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{
    "id": 1446540,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1446540/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 159,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "you could see the immense potential of the oil industry in the county. However, you could also see it juxtaposed with the idea that many young people there still do not have job opportunities in equal measure. Therefore, I support this important Bill. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I recognize that the role of devolution is extremely missing on this Bill. The truth is the minerals; oil and gas are mainly industries that are found within the borders of our local communities. Therefore, these extractive sectors end up affecting the ecosystem of those communities, which then affects the entire economic population of the counties. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you are going to have a proper structure and framework that can make the local content of these industries broader, then it has to be housed within the structures of the local communities which are then empowered by counties. I say this because I come from Migori County where gold mining is a very big industry. Some urban cities and urban areas have emanated from being discovered as areas of economic production that then have grown from scratch through mining activities. For example, Macalder Mines and Osiri Matanda are emerging, developing areas in Nyatike Constituency entirely because of gold mining. Masara Town has emerged because of mining activities and the vibrancy there has become due to mining. As a result of mining activities in that area, there are other potential economic activities that sometimes suffers the consequences of mining there. For instance, cattle farming is a big industry for the people of Nyatike Constituency. However, the mining that goes around there does not allow economic diversification to happen. Everybody first focuses on mining in Osiri Matanda, in Macalder Mines and coming to Masara Mines in Migori County. The mining exercise itself, through the industrial process that is going on there, if unchecked end up affecting other economic activities there. Both by design and by choice of people who live in those communities, it becomes extremely difficult to reinforce economic diversification. That tells you just how important Clauses 6 and 9 all through Clause 12 of where the committee is been talked about. It must be mainstreamed within the framework that works for counties. For instance, we know that under Section 20 of the Urban and Cities Act, we have an establishment of municipalities that are given some fundamental rights in terms of how different economic permutations in our counties work. I come from Rongo Constituency, where they have got a municipality. If the municipality structure is not given a voice in terms of the economic permutation that is affected by money, we would miss out very strongly on the economic diversification that is supposed to happen in these areas. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I support this important Bill. However, I would want that perhaps Sen. Wamatinga can take notes, especially on the roles of the national Government vis-à-vis the role of county governments as stipulated under part 2 of this Bill. The Bill should be able to invent the proper structures that are within counties already that need to take a key role in terms of just thinking about how local content should be developed within the county structures. 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."
}