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{
    "id": 1588820,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1588820/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 219,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Prof.) Wilberforce Oundo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Let me also join my colleagues in supporting the Motion by Hon. Faith Gitau on the expansion of major roads in the country into dual carriageways. Transport is essential to industrialisation and economic growth. Its importance cannot be gainsaid. Many of our so- called trunk roads, international roads that link various regions and towns across the country, cannot be considered to be true roads in the true sense, as we see in other countries. It is a shame that the road from Kisumu to the border at Busia is not a road but a track. Yet, we speak proudly of it as a major gateway to the Great Lakes Region and all of East and Central Africa. The same applies to the large chunks of the road between Eldoret and Malaba. It is important, as Hon. Faith has stated, that all planners and implementers move with speed, and through whatever means available, ensure that these roads are upgraded into dual carriageways. If you travel to other parts of the world, including even smaller African nations, you will find that all their major trunk roads are dual carriageways, designed to move traffic and goods efficiently. While the focus today is on roads, I must also echo sentiments shared earlier by Dr Ochanda. In many parts of the country, railways could supplement or even replace road transport. We have a largely untapped opportunity in railway infrastructure. A robust railway network could move more goods and people faster and more safely. The last significant railway construction took place during the colonial period. The only recent development occurred during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure. Honestly speaking, if we could find a way, it would be better. I once had the opportunity to travel to South Korea. There, a distance of nearly 1,000 kilometres is covered quickly and efficiently by a high-speed train, far faster and with more passengers than any road transport system could manage. Unfortunately, for Hon. Faith, this remains a mere Motion. Our country has a poor track record when it comes to implementing Motions. We may just end up being a church-show here, without much impact or effort. With those few remarks, and in the interest of saving time, I support."
}