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{
    "id": 1569975,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1569975/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 187,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Hassan Ali Joho",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you will allow me, I would like to start with the last question by Sen. Haji. I think it is an important one. One of the reasons we have had to stop some mining operations such as the one for gypsum is because of how the mining activities had been conducted earlier. The gypsum one, it is in the manner where the mining activities had been conducted earlier. Lands have been turned to barren land and abandoned quarries. It is interesting because the pastoralist communities such as those in Garissa and Tana River and others suffer lots of losses because of losing livestock that fall into the pits. That is one of the reasons we have cancelled operations. What we are doing is to enforce. Initially, the Ministry did not have an enforcement unit. We had a police unit, an AP unit, but now we have the DCI Unit that pursues those culprits that did that and were taking them through necessary action. So, I want to assure you, Senator, that there is some cause we are following. Sen. Okenyuri, you asked about soapstone. We treat all miners the same. Artisanal miners, a decision that was made is across all minerals. There is no specific treatment for a specific mineral. So, I just want to assure you that we have considered all minerals and practices by artisanal, and all of them have been put in cooperatives and capacity build them, so that they can aggregate and access market easily. So, even licensing, we use the same procedures and protocols to ensure everybody gets licensed. Mr. Sifuna asked me about the royalties. I share your concerns, Senator, and I am already now negotiating with the respective committee of the National Assembly to undertake some reforms. This is to ensure that when royalties are paid, they are disbursed to the rightful places on time, so that communities do not have to depend on the treasury. 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."
}