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{
    "id": 720376,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/720376/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 211,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Okoth",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12482,
        "legal_name": "Kenneth Odhiambo Okoth",
        "slug": "kenneth-odhiambo-okoth"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Bill. I am happy to see a Member of the Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association (KYPA), of which I am the treasurer, show leadership by bringing a Private Members’ Bill on an important issue for the wellbeing and the livelihood of people in many parts of this country. The world is going through climate change. Kenya is one of the countries that spearheaded the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We must really think about how we will adjust for sustainable development and economic wellbeing of our people in all parts of the country; whether they live near the lake and rely on fishing in places like Turkana; whether they live in the highlands and can still farm things like coffee; or whether they live in the semi-arid areas and rely on things like conservation in the ranches as well as livestock production of camels and goats. This is a very important sector. It has huge potential. This Bill has come at a timely stage for us to make sure that we create a national framework and body which will liaise with the county governments and especially those county governments in regions that are major livestock-dependent economies. It will step in quickly and take advantage of the existence of the board and work in collaboration to make sure that our livestock sector and people who rely on it can get a chance to export their produce to the European Union and the Middle East in a big way. Right now, it is the middlemen and very entrepreneurial businessmen who are finding a way to take livestock out of Kenya through Somalia and into the Gulf States. This is something that Kenya Government and Kenyan farmers should benefit from directly - not through middlemen. It is an opportunity to create jobs for young people and boost our sources of foreign currency and foreign reserves as we trade and diversify our trade. Last year, we were debating in this House about the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). We also need to not only think about regional trade within the East African Community, but also our linkage and exposure to the markets in the European Union and internationally. When we think about the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in the United States of America that has been there since President Bush, President Obama and I hope shall continue under President Trump, we have not really been taking full advantage of that market. I want to thank Hon. Abdinoor for thinking about this board. Once it is set up through this Bill when we pass it, we hope that many more young people, who rely on agriculture and production of livestock, can get the certification, standards and support necessary to make sure that their products are exported."
}