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{
    "id": 739882,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/739882/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 366,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. M’uthari",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1576,
        "legal_name": "Joseph M'eruaki M'uthari",
        "slug": "joseph-meruaki-muthari"
    },
    "content": "cost to make dams and water pans. In every road construction project, we can also provide for the water pans and earth water dams construction. That way, as a country, we can move away from rain-fed agriculture to irrigated agriculture. Once we are in that position, we will be able to feed our people. If a country cannot feed her own people, it cannot talk about being independent. We can have such mechanism put in place using the same spirit of the Jubilee Government of making 10,000 kilometres of tarmac road. There is a lot of work going on across the country. If this initiative was put in place, we can collect run-off and protect the environment. Rain water run-off also destroys road infrastructure. At the same time, we have destruction of the land downstream. That leads to high levels of environmental degradation. If this mechanism is put in place, we will have food security as the first benefit. Secondly, our environment will improve. We will have less destruction of our roads. At the same time, we will have less destruction occasioned by soil erosion that creates gullies, which create a lot of problems for people living downstream. Therefore, I propose that this mechanism can be used. The amount of money the Government spent in the recent past to import maize and other food commodities is so much. Instead of waiting for crises to strike, we can combine activities that are related. In the process, we will create opportunity to be food secure as well as create employment for the people who will be used in the utilisation of the water reserves for irrigation. We can also grow food crops to feed our food processing industries. In the process, we can make our country move forward. Kenya is one of the sources of River Nile. Our water run-off go down to Egypt and other countries. We then find ourselves importing food commodities from those countries. In countries like Israel and Bangladesh, where Governments have invested heavily in terms of creating water pans and earth dams, they have improved the countries’ aqueous position. The amount of ground water and the entire environment have improved. Such initiatives not only improve a country’s economy, but also the general wellbeing of the people. That way, we can facilitate further development of our people in terms of improving their livelihoods and wellbeing. Therefore, it is my appeal to this House that we take this opportunity to take this country to the next level of development in terms of improving our food security. If we had created water pans along the Isiolo-Moyale Road, that water could be used to irrigate grass. Such an initiative can help to reduce conflicts that arise from competition for grazing land in that region. Cattle rustling is also a result of competition for natural resources. If we make use of such opportunities, we can expand our options for the various livelihood areas. In my observation as a person who has expertise in the area of environmental management, I believe that we receive enough rainfall. The problem with us is that it is as if we have a contract with the Indian Ocean. We allow all the rain water to drain into the Indian Ocean, only for us to start experiencing shortages of water for drinking and irrigation. We end up importing food commodities. Consequently, we remain fragile. Yesterday, we passed a Supplementary Budget to cushion Kenyans against the high prices of maize flour. If we have a higher production of maize, our country can be food secure. With those remarks, I beg to move."
}