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{
    "id": 1200005,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1200005/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 306,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Umulkher Harun",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": " Thank you so much, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity. I am a young lady, nominated by the Orange Democratic Movement party. I am from Garissa County, specifically Ijara Sub-County in Hulugho, which borders Somalia to the south. We constantly hear about drought but we have not found a solution to date. Is it because we do not have the funds or is it because we are yet to come up with strategies and proper solutions? Kenya is a natural resource-based economy, meaning we are completely at the mercy of rains to direct how we feed ourselves. In that case then, what can we do? Top in my mind is whether we can have an aggressive campaign to make our country green. To that effect, the residents in counties like Wajir are not farmers but nomads, but we are still one of the biggest food consumers. My challenge today would be to first come up with solutions. We have countries like Israel that have completely found a solution to feed their people. For mangoes from Ijara Sub- county, we use water from Tana River for irrigation. Mangoes from our farms do very well. We also supply a lot of lemon and watermelons. I suggest that we have inter-county trade initiatives and ask counties to find ways to provide food for their people. The leather market, for instance, is currently at 407 billion dollars. Our animals are dying. It is, therefore, important that we have county-based tanneries and meat commissions so that when an animal dies, we are able to slaughter it immediately and that herder gets money instantly. That is one of the solutions I am thinking about because drought will always be there. We just have to find a way to create solutions. As a lawmaker, I understand we have the National Climate Change Fund yet to be operationalised. The ministries involved need to tell us where we are at. When we talk of this fund, we must not forget the National Climate Change Council which is chaired by the President. Why has it not met yet? How then as a country can we leverage on what we have like the existing finances, namely, the National Climate Change Fund and the County Climate Change Fund, to attract more finances? As a nomad and with these funds, we need to come up with solutions quickly. When we sit in this House again next year, we should not talk about drought, but maybe we should talk about how watermelons from Garissa are making their way to Central Kenya and how milk from Central Kenya is making its way to counties that do not have it. Let us think solution-based since we know the problem. We have described the problem. We need solutions. We need funds to implement programmes. Now that we know Principal Secretaries positions are being filled, can we have nomads in place so that they can also find ways to divert funds to support their people?"
}