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{
    "id": 780102,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/780102/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 147,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Kenya Fish Levy Trust Fund. There was also a fifth one, which is the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), which exists. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the recruitment for these directors began in March 2017. Today is March 2018 and the process is not yet complete. A recruitment process that is almost as long as the gestation period of an elephant tells you that there must be something wrong and flawed with this recruitment. The only thing that this House can do is to demand that that process be terminated and started afresh. This is because fish matters are not rocket science and it cannot take you more than one year to find people to sit on those boards. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the second thing that I wish the Chairperson to consider is that we sometimes ignore the goose that lays the golden egg. The statistics presented by the Chairperson indicate that Lake Victoria still contributes to about 80 per cent of the fish caught in this Republic, even though there is a great potential in marine; what we have been calling the Blue Economy. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Vice Chairperson says that some officers have been seconded to the Kenya Fisheries Service. Where are they when Kenyan fishermen are being arrested on the lake and taken to jails in Uganda and Tanzania? The intention of the Kenya Fisheries Service was to protect our fishermen. It was meant to be like the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). They were to patrol and survey the lake. Can the Vice Chairperson tell us where these people have been deployed to? Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the Indian Ocean we still have Kenyan fishermen being attacked by pirates. We still have people coming to catch our Tuna and selling it abroad. Where are these officers and this organisation? I do not want to cast aspersions on people’s backgrounds and knowledge on fish, but we have been told that there is an acting Director General. It would be interesting to know how they were recruited. Finally, the Vice Chairperson says that Kenya has an open trade policy, which is good, but it only comes up when we are talking about fish, cotton or pyrethrum. It does not come up when we are talking about flowers, milk, tea or coffee. The report given by the Vice Chairperson is erroneous. He says that the problem in Kenya is that the demand is greater than the supply. However, when you look at the numbers he has represented, they indicate that supply from Lake Victoria has dropped from a peak of 128,000 tonnes in 2014 to only 96,000 tonnes in 2017. What has been happening? The lake has not been shrinking like Lake Chad; it is still the same lake and same nutrients. There are so many excuses. Our focus should be on improving production from Lake Victoria rather than encouraging imports from China. It will surprise you that we are even importing fish from Israel of all the countries. This is a failure on the part of the Government. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I know that the Vice Chairperson will not have all the answers. Therefore, I want to recommend that he convenes a stakeholders’ conference or forum, where Senators with an interest in this matter can interrogate the national Government and county governments, to find a way of operationalising the Fisheries Management and Development Act. While that goes on, we resolve to stop the procurement process that has been going on for one year. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}