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{
    "id": 385349,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/385349/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 98,
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    "content": "time. It is coming at an appropriate time especially now that the new Government has come up with a new Ministry called Mining. In Vision 2030 that we talk about in Kenya, a number of manufacturing plants are going to be started in the regions where we have a lot of mineral deposits. One such place is West Pokot County where I come from and where Members of this House need to know that it is the only county with the largest number of types of mineral deposits in Kenya. There are over 36 types of minerals. In the near future, a number of counties will have to work with us in the sense that when we start developing these natural God given resources, you will come to me at the border of West Pokot and Trans-Nzoia County. In mentioning this, my neighbour Sen. Munyes, recently discovered oil in Turkana and there is a scramble, people are rushing there. There is need, therefore, that this law should be put in place so that a substantial measure of percentage of the resources that we did not apply for and which God gave us remains to develop this area. For your information, West Pokot side bordering Ngamia One may be having the main tank that produces this petroleum oil. The moment we start doing ours and elevations are there because we are at a lower level than our neighbouring county, we may be able to get more of this oil. In mentioning this, a number of people have come to West Pokot County unnoticed. They did not go through the leadership in the county and they have prospecting licenses in the name of going to do mineral exploration. The county council and the leadership at that time did not know. We even hear that some people own title deeds in areas where there was no title deed in the whole area. Although we are saying that these minerals will be managed by the national government, before any license is given, I propose that there should be wider consultations with the county governments so that at every level, we know who is coming to invest there. This will eliminate many quacks pretending to be having prospective licenses yet they hold them and then sell them. We have agreed with the Governor and the leadership of the County of West Pokot that they come up with laws that will revoke all this. Anybody who wants to get a prospecting license must notify the people on the ground so that we avoid the case where we have people who come to carry some samples pretending that they are going to do tests where they carry lorries and lorries of our precious mineral called chromite. This mineral is so special but we did not know. So, they take advantage of the people’s ignorance because the people are not educated in some areas. Again, we are privileged to be the only county in Kenya which hosts Turkwel Power Generating Plant which is run by KenGen and constitutes nearly 20 per cent of the power that we use annually in Kenya. As we mention this, you will be surprised that nearly 30 years since this plant was put up, which carries trillions of cubic metres of water, no single shilling goes back to the people whose land was taken by the water. There is no percentage of corporate social responsibility that goes there. There is no hospital that has been built. They only inherited a school that was built by the contractors of this dam, the French. As I speak to you, even desks that were left by the contractors are broken but no shilling goes back to repair them. That is why I support this Motion. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will go further to say that in the case of West Pokot, this plan has been there and the water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and crocodiles which we did not have before. There is no road where people can cross from 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."
}