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"id": 947528,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
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"content": "interventions that she brought to this House. This is also another very forward-looking Motion because many of us tend to think about the things that will benefit and give us political points or bonga points for today. We do not think about the future. Madam Temporary Speaker, if you look at the current Act that talks about forestry, whatever Sen. Kasanga is asking us to do is not new. Part 5 of the Forest Act already talks of the establishment of community forest associations. If you go to Section 48 of that Act, it provides guidelines on how the community forest associations will be established. If you go to Section 49, it talks about obligations of community forest associations. It goes further, in Part 6, to even talk about incentives for increasing forest and tree cover. It goes ahead to mention tax and fiscal incentives. Therefore, what Sen. Kasanga seems to be doing here is to remind us of those obligations and find a framework for their implementation. I agree with Sen. Wetangula, who spoke before me, that the problem is not in legislation, but in implementation. This is because if you are to implement the letter and spirit of the Forest Act, then we would not even spend time talking about community forest associations. We would be demanding for a report from the Chief Conservator of Forests on the status of forests in this Republic. That, then, would form the basis of our conversation today. We would want to know the status of Kakamega, Gembe, and Karura forests. Karura Forest was a watershed moment in this country, if you think about the struggle for pluralism and the kind of freedoms that we enjoy today. These are the freedoms that allow us to go on our rallies over the weekends and sometimes even speak in contradiction of the President. Those things were not happening before, and part of that struggle to open up the democratic space in this country, forests featured a lot. Madam Temporary Speaker, the Act that we currently have makes it obligatory for county governments to set up arboreta in every town. Now, if you ask a Kenyan what an arboretum is, chances are that many of us who came from the village have no idea what it is. If you look at Nairobi, we have one arboretum that is right behind State House. Those who probably went to the University of Nairobi could be more familiar with it, because you will find many students from the University there over the weekends. Madam Temporary Speaker, Section 37 of that Act states that the responsibility of county governments is, one, to establish and maintain arboreta, green zones, and recreational parks for use by persons residing within its jurisdiction. This is where we need to reconfigure our oversight role. There is financial oversight, financial statement oversight and assessment of lawfulness and effectiveness of use of public resources. However, this particular Act of Parliament puts certain obligations in county governments. How many of us here, Senators in this House, can confirm that their county governments have established arboreta? I must make it clear that an arboreta and an abattoir are two different things. The word in the Act is ‘arboreta.’ So, before you tell me you have an abattoir in your county, please, let us go back to the basics. An arboretum is an area that is shielded and protected, where you have different tree species, jogging tracks and sitting areas. I want to challenge my colleagues that in the event that they do not go to their counties this weekend and find themselves in Nairobi, please, utilize Moi Day – because the Government has no idea how Moi Day should be spent – and go to the Nairobi The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}