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{
    "id": 1495477,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1495477/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 361,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr Davis Chirchir",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker and Hon. Members. Hon. Millie has summarised it very well that we should have a policy framework to deal with roads which have been contracted to ensure that we allocate funds, so that the construction of those roads does not stall, even for purposes of motorability. I want to state that I will work very closely with the House to ensure that when we come up with our budgets, we give priority to ongoing projects, and we do some parity and equitable distribution of resources. With the kind of data that is available on roads, we should be able to do that together. With respect to the challenge that we have had for a long time on pending bills, we have received great support from this House on the Ksh7 additional Road Maintenance Levy (RML) and which I have confirmed that we are fairly advanced in securitising to ensure that we raise Ksh175 billion. This will enable us get all contractors back to work. More importantly, as we do that and because you can have sight of the entire runway on this particular project, we will push the contractors to make the roads motorable. Talking of roads like Sindo-Mbita, I want to confirm to you, Hon. Millie, that that particular road construction works will not stop. We are working on it. We are raising the funds to pay all the contractors. We had a pending bill on that road of about Ksh540 million on certificate issued but there was only an allocation of Ksh270 million. Having paid the full amount, you can see the contractor with a balance of Ksh300 million but I have equally had a meeting with the Civil Engineering Construction Company. It is the same company that did the road from Kwale-Kinango and I can assure you that because of what we are doing on securitisation, many contractors are seeing some hope and we are able to get a number of them back to work. Construction on a road like Sindo-Mbita is on our list. Hon. Members should pick one road out of the many that would have its construction unstopped."
}