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{
    "id": 792094,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/792094/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 248,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Waweru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1378,
        "legal_name": "Dennis Kariuki Waweru",
        "slug": "dennis-kariuki-waweru"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion by Hon. G.K. and at the same time seek to introduce a mechanism that would make it possible for this not to become a Motion that just sits in our HANSARD and only goes on record as a matter that came up for discussion and end up being shelved without any implementation. First of all, I would like to observe few things that Members have raised here. Critical among them is the fact that even in our composition as human beings, we are 70 per cent water. It is also not lost on us that two-thirds of the globe is covered by water. However, out of all this water, only 0.002 per cent of it is clean enough for human consumption and human use. We also realise that in the hierarchy of needs, ranking very high there is sustenance. When we talk about sustenance, we talk about food and water. As such, water becomes a very critical compound not only for the livelihood of human beings but also for the wellbeing of our planet. The Constitution of Kenya gives provisions which protect the right of every Kenyan to have access to not only water but good quality and clean water. We are right now in the middle of a rainy season. We have seen the tragedy that comes with excess water. Some of us who are city dwellers are now grappling with drainage that cannot carry the water that is being channelled through alleyways of this city. Our constituency, Dagoretti South, happens to be a beneficiary of an amazing infrastructural project called the Southern Bypass. However, with it, came a lot of drain water to a point where some of our roads became impassable. The Waithaka Bridge, as we speak right now, is in a situation that is, to say the least, appalling. This does not have to be the situation. That is why I am looking at this Motion and seeing an opportunity. The opportunity right here is to rethink about urban planning. We have an opportunity to rethink how we plan our cities, urban areas and even the rural areas. There is an opportunity here to now reimagine agriculture. For the longest time, our agriculture has been rain-fed. We realise that the patterns of rains in our world today are not going to be as they were in the days of our forefathers. The opportunity is here in our management of our water to reimagine our agriculture. We have an opportunity to reimagine conservation. I cannot belabour this point. We also have an opportunity here to reimagine our international relationships. When you think about it, our water towers in Kenya fit critical water bodies like Lake Victoria whose benefits are felt all the way to Cairo, Egypt. As such, how we manage our water in Kenya is critical in how we fit into the world in this century where we know the biggest fight going forward is going to be a fight for resources. We do not want to go to war with our neighbours over water bodies like in Migingo. We do not 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."
}