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{
    "id": 382863,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/382863/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 32,
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    "content": "in River Thames. Aquatic life is back. So, it can be done, but in this country when it comes to matters environment, we all take leave of our senses and everybody does what they want. There is reckless and wanton destruction of trees. However we amend the Motion, it should include afforestation as part of the protection of rivers and water sources. I have seen a report that since human settlements were reduced in the Mau and Cherangany Hills, now rivers are flowing. So, it can be done. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, yesterday we were debating a Motion that we have not finished yet by the Senator for Elgeyo Marakwet where he wants agreements between the national Government and the county governments on management of certain activities. I think this is one such activity that the national Government must sign agreements with the county governments and transfer resources to the county governments. I do not see it happening; that somebody sitting in Nairobi in the national Government is going to remember that there is River Murunyi drying up in West Pokot in order to go and plant trees along the riverine area. These are responsibilities that should be assigned to the county governments because they know the salient features of their counties and the traditional sources where, if we were in deserts it could be an oasis that never dries up and that they need to protect. People in Nairobi in the national Government have become entrapped in what I normally call the World Bank disease and syndrome of studies upon studies. They can study forever something that they already know. When they want to build a road, they start with a feasibility study. They move to post feasibility stage, evaluation, expression of interest, a re-evaluation, et cetera . By the time they go to the road, six years have passed, specifications have changed, the cost has changed and they start studying the study to find out why it is like that. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you find us entrapped into that, like you find us commissioning somebody to find out how to plant trees on Mt. Kenya, surely, all you need is to get a seedling and a hoe and go and plant a tree. What study do you need on that? Yet we spend billions of shillings. In fact, study is a big industry. If this Motion goes through, the first injustice they will do to Sen. Muthama’s Motion is to set up a study on how to clean Tana River and Athi River whereas everybody knows how to clean it. That study will take five years when this Senate’s life is over. We will move another Motion to finish and then to start another study, look at that study and then eventually recommend that that study was not deep enough so you need another study to look at this. That is why the third world is not moving. This is why development has been entrapped and captured by groups whom a great writer called the Lords of Poverty--- I am sure you have read the book of Graham Hancock; The Lords of Poverty . They will tell you that their business is to alleviate and not to eradicate. You cannot remove poverty by just alleviating. When you are feeling a serious back pain, you are given a pain killer to alleviate the pain and not to remove the pain. So, these fellows go around with huge cars. If you asked them what they are doing, they will tell you that they are alleviating poverty. They also have coined a new term; “in a sustainable manner”. “To sustain” means to keep going. It is like standing up and saying: This woman is sustainably pregnant. That means that the pregnancy will never end. It is just on and on. They keep on bringing in these terms to confuse us. At the end of the day, all our key resources end up doing the wrong things. 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."
}