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{
    "id": 1588818,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1588818/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 217,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Samburu East, KANU",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Jackson Lekumontare",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very good Motion. Some roads are just a waste of time. You can spend a long time on the roads. As other Members have said, it is time to expand our roads. This is a very good discussion. Some parts of this country do not even have single line roads. We are discussing about expanding roads but some parts of the country like Samburu East Constituency, which I represent, do not have roads. Equity is important to every part of this country. You find that a road serving a population is not there. Even getting some services becomes a problem. If we are indeed one country, then it is both advisable and crucial that those implementing development projects consider all regions equally. Ideally, every constituency should have at least one tarmac road. Yet, in some parts of this country, children only saw a tarmac road more than 60 years after independence. As we speak of expanding existing roads, the timelines for such expansions must also be questioned. Take, for example, the road that passes through Karatina. I regularly use that road. This is my second term since I joined this Parliament, and contractors have been there since. Even before, when I was still a teacher, I used to pass by there. I do not know when that road will ever be completed. Those responsible are not taking their work seriously. For more than ten years, the project has dragged on, with no meaningful progress. It is commendable to bring such a Motion to the House. It is a valuable discussion, but it must result in implementation. We lack good roads in many areas of this country. I also disagree with the notion that there are insufficient resources, because in some areas, resources are more than sufficient. The problem lies in the lack of fairness in national planning. Some regions receive significant funding, while when we look at other parts, there are no funds. That is the usual song people sing now and then. It is now high time the Government adopted a more equitable approach to development. If the budget is limited, let it be limited equally for all. Yet we see some places receiving a lot of money, while others have no roads at all, and we are in the same country. We must seriously consider how to raise and allocate funds more equitably to benefit all Kenyans. Even the cost of basic commodities varies significantly between regions, largely because of poor infrastructure. In some places, food prices are extremely high due to poor roads. When others say; ‘ unga has become cheaper,’ in our places, we do not even talk. The worsening roads make food and essential goods unaffordable. This is an important and timely Motion. It is important to note that other regions still lack proper roads. If we are to be just and equitable, we must address every corner of this country. I support the expansion of road networks to all regions. Thank you. 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."
}