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{
    "id": 922320,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/922320/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 332,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13188,
        "legal_name": "Getrude Musuruve Inimah",
        "slug": "getrude-musuruve-inimah"
    },
    "content": "farmer is pinched, we are also pinched as a Senate. We want to play our role by ensuring that we protect our farmers. There is need for the Kenyan farmer to be protected. It is unfortunate that the helpless farmer who we need to protect is not really being protected. There is need for us to ensure that the Cabinet Secretary comes to the Senate, listens to us and tells us why he released the statement. Maize is the staple food of Kenya and more than 85 per cent of the population consumes it. That should not be a license to import maize because a huge chunk of Kenyans also grow maize. It is unfortunate that this House can just watch as farmers from other countries are motivated and inspired to grow their own maize. Once that maize is ready for harvesting, Kenya becomes an exit for buying it. It is a very unfortunate state of affairs. We are supposed to encourage our farmers, so that we have an exit for their products. It is ironic that farmers plant maize and have no exit for their produce, but we are still importing maize. As a country we should not do that. As the Senate we should not just watch this happening. We must shout at the top of our voices because the Kenyan farmer needs to be protected. It is our duty, as the Senate, to ensure that the Kenyan farmer is protected. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you will find that most farmers rely on farming to get money to pay school fees for their children and buy medication. It is a source of income for our farmers. At the same time, farmers are investing a lot of their hard-earned money in farming. However, they get poor returns from their produce. Even as I speak, there are some farmers who are discouraged from planting because of what happened last year. This is because they used a lot of money in planting, but there were poor returns for the work they did. It is time we decided, as the Senate, that we will encourage our farmers in all ways. I support this Statement and encourage Sen. (Prof.) Kamar to ensure that the Cabinet Secretary comes here, so that we can interrogate him. We should also ensure that he gets the findings of the taskforce. That should inform him on how he should play his role as a Cabinet Secretary, in ensuring that he is serving Kenyans. The Cabinet Secretary should realize that he is in office for the sake of Kenyans. We must ensure that we represent Kenyans effectively in this House. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir."
}