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"id": 218663,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Maore",
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"id": 284,
"legal_name": "Richard Maoka Maore",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support the Minister's proposals on the Kenya Roads Bill, after putting in a few issues. This Bill is long overdue. The Departmental Committee on Energy, Communications and Public Works has gone through it and written a report. We could not lay it on the Table because it did not have the Chairman's signature. But we shall do it tomorrow morning or in the afternoon, just before the conclusion of the Committee on that Bill. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need to address the issue of roads in this country. It is a major component of infrastructure that is necessary for our development. There is a matter that is going to be critical, when the three authorities will be established. You will find that, since 1972, we have not had an updated classification of roads. For that reason, you will find that 35 years after, there are pockets of population that have cropped up. Where there used to be about 500 people, you will find more than 15,000 today. The pressure on roads is not commensurate with the classification of roads for the period that has lapsed. So, we need an urgent update of classification of roads to ensure that we do not go by the classification of roads in 1972 of Class \"A\", \"B\" and 1722 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 12, 2007 \"C\". Some of the roads that used to belong to Class \"B\" should actually belong to Class \"A\". Most of the ones that now belong to Class \"C\" would actually belong to Class \"B\" as of now. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue of local authorities, the money that is meant for taking care of roads in the Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF) has not been seen on the ground. Even if you ask any hon. Member whether he or she is aware of any road that has been repaired using the LATF funds, I have not heard of any. So, we want the money that is meant for roads to be scooped out of LATF and taken to those authorities. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue that is of interest to the Committee and even the House is the proposal by the Minister to increase the money meant for each constituency from 16 per cent to 20 per cent. It is at this point when we are discussing the Miscellaneous Amendment that we need to take into account the amendment which was brought forward by hon. Kimeto. When the money goes to the District Roads Committees (DRCs), the bureaucracy and mystery involved plus the conduct of the civil servants has made that money not benefit roads in the constituencies as anticipated in the original description. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue that needs to be addressed is: When we have the Integrated Transport Policy, the Ministry of Roads and Public Works will be able to include those authorities. We will be taking positions on what to do about the non-motorised objects. On the issue of speed limits, once a road has been constructed by the Ministry of Roads and Public Works, the ones who are left to enforce the road use do not have an idea of what a road is all about! Those of us who have been privileged to use a dual carriageway, whichever way you use it, whether it is towards Limuru or Thika, when you are on the dual carriageway, you have more problems with traffic than when you are on a single lane. The reason for that is: You will find people with speed governors - like matatus, lorries and buses - keeping right, when they should actually keep left, unless they are overtaking. So, we need a proper road use guideline on our Integrated National Policy on Transport that the Minister promised in ten weeks. I know now that six weeks are over! We have four more weeks to go and we will be asking him about it very soon."
}