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{
    "id": 1425809,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1425809/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 163,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mithika Linturi",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 69,
        "legal_name": "Franklin Mithika Linturi",
        "slug": "franklin-linturi"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, before I even answer his question, I appreciate your guidance and appreciation of the comprehensive nature of the answer given, allow me just to mention this within a minute or two, because we have comprehensive legislation to address all our issues. Our main problem has been enforcement. Today is the 31st day since we launched the Rapid Resource Initiative (RRI) to ensure meat safety. What we have generally done for the distinguished Senators to understand is that we have formed a multi-agency team in all 47 counties. The lead Cabinet Secretaries in this matter are the ones in charge of Interior, Agriculture and Health. This is to ensure that no meat is out there that is not safe. So, we have highway patrols and roadblocks have been mounted. We have weekly patrols on inspections for compliance. We have mapped out those illegal hotspots for illegal slaughterhouses. I am trying to deal with donkeys. Out of all this, we are getting very good results. However, this is being done through the multiagency to ensure that our meat is safe for human consumption. Sen. Wakili Sigei, the leather value chain is a key area on the agenda. We have programmes that we are dealing with at the Department of Livestock, like Linda Ngozi. The whole idea is to ensure that we can mop up all the available hides and skins because we want to ensure there is value in using them. We want to add value to the skins through a process. Members need to know why it is an area where people have not been keen. One square foot of leather goes for Kshs94. When you want to convert or turn the leather to leather usable for making shoes, leather bags and belts, the component used is worth Kshs87. The material or leather required to make leather more useful is too expensive. This is why you find in the current Finance Bill that we have proposed to reduce tax on material that will be used to turn leather so that we can at least bring down this cost. Secondly, Kibabii University and Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT) have programmes where we come up with the glue that is the raw material required through science and innovation. These universities have done well because we are now able to produce this chemical locally from the initial trials that have been made. The next phase will ask Parliament to support these universities in commercializing the products so that our leather value chain achieves the intended objective. Some of the things we are doing, we have taken hard decisions to make them. However painful they are, a few Kenyans will understand why we must do it and others will make political capital. People are being overtaxed for whatever reason. However, we have to make certain decisions that may be painful for now, but will realize results and sort out some of the big problems the country has. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir."
}