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{
    "id": 1283153,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1283153/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 170,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kisang’",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I wish to report to the Hon. Senators that the law is very clear. Within six months, we can come back to the House, amend the same law and ensure counties benefit adequately from carbon credit. Elgeyo-Marakwet County, as Sen. Osotsi has said, like other small counties, we have actually conserved the forest. All of them are above 30 per cent. We need to find a way where these counties will benefit from increasing their own-source revenue. This includes your own Meru County, whose forest cover is above 30 per cent. You should be getting maybe Kshs2 billion to Kshs4 billion from carbon credit. In Elgeyo-Marakwet County we do not even know the beneficiaries of carbon credit from the 30 per cent forest cover that we have. I do not know what happened. A few years ago, we were at around 38 per cent. I do not know what could have happened to reduce that percentage from 38 to around 30 per cent. However, we are doing a lot of engagement especially in schools, to ensure that we plant more trees. We want to reach the 15 billion mark that our dear President has told us. We need to increase the forest cover, so that we make more money. Mr. Deputy Speaker Sir, the Rift Valley lakes – Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and Lake Baringo – have increased in size because of global warming. People have suffered and this is the reality. We need to be serious, focus and conserve our forests by planting trees along the escarpments. For instance, in Elgeyo-Marakwet Escarpment, we need to encourage our people to stop planting maize or finger millet and plant trees. In the past, they did not know that they could make money from the forest. Now, it is a reality. The regulations that have been put in this Bill are very important, so that our people benefit from the conservation they are doing. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not want to take much time. I know that many Members are on the queue ready to contribute. We have been called back from home to ensure that we pass this Bill. If we do this, next week, we can stand tall in Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) as one of the few countries which have implemented and assented the Bill into law."
}