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"id": 209084,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/209084/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Sungu",
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"legal_name": "Gor Eric Sungu",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, as I talk, the Minister is not listening to me. He is so busy consulting with Mr. Koigi Wamwere. I hope that somebody is taking notes on his behalf. Mr. Speaker, Sir, my very good friend should note that hon. Members of Parliament have taken the issue of REP very seriously. Many of us have started a number of projects in our constituencies. Whenever a community applies for a project, it is prioritised and the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) Ltd gives a quotation. However, it is alarming that the moment the KPLC realises that it would be a CDF-funded project, the quotation is revised upwards immediately. This is unfair because the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) money is not enough to cater for all things that people need in their constituencies. So, I would like to appeal to the Minister to, particularly address the issue of CDF-funded power projects. This is Government money which is going to another arm of Government. Therefore, they should not take advantage because of the monopoly that they unfairly wield on Kenyans, because it is the only company which is allowed to distribute power. In fact, tomorrow we shall be looking at that issue of monopoly, because it gives unfair advantage to some firms to dictate prices without any recourse whatsoever to any other agency. There is no question whatsoever - and I am sure about this - that most of the quotations by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) are over-exaggerated, and there is no way of verifying them. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other aspect that I want to talk about is the Umeme Pamoja Programme. I do not know whether this programme applies to towns only. I have a number of my August 14, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3141 constituents who have spent a lot of money to supply power to people in very remote areas. But when people apply to be supplied with power, again, the quotations are exorbitant. Is this UmemePamoja Programme meant for the town folk only or also people from the rural areas? I am saying this because every time groups in the rural areas apply to be supplied with electricity under this programme, which is very good, indeed, again, they are not able to afford it. But on the radio, it is announced daily that people only need to apply and they will be supplied with power immediately, which they will be able to pay for slowly over months. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like the Minister to also address the issue of Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The cost of electricity in Kenya is too high. In fact, this is a major cost of production which is affecting foreign investment in this country. This is because many investors would prefer to go where power is cheap enough. As I speak now, we are losing a lot of investors to Uganda, South Africa and other countries with cheap power supply. It is a shame, really, that when our forefathers were initially constructing the power generation dams, they only looked at a particular river called River Tana, and left our rivers like Nzoia, Yala, Nyando, Miriu, Kuja, Mara and so on. If these rivers were harnessed, I am sure we would not be suffering from power outages. I am also sure that power would be cheap enough. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we also need to address the issue of ownership of the Independent Power Producers, because the prices they charge are too high. A few minutes ago, we were talking about the environment. This is of major concern to some of us. I think the Ministry should re-focus its energy on the issue of proper financing of redeemable energy sources. It is common knowledge that fossil fuels will one day get finished and the supply will disappear. The issue of environmental sustainability of power supply sources is of major importance, particularly in view of the fact that we have problems like global warming and climate changes. The effects of some of these environmental issues can be disastrous to the future of humanity, and not just Kenya. Therefore, this country needs to get on board with regard to this issue, in order to ensure that as we produce power, we also look at the environment. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we also need to address the issue of petroleum. My only concern here is that in this country, Kenyans suffer a lot because of high petroleum prices. This is the only country where you will find that whenever the price of crude oil per barrel goes down in the international market, our prices are either still going up or remain where they were. This is not fair. We know that this happens because of a cartel of a few importers who are holding this country at ransom. In fact, some of them sit in this House. When I was a young man, I read a book called the \"Seven Sisters,\" which described how the oil industry held the world hostage over a barrel of oil. In the modern world where the market has been liberalised and the competitive process has been left to circle on the market, this should not be allowed to occur. I would like to encourage this Government to try as much as possible to ensure that petroleum exploration is prioritised. As I speak, we know that there are a number of cases where international companies have been given a chance to explore for crude oil but, again, they always come negative. Sometimes one wonders, given the fact that our neighbours have oil, whether these companies are actually colluding with these international suppliers - the so-called \"Seven Sisters\" - to ensure that we do not discover oil in our own country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if we want to make sure that the prices are rational, then we must make sure that even the cost of transporting fuel is also rationalised. I am talking here, for example, about the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC). Recently, we had shortages of petroleum products and gas, allegedly, because of inadequacy in the oil supply system. This kind of thing should not happen. I think in a country such as ours, we should be able to plan long enough, in order to ensure that, in fact, the means of transporting oil will be adequate for the needs of the country. When we are constructing the oil pipeline, it is important also to look at the terrain, for example. It is 3142 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 14, 2007 questionable why one would want to construct an oil pipeline from Malaba, passing through my friend's constituency, to Uganda, which is mountainous and, therefore, will entail higher costs, when one could easily construct it from Kisumu and pass through the constituency of the Vice- President and Minister for Home Affair to Uganda. It would be cheaper to do so, because the terrain is very flat. One wonders at the rationale behind going for what would, obviously, cost us more and, therefore, make fuel more expensive than it should be. That kind of thing is what makes this country not to work as it should. Mr. Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}