{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=160521","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=160519","results":[{"id":1623392,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623392/?format=json","text_counter":142,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Suba North, ODM","speaker_title":"Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. Before I second, I wish to welcome the students who have come to Parliament today. It is truly a privilege. They may not realise it now, but very few students get the opportunity to come into this House. When you are here, remember that some of us were once your age and once aspired to be where we are today. With a focused mind, it is entirely possible for you to get here. So, if there is anything you take away from today, let it be the belief in yourself and the possibilities ahead of you. You can become anything, not only politicians, but engineers, doctors, and much more. On behalf of Parliament, we welcome you to the Parliament of Kenya. Even as I second this Bill, I wish to congratulate the Chair for bringing it forward. I shall be brief. Under the 2010 Constitution, we now have a devolved system of governance that channels significant funding to counties, particularly in agriculture and health. In the previous governance structure, extension services were robust. However, perhaps due to teething problems, although it has taken some time, we find that extension services in most counties have collapsed. This is unfortunate, as Kenya is agriculturally rich. This is the case and yet our agricultural output has declined significantly. Despite our potential, we are not food sufficient. We could even be exporters of food, but the lack of investment and focus on extension services has compromised that potential. Therefore, it will be very important that we re-focus on those extension services including putting a lot of effort on capacity building and ensuring that devolution works at all levels; even to the village level. Many of our farmers are currently struggling on their own. I do not want to speak much because I know there are many Members who wish to contribute to this Bill. If there is anything else remaining, I will bring by way of any proposed amendments. I congratulate the Chairman, and I second. Thank you."},{"id":1623393,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623393/?format=json","text_counter":143,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Suba North, ODM","speaker_title":"Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona","speaker":null,"content":"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":1623394,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623394/?format=json","text_counter":144,"type":"scene","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"(Question proposed)"},{"id":1623395,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623395/?format=json","text_counter":145,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Deputy Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Members who want to contribute to this debate, kindly put the intervention button. Hon. Mugambi, the Member for Buuri."},{"id":1623396,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623396/?format=json","text_counter":146,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Buuri, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Bill. For a long time, when we were growing up, we used to see agricultural extension officers. We used to see them advising farmers on the best farming practices, how to prepare the fields for planting, and how to prepare even the animals on various stages of growth. Our economy relies entirely on agriculture. To be very specific, we export coffee, tea, and we are now exporting livestock products. For a long time, our farmers have been left alone after the withdrawal of many of these extension officers. Farmers need education on best practices on agriculture. Agriculture is the main source of income for our people in this country. We need to ensure that agriculture and livestock sustains itself because of the great role it plays in the economy of this country. After devolution there was a division of responsibilities, with the national Government taking up the responsibility of policy, and the county government taking up implementation. This Bill is establishing a clear relationship on how the national Government will operate and coordinate with the county government. Our farmers need training and education now particularly, because there is a lot of change in the climate. Areas that were not productive before are now turning to become important areas of agricultural production. We should not leave our farmers behind with the ongoing changes in climate and in soil conditions. We need to start educating our farmers on the best farming practices. Therefore, the responsibility of the agricultural extension officers is very important. Everywhere in the world right now, farming requires advanced technologies. We have seen best practices linking up farmers with the best technologies to enable them do the best farming. These extension officers will play a very great role in ensuring there is transfer of technology. This is because they have the capacity of learning and disseminating the knowledge on technology transfer. The extension officers play a very great role in linking our farmers to various farm inputs and markets. We have seen many young people and our gracious women requiring a lot of empowerment in farming. These people are asking for farm inputs. They are also asking for markets. There is nobody to advise them on what to do and where to go. I believe that with extension officers, farmers will get all this knowledge and be able to execute their responsibilities. We need to collect a lot of data. Hon. Deputy Speaker, remember you brought a matter on Cancer in this Parliament, which is associated with a lot of chemicals being used in farms in the rural areas. There is nobody who is focused to know what kind of information farmers have, what kind of problems farmers are facing, or what kind of chemicals are being used for a particular area. We, therefore, believe that if the