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{
"id": 176996,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/176996/?format=api",
"text_counter": 172,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Githae",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Local Government",
"speaker": {
"id": 159,
"legal_name": "Robinson Njeru Githae",
"slug": "robinson-githae"
},
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to make my contribution to this very important Sessional Paper. First, let me thank the Minister, the Assistant Minister, Permanent Secretary and all the staff who were involved in coming up with this very important Sessional Paper. Secondly, it is also of interest to know that the Minister, the Assistant Minister and the Director are also from pastoral areas. So, I think that this will give some added advantage to this Ministry. We now have the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands which is also headed by a Minister from a pastoral area. So, I think that this is the time for the pastoral community. Thirdly, I would like to take this opportunity, again, to note that it is only in pastoral areas where we had no election violence. So, we have something to learn from them. How come that in the pastoral areas, people were able to live together even after the elections were disputed? There is something to be learnt from there. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not want to repeat what other speakers have said. So, I will just give points which I think the Ministry can benefit from and add to the Sessional Paper. First, if this thing is going to succeed, the Ministry must buy the officers, particularly the veterinary and livestock officers and meat inspectors, if not a vehicle, at least, a motorbike or bicycle. In my constituency, for example, a bicycle would do, because it is a small constituency. But, particularly in the arid areas, the minimum is a small four-wheel-drive vehicle. That is the minimum; at least, one in every constituency. That should be the basic minimum. Otherwise, this is a good Paper, but it will just remain that. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other thing is artificial insemination. I think the biggest mistake that was done was to privatise Artificial Insemination (AI) services. They increased the AI charge of Kshs50 for a single service to now Kshs1,000. How many livestock farmers can afford Kshs1,000 per single service? If something happens and your cow does not conceive, if they 3846 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES December 3, 2008 come again, you have to pay another Kshs1,000. This is totally unacceptable. Another thing which must be addressed, if this Sessional Paper is to be of benefit, is installation of cold storage facilities. The Ministry must put up cold storage facilities in every town, so that after butcheries have sold meat, and some is left, they can put them in cold storages to preserve the meet, so that it is not thrown away like is now happening. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I come from a legal, banking and insurance background. I was amused last year when pastoral communities were promised insurance for their cattle. On the basis of that promise, members of pastoral communities countrywide voted for one particular party almost man-to-man and woman-to-woman. However, those of us who come from the insurance industry know that it is not an ordinary cattle you can get insurance for. At the moment, you can only get insurance for grade cows, which are numbered and given names. You have to maintain records as to when they were born, their weight, vaccination records,"
}