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{
    "id": 720320,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/720320/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 155,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Abdinoor",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13135,
        "legal_name": "Abdi Noor Mohammed Ali",
        "slug": "abdi-noor-mohammed-ali"
    },
    "content": "KMC is a slaughterhouse. It is doing nothing to the pastoralist communities. It is doing zero to the livestock sector in this country. It is just like a slaughterhouse in Kakamega, Turkana or Mandera. We must have a mechanism that links international and local markets and give data on the market. The meat industry contributes about 70 per cent of the red meat which is consumed in this country, and which comes from Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). The livestock sector has faced many challenges in marketing because middlemen are the biggest beneficiaries. They are the ones who are taking the largest profit between the producers and the processors. Climate change is also distorting the market in form of too much stock in the market during drought and lack of stock in the market during rainy season when there is grass. Lack of proper regulations has caused some of those challenges. Livestock marketing is totally disorganised in this country. Producers are practising opportunity selling. They are the ones who determine the market in terms of when to sell and when not to. They determine the need on a cash basis thus reducing the stock density. The Bill will also ensure that proper reports will be coming to Parliament every financial year. Clause 25 in Part IV of the Bill says that there will be a public engagement strategy that is going to engage the livestock herders, traders and stakeholders in this industry. The board will have to develop a network and partnership between livestock, livestock products and co- operative societies. The board will also form joint ventures and partnerships between livestock owners and co-operatives in the private sector, with a view of creating opportunities for marketing livestock and livestock products. The board will also work with the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and establish EPZs in areas with high number of livestock. During the colonial era, this country was divided into ranges where you can only take holding grounds. If you wanted to export your animals, the holding grounds were in Mombasa. If you wanted to rear your animals, the ranches were in Laikipia. There were proper systems and structures. We must maintain and regulate those structures and enhance the sector. The board must do a public engagement exercise every year. The board should only sit four times in a year. They will prepare a report every financial year to Parliament and to the county assemblies since this is a devolved function. This will ensure that the county assemblies can debate and have mitigation measures during drought and after. What we are doing in this country will not help the livestock sector. The offtake programmes we are funding and the feeding of the pastoralist communities are fire-fighting mechanisms in this country and will not help the sector. The objective of the board will be reviewed every year and there must be a target achieved. Without targets, we will not go anywhere. The progress they have made every year to improve the livestock industry have to be tabled in the county assemblies, National Assembly and the Senate. The actions taken by the national Government and county government to address the challenges facing the livestock industry during the year should include all the other efforts that can improve and achieve the objectives of the board. They have to recommend legal and administrative measures necessary in carrying out the functions that can improve the livestock sector. The board will be able to give information to any citizen regarding the livestock sector, the data that one needs, the research you want to do, all the diseases that are available in this country, disease-free zones and zoning this country into various sectors. There are general provisions in the Bill. I am trying to amend the Kenya Dairy Act so that we can remove the aspect of marketing from the Kenya Dairy Board. What the Kenya Dairy Board is doing is only marketing one livestock product, which is milk. It has forgotten the skin, 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."
}