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{
    "id": 205889,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/205889/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 167,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Lesrima",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 178,
        "legal_name": "Simon Saimanga Lesirma",
        "slug": "simon-lesirma"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to support this important Ministry's budget. I would like to say that it would be very nice to have some kind of master-plan for the future airports and aerodromes that are being established in the country as we move towards 2030. It may be necessary to fast-track the establishment of airports in areas such as Maralal, Marsabit and the northern parts of Kenya given that it will take us a long time to ever see any tarmacked roads. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the second issue that I want to raise is the question of the second runway at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). I am not familiar with the developments at the airport but what I know is that occasionally we have aircraft blocking the runway when they have mechanical problems thus necessitating the closure of the airport and it takes time to clear the runway and to get the necessary equipment. I would like to recommend that now that the airport, after 20 years since it became a parastatal, is allowed to retain Airport Tax, landing fees and so on, they should invest part of that money in buying the necessary equipment to recover the aircraft when they are stranded on the runway so that business is not interrupted. More appropriately, it would be very nice to have land for a second runway. Most airports in the world have two or three runways. There was land available at JKIA but it seems it has been turned into estates. So, I do not really know whether we are going to have new technology aircraft that will not require second or third runways. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other critical and important department is the Department of Meteorology. The meteorologists are very important people because they assist us in terms of agriculture and livestock farming. They tell us when to plant crops. This Department is also very important because it lets us know when to run away from floods. With global warming, some of the most risky events are taking place in the country, including in my constituency. When it rains, the towns are swept away. So, we need to know when to run up to the hills. It is the meteorologists who can save our lives. I know they are doing a very good job, but they require to do more frequent information dissemination. They may not have adequate equipment, but I think this is one Department that also should be allowed to translate into a parastatal and retain its own revenue, to buy the necessary equipment that can enable them to do correct predictions on weather."
}