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{
"id": 1179899,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1179899/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Abass",
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"legal_name": "Abass Sheikh Mohamed",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. This Motion has come at the right time. It is the third time that this issue of drought and lack of food has been brought before the Senate. Access to food is a fundamental right for every person. It is fundamental for every Kenyan to access food. Therefore, nobody should be food insecure. As rightly said by my colleague Mhe. Shakila, we cannot claim to be an independent country or a sovereign State when 60 per cent of the people are food insecure. It is a shame. This is because we have the technology, the scientists - Kenyans are well learned - and the water. You can see rivers flowing 24/7. River Tana is flowing day and night, Lake Victoria is a fresh water lake with that kind of water mass, Lake Turkana where people are dying is also a fresh water lake. Unfortunately, people neighbouring these places are dying. This is a deliberate omission and commission. Otherwise, we have no excuse. We are bragging that Kenya is a middle level developed country. How can we be developed when 60 per cent of the population is food insecure? Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the most unfortunate thing is that this country is depending on rain-fed agriculture. Rain-fed agriculture cannot be depended on. These days, due to the climate issues, rains fail, especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid Areas (ASAL). We have no preparedness for food production, on water harvesting or anything with these few and ad hoc interventions. If it was not for the NGOs and non-state players, we would have seen many Kenyans die because of hunger. Those are the people who are saving us today and who come to our aid at the right time. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, 2.5 million animals died. That is almost Kshs200 billion lost to drought. In other parts of Kenya, when we have grand production of maize, the Government gives a certain price level. They say that nobody can buy less than Kshs2,000 or Kshs3,000. The NCPB is being compelled to buy that maize at a certain price. Equally, if there is any failure of pricing, grand production of coffee or tea, every year, they are given a minimum guarantee. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are losing millions of animals. There is no compensation, guarantee of buying and selling, marketing. So, you ask yourself, to whom do these animals belong? Do they really belong to Kenyans? I am surprised. This is the mainstream for 20 million Kenyans. The livestock sector employs almost 15 million Kenyans. Whose animals are these? The animals and people are dying because they have no food. It is a deliberate planned way of actually minimising the pastoralists livelihoods. Otherwise, we do not know what is happening. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have no timely interventions. There is no early preparedness. This country is never prepared for any disaster. One day, we can have a lot of water flowing along Embu, Kitui, Tana River, Garissa counties and everywhere else. However, that same area, people and animals are dying because of hunger yet we can harvest that water and divert some of these rivers."
}