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{
    "id": 812922,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/812922/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 177,
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    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Currently, we are facing a problem in Narok County with regard to the Mau Forest eviction because of language barrier. I congratulate the Government for moving fast to evict people who have invaded the Mau Forest. We have the problem because the community and the Government are reading from two different scripts. The community is suffering. However, some of them are suffering, but they do not know why. The Government knows the importance of the water catchment areas, but they are not involving the local community to know why they are doing so. When people encroach, we tend to protect them because they are our brothers. This will be the right opportune for me to say that I have a similar Bill focusing on county oversight. Sen. Omogeni raised the question of budgets. The Public Finance Management Act is very clear. It requires county governments to consult the taxpayers on how to spend money in their counties. However, the issue of public participation is important to ensure each county government and Ministry must, before they can even develop policies, engage the public. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we recently had a public participation session on the Local Content Bill (Senate Bills No.13 of 2016). However, the people who appeared in those sessions were not members of the public. It was the investors and people who have an interest in the extractive industries because they want to protect their interests. What about the interests of the people in Turkana County? How can they be protected yet their government is not demystifying these policies and the Bills that we are passing in this House. I fully support this Bill because it will ensure that the rights of the people of Narok County are respected. Today, they are questioning-rightfully so - the importance of municipality. Before a municipality is established by the county assembly, the people must be educated. They must be told the pros and cons of a municipality. One cannot just bring in policies and dump them on the people without consulting. I comment the distinguished Sen. Amos Wako for having thought clearly about the process of public participation. The only way we can feel as if we belong to this country is when we pay our taxes, we are represented and our views are also considered in every matter. Right now, the people who are being evicted from the Mau Forest might find another home in the Narok Mau. This will cause a lot of conflict. I hope the Government will not solve one problem and create another one. They should take this opportunity to educate those people who call that place home that is not right because our rivers are drying. They should seek their views because these people are contributing to the economy of this country. If you look at our tax base, over 40 per cent comes from income tax while the other comes from Value Added Tax (VAT), license fees and others. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would wish that the sponsor of this Bill can also introduce a provision that will require public participation to be carried out in a language that the people who are affected by the decisions understand. If you go to my village of Oloombokishi, the people barely speak Kiswahili. Their Member of the County Assembly (MCA) speaks the Maasai language. So, let them carry out the public participation sessions by speaking the Maasai language. It will also require 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."
}