Nairobi — Taita and Taveta districts could earn about Sh2.7 billion annually from both Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks if the Government approves a proposal to retain 60 per cent of the Sh4.5 billion earned from the parks.

Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu, told constituents in Mombasa on Sunday that the district had been denied benefits from its own natural resources.

"We cannot continue getting a raw deal and keep quiet. We must reap these God-given benefits for our people," he added.

The four constituencies in the two districts receive about Sh160 million in CDF allocations annually.

Mr Mwadeghu said that while area residents were wallowing in poverty, the Government was making money from the parks.

He and his colleagues from Mwatate and Voi plan to introduce a motion in Parliament to enact a Mining Bill for small-scale miners.

"We want specific provisions in the Bill to not only protect local miners but also give them funding to facilitate such operations," he said.

Eco-tourism

The MP also said he intended to start an eco-tourism project at Ngangao Forest.

Mr Mwadeghu urged the Government to tarmac the Mwatate-Taveta road to exploit the agriculturally rich Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania.