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{
    "id": 980645,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/980645/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nyaribari Masaba, NAPK",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ezekiel Ombaki",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13458,
        "legal_name": "Ezekiel Machogu Ombaki",
        "slug": "ezekiel-machogu-ombaki"
    },
    "content": "As Members of Parliament from tea-growing areas, we will come up with amendments to KTDA. Even the process of getting their directors is flawed because the returning officer and the supervisor is KTDA itself. KTDA has been imposing people in the form of directors upon the farmers over the years. Those so-called directors do not serve the interests of the farmers. In my constituency, there are tea factories. From previous years’ dividends - which is commonly known as bonus - of about Kshs40, this particular year, Kiamokama and Rianyamwamu tea factories got Kshs11.50. That amount was the lowest ever in a period of over 20 years. How do we go back to the same farmer and encourage him to continue with the same crop which will not give him anything? The intention of the author of the Bill is very good - only that it falls short of addressing the real issues that we are faced with as farmers. We need to deal with that animal known as KTDA because ever since it was changed from an authority to an agency, it became like a private enterprise such that even the Government is not able to come in and do anything. They come up with issues and policies on their own, which are quite detrimental to the farmers. I would like to commend what the President came up with. That should be implemented, not only with tea, but with other crops, namely, the establishment of a self-sustaining stabilisation fund which will cushion farmers when there are fluctuations in prices. Even in international markets, when we have this problem of variations in prices, the Government comes in to cushion farmers such that the farmer can be enthusiastic in continuing with producing the crop. If we do not do so, a number of our farmers will go into short-term crops like vegetables, onions and tomatoes, which are even better paying than tea."
}