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{
    "id": 1096405,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1096405/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 251,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ijara, PDR",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Sophia Noor",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 375,
        "legal_name": "Sophia Abdi Noor",
        "slug": "sophia-noor"
    },
    "content": "sustainability plan. I have gone to many projects in this country that clearly have no clear management and sustainability plans. With this amendment, we will have a clear management structure and a clear map of sustainability of irrigation projects. It also strengthens and enhances institutions. For example, we will form Irrigation Water Users Associations. We have seen places where there have been conflict previously. With this body in place, we will have clear roles that are defined and articulated very well. We will also have an umbrella farmers' organisation that will have data showing where every irrigation project is in this country. It will show what farmers are doing and how they are doing it. We will identify the gaps and problems that exist in any of the irrigation farms that we have. This will give self-reliance, proper governance structure and legal status to enhance and enter into an agreement with the national government, county governments, private institutions and other associations. The Act will also expand the mandate of the National Irrigation Authority and provide for the composition of the Board in line with the principle of corporate governance. I know the issues because I oversee them. Although this is a very progressive piece of legislation that has a lot of positives, there are certain gaps within the Bill that we have identified as a Committee. Madam Speaker, those ultimately require some amendments in order to enhance effective implementation of this Act. One of the areas of concern to us as a Committee is the omission in terms of definitions. Those are some of the things the Committee is proposing to bring during the Committee of the whole House, when we will be moving amendments. The other thing that is lacking in this amendment is the appointing authority in terms of Board appointments in order to meet the threshold of Article 6 of the Constitution. That is also not well defined within the Bill. As a Committee, we are going to raise an amendment to that effect. We will also harmonise it with the Water Act of 2016. This amendment has some issues. It is not in harmony with the Water Act of 2016. At that stage, the Committee will also bring an amendment. The Committee will be proposing amendments during the Committee of the whole House to clean up the Act. We have already sat with many stakeholders, including line Ministry, and published this Bill in the mainstream media. We got a lot of interest from Kenyans. We have seen a lot of interest within this House from yesterday. People have contributed good ideas that we feel we need to bring on board so that we polish this Amendment Bill. Further, the Committee is going to propose qualifications for the Chairperson of the Board. Within the Amendment Bill, we do not have the qualifications of the Chairperson of the Board. The Committee in it its wisdom, has agreed to provide for the qualifications as one of the amendments as well as the composition of membership of the Board in order to enhance the best practices in this country in terms of irrigation actors. With those few remarks, I would like to thank you so much for giving me this chance to contribute to this very important Bill."
}