Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 503419,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/503419/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 192,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Onyura",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12833,
        "legal_name": "Michael Aringo Onyura",
        "slug": "michael-aringo-onyura"
    },
    "content": "As the Bill itself says, it is aimed at ensuring that it is aligned to the new Constitution, particularly when it comes to issues of devolution. One of the main features of our new Constitution is to do with devolution, where as much of these activities as possible are done at county level. I think that it is a good thing to recognize that a lot of these activities should be devolved. In doing so, we should ensure, as the spirit of the Constitution expects, that there is maximum participation of all the stakeholders and, in fact, of all wananchi. It has been said here many times that the Constitution envisages and tells us expressly that all Kenyans are entitled to a clean healthy environment. I think there should be minimum standards everywhere, in cities and rural areas that will guide us so that, as it has been mentioned, you do not go to some places and find heaps and heaps of garbage, unattended sewage running all over, and some of it spilling into rivers. You find reckless discharge from factories into our rivers. We must set minimum standards in every area, and those who are responsible, and who fail should take responsibility for their mistake. That is why I am happy that this Bill enhances the level of responsibility, and applies appropriate sanctions to those who will sleep on the job or fail to do what they are expected to do. We should also have incentives as well as sanctions as the Bill now provides. Talking about incentives, when it comes to an area with forest coverage and tree coverage--- I was encouraged when I saw that even the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resource were encouraging people to get into tree farming. I have seen this in some of the areas in western Kenya; there are some farmers who are moving away from planting sugarcane, which is a serious headache in the way it is structured at the moment, and going into tree farming. I think these are ways of encouraging improvement of the environment."
}