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{
    "id": 381157,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/381157/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 140,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 447,
        "legal_name": "John Krop Lonyangapuo",
        "slug": "john-lonyangapuo"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, may I join my colleagues in thanking Sen. Zipporah Kittony for bringing this Motion at this time when we know that we are faced with a lot of environmental challenges. If we really were to talk about what is happening in Kenya today, we would feel sorry for ourselves. Our forests are depleted. Some of the natural forest covers we used to have are all gone. I remember in the 1980s and beyond, Nakuru was a very brilliant place to stay in. Lake Nakuru was full of life. But the moment the forest behind Egerton University was eliminated, River Ndarugu, the only river that feeds Lake Nakuru, dried up. If you go along River Ndarugu, you will find people farming near the river banks. If you fly across the country, especially around the area where we used to have forests, there are no trees. We only have a few trees near the road. This goes all the way to Cherangany Hills which is the main water tower for Lake Turkana and Lake Victoria. The Government of the day at that time did not do what it was supposed to do to safeguard our natural resources. For example, in the 1980s, the then President led Kenyans in reclaiming land that had been lost due to erosion. You could see the President carrying huge rocks to reclaim the lost soil due to erosion. Along the way, we simply lost it because that energy and excitement of reclaiming the lost soil faded. We continue giving birth at a rate that we cannot control. When population increases, people want to settle on land. So, people went to settle in the forests. The trees were cut down to pave way for settlement. That is why we find ourselves in the scenario that we are in today where, when it rains in April there is disaster in Budalangi. When this happens we run there with relief food. We have all heard the lady from Nyando calling upon the Government to help. We also hear another song coming from Tana River County. We cannot control nature, but there are some things that we can do. When you cut trees, you can imagine the speed at which the floods come and cause havoc. In West Pokot, there is River Swam which emanates from Mt. Elgon. Last year, a whole town called Kong’elai was swept away. You could see sugar and soap floating on the water because all the items from shops had been carried away by the raging water. These are some of the effects that we can see when we do not take keen interest in such matters. This happens when there is no systematic and active Government plan on the ground. Nobody tells our communities that it is healthy to stay with trees or it is not healthy to go and farm near rivers. So, young men for lack of what to do, go to plant"
}