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"id": 382405,
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"content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, security roads are a critical link in the fight against cattle rustling and conflict. In the past, the Provincial Administration was given money in all the previous budgets to provide security roads, but we saw a situation where those funds were not used. I have not seen any security road under that budget in my area. We need to open up these roads. Northern Kenya was left out in the old era. Historical injustices have shown that while they wanted to develop, those areas were left out and the roads were not done. During the rainy season, you cannot reach villages because there are no roads. The area is flat and bushy. In places where we have a difficult terrain, like in West Pokot, it is a challenge for the security officers to fight crime. This has discouraged or affected our security forces. A good example is the Baragoi incident. To go to the Suguta Valley is a nightmare. We need a road that will link Turkana and Samburu. Without those roads, we cannot fight insecurity. Madam Temporary Speaker, proliferation of small arms in the region is something that the Government needs to curb. While we want to curb this, when the public is told that there will be disarmament, they go up the mountains. You cannot disarm a Turkana or a Pokot because they will climb the mountains. It has become a problem in this country. These guns are coming from Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia and other countries. So, the only thing to do, as a Government, is actually create these roads that will link us and help the Government to disarm communities and thus fight crime and cattle rustling. Madam Temporary Speaker, the infrastructure that we have now was actually achieved through the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). The CDF has done so much, but it is very expensive to construct roads in Turkana, Samburu, Western Kenya and many other parts of this country. Maybe we need a way of actually encouraging some Value Added Tax (VAT) arrangement that will reduce the cost of tractors or machinery, so that many investors can get into this business. Madam Temporary Speaker, the Government of Kenya is about to spend Kshs4 billion to improve security and equipment. That equipment, if bought, will not achieve very much, because there are no roads. You will have them in places like Lodwar, Samburu, Maralal or Kapenguria, but they will not get out of those towns, because we have not fixed the roads. I could compare this with the laptops project; that you are buying vehicles but there are no roads. I think that most of this money should be put into opening security roads. I am talking about vast areas like Turkana, which covers 77,000 square kilometers. We have oil exploration taking place there and also the Elemi Triangle, yet we have no roads. Our neighbours have access to the northern part of this country. In fact, if somebody builds a road, then that is a claim to that territory. South Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia have done better roads inside our borders. If we cannot do these roads, as a country, then our borders will actually be taken away by other countries. Madam Temporary Speaker, I want to support Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo who has told us this afternoon that we need to improve the operations of the KPRs. The KPRs have done a good job in this country, because they can walk in those bushes and have passion for fighting crime in our areas but they need some bit of allowance or facilitation. We need to combine this approach with that of supporting KPRs and providing mobile telephone services, so that if a problem affects a village, then as cattle rustlers run away, The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}