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{
    "id": 1446564,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1446564/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 183,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Although it appears plain some of these things are patented. This is a competitive industry. If you go deep into detail about how the mining and extractive industries work, you may think it is just a simple matter of sinking in the machinery and coming out with whatever you are extracting. However, in terms of strategy and practice, what one company does is not the same thing as what another company does. These are matters of patent. Companies have spent their money; they have researched and they can achieve different factors depending on the resources that they have deployed if they are granted the opportunity. Thus, to demand them and grant this issue of the transfer of technology is not a bad thing. I agree with the need to secure that, but we must maybe tighten that conversation so that it is upon certain agreed conditions with the investor. There are many other things that I would wish to speak about such as the issues on research. For example, under Clause 35, you need to submit your research and development plan for five years and so on. I would rather that this conversation be complete by ensuring that apart from securing the locals in the Bill, we listen to the industry as well in terms of how willing they are to contribute. This is a good start because it is an attempt at ensuring that nobody exploits our people as is the case. This is an industry, for example, the extractive industry, that if we are to spend significant time, energy and resources, we will help to grow Kenya's economy to the next level. All these issues that you are struggling with on taxes and revenue-raising measures if we concentrated and did better in this particular industry. The country can even accelerate and grow to a better stage than what is available presently. It bothers me that there are various countries across the region whose economies are not even as diverse or advanced as Kenya's, but as a share of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), mining contributes more than what we earn. We need to study the mining reports even from across the continent. I am not speaking of South Africa and Congo, countries that are way advanced in the extractive industry. I am speaking of the neighbouring countries, even as young Republics as South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda on what they get out of the extractive industries. We need to become better at how we manage this particular situation by ensuring that we protect the local communities as is being explained in this particular Bill. Nonetheless, I want to repeat for emphasis's sake, that we still have not thought of ways of attracting, investors who can come and put their resources, into this. There are other issues as well that we need to address. I know, for example, that in some parts of this country such as Kwale, Homa Bay or Kericho which has got significant deposits of rare earths. They are untapped and there is no activity going on there. There are people with licenses to explore and have overstayed with those particular exploration licenses. We must address that particular need and ensure that we sort out whatever local issues exist. If there are people who are not comfortable and are not assured of how they are going to be compensated or benefit, that is part of what we need to study in this particular Bill so that our counties can earn better. It is out of growing industries such as this that we will save ourselves the burden of the revenue-raising measures that we have relied upon, which is purely on taxation and 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."
}