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"id": 1571014,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571014/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I stand to support this Motion by Hon. Faith Gitau on expansion of major roads in the country to dual carriageways. Before I go into the details of the Motion and offer my very sincere support, I take cognisance of the fact that today is Wednesday in the morning. We, as the National Assembly, spare time for private Members' business that includes Bills and Motions. It is very sad to note that Motions and Bills sponsored by Members were put on the calendar and programmed to be debated today, but they failed to turn up. This forced us to step down these Bills and Motions. We would have used that time properly, if they had given notice of their absence. The Clerk of the National Assembly does a very good job to remind every Member early morning or even a day before of the business that will be on the Order Paper. It is available for Members. Members are expected to communicate their unavailability in good time, so that their Motions or Bills are not put in the Order Paper. There are very many Members here who have Motions which have not been scheduled for debate because others are ahead of them. This situation is unacceptable. If you have a Motion or Bill, make yourself available. I am sure Hon. Kajwang’ has a Bill scheduled at a later date. He is a good Member who comes to the House all the time but his Bill cannot find space because others are ahead of him, yet those Members do not come to the Chamber. It is a waste of good and honourable time. We need to discourage Members from this. Hon. Temporary Speaker, we should not only reschedule or defer the business on the Order Paper, but also drop them completely so that they do not appear again. If we do this, Members will know that when they have business on the Floor of the House, they should come to execute it, but not what we see today. I support Hon. Gitau’s Motion. Road network is very important for this nation. For development and economic progress of the nation to occur, we need road network everywhere in the country. We need good roads to ensure that businesses, farmers and economic activities are carried out very well. The situation we have now is one where the good roads that we have are congested. There is a lot of traffic snarl-up in the city. We are probably becoming worse than New York, as we progress. I was on Nairobi Expressway about two weeks ago. I realised that as you look down on the other road, it does not move even for an hour. The Expressway now is becoming even more congested. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}