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"id": 381574,
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"content": "Insemination (AI) services that were improving breeds moved up from a cost of Kshs100 per dose to Kshs1,500 per dose, which no ordinary farmer could afford. The cost of dipping animals for tick control moved up from about Kshs20 per head of cattle to over Kshs500 per head of cattle; which farmer can afford that? Veterinary services were all discontinued courtesy of the WB. All veterinary officers in the outreach areas stopped working for the Government, opened shop and started shylocking on farmers. At the end of the day, what we used to see as an annual cycle of annual vaccination of animals, branding of animals and so on died completely because the Government of the day listened to the WB, with their obsession with research and so on, and so forth. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you go to the countryside today – not just in the pastoralist areas like the distinguished Senators from Marsabit and Pokot talked about, but even in the so-called “high density” areas, farmers cannot afford vaccines. Farmers cannot afford to hire veterinary services. They cannot afford visitations on their farms. So, they are losing livestock because the Government has abdicated its responsibility. I want to urge that within the new framework and the new Constitution, county governments should provide in their budgets subsidies for farmers. I expect county governments to finance the provision of vaccinations, extension services, dipping services and facilities that will enhance the growth of the livestock sector. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we do not want this country to go the direction that some of our fellow African countries have gone, where as we move into the mineral economy – the production of oil that is coming up, iron ore, gold and so on – we abandon farming and the livestock sector, and start importing – like I have seen some African countries importing tomatoes and oranges from Israel – when those countries are 100 per cent rain secure and arable while Israel is a desert. It is a scandal. We should not go in that direction. We must make policies that ensure that the economy does well on agriculture and agricultural services, even with the advent of the mineral economy. We must maintain our leadership in agriculture, livestock and in all manner of things. Finally, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the policy should not just go about creating disease free zones. These disease free zones exist. For example, I know that the entire Isiolo County and many others are gazetted as disease free zones. What we need to do is to help the livestock farmer to market the animals. What happens? Shylocks from Nairobi go with lorries to Turkana, Samburu and wherever else, and pick those animals, especially during droughts, at a song. The farmer who has looked after those animals for years ends up giving away a bull at Kshs10,000 because he has a choice to watch it die, or to give it away for nearly free. We need light rail systems running from all those areas to high density markets like Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Eldoret, so that they can take their livestock to the markets. We also need the county governments to be at the forefront of helping the farmer in every respect, including marketing of their animals, so that they are not left to the vagaries of profit driven people. That is why we have brought devolution. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}