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{
    "id": 815010,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/815010/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 155,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it was my hope that counties, which are normally required to come up with their own County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) for that five-year period, will capture what they intend to do. Thereafter, they will develop their annual budgets and plans from that CIDP. Therefore, this is something which was thought of at that level. Of course, food production will be central in the CIDP. Consequently, it will be to the disadvantage of the counties if we now sit here and say that we have to come up with a National Irrigation Authority (NIA) which has to run the day to day agricultural issues. Clause 3(2) of the Bill says- “Upon the commencement of this Act, no irrigation development may be carried in Kenya, otherwise than, under this Act,” So, all the 47 county governments will have to follow what is in this Act, which gives all the powers to the Cabinet Secretary (CS) dealing with irrigation. This is because in Part II on development, management and regulation of irrigation, all powers are given to the CS. This CS might not even be the CS for Water and Sanitation because, as we have been told before, we have observed that irrigation oscillates between the Ministry of Water and Sanitation and the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, depending on who is making the decision. So, if irrigation is in the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, then even matters water will be determined by that CS. After all, the Bill says that the CS will have powers and duties in relation to irrigation and drainage, including water harvesting and storage for irrigation. That is a water department function, but we are giving it to a CS who might even be responsible for agriculture. The Bill defines a small irrigation scheme to be 100 acres and less. Anything between 100 acres and about 3,000 acres is medium. So, a county cannot decide to try something in terms of irrigation. For example, in an arid area, a county cannot decide to grow pasture by irrigation because they have to get a license from the CS for any scheme. The CS is supposed to monitor and enforce the conditions attached to the license. The national Government could not even monitor – leave alone licensing of irrigation and all that – the licensing of dams. We had the Solai tragedy because the Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA) and others could not monitor and now we are coming up with another Authority to monitor small scale irrigation schemes. We are literally introducing a lot of bureaucracy and cannot move. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}