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{
    "id": 721882,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/721882/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 83,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kubai Iringo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1574,
        "legal_name": "Cyprian Kubai Iringo",
        "slug": "cyprian-kubai-iringo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Bill. As has been mentioned by the Mover, this Bill seeks to amend several existing Acts which were enacted a long time ago. It is a document which seeks to enrich the existing laws. I believe laws should be changed once in a while because some of them are normally overtaken by events, given the changing times and trends. In that case, it is important to do away with irrelevant laws or amend them so that they can conform to the constitutional demands. The Bill is meant to clear grey areas in several Acts of Parliament and, specifically, those which I have mentioned. I stand to support them as they have been indicated. I have reservations on some of them though, and I will highlight them as I continue. The Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act has, on several occasions in this House, raised some eyebrows. An ad hoc Committee was to be formed in this House to look into that matter. It did not succeed because Members threw it out. Already, we have an amendment to the same law, which is in the Order Paper today. It has been brought by Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo. This law has to change because betting, lottery and gaming have taken a toll on our society. Betting has permeated into our villages, kiosks and small canteens. It is really affecting the social set-up of our community. It is affecting mostly the youth who are already entangled in it. The youth can go to any extent to get money to use in betting. They even sneak into their homes to steal items which they can sell to get money for betting. Even students gamble. Instead of paying fees, they visit gaming rooms or dungeons and once all their monies have been lost, they stop going to schools or even attempt suicide. I concur with that particular amendment. With regard to the dairy industry, the inclusion of goat and camel milk is quite welcome. Goat and camel milk are nutritious and medicinal. Camels are found in the North Eastern region. We have no idea how camel milk is processed, stored and consumed. Camel milk can be used to feed people and children in school during drought. I have reservations on the clause that seeks to put penalties on the handling and selling of milk, especially the levy. Peasant farmers have few cows that they milk. They sell a few litres to buy a few household items. Putting a levy on that milk by the county governments will overburden those peasants. During drought, peasants rely on their cows for milk. That milk is just for home consumption. We should do a further amendment to give quantities that can be levied. Levying one or two litres will be punitive to peasant farmers. We should change the word “youth” to “persons” because all Kenyans require employment. The amendment on the Clinical Officers (Training, Registration and Licensing) Act is good because we passed a Bill that provided for a Clinical Officers Council. We also agreed that clinical officers should be allowed to own clinics when they are not in any other formal employment. These amendments seem to strengthen the same. Under the Crops Act, the establishment of the Commodities Fund Board of Trustees is welcome because Kenya, being an agricultural country, has many boards and crops put in the Crops Act, including the miraa in Meru. This Board should oversee the production and marketing of miraa so that farmers can get their dues. The National Employment Act should be looked into critically. We have lost our citizens in foreign land. I am talking about people who had been cheated in the name of greener pastures, only for them to be mistreated and misused once they get out there. They come back home when 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."
}