HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 218425,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/218425/?format=api",
"text_counter": 160,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Arungah",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 292,
"legal_name": "Julius Odenyo Arungah",
"slug": "julius-arungah"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to support this Bill. Let me take this opportunity to thank Mr. Kimeto for his very passionate contribution. As I said in the beginning, I stand to support this Bill. In my understanding, this Bill seeks to amend the Kenya Roads Board Act in order to create the three authorities, namely, the Kenya National Highways Authority, the Kenya Rural Roads Authority and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority. We have been told over and over again that only 20 per cent of our highways are in good shape. Forty per cent of them are in dire need of reconstruction, while another 40 per cent of them need rehabilitation. I believe that with the formation of these three authorities, the roads will be harmonised and rationalised, so that each authority can undertake its specific mandate, and then we will have no cases of confusion as we have seen in the past. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to begin by appreciating the good work that has been done by the Minister for Roads and Public Works. We have seen a lot of works going on since he took over office. I want to take this opportunity to thank him for what he has done, wish him well and pray that he fulfils what he has started to do. I also want to appreciate the Government's role, because it has understood the importance of infrastructure. In the last three June 13, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1791 years, there has been an increase of about 80 per cent development in the road sector. So, I hope that with this increased funding, and with the creation of these three authorities, the dream of having good and decent motorable roads will be realised, because that is the only way we are going to achieve faster economic growth and development. I believe, therefore, that by passing this Bill, the Minister will have been given the necessary legal and institutional framework to do what he needs to do to reduce the backlog in the poorly maintained roads, as we know them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to give some suggestions to the Minister as to what I think should be done. We have had a tendency to rush and construct new roads every time we have money, while neglecting the roads that have already been constructed. It has been shown that it is much cheaper to keep rehabilitating and maintaining a road than wait for ten years by which time the road will need complete rehabilitation. We should lay emphasis on maintaining the existing roads, as we seek to increase the mileage of the new road network. As the proposed authorities come into place, there is one area that we need to take great care of. The Minister should know that there are no many Barazas in the Ministry. For those hon. Members who do not know who Baraza is, in the year 2001, a group of consultants took the Government to court, demanding to be paid Kshs200 million. A judge at the Milimani Commercial Courts relied on the evidence of one man called Baraza to throw out that case, because those consultants were trying to steal the money from the Government. In that case, that particular officer saved the Government Kshs200 million. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am told that three years later, the same officer saved the Government another Kshs900 million. In the second instance, a group of contractors had actually taken the Government to court over a bogus claim for Kshs945 million. The court relied on the evidence of this one Baraza and the claim was reduced from Kshs945 million to Kshs20 million. However, there are not many Barazas in the Government today. So, as the Minister embarks on this work, he has to ensure that he recruits competent staff, and makes arrangements for them to be adequately remunerated, because without adequate remuneration, the officers will find ways and means of paying themselves. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the man I am talking about, who saved the Government Kshs200 million and another Kshs900 million at that time, was earning only Kshs200,000 gross. For example, the Chief Roads Engineer has a Budget of approximately Kshs40 billion at the moment. That Chief Engineer, I can tell you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, does not take home more than Kshs150,000! Yet, he sees people take away Kshs40 billion. Unless we look at the terms of remuneration of those officers, they will definitely find ways and means of getting access to that money. So, I urge the Minister, as he forms those authorities, to look at the pay packages of those officers. He should give them adequate remuneration so that they could keep their jobs and do a descent job. That way, everybody will benefit in the long run. I would like the Minister to look at the issue of design. Like I said, the Government is going to spend approximately Kshs40 billion on roads this year. If we were to assume the consultants - because the Ministry, at times, out-sources design works--- Assuming they spend only 1 per cent of that mount on design, that represents a figure of Kshs400 million. That amount is given to outside consultants. I believe if the Minister or those local authorities were to recruit 100 qualified and well paid engineers and pay them Kshs1 million each per month, that would amount to Kshs100 million in a year. We will end up saving Kshs300 million which will do another 150 kilometres. I am saying that the Ministry should embark on a scheme of increasing capacity within the Ministry. That is because when those jobs are given to outside contractors, they eventually go back to the Ministry staff who do the work. But the money ends up going somewhere else. I am saying that we have the potential or the opportunity to increase capacity within the Ministry so that, at the end of the day, we shall save some money. 