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"id": 212639,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/212639/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Karaba",
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"speaker": {
"id": 232,
"legal_name": "Daniel Dickson Karaba",
"slug": "daniel-karaba"
},
"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is not fair to see a lot of money going to certain regions. There should be equitable distribution of resources to all the areas. Money should not be allocated to certain areas at the expense of some areas which are highly productive and qualify to be supported through roads constructions. We should support areas which are endowed agriculturally. We even grow tea leaves in my area. During the rainy days, our tea leaves rots in buying centres because of a poor road network connecting tea factories. Since those factories were constructed in those areas, no tarmac roads have been built to connect them. I have in mind factories such as Mununga in Kerugoya/Kutus which is located in a very rich agricultural area. There are tea zones in our neighbourhood. But you find that, more often than not, tea leaves rot in tea buying centres. That is because of the poor roads connecting the factories. That is something that the Ministry should look into. I would like to be advised on who should be approached to have a road tarmacked. Is it the District Roads Engineer? Is it a politician? Is it the sitting Member of Parliament or, maybe, other powerful agents? It is like, as much as you make noise, or as much as you make consultations, nothing seems to happen. But all of sudden, you find somebody will just say that something is wrong in his or her area, and a lot happens. So, I am here to be corrected. We need proper direction. If it is the Engineer who is to be held responsible, then we should be told he or she is the person who should determine the number of roads to be tarmacked, just as we do in the power sector. I am still complaining about Road D454 Kagio-Baricho, Baricho-Kerugoya. According to what I have seen in the district allocation, that road has been left behind. It has been left out, but July 24, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2701 roads in other areas have been considered. You will find that in some constituencies, even two roads are being constructed and yet, my constituency has nothing. Roads in my constituency have stalled for the last 20 years. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, whom do I go to? I am at a loss! There is something else that we have noted. Some of the ongoing road construction projects which are funded by the Government take too long to complete. It is an eye sore when you travel on Nairobi-Thika-Sagana-Karatina-Maru Road. That road is impassable and yet, it is the same road that most senior civil servants pass through. You will even wonder whether they see that and nothing happens! So, I am requesting the Ministry of Roads and Public Works to reseal the potholes as soon they develop. Many deaths are caused by those potholes. The road that I am mentioning here was started before I came to this Parliament. Of course now, we are going for elections. We do not know whether we will come back or not. But that road is still not complete and yet, it is just a section of 20 kilometres. Every time there is some construction, there are potholes to be resealed after a month! After one is done, another develops. So, are we having proper engineering works going on on our roads? This is a challenge we are facing. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the road I am talking about is very important to Central Province. It connects Nairobi and the Central Province. It also connects Nyeri with the President's area, but nothing has happened on it. Do we, therefore, say that there is negligence? Is there somebody who does not want it done? Has the constructor not been given enough money or has he not been able to use it properly? We need to be told the truth now. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have a lot of other things happening along our roads. When we have very heavy rains, the roads are damaged by heavy flooding. We wonder whether the contractors do not see to it that gabions are constructed on site, so that we prevent such cases from happening. Driving on such roads at night is very dangerous because deaths can occur. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also important to note this money comes from the taxpayers who are mainly cash crop farmers. Therefore, it would be sensible to make sure that this money is ploughed back to those areas to make sure roads there are passable. I am talking about the tea growing areas where roads must be maintained, so that agricultural development in the same areas can be accelerated or agro-based industries can be built. That is the only way we can come up with cottage industries and industrial development in our country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have a lot to say about this Ministry. Though the Minister has really done well with his team, we need to really pay a lot of attention to this department of roads. It takes too long before the design is done and before the contract is awarded. When we ask what is happening, we are told that the procurement process is taking too long. Could we have it shortened? Instead of having a lot of money which is lying idle, we can shorten the process, so that as soon as the design is done, we can have the construction going on without unnecessary delays. This might give the residents confidence and that is what we are waiting for. Without this, people will wonder as to what is happening. Let us support the Ministry. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I conclude, I request the hon. Minister to please consider my constituency. If I do not get a tarmac road constructed in my constituency this time round, my chance of coming back here might be doomed. All my neighbouring constituencies have tarmacked roads. I beg to support."
}