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{
    "id": 993769,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/993769/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 75,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "We had this debate when we were discussing the formula for allocation of resources and Nairobi was given zero on account of agriculture. Every year, Nairobi County staff do more than 15,000 extension service visits, yet that only satisfies 10 per cent of the demand because of poor funding. Madam Temporary Speaker, if we are talking about agriculture - Sen. Cherargei was talking about agribusiness - the biggest food market in this country is Nairobi. A lot of what is grown in every county comes to Nairobi apart from what might be exported. I want to debunk the idea and fallacy that Nairobi is not agricultural. I have farmers in this county who are producing more than 2,800 litres of milk in a day and they operate on land that is less than one acre. Over the years Nairobi has been the best in terms of production of milk and meat. I hope the Commission of Revenue Allocation (CRA) listens because I told them that they cannot score Nairobi zero in terms of agriculture. Secondly, every agricultural product needs a market. When we talk about livestock, Sen. (Eng.) Hargura will tell you that there is a large section of members of his community in Kiamaiko and Dagoretti market. The abattoirs from Kajiado, Rongai and North Eastern all bring their products to Nairobi. When you do not score Nairobi or consider Nairobi to be non-agricultural, then you are not working on the whole value chain of what agriculture is. Thirdly, we must talk about storage. If a small investment is made in Nairobi, we will save more than 80 per cent of post-harvest losses by dry and cold storage. The point I want to emphasize, and I hope Senators will hear me out because we are still going to have the discussion on County Allocation of Revenue Act (CARA) and on the formula; that for agriculture to work in Nandi, Nakuru and Kikuyu, you need Nairobi to have agriculture as a serious function, funded properly and working. Today, we have containment; we have blocked off Eastleigh. We have Kiambiu slums and many other slums around Eastleigh where people cannot get anything to eat because of what is happening in Eastleigh. Therefore, let us look at food security, end to end. In other countries they say “from farm to fork”. I am saying from the farm to the market because Nairobi plays a key role. Let the people of Nairobi be engaged in agriculture because the population in those places I have mentioned in Nairobi which are doing agriculture is larger than the population in many other counties by far. I do not want to mention specific counties because Senators will think I am targeting their counties. Let us support them. Madam Temporary Speaker, I remember in 2009/2010 when His Excellency the President was the Minister of Finance and we were doing financial inclusion for the informal sector, part of it was urban farming. If you go to Mathare today, there is pig farming going on along the river. A lot of the greens that even the Chair takes in her house and even what we eat here in Bunge are from Nairobi. Therefore, let us think about it holistically. The Cabinet Secretary (CS) of Agriculture came and I told him that when you stop transport in and out of Nairobi and you say food can come in and you assume that food comes in a green truck written “food”, you are wrong. I have market ladies from Kikuyu, Ukambani, Tala and Kangundo who come in Matatus with a few cabbages and chicken. They do not come in a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}