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{
    "id": 386372,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/386372/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 72,
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    "content": "realized the dream. Even Sen. Wako is nodding his head because this is an issue we have been talking about for over 30 years, and I think this is one thing that the President, the Deputy President, the governors and all the other leaders should focus on just the way we did to the highways. We should now focus on dams in order to make sure that food security is achieved. It is a known fact that the first human need is air followed by food and then clothing. We should focus on food security and ensure that every Kenyan consumes Kenyan produce. In fact, we should zero-in on the counties that are receiving relief food as continuous Government support. I think we should get rid of relief supplies because it creates dependency, it is so expensive and it makes people sit back because the Government will in the end provide them with the same. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other issue relates to agriculture. The President mentioned about irrigation, though I did not hear much about livestock but we need to think very hard about agriculture. When we think about agriculture, land is a very important factor. Somebody must take the bull by the horns, because unless we change our land tenure system, very productive land in this country will continue to be sub-divided to the point that it can no-longer produce. We should partner industrialization and land use; industrialization to the point that people should not just come to Nairobi in search of jobs, but the governors should create centres of development that can attract employment so that we can pull the excess people who are inheriting land from their fathers and grandfathers till the land has now been sub-divided into quarter and half acre pieces. Very productive land in the Central and the Rift Valley regions is now getting diminished day by day. It is not sustainable. A very bold move needs to be made so that we enter into mechanized farming. At the same time, there are dry areas that are so open but still productive. We should create water catchment areas to enable us produce enough food that we can even export. It requires a paradigm shift. Livestock is in every home in this country. When I was the Minister for Livestock in the previous Government, we tried to put abattoirs in strategic areas, interconnecting them to international airports so that we move away from only moving our animals to Nairobi. Just like the coffee and tea factories are where these crops are, the abattoirs should be taken to where livestock are. We should create abattoirs and airports there so that the animal products are easily transported. In fact, we are moving from exporting live animals to value-adding. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other issue I would like to briefly touch on because I can see that the timing light is on, is about performance. The one thing the Kibaki Government introduced was performance contracting. This actually improved the quality of services in Government offices. Civil servants have been able to inculcate corporate practice and culture. I think this needs to be continued because right now if you make a phone call to a Government office, you could be assisted faster than in a corporate institution office. This is because of performance contracting that was put in place. Isiolo County is the nerve centre of this country and I would urge our leaders to continue with the issue of LAPSET and the northern corridor because Isiolo is a major 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."
}