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{
    "id": 116863,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/116863/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 495,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Eng. Gumbo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 24,
        "legal_name": "Nicholas Gumbo",
        "slug": "nicholas-gumbo"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to start by joining my colleagues in agreeing that concessioning is an idea whose time has come. We have serious problems on our roads and we need to find a solution. Concessioning is one of the solutions. I have briefly looked at Sessional Paper No.4 because we only got it this afternoon and I noticed that the Minister has stated that from a technical viewpoint, we need additional financial investment and a functional high capacity transport system. I think the Minister should also acknowledge that part of the problems that are hampering the development of roads in the country is serious under-capacity in the Ministry and the country as a whole. As we speak now, and I am sure the Minister is aware because he is the custodian of the list of Engineers in the country, we only have just under 1,000 registered engineers and just over 200 registered consulting engineers. Out of those, perhaps, just about 10 per cent to 15 per cent are road engineers. So, the issue of under- capacity in the supply of engineers is a serious one. This county has to address it if we have to cope with a country like Angola which does between 2,000 to 4,000 kilometres of highway annually. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I find it difficult to support this Sessional Paper because of the inadequacy of the information provided. First of all, I think it will be reckless on our part, as Members of Parliament, to support an agreement between the Government of Kenya and an entity which in law does not exist. Having said that, I notice that on page 7 of the Sessional Paper, it is said that the World Bank granted assistance under the Public/Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility and a technical study was commissioned to evaluate economic, financial and technical viability of introducing concessioning in Kenya. I have discussed this matter with the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing and I told him that if that study was really done, then it has to be assumed that the economic and financial viability can show that levy to be paid by road users is less than the accruing benefits. This is not demonstrated in the Report. On page 8 of the Sessional Paper, the last paragraph states: “In 2006, the Government invited international bidders to tender for the Nairobi Road Concession (the parties are stated therein). The Government evaluated the bid that only one bidder from Austria, Messrs Straburg/HCH submitted a bid which the Government then evaluated with technical assistance provided by the World Bank.”"
}