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"id": 238290,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Raila",
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"id": 195,
"legal_name": "Raila Amolo Odinga",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other problem we have is the low performance of our railway network. Nearly 80 per cent of the cargo that comes from the Port of Mombasa is transported by road. Only about 20 per cent of it is transported by railway. Normally, in a civilised society, it should be the other way round. The railway system should be able to carry more goods than the road network. But because this is happening in the country, it is having a very telling effect on our road network. Therefore, there is need to rehabilitate and expand our railway network in the country. This will then complement our road system. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue of axle load enforcement is a challenge. I understand that the Ministry now wants to privatise the weigh bridges. The earlier that is done the better. I know that there is a lot of corruption that is going on at all these weigh bridges. For example, at the Mlolongo weigh bridge, there is always a congestion of trucks. This inconveniences other motorists. Despite its existence we continue to allow overloaded vehicles to use our road network. Mr. Wetangula, while making his contribution, was wondering why we need a weigh bridge at Gilgil. He believes that we only need weigh bridges at the entry points. If he were here, I would have told him that I disagree totally with him. We have a lot of cargo on our roads that we generate internally. That is why it is necessary to have weigh-bridges elsewhere, rather than just at the border points. The constitutional framework is unsuitable and too cumbersome for the efficient and effective delivery of road works. That is true. The issue of tendering for the construction of roads is very cumbersome. The system that we are using today is an old and antiquated method of awarding contracts. We suggested - and I hope the Ministry is following it up - the introduction of design and build concept, which will make it much easier and faster to award contracts. I hope that the Minister will explore that. It is a system of design and build. It has been used very effectively in October 19, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3073 Malaysia and also in Tanzania. We brought Tanzanian experts for one full week to instruct our own engineers on how to operationalise the design and build concept. There is an old saying that goes: \"You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.\" In the Ministry, we have - I can say it because I am on the other side - people whose minds are stuck in the old ways of doing things. It is very difficult to convince them to see that, that system is more modern and much easier. They are virtually used to those old systems which make it very expensive to construct roads, leave alone the time that you spent. At the moment, to construct a road here, from the time of conception, through the preliminary design, design and the time you award a tender, it takes you 48 months! If you apply the design and build method, it takes only 6 months and the contractor is on the site. That is because the contractor is the one who employs the consultant. The consultant designs as the contractor continues to construct. So, it is a system that we need to explore very quickly, and introduce it in our country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, regarding the issue of inadequate local contracting capacity, Mr. Wetangula spent quite a lot of time talking about it. I want to say that we need to talk to our development partners. I do believe that there is a lot of discrimination against local contractors. The conditions that are put in those tendering contracts make it impossible for local contractors to participate in tenders that are funded by the World Bank and the European Union (EU). That is the reason why all the road contracts from Mombasa to Malaba and Busia have gone to international contractors. Our local contractors then do the actual work as sub-contractors. So, when you go to the site, you will only find local companies working, but the contracts are only given to international companies. Our local contractors are disqualified because of impossible conditions that are put in those contracts. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue of road reserves has already been discussed. The Minister has held very firmly to the conditions that have been given, particularly with regard to Mlolongo. As I said earlier, this is a national problem and, in fact, we have a national crisis. If we have to apply the law to the letter, then very many structures will come down in this country. I want to talk about the road by-passes around the city of Nairobi. Those by-passes are aimed at easing congestion at the centre of Nairobi, and they are three in all. There is the southern, eastern and northern by-pass, and the link road. As the Minister rightly said, the road reserves were acquired in 1972. The people who owned that land were adequately compensated. But because no construction was done, people assumed that the project had been abandoned. They went ahead and sub-divided some of those plots, sold them or constructed houses. So, when we reached a stage where we wanted to construct the by-passes, we found out that structures had been put up on those road reserves. It was not possible to do any kind or re-design by omitting the destruction of those structures. That is what we did. I was blamed later that I was engaged in wanton destruction of private property, without adequate plans. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that the Minister will confirm here that the Government still has intentions of constructing the City by-passes and that, the demolitions that were done two years ago were not in vain. That way, I will kill myself, if vindicated. The by-passes are necessary to de-congest the city centre so that, traffic coming from Mombasa west-bound will go through the southern by-pass and avoid Uhuru Highway. The traffic going to Thika, Murang'a and so on will use the eastern by-pass. The traffic coming from the same direction to the west will use the northern by-pass. If that is done, it will alleviate the congestion in the City. I mentioned the following and I want the Minister to investigate. Two years ago, I went to China and signed a memorandum of understanding with China to assist us to construct those by-passes. But no application was formally made by the Treasury to request for those funds. When the President visited China last year, those by-passes were not on his shopping list. To date, those projects still hang in abeyance. I would like to ask the Minister to follow up that matter much more 3074 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 19, 2006 seriously. At that time, I asked that my Permanent Secretary or my Assistant Minister should be put on the tour that was going to China. I knew they did not want me to accompany the President. But they refused to take even my Assistant Minister. Those by-passes were not on their shopping list. But the Chinese Government had agreed to help the Kenya Government to construct those by- passes as a way of preparing the City of Nairobi to participate in the bidding for hosting of the 2016 Olympic Games. I had mentioned to them that the Chinese Government had helped the Kenya Government to put up the Moi Sports Complex in Kasarani and that, Kenya intended to host the 2016 Olympic Games. I told them that the Olympic Games have never been held in the African Continent, since their inception. South Africa has managed to get a chance to host the World Cup in 2010. If there is any African country that deserves to host the Olympic Games, it is Kenya. Kenya has won more Olympic medals than any other African country. That is why I said that Kenya supported China in its bid to host the 2008 Olympics. We wanted China to reciprocate by assisting us to bid for the 2016 Olympics. I managed to convince the Chinese Government and I signed the memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Government. That matter has been swept under the carpet and I would like to urge the Minister to follow it up. If that happens, then we would not even need to do the concessioning. There is a soft loan which the Chinese Government agreed to give the Kenyan Government. However, when the Chinese President came here last year, he talked about construction of the Uhuru Highway all the way to Muthaiga. That is a road which is already constructed. That was a major project which we would have benefitted from. I fully support the idea of introducing the roads authorities; the National Highway Roads Authority, the Urban Roads Authority and the Rural Roads Authority. This will make the management of roads network in our country much more efficient. It was resisted when I tried to introduce it, but I am happy that at last, the \"doubting Thomases\" have now been convinced that it is necessary and the Minister will bring a Bill that will make it a reality. I know there are other hon. Members who want to make their contributions. Therefore, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}