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{
    "id": 1410477,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1410477/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 614,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tinderet, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Julius Melly",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support this Adjournment Motion. First of all, let me convey my condolences to the bereaved families, more specifically the families in Kijabe and Mai Mahiu. The Member for Naivasha has been moving up and down standing with her people. All parts of this country have been affected by floods. Every part of this country from Kisumu to Turkana, to the Coast, to the Mount Kenya region where we had mudslides, and to the Tana Delta, has been affected by floods. Floods are a natural phenomenon. Disasters happen. The most important aspect of any disaster is management and risk mitigation. For three or four weeks, the weatherman issued warnings and updates on the impending floods. The Government, especially the functionaries, did not listen to the weatherman. The weatherman issued warnings to the general public, farmers, traders and road users that there was an impending disaster, especially with the kinds of rains we were expecting. As much as I commend the President and the Government for the much they have done, Government officers and functionaries should be on the ground, especially during the distribution of food, blankets and medicine to ensure that the risks that result from floods are mitigated. Many families across the country do not have places to sleep, and roads have been cut off. We need to marshal a plan to open our roads. The military and the KeNHA need to be involved. How will we ensure that roads in various parts of the country are linked together so that food distribution is not restricted? We also need to ensure that citizens do not cross flooded rivers. You see instances where individuals cross rivers on lorries thinking that they are heavy enough not to be swept away by the flood waters. The Government should issue a decree to put a stop to this suicidal behaviour by citizens. Certain disasters could have been avoided were it not for the carelessness of citizens. I saw the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration coming out strongly to ask citizens not to cross flooded rivers. The other issue is that disaster management in this country is wanting. Some of the search and rescue teams are composed of locals, NGOs, and the Red Cross. Even individual citizens are volunteering for disaster relief efforts. These floods should be a lesson to the Government and to all of us that we need a very strong disaster management department in the Government, so that all those who are supposed to act, both in the county governments and the national Government know their roles. We should not cry year in, year out. We know very well that disasters will strike in one form or another. Let us make sure we have a very workable system on how to manage disasters in this country. As a country, we really need to do this. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I support the Motion. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
}