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{
    "id": 99431,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/99431/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Bahari",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 156,
        "legal_name": "Abdul Bahari Ali Jillo",
        "slug": "bahari-ali-jillo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to support this Bill and, at the same time, take the opportunity to congratulate the Mover, the Seconder and all the hon. Members who have spoken before me. The Mover of this Bill has done quite a splendid job. The case of the livestock sector, as hon. Members have eloquently and emotionally put, is one of the untold stories of how we have sat on a sector that is very productive and that employs many people and yet, we have forgotten it in our policies. One of the visions of the Ministry of Finance is to invest resources where you can get the best returns. This is one of the sectors which, in terms of employment creation and production in the market, comprises of 46 per cent of all the agricultural produce in the market. The sector contributes 3 per cent of the 12 per cent that the agricultural sector contributes to the GDP. But if you look at the Government input in terms of realizing the potential of that sub-sector, it is literally zero. It is a forgotten sector. That level of negligence has cost this country a lot. I want to start by asking: Who knows the population of livestock in this country? When was a census ever done? You do not know at all! How do you plan for it when you are working from rough estimates? Statistics from those areas have been forgotten. Nobody has ever bothered for a long time. Even human statistics have been forgotten. It is only recently that we started carrying out serious statistical production in arid and semi arid areas. It is a high time we started waking up. I want to tell you that I do not know how many areas have a laboratory. We do not have livestock laboratories at all. How do you diagnose a problem? Every time, a sample has to be rushed to Kabete from Mandera, Turkana and wherever it is and yet, we are saying that we are a serious Government? We are not, when it comes to livestock development. There has been total negligence altogether. There is nothing you can throw away from livestock; from the horn, hooves, skin, blood and everything. Everything can give you some income. The role of the Government is to be a catalyst and provide the right environment. I heard an hon. Member say that we should thank the Minister for Tourism for having done a good job. I agree that he has done an excellent job. However, even the tourists need to eat beef which is healthy. That is what they will be looking out for. So, this must be looked at in totality. I saw the Minister for Public Service. He was here just now-----"
}