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{
    "id": 616909,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/616909/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 226,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Okoth",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12482,
        "legal_name": "Kenneth Odhiambo Okoth",
        "slug": "kenneth-odhiambo-okoth"
    },
    "content": "When we look at places such as Kwale, can we put the interests of our people first and not the economic interests of multi-national corporations which declare losses year-in, year-out in Kenya? When we go to the Stock Exchange in Canada, London, New York or Australia, their parent companies are declaring major profits and their managers operating and running operations in Kenya are given bonuses for their performances and yet here, the book value of their transaction and their business, despite the exports that they do five or ten years, they keep reporting losses. There is something that does not add up. It is the high time we woke up as a country and be more aggressive and diligent about pursuing our interests when it comes to our natural resources . In the County of Nairobi, we have a major issue right now. When we look at the issue of wildlife, the schedule that addresses this issue talks about, for instance, wildlife in three ways. Where wildlife preservation areas will be affected by oil, gas and minerals extraction and exploration, what are the procedures and what ratification must this Parliament give? Where there are issues of exporting and re-export of endangered wildlife species, if Kenya got into an agreement, for instance, with endangered species such as rhino, to exchange our rhino and scientific arrangements with zoos and research facilities, perhaps, even with the United States of America (USA), can we have a chance to bring back those species and regenerate them? That is important. Can we make sure that we are not entering into agreements where wildlife from Kenya is exported to one country for scientific legitimate purposes and then re-exported for private purposes without proper rules? That is really important, particularly for Nairobi. There is the key third issue on wildlife where it talks about excision or exchange of boundaries of gazetted national park or wildlife protection areas . Lang’ata Constituency is a special constituency where Hon. Joash Olum, my friend, is its Member of Parliament. It is the home of the Nairobi National Park. Even as we host the WTO Ministerial Conference today in Kenya, you will find that Nairobi National Park is a very unique asset that Kenya has. Yet we are putting it at great risk with the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). The SGR’s original design was not supposed to enter into the park and ruin it. There was a proposal last year that it was going to skirt on the edges of the park and will take away about five kilometres off the park. The most recent reports that we are seeing is that up to 20% of the park may be affected by the construction of the SGR once it hits Syokimau and goes right across to Nairobi National Park . During the period of construction, we want to make sure that such an agreement or a plan for development within that park would be brought to this House for debate and ratification. We Members of Parliament of Nairobi County and all goodwill members of Kenya would ask: “What is the best position? What is the best interest for posterity and how can this construction happen if it is at all going to happen within the park?” The plan is to try and get the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) across the park down the Southern Bypass and out to Dagoretti. There is a great risk there. We must make sure that this House ratifies a proper environmental plan that will preserve the pristine nature of that park and keep it in its unique place."
}