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{
    "id": 513277,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/513277/?format=api",
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    "content": "to do so. They have also been playing a part in the conserving, but the reward that they have gotten is intermittent evictions from these forests. They have also been accused of interfering with the natural resources. Even when it comes to the shamba system, they are not given special attention. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the residents of Trans Nzoia, for instance, are not benefiting from the exploitation of forests because the licensing of saw millers is done in Nairobi. No percentage whatsoever has been reserved for the local people, yet they are the ones who tend the trees up to maturity. They are also capable of exploiting this resource. Unfortunately, these resources are transported in terms of crude raw material, for example, as logs without adding value at the point of exploitation. This ends up denying our youth employment because it is created elsewhere. I want to thank Sen. (Dr.) Zani for coming up with this Bill that seeks to correct some of these injustices. Wildlife is a good natural resource that has proved to be a revenue earner to the economy. The economy has substantially benefited from it, but if you look at the communities living within those areas where wildlife conservancies and game reserves are, they are very poor because they do not derive any form of benefit from their heritage. The wild animals also continue to cause havoc to their farms and crops. Sometimes they even lose lives as a result of attacks from wildlife, yet they do not benefit. In fact, those who enjoy this resource are people from, perhaps, thousands of miles away. There is a policy by the Government and it is indeed stipulated in the Constitution that there must be citizen participation. The local communities should be involved in the conservation of the environment, wildlife and so forth. But, unfortunately, the communities do not understand why they are called upon to conserve yet they earn nothing from these resources. So, by approving this Bill, we will ensure that, at least, the local communities gain from whatever suffering that they have endured. When we talk about benefits, we are referring to the monetary benefits. The communities living near the natural resources should be assisted financially to undertake public projects that will assist them. These include bursaries, roads and water. I recently visited a school in my county that borders Mt. Elgon Forest. Pupils sit on the floor because they do not have desks, yet they are next to a forest because they are not allowed to harvest any timber to make desks. This is very unfortunate and I thought at that moment that I must come to support this Bill that seeks to assist them. Even to extract basic necessities like firewood and water, the process that the community has to undergo to get the necessary approvals is very tedious. No wonder the local communities view these reserves as being of no value to them. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in the past, agreements for the exploitation of resources like minerals were done in a haphazard way. They have been subjected to discretionary decisions by those who have been given the authority to make those decisions. This is not healthy for investors. This Bill seeks to ensure that there is uniformity in the application of the law. When an investor comes, he will know exactly what is to be done, especially in terms of the sharing of royalties. I am a Member of the Committee that came up with the Bill. We moved around the country and noticed that there are some companies or organizations which have done commendably well in providing services and supporting the communities in the spirit of 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."
}