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"id": 238296,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Nyachae",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Roads and Public Works",
"speaker": {
"id": 342,
"legal_name": "Simeon Nyachae",
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"content": " Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first, I would like to express my appreciation to hon. Members for their useful contributions which have enriched our understanding of the needs of the country with regard to the roads network. It is a fact that Kenyans should be concerned about the state of our roads because they are in very unsatisfactory conditions. Things must be done in a way that will bring about improvements. This Sessional Paper is meant to bring about reforms that will develop efficiency in developing our roads. I listened to many contributions and there was one thing I was waiting to hear from hon. Members. One of the contributory factors of ruining our roads has been the problem of axle weight. Despite the fact that weigh-bridges have been there, they have not been successful because we have not been able to contain corruption on weigh-bridge centres wherever they are. We have been working on a system of having computerised moving weigh-bridges. However, as you will appreciate, even computers can be adjusted these days. So, I am foreseeing certain problems. Since I joined that Ministry, I have tried to make some changes including requesting for a change of the police officers who operate at the weigh-bridges but it has not worked because the appetite for corruption will take time before we erase it. One thing I would wish this House to look into in the near future as we carry out these reforms, which is done in other countries, is to decide on the maximum axle weight. Certain countries for instance, India, have very good roads with technology which is better than ours. There is no lorry which carries goods weighing more than 10 tonnes, according to their law. That is why their roads last much longer. In this country, we planned for bitumen roads because they can withstand up to 20 tonnes. However, somehow, axle weight is adjusted and you find lorries carrying between 40 tonnes and up to 60 tonnes. You will feel very sorry for this country when you drive between Sultan Hamud and the Machakos turn-off. That is a road which was constructed a few years ago but because of the heavy vehicles, you cannot see the tarmac. The gullies which have 3076 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 19, 2006 been created by the heavy vehicles are more visible, and the road is worn out again. Therefore, we must come up, as a country, with the maximum limit that a lorry can carry. When you go to Europe, you will see huge heavy vehicles running. I would like to say that in Europe, there are no bitumen roads. You will find concrete roads there, which cost much more per kilometre when it comes to construction. The roads cannot be affected by the weight of the vehicles. So, unless we get to a point of having concrete roads, which is not soon--- We have been constructing a concrete road near the City Mortuary and on Langata Road, but the construction has taken very long and the cost is three times what we would spend on a bitumen road. We have even tried to build a concrete road between Naivasha and Lanet, but when we calculated the cost, we found that it could be enough to construct a dual carriageway from Limuru to Nakuru. So, it is not in the near future that we are going to have concrete roads. We must start with the easier route, which is to tell the few rich characters who own the heavy lorries not to overload them. The transporters who have big vehicles are not more than 100 in the whole country, but the taxpayers are in millions, who are maintaining these roads. You cannot enrich a few fellows at the expense of the taxpayers. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you know, when we are maintaining these roads which are ruined by the big vehicles, it means resources are being re-allocated to care for those roads instead of constructing new roads in the rural areas which support the economy of the ordinary person. It is necessary that we make some adjustments. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Raila mentioned something which is a fact. If we do not do the reforms and we leave the status quo as it is at the moment, it is going to be very difficult to change. So, we are taking away that responsibility from the Ministry. Let the Ministry do the co- ordination, let it build the policy and support the programmes, but let an autonomous body do the management and supervision of the roads. I know there are some people who are reluctant to support the idea, even in my own Ministry, because they want the status quo maintained. But what is more important is the interest of Kenyans, which must come first. Therefore, we must carry out the reforms. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, one of the reasons why we must have reforms is not only the creation of efficiency, but even the planning itself. You know, since I went to that Ministry, one of the areas which has been of great concern is the accidents. There are now areas called black spots. The simplistic way is to ask engineers to put bumps on those spots. But that is not solving the problem. It is a backward way of doing things. It means the road was, from the very beginning, badly planned and surveyed. So, we must have reforms which will understand that even survey and planning takes into account the need to avoid accidents so that both passengers and drivers and even the ordinary people are comfortable with the road. For example, in the urban centres of this country, you will find that pedestrians, cyclists, matatus and buses are all sharing the same road. There is no lane for bicycles or pedestrians. We just have small curvings for bus stops. In other countries, the side route is meant for buses and nobody interferes with that. But here, we just mix up and you see accidents occurring. We accuse the matatu people of being mad, but they are not mad; we have given them the freedom to demonstrate madness because we have not shown them what their route is supposed to be. So, we need to take into account all these things and say the reforms are necessary, let us facilitate them and let them be done. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would not like to go into a lot of details of the contributions of hon. Members because this is a Sessional Paper. Once this House has approved it, they will now be giving me the green light to link with the Attorney-General who will then assist me to table the necessary Bill to facilitate translating these reforms into law. With those remarks, I beg to move. October 19, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3077"
}