Sifuna Edwin Watenya

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 341 to 350 of 1599.

• 26 Mar 2024 in Senate: this House have tried to usurp the powers and roles of county governments. From the beginning of the provisions of this Bill, there is clear recognition of the role of county governments, which starts in Clause 4 on the constitution of the sugar board. In Clause 5 of the Bill, there are functions of the county government that are clearly outlined, including extension services, which we used to have when we were growing up, but somehow, somewhere, they disappeared. These extension services were important in providing farmers with critical support for crop growth. They are responsible for building the road ... view
• 26 Mar 2024 in Senate: Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, under Section 23 of the Bill, there is provision for anybody who wants to import sugarcane to import only what is called a deficit, an established deficit of the supply of sugar locally. Therefore, one of biggest complaints of farmers has been that we are being forced to compete with those people who import sugar when we have sufficient sugar on the ground. Therefore, it will be the responsibility of the Board to establish that before an import license or import permit is given, there is actually that deficit. I am also happy with the provision ... view
• 26 Mar 2024 in Senate: goods, pharmaceuticals and even in cosmetics. Those of you who use moisturisers, it would be nice for you to know this. view
• 26 Mar 2024 in Senate: Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I do not use moisturisers. Protect me from Sen. Crystal Asige. I am a Bukusu man and our skin takes care of itself. They use industrial sugar in the manufacture of dairy products such as yoghurt. The problem is that if you put that levy on industrial sugar, we are going to see an increase in these consumer prices. I forgot to mention that it is also used in the manufacture of beer. We need to look very closely at that because in this country, we do not have the capacity to manufacture this industrial sugar. ... view
• 26 Mar 2024 in Senate: is a lot of employment that is created in the agricultural sector. In places such as Homa Bay, I have seen many contracted farmers growing sorghum. There is also the spectre of employment being lost in the manufacturing itself, including at East African Breweries Limited (EABL). Last year, for the first time in many years, a company as big as EABL declared some redundancies and some job losses, which is something that we are staring at. For as long as they are not making the sort of sales that they used to, we are going to have a problem. Then ... view
• 26 Mar 2024 in Senate: “A person who imports sugar into Kenya shall prior to importation, provide evidence that the sugar they intend to import is not available in the local market.” The evidence that we do not provide or produce industry white sugar is there. I believe that then there is no need to subject the manufacturers to this particular levy. If you go to Section 24 (1)--- view
• 21 Mar 2024 in Senate: Madam Temporary Speaker, I second. view
• 20 Mar 2024 in Senate: Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Cabinet Secretary insisted on giving us the names of the contractors. My document states McKinsey but he said Makenzie. I do not know if they are the same. view
• 20 Mar 2024 in Senate: Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Cabinet Secretary insisted on giving us the names of the contractors. My document states McKinsey but he said Makenzie. I do not know if they are the same. view
• 20 Mar 2024 in Senate: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, very quickly on three Statements. The first one is on the mining that is happening in Kilifi. My reading of Article 71 of the Constitution is that parliamentary ratification is a requirement for all these agreements that involve a grant of a right or concession by or on behalf of any person, including the national Government, to another person for the exploitation of any natural resource of Kenya. Therefore, one of the problems we have faced as representatives of the people is that sometimes these agreements are never brought to the attention of Members of Parliament, ... view