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{
    "id": 468345,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/468345/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 204,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Haji",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 26,
        "legal_name": "Yusuf Mohammed Haji",
        "slug": "yusuf-haji"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am sorry for the oversight. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion:- THAT, noting with concern that the pastoralist areas in the country which are mostly arid and semi-arid continue to lag behind other areas in development due to persistent drought and livestock diseases that decimate livestock which are the main source of livelihood for those regions; aware that insecurity and lack of opportunities have resulted into unending conflicts over the scarce resources leading to a vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment; cognizant of the Government’s commitment to invest in and modernize agriculture and open up at least one million acres of new land through irrigation in order to end food insecurity; further noting that the pastoralist regions have vast unutilized land; the Senate calls on the Government to undertake the bulk of the planned irrigation schemes in the pastoralist areas of the country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will not go back to what I have already said. It will be part of my contribution. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other serious issue which leads us to move this Motion is that it will be recalled that at Independence, the White Highlands and many other agricultural lands in this country were bought by the Kenya Government with the assistance of the British Government. We also know that the money utilized in purchasing those lands was raised from taxes paid by all Kenyans. However, there is not a single settlement scheme where people have been settled in those areas I have mentioned. We feel very strongly that now that the Government has decided to undertake major irrigation schemes, it will compensate the people of those areas, by undertaking irrigation schemes in those areas. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is no reason whatsoever for this country to talk about unemployment, continue giving people famine relief supplies and importing rice or other commodities that can be grown by us here. We know that there is not sufficient land in the original White Highlands and other parts of this country because of the population. Since Independence, there are many people in those areas. Land has been subdivided into small acreage hence making it impossible for farmers to produce enough food. There is no reason also to claim that there is no water in those areas. This is because if you go to Garissa there is the Tana River which flows 300 kilometres down to the sea. However, there is not a single irrigation scheme other than very little irrigation which is being undertaken by individual farmers who cannot even produce enough food to sell because of lack of resources. They only produce food for consumption. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, similarly, if you go to other parts of this country, for example, Lake Baringo, there is a lot of water. Irrigation can be undertaken in that area and a lot of food produced. If you go to Dawa River in Mandera, farmers are just “scratching” the land along the river because they do not have enough resources to take 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."
}