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{
    "id": 1527710,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527710/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 114,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "taking from Kenyans and choose to give one part of the Government to maintain those roadsand the other is denied. The problem is so endemic. Today I was dealing with a matter concerning Sang’alo to Kandui road, which is extremely important for the performance of businesses in Bungoma County. It is a national road about six kilometres. That road was given to county government to do it. It is taking a hit on the County Government of Bungoma because it needs about Kshs1.2 billion to do that road. The County Government of Bungoma has struggled and paid Kshs512 million to start that road and it has been tarmacked halfway. When you look at the portion that the national Government was supposed to do which has made that road to stall, forcing the County Government of Bungoma to start thinking about budgeting for another Kshs212 million in this year’s budget to continue with construction of that road, it is unfair. The RMLF has continued to be a battle that we are not winning. This time around, we should win it. You will remember that last year, there was another levy that was increased on the same Fund, where Kshs7 was added on motorists. That Kshs7 was to further enable RMLF to continue being strong in terms of financing maintenance of the roads. That means that today, we are taking up to Kshs25 out of Kenyans to fund RMLF. In this BPS, a sum of Kshs7 is not proposed to go and take care of roads that are supposed to be maintained. A figure of Kshs7 billion has been put into a road bond which has been floated in the capital markets. Trade and Development Bank (TDB) and other banks are already participating. The bond will help the national Government to deal with the backlog of pending bills on existing projects. Currently, national roads have a pending bill of about Kshs175 billion. Out of that Kshs175 billion, we have got projects-affected persons who are still claiming about Kshs39 billion. It means that if it is not solved, then it becomes a crisis. The solution for solving it is RMLF where Kshs7 billion has now been put into a road bond. The fundamental question we are asking is very simple. If the levy is taken on all Kenyans, why can the bond not also be divided between the national Government and the counties, so that counties that also have serious pending bills like Bungoma that I have just quoted, which has a pending bill of about Kshs212 million for the Sang’alo-Kanduyi Road. Why can they not also get a fair share of that road bond to deal with county government’s stuck roads and pending bills that are related to roads that are maintained by the counties? It is in our report. On the RMLF, the report recommends Kshs13.9 billion that must go to the counties because they deserve it. The report also recommends that we must also make sure that the road bond is shared with the counties. As I finish, I want to echo the thoughts that have been shared by my brother, Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale. Before I finish, this is such an important issue, but I am realising that there are no Members in this House to discuss. We only have Members of the Committee on Finance and Budget. Mr. Speaker, Sir, under Standing Order No.1, perhaps you could rule that we are given more time to give the nation some ideas of what is going on. If there are no Members in the House yet this is a very important issue and I only have 20 minutes, but I can do justice to this particular BPS with another five more minutes, it is out of your The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}