HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, POST, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"count": 1608389,
"next": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=api&page=155155",
"previous": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=api&page=155153",
"results": [
{
"id": 1569732,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569732/?format=api",
"text_counter": 200,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Member for Saku."
},
{
"id": 1569733,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569733/?format=api",
"text_counter": 201,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity."
},
{
"id": 1569734,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569734/?format=api",
"text_counter": 202,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Several Hon. Members raised their hands)"
},
{
"id": 1569735,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569735/?format=api",
"text_counter": 203,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " One minute. Members, you know what I do when I am presiding. I will not skip anybody. I will follow the list in the way you came. Just relax, bide your time and speak based on what time you came. Go ahead."
},
{
"id": 1569736,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569736/?format=api",
"text_counter": 204,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I agree with you. People must bide their time. Thank you for this opportunity. I rise to support this very important Bill. I want to share an experience with the House. A few weeks ago, I visited the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Machakos, and I met a gentleman called Bishop Masika of Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) Church. Interestingly, he has this scientific approach to food production where he concentrates on one acre as the basic unit area for maximum food production. In our discussion, what he told me has been imprinted in my mind. He said there are no dry lands. There are only dry minds. That is real and poignant. Agriculture contributes 22 to 24 per cent to our GDP. Of this, between 8 and 9 per cent is contributed by livestock. This is how important agriculture is to this country, and how important livestock is in food production. I want to share what Hon. Keynan just said before me. Many years ago, at the beginning of the Republic of Kenya, there were many things we were getting right, particularly in the area of livestock production. For those of us who come from the livestock-producing areas, the Livestock Marketing Board (LMD), the extension officers and the Range Management Officers contributed significantly to production in the livestock sector. Although agriculture remains the backbone of our economy, many think that the soft industries are the ones that are driving our economy. But that is far from the truth. Agriculture remains the anchor of all these other sectors of our economy. Walk around Nairobi, Mombasa or the other major cities, and there is the feeling that the service industry is what runs our economy. I do not believe that is true. Those service industries exist as a result of our efforts in agriculture. That is why this Bill is significant. It must be a milestone in our legislation as legislators of the 13th Parliament. We must put our names on paper. 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": 1569737,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569737/?format=api",
"text_counter": 205,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Agriculture officers are the front-line scientists. Wherever you find extension officers are active, it does not matter whether they are in livestock or agriculture, you will see significant improvement in food production, involvement of farmers, motivation, and identification of diseases much faster. Extension officers are quickly able to tell that a fall in food production within a particular area is because of using this or that fertiliser or because of these or those insects that are destroying that crop. We are also aware that in the olden days, agricultural officers came up with pilot schemes, animal vaccination centres to help in fighting diseases, but at the same time, to help in food production. In this Bill, what I want to request from the sponsor is to quickly identify the baseline between the roles of the national and county governments. We cannot say the county is also part of it, and the national Government is part of it, and then we pass a law that nobody is responsible for in terms of policy or implementation. In that case, we are constituting boards, and we are giving people Chief Executive Officer jobs in vain. We cannot be wasting public resources when we are seeing it right in front of our eyes. With the problem of global warming and climate change, are we keeping up with the tide? A greater part of this country’s economy depends on agriculture. Looking around us, as Professor Maathai Wangari once said, when things around you are dying, just know you will be next. That is the effect of climate change and global warming. We are among the countries in the Global South that are likely to be immensely affected by long droughts, floods and short heavy rains where farmers will not even have time to plant. For that reason, we must come up with clever strategies for posterity so that this country does not suffer. All generations that will come after us must enjoy their lives and feel proud to live in this great country."
},
{
"id": 1569738,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569738/?format=api",
"text_counter": 206,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Finally, on the issue of boards, a few months ago as the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group, we requested the formation of the Livestock Marketing Board. To date, although it has been gazetted, it is not functional. As I said, livestock contributes to approximately 8 to 10 per cent of our economy. That cannot be just wasted away because of lack of decision, operationalisation, and right and timely decision-making. For that reason, I support this Bill. We must identify roles so that the counties and the national Government do not compete for the same space or use resources for the same job, which I call duplication."
},
{
"id": 1569739,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569739/?format=api",
"text_counter": 207,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
"speaker": null,
"content": "With those remarks, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank you for the time."
},
{
"id": 1569740,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569740/?format=api",
"text_counter": 208,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Well said. Next is the Member for Narok North, Hon. Pareyio."
},
{
"id": 1569741,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569741/?format=api",
"text_counter": 209,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Narok North, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Agnes Mantaine",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity to support this Bill. This is a very important Bill because it involves farmers. Agriculture and livestock are the backbone of the economy of our country today because most of our people depend on it to earn money to take care of their families. Therefore, there is need for us to support the extension officers who form the link between the farmers and the new technology available to improve farming and farmers’ yields in order to make money. Agriculture is a devolved function. I am sorry to say that county governments do not have resources and are unable to properly run these services. I thank God that education was not devolved because the sectors that were devolved already have a problem. We have a problem in agriculture and health, which are the sectors that directly involve our people. But for this, I think there is need for the extension officers to be supported. With the new agricultural technology, we need people who understand and can help our people at the grassroots in order to improve their agricultural practices. I think it is important for the extension officers to be licensed and supported so that they can go around like in the past, where people depended on them for soil testing. This prevented us from growing what would not do well on our farms."
}
]
}