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"id": 218667,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Maore",
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"speaker": {
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"legal_name": "Richard Maoka Maore",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, you have to get some of these infusions so that the message can sink! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in many countries, they take positions about how they want to develop. There are those who insist on urbanisation and those of us--- I think we are a bit confused. We are not sure whether we want to insist on rural--- Whether it is rural-urban and mix- up--- There are people who take positions. They want to do urbanisation. Therefore, they transfer their populations to urban centres and provide infrastructure to the population. But for us, we have not defined what we want. We are not there yet. It will be a matter for another day. When the authorities come up, we need them to also integrate the idea and tradition of June 12, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1723 construction of roads with the issue of environmental impact assessments. We need extra care when a road passes through a water catchment area. We need to take extra care when a road passes through a forest or a national park, so that we do not destabilize our eco-system. We should become environmental friendly and be involved in international conventions as a country. The other issue that needs to be taken seriously, without sweeping it quietly under the carpet, is the policy of whether we need to insist on bitumen-based roads or not. We also need to come out clearly on the issue of the cement-based experiment that was being done on Mbagathi Road. It turned out to be a rip-off because it was costing the Government about Kshs90 million per kilometre of road. It was not viable to have spent that money in the first place. It was wrong and we need an explanation about what happened at that time. When they were doing experiments, they should have known how many bags of cement per kilometre the road would take and whether it was a proper experiment to have taken place or not. What actually happened? We are concerned. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other bit that we have been raising every time the Minister brings the budget on roads is the issue of Africanisation of the road construction sector. We need to ask our African contractors to pool their resources and equipment together and become big enough to compete with the Chinese, European or the Wahindi companies. This is because you cannot award a big road contract where the scope of equipment that the contract demands does not tally with what the contractor has because the contractor is an African. So, these things need to come out clearly to the contractors; that unless they have proper equipment and adequate resources, they cannot be given contracts or jobs just because they show up and say, \"We are Africans and we need to be given priority.\" Priority will be given when they get their act together. On this one, the Minister for Trade and Industry and the Minister for Finance can organise, outside the Ministry of Roads and Public Works, and make sure that there are enough resources available to these contractors, whether it is credit facilities, loans, grants or whatever method that can be used. This is because we cannot just have all our money going to foreign contractors. Every year that we vote money for this Ministry, out of the Kshs30 billion, almost 70 per cent goes to foreign contractors and ends up in the wrong destination. Lastly, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we were discussing about the creation of these authorities, we agreed on their composition. We have also proposed a few amendments and we need to come out clearly on the issue of penalties or the figures involved and also the additional areas that we have proposed; we get the issue of individuals to be picked to serve in these authorities having, also discussed the issue with the Ministry and other interested groups. The other issue, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, is about the cost of a road per kilometre. We heard from the predecessor of the Minister explaining how they had brought down the cost of constructing one kilometre of road from Kshs40 million to Kshs15 million. But, today, the average is turning out to be about Kshs30 million. So, we do not know where the problem is. Of course, we know that the cost of oil and, maybe, the dollar has risen, but it is not commensurate with the kind of increase and ambiguity that is coming out in the cost of the construction of roads in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when the Kenya Roads Bill will be enacted, we will require a lot from these authorities. It is not just those authorities that you create for the sake of it. We will expect to see action and we will demand action and we will support, where necessary, any legislation that will be requested of us. For example, the issue of amendment to the Kenya National Highways Authority where they will have the Kenya Rural Roads Authority, Kenya Urban Roads Authority and so on. With regard to the issue of the Traffic Act, we have a problem whereby the Commissioner of Police might wake up one morning and put people on the road as police officers. Now, when you show up on the road, you do not know whether they are looking for road safety or they are looking for security issues. So, all these measures need to be addressed in a wider scope or in an inter-ministerial scope than just expecting the roads to exist and then you do not have the proper management or running of it. 1724 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 12, 2007 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}