Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 479843,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/479843/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 248,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Nakara",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2926,
        "legal_name": "John Lodepe Nakara",
        "slug": "john-lodepe-nakara"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this debate. I have few comments to make on issuing of prospecting licences. I come from Turkana County. There are some cartels that have applied for licences and they pretend to be the owners of the land there. Some are given land but they extend beyond what they have been given by the Government. We need the Government to make sure that the people given prospecting licences are monitored so that they do not take more land than what they had been given. Secondly, it is about corporate social responsibility. Some of the places where these minerals have been found, the companies that are prospecting fail to undertake corporate social responsibility. In this Bill we want to make sure that these companies do corporate social responsibility in the areas where minerals have been found. Another issue is about the sharing of resources. From the experience we have, most of the communities that God has given these minerals are poor and yet they are told that there will be a formula for sharing the benefits. If such a thing is implemented, those communities will remain poverty stricken forever. So, we are appealing to this House to make sure that the formula for sharing resources favours the local people so that such areas can develop. Another issue is about empowering and educating the local people. We are challenging these mining companies to educate local people. They need that education so that they can run those companies in future. We want those companies to give scholarships to the local people and give them courses that will empower them to come back and take over those companies. Some of these companies give scholarships to our people, but they are in the areas of education and administration. They do not give scholarships in the field of minerals. Finally, it is on the issue of leadership and job opportunities. The top management of some of the companies does not have Kenyans. Local people are not involved. We want this Bill to empower the local people to be part and parcel of the leadership of those companies that do mining in our place. On the issue of job opportunities, there are some jobs that local people do. They do non-skilled duties which are lowly paid. We want to challenge these companies to pay local people well so that they can promote the economy of that area. On involvement of the local people at the county government level; the land that will be given out by the Government belongs to people. Mining companies must involve local people before they settle on any land. The local people should be shareholders as well, so that after the companies leave, they too will benefit. We want the Bill to compel companies to sell some shares to the local people or to the host community. We do not The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}