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{
    "id": 380606,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/380606/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 152,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, of course, Tana River is the largest river in Kenya, for those who may not know. It flows to the Indian Ocean, carrying a lot of silt and water. It takes all the fertile soil and minerals to the Indian Ocean. We need those minerals upstream, so that we can make use of the fertile soil, which is called alluvial deposits. These are the deposits which can be used by farmers to make the neighbouring farmlands fertile, because the topsoil, of course, has humic acids. Therefore, we should not allow the river to cause destruction and deaths in the delta through floods. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important to revisit the Tana River saga. It is not only the people who live at the mouth of the river who should be considered, but rather the entire valley. We should look for ways to prevent lateral erosion. This has also happened on Saint Lawrence River and it has ensured that the river is contained in its channel; it cannot expand. The banks are reinforced. Such reinforcements prevent further damages on the banks which can cause soil erosion. The same damages can also cause landslides and mud flows. This kind of situation is more serious upstream. My understanding, as far as this Motion is concerned, is that it is only aiming at the people living around the Tana River Delta. As much as we are worried about these people, we should be more worried about the entire river course. That is why we should construct a number of dams. We should increase the number of dams along Tana River to thirty. We can make Tana River a multi-purpose river development project. That kind of project can be used not only for farming; but also for navigation purposes. The Pokomo and the Orma who live along Tana River can use the flow of water to sail all the way up to Mt. Kenya. As a result of irrigation, we can also play a big role in ensuring that we are food secure. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, fishing is another component of major rivers. If such a project is implemented, we will have the people living along Tana River encouraged to eat fish. We should not just think of fish from Lake Victoria, Lake Turkana and the Indian Ocean. Therefore, there are multiple advantages of having a project along Tana River such as navigation and control of the climate. We can create artificial lakes. These lakes assist in providing artificial climate. This will change the climate of the areas where Tana River passes through. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the spirit of the Motion is very good. I support development of Tana River, especially the Delta area. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir."
}