{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=144545","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=144543","results":[{"id":1463632,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463632/?format=json","text_counter":545,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Peter Kaluma","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":{"id":1565,"legal_name":"George Peter Opondo Kaluma","slug":"george-peter-opondo-kaluma"},"content":" You have less than 45 seconds."},{"id":1463633,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463633/?format=json","text_counter":546,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Eldas, JP","speaker_title":"Hon. Adan Keynan","speaker":{"id":41,"legal_name":"Adan Wehliye Keynan","slug":"adan-keynan"},"content":" Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to appeal to my friends from the sugarcane belt that, if you want to have followers like Hon. Odinga, kindly, resolve that we will deal with those cartels so that you can stay in Parliament and your people can also appreciate your contribution. I support the Motion."},{"id":1463634,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463634/?format=json","text_counter":547,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Peter Kaluma","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":{"id":1565,"legal_name":"George Peter Opondo Kaluma","slug":"george-peter-opondo-kaluma"},"content":" Hon. Jared Okello."},{"id":1463635,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463635/?format=json","text_counter":548,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nyando, ODM","speaker_title":"Hon. Jared Okello","speaker":null,"content":" I thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker."},{"id":1463636,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463636/?format=json","text_counter":549,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Peter Kaluma","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":{"id":1565,"legal_name":"George Peter Opondo Kaluma","slug":"george-peter-opondo-kaluma"},"content":" Hon. Keynan Adan, you got additional 45 seconds because of the name you mentioned."},{"id":1463637,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463637/?format=json","text_counter":550,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Laughter)"},{"id":1463638,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463638/?format=json","text_counter":551,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nyando, ODM","speaker_title":"Hon. Jared Okello","speaker":null,"content":" It comes with an incentive. Hon. Temporary Speaker, besides coming from the sugar belt, I also belong to the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock. The challenges that abound within the sugar sector cannot properly be gainsaid. It is important to note that during the last regime, a task force was formed by the former President, Uhuru Kenyatta, which was co-chaired by Hon. Ambetsa Oparanya and the then Cabinet Secretary in charge of Agriculture, Hon. Peter Munya. In the Task force was the Kisumu Governor (Prof.) Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, amongst a host of many others. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the main idea was to carry out an introspection around the challenges within the sugar sector. One of the fruits that has since been born by the Task force is the Sugar Bill, which has passed both this House and the Senate. At the moment, the mediation team is yet to be formed to thrash out the discordance that emerged from the process. It is true that the sugar sector, even though it is as white as gold, has continued to go through headwinds. It is disturbing that whereas, the Government-owned sugar companies are experiencing many problems, there continues to be mushrooming private sugar mills. Interestingly, those private sugar companies are performing very well, while the Government-owned sugar companies are performing dismally. Therefore, there must be a problem with the management. As a Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, we have carried out a series of visitations within the sugar companies with a view to collect facts that surround the challenges that they experience. Under a fortnight ago, I accompanied the Principal Secretary in charge of Agriculture, (Dr) Kiprono Rono to a fact-finding mission visit to Chemelil and Muhoroni Sugar companies. We noted that the machines are dilapidated. Just as he said, when those machines were set up, no substantial maintenance has been done. The spillages of sugarcane juice that creates immense losses to the companies will always be there. It is high time we invested heavily in overhauling those machines so that we can be proactive to the plight of the farmers and be responsive to the needs of the market. The machines that we have are quite rickety in nature. Our country can start to reap the benefits of sugarcane if new machines are made available. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."},{"id":1463639,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463639/?format=json","text_counter":552,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nyando, ODM","speaker_title":"Hon. Jared Okello","speaker":null,"content":"Some of those companies actually struggle to break even. A classic example is sugar companies that the Government owns. It is a fact that some employees have not been paid for 59 months. I have said 59 months! You have farmers whose arrears have gone up to Ksh1.2 billion. I am happy that, a month ago, the Government cleared all outstanding arrears that have been accruing and owed to farmers. The last batch of that payment was Ksh354 million that was paid to our farmers under three weeks ago. That is a good step in the right direction. The question is: What happens to monies owed to farmers? It is much money. Companies that continue operating have not paid employees who have plugged into them for the last 60 months. What happens to the sale of sugar? There is a problem somewhere. We also know that crooked Governments make sugar and oil the lowest hanging fruits during campaigning seasons for making cheap money. That is why they constantly come up with duty-free sugar. As they import the sugar that attracts no taxes, they sell it for the same prevailing market price and make ginormous profits out of it. Again, that kind of action kills our sugar sector here at home. We are so happy to propagate the benefits of sugar industries across our borders when our own are dying here. That is a travesty that needs to be properly tackled. I hope that the Speaker of Senate, together with the Speaker of the National Assembly, will move with speed to concoct a mediation team to thrash out those issues within a very short period, so that we can attain an Act to look into the sugar sector in general. Sugarcane farming is a labour- intensive exercise. People take their sugarcane to factories, but wait for payment forever. It is not right. That is why many people started uprooting sugarcane from their farms because it attracts no benefits to those farmers at all."},{"id":1463640,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463640/?format=json","text_counter":553,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nyando, ODM","speaker_title":"Hon. Jared Okello","speaker":null,"content":"Now, a lot has been spoken to on the arrears accruing to employees. An absurdity is that many employees have retired from those sugar industries. They were given residential estates within sugar companies. Now, they cannot exit. They have no money to go home with. Some have started falling ill. Lifestyle illnesses creep in as people age. We have a sick populace. We have people who cannot take their children to school. The people cannot even afford a meal. The same still occupy houses of those companies. It is a tragedy of our time. I have seen many efforts that are directed towards coffee and tea. A lot of money goes into those sectors each time we come up with budget lines. Is it what we heard during Moi's time -"},{"id":1463641,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463641/?format=json","text_counter":554,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"siasa mbaya, maisha mbaya"}]}