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{
    "id": 676524,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/676524/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 307,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Eng.) Gumbo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 24,
        "legal_name": "Nicholas Gumbo",
        "slug": "nicholas-gumbo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. I would like to apologise to my friend, the Mover, Hon. Mwadime because we almost had a quarrel when I refused to second his Motion, because he is very passionate about it. There was a time when I had some discussion with a friend of mine from Israel. The argument was on what was more important for human life between water and oil. We both agreed that water is by far more important than oil. Human beings can survive without oil, but not without water. The paradox was how then it can be possible that Kenya, with very many water masses perennially suffers water shortage with most Kenyans, including those in major urban areas like Nairobi’s upper-class areas, where I have stayed, not having running water for the last 13 years. It is a paradox that despite having access to such big water masses, we are not able to provide our people with water. In my view, this Motion is very good although I have just discussed it with my friend, Hon. Mwadime. We should amend this Motion to read that the House resolves that the Government formulates a financial framework for the provision of clean and safe water, and not just tap water. What we are looking at is to be able to supply clean and safe water to all our public facilities, especially primary schools. This is because water is life. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I have argued about this case many times in this House – that Kenya has no reason to be water deficient. The average annual precipitation in this country is 1,500 millimetres, which means that on average we get about 1.5 meters of water every year. One then wonders why rain water harvesting has not been a major option of ensuring that we have sufficient water for domestic use in this country. If you look at the question before us now, you will appreciate that, on average, every school has a footprint of about 1,000 cubic metres of water. If you take precipitation at 1.5 meters, that would give you 1.5 million litres of water in a year. If the average pupil and teacher population was taken at 400 people, that is enough water to supply those people for 375 days, taking the average consumption to be 10 litres per day. We know that schools do not run throughout. On average, in a year we have about 250 days of school days. That will leave us with about 125 days of water that can be utilized for irrigation or growing crops and even for community use. Let us look at this Motion broadly because the idea is not just to provide tap water, but the idea is to provide clean and safe water. We are just not being innovative enough. The idea to supply electricity to all our schools is good but between electricity and water, which one is more important? It is a fact that you can live without electricity, but not without water. Whereas, I agree that contemporary times require us to have electricity which we can also get from solar energy, we do not have to go the grid. The contemporary life that we lead requires us- -- I think the priority honestly for me should have been for all our primary schools to have clean and safe water. This is because when we take water it is on average every Kenyan lives within a radius of about three kilometres from your primary school. I have just demonstrated to you that if The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}