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"content": "that line of thinking in terms of alternative foods available for Kenyans. The reason I reserve my further comments on that is because I remember that, at one time, there was a Cabinet Minister who ran into a lot of trouble for suggesting other available foods for Kenyans. I do not want to walk on that path. I still want to be safe on this. However, while addressing public participation in terms of food availability, one of the things that we need to question ourselves is that, up to date, there are areas and parts of this country that are prone to certain diseases. There are parts of this country – for example the county that I represent and around regions where Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri comes from – where cancer is prevalent. If you were to map out those areas, you would wish and want to question whether it has anything to do with the foods that we eat, how we preserve or prepare our foods. We should question that over time and have experts address us, with the passage of this Bill. With that kind of public participation we will, at least, answer some of those questions. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am also elated to see that they have put among the provisions of the Bill, that apart from providing relief food and ensuring that Kenyans who are suffering year in, year out from the effects of drought are fed, they shall set up measures to empower them and show them ways in which they can be food secure, either as communities or as counties. It cannot be that we have elected leaders in this country, yet they are comfortable in their offices and know that in a certain month, residents of their counties will be faced by drought and still not do anything about it. It is important that, with this Bill, we shall be thinking about the measures that we can put in place to ensure that different parts of this country become food secure despite the soil topography and all these other factors that are taken into consideration. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in Clause 5 under Part II, I like the use of the word “enjoyment,” because Kenyans paid a dear price for the Constitution. Therefore, if there is a right enshrined in it, Kenyans should actually enjoy it because they deserve it. Clause 5 under Part II provides that:- “For the enjoyment of the right to adequate food and freedom from hunger, Kenyans shall question the national and county governments.” Therein is a list of so many other things that Kenyans can ask their leaders. It will be possible to walk to a governor and ask him, “What are the plans that you have put in place in the budget that you have developed as a county government, for the members of your county that live in Arid and Semi-Arid (ASAL) areas?” Or “In the budget that you have developed as a county government, what are the things that you have set forth, for example, in terms of large scale or small scale irrigation for farmers?” Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, since the inception of devolution, we have not had the opportunity to question and find out how long and how sustainable national reliance on, for example, the north rift part of the country, is. What if farmers of that region, for example, in Trans Nzoia, feel that it is no longer economical for them to plant maize and they want to switch to dairy farming; how will other counties in this country survive? Farmers in my county, for example, no longer plant maize. 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."
}