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{
"id": 1490860,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1490860/?format=api",
"text_counter": 175,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Maanzo",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13589,
"legal_name": "Maanzo Daniel Kitonga",
"slug": "maanzo-daniel-kitonga"
},
"content": "as he leaves, the people who are supposed to clean the river also leave with him. Therefore, it becomes like a Public Relations (PR) exercise, and the water downstream continues to be dirty. In the last two weeks, the sewerage systems in Nairobi City County, have been really raw sewage water to River Athi, and it is green through Machakos, Kitui, and Makueni Counties. Unfortunately, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, many Kenyans use this water. It is used by many water companies in Makueni County. Therefore, we must come up with a system to make sure that there is clean and safe water being consumed by the people in Kenya. There is water storage, and the water is devolved under Schedule 4 of the Constitution. Unfortunately, the national Government is still holding 90 per cent of all the water systems. The counties have not received their monies in the last four months, and it must be very frustrating for a governor to sit in a county. You want to deliver water to the people, yet you have no money to do this. There are boreholes, most of which are mismanaged through these companies. Most of the money is collected and stolen by individuals. In Makueni County, out of the water companies from the last report, only one in Kibwezi, which is somewhere along Mombasa Road, near Kibwezi Town, seemed to have performed better. The rest could not account for the monies and many things, yet a lot of money has been put into these water companies. So, what do we need to do? The country needs water. I started hearing it from the Moi era, in 1986, when I was in primary school. That, every home would have clean water. Up to today, water is still far away from most homesteads in Kenya. Piped water is still not available to every homestead in Kenya, yet it is the easiest thing to do if the Government seriously invested in water. You would rather even stop all the other projects and deal with water first. Get water to the people, and then do the roads for the people. Probably by doing that, it will become much better. You will improve in education and agriculture. You will have enough food for the people, and then do the roads, so that the same can be transported to marketing places. Although there are good policies, they have not been implemented. The people of Kenya have waited patiently for clean water into their homesteads. It has not happened, and it does not seem to be in sight soon. Thwake Dam, which has been talked about by quite a number of contributors here, is 94 per cent done, but now stalled for the last two years. I am pushing the Government; I was there recently. It is very expensive to delay a water project, because the contractors are on site, and they are charging the country. It is not the only one, there were quite a number of them. Mwache Dam, the Northern Collector and all of them seem to have stalled. So, when will we give Kenyans water in their homes? Thwake Dam was supposed to give water to Kitui, Machakos, and Makueni even for irrigation. When will this happen? This is a fertile land where farmers can grow a lot of food and become the food basket of Kenya and even sell abroad. Agriculture and agribusiness are some of the biggest businesses Kenyans can invest in. Every household can have a meal every day and have extra money to send their children to school. 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."
}