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{
    "id": 774074,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774074/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 205,
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    "content": "entity and institution that though performs its functions at the national level, will have an interaction with county governments including the county departments of agriculture. This Bill is anchored in the Constitution. It seeks to create an institution known as the National Irrigation Development Authority (NIDA). The National Irrigation Board (NIB) as it exists now is established via a legal notice. We would like to establish this Bill under the law and the Act itself, an authority that only does not have representation from national government but also from the county governments. The Bill seeks to regulate the irrigation sector and provide an environment where the Cabinet Secretary, working together with the institutions established therein, will formulate policies, make legislative proposals to Parliament to provide sector regulation, coordination, guidance, monitoring and evaluation; so that when we talk about irrigation, there must be that coordination. This country is in a very unfortunate situation where are suffering from serious shortage of food. That is why the other Bill that has been read for the First Time is the Food Security Bill. It is a shame because we have many rivers flowing in the many areas considered to be arid and semi-arid. We have a lot of water that is flowing from Nairobi all the way to Tana River to the Indian Ocean. Little is being done to irrigate the dry areas that are now considered to be arid and semi-arid areas. If you go to the Kerio Valley region, you have River Kerio and the other tributaries feeding to that river flowing from Metkey in Keiyo South, where you are very familiar, Madam Speaker, all the way to Marakwet, West Pokot, and parts of Baringo County that touches both Tiaty, Baringo Central Constituencies up to Lake Turkana; that very little is being done in so far as irrigation is concerned. A little bit is being done around Turkwel area. The results of the Wei Wei Irrigation Scheme and the irrigation scheme being done in Turkwel have shown that if we were very serious and committed on matters of irrigation, we would be able to deal with matters of food insecurity. However, we must recognize that irrigation is dependent on other factors. It is assuming that you have a constant supply of water. It is assuming that you are protecting the environment. That means you have put enough resources in Cheranganyi Hills so that you are able to irrigate the parts of Nyanza where Nzoia River flows, again from my county, the parts of Lelan through Kapcherop all the way to Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties up to Nyanza. You cannot say you will do that irrigation if there is no coordinated policy and regulation on matters of environment. That means there is an inter-link between matters of protection of environment, water – ensuring that the volumes of water are enough to do that irrigation. You cannot possibly say irrigation, as a function itself, would have just been left to county governments to sit down there and deal with irrigation when; first of all, the amount of money required to do irrigation is such that county governments cannot do so unless in a small scale. Secondly, most of the irrigation would require attracting investments on matters of technology so that you can properly use the little water you have in the region. That is why it is necessary to have a Ministry that will work with an institution that will deal with matters of formulation of policies and legislation proposals so that you have a fairly good coordination on matters of irrigation. So that again you do not have a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}