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{
    "id": 1185071,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1185071/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 680,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Madzayo",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Minority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 679,
        "legal_name": "Stewart Mwachiru Shadrack Madzayo",
        "slug": "stewart-mwachiru-shadrack-madzayo"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, pursuant to Standing Order No.37, I beg to move the Motion that the Senate do now adjourn to discuss a definite matter of national importance namely; the decision by the Government to Authorize the Cultivation and Importation of Banned Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Foods. The Bio-safety Act of 2009 was passed into law by the Kenyan Parliament in December 2008. It received the Presidential Assent on 12th December, 2009. Only Parliament holds the supreme legislative power to amend or alter the Constitution. The decision to lift the ban on the cultivation and importation of GMOs is a total betrayal to our county. We have reason to believe that the authorization of the 10 million bags of GMO maize is a push from foreign Nations and their multinational companies. We call upon the President to immediately reverse the decision on the GMO foods until Parliament and Kenyans have full knowledge on this. The churches have spoken, the mosques have spoken, the Members of Parliament have spoken, even the Cabinet Secretaries in our Government have spoken and indeed, it is time now that the President listened. For the last 10 years there has been no need to import or allow open cultivation of GMO foods as the country has been able to make do without GMOs. Our farmers have continued to produce the bulk of Kenya’s base supply and the deficit of an average of 10 billion bags per year has been supplemented through trade with our neighbouring countries; mainly Tanzania and Uganda that are GMO-free. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the reason why we say no to GMOs is because of lack of public participation. You will note that the decision was reached without public consultation and the views of the public were not considered in the decision to lift the ban which curtails the freedom of Kenyans to choose what they want to eat or what they do not want to eat. Kenyans are not aware of the purported research or report of the task force which was used to arrive at this decision. This is a violation of the provisions of rights of access to information. When was this task force formed? When was it gazetted and who chaired it? Who are the members? There have been researches on GMOs which have shown increased resistance to antibiotics---"
}