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{
    "id": 948674,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/948674/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Linturi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 69,
        "legal_name": "Franklin Mithika Linturi",
        "slug": "franklin-linturi"
    },
    "content": "problems with the Ministers here in Parliament, as Ministers were also MPs who would face the similar challenges and problems from their own voters as we did, whenever they travelled across the country. They no longer sit in the House now but there used to be a lot of difference and things would really move. Even when we speak here today, we make these recommendations and adopt them, I do not know whether the Cabinet Secretary (CS), Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries will decide to take it up or not. I also would not know whether he will go through it and during a Cabinet meeting present the recommendations of the Senate or get something to discuss at Cabinet level because Cabinet always comes up with a policy direction of a country. I do not know whether this will happen. We have a challenge. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, coming from Meru, the greater region and having shared the problems that we face as a country and especially those from tea growing areas, there are a few questions I would ask myself because we understand the leadership of the country associates itself with those kinds of people. How many times have we had bailouts for the farmers that grow maize and sugar cane? Money is appropriated to sort their problems. I have not heard of any single moment where people or the Government budget is allocating money to bail out tea farmers yet we know the problems that the tea farmers have today are occasioned by the cost of tea factories that are on loan and the poor tea prices in the market; for that matter they are not able to pay loans. The first charge on their money once the produce is sold is to pay for the loans which leaves them with nothing to take home. If the Government was serious today and came out to pay loans just like they have given out money to revamp the sugar industry or to pay loans owed to farmers from the sugar belt, it would make sense. I hope they are listening and take that seriously. This is one of the major causes of poor pay in the tea growing areas. Secondly, it is the cost of running the factories. One of the major costs of running factories is power. These factories are run by electricity. The cost of power in this country is too high. Without an alternative cheaper source of power, we will continue to cry and things will get worse. The KTDA factory used to produce their tea by use of charcoal. You know what has happened to our forests; unfortunately, we now do not have charcoal, timber or firewood. We have converted all our factories to use electricity. We cannot lie to ourselves that in the near future, this problem will be sorted out unless there is serious Government intervention. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, fertilizers are always given on loans. When you have become a perpetual beggar and you are begging permanently, whatever conditions you are given on any loan, you will gladly accept them because you are desperate! You need that money! Farmers are given fertilizer which they think that it is cheaper because they are expected to pay back within a period of one year. It is too expensive. I wish we would start thinking of how we could even liberalize this business. When KTDA sits there as a monopolist, they have no competition; they will always treat farmers the way they want and we will continually have this problem. 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."
}