A watchdog Committee of the Senate has approved a request by the Office of the Auditor General for the setting up of a collaboration framework to jointly address the challenges relating to accountability ecosystem.

According to the proposal, the framework will bring together Parliament and the Office of the Auditor General.

The Joint Committee of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy and the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, today held a public hearing on the South Lokichar Field Development Plan in Turkwel, Kapenguria Constituency, West Pokot County.

Leaders and residents used the forum to demand equitable sharing of benefits from oil production in Turkana, arguing that the project heavily depends on water resources drawn from West Pokot.

Stakeholders have called for greater local participation, safety guarantees and long-term economic planning as the government advances major transport and petroleum projects linked to the South Lokichar oil fields.

Residents of Uasin Gishu presented their concerns and views on the South Lokichar Development Plan, which is before a joint committee comprising the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy and the Senate Standing Committee on Energy.

The joint committee was in Uasin Gishu to conduct public participation on the plan.

The Government has defended its decision to approve the South Lokichar Field Development Plan (FDP), arguing that the project is legally sound, economically viable and critical to unlocking Kenya’s upstream petroleum potential.

Appearing before a joint sitting of the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Energy and the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi outlined the rationale behind the approval of the FDP and revised Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) for Blocks T6 and T7 in the South Lokichar Basin.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION NOTICE

The Senate Standing Committee on Health invites the public to submit memoranda on the Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill, 2022 (National Assembly Bills No. 61 of 2022).

The Bill provides a legal framework for assisted reproductive technology services, regulates surrogacy, prohibits certain practices, and protects the rights of parents, donors, surrogate mothers, and children.