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{
    "id": 225859,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/225859/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 352,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. J.M. Mutiso",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 273,
        "legal_name": "John Mutinda Mutiso",
        "slug": "mutinda-mutiso"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to support this Bill. Right from the outset, I would like to congratulate Prof. Ojiambo for her efforts in trying to bring important legislation to this House. She has also tried to illuminate areas that we tend to ignore. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, nutrition is a very important subject because it affects all of us. It touches on our health and, therefore, it affects all Kenyans. I am very much interested, particularly, in the part relating to the provision of regulation of standards by the nutritionists and dieticians. I have been involved in several initiatives, particularly at the World Forum, The World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the European Union (EU) and one of the most important aspects of trade has been the nutritional value of the food commodities that are being traded. We currently have a stalemate as far as the WTO negotiations are concerned because of some of the issues pertaining to nutritional levels of some of the food products. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, agriculture is a very contentious subject not because of the subsidy issue or market access, but because of what we call \"exceptional clauses\" whereby a country is allowed to protect its food products by using what they call \"sanitary and phytosanitary standards.\" By passing this Bill, we are going to develop the capacity of various policy departments to effectively deal with this issue of regulation of standards. The effective participation in these matters pertaining to nutrition and dietetics have been confined mostly to the Ministry of Health. Even when it comes to the training of nutritionists, I think we have only one institution in the country; that is, Kenya Medical Training College in Karen, which just offers a diploma course in this field. I do not know much about what our universities offer. However, this is an area where we require a policy guideline and a new framework such as the one being proposed here. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Bill will go a long way in trying to shed light on areas where the Government can look into as far as the issue of training is concerned. Since I am not also an expert in this field, I think the relevant Departmental Committee will try to harmonise issues pertaining to prescription and conduct of examination. This is an issue that concerns the relevant examination bodies. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I believe that we have relevant accredited institutions, which have been granted charters to examine courses in this field. I believe that those relevant departments will harmonise this issue as far examinations for nutritionists and dieticians is concerned. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to support the Bill."
}