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{
    "id": 969439,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/969439/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 515,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kajiado North, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Joseph Manje",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1669,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Wathigo Manje",
        "slug": "joseph-wathigo-manje"
    },
    "content": "During this particular time, men who would want to take one or two should make sure that they go during the day when you can see. I want to take this opportunity to condole with the people who lost their loved ones in Kajiado County and in my constituency, Kajiado North. There are heavy rains which have swept away most of the bridges and people have died. As a country, we should try to work it out to make sure that next time it will not occur the same way. I tend to think as a country we are not properly prepared for this. We have poor infrastructure on the ground; like our roads cannot sustain heavy rains - especially the main roads near rivers and our bridges are not very strong. Sometimes, when our engineers design the bridges and roads, I do not think they really understand how strong the floods can sometimes be. So, our engineers should come out strongly and make sure that they advise the contractors. They should also tell the contractors who have been given a chance to construct a bridge in this country to make sure that they do it to standard. Even if you are getting something out of it, make sure that first and foremost you make it for Kenyans. You make it shoddily and maybe one day your relative will be affected by the bridge. We should also strengthen county governments when it comes to response towards this because they are the ones who bear the brunt. We should empower them and make sure that, at least, we give them emergency kits such that if something happens, it is easier for them to respond instead of waiting for people from Nairobi, the way some Members are saying. We also need to read nature as a country. We should know that these are seasons. There are these rains. Around April we will have heavy rains. That is why we have the Meteorological Department to make sure that they capture this data and give it to the Government for planning purposes. Sometimes, you wonder why exams are done during heavy rains like now. We know next year at the same time, there will be rains. Why can we not be in sync with nature? Other animals of the world are in sync with nature, apart from us who can read nature. Instead of being in sync with nature, we antagonise nature and we know nature is very unforgiving. That is why, sometimes, we lose so many Kenyans. I would also urge Kenyans: Why should you construct in the riparian areas? You will see somebody buying a plot near a river. Why can you not take your money somewhere else and buy a plot in a good place? Why should you construct your house next to a riparian area and when floods come, they will get you in your house? Those who are trying to divert the course of a river are wrong. At the end of the day, it will get back to where it was. You cannot defeat nature. What you can do is to be in face with nature. Let us do that. So, I want to ask the Government to read the seasons and know the flooding time and plan accordingly. I support Mheshimiwa K’Oyoo for bringing this discussion in Parliament."
}