Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1184165,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1184165/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 200,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ugunja, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Opiyo Wandayi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "where the President can sit with people whom he has neither nominated nor appointed as Cabinet secretaries. Therefore, if indeed, it is true that that meeting, which I can call a baraza, ever lifted the ban on GMO, then it remains illegal. Two, there are reasons why GMOs were banned by the Cabinet way back in 2012 by President Kibaki’s Government. We were not told what changed since then to warrant the unbanning of GMOs in the country. We still expect the President and his Cabinet to come forward and explain to Kenyans what informed this latest decision to allow the importation of GMOs into the country. Thirdly, it is the matter of the importation of genetically modified maize as pronounced by the Cabinet Secretary for Trade, Investment and Industry. First and foremost, I believe we are creating an artificial shortage of maize. We have enough maize in this country, including maize which is currently being harvested by our farmers in the Rift Valley and other areas in the country. Even if it were true that there were some shortages of maize in the country to warrant importation of maize, why do you import genetically modified maize? Do we have a shortage of conventional maize in the world market to warrant us to import genetically modified maize for the first time in this country? Secondly, when was this importation of the 10 million bags of maize sanctioned and by who? What is the procurement process within the meaning of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015? What procedure was followed in the impending importation of the 10 million bags of maize? Are we creating an artificial shortage which creates a crisis to enable racketeers to start benefiting from issues that are of great concern to the country? As a Member said a while ago, there are reports that maize has already docked in Mombasa. When was it imported? When was the procurement done, from who and at what cost? As I speak, farmers in the Rift Valley face a serious threat of being left with their maize in their homes or farms. Somebody has said that farmers are hoarding maize. They are not mad or crazy to hoard it for nothing. Every farmer wants to sell his produce to get money. Farmers have no school fees. They have problems. No one in his right senses can hoard maize or any other commodity, if he can sell it and get money. Therefore, the argument that farmers are hoarding maize is not true. They have suffered for too long in this country. I thought this Government would come to their aid. How wrong was I?"
}