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"speaker_name": "Mr. Muthama",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to give my support to the Vote of the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development. First of all, I wish to congratulate President Kibaki for coming up with this very important idea to give Kenyans a Ministry for Nairobi Metropolitan Development. Nairobi has grown from a small city to a big international city. I have listened to different deliberations and proposals that the Minister has talked about. I know that with his Assistant Minister and a team of Government officers, the Minister will manage. Without any doubt I believe that they will do a fantastic job for Kenyans. I just want to say how I think, as a Kenyan, we should move forward. The City of Nairobi has three stadia. I remember when Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards Clubs used to play football, the City Stadium seemed as though it was one of the international stadia in the world; however, after the construction of Nyayo National Stadium and Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, it began to look like a village stadium. When the Wilson Airport was constructed, it seemed completely out of the City centre. But the Minister, and everybody else, will agree with me that the aircraft at Wilson Airport land at the City centre. So, my suggestion is that despite the fact that the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is slightly outside Nairobi, the Minister should think of relocating--- The map he has shown shows that airport takes part of my constituency, Kangundo. I am happy to be identified with Nairobi City at the moment, because my perception is that our roads in Kangundo will be like Nairobi roads, the water will be like water in Nairobi and all facilities, including those in public health, will be like the ones in Nairobi. So, we have enough land to which Wilson Airport can be relocated. If the Minister wants to develop the Nairobi Metropolis, he should think of relocating Wilson Airport. When the Industrial Area was referred to as so, we constructed our factories there. You will agree with me that the factories are within residential estates now. So, you need to relocate those July 16, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1905 factories. My suggestion is to make sure that these issues are separated. For example, if I give the Minister 1,000 acres of public land, he should not put up airports and factories there. He should take factories towards Kajiado or Thika. We should only have the airports there. He should also consider moving the cemetery from where it is. It is within the City centre. Even where the City Mortuary is now, it is surrounded by residential areas. So, we need to separate those things; make sure that they are not close to one another. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when Nairobi was known as \"the City in the Sun\", we used to have trees and forests. When I came to Nairobi, the Serena Hotel was not yet constructed. When it was being constructed, there was a forest where it is. Actually, you could not stand at the New Stanley Hotel and see where King George or Kenyatta National Hospital was situated, because of the forest that was there. So, for the Minister to succeed, and be counted as one who will have initiated a conducive environment to Kenyans, he needs to plan how to plant trees and create forests. I went to Malaysia and saw that the distance between the international airport and the city centre is about 75 kilometres. The road is full of trees, and it is lit all the way. We may not have money to light our streets for that distance but, for God's sake, I believe that we have seeds that can be used to grow trees and beautify all the streets and highways. We have Uhuru Park just here, a very beautiful picnic place, but it lacks trees. You will agree with me that you can stand by the roadside and count the trees that are there. We need more than that! We need a natural environment reflected in our city. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry should start by cleaning Nairobi City. Proper cleaning has to be undertaken in all towns within the metropolitan area, including Nairobi Central Business District. However, before we focus on cleaning Kajiado, Kangundo, Machakos and Thika, the Minister should start with the Nairobi City Centre. Nairobi City is the centre of attraction to people visiting Kenya, who will sell Kenya when they go back to their countries. So, it all depends on what visitors see when they visit our country. I would like to point to the Minister that another thing that will make his city prosper is good security. There is a lot of insecurity in Nairobi. Up to now, it is not possible for one to walk within the City Centre without being threatened by thugs. So, the Minister needs to work on the insecurity issue, especially in those areas accommodating United Nations institutions and members of the diplomatic corps. We need guarantee of security, so that the country and the City of Nairobi can be marketed properly. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, traffic jam is an issue which has been talked about, and the Minister needs to work on it. The issue of availability of water is very important. This is an issue the Minister needs to deal with decisively. Nairobi City draws its water from Ndakaini Dam. We have the natural resources that can give us water. It is just the mechanism that needs to be applied for Nairobi to have enough water. Land rents is an issue which can create a lot of barriers and make the Minister's work extremely difficult. This issue needs to be streamlined. I do not expect the people I represent to pay the same land rents as the people of Nairobi. So, this is something the Minister needs to address very quickly. Otherwise, it can create barriers on his performance and overall implementation of the Ministry's roles. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we must work towards creating dual carriage roads. Mombasa Road, up to the Machakos junction, has been under construction for quite some time. The proposal to widen the Nairobi-Thika Road from the current two lanes on either side to five lanes, is in place. However, there are roads which also need to be improved. Nobody has ever talked about the road from Naivasha to Kisumu. Nobody has talked about expanding the road from Kajiado to Namanga. 1906 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 16, 2008 With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}