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{
    "id": 361686,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/361686/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 344,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kaluma",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1565,
        "legal_name": "George Peter Opondo Kaluma",
        "slug": "george-peter-opondo-kaluma"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for granting me the opportunity to speak to this Motion. Homa Bay Town Constituency sits on a bay and most hon. Members may not understand what a bay is. What it means is that it is a land partially entering a water body. So the main economic activity of the people of Homa Bay Town Constituency is, indeed, fishing. It is a source of food. It is a source of employment. It is a source of income. The fishing industry, as has been confirmed by other hon. Members, has forced its way to contribute to the national economy. The situation we have had over the years is that all sectors that are gaining any income to the country have either boards or commissions. We have had the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya, the Coffee Board of Kenya, the Kenya Sugar Board but the fishing industry has never had any such Government institution or policy in terms of its working. In fact, it is a punishment to engage in fishing as an economic activity. The people of Homa Bay Town Constituency being fishermen mainly depend on fish as a source of food and for their economic purposes. So imagine a situation where we have a whole four months in a year and that is usually between April and August. The question you want to ask is how people have been feeding in Homa Bay Town like in other fishing oriented societies. How are the children of the fishermen and the fishmongers going to school? It is a problem. The manner in which the closing season has been applied by the Government is something I needed to bring to the attention of the House; they do not only do with banning fishing but immediately the season for closure is proclaimed, you are not expected to sell fish even in the markets. There is high level of extortion on our fishermen and it is a complaint that we have in our constituency every day. So it is a punishment. You cannot move with fish; you cannot do fishing and you cannot take children to school. In that period of four months, the fishing gear you have wastes away. So that is the problem we have had to deal with as a people whose mainstay is this industry. I was going to support this Motion and urge that the amendment be implemented immediately. May we also remember that the fishing environment, particularly around Lake Victoria has not been good? We have the water hyacinth issue and you cannot do any proper fishing. When you have four months of compulsory leave without any compulsory sustenance, I would propose that there be a firm policy by the Government in terms of how we deal with the fishing industry. Let us have a grant in terms of enabling the fishermen and people in the industry to survive and to better exploit this important industry. However, it should not end at that. Even the fish that is harvested particularly around the Lake, the profits are going to the people with the industry, the people with cold storages. This is a perishable good. You fish the whole night in the middle of crocodiles and wild animals and by 10.00 a.m. you are selling fish that would fetch over Kshs1,000 in Nairobi at Kshs20 because otherwise it would rot."
}