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{
    "id": 382857,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/382857/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 26,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mositet",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 608,
        "legal_name": "Peter Korinko Mositet",
        "slug": "peter-korinko-mositet"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to second this Motion. I happen to come from Kajiado County where Athi River itself has a source. In those early days in our Geography classes, we used to say that the start of Athi River is called River Galana. Unfortunately, if you try to trace where River Galana is, you will just see a dry bed with raw sewage. I remember those beautiful days where we could learn that the largest river in Kenya is Tana River. If you went there, you could see beautiful sceneries with meandering rivers, beautiful water and plants growing along the river banks. Today, you will find that most rivers in this country have been encroached. The riparian has been encroached. People have built and allowed raw sewage to flow into those rivers. We have a major problem with the water bodies because if you tried to measure the level of water today and compare it with how they were some years back, you will find that the volumes have continued to go down. That is depletion. It ends up resulting in the climatic change which we are already experiencing in our country. Therefore, I support this Motion which compels the Government to protect resources in the water bodies. This protection is not restricted to only Athi River and River Tana, but also Lake Victoria. When we go to Lake Victoria, we do not want to find people washing their cars inside the lake. We do not want to see raw sewage being discharged into the lake. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, all of us know that a number of diseases are normally associated with polluted water. These include cholera, typhoid and other water borne diseases. There are a number of places where you will find a prevalence of these diseases. This is caused by raw sewage. So, the Senate compels the Government to make sure that they are taking care of the environment by preventing pollution. The Government is able to prevent damages done to the rivers by making the polluters pay. This is a noble cause. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kiserian Town is next to the springs of what is commonly known as Athi River. But the raw sewage of Kiserian is discharged directly into the river. In fact, we have a dam which was built by this Government. However, we are not sure whether that water has been properly treated for our people to consume it. We know very well that somebody in the morning might treat the water, but we do not know how the treatment will be done in the afternoon. I believe that we need sewerage plants to make sure that there is no raw sewage being deposited into the rivers. This is the only way we can be sure that whatever is being taken to the water bodies is safe. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we also have our farmers who do irrigation along River Tana and Athi River. They use fertilizers which are chemicals. We also have industries which discharge some chemicals into the rivers. This act also ends up damaging the water course and when animals drink the water, the effects are quite enormous. You will find The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}