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{
    "id": 1393927,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1393927/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 82,
    "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": " Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence, because I see the road questions are fairly similar, whether it is in Meru County or Nandi County, in terms of, this road has not been done this; let me just make a very brief statement on the status of the roads in just three minutes. First, I noticed that five of the eight questions touch on road infrastructure and that reflects the importance that the distinguished Members of this House assign to this sector, which is a key enabler in so far as development is concerned. Given the high level of interest in the performance of this sector, which also has been witnessed faster and during 28 consultative meetings between the Ministry, the National Assembly, and the Senators from different counties, including Speakers of County Assemblies, let me give you a global overview of the status of the roads. My Ministry wishes to bring to the attention of this Senate two subjects. The first concerns road construction. Regarding road construction, the development vote that the national Government exchequer made available to support road projects in this financial year was Kshs63 billion. While this allocation is a significant amount, the Ministry will diligently ensure that the money is used very well. Notably, the pending bill on various projects as at 31st December, 2023 is Kshs162.4 billion. It may seem that with the budget allocation of 38 per cent of the pending bills before taking into account the certified value of new works to be undertaken in the course of the year, the projects are significantly under-resourced at the moment. The consequence of the road projects funding gap will have been well noted by Members of this House, who in their role as representatives of the people should be duly informed of the status of the road projects in their respective regions. Most projects funded under the development vote are progressing much slower than they ought to be. If we continue at this rate, we will complete those roads in 15 years. That is serious. As mentioned earlier, most projects have significant payment arrears that have built up since 2019/2020 Financial Year or earlier, hence, even when partial payments are made, construction does not resume immediately. In the last one-and-a-half years, global and macro-economic constraints did not allow sufficient fiscal headroom for the project funding gap to be addressed adequately. However, with the economic situation now stabilising and showing signs of a positive outlook, the Ministry is working closely with the National Treasury to ensure that the Government efforts to complete ongoing projects are expedited."
}