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{
    "id": 177849,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/177849/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 517,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Mwiria",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 190,
        "legal_name": "Valerian Kilemi Mwiria",
        "slug": "kilemi-mwiria"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also like to point out that it is unfortunate that 3728 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES November 27, 2008 it has taken us so long, for a country that is among the very first to embrace technology, to be in fact, one of those lagging behind in this continent. It is unfortunate because discussions started as early as 1995; even before we got to regimes where we are changing so many things in this country, including the way we do business and how we use science and other reforms to improve the state of our economy, educational institutions, agriculture and all sectors of the society. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we talk about this, I think we also need to realise that time is not waiting for us. If there are benefits to be reaped, and these are benefits we can also export out of this country, Kenya is so well located in this continent and so strategic in so many other ways, that if we adopt this technology the best way possible and maximize its advantages, we also stand to gain in terms of being able to export to other countries depending on what kind of products we embark on. Egypt and India are already doing that. South Africa is already doing a great deal of that and it is high time Kenya enjoyed this. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it has already been said that we can afford to be luxurious because we are okay. We eat enough. In fact, we eat more than we need. However, there are people who are dying because they cannot get one meal a day. The other day, we were just talking about the crisis of maize flour. Many Kenyans are dying. I saw on television that the UN Habitat was constructing latrines in Kibera. This woman was saying, \"why should we have latrines when we do not have food to eat so that we can use the latrine?\" Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for those people who do not have basics, even the irrelevant concerns about the possibility of health problems related to biotechnology and so on, are completely secondary. There are people who want something to eat before you can even begin to tell them what type of food they should eat. That is beside the point because it is being taken care of by the regulatory programme that will be put in place. We need to think of all sorts of ways. We need to exploit all our potential to ensure that we have left no stone unturned in terms of coming up with policies and programmes that will help us alleviate poverty in this country. There is no doubt that biotechnology has proved that when it comes to the foods that are genetically modified, there is great potential in terms of multiplying the food resources that would be available to our population. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we realise that there are obstacles and we are confronting some of them even in this Parliament. For instance, Members of Parliament want to stop debate. The Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) are also making a lot of noise about these issues. Quite often, this happens without adequate evidence on the point they want to make. Sometimes, it is just done to draw attention and prevent a good idea from being implemented just because you have not been part of it. There are also issues of donor organizations and politicians---"
}