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{
    "id": 884033,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/884033/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 327,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "instead of having a Government parastatal doing it, let us have connection with universities. Sen. Cheruiyot should propose that the University of Kabianga be known as the Centre of National Tea Research. If you go there, you will know that, that is where tea research is done. Students are trained on new products of tea and also tea testers are trained there. If that is the headquarters of tea regulation, then we have a tea research centre there. We can also establish another tea centre in Limuru so that we have two research institutions. These institutions will marry university education and the industry itself, which is the production at the market place. I do not know what Sen. Cheruiyot thinks about this. However, once it goes to the Committee stage, I would suggest that tea research be included and becomes a regulatory and research institution. We want it to do both regulation and research. That soughts out the question of how you fund this institution because the research component will attract donor, market and interested parties funding towards research on matters of tea. It is important for national Government to work together in the composition of this body with county governments. However, I have a suggestion on the part, that the management of the Authority should have a board chaired by a chairperson, appointed by the President. I suggest that the chairperson appointed by the President because of the uniqueness of the tea sector, should be subjected to Parliamentary approval and a fixed term of five years. That will create seriousness because it will be approved by Parliament. It will not be just a normal board where one day the President might decide to change the chairperson at will. So, that person will be nominated by the President, but approved by Parliament. On the question of the nominees of the Council of Governors (CoG), I have a suggestion that should be considered by the Committee and the Mover. I suggest that the leading seven tea-growing counties advertise those positions and their service of five years. You advertise in the county. Ultimately, you will get the best person approved by the county assembly. The CoG will just be the conveyor belt of submission of those names for purposes of gazetting. If not, it is submitted directly to the Authority by the county after advertising and getting qualified people approved by the county assembly to serve in this board. Although they will serve on behalf of the counties, a little bit of public participation and engagement of county assembly will get us a more qualified person because they are coming to serve the nation. They are not just going to serve the leading tea producers. This is because you will lead tea producers today, but if tea does well in the country, it might attract the whole of Nakuru to plant tea and become a leading tea producing area. Kuresoi area is already doing well in tea production. Those are two suggestions, I urge the Mover and the Committee to think about. I have also seen that one of the responsibilities of the regulatory body is to deal with questions of licencing. Clause 17 says that there must be a register for all tea growers. I totally agree. This facilitates update on whatever support, for example, if the Government was to give subsidised support to the tea sector like it does in other sectors, then it would be easy if you have a proper register of tea farmers. It also becomes necessary to know what tea we are growing and in which region. There is also the provision of what size of land and so forth. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}