Don't Bend Sand Regulation Law to Favour Cartels

 

OPINION

Let us not tinker with the Sand Regulation Law to benefit a cabal of cartels

India's famous anti colonial activist Mohandas K. Gandhi is famous for his saying that 'The earth has enough (resources) to satisfy every man's needs but not every man's greed.'

Granted, Kitui County is known for some of vast pockets of renewable resources such as Sand due to its countless number of seasonal rivers and streams. The debate has always been; If this resource is harvested and utilized sustainably, in a well structured environment, then it would play three critical roles.

1. The Sand Sector will create jobs and opportunities for thousands of local youths who are jobless.

2. The County Government would earn revenue from the resource, which revenue would then be invested to offer services/development to county residents.

3. There would be enough sand for both home use and commercial purposes, thus, even the middlemen would have a share of the cake. It would be a win win situation for all.

Cartels degrading Rivers ...

Sadly, this has not been the case in the recent past. The rivers in our County have been turned into playground by sand barons who, in their wake, leave behind degraded rivers and vandalized environment. What is worse, only the barons benefit from the Sand Sector after paying peanuts to sand loaders - our youths - at the rivers. 

The County Government gets nothing, or near nothing in form of revenue where damage to the rivers and environment keeps staring at us for many years to come. 

Luckily however, the current County Government under the visionary leadership of Governor Julius Malombe has come up with a proposed, all round Sand Management Law, which when enacted, will address the three components cited above; Job Creation, Boost County Revenue and protect and conserve our rivers and environment such that even in 100 years from today, we still have huge amounts of sand and are assured of water security. 

This can only be done through controlled and structured sand harvesting as captured in the proposed law. 

Currently, the County Assembly Commitee on Environment led by Tseikuru MCA Kimanzi Muange is in Nairobi finalizing its report on the Sand Bill before tabling the same in the Assembly for members' input. From here, it will then be forwarded to the Governor to assent to it, and make it LAW! 

Do justice to our Rivers & future...

This is why the County residents are hopeful and expectant that the Hon. Muange Commitee will do justice to the people of Kitui County, will do justice for our environment and rivers, and that it will do justice for our future generations.

There are reports that the vicious sand cartels have been attempting to bribe the Commitee so that the law is mutilated to suit their destructive business. Succumbing to these kinds of machinations from the destructive cartels will be an affront to our environment and our future.

 The people of Kitui are telling the Hon. Muange Commitee; Don't succumb to evil. Don't tinker with the Law for selfish pursuit. Don't hand the Sand Cartels a licence to destroy our rivers, our environment, our future! 

Sand Cartels don't like law & order...

It should be well known that the Sand Cartels DO NOT WANT any legal regulations. They want to operate in a freezone, degrading environment and destroying rivers with no law to check them. 

There must be order in the Sand Business and that is what Governor Malombe's administration stands for.

Just to highlight a few of the proposals on how order will be brought to the Sand Sector. 

How Kitui stands to benefit ...

The proposed law says that the sand from the rivers will be taken to designated Aggregation Yards. This will drastically minimize the number of trucks that descend to the rivers to ferry sand. Only a few will be allowed to access designated areas of the rivers. 

Those who want sand for commercial use will buy it from the Aggregation Centres. This scenario will offer jobs to the sand loaders in two fold - at the rivers and at the Aggregation Yards.  

Similarly, this will afford the County Government an opportunity to collect revenue in an orderly manner where every penny is accounted for. 

Currently we have a situation whereby Sand Cartels swamp the rivers with hundreds of trucks and leave behind a trail of destruction on access roads and rivers. Collecting revenue from them is also next to impossible. 

The Sand Bill also proposes there be River Basin Based Cooperative Societies that will be composed of River Based Sand Groups. 

Members of the Cooperatives will have shares and will be able to engage financial institutions to invest in other businesses outside sand. This is real empowerment. 

Members of the Cooperatives will be responsible for ploughing back to the community 50% accrued benefits for Conservation and Restoration works and a further 20 % for Community projects such as schools, bursary funds for needy children etc. 

CBOs for cartels, a danger in waiting ...

This is not the case at the moment where cartels are running the show. The cartels are pushing for what they call CBOs, which are basically amorphous entities not anchored in any law and whose membership is not spelt out. A man, his wife and children can make a CBO. This push is meant to exploit and impoverish the locals and it must be rejected as it only serves the selfish interests of the cartels! 

Members of the Cooperatives will also be charged with the responsibility of ensuring Sustainable Utilization of Sand, Protection, Conservation, Restoration and Rehabilitation of rivers and river basin ecosystems. This should be supported by all. 

The proposed Sand Management Law from the County Executive is well meaning to ensure well regulated and organized Sand Sector for maximum benefits to County residents. 

 Let the County Assembly further that cause by giving county residents a Law that serves their general interests but not that which serves the parochial and selfish interests of Sand Cartels.