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{
    "id": 1114812,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1114812/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 218,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Wilberforce Oundo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13331,
        "legal_name": "Wilberforce Ojiambo Oundo",
        "slug": "wilberforce-ojiambo-oundo-2"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to join in the debate concerning Sessional Paper No.1 of 2021 on the National Water Policy. We grew up knowing and being told that water is life. At Independence one of the social goals of the Government of Kenya was to have piped water all over the country in all homes and villages. I think we were supposed to have piped water by the year 2010 which came and passed without us achieving this object. Also, it is indicated in the provisions of Article 43 of the Constitution of Kenya on the economic and social rights which places a lot of emphasis on clean and safe water in adequate quantities. It also talks about protection of the environment, clean and safe environment which invariably involves water. At this particular time in our age after almost 50 years of Independence, it is everybody’s expectation that there should be enough water to cover all the human needs both for domestic, animals and agriculture. The fact on the ground is that that has not been achieved and we are progressively having cases where there is inadequate water supply even compared to a few years ago. Literature review indicates there are quite a number of issues that have continued to really result in this undersupply of water. Obviously, climatic change has often been cited as one of the reason. Rising population is another reason but most likely it has been just poor governance, poor management of water harvesting and storage and water management in terms of the reticulation, cost recovery and the rest. Therefore, it is the hope that this Policy being put forward today, once approved by Parliament, will help address these challenges that have continually denied us access to clean and safe water. Sessional Paper No. 1 of 1999 on the National Policy on Water Resource Management and Development rejigged the water management sector completely. It was hoped again this will enable efficient distribution, production, reticulation and distribution of water. There have been hits and misses and successes and challenges. It is also hoped that this Policy, with the implementation matrix that has been placed and the policy shift that has been recommended, will address those issues that have come forward. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is the issue of environmental protection. This country has got several water catchment areas or catchment towers. There have been very many controversial decisions and actions in terms of protection of these water towers. Because of the politics of the day and rivalry of some nature here, we have continually degraded these water catchment towers to the end result being that Kenya has got one of the lowest water per capita in this world. It is surprising that we have fairly big water catchment areas. We have Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean. It beats all logic that Kenya still remains a water deficient country yet we have all these issues. The regulatory framework brought about by devolution where parts of the water function was devolved to the reluctant county governments has made it to be practically impossible. Many of these water agencies are unable to collect water, distribute it, recover the costs and maintain those facilities. As I speak, my constituency of Funyula, despite the many billions we have received under devolution, Busia County has got the lowest water reticulation. Unfortunately, because water is devolved, there is little we can do. With those few remarks…"
}