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{
    "id": 664637,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/664637/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 265,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murungi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 93,
        "legal_name": "Kiraitu Murungi",
        "slug": "kiraitu-murungi"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, first, I want to thank the Mover of this Bill, the Senate Majority Leader, Sen. (Prof.) Kithure Kindiki, who is also the spokesman of the Meru Community. We in Meru appreciate his very able leadership and also the leadership that he has provided to this House. I think this is the most important Bill that has come to this House this year. The Bill will revolutionise the economy of this country and especially the economy of the marginalised areas of this country which have been blessed with enormous fossil fuel resources. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I was lucky that I was the Minister for Energy in 2012 when oil was discovered in Turkana region by Tullow Oil and other partners. You will remember the celebration that day as we moved with President Kibaki from Harambee House to a meeting of Ministers in the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) where we announced for the first time in this country that; “Oil has been discovered in Kenya” and we were given a standing ovation. After the initial excitement, a debate raged in the media about whether the oil that was discovered in Kenya was a blessing or a curse for this country. In the usual Kenyan style, there was a lot of negativity. Some people said that all the oil was going to be stolen by a few people and the people of Turkana will never benefit. I even saw some commentaries from a lady in the University of Warwick who said that Kenya does not have the capacity to manage oil resources and, indeed, there was going to be war between the Pokot and Turkana and the surrounding communities because of those resources. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are now in 2016 and there is no war in Turkana. We would like to put to shame those prophets of doom. It is my very sincere and deep felt belief that the discovery of oil in Kenya will be a major blessing for this country. The economies of the Middle East countries have become magnets of international investment and major capitals of international business. When I see them and look at the situation we are in Kenya, I see Kenya becoming a most vibrant economy where people will enjoy a very high quality of life because of the higher resources that we are continuing to discover in Turkana and Eleyo-Marakwet counties, among others. I believe it is a matter of time before we discover oil around Isiolo, Marsabit, Lamu and, indeed, within the 200 nautical miles and beyond in our maritime zones. Mr. Temporary Speaker, this Bill seeks to correct some of the mistakes that have happened in the past, not only in this country, but also in Nigeria where revenue generated from oil production does not benefit the local community. There has been a lot The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}