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{
    "id": 1378808,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1378808/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 81,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) and all these players in the energy sector. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you will appreciate that power and the conversation on its cost is one sticky issue that we have gone around as a country for many years. Unfortunately, we have been unable to resolve. In my earlier years in this House, I served in the Standing Committee on Energy. On many occasions, we had conversations around many of these topics. I must commend this Committee, that despite the limited powers of the Senate in some of the issues that they are attempting to resolve, they have taken bold decisions and guided the House in bold proposals, which I believe, if properly implemented, can help reduce the cost of energy. Kenya continues to face challenges of being globally competitive in its attempt to industrialise on account of many issues. Top on the list is the cost of power and how this affects manufacturing. One of the reasons why many institutions struggle to set up manufacturing industries locally is the cost of power. I must appreciate that with the coming into place of this administration and the gazettement of certain special economic zones, like what was launched previously under the Green Energy Initiative in Naivasha, companies will begin to troop in. However, this conversation of energy is not just about attracting investors into the country. It is also about ordinary citizens who use electricity to shower, iron and do basic things. This is because it affects the ordinary mwananchi and the people that we represent in this House. Therefore, I appreciate and believe that is the basis upon which this Committee has focused specifically on KPC as an enabler, and one of the institutions which if properly reformed, can bring down the cost of power. There is a point of departure that I hold with many of the Members of this House. I do not agree with the insistence of the formation of an implementation committee. This Report is an example why you cannot have an implementation committee. You cannot have the Standing Committee on Energy listen to all those presentations on technical issues, do a report that has far-reaching implications such as what has been proposed here and then you ask them to give the same report to a particular group of Senators and expect that they will have the same depth of understanding as the primary Committee that sat down and understood those issues. It is on that very point that I continue to oppose the formation of an implementation committee. I strongly agree with those who argue alongside me that the best placed Committee to handle the work of any nature in this House, is a line Committee of that particular sector. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in these issues on energy, there is no way you can form another committee and expect them to be adept at the issues that are being raised, such as, Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) generators, IPPs, terminate with the other country, and expect that they will have the understanding to follow up with the same zeal and energy as Members of the Committee. The same can be said of all other issues and sectors. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}