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{
    "id": 849608,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/849608/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 166,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Eng.) Hargura",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 827,
        "legal_name": "Godana Hargura",
        "slug": "godana-hargura"
    },
    "content": "When it comes to the issue of funding, whenever we ask we are told that there are no funds. There are two funds in that Act. Section 24 talks of the Wildlife Compensation Scheme (WCS) under which we also have the Wildlife Endowment Fund (WEF), which is supposed to have monies allocated by Parliament. We also have an issue here. We are talking of the National Treasury setting aside adequate funding for compensation. How does that sit with the issue of money Bills? We are not supposed to come up with anything that has financial implications. So, we also have to see how we can maybe work through our colleagues in the “lower” House, so that this is effected. I urge Sen. Mwaruma to see how we can work through the other House and get colleagues who also come from these affected areas, to make sure that this financial allocation is done. That way it will not be said that the Senate cannot ask the Government to set aside any fund or that it is a money Bill. If we try to even amend the law that way, we can still use our colleagues in the “lower” House to make sure that is taken into account. Once again, I thank Sen. Mwaruma for bringing up this issue because it affects all our people. We have to make sure that the Executive does not circumvent the law by saying that there is no adequate funding, while we have funding in this Act which can be used for that purpose. We should also not allow them to cripple Acts like this one by not having the relevant committees in place. Those are the two points that are now hindering our people from getting compensated. If we do not have the committees, then the question is: Who will the victims of human-wildlife conflict complain to? Once the committees are in place, there is the issue of adequate funding. We have to tie the two and make sure that there is funding specifically set aside, because we know that this issue will be coming up. Just like in the case of the roads sector, there is the roads fund that is set aside and the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) operates it. Whatever is generated from tourism mainly has a lot to do with wildlife. Therefore, we need to have some money set aside from the tourism fund, specifically to cater for human-wildlife conflicts, so that there are always funds to compensate our people once they are affected. We appreciate wildlife as part of our heritage that we keep within our counties, range land and conservancies, which communities create and run. Once we do that, there must be a way to make sure that once we have that kind of a conflict, there is a fund set aside to compensate victims. Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker."
}