HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 1490478,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1490478/?format=api",
"text_counter": 291,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wamatinga",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13582,
"legal_name": "Wahome Wamatinga",
"slug": "wahome-wamatinga"
},
"content": "family kind of approach where the governors in most counties do not even know what happens. Therefore, we must also put into place structures and systems to ensure that we do not only account for the water that has been harvested and reticulated, but also ensure that transparency and governance are written in capital letters. The spirit of the Bill is to ensure that moving forward, water becomes a tradable commodity and that we have responsible boards that are manning these water service providers. As we do that, it should not be lost to us that some of these water service providers are too small that they cannot achieve economies of scale. Consequently, I like the approach that the previous Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, took before she moved to head the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development. She consolidated some of these water service providers, so that we could achieve economies of scale. Some counties are also small that they cannot accommodate the large dams or they do not even have the natural resources to put those dams together. Once we construct the reservoirs upstream, then there is a duty to ensure that there is reticulation. This is to ensure that we do not lose the water that we transport to counties. As we do that, it must also be emphasised that the governance issue has become and must become one of the major challenges that we must address. We, as Senators, have the obligation and duty of promoting devolution. As we do that, our role to oversight the county governments, water service providers and waterworks development agencies must be promoted. This will ensure that when we harvest water, it is not only stored, but also used in such a manner that it will promote life. Water in some counties is a very scarce commodity. We also know that in those very same counties where we have scarcity of water, every time we have heavy rainfall, we have a lot of flooding that causes a lot of damage. In order to address that, as we talk of our target of planting 15 billion trees, we must also come up with a concept of creating both localised storage and storage that will ensure that we have enough water. As I support this Bill, I remember one of the Motions that I moved when I came into this House, which is the application of smart technologies in the usage of water. We know in most of these western countries, taps will let the water run so long as there is someone there. These sensor motions and leak detection systems allow them to save a lot of water. Having said that, it should also not be lost on us that water treatment works, is an area that we are doing poorly in as a country. We know that in most western countries, water is treated and recycled for either household use or garden irrigation. In this country where most of the latrines are pits, we know that there is a lot of contamination of groundwater. This is an area that we, as a country, must also look forward to especially in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that Kenya is a signatory to. The water service providers in most counties, and I want to highlight that Nyeri County is one of those counties that are performing quite well in water services. This is simply because we do not rely on pumping water but we rely on a gravity flow. However, we can still do better with some areas like in Kieni East and West, where the construction 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."
}