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{
    "id": 616770,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/616770/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 87,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Abdalla",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 382,
        "legal_name": "Amina Ali Abdalla",
        "slug": "amina-abdalla"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I was “seconding” the Forest Conservation and Management Bill in which I was highlighting to the Members the major changes. I had noted that pre-publication scrutiny of Bills tends to assist in the amount of amendments that are needed because the Committee had already interacted with this Bill. The issue is the process through which the de-gazettement or the realignment of forest boundaries is to be undertaken. In the 2005 legislation and in the current proposal, it is the Ministry and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) that is to provide a Motion for de-gazettement or change of boundaries. The effect of this is that if a civil servant colludes with the KFS, they can decide to declare your area a forest. This is the challenge that is facing the Members of Parliament from Tana River County. A high percentage of their land mass has been declared a forest reserve. For now, even though the House has passed two petitions to de-gazzette the said forest reserves or to change the boundaries, that responsibility is still taken back to the civil servants who were in the first place the persons who pushed for the gazettement of the same. We will be urging that those Bills be streamlined so that this House does not act in vain where we approve petitions to alter boundaries of forest reserves. We realize that that is not in our powers to implement, rather it has to go back to the same civil servants. This Bill is very progressive because it appreciates that the Government should not be in business but should look for the best practices and the most profitable means of managing resources under their docket by providing for concessions of Government forests. This Bill, given the amendments that I had previously spoken about, will recognize all forests, either county or national, as public forest. This is because once an area is declared a forest, it becomes public forest in line with our Constitution. This Bill is going to strengthen the KFS, the Kenya Forest Training Institute (KFTI) in Londiani and also the Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI). As I had said earlier, our KEFRI is doing great research. It is the interpretation of that research into tangible profit-making and sustainable beneficial activity that is lacking. So, due to those realities that my committee has noted, we intend to ensure that the Board of the KFS has representation from the KEFRI for purposes of integrating the great research that is being done. I had spoken for over 20 minutes before, therefore, with those many remarks, I would like to “second” this Bill and urge this House to pass it. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker."
}