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{
    "id": 1183907,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1183907/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 315,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Okiya Omtatah",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you for the opportunity to rise and support this Motion by my good friend, Sen. Gataya Mo Fire. Food security is a matter of choice. You can either choose to be food secure or food insecure. The leadership of this country has chosen that this country should be food insecure. Right from Independence, we took over a country that had been designed for food security from the colonialists. You realize that we had institutions like the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) and the research institutions for food. However, the political elite, including some who are still in power today, were instrumental in dismantling these institutions. A lot of land for ADC and others that were dedicated to research in agriculture and livestock was stolen. We ended up going back to peasant farming. To rub the salt in, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) came up with the Structural Adjustments Programmes (SAPs) where it forced this country to stop employing agricultural extension and veterinary officers and basically, consigning our agriculture. Sen. Veronica Maina, who spoke before me, said that poverty is a key driver in the complexities that define our food security. Therefore, if people are poor and expected to hire a veterinary officer, and agricultural extension officer, they will not be able to deliver. In supporting this Motion, I also urge that among the key things that should be done, a conscious effort by the Government must be taken to restore the agricultural extension and veterinary officers. This is so that those farmers who produce can be guided on the scientific ways of production. After the cartels stole the lands, there is another area where they have dismantled this country. As recently as last year, we had a very successful Strategic Food Reserve Trust Board (SFRTB) led by the Hon. (Dr.) Noah Wekesa. It was able to stabilize the price of food and buy maize from farmers at a very good price, until it was targeted and dismantled. The money it was holding on disappeared and they were then forced to leave office. The cartels then came in and began playing games with us. It would be prudent that within this Motion, we need to have some input about what happened with the SFRTB. We also have the perennial sinkhole called the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). These are the organs that have undermined our capacity to be food secure. A debate of introduction to GMOs has been crafted onto this Motion by various speakers and it has been done in a manner that was very emotional. I urge that matters Science be left to the scientists, and Kenya does not have a shortage of them. We should be led by scientists on the question of GMOs."
}