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{
    "id": 499712,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/499712/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 260,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Act, when niobium and rare earth mineral in Kwale is worth nine trillion dollars? Who can tell us that Kwale will have no say in the legislation of minerals? Who can tell us that Taita-Taveta, that has made people billionaires from mining, has no say on the passage of a Bill on mining? Who can say that Turkana County cannot have a say in the Mining Bill, when all our oil reserves found today are in Turkana? Who can tell us that Murang’a County, the home of Ndakaini Dam that supplies water to Nairobi, will have no say on natural resources when it is being debated in the National Assembly? This is hypocrisy of the worst kind, and we cannot accept this. These Senators are not in this House on invitation. They were elected to come here and defend the downtrodden; the ordinary man and woman down there, who will never find his way in Nairobi, to ask why his land in Lamu has been taken away by a man from Nairobi. These are the people who represent the real people of this country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we, as a Senate, have either to get it right now or never. This is because if we adopt the policy and principle of saying nothing, hearing nothing and doing nothing, we will go down in history as the most ignominious House that has ever existed in this country, spineless men and women who had no business being here and men and women who ought to be honourable and distinguished, who presided over the destruction of devolution. This is because you can see what is happening. My good friend, the Speaker of the National Assembly, cannot pretend. I saw him today purporting to read a Communication to the House; that the matter of the Mining Bill is not closed, when he has written to you, telling you that this Bill does not concern counties and already forwarded the Bill to the President for assent. Even the Deputy President was quoted all over saying that the Bill on mining is going to be assented to. This is called political fraud and we will not take it. This is because the interest of the people of Kenya must be protected regardless of sectarian, class or ethnic interests. This House must act as one. That is why we say that when a Kenyan is killed in Garissa, a Kenyan in Vanga feels the pain of that Kenyan killed in Garissa and vice-versa . That is why we stand here to say that this Motion is a turning point for this House. If we do not stand up to be counted, we shall have no capacity to stand up again. This is because you know the famous case of the camel, the tent and the man. They have put the nose, ears, neck and now the hump is entering. As they continue entering the tent, the Senate is exiting through the back door. If you go to the counties today, the amount of resources going to the counties as we fight for more, are making a big difference. We cannot sit here as the Senate of the Republic of Kenya and rewind the clock to 1963 where people sit in Nairobi, allocate themselves land in places they have never been and carry titles in briefcases, mortgage them to banks and walk away billionaires from nothing. We cannot accept this. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Constitution is very clear that land in the counties is in the authority and jurisdiction of counties. It is the County Government of Garissa that will determine the concessions to be given even to the national Government to go there and extract minerals from that county. How else can we talk about devolution? Devolution is 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."
}