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{
"id": 93256,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/93256/?format=api",
"text_counter": 157,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mrs. Ngilu",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Water and Irrigation",
"speaker": {
"id": 111,
"legal_name": "Charity Kaluki Ngilu",
"slug": "charity-ngilu"
},
"content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to present to this august House the 2010/2011 Financial Year Estimates of my Ministry. My Ministryâs policy direction is to ensure adequate and reliable supply of water and sewerage services, irrigation development and water storage. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, access to water is particularly important for the well being of all Kenyans. The development of water infrastructure and irrigation development is based on the targets set under the national development priorities in medium term plan under the Vision 2030 as well as Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Ministry has adequate capacity to undertake the planned works and activities in line with the budget. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, over the last one year, the Ministry has provided access to clean drinking water to an additional 2.5 million people consisting of 1.3 million people in rural areas and 1.2 million people in urban areas. This was achieved through rehabilitation and expansion of 12 urban and 128 rural water supplies, drilling and equipping of 328 boreholes and construction and de-silting of 112 water pans and dams. We have also started construction of large dams in order to increase water storage for domestic livestock, irrigation and power generation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in order to achieve the MDGs in water and sanitation in Kenya by 2015, 14 million more people need to have access to safe water and 15.2 million people to sewerage and sanitation. Therefore, we need to put in place programmes targeting, at least, three million people to access water and 2.5 million people to access sanitation annually, which requires additional budgetary resources. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that programme will include fast-tracking the construction of the plant, 15 large and medium sized dams to increase water supply to urban, rural and ASAL areas and increase irrigation development to, at least, 30,000 hectares per year to boost food production in line with the Medium Term Plans (MTP) targets. Following the enactment of the new Constitution, there is need to scale up funding to the water sector to ensure that everyone has access to adequate clean water supply. That is because every citizen has a right to water services. My Ministry has also set up a team of experts to realign the Water Act, 2002 with the new Constitution. My Ministry, therefore, intends to spend Kshs1,308,734,308 in the current financial year to rehabilitate rural water supplies under the Development Vote. In addition, Kshs661,625,000 will be used for the rehabilitation and development of urban water supplies. My Ministry intends to spend Kshs500,289,200 under the Recurrent Vote to meet the cost of electricity, water treatment chemicals and other operating expenses of those water systems countrywide. During the same period, Appropriations-in-Aid of Kshs1,889,459,596 will be collected from the sale of water and sewerage services through the water services boards. In the case of Nairobi, Sasumua Dam is being rehabilitated and will be completed by November this year. This will bring an additional storage of 12 billion litres of water to the City of Nairobi. As a long term measure, my Ministry has started implementing a water master plan for Nairobi where the proposed giant Maragua Dam, which will be three times as big as Ndakaini Dam, is being prepared for implementation. That dam will provide enough water to Nairobi and its environs up to 2030. On regional water services boards, the eight regional water services boards created under the Water Act reforms are responsible for efficient and economical provision of water and sewerage services within their areas of jurisdiction. To enable the boards achieve their mandates and increase water and sanitation coverage across the country, my Ministry has allocated Kshs17,860,588,910 in gross expenditure under the Development Vote and Kshs155 million under the Recurrent Vote for all the water services boards. The Water Services Trust Fund was established to supplement the efforts of the water services boards in the provision of water and sanitation services, particularly, in highly disadvantaged areas like the informal settlements. To enable the Fund achieve its mandate, my Ministry intends to spend Kshs767,816,000 in the Development Vote and Kshs20 million in the Recurrent Vote. The National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation is charged with the responsibility of construction, rehabilitation of dams and water pans, drilling and equipping of boreholes, floods control and management. My Ministry intends to spend Kshs4,877,000,000 in the Development Vote and Kshs287 million in the Recurrent Vote to facilitate the corporation to undertake its mandate. That includes the construction of the ongoing four large dams which are at different stages of implementation. The Water Resources Management Authority was established under the Water Act, 2002, to be responsible for the regulation of water resources issues such as water allocation, sources protection and conservation, water quality management and pollution. Towards this end, my Ministry has allocated a total of Kshs310 million under the Development Vote as Government of Kenya (GoK) contribution to ensure that the Authority discharges its duties. On irrigation development, the area under irrigation stands at 120,000 hectares as at 2009/2010 Financial Year, against a potential of 539,000 hectares under normal river flow which represents only 20 per cent. My Ministry has developed a draft irrigation policy to guide the country in the exploitation of its irrigation potential by recognizing various stakeholders, especially the small scale farmers and the private sector. This policy is before the Cabinet and it is awaiting its approval before being tabled in Parliament. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to irrigation development, under the Economic Stimulus Programme, for the last financial year, 6,500 hectares were put under irrigation which produced 185,000 bags of maize and 805,000 bags of rice. The KaziKwa Vijana Programme has realized commendable gains by engaging the youth to undertake public projects that have immediate benefits to the people. That has, in turn, created employment. To this end, my Ministry proposes to spend another Kshs150 million under the Development Vote to advance that programme. My Ministry proposes to spend Kshs378,200,000 under the Development Vote and Kshs190,671,569 under the Recurrent Vote on the rehabilitation and development of small holder irrigation infrastructure and support to small holder irrigation schemes countrywide. Under the National Irrigation Board which manages the National Public Irrigation Schemes, my Ministry has made an allocation of Kshs1,853,745,500 in the Development Vote and a further Kshs141 million in the Recurrent Vote to enable the Board to continue with the rehabilitation and expansion of irrigation schemes in West Kano, Bunyala, Mwea, Ahero, Bura, Perkerra and Hola. The Kenya Water Institute is now a semi-autonomous Government agency established through the Kenya Water Institute Act of 2001. To enable the institute to continue training manpower for the water sector, my Ministry has allocated Kshs26,400,000 for the rehabilitation of the dilapidated buildings under the Development Vote and Kshs100 million under the Recurrent Vote."
}