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{
"id": 98282,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/98282/?format=api",
"text_counter": 345,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Prof. Olweny",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Education",
"speaker": {
"id": 122,
"legal_name": "Patrick Ayiecho Olweny",
"slug": "patrick-olweny"
},
"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we can also use modern technology like genetic modification to come up with mosquitoes that will kill others. In fact, if you create mutation in mosquitoes, those ones that have mutation in their germ cells will kill others or reproduce mosquitoes that will not survive. That is one way of using good research to come up with such ideas to wipe out mosquitoes. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the idea of controlling malaria through spraying is an old method. In fact, Nairobi used not to have mosquitoes, but today, we have a good number of them within the city. Likewise, highland areas never used to have mosquitoes, but that can be explained in terms of the climate change and global warming that we are experiencing. But Nairobi used to have effective spraying against mosquitoes and even control against rodents. We never used to have so many rats roaming around the city as we see them in estates because the City Council used to control them. This has gone down. Recently, within the last one month, I have seen some spraying of mosquitoes being done in Western Kenya. I hope it is also in other parts of the country. They visit homes and move from village to village spraying houses or any structures against mosquitoes. So, that is one way that would help us reduce the prevalence of malaria. But if we still have breeding grounds for mosquitoes, then I do not think the problem will be solved. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, a lot of nets have been distributed within the villages, particularly to the pregnant women and children, but that is only for convenience when sleeping, so that you are not bitten and inconvenienced while sleeping at night. We use mosquito nets only when sleeping, but mosquitoes bite and spread malaria anytime they encounter you, be it day time or evening when you are resting at home. Once you are bitten, then you have the malaria parasite transferred into your system by the mosquito. So, the nets that are being used or distributed to the mothers is not just enough. This is because they do not prevent mosquitoes. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at the Bill, from Part II, where the institute has been described it shows that it is a parastatal, yet the hon. Member at the end of the Bill in the Memorandum of Objects and Reasons says that the enactment of this Bill will not occasion additional expenditure of public funds. I think that is something which the hon. Member has to go through again with the relevant Ministry because that is not true. If you come up with an institute, you will be employing people to run it. You will also need physical infrastructure. Who will provide the funds? You will need recurrent expenses for the salaries of the people employed. Who will provide the money? A Government organization or parastatal will have to be budgeted for yearly. So, that is something which the hon. Member needs to look at, because I think it was an oversight. I think someone did not tell him the truth about that aspect. There will, definitely, be a very heavy budget for an institution of this kind. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member has suggested that this institute will be basically for research. But we lack in this country an institute for training people specifically to deal with malaria, yet malaria is a major killer in this country. If there was a way of linking training to this institute, that would give it more value. So, I suggest to the hon. Member to find a way of putting in this Bill an aspect of training to be done by this institute. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support the Bill, but let the hon. Member consider some of the suggestions that have been made by the House."
}