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{
    "id": 1569665,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569665/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 133,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John Mutunga Kanyuithia",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "continuous or progressive hiring of extension officers to replace retired ones or those that have gone through natural attrition. The last time the Government seriously hired extension officers, and I remember this very clearly, was in 1989. That is when we had a complete uptake of all the extension service graduates from both universities and diploma colleges. After that, the Government has been sparingly replacing those who leave either through retirement or other forms. Extension services have gone down considerably in this country. There was the expectation that after devolution, county governments would take up extension services very seriously. Unfortunately, this has not happened because the budgetary allocation to agriculture has been dwindling over time. At the national level, allocation to agriculture has also not been doing very well. Lumped under agriculture, rural and urban development, the extension services sector is currently number nine in terms of priority, and yet it is a sector that supports most of the population in this country and produces most of what we export out of this country. The sector provides raw materials to our industries and earns us foreign exchange. So, it is delicate. However, it is majorly private. Extension services are necessary and this Bill seeks to reconfigure these services in the present. The Bill was passed by the Senate and brought to us. I am the co-sponsor. The Bill has several parts. Part I basically deals with preliminaries: definitions of terms and objectives of the Bill. The key objective of this Bill is to come up with a mechanism to provide farmers with technologies, innovations and management practices generated by our research institutions and universities. These technologies, innovations and management practices have not been reaching farmers in time. It is known that technology transfer is necessary for farmers to improve productivity. It is also a fact that Kenya has limitations in terms of arable land. So, we are left to improve on productivity. To do that, we must take up research findings. This can only be done through extension services. Since there are weaknesses in these services, this Bill seeks to awaken the consciousness of Kenyans, especially those in the management of the sector to see how to revive these services. The first objective of this Bill is basically to foster coordination and collaboration in extension service research by the national and county governments, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), learning institutions, research bodies and other non-State actors. We are looking at all players involved in generating technologies, innovations and management practices such national research institutions, universities and colleges. It could also be done by Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR) – international research organisations like International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) and International World Research Institute (ILRI) which are located in this country and have the objective of generating technologies, innovations and management practices. These technologies, innovations and management practices could be focused on specific areas of the country. They are necessary for improved agricultural productivity. The other objective is to promote generation of high incomes for farmers and traders through increased production by use of competitive materials. These are inputs such as seeds or genetic materials in livestock development. Farmers must be apprised on where to get unadulterated inputs. Some input suppliers have been accused once or many times for selling wrong or non-viable inputs. That loophole needs to be sealed; and the only way to do so is to ensure that agricultural extension services are organised in such a way that farmers know where to get the correct information. One of the Bill’s objectives is continuous and sustained research on extension services for the development of the agricultural and livestock industries. The agricultural industry The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}