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"id": 394762,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/394762/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Zani",
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"speaker": {
"id": 13119,
"legal_name": "Agnes Zani",
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"content": "either informally or sometimes even formally. The 1.00 o’clock news bulletin on KBC featured this topic of the Nairobi curse. Over and over again, it has become like a song. I remember telling one of my friends that if Governor Kidero is able to solve the problem of traffic jams, I think he will get in for a second term; just that one problem, if it was solved, would really give an advantage to Kenyans. He might go in for a second-term far much easier because it is such a problem and everybody feels so helpless about how to address it. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is the critical problem that this Motion is addressing that has to do with the road clearance by coming up with another lane for emergency responders, but there is the general problem of traffic jams which also needs to be addressed. We need to find innovative ways of addressing it; maybe very harsh ways of addressing it. There are radical ideas that come to mind, including levying very high parking fees so that people can leave their cars at home. In Nairobi, you will find a family having four different cars, all driving into Nairobi. You will find that at the end of the day, people who live at very near distances even to their places of work deciding to drive rather than walk. In many countries, people are being encouraged to walk because it is healthy. But in Kenya, when you walk or cycle, you are considered to be of low class and you do not “belong”. The ambition of many young people is such that the first thing they do when they earn an income is to look for a car. I was asking somebody “how come there are so many cars suddenly?” And I was told that it is because now, rather than thinking of buying a plot or mortgaging a house, that is the first thing we do in Kenya when we get a chance. Madam Temporary Speaker, that newsflash today at 1.00 p.m. said that the cost of traffic jams in Nairobi is Kshs50 million per day; that is what it costs for that traffic snarl up. In whichever way you look at it, either in terms of wasted man hours or accidents caused by people who have so much tension--- I suspect there are some people who sleep along the way as well on the driver’s seat because if you are spending between one and two hours, considering that you have woken up at 5.30 a.m. so that you can try to beat this same traffic jam, and then you find it almost immediately after---. You will find that you have not even prepared yourself and some people even have breakfast in their cars as they are moving. I do not know how the petrol industry responds to traffic jams, but I think it is an advantage to them because the amount of fuel that you have to use to remain in the jams is so huge. The people have to ensure that they have a full tank of fuel because if they are going onto specific roads like Mombasa Road or Jogoo Road, you know you are going to be there for a long time, and you might end up being stuck because you do not have enough fuel. For some who are in the business of thieving, that is the best opportunity. I remember being in a jam on Waiyaki Way and realizing how exposed I was; nobody was moving – a perfect scene for crime – all that somebody needs to do is to come, break your window and they get away with it. So, the costs are enormous, and it is really quite a worrying trend. So much time and effort is utilized as we struggle to get from home to office more than we ought to. A distance of about 10 to 15 kilometres takes about one to two hours to The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}