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    "id": 530662,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/530662/?format=api",
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    "content": "rehabilitation and that includes planting back vegetation and trees. It must be in law and it must be implemented to the letter. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as a Committee, we have held public participation forums where we have taken very serious views from very serious stakeholders, including educationists and universities because we need to carry everyone along. We cannot be experts in everything. Just to repeat what I had said about Sen. Murkomen’s worry, which is that we will be moving very serious amendments to this Bill at the Committee Stage. The other one is on the structure of the Bill. Maybe it was selfish for it to be put that we report to the National Assembly at that time. But one thing we must be clear about is that we must put it that the report and even the plan that is done by the Authority must be tabled to Parliament, because you cannot table it to the National Assembly and leave out the Senate because it is the Senate which is dealing with and protecting counties and their interests. We will definitely be putting it in law as an amendment that it should be tabled in Parliament, as it should be. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the funding of the County Environmental Committees is another critical issue that is not very well provided for in the Bill. We will also be looking at exactly how that is done so that you also do not create a body just for the sake of it which will not execute its mandate. This Committee will be dealing with a very serious issue and it will be dealing closer to the people. The people will have a closer interaction with it and it will be reporting to the county assembly within the timelines that are provided. It is, therefore, definitely a requirement that we give it enough resources in terms of personnel and even the expertise. We should not just pick people for political reasons; we should pick people who have also had an interaction with environmental matters – from lawyers, biologists and zoologists – who have been involved in the management, education and studies that have been done elsewhere about the environment. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this law will also help in terms of linking Kenya with international treaties that we are party to. As you know, it as a requirement in the Constitution that we also honour the international treaties that we have entered into as a country. So, I will be looking forward to Members supporting this Bill and giving suggestions so that as we do the Committee Stage, we will make very informed amendments at the right time so that we make it more productive and progressive. With those few remarks, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to support."
}