Cabinet Secretary nominee for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime affairs Hassan Joho has spelt out a 10-point plan to turn around the ministry, should he be confirmed to the post.
Speaking on Sunday, when he appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments, Joho said that getting rid of cartels will be his first order of business if approved.
He said that after his nomination, he has realised that the sector is full of cartels
"There are greater cartels in the mining industry; if you approve me, that is where I will begin,” Joho said.
He further made public his plan to turn around the business, beginning with digitising all ministry processes.
Joho said that through this, he intends to create an open-source repository for information access as well as build local capacity for technological system control.
He went on to say that he will be a listening CS and will involve and have dialogue and exchange of ideas with all stakeholders.
“Engage the private sector through public-private partnerships... Conduct regular accountability briefings for public engagement,” he said.
The former governor added that he will also develop a Blue Carbon Regulatory framework to guide carbon trading and exploit the economic potential.
Joho also called for a review of the Mining Act to ensure completion for process efficiency.
He noted he will also focus on Enhanced Community Development Agreements, through which communities can get empowerment and engagement.
This, he said, will also help in the development of the Public participation framework.
“Empower communities through better engagement programs.”
The CS nominee added that he intends, should he be approved, to secure Kenyan representation in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Joho said that he will also do Capacity Building for Deep-Sea Fishing, where he plans to train at least 875 individuals to boost local expertise.
He said his other key activity will be to simplify and standardize licensing procedures and implement sustainability certifications for projects.
Joho further said that he looks forward to encouraging and leveraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for large-scale projects, to turn around the fortunes of the country’s Mining and Blue economy.
During the vetting, Joho insisted that the Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs is a great employment creation Ministry.
“We must redesign our training program to fit the global demand for seafarers. If approved, I will engage Members of Parliament to realign policies around training to fit the market.”