Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 385298,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/385298/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 47,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Musila",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 94,
        "legal_name": "David Musila",
        "slug": "david-musila"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand here, first and foremost to support this Motion. In supporting the Motion, I want to say from the outset that the guiding principle in mineral exploitation in this country should be for the benefit of the local people. Having said that, there are many areas that Kenyans should benefit from the exploitation of minerals. I lament that while Kenya has many minerals, we have not been able to exploit them. For many years we have been told about the gold mines in Western Kenya. We have also been told about iron ore in various places. We now have coal in my county. Lately, there is oil in Turkana County. With the exception of the oil that is in full gear for exploitation, we do not appear to have put a lot of effort in exploiting minerals in order that our economy can grow and create employment. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to focus a little bit on coal, which my friend, the hon. Senator for Homa Bay County alluded to. First and foremost, when coal was found in that great County of Kitui, the issue of investment to exploit or to mine that mineral became a major concern because heavy investment is required to exploit it. It is many kilometres underground and involves making tunnels inside using a lot of equipment. More than that, what is the benefit to the community? There is bound to be misplacement of the community. These are issues that must be addressed even before we talk about exploitation. I would like to suggest that for any investor coming to exploit a mineral in a certain area, the Government must take hold of some shares so that the community can have some ownership. I want to appreciate that communities may not have money to invest in these companies, but the Government should get those shares and keep them in trust for the community so that as it is organized, the shares can be transferred to them. It is very important for the communities to have commitment of ownership if conflicts are going to be minimized. The other issue is the issue that was referred to by Sen. Kajwang, of removing minerals from an area to take them to another area. That is one of the conditions that we have put in place in Kitui. We have said that in the exploitation of coal, the raw materials must be used in the area in order that employment is created and locals can benefit directly. We have made that a condition and I hope that any law that the Motion envisages should contain the same Community ownership of any company exploiting a mineral in the area is very important. That way, the community feel they own the process, they share the profits, leave alone the income from the royalties, but they should share the profits directly. So, I am proposing that we go further than the royalties and go into ownership. We should ensure that the raw materials mined in an area are utilized in the area to create employment. I am looking at Turkana, for example. We should not take away all the crude oil from Turkana and ship it to Mombasa for refining. We should refine it at source so that people can get employment. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}