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{
    "id": 1184356,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1184356/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 391,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Siaya County, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Christine Ombaka",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I have waited for so long. Finally, I have got the opportunity. When you mention the term “GMO”, you start feeling scared. You feel worried that something is wrong. It is not a very welcoming term because people associate it with the diseases it brings along with the food that is made out of it. Yesterday, I was watching television and people were asked to give their views about GMO foodstuffs that are being imported into the country. The Kenyans who responded were all crying and wondering: “Are we going to die?” Everybody associates GMOs with death. It has been proved by scientists that GMO is associated with cancer. That is what the people know. So, you may import millions of bags of maize but will it be bought? People are afraid of buying what will kill them. I want to ask the Government to take care of Kenyans. They may be starving and dying but that is not a good reason for importing poisonous food. We cannot continue to kill Kenyans. Let us die naturally. Let us not die because of the hand of man – because somebody has imported maize that is dangerous and unhealthy. We have a very poor health system in this country. Cancer is a disease that has defeated this country in its management and treatment. It is not easy to treat it. It is a long-term disease that is very expensive to treat. Those who have it travel abroad for treatment, if they can afford it. A majority of Kenyans are so poor that they die in the villages because of that disease. If you are bringing food that is going to spread cancer on top of the cancer that we have, are we not going to create genocide in this country? How many people are going to die in a year or in the next few months? We are going to have massive deaths in this country as a result of GMO. This cannot go on. We cannot allow it. Kenya has imported maize before, but it was never associated with GMO. Kenya imported yellow maize. Do we have an opportunity to do that? If we are dying because of food shortage, at least, let us go for yellow maize. People ate it and we never saw that kind of death. It was safer. If we continue to import GMOs, we will be killing Kenya. Kenyans are going to perish because GMOs are being imported without thinking about the dangers that are associated with it. The English people say: “Hurry, hurry has no blessing!” You lift the ban and you import straightaway. You do not listen to scientists. Let us listen to scientists. They have a story to tell. They have something to tell us about our health and the way to care for it. If they have dismissed GMOs, who are we to challenge them? Many countries have banned GMO foodstuffs. They are afraid of them. It is dangerous to their citizens. Kenya is so brave. Kenya is sticking out its neck to be killed by GMO. Let us be careful and serious. Let us protect Kenya. We cannot afford to import GMO foodstuffs. They are dangerous for us. We cannot allow ourselves to die so early. With those remarks, I support the Motion ."
}