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{
    "id": 380288,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/380288/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 74,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Zani",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13119,
        "legal_name": "Agnes Zani",
        "slug": "agnes-zani"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I want to start by commending Sen. Lesuuda for bringing up this very important sector again for discussion. Unfortunately, going by the figures that have been given in the Motion, and I agree with Sen. (Dr.) Machage that livestock is found everywhere in the country, but if we go by Sen. Lesuuda’s figures, they show that for pastoralist areas, a little bit of more effort needs to be put in. This has been a neglected sector especially among pastoralists. It could be something that is historical or it could be the difficulty that social scientists have faced in understanding pastoralism and what it means, the migration patterns and coming up with development agenda that is going to work for them. So, there are certain dynamics that come in by having pastoralist driven into the background of our economy. That still does not exempt the importance of looking at that particular sector which is key. There is no single household that does not benefit from something from the livestock, be it meat, dairy products and so on. We all benefit in one way or another and especially in the export sector, marketing of Kenyan meat is really in the forefront. I remember Sen. Lesuuda, as she was moving this Motion, saying that Kenya has the sweetest meat because it is has not been added hormones but it is authentic. I think we have a lot of capacity there. Some statistics give the Kenyan livestock contribution of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at about 10 per cent and 42 per cent of total agricultural output which is very commendable. This cuts across all the various sectors. It accounts for a very high proportion, up to 30 per cent of marketed agricultural outputs, especially in the form of exports. So, this is not something that we should take for granted. I have heard other speakers before me talking about the need for coordination and the need for ensuring that abattoirs are taken to a higher standard. We were there before the structural adjustment programme. The key downturn of structural adjustment programmes is that there was something about cost-sharing in the key sectors. I remember even in the education and health sector, that is, when all the progress that had been made had a down turn and people began to move backwards. This also raised some queries, especially in the field of development, the role of international players in coming up with policies for this country and the need for us to also question those policies before implementing them even when they have a monetary implication. The earnings from foreign exchange are mainly from export of live animals, skins and hides, and that is why Sen. Lesuuda talked about the importance of value addition. I was coming from Naivasha the other day and I saw the hides being sold along the road. There are people who are going to take that hide, make it better, improve on the colouring and sell it a far higher price. There is also the issue of middlemen who are able to gain The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}