Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 788106,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/788106/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 142,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Baya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13373,
        "legal_name": "Owen Yaa Baya",
        "slug": "owen-yaa-baya"
    },
    "content": "county boards or irrigation units within the county governments that the National Irrigation Development Authority will have to consult. We hope that the problems the Galana Kulalu Irrigation Scheme exposed will be solved by this law. It also very important to understand one thing. For many years, Kilifi County has had famine and drought. People have to rely on food that is distributed by the Government. We hope that with the passage of this Bill, that trend will stop. We cannot have two huge rivers flowing in the county and yet, food cannot be produced. All the water runs into the Indian Ocean. There are no major dams. It is also very interesting that there are very many dams for the people of Mwea. My friend, the lawyer from Tharaka, and my friend seated next to me here keep on talking about the billions of shillings being sunk into their county for the purpose of building dams for irrigation and yet, where those rivers are flowing to, there is nothing being done. We continue to increase food production in the areas where food is already in plenty, but we do not look at the areas where there is a major problem in terms of food production. I hope that equity and equality and issues of fairness will prevail as we implement this Bill to ensure that other people also benefit. Kilifi should never again be associated with food-deficit stories. It is very sad that year in, year out, we have to make a passionate cry and SOS. We have to cry to the Government to come to our rescue. Why? It is because the NIB has failed to implement the irrigation schemes that we proposed. In my former life, I used to work in the county. I remember having sat in many meetings with the people from NIB. For the last five years that I have served there, all we had were meetings and big promises with regard to setting up irrigation schemes. Every plan ended up on the shelves. I just hope that this law will cure the problem. I have gone through the Bill and I think it is a good Bill. It will redeem this country and save many souls from the pains of hunger. Counties with high potential for irrigation should be given an affirmative platform thus more money. We have been informed by the Speaker that today the President signed the Division of Revenue Bill, which is a good thing. However, how much of that money that goes to the counties can actually be put under agriculture? How much is the national Government supplementing in terms of ensuring that there is more money for agricultural production in counties which have potential for irrigation? I am calling out to the national Government to ensure that it deploys more resources to counties that have high potential for irrigation. It is the only way those areas will have more food. I can see my time is up but I urge the Government to start implementing projects now that we have a new law. This new law brings in the spirit of devolution which should help us to produce more food in areas that have had food deficiency. I support this law."
}