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{
    "id": 615603,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/615603/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 195,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Katoo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 199,
        "legal_name": "Judah Katoo Ole-Metito",
        "slug": "judah-ole-metito"
    },
    "content": "have seen many quarries coming up here and there. At times they are emerging in forest or protected areas. The Bill provides very well that there is need to get consent from the KFS. You need its consent when you want to conduct quarrying operations in public forests. This is for the preparation and implementation of forest management plans because there will be management plans for forests in this country. That will entail the five water towers like the Mau Forest and others. If any human activity, including quarrying or encroachment of forest is going to interfere with the forest management plans, there will be need for whoever wants to do so to get the necessary services. Mitigation measures are taken in advance. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am proud to inform the House that Part V of the Bill provides for community participation in the management and conservation of forests. This is what I was talking about. We should now see the need for adopting the bottom-up approach in arriving at such decisions, instead of using the up-bottom approach. Forest associations will be established and the Bill enumerates the rights and obligations of those associations. This will provide for forest user rights, termination or variation of management agreements between the forest associations and the government at both the county and national levels for protection of their customary rights. The reason why I am talking about community participation, other than the need to involve the communities, as required by our Constitution in the management of resources that affect their lives, is that it is important that communities are involved for purposes of protection of customary rights. Forests are very important to local communities. To some extent, forests are the source of our livelihoods as communities. We even have communities that reside within forests. The grazing areas for pastoral communities are forests. We even have forests that some communities have set aside for purposes of conducting traditional prayers. Such customary rights need to be protected. That is why we talked about the involvement or participation of communities in forest management. Part VI of the Bill provides for incentives for promotion of forest conservation and management. These include tax and fiscal incentives. There are incentives which will be considered in collaboration with the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury. There is the national tree planting week in Kenya. For instance, we talk about planting a million trees every year. Communities will be given high quality seedlings for planting even around their homes. Setting aside a day for such activities could serve as an incentive. It is also a way of creating awareness on the need to try and achieve the 10 per cent forest cover on our land. Part VII of the Bill provides for regulation of trade in forest products through authorisation by the forestry authorities. Forests are very important. As I said, they are a source of our livelihoods in some instances. They can also be a source of business. The timber business is a thriving sector in this country. The sector has to be regulated. If it is not regulated, it will cause deforestation. In this regard, the Bill makes provision for the chain of custody requirement, grading and valuation of timber and procedures for export and import of timber. Of course, Customs have always been very keen in this respect. It is, therefore, important that the Forest Conservation and Management Bill, 2015 is looked into very keenly because it is very extensive in its coverage. If Hon. Members take a keen interest in it, they will realise that there is a lot they need to add to the Bill to 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."
}