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{
    "id": 238288,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/238288/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 176,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Raila",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 195,
        "legal_name": "Raila Amolo Odinga",
        "slug": "raila-odinga"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Minister for bringing this Sessional Paper before this House. This is a very important Paper. I know that after this, a Bill will be brought before this House. These are some of the things that started during my tenure at the Ministry and I am very happy and proud to see that eventually, they are now coming to fruition. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when the NARC Government took over power, the road network in this country was in a very sorry state. Of the 177,000 kilometres of our road network, only 57 per cent was in a motorable condition. The remaining 43 per cent of the national road network was completely dilapidated and it required complete reconstruction. To be able to reconstruct it, we needed Kshs120 billion; money that was not available at that time. The reason why there was this 3072 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 19, 2006 deterioration of our roads, was because for a very long time, the maintenance works had been neglected. As the Swahili saying goes: \" Usipoziba ufa utajenga ukuta. \" We are now in the process of building the wall because we did not deal with the cracks on it. I would like to see a situation where the maintenance of our road network continues simultaneously as we continue to spread out the road network in the country. Roads to our economy are like the blood vessels to our bodies. Without an efficient road network, the economy itself becomes very inefficient. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to address the few challenges which have been identified in this Paper. One is the issue of funding of road development, rehabilitation and maintenance, which is inadequate. If you see the public being dissatisfied and making noise that the Ministry is not doing sufficient work, it is not for lack of trial or will to do so. It is because of inadequate resources for the development of our road network. We should look at the private sector, so that we develop some kind of partnership for road development. Concessioning is what comes to mind immediately. A study that was carried out by the World Bank showed that concessioning, as a concept, is viable in Kenya. It is possible to do a concession along the Northern Corridor which runs from the Port of Mombasa, through Nairobi to Malaba and Busia. I know that there is intention to begin the concessioning. The pilot project that we are starting with is the Southern Corridor, which I understand that the Ministry is now in the process of awarding. If we do this, we will able to release some funds that we are currently using for the maintenance and reconstruction of that road network, to develop other feeder roads in the country."
}