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{
"id": 1151836,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1151836/?format=api",
"text_counter": 76,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13217,
"legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
"slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I really want to thank the Senate Majority Leader, Sen, Poghisio, for bringing this Bill as part of the legacy of Senate. It is Bill that has been generated by the National Assembly but it deserves our attention. Even, when you come to my small centre called Mosoriot Township, it has been hard for the county government to collect waste. Once in a while, they use a tractor but when you walk around Mosoriot Township, you find a lot of litter, solid waste and sewerage issues and this continues to be a threat. The same applies to Bungoma County where I have been on several occasions, both on official and unofficial duties. In a town like Kapsabet, there is the same challenge of managing waste. When you go around showground areas you get a lot of waste being thrown about. When you go to Nandi Hills Market where Mama mboga and the hustlers are trying to eke living, there is the problem of management of waste. I had an opportunity of taking Sen. Kang’ata, the incoming Governor of Muranga County, to Kapsabet CBD Market. It is hard and I sympathise and empathise with the mama mboga in Kapsabet Town Market who continue to languish despite paying for the services in Kapsabet Market. I also sympathise with the customers who shop there because you have to dodge waste that has been left. Apart from unavailability of toilets and electricity, there is also a lot of solid waste that has been left in Kapsabet Town Market. The county government finds it not fit to do anything despite fighting for billions of shillings to go to Nandi County Government. That is the sad reality. Towns like Kaptumo, Kobuchai, Serem, Kabiyet, Chepterwai, Ndala, including Lessos, Imaki, Nandi Hills, Maraba, Chemase, all those areas that have small trading centres continue to have a big challenge. As we said in Article 43 of the Constitution, every Kenyan has a right to clean environment. In economic and social council, somebody should go to court. When you go to most of our counties, solid waste is not managed properly and yet there is the right to access to clean health. This is very unfortunate. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Bill is long overdue and there many issues. There is the issue of Clause 28 on the National Environment Complaints Committee which states that they shall establish a complaints and redress mechanism for purposes of this Act. I can give an example of when Kisumu County Government wanted to relocate a dumpsite and that brought a lot of issues because there was no structured way of engaging. When we talk about access to justice, this is one way of decongesting our courts. If we already have this, it will solve a lot of issues that would have gone to Environment and Land Court matters. I am told that the reason why the first Governor of Kisumu City County was not reelected back was because of the issue of push and pull of relocating the dumpsite within Kisumu City County. Therefore, having this Complaints Committee will allow efficient access even at the national level. I know there are Kenyans who are not comfortable with having Dandora Dumpsite here in the city and they would want it to be relocated. We are planning to have smart cities in our counties. We are planning to have export processing zones like Konza City, we are planning another smart city in Eldoret. All these cities need a proper legal framework."
}