Mwatate MP Andrew Mwadime at a past event. Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
Mwatate MP Andrew Mwadime has urged government to allow his constituents to exploit mining opportunities at the Tsavo National Park.
He said legally communities living around national parks are free to exploit opportunities within the parks.He, however, said Kenya Wildlife Service officers deployed at Tsavo National Park harass residents who go there to seek for opportunities to better their lives.Mwadime said he would push for the passage of legislation legalizing mining at national parks.He said mining activities will be controlled to protect the environment.The legislator said his constituents are not allowed to look after cattle inside the park unlike other national wildlife reserves like Maasai Mara where members of the Maasai community are permitted to drive livestock into the park to look for pasture and water.“The people of Mwatate merit to be allowed to mine minerals inside the park,” Mwadime said on Saturday.“I don’t know why Kenya Wildlife Service officers keep harassing residents when found inside the park.”“Communities living around national parks are in one way or another supposed to benefit from the park’s resources. This happens in all the parks in Kenya and Tsavo can’t be an exception,” he added.Mwadime said he would personally ensure the mining activities within the park are controlled to protect the environment and the future of wild animals.There are extensive gold deposits at the Tsavo National Park.