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{
    "id": 1114785,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1114785/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 191,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Isiolo North, KPP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Hassan Hulufo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13348,
        "legal_name": "Hassan Oda Hulufo",
        "slug": "hassan-oda-hulufo-2"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support the adoption of this Sessional Paper on the National Water Policy. As a country, we are water scarce. We have a situation where at times we have torrential rains with floods causing a lot of damage and at other times, we have drought emergency like what we are going through at the moment. We find ourselves in a situation where almost 80 per cent of Kenyans are water insecure. This policy is trying to address the challenges of water provision as a basic human right to the citizens of this country. It also addresses the need to provide reasonable access to sewerage and non-sewer sanitation in rural areas. This policy paper aligns provisions of water and water resources, and development of the same with the provisions of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. It enables the relevant ministry and agencies to implement the provisions of the Water Act, 2002. As a country, you will realise that this policy is going to help to develop the water sector. Other Members who have contributed to this policy paper have indicated that water is life. Water is an enabler of development in all other sectors. If you look at, for example, the Big Four Agenda, food security cannot be attained without water. We have water for irrigation. We need a healthy workforce to cultivate their land, grow crops and provide food. The Sessional Paper provides a clear implementation matrix in terms of how the Government intends to achieve provision of clean and portable water to the population and how it can provide sanitation. This particular sector has suffered from under resourcing. Unfortunately, if that trend continues, with the climate change that is worsening the weather situation in the country, we are likely to find ourselves in a precarious situation. This policy paper is going to help us to resource this sector adequately, so that the provision of water as a basic right is attained. The ASAL areas of this country are water scarce. We have a lot of inequality and inequity in terms of sharing of resources to the water sector. This policy paper is going to address the challenges of inequity. There are places in this country where water is readily available. There are places in this country where over 90 per cent of the population have access to piped water yet 80 per cent of the population of this country have no access to even unclean water. I hope that when this policy is fully implemented, these challenges will be addressed. The challenges of underfunding infrastructure for harvesting water, storage facility for harvesting storm water and service run off will also be addressed. Therefore, I support the adoption of this Report and thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this Sessional Paper No.1 of 2021 on the National Water Policy."
}