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{
    "id": 769700,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/769700/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 146,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. F.K.Wanyoyi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2065,
        "legal_name": "Ferdinard Kevin Wanyonyi",
        "slug": "ferdinard-kevin-wanyonyi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity. I thank Hon. William for coming up with this Motion. I can assure him that we will support it to the end. We will make sure that the Committee on Implementation has it implemented. It is important. Those of us who were in the last Parliament partly talked about this Motion but we did not get anywhere. Thank you for coming up with this Motion. We support it. Some of us have travelled. I travelled to Romania last year but one and I was amazed that Romania, as it is, has 27 per cent forest cover. From what the Member has said, in Kenya, we have 1.7 per cent forest cover. It is a shame. We are in a tropical area so we should have more forests. But now we have 1.7 per cent forest cover compared to a country in the northern hemisphere with 27 per cent forest cover. As mentioned - and many people have contributed the same - first and foremost, is that this is causing us problems such as climatic change and problems with seasons. I come from Rift Valley in Kitale, Trans-Nzoia, where in the past we could predict when it would rain. Today, we do not even know when we will have the second rain pattern. We knew that by October we would be having light rains; in December we would be preparing our farms and in March we would be planting. Today, we do not even know when the rains will come. It is so haphazard because of the changes in the climate and because of our own stupidity of cutting trees. As somebody said, we should revisit this issue. I hope that somebody will redefine the job description of the forest officers and those in charge of the forest department such that apart from just arresting people who burn charcoal and collect firewood, they should not allow people to encroach into the water towers such as the Mau. I come from the slopes of Mt. Elgon. I can tell you that when I was still a young man, I would see the forest from far. Today, you only see stones because the people who are given the responsibility of looking after our forests engage in business and allow people to encroach on forest land to graze their cattle or to cut trees and sell them. Just like the Mau Forest, Mt. Elgon is no longer a forest area. That was a source of rain in the North Rift. Today, we do not have that. In 1980, we had the Tokyo Carbon Credit. This was an encouragement for people to plant trees. Therefore, in the later stages of this Motion, we will reintroduce that proposal of putting more emphasis on the Tokyo Carbon Credit where you are given more money if you engage in more afforestation. That is with regard to the Government and it trickles down to the people so that they are encouraged to engage in afforestation. I do not want to take up too much time. I like the way the Mover of this Motion came up. We need to encourage our youth because we will not be here forever. For prosperity purposes, we should encourage our youth to take part in afforestation. Let them soil their hands to do that. You do that by giving them incentives so that you have a lesson specifically set aside to plant 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."
}