Prof. Margaret Kamar

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 281 to 290 of 3022.

• 23 Nov 2022 in Senate: 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. view
• 23 Nov 2022 in Senate: some of the approvals were overshot by more than double. An approval is given by the Cabinet on importation of maize to a certain tune. We discovered they had imported more than double of what was required. view
• 23 Nov 2022 in Senate: As they question that, they need to look at our earlier report because it was a report of this House so that we make sure that we do not suffer double jeopardy. I can assure you that the harvest in North Rift is very good and we should not be having problems. Yesterday, we spoke to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and we said: “You have enough maize and we should not have children not going to school.” Children from Kajiado and Northern Kenya are at home basically because there is no food. As a House we should put our ... view
• 23 Nov 2022 in Senate: The other thing we need to look at is the role of the governors in this. Agriculture is devolved except for policy. What are the governors doing? Why are we not seeing them frantically looking for food in some of these areas? As we question the importation, we also need to start questioning the distribution of food in this country from the growing to the consumption zones because the country will continue that way for a long time with climate change setting in and having problems. view
• 23 Nov 2022 in Senate: Thank you for the opportunity. I stand with Sen. Cherarkey’s Statement. We cannot afford to import maize at a time when harvesting is taking place. They can do importation any other time when we do not have food. Now that we have, I urge the Cabinet Secretary for Trade, Investment and Industry to avoid mixing things and allow the Ministry of Agriculture to open the depots first so that farmers can release their maize before any importation is done. I thank you. view
• 22 Nov 2022 in Senate: Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I listened very keenly to the previous speaker and never got his conclusion because he mixed science. I will start from the history of banning of the GMOs in Kenya. I was privileged to serve in the 10th Parliament together with Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale. When the ban took place, I was the one who seconded the Motion tabled by the Minister of Health, Hon. Beth Mugo. At that time, I was the Minister of Science and Technology where the National Biosafety Authority was based. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we ... view
• 22 Nov 2022 in Senate: 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. view
• 22 Nov 2022 in Senate: What we expect is a report from our scientists. We need the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) to speak and say something. It is really not about causing fear, as Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale has said. What we are saying is that we all fear and therefore, there is need to be safe from what we consume. There is need to increase research fund in this country. It is important that we allow our scientists, to distinguish between myths and facts about GMOs. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, what is modification? It is all about removing a gene and adding another one. The ... view
• 22 Nov 2022 in Senate: Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, allow me one minute to wind up. We need to be very clear, that what we consume is really good and we must think about that. There are two other areas that we must look at and Sen. Olekina mentioned them. Currently, Kenya exports fresh produce to Europe; to the same 16 countries. The minute we allow GMOs, this will be stopped. So, the implication is going to be bigger than we think. Lastly, is the right to choose what you want to eat. Even in the United States of America (USA) where Genetically Modified Organisms ... view
• 22 Nov 2022 in Senate: In fact, he said that when you go the supermarket, the shelf with GMOs food is usually full but the organic shelves are empty. It means that they have a right. Finally, it is important that Kenyans get to choose. The right to choose must be in our National Biosafety Authority (NBA) law so that even when we introduce GMOs, they can be labelled and put in the market for anyone who wants to consume. view