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{
"id": 190131,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/190131/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "The Assistant Minister for Environment and Mineral Resources",
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"content": "(Mr. Kajembe) Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the Motion. People of this country have suffered a lot from malaria. Our population has been reduced by mosquito transmitted illnesses. Malaria is a very bad disease, especially in tropical countries. Some of us who come from the tropical areas of this country, were born and brought up in mosquito infested areas. Mosquitoes are very unkind to us. They bite us and transmit diseases to us. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, those who come from other areas, and who have not been affected by malaria may not know the position. Once they get infected with malaria, they can lose their lives very quickly. Malaria is a threat to even the tourism industry. Most tourists from abroad do not want to come to tropical countries, because they know that our governments do not control the spread of malaria. I would say that the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation is not doing much to eliminate malaria. The Ministry has left this exercise to their lead agencies, which are the local authorities. The local authorities in this country do not have sufficient funds to control the spread of malaria. The colonialists fought malaria vigorously. You would see health officers moving around homesteads, cutting bushes, spraying sewerage areas, opening manholes on the streets of our cities and spraying them with insecticides. So, the number of mosquitoes was reduced and hence, malaria prevalence was very low. In order for us to do away with malaria in this country, it is important that the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation takes up this duty. Right now, there is no guidance. It is my opinion that the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation seeks for a big budgetary allocation from the Treasury to fight this disease. I know that the Ministry has not refused to do this job. The problem is that it has not been given adequate funds to fight the disease. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also important to start a board and vest it with the July 9, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1723 responsibility of fighting malaria. Otherwise, the Ministry is doing very little. Today, the local authorities are doing nothing. Talk of spraying; how many people in this country can afford to buy insecticides. Today, a big can of insecticide is sold at Kshs300, and you can use it only once. So, if you are to buy one each day for 30 days, you would need Kshs9,000. How many people in Kenya can spend Kshs9,000 per month on spraying mosquitoes in their homes? It is very difficult. To me, even spraying the whole country is a desperate measure. Even if we spray the whole country today, we will still receive mosquitoes from our neighbouring countries. So, how do we stop the spread of malaria? In the developed world, like in Europe, all the countries undertake to spray insecticides. That is why you do not find mosquitoes or malaria there. If you fall sick in Europe, you will not be diagnosed for malaria. You will be diagnosed for other diseases like tuberculosis and others. But today, in Africa, when you fall sick, the immediate action the doctor will take is to test your blood for malaria. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for us to do away with mosquitoes and malaria, it is up to the Continent to do something. I mean the African Continent and the African Union. It is up to the countries to start that process. We, in Kenya, should convince other African countries to do something to eradicate malaria and mosquitoes in the whole Continent. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, recently, I flew from Mombasa to Nairobi. When I entered the aeroplane and I was in the business class - a very luxurious class in the aircraft - I still found mosquitoes there!"
}