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"id": 1371321,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale",
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"id": 170,
"legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
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"content": "Before I move this Bill, as a Whip, seeing how late it is in the evening, I think I owe it to you, Members, who adjourn this House with me week in, week out. I laud the presence of Sen. Thang’wa of Kiambu County, Sen. Tobiko, Sen. Okenyuri, Sen. Mariam Omar from Mandera County, Sen. Mungatana and Sen. Wambua in that particular respect. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if Members will stand behind this Bill and we pass it into law, it will give effect to an Act of Parliament that will provide for coordination of the public institutions in control of food and feed safety. It also establishes the office of the food and safety controller and provides for the role of the county governments in food and feed safety and for connected purposes. This Bill, if read casually, is a very light Bill. However, I would like to request Members that I am moving this Bill in a very brief time; if you could just listen and eventually read around it, it is a very important statute. “The object of the Bill is- (a) To effectively coordinate the performance of the functions of the competent authorities. (b) To enhance accountability in the implementation of official control.” Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, to do this, this Bill intends to legislate guiding principles that will include the protection of human life and health and the protection of consumer interests in the conduct of food business and feed businesses. All of us including our loved ones that we have left back home, had something to eat today and that food was prepared by somebody. It was prepared by some institutions and it exposes this consumer to all manner of challenges and, therefore, this particular guiding principle and the promotion of the use of scientific best risk analysis when we are handling food and feed matters. Furthermore, there is a need for the promotion of food safety and feed safety and the promotion of fair trade practices in the account of food business and feed business. Finally, but not least, the important guiding principle of the need for efficiency in the performance of official control. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, running through this Bill, clause by clause, I find myself on Clause Six which is there to establish the office of the Food Safety and the Feed Safety Controller. Clause Seven is for purposes of appointment of the controller of this office. Very quickly, Clause Eight is there to specify what the qualifications of the Controller of this critical office are. I want to highlight that the person who will take up this national responsibility must convince the panel that he holds a Masters degree in a discipline related to food safety and feed safety and that he has at least 15 years of experience working in a field related to food safety and feed safety; and that he has at least five years experience working in a senior management position. Last but not least, that he meets the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya. Why meet integrity? It is because when you are handling food, you are in a position to feed people with food, which is bad or laced with poison. So, you must be somebody who subjects himself or herself to the provisions of Chapter 6."
}