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"id": 207641,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/207641/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Maj. Sugow",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Water and Irrigation",
"speaker": {
"id": 142,
"legal_name": "Aden Ahmed Sugow",
"slug": "aden-sugow"
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"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to contribute to this Vote for my Ministry by highlighting a few issues. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as you know, water is life. I hope I will not bore you by giving a short story about the bushmen of Kalahari to illustrate this fact. As we all know, there is scarcity of water there. In order to get water, the bushmen normally look around for apes or monkeys. The monkeys keep their water reservoirs secretly somewhere in the caves in the desert. They always make sure that the bushmen do not see them when they go to the water point. What the bushmen normally do is to trap one of the monkeys, tie it down for two days in scorching sun of the Kalahari Desert. On the third day, the monkey is released. The bushmen will then follow it as it runs away. The secret will no longer be there for the monkey any more because it is a question of life and death. Therefore, it rushes very fast to the nearest cave or secret point where there is water. This way, the bushman will also get water. That is how important water is. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government has continuously increased the allocation of funds to this Ministry from Kshs2 billion in 2002/2003 to Kshs15 billion today. However, that is just about 25 per cent of needs of this Ministry. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I concur with hon. Members who gave emphasis to the importance of this Ministry. I believe that the priority in allocation of funds to important sector Ministry should be given to this Ministry. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is no health without water. There is no education without water. There is no security without water! Today many conflicts, particulary in marginal areas with water scarcity, are over water. Therefore, availability of water has serious implications on security. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is one issue I really want to emphasise. As a Ministry, in our quest to implement various projects, land has become a very important factor in carrying our work. Today, there are certain areas in this country, for example, if you want to carry out a sewerage programme or a water supply project anywhere along the Tana River; Garissa, Ijara or any of the districts that border Tana River and if it is donor-funded, land ownership is a critical 3400 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 22, 2007 aspect. Today, if you want to carry out a project in Garissa, like we are doing now, land ownership is supposed to be discussed in Tana River District. The local authority has to provide ownership, title document or approval for that particular project taking place in Garissa. That is a very serious anomaly. The Commission that was set up sometimes back by the Government recommended the importance of putting natural features as border points or border lines between various districts in this country. However, the boundary between Garissa and Tana River--- The larger Garissa, including what was formerly part of Garissa such as Fafi and Ijara--- All those districts have their boundaries somewhere in the space, three miles from the river. Therefore, if you want to carry out any project that would need the verification of ownership of land, one has to get authority from Tana River District. That is a very serious anomaly. It is one that could, in future, lead to conflicts. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to urge hon. Members, by the way they are supporting this particular Motion, to continue supporting that sector. It is a sector that can actually contribute to the development of this country. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}