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{
    "id": 1499445,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1499445/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 308,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitutu Masaba, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon Clive Gisairo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I take this opportunity also to thank Hon. Mayaka for bringing this substantive amendment. I also come from Nyamira County where Hon. Mayaka comes from. There, eucalyptus trees have become a menace. While we grew up, Gusii lands had rivers and streams. Today, that is not the case because of the number of eucalyptus trees that have been planted along rivers, and as a result we no longer have rivers. We have a huge tree cover in the region but of the wrong species. The eucalyptus trees cannot even allow grass to grow under them, but because of the commercialisation and the demand of the tree by tea factories to use in their furnaces, it has even made our small-scale farmers move away from growing more productive food crops and substituting them with eucalyptus trees. This has in turn affected the food security in the region. We do not need to totally ban eucalyptus trees but we need to have laws that guide on the areas where they can be planted. More so, guidelines and laws need to be set to ensure that they are planted at a certain distance from the riparian land. This Bill also affects counties. We would recommend that the counties implement and enforce this law when it comes into effect. We have short-term gains commercially but the long-term consequences are severe. I also urge that factories that use eucalyptus for their furnaces to start thinking ahead and look for alternative sources of energy because this also contributes to the green gas emissions. I support this Bill, and I hope that the respective ministries move with speed once it is implemented and ensure that this tree is moved away from our waterways. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
}