Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1354835,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1354835/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 189,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "If we look at those two, then the essence of offenses that has been articulated by Sen. Cherarkey in Part IV, Clauses 16, 17 and 18 are brilliant offenses that have been articulated. They end up talking very seriously about criminalizing the element of cattle rustling and basically thuggery of stealing people’s animals. I think it will be effective if we combine this with local policing and monitoring system other than taking this function in a more pronounced way to the Ministry of Agriculture at the national level. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, that said, as I finish, sometimes there needs to be a time when as a country we are called to solve the root causes of problems. I really like what Sen. Mungatana talked about; the element of extreme poverty and economic emptiness among our communities that has always forced young people to find other ways and modes of survival. Some of these are criminal activities. It is important that as a people and a House, we can constantly emphasize that the activities that constitute cattle rustling are just as criminal activities as any other criminal activities within our country. If we emphasize on that, then I will be very proud to support this Bill so that the offenses that have been articulated, especially in Part IV of this Bill, Clause 18(4) give very serious charges on people who have committed some offenses. This implies that the offenders should be taken and punished very seriously if found to have committed criminal activities. However, before we even get there, it is important that the Senator for Nandi encourages the Government of the day to just think about critically investing in the economic modes of the local community. The other day we saw that fertilizer was hugely subsidized in the concept of subsidizing production, but we did not see any farm inputs that were subsidized in the same fashion in the livestock department. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you can actually see that as important as the Senator for Nandi has emphasized on the role that livestock plays in agriculture, there is need to subsidize agricultural feeds for animals so that people who are rearing these animals are not faced with challenges like we have seen conflicts around pasture; people fighting over pasture. Now, it has even caused wildlife versus the pastoralists conflicts in places like Kitui because there is no subsidy around these animal feeds. In as much as we want to invest in only crop-based agriculture, the Government must also start looking at how to invest in animal-based agriculture. This will suppress"
}