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{
    "id": 1184247,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1184247/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 282,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support this very important Motion by Hon. Kirwa. After having listened to my colleagues, it is very clear that as a country we do not have food security issues, but food distribution issues. I have heard my colleagues and I do not think they are talking hot air because they come from the constituencies. They represent farmers and when they say farmers have maize, it is clear they do. For those who come from areas that are hardly hit by drought, it is clear we have a problem of ensuring that food in those parts of the country reach those parts without food. This is not just about maize because I saw farmers in Nyandarua and areas around there saying that they are feeding vegetables, potatoes and tomatoes to their livestock when in other parts of this country people are dying because of drought. Hon. Temporary Speaker, for whatever reason, if we have to import maize, it should not be GMO. We have maize in our neighbouring countries. We are speaking about regional integration with Uganda and other East African countries that have maize. We can import maize that is not GMO. As representatives of the people who sent us to this Parliament, as we raise issues to do with GMO, it is so sad to see those we vetted and passed in this Parliament making very condescending statements like: “You will die anyway, would you rather die of hunger and there are a thousand ways of dying?” This is very unfortunate. Also, if anyone raises questions to do with safety of GMOs, they are told they are rich. Let us not continue with these class wars about the rich and the poor. All of us are raising these issues on behalf of the people we represent. So, there is no need of calling others filthy rich or poor. In the same way there was a gazette notice asking for the importation of maize. If for sure our farmers are hoarding maize, they should be told to release it. Why have we not seen the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development making a statement that we have a maize shortage? They should open the National Cereals and Produce Board so that farmers can sell their maize. We would also like to know the price at which the maize is being imported because that is where the cartels come in. You will find that maize is being imported at Ksh5,300 or Ksh5,500 for a 90-kilogramme bag of maize, but our farmers are being told to stop hoarding yet, the Government wants to buy their maize at Ksh3,000. We want the Government to be transparent with our farmers and say that it has opened stores and farmers should take their maize for the Government to buy it at a certain price. I do not want to belabour the whole issue of GMOs and their safety. When we raise these issues, it is important that you give us answers since you are the policymakers. We have research institutions in the country to tell us how safe GMOs are. We will continue asking those questions and do not try to silence us by telling us that they are safe, we are being ignorant and we should argue with facts. When you tell us they are safe, also argue with facts. Tell us when the research was done and by who. Give us the facts. Do not make those who are asking about the safety of GMOs look like they are ignorant and do not know what they are talking about. If you know what you are talking about, please, tell us when and where the research was done. With those few remarks, I support this very important Motion. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informationpurposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}