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{
"id": 205412,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/205412/?format=api",
"text_counter": 138,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Capt. Nakitare",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 348,
"legal_name": "Davis Wafula Nakitare",
"slug": "davis-nakitare"
},
"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Transport has not taken serious considerations when it comes to search and rescue operations on the waters of the Indian Ocean. We have 487 kilometres of coastline. If the Ministry of Transport put in elaborate navigational systems, it would be a big advantage to this country. If you have water masses and you do not have navigational directions on them, it becomes ambiguous. We, in Kenya, have not taken it seriously to understand the importance of water transport. This affects our river waters, lakes and the ocean. The situation at the Port of Kilindini is similar to the one at Kisumu. We have Lake Victoria which is the second largest fresh water lake in the world, but we do not have water vessels that can transport people across it to other countries. We would be having a very easy time of transporting oil from Kisumu to Entebbe if we used its waters. We would not need petroleum pipelines to do so. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when it comes to railways, it is understood that our railway system was started in the 1890s. Over the years, there has never been a time when the railway lines have been put under repair. The amount of money that Kenya is using to repair feeder roads and the main highways in this country is more than the equivalent amount of money that would be spent to rejuvenate the railway line. It is high time Kenya put emphasis on electric trains, which would serve passengers. If we had electric trains, we would not have carnage on the roads or spend a lot of money repairing roads. We would not be demolishing people's houses to construct road bypasses. We would not have congestion of vehicles on roads in towns and cities. September 5, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3701 I take issue with the construction of the roads. Now that Kenya has realised that we are the only outlet and inlet to other countries, the number of lorries transporting containers that are using our roads is not forgiving. The level of road damage is very high compared to the road use. Drivers suffer a lot due to the large number of containers that transit through Kenya. I have in mind the recent incident, between Nakuru and Eldoret, at Timboroa, and that between Nakuru and Naivasha, at Soy Sambu. Heavy commercial transport vehicles get stuck on the road, and drivers are left midway with no help. The Ministry of Transport has to come out clearly. Now that the construction of roads is being funded by international donors, the Ministry must take responsibility of labelling traffic signs. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, consequently, policemen are now the \"speed governors\" on the highways. I do not see how roadblocks, with spikes, can control the speed of a vehicle. Under the Traffic Act, driving schools subject their students to learning road signs only for those students to go out on the road to find no road signs by the roadside. This is anomalous. It is an abuse of the law. The Traffic Act has not been utilised properly. Things have to happen in line with what the Ministry of Transport is doing. Coming to the air transport sector, you find that, following the expansion of the air transport system, trans-African air travel has become a demanding issue. The Government must do a serious job in terms of expanding the airports and equipping the Directorate of Civil Aviation and the Kenya Airports Authority. We, international pilots, find it very hard sometimes to even locate a VOR at the airports, because the signs are insignificant. The fact that we are controlled by navigation, does not give this country the leeway to be complacent. The arrival and departure lounges are in a mess. People are now using road bypasses as packing bays while waiting to see their passengers off. Time is gone when we had waiving bays. People used to stand on waiving bays and watch their relatives fly off. Those days are gone. The airports are prestigious. Aviation is a prestigious industry but, again, it is demanding. It is the most important mode of transportation that our country has to execute. I am happy that the Kenya Airports Authority has now adhered to international requirements, and that we will use the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as a taking off point for distant flights; that is for flights going as far as New York. That is wonderful. The other important fact is that it is a gateway for tourists. It is, therefore, a question of understanding what tourists want. Most of the tourists come from very advanced nations. So, when we find ourselves in airports that are dirty, and where arrangements are awkward, this denies Kenya foreign exchange. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister for Transport has to come out and discipline driving schools. Why do we have road carnage? Why do we have unprofessional people? In developed countries, a driving licence is not issued forever. You renew the driving licence after every two years or ten years. However, before you renew your driving licence, you must go for a test. This is the time when the Ministry of Transport has to come out to help the police. If a person is found driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol for three consecutive times, he should be taken off the road, so that he may become disciplined. That is the only way the Traffic Act can be respected. Road bumps are not provided for in the Traffic Act. They are not even marked. Why do we have them on our roads? Why does the Ministry of Roads and Public Works build road bumps? With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}