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{
    "id": 381557,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/381557/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 54,
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    "content": "that is why we are appealing to the national Government to create the necessary policies for the creation of the livestock disease free zones. The zoning has been recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a means of ensuring that trade between the various countries in live animals and the meat industry flourishes. That is why they have come up with the sanitary and vito- sanitary agreement, whereby any country which meets that agreement can easily trade within the WTO countries. Unfortunately up to now, Kenya has failed to pass the risk assessment by the OIE under that SPS agreement. This requires that a country must at least ensure that some particular diseases are eradicated within its livestock industry before it can export animal products. Other countries are doing that while Kenya’s Vision 2030 just remains a vision because it is already behind time. For example, the Isiolo/Laikipia Complex and coastal zones are supposed to have been operational or the first infrastructure should be in by 2012. We are now in 2013 and there is no scratch on the ground. That shows that we might reach 2030 without anything taking off. The Vision 2030 should not just be on paper because people are waiting to benefit from it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as the Mover of the Motion said, in Kenya we have the ideas, we know what to do, but we lack the will to do what is required of us. That is why other countries can easily borrow from us and get to implementation while we are still updating and revising our own documents. For example, we know very well that Ethiopia is not as developed as we are in human capacity though it is a very vast country with the largest number of livestock in Africa, but they are doing something. They have come up with these zones. It is not something very expensive. A study was done where you could vaccinate your animals for 21 days, quarantine them in a particular holding ground, feed them until they get the required weight and export them live or the products. They have been doing that. Right now, Ethiopia is exporting to the Middle East where the market is so huge. But if we woke up, we could also make use of it. Other countries like Brazil and India are also making use of the same markets. However, in Kenya, nothing is happening because we lack the will. Kenya has the largest vaccine production facility in Kabete. The sad thing is when we see the erratic vaccination done in our areas, it is done by donors; VSF Germany and VSF Swiss. If you asked them where they get the vaccines from, they will tell you that it is from Kabete. The Kenya Government produces, but it does not have that will to support its people. Donors are coming in to use their money to purchase our vaccines in order to assist us. That is very ridiculous. Our Government must wake up. These vaccines are being used all over the world. We are producing them, but we cannot assist our people with them. Even for the disease free zones, we have countries which require non- vaccine disease free zones. Like the European Union will expect you to keep your animals without vaccination in disease free areas. Before we reach that level, the Middle East market allows for vaccine based disease free zones. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to urge my colleague Senators to support this Motion and come up with a Bill to give it more weight in order to make sure that the Government takes the responsibility of providing the necessary infrastructure for the people in the arid and semi-arid areas in order to benefit from their land in their various ways of livelihood. The other day we were talking of a million acres of irrigation. 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."
}