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"id": 959575,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Were",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion by the worthy Senator for Kirinyaga, Sen. Kibiru. The value of trees cannot be underrated. I remember when we were in primary school, there was a lot of talk about planting trees, especially by the former President Daniel Moi. We recited poems in schools and in music festivals asking people to plant trees. We learnt that trees are water catchment areas, and they provide timber and furniture. They are also good for medicine and food, especially fruits as outlined in this Motion. Madam Temporary Speaker, I was one of those people who did the poem in primary school, all the way to the national level. Therefore, I have never forgotten that trees are important. However, development is also important. We are reminded that we need to have sustainable development. We are now implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have been expounded from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We also have the Action 2063 by the African Union (AU) that has environmental protection as one of the things that they must achieve by 2063. However, anytime we have any infrastructure development in this country, there is a lot of environmental degradation. Trees are cut down, soils are excavated and, therefore, there is movement. There is also removal of stumps of trees, and all other forms of degradation. Therefore, in this Motion, we ask that this be restored once the project is done. The environment needs to be restored better than it was found before the development was pushed. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is now a policy to have 10 per cent of national forest cover by 2020. How will we achieve this if as we develop the country we are also cutting down trees? I have said elsewhere that to achieve the 10 per cent, we need to administratively force through some Government policies and measures to force any land owner to have 10 per cent of their land under tree cover. Whichever size of land a person has, 10 per cent of it should be under tree cover for us to achieve this by 2020. Otherwise, it will just be mere talk. I also join my colleagues in urging that this Motion be implemented. Motions have the misfortune of being in motion and just moving; they do not find settlement anywhere. I would like that this Motion is taken to the relevant authority to have it fully implemented. The sponsor of this Motion, Sen. Kibiru, should be allowed to make follow ups, like we have done in other Motions, to ensure that whatever we have debated, agreed and passed is implemented by the Executive. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is danger of cutting trees by developers, especially in Nakuru-Nairobi Highway as you enter Nakuru Town from Nairobi. When they were expanding the road, they cut down a number of trees that had been there for so long. It is disheartening. Developers must be made to replant those trees if they have to cut them down. In English, there is a word for a road that has trees on either side. It is called a boulevard. The word ‘boulevard’ sounds beautiful. So, there must be some beauty and aesthetics of having trees aligned alongside our roads. If you enter a town and see a road that has trees, you get encouraged. If you feel like throwing litter in the town, you will The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}