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{
    "id": 774950,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774950/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 214,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13199,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Kiio Wambua",
        "slug": "enoch-kiio-wambua"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Bill could not have come to the floor of this House at a better time than this. Arising from massive rain failure in most parts of the country especially the lower eastern region of Kenya, millions of people are facing starvation. It would be good if this Bill, once debated and passed, would put in place proper policies that would deal with the most important issue in irrigation which is sustainability of the projects. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I talk about sustainability of irrigation projects because I come from Kitui County. In the year 2011, the Government of Kenya through the National Irrigation Board in collaboration with Moi University and the University of Alexandria initiated a mega irrigation project at a place called Wikithuki where 5,000 acres of land were put under irrigation. However, the project stalled and has collapsed only one or two seasons after the project had been started, simply because there were no proper mechanisms on the payment of electricity bills for the project. The collapse of that project went down with hundreds of billions of shillings, thus becoming another white elephant. Once this Bill goes through and becomes law, there should be proper policy guidelines on how to initiate and sustain these projects for the benefit of this country. It is common knowledge that for a country to be food secure and to fulfil constitutional provisions on the right to food, as a nation, we need to strategically invest in irrigation. Since, rain fed agriculture has failed this nation for so many times. I am just not talking about the Wikithuki irrigation project; the Kulalu-Galana Project comes to mind as well, a really good project that if implemented with proper policies perhaps sections of this country that are starving today would be food secure and even export surplus to other regions and other countries. In support of this Bill I propose that; as we think through irrigation schemes, we look at the possibility of pursuing the public-private partnerships to undertake some of these projects. Consequently, it is not only Government investing public resources in irrigation schemes, but it is also private institutions with proven expertise in food production that partner with government institutions and local communities to grow and produce food for this nation. I support. 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."
}