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{
    "id": 93285,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/93285/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 186,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Letimalo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 68,
        "legal_name": "Raphael Lakalei Letimalo",
        "slug": "raphael-letimalo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Vote. First, I would like to start by thanking the Minister and her team for the good performance which has ensured that Kenyans get access to water. I am particularly grateful to the Ministry because last year was really a difficult time because we experienced a very severe drought. For those of us who come from Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL), we really experienced scarcity of water. Dams, boreholes, seasonal rivers, shallow wells ran dry and resulted to schools being closed prematurely. My appreciation is that the Ministry managed to provide schools with water tanks. Schools were able to harvest water and get water distributed by water boards. They shared this water with the neighboring communities. I really want to appreciate the efforts made by the Ministry. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to appeal to the Minister that if it is possible, she should ensure that all schools in ASAL areas are provided with water tanks with big capacities. Providing water would help students in these schools to continue learning without being disrupted. I am sure communities that live in ASAL areas are nomadic and it will help them to reduce movement. I have two concerns for the water programmes in Samburu East this financial year. One is that you have allocated Kshs6 million for the construction of urban water supplies although the urban centres have not been specified. I would like to appeal to the Minister to give more consideration to the district headquarters, that is Wambaa because it is an upcoming town. The population is increasing and there are so many public institutions. The same also applies to Archers Post. It is a tourist destination where there are many public institutions coming up. It has a problem of water. If the two urban centres could be taken care of to our standards, the people operating there would get good services. My other concern is the Northern Water Service Board (NWSB). I am saying without any contradiction that personally, I am concerned with the services given by this Board. Last financial year three pans were constructed -I raised my concern on the Floor of this House – and out of the three pans, Sirata pan is more of a hole than a pan. I am sure the Assistant Minister knows because I raised this issue with him. No human being, wildlife or domestic animal can get water from that pan. It is probably only birds that can fly in and out to get water from that hole. I raised that matter because it is here that livestock just pass by, people also just pass by; they are not getting services. Just imagine how much money has been spent yet that resource has been put to waste. I wish the Minister could look into it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other two pans; Urpus and Sorodoso, were done but they are too small in size. During the rainy season they could not contain the water and broke down. Therefore, the three pans are not giving services to the community. I wish the Minister could consider looking into the three pans. The headquarters of NWSB is in Garissa. It covers Samburu, Laikipia and parts of Rift Valley. We are not able to get adequate services. I want to request the Minister that this Board be split so that we can get good services. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, my other concern is that if you look at small -scale irrigation, there is no allocation in both the last financial year and the current financial year. If you look at Samburu North, last time you provided it with Kshs1 million and this time you have given Kshs4 million. This is an indication that there are some good results you are getting. I wish that Samburu East could also be considered for irrigation purposes."
}