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{
    "id": 1076229,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1076229/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 363,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David ole Sankok",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13166,
        "legal_name": "David Ole Sankok",
        "slug": "david-ole-sankok"
    },
    "content": "The other issue is white elephant projects. I was the Chairperson of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and we never had a single white elephant project. We should think of ways, through the Chairpersons of the Public Accounts Committee and the Departmental Committee on Budget and Appropriations, so that this House can come up with laws to provide that if you cannot complete a project, do not start it. In the National Council for PWDs, I introduced a law that if the building costs Kshs1 million, because mostly we were building special schools, we give you the total amount of Kshs1 million to go and do your own procurement as a head teacher and not as the National Council for PWDs. You will then make sure that you deliver the building that you gave us in the bill of quantities. What is so difficult, for example, in saying that, because this building costs this amount of money, let us wait until we get the full amount and start the building and finish it? These white elephant projects like the Mitihani House and even the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), must stop. I never used to believe the media when they talked about a railway to nowhere until I saw the SGR Phase 2B ending in a remote area called Emurtoto with one shop and one butchery, which is opened on Wednesdays only. That is the end of a railway. Is that a catchment area? We have constructed a 52-kilometre railway line from Suswa Dry Port to Emurtoto. We are only shy of 12 kilometres to Narok Town where we can get a catchment area of wheat, barley and other crops and animal by-products, but we have ended it at nowhere. Now we have diverted all the resources. Since we have to appease other people because of something called the “handshake”, we have diverted the SGR from Naivasha all the way to Kisumu leaving 52 kilometres of railway in dire disuse and open to vandalism. Another issue is pending bills. My President thought of a way of economically empowering PWDs through what is called Access to Government Procurement Opportunities by PWDs, women and youth, but it has become a curse to us. We have lost so many PWDs because through the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities programme, they are given tenders and contracts which are never paid for. You can imagine having borrowed money from a bank and the bank is counting days, months and years. During that time, they are increasing their interest rate, and because you are not able to pay, there are penalties for defaulting. The Government is sitting on your money and they will not pay you with the accruing interest. The 30 per cent profit that you are supposed to make goes into paying all the interest, and sometimes you go to your pocket to pay the interest or you are auctioned. Many PWDs have committed suicide because of these pending bills. It should stop. I support the Motion. Thank you, Hon Temporary Deputy Speaker."
}