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{
    "id": 1114878,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1114878/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 284,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Maara, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kareke Mbiuki",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 79,
        "legal_name": "Japhet M. Kareke Mbiuki",
        "slug": "japhet-kareke-mbiuki"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I take this opportunity to thank the Members for the overwhelming support they have given to this Motion on the Sessional Paper No.1 of 2021 on the National Water Policy. Members have alluded to quite a number of issues while they were supporting this Sessional Paper. The first issue is the provision of equity in terms of provision of water across the entire country. The issue of equity is properly addressed in this Sessional Paper to ensure that all parts of the country are well taken care of. The effects of climate change have been alluded to by Members more so on the issue of the eucalyptus trees. As you are aware, the celebrated Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Michuki, championed the eradication of eucalyptus trees. The other issue is the protection of water towers in the country. Our key water towers are the source of water in this country. We have a challenge of communities living upstream sources of water not benefitting from the extraction of water upstream. In counties around the Aberdares, Mount Kenya and the rest of the region, water is extracted from upstream and the people downstream do not benefit. We also have the issue of storage arising from over extraction of this critical resource called water. We have seen serious over extraction of water. For us to address the issue of over extraction, we need to construct serious storage facilities upstream. My neighbour, Hon. Murugara, alluded to the challenges they have in Tharaka, which is downstream. My constituency is upstream. Tharaka is served by more than nine rivers, but unfortunately, during the dry spell like now, they get no water. Even if they do piping, the pipes remain without water. Through serious storage both upstream and downstream, the people downstream will benefit from the water resource. I want to appreciate the support Members have given to this Motion. I assure them that as a Committee, we are going to follow up with the Ministry of Water and Sanitation to ensure its full implementation. As we talk of clean water, this Sessional Paper also talks of sanitation. We cannot divorce clean water from sanitation. I want to thank the Government because it has invested heavily in sanitation. As I speak, more than 28 counties are being covered by clean domestic water and sewerage systems so that issues of sanitation can be taken care of. The other issue is that of storage coming from big dams being built across the country. This policy will articulate how we harvest water across the country and ensure that there is value for our money and avoid politicisation of construction of dams. Finally, we are all aware that water management is a shared function between the national and county governments. Sometimes we have serious conflict between the national and county governments. It is not logical for the national Government to go all the way to the countryside to drill a borehole whereas that is the function of county governments. The national Government needs to concentrate on serious water storage and main conveyance lines. County governments The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}