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{
    "id": 90903,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/90903/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 196,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Lesrima",
    "speaker_title": "Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 178,
        "legal_name": "Simon Saimanga Lesirma",
        "slug": "simon-lesirma"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to start by thanking the Minister and his staff for the very good job they are doing in supporting the livestock industry. I also want to congratulate the chairman of the departmental committee for his comments although I disagree with him entirely on the concept of using helicopters to track down cattle rustlers. I want to remind him that on 26th December, 1996 cattle rustlers brought down one helicopter which carried a District Commissioner. I think the solution to this problem would be to support a budget for branding. The Minister has done branding before but because of inadequate funding he has not been able to do it in totality. If you brand in one district and do not brand in another one then it becomes very difficult to identify the animals. There is also new technology that uses ICT. There is a gadget that can be embedded in the bowels in the stomach of the cow, and it can be used to trace animals for the purpose of security. I would also want to encourage the Ministry to support rangeland development, the making of hay, or the whole area of animal feeds. Right now there is a lot of grass in the country, particularly in Laikipia, Samburu and those other areas. In fact, I am worried that when it stops raining and begins to get dry, the next danger we will face is fires. I think this is the time the Ministry should harvest this grass and stock it in preparation for exhibition in case we have a severe drought. I want to congratulate the Minister for recruiting a number of veterinarians and we still need more of them. I am glad that he has employed extension officers. But I think we also need to encourage farmers’ field days, so that farmers, as a way of extension service, can teach others. The Minister has talked about disease-free zones and holding grounds. But I am not seeing any movements towards securing the various holding grounds from the north to the KMC. We also need to get better breeds to our farmers. We need to support the Central Artificial Insemination Centre and link it up with the Kenya Stud Book. We want our farmers to register modern breeds, so that they can get better markets inside and outside the country. Disease control is also very important. Kenya Veterinary Vaccine Production Institute (KEVEVAPI) is a very important institution. I am glad it is now under the Ministry. Previously, it was under the Ministry of Agriculture. We need to, perhaps, decentralise it and look for a way of linking KEVEVAPI with activities of veterinary officers to monitor diseases particularly foot and mouth disease."
}