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{
    "id": 1372258,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1372258/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 303,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Abbas",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity. It is a very unfortunate situation today. Yesterday, while I was talking here, I said that devolution is under attack. One of the team that wants to capture this House is the leadership in the National Assembly. It is a very unfortunate situation that the National Assembly has now become a hindrance to the welfare of Kenyans. Bills are being rushed and it is detrimental to the welfare of Kenyans. Water is a very essential commodity. It is a natural gift from God. We do not object to commercializing it. Unfortunately, how it is done, is not acceptable. Water is a devolved function. We have over 20 water agencies in this country. We do not even know what they do yet they use a lot of taxpayers' money. As rightly said by my colleague, Sen. Osotsi, they get loans, the money is misused, and nobody pays it. It is the taxpayers' money that is being held in custody. I do not know when we are going to pay that money. The only thing remaining to tax or commercialize is the air we breathe because everything is being commercialized. It is not bad, but you must choose what you want to commercialize in this country. I pray that the air we breathe will not be commercialized. Otherwise, it is a very unfortunate situation. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, water is life and an essential service. You cannot commercialize water yet Kenyans are surviving on for irrigation. The food that we take, the sugar that we harvest, is being produced through irrigation by water from the rivers. If you commercialize this water, then cost of food production will increase. The cost of food will increase and accessibility of water also becomes very costly. I do not know where this country will end up. There will be many restrictions. For example, KPLC has dams around Embu and other places. Sometimes, those communities lack water yet the water is in the dam. So, if you commercialize every single cubic meter of water, then it will be very unfortunate."
}