agricultural extension officers are there, they will collect vital information on soil textures, and on areas that are affected by many diseases associated with chemicals that are being used. We believe that agricultural extension officers can collect information on the changing trends in agriculture for specific areas. It is very important, particularly now, that we encourage our young people in the rural areas to form cooperatives and self-help groups. I believe the agricultural extension officers are in a better place to assist these farmers form these groups. These groups have now been left to Members of Parliament, yet these are very technical areas. The agricultural extension officers are the people who can sit down with farmers, tell them what kind of groups they need to form, where to go, and where to register. They are not only confined to the actual agriculture, but they can also offer social information to our farmers. 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":1623397,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623397/?format=json","text_counter":147,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Buuri, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri","speaker":null,"content":"This is, therefore, a very important Bill. It needs to be passed and implemented as quickly as possible. We need to set aside and appropriate funds as the National Assembly, because the Government has set the policy. We need to appropriate funds to go towards the recruitment of these extension officers. We have too many graduates out there with certificates, diplomas, and degrees in extension services; specifically, in agriculture and livestock. It is, therefore, vital that we pass this Bill because it will give direction to agricultural policy in this country. I support."},{"id":1623398,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623398/?format=json","text_counter":148,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Deputy Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Member for Kilgoris, Hon. Sunkuli."},{"id":1623399,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623399/?format=json","text_counter":149,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kilgoris, KANU","speaker_title":"Hon. Julius Sunkuli","speaker":null,"content":" I also beg to support. The Chairman who has moved this Motion has done a good job. He has said everything that needs to be said about…"},{"id":1623400,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623400/?format=json","text_counter":150,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Deputy Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Hon. Sunkuli, allow me to interrupt you. Let me recognise the presence of these schools so that you can welcome them, because they might leave before we do that. I wish to recognise students sitting in the Public Gallery: Nkoile Boys High School, Kajiado Central Constituency, Kajiado County; Greenview Schools, Kasarani Constituency, Nairobi County; and Sabtet Junior School, Kuresoi North Constituency, Nakuru County. Hon. Sunkuli, welcome them as you contribute to the debate. Thank you."},{"id":1623401,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623401/?format=json","text_counter":151,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Kilgoris, KANU","speaker_title":"Hon. Julius Sunkuli","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I welcome all the students who have come from different parts of Kenya. It is good that they have all come together to see the National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya. From the outset, you learn the need to interact with the rest of Kenya. Welcome to the National Assembly where many of you will look into in future either as Members or voters. You will look at it as a House that will make a difference in your life. For the students from Kajiado, on behalf of the Member for Kajiado Central, I wish to say karibuni. Hon. Deputy Speaker, as I was saying, this is a very important Bill that has been brought by the Senate, and to this House by the Chairman. Growing up, my father was an extension officer. Those were the days when ‘extension’ had a meaning. When devolution came, we devolved the function of agriculture to county governments. This function is not very attractive to county governments. They do not treat it as a top priority. This notwithstanding the fact that in reality, every county has a budget line for agriculture. One thing that they have totally omitted to do is to recruit extension officers. I wonder from the point of view of the national Government, if a county government is not recruiting extension officers, and we are allowing universities and colleges to teach agriculture, are we not misleading the young people to go for courses where nobody will employ them? We have many people in our constituency with certificates, diplomas, and degrees in agriculture. They cannot be employed by the national Government because that function is devolved, yet the county governments have not shown any indication that they are going to employ them. It is important that colleges teaching agriculture reduce the ratio of students they are teaching because the number of students they are churning out who ought to be extension officers cannot be accommodated in the country. After all, the policy on recruitment in the county governments is wrong. I always decry Egerton University, our top agriculture university, on the way it is not coming up to standards nowadays. It is considered to be one of those universities that are going down the drain. This is the case and yet we say in this country that agriculture is important. If our premier university that trains agricultural officers is not doing a good job, where in the future, when we decide to recruit these people, are we going to get the real experts? Yes, Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology and other colleges of its kind are training people with certificates and diplomas. But what about the people who have a global knowledge of agriculture? Where are we going to have them trained if Egerton University cannot train them? 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."}]}