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{
    "id": 990074,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/990074/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 112,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 124,
        "legal_name": "Samson Kegeo Ongeri",
        "slug": "samson-ongeri"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I thank the Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries for bringing us this brief report. The esteemed Chairperson knows very well that at one time, those of us when he brought up the coffee rehabilitation programme, the rules that need to apply to coffee, we went to every county. I remember the Chairperson, Sen. Ndwiga, travelling to Kisii and Nyamira counties. He went to the western part of Kenya, Kericho, Nandi, Vihiga, Kakamega, and Bungoma counties. It was quite clear. There was a rare hope that for once the coffee industry would be revived, because it is one of the most important cash crop economies that can be spread out throughout the country We do not have the pleasure and the luxury of developing horticultural farms. That pleasure is not with us. However, we have the ability to grow coffee in our respective regions. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have no quarrel with the World Bank giving money to Kenya. In fact, we welcome it. However, I have a problem in rationalizing how this experiment, rather as it were, was only skewed to one region. The conclusion I can make is that this is one way of marginalization. We are the people’s representatives and cannot accept a situation where resources of rehabilitating one of our most export-earning crops in the name of coffee. One part of this country is being just blanked out, and it is not fair. As Sen. Wetangula has said, most of these coffee cherries and the other things were brought all the way to Ruiru in Thika in the interest that they will have a better machinery to process all these things for better coffee exports. We agreed and have no quarrel with that. However, why should a farmer be marginalized? That is the only earnings that they can get from coffee. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the tea industry is also on the downward trend. It is only the other day that we had the Ad hoc Committee led by Sen. Aaron Cheruiyot, and I was a Member of that Committee. I think Sen. Ndwiga was in that Committee too. We came up with a perfect solution on how to handle tea. Farmers had high expectations that if both coffee and tea were resuscitated, the economy of small-scale farmers would be improved. The other day when I spoke in this House, Kisii and Nyamira counties and the neighboring counties were extremely happy when this issue brought by Sen. Wetangula came to this Floor. Today, that answer is going to make them be very miserable. I request the Chairperson of this Committee to persuade the Ministry to go back and rationalize whatever pilot schemes that they are doing, so that we are able to get this country well represented. Phase two will also cater for some many other counties that have been left out. You cannot cramp that section alone in one area and then say that it is a pilot scheme and the next will come after 2022. That is an election year and that is a promise in the basket."
}