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{
    "id": 784154,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/784154/?format=api",
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    "content": "have suffered with their livestock? People walk all the way from Kajiado across to Laikipia. You will recall how their animals were short dead because their only crime is that they were feeding their livestock. So, food security is not the absence of food as such. It is a much more comprehensive policy that we must look at. Sen. Murkomen mentioned about the Kenya Meteorological Department that is located somewhere on the left side towards Dagoretti Corner. I am glad he reminded me that the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) used to have a programme about where it would rain and where the rains would come from. Some of the issues that we should be discussing in this Bill include how to incorporate our weather patterns into our food security concerns and where we should place all these issues. If we know that we will have a lot of rainfall in rift valley and no rainfall in parts of lower eastern for example, people can be advised to plant more food so that it can be distributed to lower parts of eastern when there is no food. I have talked about granaries. Food security is not just growing of crops and harvesting but it must include storage. This country must take pride in storing enough food to feed Kenyans during the dry season. We are lucky we have never had a war that forced people to go and fight and not go to farms. It is only disasters related to weather that have made us unable to farm. This Senate must take that initiative. I will be happy if the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries moved a Motion, so that this Senate can request the national Government to table its food and nutrition policy to enable us interrogate it in detail. That is the only thing that will inform this authority. I hope we will not be asked to vet the persons who will serve there because we will end up with an issue that I witnessed here yesterday. Again we will appoint people whose work will be to sit and do nothing. If we do not give them funds they will give us no report even if we expect it. The former Senator for Mombasa County, Mr. Hassan Omar, had a Bill on Article 43 on the rights of Kenyans. How will we realise this? My Chairman of the Committee on Finance and Budget is here. He knows that unless the national Government takes the initiative that funds must follow functions, this Act will just be a nice paperwork and nice records for us. Clause 6(k) provides that the authority shall facilitate access to resources and means of production. How much is the Government investing to ensure that farmers who grow maize in the rift valley get fertiliser even on credit? If Equity Bank can give Local Purchase Orders (LPOs) to mama mbogas, the Government ought to give farmers these facilities on credit. I am unhappy about the provision that the authority shall adopt a comprehensive national strategy. They should collect views from Kenyans on a comprehensive national strategy action plan to promote the right and access to food. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have spoken about the Authority and implementation, but unless this function is coordinated well under Article 189 between the national Government and county governments, it would be again a fallacy to take all this work at national government. As we prepare to participate in the next Devolution Conference, I would like us to raise with national Government, a serious conversation and national dialogue on what we intend to do about the functions that have been 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."
}