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"id": 1367813,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Chute",
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"speaker": {
"id": 13583,
"legal_name": "Chute Mohamed Said",
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"content": "Again, during the last drought, our people in Marsabit County brought their animals to Isiolo County. They faced a lot of problems specifically on getting permits and payment of taxes to the local government. I ask Sen. Cherarkey to look at these two issues. In Marsabit County, our everything is livestock. Some people in Nairobi City County can keep farming businesses but 95 per cent of our people are livestock keepers. Occasionally, we have noticed we get into a drought situation where a farmer loses everything he had. In that situation, you will find a livestock keeper getting into problems of how to pay the cess collected by the local government because the animals they have are weak and you cannot sell or eat them. How do you expect somebody to be having money for permit and livestock movement? When you sell your animal, you move that animal to either Nairobi City County or even Meru County. However, that businessman who is doing this trade can afford to pay both fees and also permits. I urge our capable Senator to look into that line. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on the issue of marking and branding, in nomadic communities, every clan has its own marking. If they see an animal, they will know which clan it is from. That is a good way of keeping the animals within that family. However, you will have that kind of a problem when it leaves that vicinity coming to a place like Samburu. Nobody will tell you the clan that those animals are from because they do not know. They do not share the same signs. So, marking and branding is very important. We now have to move to the latest technology where chips are put under the skin of the animal. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, about two months ago, I had an opportunity to sit with an expert in livestock management. He showed me different type of chips. What Sen. Cherarkey is talking about is very plain and simple. Let us provide chips for our people in order to curb livestock theft. The county and the national Government can do this. Some are as cheap as Kshs1000. We need to train our people and tell them how this efficient and affordable system can help. We have livestock markets in Marsabit, in Karare, Merile and Moyale. In Samburu County, there are businessmen who finance raiders by buying bullets and guns for raiding their neighbours. These are top businessmen who are very rich. Once these livestock arrives in the market, they pay very good money. For this reason, I congratulate Sen. Cherarkey again. If today we have chips in our livestock, I tell you, you cannot raid again. This is because it will identify and recognise and arrest will be done. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, these buying centres like Karare, Merille and Moyale, are places where you can get stolen livestock. If these livestock have been stolen from about a thousand kilometers away, how do you expect the owners to come and check these three markets? It is very difficult. However, with this new technology, you can track your animal because it has a tracking system. You do not need to put it in all the animals but just to a few. If you have 100 of cattle, put on 10 per cent only, which is 10. Out of these 10, this man does not know which one has a chip. If he steals all the 100, at some point, 10 will be found. If you find the 10, then you will find all the thieves. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}