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{
    "id": 382900,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/382900/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 69,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Obure",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 118,
        "legal_name": "Christopher Mogere Obure",
        "slug": "christopher-obure"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much for the opportunity, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to start by expressing my appreciation to Sen. Muthama for the initiative to bring this Motion at this particular time. Although I notice that River Tana and Athi River largely affect the six counties named here; Murang’a, Embu, Kitui, Machakos and Makueni, I am also aware that the spirit of this Motion, in fact, touches on the lives of people living in various counties around the country. Therefore, I want to start by stating the obvious, that is, water is life. Water is life because we depend on it for drinking, cooking, washing, for domestic animals and even wildlife and more importantly for other agricultural activities. We need water to produce food that we eat in our houses. So, water enables us to be self-sufficient even at the family level. Therefore, any activity that pollutes water affects our livelihoods in one way or the other. The effects of industrialization and human settlement as demonstrated here have affected the lives of the people, not only in these six counties but in all the counties. We have seen and it has been demonstrated here by those in the medical profession that waterborne diseases are caused by contaminated water. There are also other emerging diseases including cancer and others which can be traced to the contamination of water. The moment we pollute water, we prevent people from engaging in activities that enable them to earn a livelihood. This causes social disorder which brings about poverty in our areas and counties. Therefore, I strongly feel that this Senate has a responsibility to defend the people of this country to ensure that their welfare is protected. What this Motion is demanding is not unreasonable. What we are saying is that in this country, the Constitution and various laws obligates the State to eliminate processes and activities which are likely to endanger the environment. The laws already exist and what this Motion is calling upon is to ensure that those laws are enforced. As a Senate, I think we have an obligation, each one of us, to ensure that we stand firm to ensure that laws that protect the environment or laws that are intended to protect the lives of people and their welfare are enforced without exception. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to say that water along these rivers and along other rivers in this country, is shared and if we allow contamination and destruction of water and other similar shared resources, we will perish as a nation. Therefore, our obligation is immense. We have an obligation to protect those waters and other shared resources by ensuring that these laws are enforced. We ask the national Government to ensure that all the necessary measures are taken to stop pollution. We also ask that those responsible for discharging waste, metals and other pollutants are held accountable by ensuring that they pay compensation to victims of their own activities. To ask for the Government to give us a report on a six-month basis is not in any way unreasonable. Therefore, I want to support this Motion. The spirit and timing are ripe. We have an obligation to ensure environmental laws are enforced and our waters are safe. As a country that is the way we should go. With those few remarks, I support."
}