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"id": 1499439,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona",
"speaker": null,
"content": " I am, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support Hon. Irene Mayaka’s Bill. This is a very straightforward Bill because it is about environmental conservation. The eucalyptus tree has many benefits because it grows very fast and there are many commercial benefits attached to it. Nonetheless, if we plant it along or near the rivers, it has the potential of drying them up and hence denying us our water sources. As a country, we are suffering severely from the impact of climate change. When many of us hear the issue of climate change, we think it is a very romantic, exported or a foreign notion. One of the things that I have noticed at a very practical level, is that since I was born, it has always rained on my birthday. That is why my middle name is Akoth because I was born when it was raining. But for the last four years, it has not rained on my birthday; and not only that, it is usually a rainy period which begins towards the end of October and November. If you observe the rain patterns at the moment, it has been raining from mid-November. It then becomes very difficult even for farmers to know how to plant. That is why we are even having food security challenges. There are certain man-made effects of climate change and this is one of them. Nobody is stopping us from planting eucalyptus trees but we need to be guided on where they should be planted on, so that we not only have the benefits, but also think about sustainability, and especially to our younger generations so that we bequeath them a country that is food secure and one that they will live on without suffering from the consequences of different diseases that are related to environmental changes. I congratulate Hon. Mayaka because we need to focus more on the benefits of the eucalyptus trees. She has looked at the climate impact but I wish we could bring more plants that are of benefit to the country and especially, from a medicinal perspective. I thank and congratulate Hon. Mayaka because she is fairly focused. Since you came to this House, you have been doing an excellent job, and you have my support. Thank you. I support."
}