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"id": 770012,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri",
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"legal_name": "Samson Kegeo Ongeri",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to second this Motion. It is so important that we need to know the genesis of why we are doing all these things. First of all, when you look at the Fourth Schedule of the Division of Responsibilities between the National and county governments, it is quite clear from the outset that in order for us to have a comprehensive and all-inclusive policy, we must all of us be able to coordinate our functions and services at the National and county levels. When I survey this nation, 84 per cent of the population or the landmass of Kenya is Arid and Semi-Arid (ASAL). Therefore, food production becomes a major issue and a major element that we need to take into account. Put together, when you look at the contribution of agriculture into the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it only contributes about 25 per cent and yet, when you look at agriculture, it is the mainstay of the economy of our rural populations. Therefore, we need to invest more in irrigation schemes in order to up the game for irrigation, increasing the economic opportunities and the results that are likely to be attendant to it. There are arrays of events that we stand to gain throughout this policy. Currently, the manufacturing sector contributes 27 per cent of our GDP and the rest of it really is contributed as a result of exports, some of which are agricultural. What are we doing in this Policy? When you look through this, unfortunately, it is a Policy that has suffered so many sessional papers in the past. At the end of it, all these sessional papers have not been able to be put into a compact national strategy - policy sessional paper that encompasses irrigation. Although irrigation looks like a very small language, in all intent, it encompasses the economic growth of a nation. More so, if you look at the rural populations, all of us represent counties which depend on agriculture for employment, food production, school fees, water provision, firewood, livestock, health and sanitation, care of the environment and the issue of climate change comes in. There is an array of events that our poor population cannot mitigate. This nation, therefore, requires a comprehensive National Irrigation Policy, first of all, aimed at increasing the amount of arable land; that is recruiting the amount of arable land to a level where we have sustainability in food production. Let us talk about Israel which is virtually a desert and yet, their organisation and what they are doing when it comes to food production through their Kibbutz---- . They have been able to harness the water resources to be able to produce enough food for themselves and for export to the European and African markets. The fruits that used to come from Israel were a boon of everybody wanting to eat. They were later substituted by the fruits from South Africa. When you look at South Africa, part of it is virtually the Kalahari Desert, yet, they have been able to put in place The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}