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{
    "id": 646720,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/646720/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 263,
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    "content": "not plant blue gum trees next to a river source. Whereas I agree that it might have some advantages, the disadvantages of having blue gum trees next to water sources outweigh the advantages. That is the problem I have with blue gum trees. The person who came to my constituency, in Mbooni, to teach about blue gum trees only taught people about the value of the timber and forgot to say the tree is poisonous and also takes away the water. People cut down pine trees and planted blue gum trees in places where water used to flow from the mountain, which is a mistake. That is the lesson I was talking about. In Australia, there is a default clause that may be used by the Prime Minister to cause a general election. Where both Houses do not agree on a Bill, Parliament is forced to agree and in the alternative, both Houses are sent for elections. It is about to happen in Australia. We do not have it here because there is no default clause. I am happy to note that every time we have mediation, we agree. Sen. Kagwe has sat in many Mediation Committees and so he should know why people oppose these Bills on the Floor of the House. Is it because they do not understand what the Bill is about? What is the difference between when Senators and Members of the National Assembly sit and agree and when the Bill is on the Floor of the House? Why can we not have some of these Committees sit in advance to avoid the disputes, which have prolonged the process of legislation? Some of these Bills are as old as 2014 and 2015. Would it not have been useful if the committees on environment of both the National Assembly and the Senate had sat to iron out some of the differences? Some of the clauses in this mediated Bill appear so obvious. For example, why do we need a Mediation Committee to amend the clause to include the Senate? On page 14, there are resolutions of the Mediation Committees. There is the justification of amending Clause 7 (2). The word “Parliament” is inclusive of the both National Assembly and the Senate”. It appears so obvious yet a Mediation Committee of more than six people had to sit to amend it. It appears to me extremely wasteful of the public funds to sit and agree on something like that. We do not need a Mediation Committee to agree that the Senate should be involved in matters on environment. Whilst I agree with Sen. Wako that the policy is entirely on the national level, devolution of this function has not been done effectively. Let me tell you what happens in Makueni County so that they can cut trees. They do not burn places where there is a full canopy and no grass. However, they start wild fires during the dry weather and burn places like Chyulu Hills where there is no canopy. Before the rainy season, they write and report to Nairobi that there are a lot of dead trees in Chyulu Hills forest and they should be allowed to harvest them. They harvest and sell them commercially. It is this Senate that stopped the harvesting of over 4,000 indigenous trees in Mbooni. They cut 4,000 mature trees of 52 years and then pretend to plant a million trees. Strictly speaking, that does not make sense for a person who to plants trees because by the time those million trees have reached the age of 52 years, we will not be here and the effect is different. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, all of us should condemn an organisation called the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). The officers there are not only sleeping on the job, but also not reporting to duty. What Sen. Kagwe is asking is something that should be done by NEMA because they are the ones who are allowing 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"
}