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{
"id": 1490867,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1490867/?format=api",
"text_counter": 182,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Ogola",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Water is life. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No.6 talks about clean water and sanitation. We all know the relationship between clean water and health and water and food. We all know the critical role that the availability of water played in this country when we had the disastrous COVID-19 pandemic. Water remains a basic need for all of us. That is why provision of water is critical to this nation. There are nine reports for water companies in Busia, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Kirinyaga, Kilifi, Mandera, Migori, Mombasa, Laikipia, and Tharaka-Nithi, but the obstacles we continue to meet in this sector remains uniform in all the counties. In the Report, the Committee makes reference to the aging infrastructure. I was lucky to have served as a County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of water for six months in Homa Bay County, during the transition as we were going for the 2017 General Elections. Before that, I was the CECM in charge of lands. All the challenges that this committee has talked about are those that I encountered when I had that short stint as the CECM in charge of water. The infrastructure that our counties have, especially in the municipalities and county headquarters, remains the same. In particular, in Homa Bay Town and Homa Bay Municipality, we have an aging infrastructure despite the growth. That means that the infrastructure cannot consistently and sufficiently serve the growing population in the town. As much as the Lake Victoria South Water Services Board (LVSWSB), through development partners, has dealt with the supply of water, if the counties or the companies do not get funds to deal with expanse distribution lines that can serve the populations, then the issue of access to water by our people remains a pipe dream. That is why water systems break down because if they pump water to all the areas of the towns, the infrastructure available cannot withstand. County governments or boards and all the funders or development partners, must as a priority, deal with rehabilitation of the distribution lines of our water systems. Alongside the aging infrastructure, we also have corrupt practices within these jurisdictions. There is a mention of illegal connections. When you look at all our urban centres, you often see the thriving business of water tankers. It is right to believe that most of the people dealing with water tankers or boozers are also people within the water sector. Therefore, they cause inadequacies in the provisions of water, so that their businesses can thrive. Water remains a basic need. As provided in the SDG No.7, everybody should access water as a basic need. The Report also mentions high operating costs. This is a setback to the realisation of water supply in most of our companies. Most companies and municipalities, as we have, still rely on electricity as a source of power, but a number of them are not able to pay their electricity bills. Thus, we have a lot of interruptions in the provision of water in our municipalities. There is also a mention of governance. In most companies, this is a menace. In providing water, the systems must be managed by competent people who are appointed. We urge our governors who oversee these companies to appoint people who can manage these water companies. Water companies must not only be limited to employment bureaus in our municipalities. 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."
}