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"id": 11975,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mrs. Mugo",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Public Health and Sanitation",
"speaker": {
"id": 85,
"legal_name": "Beth Wambui Mugo",
"slug": "beth-mugo"
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"content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, with regard to the short-term medical problems, the head of that department in the Ministry, Dr. Kwale, is already on the ground. Our doctors in the field have been alerted also and, so far, they are telling us that they have not seen any symptoms from the areas they have visited. I have no doubt something can still come up. If anything comes up, the companies have confirmed that they are willing to have the children treated. With regard to long-term medical problems, we will keep on monitoring the situation. We have specific areas and the children are known in areas where this maize meal had been distributed. So, we will be on surveillance. Our public health officers are already on the ground. We have talked to the companies and they have agreed to take responsibility. The other question is who the directors of the companies are. I have not taken interest in that. I really do not know who the directors are. I do not even know whether it relates to this matter because those who run the day to day activities in a company are the most important. My background is in companies business, and I think the people who run the day to day activities of a company are the most important. I do not know whether Mr. Abbas is a director or not. I cannot answer that now. It could be public information from the Registrar of Companies. For the long-term, we all have to wait. Dr. Khalwale is a medical doctor and he knows what long-term means. We would really have to wait and make surveillance. I have directed several times that the maize that is contaminated should all be destroyed to make room for good maize to be stored in those stores. It is a lot of maize. We have gone to court and we have been told that NEMA is the one that stopped the responsible agency in the Ministry of Agriculture from destroying this maize. The NEMA said that the maize cannot be burnt because it will pollute the air and it cannot be buried because it is bad for the water. We said that they cannot continue keeping it. They wanted to make it into glue and we said that we cannot let the maize get out because once they put it into glue; we do not know when it will get into the food chain knowing the nature of our people. So, we are still there hassling with NEMA and the NCPB, but it is the responsibility of the NCPB to destroy this maize and see that it is incinerated."
}