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{
    "id": 1421300,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1421300/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 185,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "content": "(1) Adherence to acceptable rear, top and side of vehicle distance limits when carrying sugarcane as per the Traffic Act guidelines. This is aimed at minimising accidents caused by reduced visibility to other motorists due to improper packaging of sugarcane. (2) Effects of overloading on the carriageway. (3) Procedure of obtaining permits from NTSA under special case of cane transportation. (4) Need for proper packaging for sugarcane on trucks to minimise drop-offs and littering on the carriageway to minimise maintenance costs. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this statement is coming at a time when we have unfortunately lost a number of people yesterday and the day before on road accidents, including students of Kenyatta University. This also includes the accident that happened in Olenguruone-Silibwet road and the other one that happened in Muhoroni. Road accidents are becoming a threat to our national health system. In fact, we were speaking with Hon. Nakhumicha, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, about the impact of such accidents on our health facilities. Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me use this moment because I have this opportunity through this House to condole with the families that were affected. I want to assure the public that the directive that President Uhuru Kenyatta vacated in 2018, that made it impossible for us in the transport sector and the NTSA particularly to be on the road to do enforcement is now revisited. Together with Hon. (Prof.) Kithure Kindiki in Interior and National Administration, we will bring back the collaborative effort that required some of the traffic police officers to be seconded to NTSA for proper enforcement. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we were left to what you saw me reading here, on sensitisation and setting the standards. However, even though the Act permits enforcement on the ground, Government decision was made to leave that enforcement only to the traffic police. I believe the new direction will help us to deal with this menace. Finally, I want to emphasise that even this tractor menace, including driving on the roads, the statistics show that most of the accidents are as a result of driver’s behaviour. Mr. Speaker, Sir, last year, when I announced that the drivers will be retested and that you will not get a driving license unless you are tested, there was hue and cry and many people said that we were oppressing drivers. However, everybody goes through retesting. Every year, lawyers and doctors go through training. Drivers who are carrying human life should be retested so that we know those who are competent. We should also test their alcohol content and drug abuse possibilities. These are things that we should support as people of Kenya. The last thing is that, as individuals and citizens, citizen responsibility is extremely important. The matatu that got an accident on the Olenguruone-Silibwet Road had 24 people, which is 10 people extra. It was also carrying four bags of maize. By the time the 15, 16, 17 or the 18 person was boarding that matatu, they knew that it was overloaded."
}