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{
    "id": 1496000,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1496000/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 385,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Moiben, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Phylis Bartoo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the Bill by Hon. Mayaka. I am a very good farmer of eucalyptus trees. I have planted so many of them in my entire farm. One, it is a very easy tree to plant and it grows very fast. Two, we harvest firewood considering that we come from rural areas. The Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) is a very good customer because it gets electricity poles from there. We need to regulate the growing of the eucalyptus tree because we have been given its disadvantages. It becomes very problematic because people are not well informed and educated on the rules of growing the eucalyptus tree. The eucalyptus tree seems a quick win. Firewood is no longer a problem when you grow eucalyptus trees, within a short time. You will get saw millers coming to purchase them. Given the cost of living in Kenya at the moment, and getting very fast returns on investment from planting a tree, it becomes a very easily targeted tree to grow. Regulating the growing of the eucalyptus tree in Kenya will go a long way because many people do not know its negative effects. It consumes a lot of water if it is planted in wet areas and creates desertification. I think the most important issue here is to educate the masses and communicate. Let the Ministry of Environment and Forestry come out openly to do advocacy and civic education in the entire country to educate the farmers on the pros and cons of growing eucalyptus trees. For instance, people have vast pieces of land in my Moiben Constituency. They grow maize there. Apart from that, they also do not mind growing eucalyptus trees on their fences or in the spaces in the land. This is because they are another highly marketable source of livelihood that enables them make an extra coin. Saw millers go around buying the trees that are not cheap. There is very good value for every tree you plant. You can even get up to Ksh5,000 per tree. Imagine having 100 acres of land and just deciding to do eucalyptus tree growing business. In that case, you do not care what happens to the land after that. Most people live one day at a time. You just do your bit, harvest, make money, educate your children, get returns on investment and life goes on. To avoid such scenarios, let us make a very clear regulatory framework to regulate the growing of those trees or ban them completely. For us who grew up in rural areas, you were supposed to walk long distances looking for firewood. If you have to struggle to make money, it is very easy to plant the eucalyptus tree. It is an option because, at the end of the day, it will elevate your life and educate your children. It will give you money – pesa mfukoni. We need to establish a very clear framework, and then go ahead to create advocacy programmes in every ward and constituency. People can then be knowledgeable on why they should not grow eucalyptus trees in wetlands or rivers, but look for other options like bamboo trees. It is about"
}