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"id": 207958,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/207958/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Sungu",
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"legal_name": "Gor Eric Sungu",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the National Irrigation Board (NIB) has been allocated Kshs200 million. The Ahero, Budalangi, Busia and Mwea irrigation schemes were started as pilot schemes. However, they have never gone beyond the pilot stage. What is wrong with this country? Is it my understanding of the English Language, and I got a distinction 1 and a principal 1? I know that a pilot project is something you start so that you can pave way for a bigger project. If the vision of our forefathers, like Tom Mboya, Jaramogi Odinga, among others were to be put in place, the whole of Kano Plains would now be irrigated. We are still at the pilot stage, and yet they are only allocating a paltry Kshs200 million to the National Irrigation Board to take care of the whole of Kenya. What a shame! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue of floods control, it is a shame that the Assistant Minister in this Ministry comes from an area where over 40,000 people are now homeless. This is an annual occurrence which this Government, instead of \"Anglo Leasing\" where they spent billions, they could have stopped the flooding. They could have funded the construction of dams. We could have found ways and means of protecting our people instead of treating them like rubbish. Every year, we hear about flooding in Budalangi, Nyando and Nyamasaria. Even a big city like Kisumu is often flooded in Nyalenda, Manyatta and in an area in Nyamasaria area called Nyamtoi because of lack of proper control by this Ministry. August 21, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3305 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to criticise one thing. Why on earth should we concentrate all the construction of dams on one river called River Tana leaving out all the other rivers? Why should we leave out River Nyando, River Nzoia, River Yala, River Nyamasaria, River Kuja and River Miriu and allow the floods to go on? I have noted in this Vote book that Urban and Water Supply Construction has no allocation whatsoever. I will release the issue when we are questioning the Minister on the Floor at the Committee Stage. The Recurrent Expenditure is not a big issue. It is important to look at the specialised water boards that are intended to serve in various areas. Let me just mention one under the Recurrent Expenditure; the Athi River Water Services Board has been given Kshs200 million under the Recurrent Expenditure. Would you notice that under Lake Victoria Water Services Board, there is only a paltry Kshs70 million? Why do we have this big difference, and yet Lake Victoria Water Services Board covers a big area, including Kericho, Nandi, Kakamega, Kuria, Kisii and my beloved Kisumu districts? What does Athi River have? The Minister will tell us when he is replying. What does it have that it has been allocated Kshs200 million and yet Kisumu Water Services Supply Board has been allocated only Kshs70 million? These are the trends which have been criticised all over. In the previous Budget, the then Minister for Water and Irrigation, now occupying a more powerful Ministry, allocated almost half the Vote of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to one district called Kirinyaga. What a shame! These people dare hope that one day, they will be elected presidents of this country. God forbid the day when such people, who discriminate against their own people, will one day go to ask for votes from the same people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to ask the Minister to listen to this. Environmental protection should go hand in hand with water conservation. You cannot put a line between the two. We must find a way in which all those organisations working under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources can work with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation. As we are talking now, the Mau Range is depleted, whereas in Mt. Elgon and Cherangany Hills, there is a lot of soil erosion taking place there. Apart from the obvious nutrient loading from agricultural land that is carrying fertiliser, there is also a lot of soil erosion. That is why we have flooding there. Right now the waters of River Nzoia have been raised because of siltation. Regardless of the number of dykes you construct, you will never do anything meaningful unless and until you address the issue of siltation. There is never going to be a way in which the mouth of a river is higher than other areas. It will always burst its banks, whatever you do. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I decry the receding levels of Lake Victoria. Let us protect the catchment areas, for example, Nandi, Kisii, Kericho, the Mau Range, Cherangany Hills and so on. Any question of human habitation--- Man is one of the worst enemies of nature. Prof. Maathai has said that nature is very unforgiving. If you interfere with nature, nature will fix you. What we are having now is that, Lake Victoria is going down. If that continues, there will be no water and no rain in the upper region. Then we will perish. I want to request my friend, the Minister to make sure that he focuses on the question of water conservation in the protection of environment and water catchment areas. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}