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{
    "id": 758000,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/758000/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 225,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mutunga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13495,
        "legal_name": "John Kanyuithia Mutunga",
        "slug": "john-kanyuithia-mutunga"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Congratulations for securing that position for a second time and also for having been re-elected by your electorate for a second time. It means you did a good job. I note the importance of this treaty. It is important because it seeks to guide us in the management of water resources, that is, from the East African nations all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. The CFA provides principles of management of the water resource without which we would basically mismanage that particular resource and, therefore, not utilise it adequately. It is, indeed, consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) passed by the United Nations two years ago that environmental resources need to be managed properly for effective use presently and even for generations to come. Our children should also have the opportunity to enjoy the resource. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the use of River Nile water has been restricted to two countries for a very long time. I remember one time in this House Hon. Martha Karua said that there are no specific restrictions in place. She said that if we wanted to use the River Nile water, then we could. The treaties of 1920’s were signed, not by ourselves, but by others on our behalf. I am happy we are speaking about management of these resources ourselves as Kenyans. We would like to utilise the resources of the Nile Basin in a good way and leave them in the best form of use to our descendants. I believe even though Egypt and Sudan have not signed the treaty as at now, they were a party to the discussions that led to this Agreement. Therefore, they will eventually sign and adhere to the principles making the agreement itself. Those who have already been using this water know the benefits. I spent some time in Jinja. I looked around the touristic resources. I went to the banks of the Nile and found a structure there and some people around the structure. Upon inquiry, I was told that those were the Egyptians measuring the levels of the Nile at any one time and reporting directly to Cairo. I wondered why our resources have got to be managed by people from North Africa yet we are not using these resources. This Agreement will open up the water of the Nile for use by Kenyans. Kenyans will have no excuse for not using the water of the Nile, but we must make sure that we use it very sustainably. This particular water resource basically comes from one of our richest water basins – the Lake Victoria Basin, which is fed by two other basins, namely; the Lower Basin and the North Rift Basin. I believe that we shall not only be able to manage this water better now, but we shall also utilise it better. What happens in Budalangi quite often? The flooding in Budalangi is caused by the Nile Treaty of 1922, which restricts us from putting upstream dams to conserve the water for other use. That treaty requires us to release the water to Lake Victoria to flow along the Nile. I believe this particular Agreement will give us sufficient guidelines on water use and provide sufficient guidelines in terms of protection and preservation of the Nile Riverine areas. This Agreement offers Kenyans an opportunity to use the Nile water. The Nile water is fresh and, therefore, suitable for irrigation. We know that you cannot irrigate with salty water from the sea but we have an opportunity to irrigate with the water of the Nile. The Agreement basically will enable us to participate in the utilisation of this resource through upstream damming and irrigation, among other forms of use. The Agreement not only gives us user rights but also obligations to protect and preserve the Nile. It also gives us the benefits therein. That is why I support the Motion to ratify the Nile 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."
}