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{
    "id": 840500,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/840500/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 363,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Eng) Maina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 75,
        "legal_name": "Ephraim Mwangi Maina",
        "slug": "ephraim-maina"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I congratulate the people of Turkana for their resilience and steadfastness. It took nearly over a year and a lot of fatigue for everybody involved arriving at what is considered a win-win situation. Thereafter, the Committee went ahead and met all stakeholders including various Non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The Turkanas were given the first priority being the people who were going to be most affected. We also took into account the likely conflicts and curse that can come with oil. Therefore, we believe that at this juncture we have come into a situation where everybody comes out a winner. I was personally very gratified and relieved when the Senator for Turkana County who used to be always on the other side with his people said that what we did was what they considered just for their people. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let us assist the people of Kenya through the Turkana people knowing that we all have witnessed how the Turkanas stood fast. If they said, “Yes” who else is there to say, “No”? We looked at the justice and framework that we would consider to give benefits to the people. There is the Petroleum Fund that will be set up. I must tell this House that the Committee considered very seriously the fact that we must ensure that the people who are supposed to be beneficiaries are duly safeguarded. We have all witnessed resources being given to various organisations and they do not benefit the people. We put a clause in the Bill stating that there will be the National Trustee who will be held personally responsible if the fund is not utilised for the benefit of the people. We were concerned that whatever benefits come, they should not be given to some organisation and then end up in the way we have been witnessing. Being Senators, we came out with what we consider best. There is no other Bill that took us as much time and that we went through with the most consciousness than this one. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we also went through the matter of training. We felt and I think justifiably- that even the Turkanas must be given a chance. In the Bill, there is provision or methodology of establishing the oil polytechnics. In this regard, I can inform this House that we went to the point of witnessing that Canada as an example is a country that has gone very much ahead. This Fund will ensure that the people of Turkana benefit from the oil. We also considered another case where we do not just want the investor to come here, extract the oil, take it away, come out with his billions and then Kenyans and Kenya at large is left hanging. We looked at a methodology which is in the Bill where the local 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."
}