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{
    "id": 504779,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/504779/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 147,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mati",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2469,
        "legal_name": "G.J. Munuve Mati",
        "slug": "gj-munuve-mati"
    },
    "content": "licensed to do their operations in Nairobi, but all the effluent is going to Athi River. It goes down and destroys the lives of the people of Machakos County, all the way to Malindi County. I believe that this will go a long way in streamlining some of these situations. This House has repeatedly found out that coming up with counties has not necessarily decentralized matters to the people. County headquarters have become metropolis of the periphery in themselves. You find that in a certain county, the governor and his staff basically concentrate on the areas surrounding their offices. All the areas that did not vote for that particular governor are neglected. That is one of the causes of the protests that we have seen in the recent past about governors’ performance. I willingly agree with hon. Wakhungu that we should not stop at the county level. The sub-county should become an environmental operation area so that people can be in charge of their own matters of the environment in their own particular areas. Heaping a lot of weight on operationalization and implementation of environmental programmes at the county level may not necessarily trickle down to the sub-county level. Hon. Speaker, I strongly feel that when we go into Committee of the whole House, we should look at going further than the county. This is because, if we do away with NEMA and trust the governors to be able to operate the programmes, then I am afraid this country will be in serious trouble, just the way it will be if governors become in charge of security. For this reason, I would encourage my colleagues in Parliament, to think seriously about moving further rather than stopping at the county level. By that, it would empower people to be able to participate in environmental matters. Environmental matters in this country have actually been swept aside for a long time. We have had NEMA and a full-fledged Ministry but still, we have had massive destruction of the environment without anybody taking responsibility. In my constituency, we have Kitui North and Kora National Park. These are environmental disasters because the areas have been completely deforested. Everybody who comes to cut indigenous wood in Mwingi North National Park comes with a certificate from NEMA, thus making the whole place to become a desert. Basically, what we have seen in the recent past is that NEMA has been a source of environmental destruction. It is an institution that has basically certified the destruction of environment and enriched particular NEMA officials and some Provincial Administration officers. This could be the reason why some of ours areas have not been getting rain. With those few remarks, hon. Speaker, I would like to rest my case. Thank you."
}