{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=155152","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=155150","results":[{"id":1569702,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569702/?format=json","text_counter":170,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. David Ochieng’","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":"We have students, in the Speaker’s Gallery from Olkejuado High School, Kajiado Central Constituency, Kajiado County. Please join me in welcoming them. We also have students, seated in the Public Gallery, from Bavuni Secondary School, Nakuru North Sub- County, Nakuru County. They have all come to follow our proceedings this morning."},{"id":1569703,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569703/?format=json","text_counter":171,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Applause)"},{"id":1569704,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569704/?format=json","text_counter":172,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. David Ochieng’","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":"The next Member to contribute to this Bill is Hon. Makali Mulu, Member for Kitui Central."},{"id":1569705,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569705/?format=json","text_counter":173,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kitui Central, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I appreciate the time you have given me to join my colleagues in supporting this important Bill, the Agriculture and Livestock Extension Services Bill. When I was young and joined secondary school, any teacher who came to our class would say agriculture is the backbone of our economy. Those were the days when crops like coffee, tea, and pyrethrum were contributing seriously to the economic growth and foreign exchange earnings. Over time, this important sector continues to decline in terms of its contribution to the GDP of this country. If you do an analysis of our economic growth and growth of some of these sectors, you will find that anytime agriculture does well, the economic growth of the country goes up. This means agriculture is like the main driver of our economic growth. This being the case, it means that it is important we do all it takes to support this sector. When I was young my mother was a very good farmer, despite being illiterate. Up to now, she still does serious farming at her age. She is about 87. Agricultural extension officers used to come to our farm. Those days they used to carry some wood to measure terraces. Anytime you saw them, you could see value addition to the farmer’s work. Those were the old days. To get an extension officer these days, you have to look for them. Why are we looking for extension officers? Over time, the Government stopped recruiting them. To make things worse, governors have also not recruited them. The few who are there are demotivated, since they are neither supported with The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."},{"id":1569706,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569706/?format=json","text_counter":174,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kitui Central, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu","speaker":null,"content":"allowances to go to the field nor given cars, bicycles or motorcycles. They rode bicycles in the old days. This Bill shows the way Kenya should be going; in terms of the right direction. We all know that agriculture is devolved, and we support devolution. It is important to realise that agriculture can never do well, if we do not have extension officers. This is the link between technology and the farmer. These are the people who know which pesticides you need to treat the farmer's crops and the latest technology in town that farmers can use to improve productivity, which has just been mentioned. When they are not there, we leave farmers on their own. This is important. I do not know whether we have the capacity to dictate that whatever budget goes to the governor's office or the counties, that a specific percentage be set aside for extension officers. In that case, we will ensure we have extension officers in this country, more so in agricultural-rich areas where agriculture does very well. The same case should also apply in areas where livestock do well like North Eastern and Ukambani region where we can do very well in keeping cows, goats and all those other related livestock. This Senate Bill which has been introduced in this House by Hon. Mutunga is the right one. Given the timing, we are late. It should have come many years ago, maybe when we started devolution, so that we get these important officers in the field. If we do this, we will help this country. Coming to the extension officers, there are a few things we need to get right. In terms of training, during our days we used to hear of Bukura Agricultural Institute, Ukambani Agricultural Institute, and Embu Agricultural Institute which were middle-level institutes for training diploma level. We also used to have Kabete campus which trained at degree level. Over time, we have killed almost all the diploma level colleges and are only remaining with the ones which offer degrees. There is no way graduates can visit all these farmers because they feel a bit senior. We need to come up with a procedure where we have middle-level institutions like Ukambani Agricultural Institute and Bukura Agricultural Institute so that they can provide the middle-level personnel who can visit farmers. By doing this, we will get it right, in terms of training. The other area which we also need to get right is transport facilitation. In terms of transport, it is now easier to procure motorcycles because they have become very cheap to procure, Hon. Temporary Speaker. If we provided them with motorcycles the way we have done with the chiefs, they will be able to penetrate remote areas of this country and support our farmers so that we grow this economy."},{"id":1569707,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569707/?format=json","text_counter":175,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kitui Central, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu","speaker":null,"content":"The other thing we must do is to provide allowances. We can call them lunch allowances or travel allowances, but there must be provision of allowances. County governments’ budgets must make provision for that so that when they go to the field, the extension officers are able to do their work without complaining that they do not have lunch and fuel allowances among other things."},{"id":1569708,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569708/?format=json","text_counter":176,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kitui Central, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu","speaker":null,"content":"I support this Bill and urge my colleagues to support it too. My wish is to have it fast- tracked. We have seen Bills being fast-tracked in this House so that they become Acts of Parliament. If we can fast-track this one so that it becomes an Act of Parliament, we will help this country and this economy, more so in terms of growth because agriculture still remains the mainstay of our economy and it remains the biggest contributor to our economic growth."},{"id":1569709,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569709/?format=json","text_counter":177,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kitui Central, WDM","speaker_title":"Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu","speaker":null,"content":"With those many remarks, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I support. Thank you very much."},{"id":1569710,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569710/?format=json","text_counter":178,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. David Ochieng’","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Member for Seme."},{"id":1569711,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569711/?format=json","text_counter":179,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Seme, ODM","speaker_title":"Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support this Bill because it addresses the biggest gap in our agricultural industry. Extension workers are actually the feet with which the industry moves. Whatever policies and whatever strategies we put in place to improve agriculture, the only level and cadre that can take them to the ground where work occurs are the extension workers. Somebody has The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."}]}