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{
    "id": 1078378,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1078378/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 502,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ndhiwa, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Martin Owino",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13449,
        "legal_name": "Martin Peters Owino",
        "slug": "martin-peters-owino"
    },
    "content": "because agriculture is devolved. However, sufficient money is not allocated towards that. I am preaching to the choir because Members of Parliament are really struggling when it comes to disasters. They expect you to respond with your National Government – Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) and yet, you do not see any effort from the counties because they do not have adequate allocation of funds. We talked about the Disaster Management Bill. I do not know where it has reached, but this should be centralized so that we have a proper response. I was watching television and saw how the land was moving underneath some houses in the coastal region. It is very painful because the victims are alone. The county government would like to respond, but it does not have resources. How do we do it? The national Government response is not clear or streamlined. We cannot respond to disasters in all counties from Nairobi. There is even a disconnect in funding. There is a gap that this House should look into. The other issue is the tsetse fly. This is a menace which cuts across many counties from Lambwe Valley to Mbeere North and South and many other areas in the western region. Currently, our economy loses Kshs20 billion because of the livestock mortalities and the drugs that are used. I thank the Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council (KENTTEC) which has been dismally funded to do that job. Today, we have just allocated Kshs180 million to KENTTEC. I have just compared that amount with the loss which we incur every year of Kshs20 billion. That figure represents the livelihood of Kenyans which could be better if there was proper intervention against that fly. If we allocate the Kshs180 million that we are currently appropriating, that would mean that the national Government is funding the KENTTEC to do the work. The counties will have no response. This fly will continue to ravage the livelihoods of many Kenyans. As much we push activities to counties, there are some funding gaps that negate those activities. That should be looked into in perspective, so that we have good funding. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries had recommended that we appropriate or allocate Kshs710 million to cater for research and interventions. I just see Kshs180 million. I do not know whether it is possible for us to look into this item during the Committee of Supply and make sure that the livelihoods of the farmers in those regions are also considered. With those remarks, I support the Bill. Let us continue to support devolution. That is the only way to go as we usher in efficiency and effectiveness."
}