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{
    "id": 822528,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/822528/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 79,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of electricity in this country is very worrisome. I sit in the Committee on Energy and it is shameful that when we invited the Ministry of Energy, the Acting Managing Director of Kenya Power Company, members of Rural Electrification Authority (REA) as well as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to appear yesterday, so that they could address this particular issue on the escalating cost of energy, they failed to appear. We all know that Kenyans soon will start paying Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products. There are serious challenges that surround the whole sector of electricity and we have not gotten solutions because of the high level of corruption. We are all alive to the fact that the previous management was sent away because of allegations of corruption. With regard to the electricity issue, I will recommend it to our Committee. We will take over this mater so that it can form a basis of some of the questions we will be asking these people when they appear before us. Mr. Speaker, Sir, what is happening to the entire sector of electricity? What is happening with the rural electrification programme? Kenya Power (KP) is not telling us what they are doing about it. We must also address the issue of environment. In 2008, Sondu Miriu power plant was supposed to be commissioned. However, it was not because the issues of environment had not been addressed. We, as a Senate, must address the issue of monopoly by KP in terms of power distribution. We need to come up with legislation to ensure that we open up this sector for competition. That way, we can bring in more people who can distribute power. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the KP is a public body where the Kenyan Government pumps in a lot of money to support it. However, we never ask how much of that money is ploughed back to the public. We will discuss this Statement and invite KP to shed more light. I hope we will be able to convince Treasury not to introduce a 16 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) which had been deferred on petroleum products because Kenyans are suffering."
}