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"id": 243131,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Ahenda",
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"legal_name": "Paddy Ahenda",
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"content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Allow me to dedicate a few minutes to give a small lecture to the Mover of the Motion on genetic engineering and biotechnology. At the end of that lecture, he will withdraw this Motion from the Floor of this House. About four to five years ago, the University of Nairobi, Faculty of Medicine started a Department of Biochemistry to carry out studies in genetic engineering. At that time, the first students were admitted at the university, Faculty of Medicine, Biochemistry Department to do genetic engineering and stem cell scientific research. Many papers have been written within the faculty that would have helped the Mover of this Motion to fully understand the essence and real values that accrue from scientific research. You cannot stand on the way of scientific development. You cannot stand on the way of change; otherwise, change will change you. 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 12, 2006 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, my late grandmother, Gaudencia, was maybe, the first GMO researcher in this country. The GM foods did not start yesterday. We were only doing it crudely. Science is only perfecting what has been in existence for many years. So, we cannot stand on the way of science. It has been said that science creates nothing new, except improving on what we have on the ground. The GM foods are not new. The yields from our shamba have been dwindling and I am aware the Mover of this Motion is aware of that because he comes from one of those high potential growing areas of maize. The maize yields have been dwindling per acreage. The same acreage does not produce the same yield it used to produce a few years ago and, therefore, we should have something to improve the yields. They came up with organic manure and ventured into chemical manure and still, the yields continued to dwindle. Can we not move ahead and bring something that can improve the yields beyond both chemical and organic manure? We came up with the GM foods. These are genetically engineered foods. Researchers have come up with a technology to engineer crops. This does not change the chemical composition of the crops. If anything, researchers, have first of all, researched deeper to find out what your body requires. If there is anything that your body does not require, it will be removed from those plants scientifically. Some of the GM foods have been found to be very healthy to human beings. Sometimes, you eat several foods to get only one component of food value that your body requires. For example, you do not need to eat a tonne of maize to get the starch that your body requires. In the GM engineered-crops, you might even need a glass of porridge to get all the starch that your body requires. Is there a better scientific research than that? I was shocked that such a Motion can be brought before the House to stand on the way of research in this country when the world is heading towards research. Where are we heading to? As one hon. Member said, we are going to the stone age when research was unheard of. However, our stone age people carried out research. If anybody brings a Motion before this House to stand on the way of research, the whole country is doomed. Maybe, the Mover should have found out the calamities, if any, the GM foods have brought to human beings. Definitely, I do not know any Kenyan who has never eaten the GM foods in this country. The Americans started giving us the GM foods many years ago and we have been eating them. I am yet to see any Kenyan who has died after eating the GM foods. Maybe, they did not know. However, science says: \"If you do not know that you do not know what you do not know, then you are a fool.\""
}