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{
    "id": 1278495,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1278495/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 214,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "are very many young children with cancer. We are told that food can be one of the causes of cancer. It now dawns on us that with the kind of food we consume in this country, it is possible for children to have cancer. How then do we control it? This office will help us to ensure that the food our children eat, especially the fast foods, are safe. Sometimes that food does not meet the threshold of food fit for human consumption. As I conclude, I would like to say that although many of the cancers that we have can easily be traced to food, it is not just the food but the feeds. Hon. Gladys Boss brought a petition on increased prevalence of chemical pesticides in the country. The pesticides used in our farms to grow our foods like tomatoes, potatoes, and maize might not be fit for human consumption. Therefore, we end up with food that has elements within it that can cause diseases. It is about time we established this office. As the Leader of the Majority Party has said, the office is supposed to coordinate public institutions that control food and feed safety. That is very important because it needs to coordinate KEBS, public health officers, and other public institutions. Depending on how much money one is given, public health officers can certify an animal that died of anthrax to find its way into a butchery. I have seen pictures on social media where donkey meat found its way into a butchery in Kiambu. I asked myself what happened so that donkey meat can find its way into a butchery. Unfortunately, there is a public health officer who will turn donkey meat into beef through his signature. All this is because there is no proper coordination. This office, when established, will coordinate public institutions that control food and feed safety. Secondly, Hon. Temporary Speaker, the office will provide for the role of the county governments in food and feed safety. I believe in devolution. However, sometimes, county governments hire public health officers based on whom they know, but not based on high standards of qualifications. On that basis, those public health officers can kill a whole community. We recently had cases in two schools where children died of food poisoning. I can bet that a public health officer must have certified the food in those schools as fit for human consumption, yet we lost lives. This Bill is very important. I urge Members of Parliament to have a bipartisan approach. Let us pass this Bill to ensure that our children or people are not harmed by the food they eat. People die from the food they eat, but not from diseases. I support this Bill. I hope that when it comes to the Committee of the whole House, we will panel beat it and ensure that we give Kenyans a gift by ensuring that the food they consume is safe. Thank you."
}