Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1191142,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1191142/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 4131,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Changamwe, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Omar Mwinyi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. At the outset, I would like to congratulate you for being appointed to the Chairperson’s Panel. We are proud of you. Secondly, I would like to congratulate the Deputy Speaker for coming up with this idea. I would like to point out about how our country is so reckless with its ‘do not care attitude’ and yet, a country like Uganda, our neighbouring country across the border, is so keen on protection of its people to the point that they never use fertilisers or chemicals in their crops. When you visit Kampala City, you will be surprised. In the city centre, it may take you one hour before you locate a chemist and yet, in the small town of Migori, you may find 1,000 chemists. Every other shop is a chemist. The reason is that Kenya is a sick nation and this is the case in all the other towns in our country. The Government agencies have people who are qualified and are up to the task, but there is what we call Government interference. A case in point is just two years ago, when we had a shipload of maize at the Port of Mombasa and KEPHIS and public health officials who were responsible for doing the check-ups and investigations, were asked to step aside so that they could not do their investigations and bring out their report. If this is coming from the Government, then it shows that our Government is not keen on protecting its own people. It should come to our notice that, of late, cases of diseases which have very far-reaching effects on our health, such as cancer, are on the rise. This is something that should worry us because it is not only affecting the poor, but everybody else. It is unfortunate that those who are less fortunate bear the brunt since they cannot afford the treatment of cancer, which is as a result of Government’s inability to let its own officers do research on all the products that come our way so that our people can be safe. I want to laud the sentiments of the Nyeri Town Member that some of those products find their way to State House, like sukuma wiki, because it is consumed everywhere. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I think the problem is the idea of making quick money. We, sometimes, do not mind the health of our people because we can make a kill whenever such products make way into our country. We have hazardous chemicals which are detrimental to our health and, of course, make us less productive. Due to this, our country can never grow and measure up to other developing countries. We also have insecticides in our homes which are applied on a daily basis to kill mosquitoes and cockroaches. You will find someone spraying a room and then sleeping in the next half an hour. We are definitely inhaling dangerous chemicals which are in turn a problem to our health. Finally, we are signatories to very many international treaties and yet, we are not adhering to simple rules of making sure our people are safe. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}