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"content": "the Act, let us also look at innovative ways in which we can mitigate, respond and recover from the effects of drought. One of the things that I have observed is that we also need to look at the quality of the things we are asking these Ministries to do. Today, as I sat here and listened to some of the responses, they are very descriptive in nature; they are just describing things that were done. I do not think those descriptive things or those activities are necessarily fulfilling the objectives for which those activities been set out to do. So, as a House, we need to be looking at measurement. How do we measure success of the things which we ask our Government and authorities to do? Is it enough for them to just tick off a few activities they have done in response, for example, to drought; or is it that we should be measuring the achievement of objectives for which those activities were done? So, these are some of the things that I think we, as Legislators, need to look at – the quality and achievement of results – not just a description of the things that were done that are perhaps still putting us even in worse situations. A case in point, Mr. Speaker, Sir, is during the response of the last drought. Communities were given meat, for instance, as a form of offtake of animals. But instead of the animals coming from the communities that were being affected by the drought, meat was being transported to these communities from somewhere in some trucks. Now, these communities, especially in Isiolo and upper Eastern – Marsabit, Moyale – and North Eastern would never eat meat that has been brought in trucks without knowing how it was slaughtered. So, we should also look into some of the sensitivities of the communities that are being responded to. What was the whole point of the animal off-take? It was to save the livelihoods. But when you bring in meat that has been slaughtered somewhere and perhaps some very rich business person somewhere else in the country is the one who has benefited, then it beats the purpose for which animal off-take or any other of the strategies that were conceived in the response really would achieve. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I know that my time is lapsing, but as this House, I am alerting us to the fact that, coming from that sector, I know that some of the response, mitigation and recovery mechanisms are either wanting or totally absent. These are some of the things we should be demanding here. They will tell us they have “operationalized” or that “we have trucked water;” but are these the sustainable solutions we are seeking? Absolutely not! So, I think, as this House, we should be looking out for sustainability and innovative ways that will break the cycle and not doing the same thing. I think drought and drought related responses are becoming a cash cow and an avenue for corruption, if I am not mistaken. We will go ahead, as we operationalize this, to drill down on some of the specifics of some of these responses, mitigation and recovery actions which I said are totally missing. We need to see communities that have been affected by drought in Northern Kenya and other parts of the country, especially in the Arid and Semi-Arid (ASAL) regions to be compensated or recovery mechanisms to be very specifically addressed. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir."
}