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{
    "id": 1472215,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1472215/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 337,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in fact, out of Kshs100, Kshs51 were going to taxes, other charges and levies. The Committee conducted a proper inquiry, including, meetings with various stakeholders. I remember the then Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Hon. Chirchir; stakeholders from Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC); Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO); Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and others appeared before the Committee. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there is a report of the Committee that was prepared in September, 2023. I do not recall the exact date when it was tabled in this House, but it is a matter of record that, in fact, it has been tabled before this House. If you allow me, I will go through some of the observations and recommendations of the Committee. I will do this because the observations and recommendations out of that inquiry are the ones that informed the proposed amendments to the Energy Act in order to seal some of the gaps that we found as a committee. Allow me to just read Page 7 of the Report that has the Chairperson’s forward. One of the things that the Committee noted is that- There is a general opaqueness in the disclosure of beneficial owners of power producing companies with the majority of them listing foreign companies as shareholders. There was another observation at paragraph number 12, that- The dispatch of power currently done by KPLC is not based on least cost merit order. Therefore, preference is not given to the cheaper power producers. Another important observation that informed the amendments is at paragraph 20 where you will see the Committee say that- Some power purchase agreements provide for mechanisms of discounts once a certain threshold is met. For example, Lake Turkana Wind Power Limited offers 50 per cent of the energy charge rate once they attain the discount energy threshold. Lake Turkana Wind Power appeared before the Committee, in fact, in a meeting that was held in this very Chamber and attested to this. They were, in fact, protesting that Kenyans were being denied this benefit yet, it is actually woven into the power purchase agreement. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if you go to the recommendations on page 8 flowing all the way to page 9 and 10, there is a recommendation that KPLC should dispatch power based on merit order, giving preference to the cheaper power producers. This Amendment Bill is not complicated and long. There are only three proposals. As I have read to you the recommendations and observations of the Standing Committee on Energy, they all flow from those recommendations and observations of the Committee. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
}