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{
    "id": 846255,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/846255/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 161,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kiminini, FORD-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Chris Wamalwa",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1889,
        "legal_name": "Chrisantus Wamalwa Wakhungu",
        "slug": "chrisantus-wamalwa-wakhungu"
    },
    "content": " Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Indeed, I was away. I had spoken about the matter yesterday. I was in the Holy City of Vatican. We had an opportunity to meet the Holy Father Pope Francis and he is praying for Kenya. So, I bring greetings and blessings from the Holy City of Vatican. This Motion on the division of revenue is very critical. The objective of the Division of Revenue Bill is to divide national revenue between the two levels of Governments, namely, the national Government and county governments. Of course, we must look for concurrence. On a Motion like this, for the new Members, it is not just the division of revenue. We only speak on the aspect that we are seeking concurrence. In this case, it is the conditional grant, namely, the two grants that the Leader of the Majority Party and the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee have spoken about. Quickly, I want to speak about the first grant. This money is coming from the Swedish Government and we are told of Kshs1 billion that is going towards food security. The backbone of the economy of this country is agriculture. The Maputo Declaration talks about 10 per cent allocation to food security. This country has never, at any given time, allocated even five per cent of the national revenue to food security as per the Maputo Declaration where Kenya is a signatory. The Kshs1 billion we are talking about is going to add a lot of value particularly on food security which is one of the Big Four Agenda of the Jubilee Government. Food security is very critical. However, the level of corruption when it comes to matters of food security is high. Food security cuts across the entire value chain. The Government has gone to an extent of saying that they are bringing subsidised fertilisers to the farmers. When it comes to the planting season, the great farmers of Trans-Nzoia County, who feed this nation, do not get the subsidised fertiliser anywhere. Unscrupulous business people are the same people who get the fertiliser and sell it at high prices. We are told that the Kshs1 billion is being allocated and it will be implemented by the national Government yet we know that agriculture is a devolved function. We hope the national Government will subsidise the prices of fertiliser. On the issue of the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB), we know very well that the great farmers have not been paid up to now. Maize is supplied to the NCPB but because of the unscrupulous business people who get maize cheaply from somewhere, supply it to the NCPB and collude with accountants and are paid, the poor farmers, who supplied their maize, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}