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{
    "id": 979996,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/979996/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 242,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kiambu CWR, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Gathoni Wamuchomba",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13244,
        "legal_name": "Gathoni Wamuchomba",
        "slug": "gathoni-wamuchomba"
    },
    "content": "improving in the support of farming practices - what we call the good agricultural practices? Are we increasing our investments in terms of adding more agricultural extension officers to help farmers improve their quality of tea? What is this that we are doing? Look at this regulatory tea authority that we are proposing. Are we going to improve efficiencies in the way we have been handling tea from the farm all the way to the factory and to the auction? Are we going to change the way we have been auctioning our tea? Are we going to provide the farmers with more information about how their tea is being auctioned? There are so many questions that I would want to be answered, as we debate this Tea Bill. Therefore, as we seek to de-paralyse the tea industry in Kenya, I would suggest that as we make this Bill into law, we introduce those many amendments that are going to seek to answer the questions I have raised, on behalf of the farmers. But it is very sad for me to note that most of the farmers, especially those that come from Kiambu in areas like Gatundu, Gatundu North, Lari and Limuru, sometimes go hungry yet they have acres of tea growing in their farmers. This is because when they sell their teas from the buying centers, they wait for months to get their payment. When they get their payments, they have lost a lot of money from the levies I mentioned. When they decide to take a shortcut and sell their tea at the farm - what we call the farm gate sales - they are seriously harassed by the authorities. Some of them are arrested while others sell their tea at a throw-away price because the brokers take advantage of them. At the end of the day, the farmers are languishing in poverty. So, in my contribution today, I would suggest that, as we proceed in debating this Bill, we recommend that we have amendments that are going to assist us to answer those questions on behalf of the farmers. Otherwise, I am excited that finally the debate around tea has landed into this Honorable House. I am also excited because I know quite a number of Members, even those that do not come from tea growing areas, feel the pain of the tea farmer in Kenya and would want to see changes in the way we practice the farming, packaging, vending, selling and auctioning of tea in Kenya. Otherwise, I do support the Bill because I know that, at the end of the day, with the very amendments suggested by Members, we are headed in the right direction. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker."
}