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{
    "id": 640747,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/640747/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 187,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Musila",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 94,
        "legal_name": "David Musila",
        "slug": "david-musila"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the Floor. Indeed, I join my colleagues in congratulating the Mediation Committee for coming up with the proposals that are acceptable to both Houses. These proposals will help us make progress in enacting this piece of legislation which has been in the making for a very long time. As you are aware, we have been operating under a law that is colonial in nature and was not done by us after Independence.Therefore, dynamics have changed and hence, the importance of having this legislation which will be in accordance with our new Constitution. I represent Kitui County which has huge deposits of coal. I am happy to see that in the First Schedule of this Bill under the fuel mineral group, non-nuclear coal is listed there. The only issue that I have is that as we speak, coal comes under the Ministry of Energy instead of the Ministry of Mining. In my view, this has made it impossible for us to make progress in exploiting the coal that is so much in abundance in Kitui County in the Mui Basin. From the outset, I appeal to the Executive to see how it can be done to move coal from where it is at the moment in the Ministry of Energy to the Ministry of Mining. That way, it will, indeed, be classified in the First Schedule and then we can make progress in exploiting this mineral. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I say “progress” because on the 23rd December, 2013, the Government gave a concession to a Chinese company to mine coal from the Mui Basin. The licence was eventually issued many years ago, but to date, nothing has been done in Mui Basin in as far as coal mining is concerned. People have been left wondering. They were warned that they would be asked to leave their land so that mining could take place. They do not cultivate because they expect to be moved any time. Therefore, we have a situation in my county where, yes, we have abundant quantity of mineral in the form of coal, a licence was issued three years ago, but no mining is taking place. I, therefore, appeal to the Executive to see to it that my people benefit from the proceeds of this mineral, non-nuclear coal, which is in the Mui Basin. Having said that, there are certain areas of this Bill that I must applaud. In particular, Clause 89 goes to give conditions of the licensee. One of the most important things that must be done is environmental assessment. Whether you are mining oil, coal The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}