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{
    "id": 612856,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/612856/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 558,
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    "content": "Thursday, but I hope that along the way, the Committee responsible, will bring very comprehensive proposals for amendments to accommodate the interests of counties that we represent. According to this Bill, for you to drill a borehole in your home in Laikipia, you will require a permit from a body based in Nairobi. To dam a little stream that emanates from your property, to create a fish pond as a reservoir before it flows on into a major water flow, you require a permit from Nairobi; that kind of requirement is totally inconsistent and an antithesis of devolution. This is because devolution meant that we get management and decision making closer to the people. That is why we have county governments. Secondly, title regulations in this country have been the source of corruption. Somebody sits at a desk in Nairobi with a stamp and a permit and gives permits to everybody from everywhere in the country. It just becomes a money mint. People who come for permits know how much it costs to pay legitimate tax for the Government and how to pay the man holding the stamp to give them the permit. We must move away from this. Over-regulation of a country and a system is dangerous. It is something that we should not accept. Equally, I want to see a situation where the management of national water resources is as envisaged in Clause 8(a), which is lifted from the Constitution; it states as follows. “Every person has a right to clean water and good sanitation.” Clean water and sanitation is unlikely to be provided for to a person in Mandera or Nyandarua counties from Nairobi. We tried it for the last 50 years and failed miserably. The central system gave way to devolution because what used to happen was that whoever was in office had discretion to decide where to take resources. Therefore, regions that did not have people in areas of responsibility ended up never having any resources. That is why it has been repeatedly said here that counties like Mandera and Wajir saw a pipe of water when devolution was implemented three years ago, or 50 years after Independence. That is why we want counties to take care of the destiny of their development and people. We want resources from the centre to go to the counties. It is unlikely that a person sitting at Maji House in Nairobi will understand or appreciate the stress of water in Laikipia which is classified as an Arid and Semi Arid Land (ASAL) county. It is the people of Laikipia and their county government who will sit and decide that they want 50 or more boreholes in a year. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill envisages that before a borehole is drilled, one has to come to Nairobi to get a permit. We are moving backwards and this is not something that we should accept. More importantly, the world over, water is provided by the State. It is a utility where charges must be as nominal as possible because water is life. Households may do without electricity and many other things, but they will not do without water. Without it, there can be no food, cleaning or drinking. That is why a city like New York has the cheapest water utility in the world. The family of Nelson Rockefeller left a foundation and decreed that the people of New York will enjoy near free water for eternity. If you go to New York, you will get the cheapest utility called 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."
}