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"content": "funds, investors could come in so that we can accelerate development of the power industry. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in terms of counties, we have discussed with counties, specifically three of them, Baringo, Nakuru and we made contact with Turkana. But we shall, as a Committee, as we go to the next county visit, stress upon them that they also need to develop capacity in terms of the water that is generated by hydro and geothermal production, which should be given to the counties so that they can utilize it either for human consumption or for irrigation. So, they need to develop the capacity and capability of using the by-products from the geothermal production. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are also discussing with the counties to also take advantage; as these companies do exploration and as they open up the roads and the other areas, they should link up so that the nearby roads can be opened up so that there is accessibility and so that economic activities can take place. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in terms of the community being made aware about sharing, I think we know that there is a special Committee in the Senate to look at the mode of sharing the benefits that accrue from minerals. I think we have all given our input to that and when it comes to the Floor, we shall do that. We also call upon the Government to develop and deploy a very clear policy that will help to integrate the communities where all activities will be taking place, not only on energy, but investment in other minerals. What we saw taking place in Turkana should not be repeated because we can chase away investors who come and spend their money and also develop our economy. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is also need for us, as we develop these resources, to have people who can audit. For example, when we talk about carbon credits, we do not have people who can actually assess and tell us whether we are getting the rightful share or not. If we do not have our own people who will be checking, then we might be shortchanged because we might be told we are producing this, but we do not have the capacity to verify that claim. Therefore, we call upon the Government to develop this audit capacity pretty fast so that as we generate geothermal and other mineral resources, we have the experts who can actually tell us that this is what we are producing and this is our share. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in terms of the suggestions that have been made on the Floor, as I said, as the Committee, we shall go through the HANSARD, digest them, summarize them and share them with the Ministry of Energy and also the GDC. It has been very educative even for me because a wide range of suggestions have been made to actually enrich, not only this Report, but the understanding of the corporations and even the Ministry concerned; for example, the issue of the audit capacity that a Member brought forward. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we also need to look at the curriculum in our own local universities because as we continue to develop and discover minerals, we do not need to depend on expertise from outside, because they will be expensive and, sometimes they might also not give all the information. So, we need to develop our own capacities and capabilities so that as we move forward, we will have to depend on our own people. 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."
}