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{
"id": 249305,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/249305/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Bahari",
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"speaker": {
"id": 156,
"legal_name": "Abdul Bahari Ali Jillo",
"slug": "bahari-ali-jillo"
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I want to very sincerely thank Mr. Oparanya for bringing this Motion, because it is very timely and crucial, perhaps, to this country. Looking at the kind of infrastructure that we have in place at present to handle, or meet, the challenges of disaster in this country, I would say it is literally non-existent. In my own constituency, I have had an occasion to attend to these kinds of problems. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is one office in Nyayo House, which is said to be operational 24 hours a day. What we have in that office are police officers, who can only receive reports to the effect that certain things have happened somewhere. What would a police officer of the rank of a corporal do in terms of disaster management? That is the office one is directed to. That is less than lukewarm in terms of preparedness or consciousness or seriousness on the part of the Government. When disaster strikes, the people who are affected need immediate and effective response. You need all manner of equipment. You need aircraft, boats, four-wheel-drive trucks, fire extinguishers and other types of equipment, including geysers. In the disaster management office at Nyayo House, there are Administration Police constables and corporals, who can only report the matter. I have witnessed what happens there, because my constituency has had disasters. The problem in this country is that we want to respond to problems. We do not want to monitor situations, and ensure that those problems do not arise in the first place. We do not want to take any counter-measures. We are happier trying to respond. Even when we respond, the response is so disorganised that we end up being confused. In the process, it costs this country a lot, when we would have easily saved situations. I am very confident that the Government is going to support this Motion and, perhaps, move with speed, and ensure that the proposed authority is established. I am sure that our people in the Office of the President must have been wondering what to do and how to move along. Even when there are no responses, we are told about the military aircraft. Of late, I know that the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) has been very helpful. However, I know that the KWS bought that September 19, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 4013 helicopter for the supervision of wildlife. Even when we talk to the military and the police, they tell us that their aircraft is all down. Sometimes, the response has not been that effective. This is a fact. I have been involved in these things and I know when we have these problems. I want to, very sincerely, appreciate the role the Kenya Red Cross Society has played in responding to disasters in this country. It is unbelievable that a small organisation like the Kenya Red Cross Society can effectively respond to disasters. In fact, when you talk to the Office of the President to offer assistance, they would talk to the Kenya Red Cross Society. So, there is no point of talking to them because you know where you can get help. This Authority needs to work very closely with organisations like the Kenya Red Cross Society and many others. There are others which are based in Naivasha and they have some offices here. I know that they have the relevant equipment and they respond to disasters. Even without anybody requesting them to respond to disasters, you will find them on the site. They are very helpful. The Authority, that is going to be established, should source its human resource from a multi-disciplinary team, which will include doctors, engineers and other professionals who can plan response to disasters. All that training is available in this country. There are people who are well qualified for those kind of activities. So, we quickly need to put this Authority in place. Even before the Authority is established, the Office of the President should put mechanisms in place that can, effectively, handle disasters. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are not only talking about relief food or mosquito kits, among other things. These are not the only things we are talking about. We are talking about a more serious approach to the issue of disaster. The focus must be preventiveness. In my own constituency, when we had problems of floods, I worked with the district team to ensure that the floods do not affect our trading centres. We cannot afford, every year, to fly food and drugs to flood-prone areas. At that moment, perhaps there is very little you can do. I do not know how much food you can airlift. Most of the time, it is very difficult. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion is long overdue and everything must be done, even if it means cutting into the budget of other Ministries, to ensure that the necessary tools and equipment are put in place, including human resource to ensure that this matter is tackled. Now that we are approaching the rainy season, I know that areas downstream in Tana River, Isiolo, Budalangi and other areas, are heavily flooded. It is extremely important that action is taken with the necessary speed that is required. I beg to strongly support."
}