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"content": "does not produce value because the farmers there have to wait for God to send rain. So, God has given them the soil and they have to wait for Him to send them rain again, yet God has given them a lake. It is the duty of both the county and the national governments to help the people of those regions to tap the potential of that natural resource. Secondly, Mr. Speaker, Sir, there are a number of irrigation initiatives that this country has attempted to put up. Some of them are very well conceived but they have not delivered their full value. An example in case is one that received some media attention not too long ago; it is called the Kimira-Oluch Smallholder Irrigation Development Scheme. This is a project that was sponsored by the East African Development Bank (EADB) in partnership with the relevant Ministry. It involved digging canals across Karachuonyo, Rangwe and Homa Bay constituencies. This project was meant to deliver water to the farms so that the farmers there would produce crops all year round. In recent media reports, we saw that the residents of those areas were using the water from the canals, not for growing of plants, but for washing clothes and, to a small extent, cattle are quenching their thirst out of that water. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you set up irrigation projects without having a good understanding or a good connection with the local population, it will end up like the Kimira-Oluch Irrigation Scheme. We are not saying that this is a white elephant as it is. But as local leaders and through Parliament, we will have to find a way of ensuring that the project is fast tracked and that it is handed over to the county governments. To a great extent, a lot of the initiatives that the national Government is holding as far as irrigation is concerned should, ideally, be held by the county Governments. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also want to talk about the approach to irrigation that we have seen presented to this House through the Budget Policy Statement and in support of what is being called the “Big Four” Agenda. Food security is a matter that must be at the heart of everyone; be they in the opposition or in the Government. For us to achieve food security, we must ensure that we make rightful investments in agriculture. In agriculture, it is not just about talking about the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) of the past or trying to revive some white elephant so that people can cut deals; it is in doing meaningful things that will change the lives of our farmers. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to propose that this House, even as we look at the plans for irrigation and food security that will be brought to us, we need to ask a few questions. The Government plans to put under irrigation about 700,000 acres of land. We know that in the past three or four years, the Government’s objective of putting under irrigation one million acres of land floundered; it went up in flames. We were told that the Galana/Kulalu Food Security Project, which had one million acres, was to be the next game changer. We brought in expatriates from Israel but nothing came out of that particular project. This is the time when we, as a House, should say that instead of centralizing the risks and projects in one place, let us identify ten counties with potential for irrigation and give them a target of putting 10,000 acres of land under irrigation and give them one year. That way, Kenya will put under irrigation, 100,000 acres of land under irrigation and, in a span of five years, we will achieve the 500,000 or possibly one million acres under irrigation. Let us not think that irrigation can only be done where you have one 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."
}