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"speaker_name": "Mr. Mututho",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank all hon. Members who have supported this Motion; I realise that the interest in it is immense, because the environment is what we all rely on. The Government agrees that we are slow because of politics. Because of that, I hope you will avail us an opportunity this afternoon, tomorrow or any other time at your convenience to move this House to have a select committee to deal with these issues conclusively. This will ensure that we have a committee cutting through several other Committees that deal with issues and come up with a masterplan. A masterplan, from a Parliamentary Select Committee, will be good enough and devoid of politicking, and will enable us save our environment. November 12, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3407 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, having said that, I also want to thank the Ministry for taking the Departmental Committee concerned with agriculture to Bonn. Six hon. Members were sponsored to that country; it is from the experience and expertise gained there that this Bill is being proposed. force. I hope that the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, and all other related Ministries, will follow suit and keep the Prime Minister informed and updated. The issue of Mau Forest may not necessarily need the Administration Police (AP) or mobilisation of 3,000 askaris . It may need much more comprehensive measures, and that is why we are proposing that Committee, so that we have immediate action without hurting the political parties, the politics of the day or inconveniencing the majority of Kenyans. We still believe that these environmental issues can be addressed now through immediate mitigation measures. I want to thank Mr. Bett for coming up with this Motion. I am looking forward to seeing immediate and urgent measures being undertaken. Obviously, for anything we are going on to do concerning the environment, including non-pollution of Athi River, we are going to step on somebody's toes. It is a pity and a shame that people sit in the City of Nairobi and Thika Town and expect that others down in Ukambani will drink their sewage. It is a scandal! We cannot stand that in modern times! That is why we need a powerful Parliamentary Select Committee, engineered and designed by this Tenth Parliament, to make sure that environmental matters are treated with the seriousness they deserve, so that even small insects around Ukambani can also have a chance to have good water, because they cannot afford bottled mineral water. The old woman somewhere in Kasarani should be guaranteed clean air in spite of the industries in Thika Town and other places. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in moving this Motion, we have taken all that into consideration. We know that there is goodwill, there are many conventions going on and treaties exist. We would like to urge hon. Members to familiarise themselves with all these treaties, because we sign them, should familiarise ourselves with them. We also want to warn politicians, particularly, the party leaders that, party leaders or no party leaders, this is a time when we have to bite the bullet. It is a time when we have to allow this hon. House to come up with a solution to our environmental problems. They should be bold enough to tell those people who are running abattoirs along Nairobi River and even those foreigners who are mining tiomin to stop it. We should tell everybody that it is time to stop it and do it right so that we save our forests and environment and soils. We should not forget that this same Parliament will have to stand firm against GMOs. Let nobody come here and introduce monstrous funds here because of commercial interests that will destroy the very fabric of this nation; agriculture. They should not introduce genes and other things that will hurt our grandmothers who have lived all these years in a clean environment. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am moving this Motion believing that it is in harmony with the international song that we must be clean both in mind and the way we conduct our business. We must allow for a clean environment. We must be clean to an extent in which we allow the law to take its course. Cap.295 should be used because it is here and it has not been amended. It is a product of Section 25 of the Constitution and was used to evict people in Mau Forest. That should have been done yesterday. The Prime Minister should rise up to that challenge. I beg to move."
}