Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1233656,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1233656/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 145,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) James Nyikal",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I rise to support the appointment of Hon. Ogindo as the Chairperson of the Kenya Fish Marketing Authority. This is someone we know. He has been with us in this House. He has held important positions and his credentials are well laid out in the Report. To that extent we support him. However, I wish to bring out a few issues that will be important to him. I am sure he is watching us. As much as he has been appointed to develop the fish market, the most important thing we should look at is fish production. Fisheries is a major part of the blue economy which has not been fully exploited. However, it has a big potential for income generation and job creation in this country. As the Member said, even in the ocean, foreigners utilise our space and export fish from us. This should not be the case. We have not adequately developed the potential for fish production in inland lakes like Lake Victoria, Lake Naivasha and Lake Turkana. As this is going on, the demand for fish is increasing even in the local market, particularly with Tilapia. This is to a point of us importing fish from China. This is something that we should not do because we have internal fresh water lakes that can produce fish. Fish production is dwindling for several reasons, one of them being increased consumption. Also, we are still using old fishing methods some of which are illegal. Although this has taken place in some places, we have not adequately developed modern fish production methods like farming in pods and cages. This is something we should look at. May be if we develop the market, it will create a need for production because the biggest issue is production. As another Member said, we have established very many bodies that have not been harmonised and thus we are not seeing their benefits. Some are national bodies while others are county bodies and are not really working well. We have the Fisheries Department, the County Fisheries Department and the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS) which is used both as a security organ and as a regulatory body in the fishing industry particularly along the lake. Therefore, there is duplication in roles which hinders fish production and interferes with fish farmers who are trying to make a living with old-fashioned methods. In some cases, there is double licensing. Fish farmers need to get a licence from a local authority and the Government. At the end of it, there is no harmonised method of regulating this. Hon. Temporary Speaker, there is also an issue with the management of beaches. We have the Beach Management Units that are authorised by law to manage the beaches. We have the KCGS and the county fisheries officials that police the beaches. This makes it extremely unproductive. Even within the internal waters, there is poor infrastructure at the fish landing sites along the beaches. If we are going to export fish, it is important that the hygiene and sanitation in these areas is upgraded. This is part of the requirements. We have people living in these areas where we are trying to increase fish production. These places lack proper sanitation like toilets. There are no access roads to these places and there is no water. Fish farmers are struggling as if they are on their own. I know Hon. Ogindo is up to this task but to a large extent, he should concentrate on developing infrastructure for fish production particularly in the inland lakes where the majority of our people will make a living, produce enough to sell and consume. In fact, sometimes it is even hard to get fish locally. That is why the Chinese are importing fish to us. I support his appointment 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."
}