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{
"id": 1096676,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1096676/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Murang’a CWR, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Sabina Chege",
"speaker": {
"id": 884,
"legal_name": "Sabina Wanjiru Chege",
"slug": "sabina-wanjiru-chege"
},
"content": "I beg your intervention. We have just finished with the NHIF Bill. My Committee has several Bills that it is dealing with. There is one Bill for which we ask your direction, namely, the Kenya Food and Drug Authority Bill of 2019. It was Read the First Time on 2nd May 2019 and committed to our Committee for consideration. The Bill was seeking to repeal and amend several existing laws, both in health and agriculture, and was brought in as a Private Member’s, by Hon. Pukose. It was seeking to amend or repeal 10 laws within the health sector, eight within the agricultural sector and two within the trade sector. I am bringing this to your attention because the Committee called for memoranda from the public and various stakeholders which returned with overwhelming response from the public. The Government asked for the withdrawal of the Bill to enable the Executive to come up with one that is in line with Government policy and international best standards. On July 2019, the Ministry of Health wrote to the Departmental Committee on Health requesting that the Bill as sponsored by Hon. Pukose be withdrawn to allow consultation aimed at developing a comprehensive Bill. We also convened a meeting between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, together with the sponsor of the Bill, who is Dr. Pukose, on Thursday, 27th August 2019, and it was resolved that the Executive works with Hon. (Dr.) Pukose to harmonise many issues that the Bill had and present a unified Bill within 90 days. During the meeting that was hosted by the then Leader of the Majority Party, Hon. Aden Duale, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries reported that they had already formed a taskforce that had come up with a draft Bill due to fine-tuning before presentation to the Committee. The Committee acknowledges the critical nature of the Bill as it speaks to quality and safety of food from farm to fork as well as safety in medicine and health products imported or manufactured in the country, among other provisions. The Second Schedule to Standing Orders provide that the mandate of the Departmental Committee on Health is in regard to matters related to health, medical care and health insurance. To this end, the Departmental Committee on Health has the mandate to consider the aspects of the Bill providing for the regulation of drugs, chemical substance and medical devices. On the other hand, the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock is in regard to the matters related to agriculture, livestock, irrigation, fisheries, and development, production and marketing. The Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock has the mandate to consider the aspects of the Bill providing for their regulation. After several communications with the Ministry, we received a communication which came in a few days ago. I am asking for your intervention because what we have received as a Committee is totally a new Bill. We would like to just get your direction on the way forward and how we should handle the matter. Now that two ministries have come up with a totally new Bill, the Bill has a new name. I want to get the name and read it to you. We know it was initially the Kenya Food and Drugs Authority Bill, a Private Member’s Bill, National Assembly Bill No.31 of 2019, but what we have now been given by the ministries is a Bill called the Food Safety Control Coordination Bill of 2021. This is an Act of Parliament which may be cited as the Food Safety Control Coordination Act, 2021. So, when we met as a Committee this morning, we were at a dilemma on how to proceed. Whether, one, we allow you to communicate to the Committee on who to handle the Bill. Secondly, what do we do with the Private Member’s Bill of Hon. Pukose for which we had received contribution from stakeholders? We had almost done with our Report. We were only waiting for the bit of the contribution from the ministries on our way forward. Now that we have been given a totally new Bill, how do we handle Hon. Pukose’s Bill? You will bear me witness that he has been here. He is asking about his Bill and the way forward every day. We, 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."
}