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"id": 788043,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. A.B. Duale",
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"speaker": {
"id": 15,
"legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
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"content": "the Republic of Kenya are in Sudan. One of the projects they are going to visit is Kenana Sugar Factory, which is in Southern Khartoum. That is one of the largest sugar milling companies in Africa. For such huge milling factories to survive, they must have enough cane, and enough cane can only be produced through irrigation. A few months ago, this country and the entire region was facing the worst drought ever. However, as I speak, even in the Chalbi Desert in Marsabit, there are floods everywhere. Bridges have been swept away and human life has been affected. The question we need to ask as a House is: Why can we not harvest this water? This water goes into the rivers and ends up in the sea. Why can we not harvest the water by building dams? The same harvested water can be used for human and livestock consumption as well as for irrigation. This Bill is at the right place at the right time and for the right purpose. Why is it here for the right purpose? We have four key legacy projects of President Uhuru Kenyatta, which include affordable healthcare for all and food security. We expect this piece of legislation - the Irrigation Bill - to be at the forefront in terms of regulating, financing, managing and developing irrigation. This Bill, as presented before the House, seeks to repeal the current Irrigation Act Cap.347 of the Laws of Kenya. The moment this Bill is assented into law, that Act becomes redundant. The Bill also proposes to provide for the establishment of a new authority called the National Irrigation Development Authority (NIDA), which will be responsible for the development and management of public irrigation schemes, strategic irrigation schemes, trans- boundary and trans-county schemes, through what is known as agency contracting. This Bill recognises the importance of irrigation research because we need to do research so as to get the best out of the irrigable land. This Bill gives importance to innovation and training, with the responsibility given to the ministry responsible for irrigation. For now, it is the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. In the last Parliament, it was the Ministry of Water. This Bill also recognises the key role played by the county governments. That is why this Bill concerns counties and will go to the Senate, in accordance with the decision made in the Constitution, and with the concurrence of the two Speakers, as provided for in law. The Bill recognises the key role played by the county governments in the irrigation sub-sector and proposes to establish what will be known as County Irrigation Development Unit (CIDU), which will be responsible for small-holder irrigation development and management. That is the genesis, objective and purpose of this Bill. Let me summarise and highlight the salient features of the proposed law. In line with the Constitution, Clause 5 of the Bill provides for the guiding values and principles for all parties involved in discharging its functions, including the national values and principles provided for under Article 10 of the Constitution, the economic and social rights provided for under Article 43 of the Constitution, the principles of land policy provided for under Article 60 of the Constitution and finally the values and principles of public service as provided for under Article 232 of the Constitution. Clause 6 of this Bill - for the Members who have a copy - provides for the regulation of irrigation. That clause sets out the powers of the national Government in the regulation of irrigation, and particularly the powers and duties of the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary, in as far as regulation of irrigation is concerned. Clause 7 of the Bill sets out the newly established authority to be known as the National Irrigation Development Authority, which shall be a corporate body. It will be capable of suing and being sued. The Authority will also be capable of charging or disposing of movable and immovable property, borrowing or lending money, entering into contracts and doing such other The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}