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{
    "id": 1353772,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1353772/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 51,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "construction of roads. We cannot attempt to even restore the roads because the rains are not over yet. We appointed KeNHA to be the lead agency in terms of emergency response, even if the road is KeRRA or KURRA. We have stationed contractors who are having performance-based contracts in the various parts of the country to be on standby to help in opening the roads. We are also trying to construct temporary box culverts that will allow us to manage traffic for now and allow some of the goods to be transported to other parts of the country. I would urge colleagues from that region to remain patient, work with Government, first of all, to make sure that we sensitise our citizens not to cross the seasonal rivers by force because the consequences are devastating. We have lost lives because people are taking unnecessary risks. In reference to the question on food, the relevant Department of Government is working to see if they can airlift food using the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) team. I should be going to that region with my colleague, Hon. Duale, other Cabinet Secretaries within or towards the end of the week, but the key issue is to make sure that we remain vigilant. We have been told by the Meteorological Department that this phenomenon may continue up to April. That means we need to be ready to face this challenge for the long period of time that is ahead of us. Lastly, we are preparing ourselves to every day assessing the damage, to see what we are going to do post the El Nino period to restore the infrastructure because that is a big issue. We have had meetings with development partners. We were with the World Bank last week. Some of the discussions we are having is what are we going to do because we already have a constrained budget. Now with the destruction of infrastructure, resources are likely to be diverted even further for emergency works to restore the roads, to make them passable. So, I believe that comprehensively after this El Nino, we shall have a clear budget and see how to work with the National Treasury and National Assembly, to see that those resources are provided for. I look forward to meeting Sen. Chute and the leaders from Marsabit County anytime between this week and next week, to see specifically which areas we can deal together. We had a meeting with Mandera County Government the other week. We are having a meeting also with Tana River County soon. I think that meeting will happen between now and next week, so that we can iron out some of the things that we need to deal with locally."
}