans because of the drought and other factors well beyond their control. Out of these counties, you will notice that the top ten counties--- Just for the record, let me mention the top ten counties in terms of number of loans: Kericho leads the country with 2,442 loans. Second is Kiambu with 1,919; third is Nyeri with 1,729; fourth is Uasin Gishu with 1,637; fifth is Narok with 1,491; sixth is Trans Nzoia with 1,233; seventh is Machakos with 1,221; eighth is Meru with 1,094; ninth is Nakuru with 1,087; and tenth is Kakamega with 1,046. Those are the numbers of loans that are current on the books of AFC. In terms of default farmers who for various reasons and very good reasons, I dare emphasize that the Kenyan farmer, be they crop farmers or livestock farmers who are not able to service these loans have very good reasons for their inability to service these loans. Those reasons range from natural causes like drought to poor promises by the Government that have impoverished the farmers in this country instead of supporting them at the level that recognizes the critical contribution that farmers make to the economy of this country, indeed, to the very survival of this country. The leading county in terms of default at 100 per cent is Lamu County. Second is Kitui County at 70 per cent."
}