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{
    "id": 774085,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774085/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 216,
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    "content": "you get to know that there are so many dam projects which have been planned and are being constructed in this country. It is an achievement that the government should be lauded for. As I said earlier, agriculture is a devolved function. At what point - and it involves this House - are we going to insist to the counties on their resource allocation? Just look at any county, what projects are they spending their money on? It is on murraming roads because it is an easier way to scheme off the money. Buying this and that, but when you look at the strategic plans of all these counties, you will be shocked. You wonder if we have governors or technocrats in those counties; do they know what a strategy plan is? Very few of them do and I know only two who have strategic plans, which can actually be called plans where they have involved experts to develop irrigation and agriculture programs because that is the only way that we can get this country and some of these counties which we call arid and semi-arid areas to feed itself. If we did what is required of us, afforded our people leadership, this matter of hunger and cattle rustling will be a thing of the past. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is an issues of environment. As we talk about availability of water harvesting in our forest - I know this time is not dire, but I do remember in the past parliament had to intervene to stop harvesting or destruction of forest. I remember and that is the only thing Honorable Raila Odinga is fondly remembered for – the protection of the Mau Forest. We need leaders who will stand up to people who destroy our environment. It does not matter your political linage. You must laud that effort because that is what leadership is all about. This calls for all of us wherever we come from to realise that without protection of environment all these other things we are talking about - development - it is development about what? If you do not protect our environment, most of the things we talk about calling them development will not be realised. In areas like western province and Nyanza and I am very familiar with those areas. Soon after independence, those used to be bastions of cotton production, what we used to have there. Today we do not have that and I have been talking to a few senators, my colleagues from those areas and it is time that we focused seriously on harvesting water so that we do not have to wait for the rains to grow cotton. If we want to create employment for our youths, the road is not giving them the small handouts. We have got to go to the ground and develop resources which will generate and guarantee our youth proper employment. Cotton is perhaps one of the most important cash crops in this country. We have protocols with countries like America, Angola but they do not assist or help this country. They assist China and India; those are people who are manufacturing from our resources in Athi River and, other export promotion zones in this country. This is what we need to take to our counties, not only growing cotton but also processing the exportable product. Further, we need to look at conservation and harvesting water to develop technology that will make sure water harvested will last at least a season or for at least a period until the rains restart. 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"
}