1792 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 13, 2007 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am grateful that the Ministry has come up with a very innovative scheme where it has bought some machinery. It has placed them at strategic areas in the provinces. My understanding is that, that equipment was supposed to support the District Roads Engineers. Unfortunately, what has happened is that, instead of the District Roads Engineers having access to that equipment, the briefcase contractors who are given works on the understanding that they have the capacity to do those roads, have hired that equipment. So, the roads that were supposed to be maintained in the districts are delayed because those people hire the machines. I urge the Minister to look into that matter and make sure that the machines are only available to outside contractors when the District Roads Engineers have no work for them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we spend so much money doing those roads. But, unfortunately, we have overloaded trucks that mess up those roads in a very short time. I have never understood why it has been very difficult for the Ministry to handle that issue. I believe that all heavy containers that come into the country must come in through certain border points. In the case of Mombasa, it is very easy for the relevant Ministry to insist that a weigh-bridge be constructed at the exit point at the Port so that, every container that comes out must conform to the required road axle before it leaves. That will avoid all the nonsense that we see on our roads. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are members of the East African Community. I think it is very easy for us to jointly agree - as East African States - to pass a law barring any container that exceeds certain weights. That way, we shall save our roads from unscrupulous businessmen who do not care how much we spend to repair our roads as long as they make some money. We have a duty and the means to stop that. I think the Minister will look into that, so that we can save our roads. There is no point spending that money and then, after five years, we do not have any roads. There is a misconception that it is the heavy trucks weighing 20 to 30 tonnes that are damaging our roads. Overloaded smaller trucks weighing seven tonnes and three tonnes have the same impact of damaging our roads. We should look into the possibility of making sure that even those smaller trucks go through the weigh-bridges to measure the axle load. That way, they will not damage our roads. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is an issue on the actual construction of our roads. We were told at some stage that bitumenizing a road per kilometre would cost Kshs40 million. Then, it was brought down to Kshs17 million. Then, suddenly, it went up to Kshs20 million and Kshs30 million. So, nobody knows exactly how much it would cost to do a road. I do not believe it is impossible to set a bench-mark to know that to construct a kilometre of bitumenized road in each province should not exceed a certain amount of money. That has been left open and subject to manipulation. I think it is possible to do it. Other countries have done it. We know that in Tanzania, there is no way any contractor would be paid more than Kshs18 million to do a kilometre of a road. I do not see why that doubles, as soon as somebody crosses the border. So, we have a responsibility not just to spend that money, but to spend it responsibly. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have a case, for example, when a road--- I thank the Minister because when he came in, the roads in Khwisero were not motorable. There is one particular road that was constructed initially, but it was to be upgraded by gravelling. That road was about 31 kilometres and a contract was given for a whopping Kshs120 million, just to gravel it. To me, it means that the Ministry was paying Kshs4,500 per cubic metre of gravel. With due respect, that was exorbitant because I have been involved in road construction. I can tell you that, at the very outset, it cannot cost more than Kshs1,000 per cubic metre in Khwisero where there is a lot of gravel. But the contractor was given that work for Kshs4,500 per cubic metre. To me, that is theft. The Minister has a responsibility to re-visit that issue and come up with the cost of constructing our roads. June 13, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1793 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not want to finish without thanking the Minister because I am hopeful that, since the people of Khwisero were created, they will have an opportunity to see what tarmac looks like in a few days. I am glad that the Ministry has given approximately Kshs1 billion to tarmac a road from Aviangu to Ekero. It is being rumoured that there is another road from Kisa Stand up to Yala that is due for tarmacking. I hope that, that will come to pass. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}