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{
    "id": 1238369,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1238369/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 36,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Roads, Transport and Public Works",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "First of all, let us own up that we have 442 kilometres of paved roads in Tana River County then ask ourselves what we are capable of doing. I will answer this question this way. It has not come in this very Session, but it is important for this august House to appreciate that we have a very serious challenge of pending bills. We have up to Kshs150 billion of work already done, certificates that have been issued ready to be paid. We have another commitment of Kshs600 billion of roads committed to be done. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will be a liar to say here that we will do new roads start from zero and confirm to Members here that we will do it. My Ministry is doing everything humanly possible to do away with these pending bills and committed amount. For the last one week, I was in China to have a conversation with the Chinese Exim Bank and Ministry of Commerce, Transport and Foreign Affairs to discuss ways of partnering with them, to see if they can help us shoulder this burden of pending bills. This is because most of our contractors are Chinese and they have a portfolio of about Kshs400 billion of these roads that are pending. However, I have an answer to the hon. Senator. It is possible for us to do these roads if in the next financial year, we take the equalisation fund amount that is coming to your county. Hopefully, it will be around Kshs200 million, we sit down together and say we can construct these roads that you have said are worth about Kshsh500 million in three years, commence with the Kshs200 million which will be given as seed money and because the contract is for three years, we can do those roads. Mr. Speaker, Sir, alternatively, we can sit down and see how we can work around money that was for maintenance of roads and see if we can safeguard it to pave the roads that we think we can. Lastly, I extend an invitation to Tana River County. First of all, we have been holding meetings with various counties and discussing holistically the roads with all leaders; the Governor, the Senator, the Women Representatives and the elected Members of Parliament (MPs). This engagement has been extremely useful for the counties whose Senators are here. We have been able to hold such meeting in my office with the Senator, Nyandarua County. I see the Senator of Nyandarua County is here as an example. I urge hon. Senators to be attending such meetings. We can agree on the date in this month of May or June. We can have all the lists of Tana River County and discuss all the roads holistically, then eventually, we see what we can do. I have found a monumental problem, but we are not here to write another book of lamentations. Our job is to solve problems. If we must solve problems, we must become creative in doing so. I need the support of all the leadership of this country and the leaders in various counties. We sat with leaders from Migori, Nakuru and Turkana counties. Every time we sit together, we find solutions on which roads we are supposed to prioritise and pave."
}