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"id": 234281,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Bahari",
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"legal_name": "Abdul Bahari Ali Jillo",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. I want to join my colleagues in thanking hon. Ojode for bringing this Motion at this important time in the history of this country. This is particularly so because energy is a very important sector. It cuts across and affects literally everything in terms of pricing and costing in this country. It affects the competitiveness of our industries, the products that we finally consume, transport and everything else. This is impacted on by the cost of energy. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, increase in the price of oil will certainly check inflationary pressure in the rest of the market. It even goes further to affect issues like environment which is very critical. We know there is an on-going conference on climate change in this country, and it is an issue that is very critical to us because of the way we have handled our environment in the past. If there is an increase in the price of diesel, we will go and fetch more firewood, fell more trees and so on. At the end of the day, we will have no sustainable development, yet the world is working to ensure there is sustainable development. November 15, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3655 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is a critical matter which should not just be looked at within the confines of price increases, but it must be looked at within the broader context of the larger impact that it has on the economy, environment and future generations. This is not a light matter and it must be taken seriously. I would like to congratulate Mr. Ojode for bringing this Motion. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on a smaller scale, it goes against the grain that oil companies have acted as a cartel to ensure that Kenyans suffer. Year in, year out, we have seen multinationals in this industry declaring huge profits. There must be some responsibility from these oil companies. These multinationals have a responsibility to this country and to the economy in which they are operating. If they have behaved in an irresponsible manner, this House has been mandated by the people of the Republic of Kenya, to ensure that everything that happens in this country is for the greater good of Kenyans. It is within this context that I believe this Motion is vital and it must be disposed of with the necessary speed that is expected and required of us, so that the relevant law is put in place. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion must be passed with speed because there are players in the petroleum industry who have silently connived and acted as cartels against the law to terrorise Kenyans. We should pass this law so that players in other sectors learn a lesson. Globally, this matter is handled with a lot of concern. In the same law the issue of how the products of oil companies impact on the environment must also be tackled. We must ensure that the disposal of the by-products at the end of the day do not unnecessarily cost Kenyans their lives. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to comment on the issue of price. Kenya is listed as one of the very poor countries in the world. As much as we are saying this economy is doing very well, we still need to do a lot to ensure that the common man earns a decent living. This has not been possible because of cartels in the oil industry that have gradually remained adamant. They have continued to be responsible in undermining the efforts of the people of the Republic of Kenya to earn a good living. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to conclude my contribution by saying that I support this Motion. We should proceed to pass it without spending more time debating it. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}