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"speaker_name": "Mr. Musila",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand here to support this Motion. Coming from an ASAL district, I want to differ with my very good friend, hon. Wetangula, who has opposed this Motion, perhaps, because he does not come from an ASAL August 29, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3533 district and, therefore, does not know the kind of problems that are prevailing in those areas. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the majority of the poor in this country live in ASAL districts, and these are areas with a high potential for development. Perhaps, for historical reasons, successive governments have ignored these very important areas. From the colonial period, the first Government, the second Government and even the present Government have ignored the ASAL areas. Take, for example, infrastructure. In the ASAL areas, infrastructure has been neglected. We have roads classified as \"A\", but which are still not tarmacked to date when, in fact, roads classified as \"E\" in other areas have been tarmacked. We have roads classified as \"B\", for example the Kibwezi-Kitui Road which is classified as \"B3\", yet it has never been touched all because it passes through an ASAL area. The ASAL areas have famine all time simply because successive governments have failed to channel resources to them. Not even water for irrigation has been channelled there. We know that most of the ASAL areas have natural rivers which traverse through them. There are also seasonal rivers. All these rivers could be dammed in order to provide the much-needed water resource for irrigation. The water could be used for both crop production and livestock development. Only last year, we decried the practice of the Government of allocating more resources to areas which have water and neglecting the areas which have no water. To date, the situation has not changed. Look at the Printed Estimates for the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. You will be surprised to find that those areas, which are endowed with water resources, have been allocated a lot of money for water, yet those areas without water have been given little money. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Mr. Wetangula talked about this House ensuring that enough resources are allocated for water in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). I want to tell him that for this year alone, a majority of the 22 ASAL districts, including mine, have received Kshs16 million for water development and environmental protection. What can we do with Kshs16 million? This is why I think Prof. Julia Ojiambo should be congratulated for coming up with this Motion. In fact, I wish this Motion was brought much earlier, so that there could be time to prepare the important Bill. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, recently we were informed by private companies that the Bamburi Portland Cement Company and the East African Portland Cement Company have discovered lime of enormous quantities in one of the ASAL districts; Mutomo District. They say that billions of tonnes of lime were buried there. This discovery could transform this country into one of the largest cement producing countries in the world. However, that mineral remains untapped and no work is being done to exploit it. We thank these companies for coming to the aid of those poor people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, coal was discovered in Mui and Kitui many years ago. Mui is in Mwingi District. Today, we have been told that there are huge deposits of this important mineral. However, mining is yet to start. I believe that if we had an ASAL resource development programme where investment capital would be channelled, the coal in Mui would have been mined by now. But I think the general attitude by the Government to neglect these areas has been responsible for the poverty that is prevailing in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if only the Government could agree to channel capital to ASAL regions, this country would be different. Even the deserts of the Middle East in which oil has been found in enormous quantities was due to an effort to allocate capital to exploit the minerals in those deserts. Oil could as well be buried in this country. Why is it that Sudan has found oil? Why is it that Uganda has recently found oil? Why is it that Tanzania has found gas? We are surrounded by those countries! It is just because this country has neglected ASAL regions. I am sure that if Kenya embraced the issue of exploiting minerals in these areas, this country 3534 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 29, 2007 would be different. So, I urge the Government, even while waiting to get the Bill from this Motion to be prepared and passed by this House, to have a fresh look at the ASAL regions. We know that minerals are in these regions. We have just been told about the discovery of gold in Tanzania. We have been told of the discoveries of other minerals in other areas. I want to believe that we are not that unlucky such that we can just be surrounded by countries with minerals yet we do not have them. It is just because we have been negligent and have not done what is required to ensure that we address the issues of ASAL regions. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, before I conclude, even while waiting for the Bill to be passed, I want to urge the Government to have a look at coal mining in Mui in Mwingi District. This mineral should be mined immediately, so that it can help in the production of energy and cement. Coal is one of the products that go in the production of cement. I also want to urge the Government to protect the people of Mutomo from exploitation. Already people are scrambling for the lime that has been discovered there. I want to urge the Government to direct more resources for water development in ASAL regions even while waiting for the Bill to be passed, so that these areas can produce food for the population and export. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I believe that if today Kenya puts more effort in ensuring that capital is directed to ASAL regions, we will be miles ahead in development. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}