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{
    "id": 654245,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/654245/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 187,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Ombaka",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1007,
        "legal_name": "Christine Oduor Ombaka",
        "slug": "christine-oduor-ombaka"
    },
    "content": "The establishment of a research center in relation to indigenous seeds and plants is a welcome idea. I am still very concerned about the many research centres that we have in this country. We have so many of them, including those that exist in the universities. I happen to have been a university lecturer. There are several departments and research centres in the universities that conduct research in the area of indigenous plants and medicines. Maseno University has an excellent research center. What that university suffers from is lack of funds. They do not have enough funds to extend the research in the areas of seeds and plants. I am not so sure that if we start the research centre that is proposed in this Bill, it will receive funds to enable it conduct more research given that the research centres that we already have are not being funded properly. That is the challenge we need to address. Are we ready to establish a research center that will be well funded to enhance research in the area of seeds and plants? We may be starting another research centre only for it to fail, when we already have research centres at the various public universities. We need to exhaust what we already have as we find out where the weaknesses are so that, even if we start another center, it can enhance the work for the existing ones or work together with the centres that already exist. I am a supporter of indigenous plants and seeds. Last night, I was so ill. I did not believe that I would be ready to come to work today. I took some mwarubaini, which was given to me by my house help. When I woke up this morning, I was whole again. I am so fine now. Traditional medicines and plants are very important and yet, we do not value them so much. We need to put more effort in their establishment. In the rural areas, there are so many people who do not go to hospitals because they have indigenous plants that they use all the time to treat malaria, diarrhoea and many other diseases. Many people believe in indigenous plants. This is a rich area that needs protection, funding and more research. We need to put more effort in their establishment. If we do not do this, our country will be flooded by indigenous plants from other countries. When you go to any supermarket now, you will be met by a whole world of traditional medicine from other countries. We have traditional Chinese and Indian medicines all over. Those countries are promoting their traditional medicines. We are not promoting ours and yet, we also have very powerful indigenous plants. We need to start with what we already have before we establish another research center. The Bill is good and I support it."
}