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{
    "id": 398813,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/398813/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 89,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Karaba",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 232,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Dickson Karaba",
        "slug": "daniel-karaba"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to contribute to this Motion. This is one of the Motions that Kenyans need to follow and be articulate about. This is one Motion that we do not need to learn more about from Korea. We do not need to go to China or Malaysia to compare so as to set up tanks. We have all the natural factors that would allow us to construct, maintain and conserve water, be it rain or river water or even from our boreholes, so that our people can benefit from it. It is important to note that Kenya is, somehow, advantaged because of its physical locale. You will find that most of the water catchment areas and river sources traverse the dry areas and to the mouths of those rivers. To me, that is a great advantage. Some river sources are located in areas which are very dry, but move to areas that have water like River Niger. River Niger, therefore, is not used so much to assist mankind. Here in Kenya, we are lucky because some rivers like River Tana have their sources at Mount Kenya. The Athi River comes from the Aberdares and flows into the Indian Ocean and traverses through the dry areas of Ukambani. This is what we are concerned about. Rivers pass through very dry areas and before they pass through these areas, they come from heavy rainfall areas. They, therefore, transport a lot of silt. The silt is deposited into the Indian Ocean to feed marine life. As a result, the good rain water erodes soil of very fertile regions and the fertile soils are drained into the ocean. That is what the Motion is articulating. The Motion is telling us that if we are not careful, we are likely to have all the top soil carried and taken to the ocean. The fertile areas will then become very infertile and we will then resort to using heavy manure systems and fertilizers. The Motion states that we should have a policy in place. This should be compulsory for anybody putting up a house, particularly a permanent house. The builder must make sure that there is a tank which is constructed before the completion of the house. This should be a mandatory requirement. The tank should have a capacity to hold over 1,000 cubic litres of water. I would urge that the Government makes sure that any new house under construction should have in its plan a tank. Madam Temporary Speaker, you note that if rivers from those heavy rainfall regions are not conserved, the water will keep flowing. As it flows, it loads a lot of soil both laterally and vertically, thus deepening the river valleys and transporting the fertility of the soil to the sea. This Motion is urging the national Government to attend to this source because it is very important. Going by the examples we have here, we have heavy rainfall from the Cherangany Hills, the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. But to my surprise, every time we have heavy rainfall in those areas, the people who suffer are those who live in the lowlands. Last night I watched a woman crying on television for the Government’s help because the Nyando area is flooded. The inhabitants of that place are now running away to occupy the uplands in Nyabondo. This is creating anxiety among the residents. We should protect Kenyans so that they recognize that we have a Government. For how long are these people going to suffer from floods when we are able to put up a barrier across 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."
}