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"id": 187562,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/187562/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Magerer",
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"speaker": {
"id": 51,
"legal_name": "Magerer Kiprono Langat",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to contribute to this very important Motion. First of all, I would like to join my colleagues in congratulating the Ministry for doing a pretty good job in ensuring that the energy resources are managed properly in our Republic. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in particular reference to provision of electricity, I would like to thank the Ministry for the efforts that they have so far made to ensure that even the rural communities benefit from the provision of electricity. In appreciating this effort, I would like to urge the Ministry to be a little bit considerate in ensuring that the rural population benefit immensely on issues of electricity within their homes. It is important to note that despite the fact that we have so much presence of electrical cables and wires within and around the communities in the rural areas, connectivity still remains a very difficult thing to achieve. Currently, the rates of Kshs34,000 for every connection in the rural homes is still very high. I would like to urge this Ministry to consider reviewing the rates with at least some affirmative action to the rural communities if they want to see the benefits of having electrical power. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like also to say that the Ministry of Finance should, through the Ministry of Energy, increase money availed for rural electrification. In this years's Budget Estimate, however, it is important to note even the Ministry of Energy has given us the estimates they intend to utilise for rural electrification in this financial year, 2008/2009, Kipkelion District has not been captured. I want to say that Kipkelion District is one and half years old. I have seen in the list of the Estimates that some of the districts that were created even towards the end of the year have been factored in. I want to urge the Ministry to consider Kipkelion District because it has not benefited much from the Rural Electrification Programme. It is also important to note a division in that district, which falls within my constituency, called Chilchila Division, to date, has no single wire of electricity when in about three kilometres away in Muhoroni Constituency, we have power. I would like to urge the Ministry to move with speed and, probably, give an affirmative action to rural districts, so that they can get even more projects being funded under the Rural Electrification Programme (REP). Currently, REP is only funding about five projects within a constituency. I want to ask the Ministry to consider increasing the number of projects being undertaken in constituencies that have not benefited before under REP. I have in mind Kipkelion Constituency. I want to appreciate the fact that some multi-national companies, especially in Kericho, Kipkelion and Bureti districts, do generate some electric power. I do not know how much it would cost us to ensure that energy that is being generated by the multi-nationals within the community is shared with the community. I think it should be within their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 2248 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 30, 2008 to ensure that they do not only share labour with the community, but they should share other benefits of development like electricity. We have James Finlay Kenya Limited which generates electricity. We also have Unilever Kenya. They generate power and use it for their own benefit. I want to ask the Ministry to ensure that such companies share that energy with the rest of the Kenyan community. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to the failure of some areas to get electric power, which has been blamed partly on the issue of the Mau Forest, I would like to say that, while we concur with everyone that Mau Forest needs to be conserved, it should not be used as a scape- goat by the Ministry of Energy to tell us here that electricity has been affected, when we know that Sondu Miriu, the only power generating plant within the rivers of Mau, has not yet been commissioned. In that regard, I would urge the Government to commission the Sondu Miriu Power Project because, to our understanding, it is capable of running turbines. I think there was a visit by a Parliamentary group to that plant. We are satisfied that Sondu Miriu Power Project could actually be commissioned so that, as we continue with the issues of saving the Mau Forest, we are actually beginning to reap its benefits. At the moment, no one is disputing the feeling that we need to conserve Mau Forest. There needs not be a big debate. What we are only saying is that the Government must, definitely, be able to deal with the problem and nurture what we call a community-based approach towards the issue of the Mau Forest. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support the Motion."
}