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{
    "id": 774915,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774915/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 179,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Poghisio",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 202,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Losuron Poghisio",
        "slug": "samuel-poghisio"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to support this Bill and join the rest of my colleagues who have already spoken on it. A lot has been said that would increase our irrigation techniques, technology and the amount of land that will be under irrigation in various places of this country. I come from a county that has very good potential for irrigation. West Pokot County has sources of water on one end, especially on the higher levels of West Pokot County where there is plenty of water. However, the lower parts are dry but it is possible to do irrigation through the sources of water which are up in the highlands by way of gravity, downwards. That is the case in point.There have also been many irrigation schemes that have in the past failed. In this day and age, I would like to suggest that with modern technology and modern sources of power, with clean energy and the possibilities that we can study what other drier lands have successfully done, there should be no place in this country where hunger is experienced on account of drought or not being able to fulfill the food security issues in those counties. I know that in Turkana County, which is one of the driest counties, we have had irrigation schemes which have in the past been successful. The policy on irrigation ought to be for food security and exploiting whatever resources we have for the good of our people. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is another sense in which northern Kenya which is popularly known for insecurity can turn into very secure areas by simply having an irrigation policy that targets those dry areas. We know that in Kenya, there is only a small area that is potentially good for agriculture and the rest is dry. It is for that reason that we should begin to support this policy development so that it is possible to have food security for our country. It is not good to hear that sometimes inKenya we have to wait for relief food to come from other counties. We have to be supplemented for food, yet there are individuals, for example, in Naivasha who have personally been able to successfully do irrigation on a large scale. If an individual can do these things individually and be successful, definitely, the Government can do better. With the resources that the Government has, enhancing what the counties get, we should be able to do these things in every county. Instead of increasing the national debt on account of things that may not even be of any returns to us, we should focus on taking loans on account of food security and 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."
}