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{
"id": 1051945,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1051945/?format=api",
"text_counter": 182,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orengo",
"speaker_title": "The Senate Minority Leader",
"speaker": {
"id": 129,
"legal_name": "Aggrey James Orengo",
"slug": "james-orengo"
},
"content": "We now have the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), even if it is halfway because it should have gone up to the border of Kenya and Uganda. It is about to get to the middle, which is Nakuru. That is something. When you go to Lamu, a lot of money is being used to construct a modern port. Head of States have been to Lamu recently because of what is happening in Ethiopia. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia was here for a very good reason because the northern part‘s access to the Red Sea is compromised by what is happening in that part of the world. Therefore, they see an opening through the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia- Transport (LAPSSET), a big project that has been undertaken. Having said that, however, are people feeling good in their lives and in their pockets? After all this brick and mortar, why are people not happy? When the previous Government, the Grand Coalition Government, was doing big projects, the Thika Highway and other projects, which can be enumerated, nearly all the airports were upgraded, and people were feeling that they have money in their pocket. That is the bottom line. You can build a palace like the President of Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu. He built magnificent things in brick and mortar, but the country was suffering. In Romania, I can understand because the man was building palaces. However, here we are trying to improve infrastructure, which should translate to a growing economy and money in people's pockets. However, brick and mortar constructions that we do and people do not feel money in the pocket, they will not be impressed. That is why in Ukambani there was somebody who was doing roads there, and when the time came, they told him, ‗you can go with it.‘ For the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), beyond Nairobi, there are people who are feeling that you can take it away because it is not changing their lives. We must try to learn doing things that would change people's lives. My first entry point, and I was listening to Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. very keenly, the first reason all these things we are doing are not translating into viable projects, which can make people live better or have a positive impact on people's lives is that the SGR--- Even the Chinese are amazed. If you talk to them, they will tell you that the railway line should not have cost the amount of money it did. However, if Kenyans are ready and willing to buy this document here for Kshs1,000 when it should cost Kshs20, the guy who is selling is saying, ―Oh, this is very good. This is a good customer.‖ I shop in Nairobi where they keep very nice suits and clothes. Some people who do not know anything about clothes would walk in and ask: ―How much does this cost?‖ When he is shown the most expensive one, he does not care whether it is quality, they say, ―I want that one.‖ What they used to do because there were people from a particular country who used to like that shop, they would be told that the least expensive suit is the most expensive, and they would buy. Therefore, if you go to the Chinese and tell them that we want to build a railway line for Kshs20 billion, and you are prepared to load another Kshs20 billion out of it, they will say: ―Okay, you are the government. So, what can we do?‖ A lot of projects in Kenya have translated in people making money out of this borrowing. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}