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{
    "id": 468347,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/468347/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 206,
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    "content": "the water out and irrigate more land. There is possibility of producing food and even have surplus to export to other countries in the world. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, experience has shown that areas worse than the ones that I have mentioned are producing enough food. For example, Jordan River is shared by three countries. But Israel produces a lot of oranges and other fruits using water from that river. I have been to Saudi Arabia which is a desert and mountainous. They have irrigation. They are producing wheat besides other foods. They sell that same wheat to Kenya, which has better land than many parts of world. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, all that we need to do is to organize our farmers and young people, so that when irrigation is undertaken in those areas, they may access some sort of employment. This is because they cannot continue looking after herds of cattle and camel after spending eight years in primary school, four years in secondary school and maybe another four years in university. These young Kenyans can be organized into co-operative societies, so that they can do farming in those lands, produce food and also get employment and gainful means of living. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I really want to urge the Government that the bulk of the one million acres they envisage to irrigate be done in those areas because nobody will be displaced there. If we decide to do this in other parts of this country, we will have to displace some farmers. You have to interfere with the livelihoods of other people. But 67 per cent of the landmass of this country is in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). Therefore, the Government will not spend any money to acquire land. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, water is not a problem in those areas. Uaso Nyiro River runs from Nyandarua (Thomson Falls) up to Meru and then goes to Wajir, Mandera and Isiolo. There was a technical research which was done in those areas. It was found that these areas have a lot of underground water. That is why in Wajir you can get water within a depth of 20 metres. If that water could be used to irrigate this vast land, I am sure that the issue of hunger will be behind our backs. There will be no need for the Government to continue spending money on giving people famine relief. Famine relief is killing the initiative of the people. Instead of them looking for other means of livelihood, they wait in towns with tins to be given five kilogrammes of maize and two kilogrammes of beans. I think that we are killing the morale of our people. The only way that we can restore it among Kenyans all over and not just in marginalized areas, is by engaging them fully. If you go to Nyanza, Rift Valley, Central, Nairobi and Coast, there are highly educated young people. Recently, I went to Aga Khan Hospital to see a patient and was stopped by a young man who told me that he has got a Masters Degree in Communication. But for the last five years, he has not been able to get any job. Whenever he applies for a job, he is asked how many years he has worked. He is also asked whether he has a driving licence. A driving licence is now becoming one of the qualifications even to get employment. How can somebody get a driving licence when he has nothing to eat? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, under the manifesto of the Jubilee Government - and I think that it was also in the manifesto of the CORD - they promised that if they came into power, irrigation schemes would be undertaken, in order to create employment and also food security. 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."
}