HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 210090,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/210090/?format=api",
"text_counter": 166,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Mwiraria",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Environment and Natural Resources",
"speaker": {
"id": 283,
"legal_name": "David Mwiraria",
"slug": "david-mwiraria"
},
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Let me join my colleagues who have congratulated the Ministry of Energy for doing an excellent job under very difficult circumstances. During the last four years, we have had two years of drought, yet, there was no shortage of energy; which is really a credit to the Ministry which has been managing this sector. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, energy is really key to development. Energy is required if we are going to meet our target of Vision 2030. I know that the Ministry is doing its best. It is developing whatever remaining hydro-energy, but there is not enough work in the area of alternative energy sources. This country hosted a world conference on alternative energy sources way back in 1981. Many of the alternative energy sources that were promoted then, are still receiving very little attention in Kenya. Many of my colleagues, who have spoken before me, have talked about wind and solar energy, and also wood fuel. They have even gone so far as to suggest that it is time for Kenya to begin thinking about the possibility of using more sophisticated sources of energy. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are fortunate, as a country, to have geothermal power as a very readily available source of energy, in and around the Rift Valley, which is not being fully exploited. I would urge the Ministry to really push forward the exploitation of geothermal energy, because it is so far the one source that is almost a sure source of continuous energy for a long time without costing as much as some of the other sources. Let me thank the Ministry for allowing small-scale generation of power, but urge them to support small hydro projects. We have many small rivers around the country, which have waterfalls which can generate enough electricity for villages and spare some for the national grid. I am aware that, in some of the developing countries, such as India, it is possible to generate substantial quantities of electricity using small hydro generators, which are run by the water itself. At the same time they use the same source of power to pump water for use by members of the public. I noticed that when the Minister was introducing the Vote, he talked about woodfuel and August 8, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3085 the amount of money they have in the Ministry for supporting it. Under what they call \"agro- forestry\", farmers throughout the country have been encouraged to plant trees around their small holdings in between rows of crops. I believe that the time has come for the Government, as a whole, to address the question of woodfuel, together with the question of afforestation. At the moment, our country has only 1.7 per cent of the land surface covered by forests yet, the recommended international percentage is 10. We really need to work together, as a Government, to push the planting of trees on hilltops and along the river banks, provided we choose trees which do not use too much water. In this way, we can make sure that we have the right percentage of forest cover over our land. I must add that the time has also come for Kenya to develop tree species which grow rapidly in the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASALs), because that is the area where we have a lot of land which could be afforested. Let me now say a few words about rural electrification. We have been fortunate in that under the present Government, a lot of work has been done in the area of rural electrification. I really want to thank the Government for choosing to provide marketplaces, secondary schools and factories, or any power-consuming institutions, with power. I want to really say that it is amazing what developmental transformation rural electrification is bringing to our small markets. I had the luck of travelling to one of my small markets, and I must say that I was amazed at what used to be a dead market, which has now been transformed into a vibrant little market, full of economic activities. It is a place where people are now making furniture using electricity, young ladies have hair salons which use electricity and barbers use electricity. It is a place where people have established small bakeries, people are making detergents and where welding is taking place. I think this is, perhaps, one of the areas where this nation is likely to develop fastest due to the Government policy of rural electrification. Let me conclude my remarks by saying that this country desperately needs to increase energy, or power generation, because we have industries which consume a lot of power, such as cement factories. Today, this country is running short of cement, not because of power shortage only but because of shortage of some of the other items which require transportation for long distances such as limestone, gypsum, a bit of iron ore and others. So, my appeal to the Ministry is that they should do long-term projections of how the country can be self-sufficient in electricity. Without adequate electricity, we cannot achieve the 2030 Vision projections in our development effort. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}