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{
"id": 1496022,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496022/?format=api",
"text_counter": 407,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 16,
"legal_name": "Farah Maalim Mohamed",
"slug": "farah-maalim"
},
"content": " Those are serious brilliant minds."
},
{
"id": 1496023,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496023/?format=api",
"text_counter": 408,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Yes, we have serious professionals. I want to thank him. I wish he was the person who seconded the Motion because he would have added a lot of value to the debate. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I join my colleagues in thanking Hon. Mayaka for bringing this Amendment Bill. You and I have been in this House for long. You are aware that it is not easy to get a Private Member’s Bill going through this House and, more so, for a first time Member who has been here for two years. So, Hon. Mayaka, congratulations. This is a big milestone. I can assure you that if you remain in this House for a longer period, many of your bills will go through and become Acts of Parliament. So, I encourage and thank you for the effort you have put in coming up with this Amendment Bill. Having listened to the debate, I agree with Hon. Members that eucalyptus trees have serious adverse effects on the environment. At the same time, they also have some benefits. I must confirm that when I was a small boy, my father grew one hectare of eucalyptus trees. Anytime there was need to pay school fees, we would cut some trees and sell them. Within a very short time, new trees would sprout again. As of today, that small farm still has traces of those trees. We cut them last year because they had made the whole area dry. So, when people say that they have negative effects to the environment, I agree. Why do people plant those trees? They plant them for economic benefits because they make money out of them. As I said, my father would cut and sell them so as to get money for school fees. There are several reasons why some people plant those trees. They plant them to make money. The trees are also a source of firewood and building materials. The timber that is used for roofing in many parts of the country is from eucalyptus trees. Due to lack of education, many people have no idea that, that plant makes the area dry. That is why Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) needs to come up with an alternative species of trees that will provide the same benefits in terms of firewood, income and building materials, but do not negatively have an impact to the environment. This debate is very timely because COP29, where environmental issues are being discussed, is taking place. Due to the effects of global warming, we should plant trees so as to reduce carbon in the environment. At the same time, that can be a money-making venture. As I said earlier, I watched this debate in the morning. I agree with the Hon. Members who have said that those who have hugely contributed to the serious pollution in our environment should pay. So, the idea of financing the fight against climate change should be actualised. I got very worried when I saw that those who have hugely contributed to the pollution like China, India and United States (US) were not in attendance. As a House, we need to support this Bill. We also need to encourage KEFRI, which is mandated to deal with issues of forestry, to come up with alternative species of trees. That way, we will help this country and make sure that our farmers do not suffer. A Member of this House has already reported that she is a farmer and grows eucalyptus trees to make money. So, as we avoid planting them, we need an alternative so that she can continue making money. If we go in that direction, we will help this country. I appreciate and support this amendment Bill. How I wish we can fast-track it so that it gets to the Third Reading and becomes law. That way, we will stop complaining about eucalyptus trees and, more so, when they are planted along our river banks. Hon. Temporary Speaker, with those many remarks, I support."
},
{
"id": 1496024,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496024/?format=api",
"text_counter": 409,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 16,
"legal_name": "Farah Maalim Mohamed",
"slug": "farah-maalim"
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"content": " Hon. Caroli Omondi."
},
{
"id": 1496025,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496025/?format=api",
"text_counter": 410,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 16,
"legal_name": "Farah Maalim Mohamed",
"slug": "farah-maalim"
},
"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": 1496026,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496026/?format=api",
"text_counter": 411,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Suba South, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Caroli Omondi",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Let me begin by congratulating my dear sister, Hon. Irene Mayaka, for keeping this matter alive. I first came across this issue sometime in 1994 when I was drafting the Environmental Management and Coordination Act. It was one of the big issues that came up at that time, but we did not quite deal with it. We thought we left it for regulations, but it is still coming up. I am happy that it is still alive. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the little I know about eucalyptus trees is that there are more than 700 species. Most of them are large trees, but there are shrubs too. Therefore, when we talk of eucalyptus, we are basically talking about 700 plus species. Each would be distinct and unique in their botanical characteristics and how they affect or interconnect with other species within the ecosystem. We are generally mostly talking about the gum trees in this particular debate. Eucalyptus are native to Australia, which shows us some qualities that they have. They can withstand dry climate and there lies the opportunity to have eucalyptus trees in Kenya. That is one of the reasons why they were brought here as a species. They are not indigenous to Kenya and they are not native. They were brought in as a plantation tree. Much of Australia is very dry and it is the eucalyptus trees that provide much of the vegetation. Therefore, as we demonise or debate on what eucalyptuses are, we should also acknowledge their good aspects. Generally, ecosystems are inter-dependent. Species support fellow species. The eucalyptus supports some insects and animals, hence creating ecological balance within the ecosystem and the equilibrium amongst species. We may have issues with it, but we should not wholesomely condemn it or even remove it from the Republic as is being suggested. We need to be very clear of what it is that we want to do. There is this debate, but it is not conclusive, whether eucalyptus consume a lot of water or drain water aquifers or rivers. I was just looking at some reports online and one of the leading scholars from Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) is saying that eucalyptus only use water during photosynthesis to produce wood. There is a study which confirms that eucalyptus, in terms of producing biomass or wood fuel, is the most efficient tree. We have heard other Members allude to that fact. It is important that we ask for further studies. My concern is that we want to ban it along rivers without specifying what the riparian is. There is a regulation somewhere of 30 meters from the centre point of the river on either side – which is the riparian area – or 30 meters from the shore line of the lake, also known as, the low tide zone. The problem is this: What about the water aquifers, which are all inter-connected underground and form sources of rivers? What are we going to do with them? As a House, we need a more definitive study. We need an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report from the National Environment Management Authority of Kenya (NEMA) on what eucalyptus are and how they relate with water sources. Otherwise, it is very difficult. We can see we have a problem, but we cannot put our hands perfectly on it. I would like to encourage Hon. Irene to get us more scientific reference material before we get to the Third Reading, so that we are better informed. I am very happy that this issue has been kept alive. I think there is a problem, but Eucalyptus trees have a big ecological benefit to our country that we also need to be alive to. With those remarks, I encourage the Hon. Member to get us more scientific data and reports to read, so that when we say we are going to ban them along rivers, we can know the distances; how far we deal with water aquifers and other sources of water. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
},
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"id": 1496027,
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"text_counter": 412,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 16,
"legal_name": "Farah Maalim Mohamed",
"slug": "farah-maalim"
},
"content": " Hon. Mulanya."
},
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"id": 1496028,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496028/?format=api",
"text_counter": 413,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nambale, Independent",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Geoffrey Mulanya",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you Hon. Temporary Speaker for giving me this opportunity to speak on this Motion."
},
{
"id": 1496029,
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"text_counter": 414,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nambale, Independent",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Geoffrey Mulanya",
"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."
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"id": 1496030,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496030/?format=api",
"text_counter": 415,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nambale, Independent",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Geoffrey Mulanya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I echo the sentiments of my colleagues about the disadvantages of growing the eucalyptus along water catchment areas. As much as my colleague, Hon. Caroli, has said that the tree has advantages that we should consider, I submit that the disadvantages of growing that tree, especially along the water catchment areas, outweighs its advantages. From the time the eucalyptus tree was introduced in this country, many people started growing it along swamps, river banks and within water catchment areas."
},
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"id": 1496031,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496031/?format=api",
"text_counter": 416,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 16,
"legal_name": "Farah Maalim Mohamed",
"slug": "farah-maalim"
},
"content": " Order, Hon. Mulanya. You will have a balance of nine minutes to contribute when this debate resumes."
}
]
}