Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1272643,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1272643/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 98,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Uasin Gishu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Gladys Boss",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "the UK. In fact, more than 20 years ago, a farmer in the US was paid $250 million for developing cancer as a result of using a pesticide that was commonly known as Roundup. However, that pesticide continues to be sold in Kenya today, the reason being that the PCPB in Kenya is in bed with agrochemical companies. I am not ashamed to say that they continue to support that trade. In the Petition I brought to Parliament, I had over 10 professors in Kenya who helped me undertake research. If Europe, America and the UK have removed those products from their market on account that they cause cancer, why do we allow them in our country? That is all we said when we undertook the research. The law in the US and the UK allow companies to produce or manufacture those pesticides for export. It is not for use in their countries, but for export to countries that permit them. To put it more clearly, they are for a country that is stupid enough to accept products that cause cancer. Kenya is one of those countries. The people who have mandate under the law are the PCPB. I brought that Petition to this House and a parliamentary Committee approved it. Unfortunately, the parliamentary Committee made a decision and ordered the PCPB to take measures to remove the pesticides off the market. So far, out of the 267 products I requested to be removed from the shelf, only seven have been removed. They have only removed seven in a period of four years. I had an opportunity to visit the board in their offices and went to a meeting there and demanded to see the CEO. When I asked the CEO why they had not removed the products from the market, she said they wanted to undertake further research. I asked her what research they could undertake that had not been undertaken by those first world countries. I asked them of the cases in Kenya. For example, when World Science and other medical journals published peer reviewed research findings showing that hormone replacement therapy was causing breast cancer and ovarian cancer, our gynaecologists in Kenya did not do further research. They simply stopped prescribing the medicine and chemists stopped stocking them. Additionally, when World Science, in peer reviewed medical journals, said that certain cough syrups were damaging our children's lungs, the paediatricians did not do further research. They simply stopped prescribing it and pulled it off the shelf. The PPCB has refused to save the lives of Kenyans. Hon. Timothy Toroitich, no matter how much you say we should put money in preventing or treating cancer, we must first start by the most obvious - removing products that cause cancer from the market. I was once told not to name the companies that are selling the said products in Kenya. I will, however, mention them. They are Bayer from Germany and Dao from America. I have had an occasion to speak to Members of the German Parliament and I told them to stop the manufacture of the said products. We are working with these countries yet they are selling us poison that is causing cancer. Instead of saying that we put more money into the cure for cancer and prevention, why can the Government not stop the 267 products from entering our market? When the PCPB did not act, I did a Statement to this Parliament, seeking the removal from office of all the members of the board because of their reckless endangerment of the lives of Kenyans. As I stand here, Hon. Members, I want you to help me shame the members of the PCPB. Research has been done. We launched a book called the Pesticides Atlas . We have a document done that shows the products that cause cancer. If other countries are paying damages to people who have developed cancer through consumption of these products, why is Kenya still allowing the sale of these products in our markets?"
}