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{
    "id": 1397166,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397166/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 523,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tigania West, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) John K. Mutunga",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "that we may know what kind of effects they will have on us when they occur. That is why we are talking about disaster risk reduction. There is the issue of assessment or analysis of hazards. The process of disaster response occurs only after a disaster has happened. The response initiatives are about bringing back systems to normal up to their optimal operational standards or where they were operating at before. If a disaster occurred in Nairobi and this honourable house is affected, the response team will act as quickly as possible to reduce the effects of that disaster on such an institution. However, disaster recovery is not just about responding to the present situation but it also involves mitigating future disasters. To achieve this, we have to have a clear understanding of what has happened and what is likely to happen based on past experiences. The recovery efforts should also focus on building resilience for the future. Therefore, establishing an organised system of handling disaster is key to building resilience for the future. Maintaining order during a disaster is even more essential. Hon. Temporary Speaker, in order to effectively respond to a disaster, we need to identify who has the capacity and competence to help. We must also have a mechanism in place to mobilise those individuals. We must also identify the triggers to call upon them to discharge their responsibility. This Bill aims at creating an integrated and collaborative approach to disaster response. This is necessary because we have different sectors, functions and institutions that need to work together. Proper coordination and collaboration are key to success. We also need to use our resources optimally and work in an organized and efficient manner to respond effectively to disasters. Disasters are destructive in nature and destroy a lot of resources when they happen. Hence, we need to respond to them with utmost seriousness. This calls for serious collaboration where we put all available resources, competencies, efforts and partnerships into the disaster response process. Collaboration can be both within the state and without the state, involving state and non-state actors. Non-state actors are important because they play a role in the development and containment of emergencies. Because of their role, we need to identify them and understand their competencies and activation mechanisms. If we do not know these procedures, we cannot get them working in tandem with our preferred way of doing business during a disaster. Hon. Temporary Speaker, disasters like fires and explosions caused by bombs can occur suddenly and can put us in a state of crisis. During such a crisis, it is crucial to ensure that everyone involved works together effectively. To achieve this, we need to identify the individuals or institutions that have a role to play and establish the proper notification procedures to alert them of the situation. We must notify them in the right way so that they may invoke action. Once they have been notified, we must ensure that they know how to respond. The activation mechanisms are, therefore, key to responding to any disaster. Disasters can be classified into different levels, namely local, county and national. At the county level, we need proper coordination mechanisms that reflect the national level coordination. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the disaster declaration process has been captured very well in this Bill. Sometimes when a disaster occurs, our county governments may need outside help to contain it. In such cases, they should declare it as a disaster and request aid from other regions or even the national Government. It is also important for a country to declare an occurrence as national disaster to activate resources without the country. In some instances, we need the United Nations (UN) to act or other countries to come to our aid. When the president declares a national disaster, the declaration calls upon everyone else to participate to minimise the effects and take care of everything else. Recognition of various management committees is key but because I do not have so much time left, I support this Bill. I will come back with a few amendments. 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"
}