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{
    "id": 450999,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/450999/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 224,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 376,
        "legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
        "slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
    },
    "content": "import, prima facie, of these amendments even on our counties and the resources may be very grave. So, until I am very sure of the import, I will be very reluctant to support that. I know that we have spoken about some provisions of these Bills in the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Co-operatives and I want to speak specifically to the issue of fisheries. I know that in our Committee, we agreed that we could support some of these amendments on condition that we are bringing the Bill on fishing. I am glad that the same day they brought the Fisheries Management Bill. But for legislative coherence, what should have happened is that through the Fisheries Management Bill, we should have deleted some of the provisions herein instead of bringing a Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill where you have a substantive Bill dealing with the same issue. So, our Legal Department also needs to give proper advice on how we are moving on legislation. What I would like to say is that I would vehemently oppose some of the provisions relating to fisheries. I personally moved some of the amendments in the last Parliament. One, there was the issue of the size of fishing nets and, two, there was the issue of closing the fishing season for fishermen and also the management of hyacinth in the lakes. I have seen that by this Bill, we are deleting those provisions. All we would have been required to do was to give a six months notice to remove the obnoxious weed. It would be an obligation of the national Government to remove it. Now, we are removing that by this amendment. The provisions obligating the Government to look at the needs of fisher folks when it is closing the season--- The Government has a tendency or a policy to close the lake for four months each year. The communities where we come from, if you close the fishing season for four months, then you are punishing people because there are communities that rely solely on fishing and nothing else. The Government also developed a very poor aquaculture policy where aquaculture was concentrated on non-fishing communities instead of starting with the traditional fishing communities. So, when the lake is closed, the traditional fishing communities suffer. We had provided by law that when that happens, the Government must give food subsidies to those communities. By this amendment, that is being removed. I will support it in the interim only because the Fisheries Management Bill is coming so that, at the correct time, I will move those amendments. Otherwise, I do not want to repeat what my colleagues have spoken about concerning the Transition Authority. I agree with them. I would like to say that we need to be careful about how we are managing devolution. That is because everybody wants to manage the governors. I do not have any interest of being a governor, especially because of the way the position is currently structured. The way they are being sent home is like a party. So, I would not be interested in being a governor on that basis alone. But while the MCAs are throwing them out like it is popcorn and a party, we are also busy here trying to create different bodies of managing governors further. If we are committed to devolution, let us look at means of effectively over-sighting governors. At the same time, let us give them a leeway to perform their work. We cannot be the ones who want to tell them to form whatever committee. I know that there is another Bill before this House that went to the Senate where we put a mediation committee that talks of the same things. That is why I am saying that our Legal Department needs to advise us. We were just talking with one hon. Member here that this Parliament - and I hope you are taking me The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}