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{
    "id": 934472,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/934472/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 831,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Prof.) Jacqueline Oduol",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 856,
        "legal_name": "Dennitah Ghati",
        "slug": "dennitah-ghati"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity. From the outset, I support the Competition (Amendment) Bill. It is clear from the Bill that the Competition Authority has recognised an emerging trend where buyers are abusing their power. Today, for me, marks a very important opportunity because this amendment Bill provides us, as legislators, opportunity to combine the kinds of amendments that we are bringing with the three major roles that we have for the citizenry. I am thinking of women groups that started as social welfare groups which used to be called merry- go-round, which have since emerged as economically viable groups that have evolved into savings and credit cooperative societies. In Siaya County, we have many different women groups which have continually sought to ensure that their numerical strength and the time during which they meet together can be put into use in a manner that would allow them to get some economic returns. Sometimes, as you think of women in the rural areas, in a village or a constituency like Alego-Usonga - I am specifically thinking of Ombwede, which is a local market in my area - you find women and some youth groups in the deep interior, seeking to ensure that they can not only contribute to the economy, but can also make some meaningful gain out of their efforts. They can decide to come up with some local vegetables or some farm produce. In some cases, they come up with beads and other artefacts that they would supply to buyers. As we can see very clearly indicated in the amendment Bill, there are buyers who would then use their purchasing power to obtain terms, that in terms of the supplies, would be more favourable to them. We know there is a tendency for those who are in the rural areas or those who might not have been informed to assume that whatever they are told when they seek to supply their produce is the law. So, it is a very important and timely intervention. We really need to ensure that the proposed amendments are actualised. Buyers would always want to ensure that the terms of their engagement with suppliers are always more favourable to them. They not only demand preferential terms, but there are cases where buyers have even demanded that suppliers do not provide produce to their competitors. These trends have, indeed, been recognised by the Competition Authority. In this country, we continually have so many cases of unemployment. Fundamentally, the family unit suffers from frustration experienced by many duty bearers and caregivers. We have had occasions where the main caregivers of families have ended up taking away their lives and the lives of their children. We really want to see that there is a very clear connection between the sense of hopelessness and the lack of confidence that those who seek to organise and get into entrepreneurial activities have when they feel they can be intimidated by buyers when they abuse their power. So, as we support this Bill, let us do so in a way that truly enables us, as legislators, to not only look at the way we come up with laws that will solve problems and address the hopes and 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."
}