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{
    "id": 531325,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/531325/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 297,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I stand to support this Bill. First of all, I strongly believe that the National Drought Management Authority Bill is an inter- Governmental Bill which creates an inter-Government institution which will serve both the national and county governments. I wish the Senator of Marsabit had sat a little bit longer in this House because this Bill is basically about him and institutions that need to be strengthened to assist the people in marginalized areas. These are areas that have been marginalized since Independence. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I was in Mandera on Monday and was told that the size of that county is 20,000 kilometre square. When you look at Wajir, you will find that it is double this size. Marsabit is almost five times the size of Mandera. That part of our country has been left out for long even before the colonial days; no kind of assistance has been given to those people and no effort has been put into investing resources in those areas. That is the largest land mass in this country. If you go to a place like Mandera, it is a tip corner of this country. It is a gateway to Ethiopia and Somalia. That place is very useful for the present and future of this country. It is a strategic place for business and security. Such an area needs a concerted effort and it is not enough to say we have created devolved government. If there is a scientific calculation that would show how much money would go to those regions and how much they are going to mandatorily budget for drought management, then we would say we do not need an institution for that purpose. Considering that the Division of Revenue Bill creates only two ways of dividing the money, counties have their own right to budget what they want and may not put effort on matters of drought management. It is important that for national interest, there must be a national institution that makes interventions and gives extra resources in the management of counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, look at the NDMA for the few years it has existed; it has managed to attract funding from foreign institutions like the European Union (EU). This institution does its work in Samburu, Wajir, Marsabit, Mandera, Turkana and West Pokot counties. We cannot over-emphasize the necessity of a body whose objective is to ensure that we do away with drought and find ways of mitigating the effects of drought. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when we sit in this House, it is a big shame if we do not deal with county matters, equity and equalization in counties, among others. We are supposed to be debating the value, merits and demerits of this Bill. However, we focus on discussing non- issues. We debate things that do not exist and which are out of context when our people are dying of hunger. We must live by the name of this House. This is a House of reference, honour and dignity. This is a place where the people of Kenya gave us the mandate to come and defend their interest. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is not enough that Sen. Murkomen comes from a county that is fairly endowed with good rains. It is not enough to say one comes from Kakamega where there are tropical rains all the time. It is not enough that one comes from Bungoma which is within Mt. Elgon region and thus getting good climatic conditions, but you do not know what a drought is. One has to have a national interest if 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."
}