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{
    "id": 1151894,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1151894/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 134,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "President the responsibility of appointing the chairperson of this council. Maybe when you go to that chairperson’s home, he or she will not even know how to manage waste. In summary, it behooves us instead of coming up with legislations day-in-day out, to ensure that we live in an environment that is clean; an environment which respects itself. Madam Deputy Speaker, hypothetically, if we are to pass this legislation and have not even dealt with the issue of dumping in this country, how are we going to solve our problems? Today, if the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) would listen or the National Treasury would pay attention, there is absolutely no reason we should reduce ourselves to be driving old V8s. It is just because we have raised the taxes so much. Kenyans working in well to do countries drive new vehicles, which are clean and good for the environment, at very little cost. Today, you will buy a second hand car from the United States of America (USA) or Japan for Kshs300,000. Remember, they are dumping but by the time it lands here, you will pay Kshs1.6 million, yet you talk about corruption. Do you think corruption will ever end? Why do you think that person will get that Kshs1million on top to be able to pay? When you drive that vehicle for about two months, it starts developing problems and pollutes the environment. I wish I could have seen a provision in this Bill that proposes 100 per cent ban on the importation of used vehicle and instead, lower the taxes of all brand new vehicles. When the Cabinet Secretary (CS) – I believe it was Hon. Munya – attempted to introduce certain provisions to reduce the number of years that an old vehicle can be allowed to be imported into this country, we, politicians were up in arms. Unscrupulous businessmen who dwell in that business were also up in arms. He then said he was not bothered. If we were serious enough, that would be the first step that we would take to make sure that we do not pollute this environment. Secondly, the Ministry of Health through Public Health offices should actually up their game on all these businesses. They should talk to the people and explain to them that they cannot continue to pour toxic material into rivers because it affects the people downstream. There are so many hotels build next to rivers, but they dump human waste and everything into the rivers. That is why Nairobi River is so filthy, although the late Hon. Michuki attempted to do something to fix it. I always say that the Ministry of Health, through the public offices, can do so much for this country in improving sanitation. If the Ministry of Environment and Forestry – which I think has failed in performing its duties – were to up their game a little bit and care about the environment and not policy or boardroom meetings all the time, we would have a better country. As I summarise, this Bill requires county assemblies to come up with a five-year plan, ought not to be reduced into legislation. It should be something where, at least, when they are coming up with their budget and they are looking at their special plan to see where they are making their resources from, it is something which they should consider. They should allocate a certain amount of funds to the environment when charging license fee. Once it goes into environment, each county government should develop a very strong department of public works to deal with cleanliness in those cities. It behoves us."
}