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{
"id": 39084,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/39084/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Letimalo",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 68,
"legal_name": "Raphael Lakalei Letimalo",
"slug": "raphael-letimalo"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion. I just want to talk on one main issue, namely, drought, which I believe really affects other sectors. I know that Kenya as a country has experienced drought, but it is more severe in the ASAL areas. I wish the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and by extension the Cabinet Ministers listen to us when we talk about the effects of drought, mostly in the ASAL areas. Kenyans have witnessed the disturbing pictures on television of people who are affected by drought. These are hungry people fighting over resources. This is really a matter of concern because it creates instability among these communities. While I appreciate that the Government provides relief food to these affected communities, we are equally concerned that the distribution of this relief food is wanting. It is easy for the Ministry of State for Special Programmes to distribute food just by giving figures, but not ensuring that food is available at the National Cereals and Produce Board depots. We get copies of letters showing that, for example, Samburu East has been allocated 1,000 bags of maize, so many bags of beans and several cartons of cooking oil. But when you go to the depot, the food is not available. This is just what the people depend on. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are talking of people whose livelihood is livestock. Once it is dry, livestock is the first lot to suffer because there will be no water and pasture. This is what people depend on. So, in the absence of the produce from livestock, the people depend on the relief food that comes from the Government. So, what happens when these letters are written, you see the figures, but the food is not available in the depots. So, we are making an appeal to the Government and more specifically to the Ministries concerned, namely, the Ministry of State for Special Programmes and the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security, to ensure that once this food is distributed, then they ensure that the food is available at the depots, particularly, maize. Secondly, it is not just enough that food is distributed, but there is no means of transport to transport this food to the needy people. You will find that in a county, you have only one lorry that goes round the districts that are in that county. So, people have to"
}