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{
    "id": 176798,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/176798/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Minister for Livestock and Development",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "(Mr. Duale); Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion. First and foremost, I want to thank my good friend, hon. Lekuton, for bringing this Motion which is very important and significant to both the livestock sub-sector in this country and to the greater pastoral community in Kenya. We are talking about animal health technicians. We are not talking about quacks or people who do not know what they are doing. These are the same people who we train under a regular and certified curriculum. We train them in Government institutions like the AHITI, Egerton University and the Dairy Training Institute in Naivasha. The role and the importance of animal health technicians is very crucial. However, it is coming very late when this country should have seen it a long time ago. It is animal health technicians who do a lot of work on the ground at the grassroots level more than the Veterinary Surgeons. If we talk about a vibrant livestock sector in this country, a sector that can contribute to a bigger percentage to the GDP, a sector that is the basic economic livelihoods of the pastoral communities, then we have no choice as a Government and as a Ministry, and a country to invest in the human resource cadre of animal health technicians in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, 70 per cent of the livestock breeds are found ASAL areas. If you look at that scenario, the livestock ratio on this country is close to 20,000 head, mainly December 03, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3813 in the ASAL areas, where we do not have para-professionals and veterinary surgeons. It is known in this country that the few advantaged veterinary surgeons from the highlands of this country do not want to work in the ASAL areas. They do not want to work in Turkana or Marsabit. That is why we feel, as a country---"
}