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{
    "id": 1555879,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555879/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 275,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kasipul, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Charles Ong’ondo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Hon. Temporary Speaker, pursuant to provisions of Standing Order No.44(2)(c), I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining regarding the indiscriminate and illegal mining activities in Kowidi Location, Kasipul Constituency. The number of miners is steading increasing in Kowidi location. The miners engage in unregulated mining activities that endanger the residents. They leave behind deeply excavated trenches and boreholes, some of which extend to depths of over 150 feet. These hazardous excavations pose significant safety risks to livestock and residents, particularly to children, and have resulted in a number of fatalities. Furthermore, the use of highly toxic substance such as mercury in mineral extraction process not only contaminates water sources, posing a severe health risk to residents, but it is also detrimental to the environment. This is in violation of the provision of the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA), Cap 387, and the Minamata Convention on Mercury, to which Kenya is a signatory. These dire environmental and safety situations call for stricter enforcement of compliance with environmental regulations in order to guarantee public safety and conserve the environment. It is against this background that I seek a Statement from the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining on the following: 1. Measures that the Government has put in place to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Mining Act, 2016 and the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA), 1999 to regulate mining activities and safeguard public safety in Kowidi Location. 2. Immediate and long-term actions that the Government is undertaking to mitigate environmental degradation, including compelling illegal miners to refill deep trenches and boreholes and address the drying up of local wells and boreholes. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}