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{
    "id": 1353977,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1353977/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
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    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I did not mention that road, but now that you have mentioned it, you are the one who is economical with the truth. I did not use that as an example. However, it is a good example of one of the roads that have stalled for many years. That road was awarded in 2018. It was supposed to be completed in 2021, which is not a Kenya Kwanza administration. However, the good news is that the road is 91 per cent done. Therefore, the remaining balance is going to be addressed. Unlike many roads that I used as examples which have only three per cent, five per cent, and less than 30 per cent of completion, at least, Kibwezi Road is fairly done. What I was expecting from Sen. Wambua was the question of compensation. I used that road earlier as an example of responsible citizens who let go of the space for us to construct the road awaiting compensation. As I said, the National Land Commission (NLC) is working on the process so that we can compensate and know whom to compensate. Unfortunately, these procedures we put in our laws create inordinate delays in some of these issues. The Tala-Thika Road was a proposal. It has not started. If you mean the road of the greater Eastern Bypass, the one from Tala all the way to Thika, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with some Chinese contractors to work together to get resources to make sure that we create a greater Eastern Bypass which comes from Tala all the way to Thika. Kangundo-Mwala Road has been pending for long. I know you and other Members of Parliament (MPs) have asked me this before. Again, because we have to award it as a new contract, we need to be a little patient to make sure that we get the resources to do so. Sen. Mundigi has asked a question about the airport. We sat together with you and all the counties. The Embu Airstrip is not viable for an airport that can carry goods or fly cargo from Embu. You know that there is no land to extend. You have lived around the whole place and the topography does not allow the same. The good news is that Embu is closer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. I think that is not our biggest challenge. The biggest challenge is to make sure that we have either road or rail connectivity that can now bring the goods through rail. Sen. Munyi Mundigi, just to mention to the House, we are moving away from using aeroplanes to carry cargo. Even for perishable goods, we are working on providing what is called cool logistics. This is where cool containers are provided for transporting perishable goods, including flowers by sea, which is now under customer preference in Europe. It is the in-thing way of combating climate change. Therefore, the question should be focussed on how do you evacuate the goods from last mile to the connectivity? This is either to the railway or the airport without necessarily having to build an airport where it is not viable. The last thing is on the JKIA. I want to repeat this for Sen. Tabitha Mutinda, that the grand plan is to build a new terminal, and that is my focus. I am very clear and focused in my mind, that in the next three years, we need to deliver a brand new airport that will be a signature project for this administration. We cannot have built an airport that is older than myself in 1978. I want to be a partaker of President William Ruto’s, administration’s grand plan to give us something"
}