HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 385536,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/385536/?format=api",
"text_counter": 143,
"type": "other",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "to move forward. We know what the successive past three regimes did in promoting and entrenching imbalance in development in the country. But this is now a new dispensation; it is time for us to correct these imbalances. Madam Temporary Speaker, there are many, many parts of this country that are immensely productive, but have no road networks. If you go to a county like Trans Nzoia, which is the granary of Kenya – one third of the cereals of this country in terms of maize is grown in this county – yet there is hardly any road infrastructure there. If you want to drive from Kitale to the Uganda border called Suam, if it starts raining and you are there, you must sleep in your car or look for some place to sleep, probably a villager’s home. The same can be said of West Pokot, Bungoma, Kakamega, Busia, and Siaya; name it. I think it is now time for us to start thinking of how to correct these imbalances. The other day, we were flying over Ukambani with my brother, Sen. Musila, and we could see tarmac roads running from central and stopping as you enter Ukambani. Again, this is something historical that we regret, but we must correct it. It is now time that we realized that every part of this country is productive; every part of this country has a potential. I do not intend to amend the Motion, but I would expect some colleagues from the northern part of Kenya to amend this Motion to include a provision of light rail lines that will be able to move produce and livestock from places like Marsabit, Loiyangalani, and Isiolo to the markets. It even makes more sense to have those light rail lines to also take off pressure from the roads because more often than not, we have very heavy trucks on these roads and because of the compromising quality assurance that we have in the country with some of our engineers not doing a very honest job, you will find that a new road cannot last even three years because of overuse and over-loading. So, having light rail systems complementing the roads even in very high potential areas – production areas like Nyandarua – to bring farm produce to Nairobi, it will ease the pressure on the roads, it will preserve the roads and protect them. One other thing, and I agree with the Senator for Nyeri, is on the changing technology. Obviously, our economy may not allow the tarmacking or the paving of all roads in the country But there are some technological developments that have emerged from Europe, South Africa and China where you use certain materials that make murram roads as firm and as durable as tarmac roads; and they can be kept in that condition for three or four years without regular maintenance. These are some of the things that we expect the new Ministry dealing with roads and transport to start embracing so that as we do tarmacked roads in many parts of the country, especially in parts with very heavy and regular rainfall, we also need to find a system of maintaining earth roads in conditions that are as good as any other road. Madam Temporary Speaker, if you go to Uganda – because my constituency borders Uganda – if you cross from Lwakhakha into Uganda, that is what they are doing. The murram roads there are as good as the tarmac roads, and it is an area which is very productive, but we cannot access that market because from our side, there are no roads! I want to urge that as many Senators as possible support this Motion, but more importantly – and we have been discussing this with a few colleagues – I think we need to have a bipartisan approach, with both the Majority and the Minority, to bring a Senate Bill that 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."
}