HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 1230383,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1230383/?format=api",
"text_counter": 402,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kiharu, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ndindi Nyoro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "and the more reason why we should have an Authority that will look after this very important activity. As we consider the membership, I have gone through the Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) of the people proposed to serve in this Authority, and they are enviable. The Chairman has a Masters in Science from the University of Nairobi after having acquired an undergraduate degree. Even the membership itself has very competent people who will lead this important enterprise. However, we sometimes get it wrong. When we talk about fishing, we are misled to think that fish only comes from lakes and oceans. Looking at the data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), some of the counties that are very unlikely to produce fish are the highest producers. For instance, a County like Kakamega has high production. Nyeri County, where the Member for Mukurweini seated next to me comes from, is top seven including my County, Murang’a. This is because aquaculture is a huge segment within agriculture that produces fish in terms of fish ponds. This should be known to many who probably think that areas around Mount Kenya rely on fish from other areas. Fish is produced across the country from Western Kenya to Mount Kenya. It is an important economic activity and a source of quality food in terms of enhancing nutrition. Hon. Temporary Speaker, when we talk about fishing and especially that which happens in the ocean, sometimes it is a boundary issue. That is why even within Kenyan areas, we have seen a proliferation of other bigger world economies and consumers of fish, specifically our friends in East Asia and others from Europe who are already doing massive fishing in our areas. It behoves a multi-agency kind of approach from the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) and this board that is about to be created to ensure that we safeguard the resources that we have. Fish, to my understanding, is equivalent to offshore minerals. From where I sit, whereas we go to fish, the kind of value we get from it is much more than offshore mining. Therefore, it is important that we safeguard our wealth because it should be there to provide revenue and not just a source of asset. In an economy, an asset does not count much, what counts is what you derive from it; and since these assets are already ours, we should safeguard and derive enough revenues from them. As I conclude, I want to talk about something we were discussing with the Chairperson, Hon. Bowen Kangogo, about this board that we are creating. This is due to the fact that, while I support the singular content of what we are debating, I vehemently disagree with the global approach. The reason for this is that from where we sit, particularly in the Committee on Budget and Appropriations, we have made enormous investments; capital investments in terms of fish landing sites and value addition of whatever we obtain from fishing, capital investments that will benefit our nation, our economy, and our fishermen. The departure I am bringing forth, is a departure that is global and a threat to our economy. We have a Government that is only able to raise money to buy oil and sustain the same Government. We are creating way too many bodies, regulatory authorities and boards that may not necessarily add any value in the sectors they are domiciled. It is important to bring to this House that the board we are talking about today with a membership of close to 10, is overseeing one staff. It has only one staff who is acting and not employed by the board, but seconded by the Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC). We have gone to other sectors like the one of scrap metal, and with a membership of nine, the Kenya Scrap Metal Authority Council (KSMA) has one staff seconded from the Ministry. That is why we are a bit more stringent on how we look at Money Bills. We cannot continue to create an authority and a body after every other product because at the end of this, we will become a more regulated Government. We have a Government that plays a very huge role in the economy, and for an economy to be efficient, it is the private sector which should 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."
}