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{
    "id": 381561,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/381561/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 58,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Musila",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 94,
        "legal_name": "David Musila",
        "slug": "david-musila"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to support this important Motion. It is important to note that Kenya is a beef country. Millions of animals are roaming around the arid areas of this great Republic. However, the quality of the animals leaves much to be desired. This is because we are not disease-free. You will recall that there were days when Kenya took veterinary services very seriously. Those are the days that engineer spoke about when even the facility in Kabete was being developed. That is how the use of laboratories in Kabete started. This was started because Kenya was embracing livestock as a way of economic growth. During those days, I remember that we used to have holding grounds for livestock in every area. There were areas reserved for livestock to be kept after vaccination so that they are disease-free as this Motion requires. After that, those animals would be taken out for export or slaughtered at the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC). Those are the days when the KMC was established. It was established because Kenya was poised to be a beef producing country. However, what happened? The holding grounds I am talking about were grabbed and became people’s parcels of land. Even the KMC’s grounds were grabbed and what remained of it is a skeleton. There used to be a huge holding ground at the KMC in Athi River where livestock was brought in, disease free, and kept in those grounds until it was ready for slaughter and for export. However, all that land was grabbed and the KMC was left as a building. When one took livestock there, they only slaughtered them on the same day. Therefore, one had to bring a few. The livestock had to come directly from farms because the holding grounds had been grabbed. So, it is greed that has killed the livestock industry which is very important. When Professor was moving this Motion, he said that this country loses over Kshs22 billion annually due to neglect in this vital industry. It is only last year that all laws were amalgamated. However, I remember the laws pertaining to animal disease control were very strict. Quarantines were issued and nobody would dare to break the quarantine. Once a disease was discovered, the veterinary officers had authority to declare quarantine in an area and livestock would not move. That is how animal diseases were controlled. Those laws are still there. I talked about greed creeping into the society and killing the industry. Again, the laws being there, issues of quarantine were ignored. Another issue that cropped up was the introduction of the imposed policies on the international community that the Government should not play any roles in veterinary services. Veterinary extension officers were removed and what remained were skeleton veterinary officers whom we had to pay so that they attend to our livestock. That was the 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."
}