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{
    "id": 1495957,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1495957/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 342,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Gichugu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Gichimu Githinji",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support this Bill by Hon. Irene Mayaka. This is a Bill of life as it is seeking to protect the wetlands where we normally get our water from. Although eucalyptus trees have some benefits, I think the disadvantages outweigh their advantages to the Kenyan populace. I am happy that Hon. Mayaka has conducted a lot of research across the world and also came up with the areas where eucalyptus trees have been banned. Out of my research on that eucalyptus tree, one of the interesting areas is Portugal. In 1989, there was a war in the Valley of Lila, a place called Veiga do Lila in Portugal, where hundreds of people gathered to destroy 200 hectares of eucalyptus trees, fearing that the trees would rob them of their water and bring fire. I believe that is one of the revolutions that led to Portugal banning the growth of eucalyptus trees in wetlands, riparian areas along the rivers, and so forth. Those trees have been referred to as thirsty species. A research from India has shown that eucalyptus trees take more water than what is replaced by rainfall. That means any kind of life is threatened by those eucalyptus trees. Without belabouring the point, it is also worth noting that this law now gives the Cabinet Secretary an avenue to make regulations that would firmly make it possible for the enforcement or management of the wet areas and the catchment areas, in respect of the eucalyptus trees. That is in line with Article 95(6) of the Constitution, which provides that Parliament has the power to make laws, but also has all the power to delegate legislation of those laws. This provision gives that avenue to Parliament to delegate that power to Cabinet Secretaries to come up with regulations towards the management of the growth of eucalyptus trees in this country, especially in the wet areas where we get water. Back in my county of Kirinyaga, the eucalyptus trees are a big threat to the rivers. Some of the rivers have dried up because of the eucalyptus trees. That is why I stand here to support this Bill, which also looks at the issues of climate change. Climate change is not only about air and planting trees. It is also about climate change action in areas that threaten the lives, both of humans, plants and other species. When rivers dry up, we also lose lives that are found in the rivers, including fish. That is a threat to food security in the country. Hon. Temporary Speaker, my research also shows that in February 2020, the then Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Hon. Keriako Tobiko, called for the uprooting of the eucalyptus trees in all wetlands and catchment areas. That was just a directive which had no legal backing. This legislation comes in handy to make sure that there is a legal framework that a Cabinet Secretary can use to enforce such kind of directives. If someone never followed or obeyed that directive, there was nothing that would have happened to them. Regulations that are coming through the Cabinet Secretaries would help in this space a lot. I support this Bill and thank you for giving me this opportunity. I also thank Hon. Irene Mayaka for bringing this, which I would call, “Bill of life.”"
}