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{
    "id": 1025289,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1025289/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 336,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kinangop, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Zachary Thuku",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13380,
        "legal_name": "Zachary Kwenya Thuku",
        "slug": "zachary-kwenya-thuku"
    },
    "content": "The title of the Report is an Inquiry into the Status of Dams in Kenya. I expected this Report to capture present, historical and futuristic nature of proposed dams. So, we would have a Report that is surely an inquiry into the dams status in Kenya. I happen to come from a constituency where we host a dam that serves Nairobi, that is Sasumua Dam. It is interesting that we are some of the people who suffer some serious historical injustices. This is because the water comes from my constituency yet, my constituents do not enjoy the same water. This is an issue that needs to be addressed. I hope the Chair, because he is seated in the Chamber, will look at this and see how best to deal with it. So, we do get a resource from a certain constituency or county yet, the people there do not benefit from it. Many recommendations have been made by this Committee which I support especially on the formation of Directorate of Dam Engineering. This is very important because we see most of these projects like the old saying ‘putting the cart before the horse’ because they are not well thought out. What comes into the mind of the initiators of these projects is how they will benefit as persons. They forget about the millions of people who will benefit from such projects once well thought-out and implemented. The Directorate of Dam Engineering will reduce the cost of bidding whereby we will get a bidder design, construct and commission the same. If we have our own in- house designs, we will reduce the cost and time that implementation takes. There is also the issue of land compensation. This is what I am saying about putting the cart before the horse. We procure projects having not adequately compensated land owners. In my constituency there are proposed dams that is Kija Dam and Upper Chania and nothing is happening on the ground in terms of land compensation so that once the contractor sets in, he will have no hurdles in implementing the same. This is something that really needs to be well thought. It is something that we really need to debate as a House so that we do not have a situation where we are contracting before this has been done."
}