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{
    "id": 788090,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/788090/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 126,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Tutoek",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13434,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kamuren Tuitoek",
        "slug": "daniel-kamuren-tuitoek"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to also contribute on this debate. As a Member of the Committee, we find this Bill to be very necessary at this time. Currently, we are talking about the Big Four Agenda, which include the area of food security. We also know that there are other sectors which require much irrigation. The flower sector requires irrigation. Vegetables are grown under irrigation, especially in Naivasha and Kinangop areas. Also, the cereals sector depends a lot on irrigation, especially rice production. The people of Mwea engage in a lot of irrigation to grow rice. People in Bunyala and the coastal areas also grow rice. This Bill will go a long way in supporting the Big Four Agenda. The Bill addresses new structures, the way irrigation will be provided in this nation and, specifically, the way the central Government and the county governments will operate in undertaking irrigation activities. The Bill is creating a new Government agency called National Irrigation Authority. The Bill clearly spells out the roles of the national Government, the county governments and the members of the Irrigation Water Users Association (IWUA). The NIA is a successor to the National Irrigation Board. It will take over all the seats of this Board and become an authority. It will be delivering services in this sector. It will also clearly spell out how IWUA will be conducting their activities in the various irrigation schemes. I know that Members here have expressed a lot of support for this Bill, but we particularly want to emphasise that we want those irrigation schemes to succeed. As we discuss food production and income generation, we want to ensure that we boost food production through irrigation schemes. We also know that irrigation schemes will require a lot of water. Currently, the nation is undertaking a lot of water harvesting. We want some of the water being collected in dams to be used for irrigation. Structures in the irrigation systems should be clear. We know they have intakes, distribution canals and tertiary canals. Those schemes have challenges in terms of management. The Bill gives powers to IWUA to conduct their affairs. I heard Nominated Member No. 001 say that we should give power to farmers. This Bill clearly supports the idea of farmers conducting their affairs and managing the irrigation schemes. It also talks of conflicts which can arise in those schemes. It provides for conflict resolution committees which will allow IWUA, whenever they have problems, to resolve those issues. If in the process issues are not solved, they will be passed on to other higher courts. This Bill, in itself, will assist the Cabinet Secretary (CS) to manage irrigation systems in consultation with the county governments. The Bill provides for a consultation framework between the national Government and the county governments. We all know what agriculture has been devolved. But we also know that policy areas and regulations are still vested in the Cabinet Secretary responsible for agriculture and irrigation. Hon. Deputy Speaker, we look forward to this Bill being operationalised as soon as possible so that we can focus on production. We know this nation also produces other crops. We have rice and sugar production, which are way below the expected level. Looking at other countries in the world, we realise that irrigation plays a big role in sugar production. Brazil and Sudan are outstanding. They produce sugar through irrigation. We are told that the Deputy President and the Chairman of the Committee responsible for agriculture may have travelled to Sudan to look at how sugar is being produced under irrigation at Kinana Irrigation Scheme. This Bill should go a long way to support the production of sugar in the coastal areas, including the Ramisi area. The production of sugar under irrigation is high and will go a long way to assist farmers to get better income. 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."
}