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{
    "id": 60561,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/60561/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 272,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Affey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 381,
        "legal_name": "Mohammed Abdi Affey",
        "slug": "mohammed-affey"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support the President’s Speech. It is quite clear that the President put a lot of emphasis on how he can fast-track the implementation of our Constitution. This is a good thing. It shows that the President is ready to provide leadership on this very important matter. Indeed, he has provided this leadership even before. For the President to use nearly three quarters of the time he spoke before his House emphasizing the Bills that are coming before this House and how it is important for us to implement this Constitution within the scheduled time, it is an important thing. However, I was a bit taken aback in the manner in which the President referred to the current situation, particularly, to parts of the country that are affected by drought. There is a big problem that is confronting a big population of this country. I was surprised that the President or perhaps whoever assisted him to come up with this Speech could be very casual in the manner in which he spoke about the situation that we are facing in the northern part of Kenya and many other parts of Kenya that the drought is currently ravaging. I expected the President to have declared the drought a national disaster because we have been asking this many times. We have sent petitions to Government and visited Government offices including the Ministers’, Prime Ministers’ and the Vice-Presidents’s offices. Many Members of Parliament have also had the opportunity to tour the northern part of Kenya and actually established that there was a real problem. It is unfortunate for the President to refuse to declare the drought a national disaster. I want to plead from the Floor of this House that this should be done as soon as possible. Secondly, enough resources should be allocated to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and other agencies on the ground for water tracking. We need food, but for us today, water is more important than food. So, I wish to plead with the Government and His Excellency the President to declare the drought a national disaster so that other agencies and groups can come in and supplement Government effort. Sometimes Government thinks if it declares the drought a national disaster, it is a weakness on the part of Government. It is not! It is a disaster, it is natural, it has befallen us and it is with us. So, if you declare it a national disaster, you will be giving an opportunity to potential donors to come in and support these communities and those who are most affected."
}