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{
    "id": 385305,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/385305/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 54,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mwakulegwa",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 101,
        "legal_name": "Danson Mwazo Mwakulegwa",
        "slug": "danson-mwazo"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion. This Motion comes at the right time when the county governments are looking at creative ways of increasing economic performance. Therefore, looking at the natural resources for them to exploit and increase their revenue is the right thing to do. Let me talk about Taita Taveta County. In this county 62 per cent of the land mass is occupied by wild animals and Kenya Wildlife Society (KWS). About four per cent are the hills that produce water which goes to Mombasa City. We have precious stones. About 70 per cent of precious stones found in the country are in Taita Taveta. We have tiomin, sand and others. However, Taita Taveta is rated as one of the poorest areas. This Motion comes at the right time. With such an endowment of natural resources, we need to give county governments an incentive and capacity for them to exploit them so that they can increase their earnings. We need to look at commercializing mining in Kenya. There have been some explorations in Taita Taveta for the last 50 years, but it is done in an awkward and manual way that does not benefit the country and the county. So, we should give incentives to the counties. I am also suggesting that we should give 5 per cent to the communities. When the land belongs to the community and there is any exploration taking place, we know the companies pay corporate tax to the national government, but there is no direct benefit to the communities where they do exploration. Therefore, I would suggest that apart from 20 per cent which goes to the county, the community or the private land owner should get 5 per cent. We should also be aware that while we talk about natural resources, we have a pending Bill which should be debated by the National Assembly. We also have the Wildlife Bill which is also pending to be debated by the National Assembly. We, as the Senate, want to take care of the interest of the counties by making sure that the natural resources, whether it is wind, sand or any other, if mined, one must pay 25 per cent; 20 per cent to the county and 5 per cent to the communities. 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."
}