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{
    "id": 1516302,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1516302/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 201,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Veronica Maina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "The service should be mandated; working together with county governments to ensure that the research is properly done for all the counties so that the species of trees which are not suitable for certain counties are not planted or grown there. It is not a blind exercise. It is one that is informed by research and best species being sent to the accurate counties to avoid a situation where we have the blue gum trees - in Kikuyu language it is described as miti ambayo inakunywa maji. It sucks water from the soil. We should not have that tree within the areas where it is just accumulating and taking water away from the environment. In its place we should have the scientific researchers tell the counties what kind of trees are suitable to which counties. This service has a lot of work to do and they must work not in a commercialized sense, but driven by purpose to ensure that counties will benefit from this legislation. I congratulate the groups that have been doing very good work. An example is Bamboo project group, which is driven by 20 women groups in Kamahuha Ward, Murang’a County. I have not known them myself, but they have reached out to my office to say that they are planting bamboo for Kenya. They are women groups who have organized themselves and made their own initiative. If these grassroots women can do that how much more can each of us, then do to ensure that we promote afforestation and reforestation. Even for ourselves as individuals, what can we do to help these groups become better? If you are a teacher, doctor or a professional in your county, can you not support two three groups and ensure that even if you cannot do the tree planting yourself another person is doing the tree planting? How innovative we become will determine how we are going to achieve the targets for the number of trees. We must plan to ensure that we have proper afforestation and reafforestation. This legislation now seems to lock down on support from even organizations beyond the private entities including religious organizations, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), mosques and temples. All these organizations are able to mobilize people. Can we then have a day when all the Christian churches pick a day for planting trees? Can we have a day when all the mosques say today, “we are the ones driving the tree planting exercise?” When we finally realize that the environment is bad and our soils can no longer yield adequate food it becomes a problem for all of us and not just the government. I challenge our hon. Senator who has done a very good job to ensure that this amendment is comprehensive in nature. We must no longer have forests such as Ngong becoming a real scare for anybody passing near, thinking that if you have a tyre burst anywhere near their night the worst that would happen to you because you are next to a forest is insecurity. We must have a comprehensive legislation that looks at the wholesome factors that affect our forests as they are situated. That is from the time of planting, watering, growth, maturity and harvesting of those trees to rewards for people and entities doing the right thing in afforestation and reafforestation. Additionally, we should have penal sanction for those who have missed the point and those doing deforestation in a manner that is outside the framework of this legislation. 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."
}