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{
    "id": 930535,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/930535/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 252,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ijara, PDR",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Sophia Noor",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 375,
        "legal_name": "Sophia Abdi Noor",
        "slug": "sophia-noor"
    },
    "content": "have been a lot of problems. You have seen how many Questions have been coming to this House. They are in terms of the needs they require. For over 50 years, this country has been giving relief food to Kenyans. Honestly, there are many times I spoke on the Floor of this House, saying that we need to be very proactive in our planning. Instead of being reactive when we have emergency, we should be proactive. We have been reactive. I hear that we are planning to use Kshs8 billion for drought. That is just for water trucking, relief food, medicines and fodder. Honestly, if we were planning properly, that Kshs8 billion could have done a lot in terms of putting water systems, fodder and food in place. We would not be talking about what we are talking about today. The whole region and pockets of ASALs would be better. If we could plan properly, and be very proactive in our dealings, we would not be talking about the drought problem in this House today. I agree that building resilience has become a very big challenge to this country. While drought is a natural phenomenon, there is need for planning mitigation measures so that we evade the kind of situation we are always in. we need to look for a proper and permanent solution to the problem of drought in this country. We have the best brains in this country. If they sit down, they can create and develop for us a long-term plan – a permanent solution to the problem of drought. Provision of relief food is not the solution. Giving relief food and doing water tanks is not a solution. We have a problem. With this problem, we will definitely do the water tanks. We will do relief food. We will do pastures. But, more importantly, this is a platform where people raise resources. They do not want to do development. They do not want to sit down and plan properly. They wait for calamities like drought so that they can get resources to pocket for themselves. It is not good if we do not say the truth on the Floor of this House. It is not good to pocket resources meant for people and livestock who are dying because they do not have water or food. It becomes a problem when we enrich ourselves with those resources. There are many countries in the world that have changed completely. We know of desert lands that have been transformed into high potential farmlands. They are food baskets today. We know of many such countries. Botswana has livestock as their only income but they are doing very well. Livestock keeping has changed that country in a big way. I know we have more livestock. We are rich as a country but we are not using our resources. These are our resources as a country. We have plenty of livestock. I totally support this amendment Bill so that this body will be able to have the capacity to do fundraising for themselves. The Government should give them resources. Instead of this body sitting down, they will be able to work. We know they have the best warning system in Africa. If they are given an opportunity, they will give those warnings. They will have resources to avert the situation we are in. Therefore, I support this important Bill and thank the Members who support it, but we need our Government’s goodwill more. In conclusion, I appeal to the Government and to all like-minded people, including our technocrats, and particularly the engineers who properly understand how to do proper planning; so that in future, we have a permanent solution to the problem we are facing today. We are in a disaster. People are moving up and down all over. We have the census that is coming but our communities are not in the country. They are far away. Honestly, how will they be counted? That is a national exercise. They are not there. They have moved around looking for pastures and water. We are asking our Government to make sure that this national exercise does not fail completely. They should look for all possible solutions so that they can bring back the people to be counted in their constituencies. 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."
}