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{
    "id": 963443,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/963443/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 70,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Ndwiga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 278,
        "legal_name": "Peter Njeru Ndwiga",
        "slug": "peter-ndwiga"
    },
    "content": "As a Committee, we have tried to question the Ministry on why some of these things are happening and why milk prices are low for the first time in the Republic. I may not have a lot of time, but I want to take this House down memory lane. We were in this position in 2000 and 2001. However, in 2003, Kenya Co-operative Creameries (KCC) was revived. It was meant to be a buyer of last resort so that we should not have glut milk in the country. It was supposed to take it over. I am informed that KCC still has a large stock of powdered milk which it has not been able to dispose of and is not able to process more powdered milk. That is the information as of last week. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is the responsibility of the Government in any country, particularly with an institution like KCC to find ways and means to dispose the milk. We have that stock of milk yet children in slum areas are dying of marasmus or kwashiorkor because of lack of proteins. In 2004, there was a proposal to make milk part of the strategic food reserve. If that does not happen, we will continue to have this problem. We need to pressurize the Government to initiate the process of making milk a strategic food reserve. As Sen. Cherargei has said, we need to know what the county governments are doing. This is because agriculture is a devolved function. Sadly, we only have four counties who process milk and give to children. The four counties have programmes where milk is distributed to the children in Early Childhood Education Development (ECDE). We need a structure where all school going children can be given milk. That way, we will solve the issue of excess milk in the country."
}