Kisumu
  22/08/07
 
UPROAR IN KENYAN PARLIAMENT OVER THE DECLINING WATERS IN THE LAKE VICTORIA.

By Leo Odera Omolo

For the second time in two weeks, Kenyan parliament raised red flags over receding water levels in Lake Victoria and requested the government to urgently contain the situation.

Against a backdrop of Kenya being internationally classified as a water scarce country, the MPs blamed the government for failing to conserve water catchment areas.

The second largest fresh water lake in the world, Lake Victoria has recorded the lowest water level in the past 83 years.

A Kenyan parliamentarian accused Uganda of diverting much of the water to run a newly constructed power plant at Bujagali, which was commissioned last week by President Yoweri Museveni.

This time around, the question of the declining water levels in lake Victoria, which was raised in the house by Kisumu Town East MP Erick Gor Sunguh, attracted the most constructive contribution from the internationally renown environmentalist, Prof Wangari Maathai (MP for Tetu) who rubbished ‘’rush for profit’’ attitude by individual Kenyans planting exotic trees like eucalyptus, which are responsible for the drying up of rivers upstream.

Prof Maathai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner said ‘’there is a rush to plant cloned eucalyptus from South Africa at Karura Forest near the capital Nairobi.

Karura Forest, she said is a water catchment area, yet South Africa has prevented the growing of the trees in catchment areas in its own territory.

Prof. Maathai vehemently opposed the Shamba system, saying it would turn forests into foams.

The recent mudslide tragedy in Khavasali village in Kakamega district in which 18 Kenyans perished and the recent flooding are symptoms of depletion of environment, said the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Maathai told the government to seriously tackle the global worming, and suggested that a national tree planting week be set aside.

While contributing to the water and irrigation ministry vote, Gor Sunguh (Kisumu Town East) and another MP Gideon Ndambuki said increasing population and depleted environment were worsening the situation.

The MPs asked the Ministry to come up with domestic water harvesting mechanisms.

Sunguh complained that Lake Victoria, which is shared among Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda suffered from effluent deposits from industries, putting thousands of lives at greater risk.

The debate drew the attention of the Information Minister Mutahi Kagwe who pleaded with his counterpart Livestock and Fisheries Minister Joseph Munyao to move with the necessary speed to ensure that the environment of the lake are taken care of adequately.

Minister Munyao linked the declining water of Lake Victoria to siltation, and called for modern technologies in unclogging the lake.

The water mass is also under siege from the recent invasion of water hyacinth weeds, which has choked the lake, hampering fishing, a major income earner for the riparian communities, navigation and boat transport.

Water Minister Mutua Kituku called for integrated approach in management of water resources.

Katuku also announced plans to construct 189 dams and pans in arid and semi arid areas of Northern Kenya at a cost of Kshs 793 million.

The Minister, however, admitted the difficulty in farming perennial floods in Nyando and Budalangi, but assured the MPs that the government was looking for a lasting solution. He added that Kshs 250 million had been set aside for floods control.

Sentiments of the MPs over the declining water of Lake Victoria were noted by the three Ministers present in the house.