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{
    "id": 551834,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/551834/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 49,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Karaba",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 232,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Dickson Karaba",
        "slug": "daniel-karaba"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, following the successful tabling of the Report on the Petition which came through me from Mwea rice farmers by the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Sen. Ndiema, I rise to thank him and the Committee for doing a very good job. I am happy that, at least, Mwea rice farmers, after reading the Report, will be in a position to judge the merits and demerits of the actions that the Government will take. I also thank the former Chairman because he is the one who took over the Petition when it was tabled last year. I believe that he also did a very good job by visiting the Mwea Irrigation Scheme. He was able to interact with the farmers and advise them. After perusing the Report on the Petition this morning, it is like the Committee is making the same prayer as mine, but they are not offering solutions to the prayers. Some of the prayers are very urgent, particularly on the issue of domestic water. In Mwea Irrigation Scheme there is insufficient water for domestic purposes. As I speak, there are very many people who have suffered or are suffering from the outbreak of cholera. If this issue was addressed last year after the Petition was tabled, I am sure that by now that situation would have been arrested. There are also many other things that should be done immediately. Some require medium-term steps while others require long-term measures. I, therefore, request the Speaker to direct the Committee to immediately attend to the urgent issues, particularly the water shortage and pollution and the prices of rice which seem to be deteriorating through the importation of inferior quality rice from Pakistan and elsewhere. These are issues that should be addressed immediately by the Government. The Report is giving suggestions on what the Government should do. Therefore, I urge the Speaker to further direct the Committee to come up with immediate solutions to the problems facing farmers. The sanitation in Mwea Irrigation Scheme is bad and there are no toilets. These are the things which I expected the Committee to come up with. Otherwise, we are happy that the Government has provided us with subsidized fertilizers and machinery. But let us concentrate on what is immediate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}