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"id": 406544,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Lesan",
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"legal_name": "Wilfred Rottich Lesan",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. First of all, I also wish to join my colleagues in thanking the Committee on Energy, Roads and Transportation, for the Report that they tabled in the House. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we do know that this is a very important sector in our country and economy which relies entirely on power. The worrying thing at the moment is that the cost of power in this country is excessive. I, therefore, want to thank this Committee for the Report that they have given us. I would also like to appreciate that Reports of this Senate, really go out and bring hands-on information for the Senate to deliberate on and assist the country to face the challenges in the energy sector. Mr. Speaker, Sir, while I thank the Committee, I also wish to make some few comments that, probably, would try and mitigate some of the issues that are arising in this sector. During the time that this Committee was visiting Olkaria, we witnessed some very vicious evictions happening in Maela, where the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) is undertaking its work. The eviction of the citizens who were living in that area was very vicious. It looks like those evictions were done by third parties. It is, therefore, important that the Government stays on friendly terms with its citizens, so that when issues like eviction take place, they are actually planned and orderly. There should be compensation or alternative settlements for the individual, so that good relationship exists between the citizens and the government, and any developments that happen within the area. I, therefore, urge that any further displacements of people to pave way for power generation should be done in a manner that does not hurt the communities of the area, because we need their support in the process of generating power. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I note from the Report, that the power that is going to be generated within the GDC in Naivasha will join the national grid and transported 150 kilometres to Nairobi, to be utilized, perhaps, in industries. I note that where this power is being generated, there is a lot of land. To mitigate on the cost of this power, it might be prudent to utilize this power within the area where it is generated; more particularly, in this ample space where this power can be utilized. For example, I will be expecting that several industrial parks be created or developed within the areas where this power is being generated, so that it can be utilized without losing some of the power in long distance transportation. 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"
}