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"speaker_name": "Mr. Munyao",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Development",
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"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to also contribute to this important Motion. I will begin by congratulating the Minister for Finance for coming up with a well balanced Budget, which has made a lot of sense to many people. For many years, we have never had a Budget that has addressed the plight of our people like this one. I would further like to congratulate the Minister, the Central Bank of Kenya and all other public financial management institutions for the high level of discipline they have exhibited in their work over the last financial year. We have generally maintained a high level of discipline in financial management. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Members will recall that, in the past, every time we had demonstrations on the streets of Nairobi, the Kenya Shilling would reduce in value. Nowadays, anybody can make whatever noise he wishes to make, but the Kenya Shilling still remains stable against the other foreign currencies. This shows maturity of our economy. An economic growth rate of 5.8 per cent is not a mean achievement. It requires commitment by the Government and everybody else in the country to attain such a level of economic growth. That was a very good achievement which, I hope, we will maintain. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, registering an economic growth of 5.8 per cent when other economies of the world, including developed countries, are hardly registering a 3 per cent growth, by any standard, is not a mean achievement. That is something which must be appreciated. However, we should appreciate that the most important thing is not just achieving such growth, but maintaining it. Therefore, we must uphold that level of economic growth. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to raise one or two points. The Minister was very concerned about the development of the youth and he went ahead to give a lot of financial support. We must, likewise, try to balance our development projects. Now that the prisons are well maintained, we must use prisoners, particularly those with minor offences, in carrying out development projects. At one time, we discussed the issue, but I do not know what went wrong in terms of implementation. We said that prisoners with minor offences should not be accommodated in prisons. They should help in development projects in rural areas. They should help in building schools, constructing roads and engage in other development projects which the Government is investing in. We have some roads like the rural access roads which can be worked on by prisoners instead of locking them up in prisons. That way, we would be developing and achieving a lot. Instead of using more money to expand prisons, we should take prisoners with minor offences in the countryside to carry out development projects and only confine those who cannot be controlled. However, those who can be controlled should be kept in the countryside and be used to carry out development projects. We use a lot of money in building schools and other major infrastructures June 21, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1489 instead of using prisoners. It is good that the Minister, in his Budget, considered the agricultural sector by zero-rating most of the equipment used in farming. However, agriculture does not only concern the farming sector. It also involves livestock and fisheries. We also contribute to our economy. However, he overlooked us. Our fishermen have faced many problems all through. I have raised issues concerning them very many times. Every time I raise an issue concerning them, I am promised that something positive will be done. However, the Minister must consider, in his response to this Motion, to have fishing equipment like nets, vessels and engines of the vessels zero-rated because they fall under the agricultural sector. Unless fishermen are helped, we will still continue to experience problems. The Minister must also look into the issue of hides and skins tannery system and say when he will be making his official response to this Motion. There is a level of tannery called the pickle stage. That is the stage where a tanner turns it into a level where the end user can use it for manufacture of goods. This country is doing very well in terms of hides and skins. We have been requesting the Minister to reduce the export duty or zero-rate it so that our tanners can export the products. We have a very big market outside this country. The other anomalies which exist in the tannery industries can be sorted out by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). This time round, the KRA is busy looking into all areas to streamline taxation. The authority can quickly move into the industry to make sure that there are no double claims being made. That can be done in conjunction with our officers who are very efficient. Therefore, I request the Minister to look into the issue and address it next week when he comes to make his official reply on this Motion. We want tanners to be free to export their hides and skins at the pickle level. The previous contributor referred to the re-opening of the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC). During the previous Session, I promised this House that KMC would be re-opened. I now take this chance to invite the entire House, through the Chair, to attend the re-opening occasion on 26th June, which is next Monday. In fact, His Excellency the President will be coming to officiate the occasion. I am now extending my invitation to the whole House, to accompany us to Athi River to witness the historical event. I am encouraging farmers, and even hon. Members who are looking at me, although they are not real farmers, to make sure that they start keeping livestock so that they can sell them to the KMC. Once we open the plant in Athi River, we will move on to re-open the one in Mombasa, which is fairly dilapidated. We need some money to renovate it. After that, we will open the Halal Meat Factory which for many years has been lying idle. The former Minister for Finance is the only one I refer to as an hon. Minister because of the way he conducted himself when he was the Minister for Finance. I like referring to him as an hon. former Minister because he earned the title. The Halal factory closed sometime ago. We will also open one slaughterhouse in Wajir and I am requesting investors to come and put in some money in it. It is good if we have one there and another one in North Eastern Province because all those areas will support the KMC plant in Athi River. We must support our livestock farmers and train them on what to do. With those few remarks, I support the Motion."
}