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"speaker_name": "Mr. Balala",
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"legal_name": "Najib Mohamed Balala",
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"content": "for ordinary passengers since the specifications of the two categories of matatu will be different. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, apart from just the cars and the traffic police officers, there is the issue of traffic flow on our roads. I believe that if there is a review of the traffic flow and management of the same, we will be able to reduce traffic congestion on our roads. At the moment, traffic on our roads is chaotic. I want to congratulate the traffic police officers serving on our roads. They have done a great job in difficult circumstances. You will always find them working, be it on a sunny day or on a rainy day. They try their best. However, when it comes to talking about corruption or condemning some officers in the National Police Service, traffic police officers also get condemned. Maybe, a change of uniform can differentiate traffic police officers from officers in other police units. Traffic police officers all over the world have different sets of uniforms from the ones we have in this country. In Kenya, traffic police officers and ordinary police officers put on the same uniforms. So, when there is a problem, you do not know which officer is supposed to help you. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we talk about traffic flow and traffic management, we only talk about motor vehicles. Why do we not think big and sophisticate our economy by introducing more modes of transport? Between Mombasa and Lamu, we do not have ferry or ship services yet there is demand for this mode of transport to Kilifi and Malindi from Mombasa. There is even the possibility of introducing some small ships to link Mombasa Island with Mtwapa. There is also the possibility of introducing ships in Lake Victoria to take people from one side of the lake to another. Motor vehicles are more dangerous on the roads. They also pollute the environment. Countries like Singapore, Columbia and China have introduced cable cars. Why can we not introduce cable cars within Nairobi City or have cable cars crossing the Likoni channel in Mombasa to ease traffic? At the same time, cable cars are environmental friendly. That way, we can decongest the City of Nairobi. A cable car link between Westlands and Nairobi City Centre can move 4,500 passengers within an hour. That is the equivalent of about 1,000 car loads of passengers plying our roads. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is evident that we have not opened up our minds to think of alternative modes of transport. Motor vehicles cause accidents because they are roughly driven. At the same time, motor vehicles are unfriendly to the environment due to the fumes that they emit. So, if Government officials in the Ministry of Transport can think bigger, we can have a solution. Whereas one of the causes of accidents is carelessness on the part of drivers, there is also the aspect of unqualified drivers accessing our roads. We can give powers to police officers to detain traffic offenders or issue them with traffic offences tickets. That is easier said than done. At the same time, are our drivers well trained? You can see a car on a hill being driven dangerously, or a car moving very fast on the right side of the road, instead of moving on the left side. It is like nobody knows the driving code in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, drivers in the whole country, including us leaders, should go for fresh driving training because we are rough and careless. We assume a lot while on the road, and we have no courtesy towards other road users. So, everything can be done. I was in Government before, and I know that there was good thinking in terms of reforming the Traffic Police Department. I do not agree with the proposal to abolish this Department, but we can harmonise the idea of the Mover of this Bill with that of the Minister for Transport, so that we can have a sensible and sober way of addressing the problems in this sector. Finally, I want to congratulate the Ministry of Transport because they are doing their best. I know that there is already an ongoing process to bring about discipline and order in the Traffic Police Department. So, we should find a middle ground and merge these ideas rather than come here and abolish offices that have served this country well. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}