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{
    "id": 1425447,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1425447/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 63,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Oburu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 194,
        "legal_name": "Oburu Ngona Odinga",
        "slug": "oburu-odinga"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I take this opportunity to thank my Deputy Minority Leader, Sen. Wambua, for bringing to the attention of this House the issue of the dam being constructed downstream of Tana River. This is affecting Tharaka Nithi and Kitui counties. The issues he has mentioned, including public participation, cannot be gainsaid. These are important issues. There were concerns of public participation regarding Koru-Soin Dam between Kericho and Kisumu counties. Their ancestral land was being affected. First of all, there was a hurry to implement the project without consulting the people. Donors are very sensitive when people complain and say they were not consulted and do not know about a project, or a project is going to affect their ancestral land. Some of them have aesthetic values and attachment to the land when they are being removed. Therefore, they have to know exactly how they are going to be compensated. On the Sondu Miriu Project, the people complained and the Parliament of Japan stopped the implementation of that project simply because the people complained that they were not consulted and the people downstream were going to be seriously affected by the construction of that dam. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important that we have public participation. I had a project in my constituency when I was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bondo on the Yala River. An investor was constructing a dam. There is a method called contour and another where you dig deeply so that the dam goes deeper. However, this takes a small area. When you do the contour method, it expands to a larger area and people get access, their cattle can drink water from the dam, but the other method denies the community the possibility of people and their animals having access to that water. The people then decided to have the contour method, but the dam was taking a much bigger area than they had contemplated. Therefore, there must be proper planning, consultation and compensation for the people before a project of that size is implemented. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}