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{
    "id": 840478,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/840478/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 341,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "I want to acknowledge the effort of leaders of Turkana who took it upon themselves to almost believe that this Bill is about them and the county. The Governor of Turkana, Members of Parliament (MPs) from Turkana and Members of County Assembly (MCAs) of Turkana have helped the rest of Kenya because the oil was discovered in their region. They have helped the rest of Kenya to reflect on the issues that would be pertinent in a local community in so far as the establishment of this very important resource is concerned. Having watched some of the debates in Turkana and people saying that because of the oil prices – like Sen. Sakaja was trying to challenge me to say something about the price of oil – in Turkana, they were saying that now that we are taxing petroleum, they would like the national Government to prepare a different “tap” so that they collect their oil directly from there and use it. You can imagine the kind of misconceptions people have about the oil business. The law provides that the national Government must provide a national petroleum strategic plan. Just the way we have county integrated development plans, we must have a national petroleum strategic plan which is developed in a consultative process and which provides guidance on its implementation via a national policy. That is very important. Once we pass this Bill, it will be mandatory that every Kenyan must have a say, through their representatives, on how to deal with issues of how to explore, develop and use petroleum resources in this country. It also provides that the national Government may conduct upstream petroleum operations on its own or through the National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK), for example, which is a public company owned by the people of Kenya. Most people know about the Aramco cases which relates to the oil exploring and selling companies in Iran. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that you are a prolific teacher of international law. You know very well the negotiations that went into the issues of nationalisation of American companies in Iran after the 1979 revolution and what followed. In many countries like Libya and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), oil operations are done via national companies because of the importance of oil to the national economy. It is time we started thinking about strengthening national companies to operate like private companies, with the kind of responsibility that is expected of private entities. For a long time the behaviour of public officers, who are appointed to run Government parastatals in this country, has been wanting. However, with the reforms that we are putting in place to ensure that accountability becomes the order of the day, it is expected that companies like the National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK) will take great responsibility in conducting upstream operations of petroleum. Let me emphasize this point because the law permits private contractors or any other person, as prescribed by an Act of Parliament, to be also involved. I have personal preferences and believe that the sovereignty that comes with natural resources – particularly with the magnitude of oil and the sensitivity that is involved – it is important for the national Government and the people of Kenya to have control. We do not want to find ourselves being mortgaged to other countries. 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."
}