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"id": 207963,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. G.G. Kariuki",
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"legal_name": "Godfrey Gitahi Kariuki",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I would also like to support this Motion because there is indication from everywhere that this Ministry is doing something for this country. However, because of the previous problems, it still has a long way to go to satisfy the needs of our people in terms of water. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Ministry is one of the most important Ministries in the creation of any Government. This is because we say water is life. If water is, indeed, life, why are we exposing ourselves to death? The sources of water are diminishing! It has been said, now and again, that in the next 25 years, this country will have a lot of problems in getting water. Now, we cannot see the reply to that cry or claim. We expect this Ministry to work very hard and make sure that, in the next 25 years, our sources of water will have been protected and a lot of water made available. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if water is life, as we are told, what are we doing to protect what we already have? I know that the Ministry is created to protect what we have and manage it. Just like discovering oil somewhere, that oil is protected and distributed fairly. In this case, we need people in this Ministry - I do not want to say that we do not have them - to reform their thinking so that they do not just manage what we have, but also aim at creating more water sources. That is the only way this Ministry will assure Kenyans that there is hope in it. For example, the Ministry relies on water that flows from rivers, a few dams that are here and there and underground water. I think there is need for them to prioritise the rivers that must be protected. Those rivers are not being protected. The Ministry is not involved when decisions are taken to excise part of forest areas which serve as a source of water. This means that when forest areas are taken away for purposes of settlement, the source of water diminishes. Now, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation needs to be involved in taking this kind of decision. This is because we expect them to give us what they really do not have. The Minister and his staff are all aware that water is diminishing in our country. However, we have not seen any critical cry from the Ministry and the planners. People must be warned that in the next few years, there will be no water. There is no secret to this fact. It needs to be made public all the time. Just like we say that there is no enough land for everybody, there will be no water for all people in the future. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the international community has found out that the only way of limiting the demand for water is family planning and other ways that can ensure that there are not so many people who need to be supplied with water. In Africa, in the next five to ten years, we will be almost one billion people. They are saying that there will be no water and food for one billion people. So, the best thing here to consider is not how much the Ministry's officers are doing to manage the water, but to think about where to get more water. In fact, this Ministry should not just be involved in distribution of water. It should also be involved in finding new sources of water. That will mean that they can see far beyond what they already have. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if we want to maintain and create more sources of water, we have to plant trees. So, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation needs to be in charge of planting trees. The people of this country must even be forced, through the law, to plant 3314 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 21, 2007 trees. If we do not do that, we will regret in the near future. Our children will come and go and eventually, we will have no water. What does a thinker in the Ministry of Water and Irrigation think when he or she sees water flowing into the Indian Ocean or she or he stands outside his or her door and looks at the water flowing? What does he think about that water and yet he is in charge of it? We see water disappearing into the ocean. In the morning, we come to the office and start thinking about available water. Why do we allow water to flow to the Indian Ocean? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we all know when Ian Smith took over the Government by force in Rhodesia, the entire world boycotted trade with them. However, they decided to do their own business without thinking about outsiders. They managed to relegate the production of wheat. I think there is need for reform. We cannot reform institutions unless we reform the people who sit in those institutions; get them to start thinking as Kenyans. If he or she is an engineer, economist or thinker of some kind, he or she needs to feel that he or she is free to think for this country. This is where the problem is. People are following what was done ten years ago. We wonder what kind of education we acquire in institutions of learning. I was thinking that an educated person is one who is able to think beyond his teachers! If we only follow what we have been taught, and not thinking beyond, then I think we are not getting anywhere. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is a crime to see our rivers drying up. We see them disappearing and stand there rejoicing! Who will be responsible? One day, I stood outside my house to see water flowing down to the sea. This was happening yet my people were telling me that they do not have water and they might not return me to Parliament. The water was flowing and everybody was seeing it disappearing! This should be made a serious matter. We should construct more dams. As far as the construction of dams is concerned, I must thank the Ministry, They are doing a very good job in Laikipia District. That is a commendable job. Where a dam is drilled, the life of the people changes immediately. Why can we not construct more dams? It is not too expensive to do so, especially with the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). We only need to provide the machinery and the CDF provides the funds. A lot of work would be happening. We must harvest---"
}