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{
    "id": 774977,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774977/?format=api",
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    "content": "lower riparian and their fighting, saying “all of the water that is being used in Makueni County; it should have gone to Tana River County and other places in the lower side of our country towards the coast”. The same applies to Elgeyo Marakwet County. If you are doing irrigation in Keiyo County, it has an impact on irrigation done in counties like Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and ultimately Turkana. Therefore, all this requires a body that has a bigger national view on the situation of irrigation. That is important as captured by the Irrigation Bill. However, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I recognise that we must delay this Bill a little bit before it comes to the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries– Chaired by the able Sen. Ndwiga– for approval to look at the management structure to ensure that it is not top heavy – in this sense meaning that it is national Government-heavy and weak at the county level. Secondly, it is so as to look at it in a manner that will ensure that counties also, at their own level, must have unquestionable capacity and right to undertake investment projects related to irrigation with the ability to attract local and international investors at the scale that they want to undertake their irrigation. So that, then, the body that has been established under the Act will become like a facilitator. The county governments can apply and that body will ensure that water and infrastructure related issues that may affect another county have been checked and approved to undertake the irrigation scheme. Ultimately, because of the reducing amount of water in this country, irrigation in future may cause disputes. People will be asking, “Why are you irrigating upstream and those of us in downstream are suffering because we want water for livestock?” In fact, the irrigation technology that is going to be used must also be checked so that you do not waste a lot of water in the manner in which you are going to carry out irrigation upstream at the expense of the irrigation downstream. All these issues must be taken into consideration when dealing with matters irrigation. That is why the existing institution now is the National Irrigation Board (NIB). That institution has been established vide a legal notice and we are now establishing it vide an Act of Parliament with the powers to consult with the National and county governments. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to request Sen. Ndwiga to work expeditiously and invite the Council of Governors (CoG); and that is what I am going to say when it also comes to the next Bill. Most of the Bills we are dealing with here, especially where there is a relationship with the National and county governments, we have to deal with our clients because they are the ones who are interacting with the Bill on a day to day basis. I would be very interested to listen to the views that county governments are going to bring. Luckily, Sen. Ndwiga comes from Embu County, where irrigation is taking place. There is also a massive irrigation scheme in the neighbouring Kirinyaga County that is going on there in Mwea. That experience that comes from the former Cabinet Secretary will assist in coming up with this Bill. Since this is a Bill that came from the Executive, it is for us to look at it and by the time it is going to the National Assembly, we do not find ourselves in situations where they will approve in the manner 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."
}