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{
    "id": 980070,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/980070/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 316,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Gatanga, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Joseph Nduati",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13338,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Nduati Ngugi",
        "slug": "joseph-nduati-ngugi-2"
    },
    "content": "very expensive. This is something which we will need to address in future. Maybe we require the Government to support them. We cannot continue building very expensive buildings and that cost is taken to the farmers. The other important cost we need to look at are the roads. A few years before, the national Government used to maintain those roads but currently they are poorly maintained and we do not expect KTDA to be able to support the Government fully. It is too expensive to construct roads and as we blame KTDA, we will also request the national Government to do something. This is because as MPs here, the money we get from the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) is very little. You cannot even be able to do 10 kilometres and most of these companies are located in areas with very bad roads. The other cost which we need to address is that of inputs, especially fertiliser which is too expensive. KTDA has a monopoly of sourcing for that fertiliser, transporting it from Mombasa and even distributing it to the farmers. In future we will need to find a way of doing this in a better way to encourage competition. We know there are cartels in Mombasa when it comes to transport. We are not able to get good prices because most of the directors are also engaged in transport and this is something which as a Government we need to investigate. Comparing ourselves to our competitors, you will see that the cost of production in Kenya is too high compared to a country like Vietnam which is able to do it at about 75 per cent of our cost. The costs are also much lower in neighbouring countries like Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. This is because of basically having a monopoly. KTDA has been very unfair to our farmers since the Government moved out. Currently, the extension services which used to be provided by the national Government are no longer there. Our small-scale farmers are really suffering. There is no information. They are not getting adequately educated on modern farming methods. This is something I would like to request the Government to go back to. I do not think the county governments with the little money they are getting will be able to do this. Because I have my sister here who also comes from a tea-growing area, I do not want to talk much. What I want to say is that we hope this Bill is going to address some of our challenges. I support it. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute."
}