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{
    "id": 814922,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/814922/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 67,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Arror Dam, sijui which dam; do we build or not? Do we compensate or not? Who is going to eat or who is not going to eat, and so on, and so forth. We have people just dancing around with people’s interest as the common man suffers. Those people have to climb the hills all the way to Eldoret, Kitale and Kapenguria to look for food, yet they live in a valley that is more fertile than Uasin Gishu, Kitale or everywhere. They even have water flowing all the way because of misplaced priorities and conflict of interest. All this happens because those who are supposed to design public things keep on asking what is in it for them. How are we going to help our country? Mr. Speaker, Sir, I was in Kitale the other day and I realized that the maize harvested by farmers there last year is still in the granaries. This year’s maize has tussled and it is getting ready, yet there is a long chain of trucks from Uganda bringing in contraband maize escorted by the police from Uganda. The NCPB granaries will be filled up by the time the local farmers harvest their produce. Consequently, they will have nowhere to put maize because last year’s maize is still in their granaries. They will also have nowhere to sell their maize because briefcase farmers are the ones who deliver maize and get paid. This is Kenya for you. We need change in this country. We need change to give this country a new trajectory so that everybody lives a life worth living. Even a farmer with one acre must be given an opportunity to get the benefits of his sweat. We cannot have a situation where we pump billions into irrigation schemes. How will they benefit the ordinary man and woman? Nobody is talking about it. The Bill suggests that counties will set up irrigation schemes, yet all the money for irrigation is in Nairobi. How will the counties set up irrigation schemes? It is very expensive to set up an irrigation scheme. The amount of money we give to counties is not enough to set up an irrigation scheme in any county. If the board that will deal with irrigation is all Nairobi-based and by the national Government, who will imagine that Tana River County requires irrigation schemes if it is not represented? These are big issues. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I urge Members that since we represent the people of this country, from the counties and their governments, let us not steamroll through legislation that is clawing back and undermining devolution. Food security, production and storage are in the counties and we have somebody in the National Treasury holding a magic pen and deciding whether or not to put any money in any irrigation. That is what we are giving to the country in this Bill. Members, it is up to us to pass a legislation that will stand the test of time and help the people who sent us here. Mr. Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I have a qualified support. I want to see what the Committee stage will bring on this Bill."
}