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{
    "id": 1104384,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1104384/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 134,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David ole Sankok",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13166,
        "legal_name": "David Ole Sankok",
        "slug": "david-ole-sankok"
    },
    "content": "Currently, regulation of food and drugs in our country is haphazard, to say the least. We remember Matiang’i and the mercury in sugar. We could not understand how mercury ended up being in sugar. What is the rationale in somebody putting mercury in sugar and selling the compound at the price of sugar? Mercury is more expensive than sugar! So, we could not understand. If we had such a regulatory authority in place, it would be easier for us to ascertain the truth. This is because we have witnessed situations where products from the Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are destroyed in the pretext that they are counterfeit and not fit for consumption. We have seen butcheries being paraded in media in the name that the preservatives of the meat products they sell to the citizens are not up to standards that are fit for consumption. All these can be true, but do we have the professionalism of determining products that are fit for human consumption and the ones which are not? Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, whatever you consume either as food, supplements or medicine will eventually reflect on your health and lifespan. Our lifespan in Kenya is not comparable to other countries with such regulatory authorities that ensure that everything that they consume are professionally regulated. So, this Bill by Hon. (Dr.) Pukose has come as a saviour to the Kenyan citizens who are incurring a lot of medical bills courtesy of consumption of foods or intake of medicines that are not fit for human consumption. This Bill is very important. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Co- operatives may not be comfortable when we talk about food. We are not talking about food in terms of the food contents such as grains, beans, vegetables, et cetera . However, we are talking in terms of drugs that are within the food products. When animals are injected by veterinary doctors, it is advisable that milk from those animals is not consumed within 14 days after injection. The meat of such animals should also not be consumed within one month after the injection. However, these products end up in our markets and finally on our tables within three or four days after the injection because at times the sick cow does not get better and the owner decides to sell it. Some of these practices are not well regulated. Some people spray insecticides on vegetables and tomatoes. I come from an area where irrigation is practised along the Ewaso Ng’iro River. I have seen tomatoes being sprayed with chemicals but I cannot recall the name. They spray the tomatoes so that they can become bigger or ripen faster. The following day, they are on our tables. Are they fit for human consumption? Is it the cause of the upsurge of cancer cases? That is what Hon. (Dr.) Pukose is trying to address. Being a medical practitioner and a world-renowned surgeon, he must be having first-hand experience with regard to that because he still offers free medical treatment and surgeries to his constituents whenever he is in the constituency. This is a well-informed Bill because of the problem that we are facing. Cosmetics are even worse and they really need to be regulated. Our ladies are into looking beautiful and attracting men at the expense of looking into their kidneys and other organs that may 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."
}