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{
    "id": 1354830,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1354830/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 184,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "process. We are encouraging criminals who will take people’s animals without realizing that this is a crime. This Bill makes it difficult for a farmer to own cattle – this idea of branding is laborious and detailed. It is a great idea, but in terms of implementation, it could be expensive and difficult for farmers to follow. People from Nandi County are serious farmers. They do not just hold two or 10 cattle. They hold 100 to 500 cattle. If you were to own 100 and 500 cattle and you are supposed to brand the entire herd, as conspicuous as proposed in Clause four of the Bill, it could be tedious. The reason people own cattle is because they are a means of wealth or asset keeping. When people take their children to school, have emergencies and want to build homes, they could sell the animals. Someone in Migori County might come from Uriri Constituency to go to Oria Market - which is just at the border of Homa Bay and Migori counties - to sell their cattle in this market. People from Homa Bay, Mbita or Ndhiwa especially where Sen. Ogola comes from, like buying cattle from Oria Market and they go with it all the way to Kabuoch. When you put infrastructure, however conspicuous it is, you brand this animal again. Before you realise, the next day, it will be in Kendu Bay. Then, you sell to somebody from Nyakach, which is now in Kisumu Constituency. Again, if the cattle goes to Kisumu, it has to be rebranded. Madam Temporary Speaker, the branding element can be rethought. I would like to suggest to the Senator for Nandi to think about some economical ways of doing this rebranding proposal - which is a good one - to be able to trace and register animals. However, we should not make it expensive and also difficult for farmers considering that, some of these farmers are also rudimental. They still keep Zebu animals that are traditional. They do not have the improved breeds such as the Sahiwal or even the most prominent breeds like the Friesian. Most communities still have these Zebu cattle and sometimes branding can be very difficult to do. That is something a lot of improvement can be done on by Sen. Cherarkey. The second thing is the idea around policing. I think we can improve the idea around policing because this policing system must be embedded within the grass root community. When you think about things like Nyumba Kumi initiative that has been there, I am looking at livestock as a critical component of agriculture and agriculture has been devolved. Since it has been devolved, Part II of the Bill is really dedicated to look at the functionality and the role of the Cabinet Secretary. If you look at the coordination and development of intergovernmental relations in terms of mechanism to deliver services, the movement of cattle in Part III of this Bill, especially Clause 12 is where we can be more innovative and take the genius of devolution. We can look at how devolution can really help us to police and monitor the movement of cattle. I feel like this Bill tends to take some of these functions or makes it possible for the Cabinet Secretary at the national level to almost take control over this function."
}