HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 103283,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/103283/?format=api",
"text_counter": 302,
"type": "other",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Prof. Saitoti): Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for affording me this opportunity to make my contribution to this very, very important Motion. I think this Motion has come at the right time, in the sense that it is not too long ago that this country was faced with--- Indeed, it experienced one of the worst droughts we have ever had. That drought wrecked havoc generally on the farms and created a lot of hardship for our people, particularly the farmers of all types, that is crops and livestock farmers. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is no doubt that if, indeed, we had constructed quite a number of dams in various parts of the country before the drought, the drought would very well have been there, but it would have been mitigated by the water which would have been harvested. Indeed, we could still have been able to grow food; we could easily have been able to save a lot of livestock which was actually very much affected. As a matter of fact, speaking of livestock farmers, there is no doubt at all today that most of them lost a lot of their animals in many places. I know, for example, in Kajiado and in many other places, livestock farmers lost not less than 85 per cent of their stock and that they are only relying on about 15 per cent. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, while on that point, can I also say one very important thing here? That, a number of livestock farmers had actually borrowed money from the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), and the repayment of those loans was going to be dependent on the fact that they would be able to rear their animals, and after selling them, they would be able to finance their own loans. Unfortunately, there is nothing now. So, my colleague, the new Minister, whom I have so much respect for, please, would you look into this issue, because these farmers basically have no means of repaying the loans they took. Something needs to be done about it; I am very sure that my colleague here will do so. You are most welcome to an extremely challenging Ministry, a Ministry that is very important. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, coming back to the core of this matter, it is a fact that if we had enough dams, there was a lot that we could have saved. I also note that the Minister for Water and Irrigation is here. I would like to commend her very much because I know during the time of the drought, she worked very hard. She went to the various parts of this country and, in fact, ensured that we had quite a number of dams â both big and small ones - constructed. But, again, this was coming while we had a lot of problems. But had we had sufficient resources at the time of the drought and constructed"
}