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{
    "id": 385524,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/385524/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 131,
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    "content": "you will find people from North Eastern going to Coast, Nyanza and vice-versa. We will be touring our country and, in that way, get the benefits. Also there will be national cohesion which lacks often. When roads are constructed, people will travel. This will increase national cohesion and, above all, create employment. All these roads will get mushrooming towns along them and employment will be created. By asking that we do these roads, we will not be re-inventing the wheel. I will give an example of the People’s Republic of China. Since the beginning, China developed towards the east and the south. They forgot the west, but they have now realized the potential of those areas. Therefore, those areas that were left behind by the previous governments of that big country are now getting attention. If you visit China now you will find the attention of the Chinese Government shifting to those areas that were left behind in terms of development. So, let us not feel bad about it. The Kenyan situation is not unique. Every country at one point or another begins somewhere. As they move on, they realize that the areas that have lagged behind have a lot of potential. For example, only a few years ago we did not know the potential of Turkana County, but we now know that Turkana County is going to be producing oil. In the past, nobody thought about building a road to Turkana because it was felt that it was not productive. Recently, coal was discovered in Kitui County in large quantities. If properly managed, this is going to benefit this country by reducing the electricity cost. Those are areas with potential which we are discovering now, but there are many more others. There is iron ore in Tharaka Nithi. There is gold in western Kenya. All we are lacking is connecting infrastructure to those areas. So, I am envisaging a situation where this country is going to be inter-connected with paved and tarmacked roads so that the kind of views that the Senator for Kakamega made, that some areas are more developed than others, will be a thing of the past. I say we make no apologies because that is the history of this country. We must forget the past, move forward and ensure that we correct these imbalances. Therefore, I am calling upon the relevant departments to ensure that beginning July this year, subject to approval of my Motion by the Senate, we will ensure that they bring a programme to the Committee of the Senate showing what they are doing that particular year in order for the Committee to satisfy itself and later report to the Senate so that it is kept abreast of the infrastructural development of this country; so that at the end of the day we can speak of a country that is evenly developed as envisaged in the Constitution. This country will be cohesive due to connectivity through travelling and this is economically viable because people from all counties will be trading among themselves. This will be a great nation in future if we can follow that infrastructural development. Madam Temporary Speaker, Sir, therefore I plead with my colleague Senators to support this Motion. In doing so, they will be playing their role of ensuring that there is equitable allocation of resources to all the counties of this Republic. I beg to move and request the hon. Senator for Nyeri, Sen. Kagwe to second the Motion."
}