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{
    "id": 394819,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/394819/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 209,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 447,
        "legal_name": "John Krop Lonyangapuo",
        "slug": "john-lonyangapuo"
    },
    "content": "roundabouts. When the Grand Coalition Government came into power five years ago, there was the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan which reduced the size of the roundabouts with the hope that the traffic jam could be opened up. But you will appreciate that today we still have the same nightmare. Madam Temporary Speaker, Sir, we need to remove the roundabouts, particularly the notorious Uhuru Highway roundabouts by introducing flyovers strategically to replace those roundabouts. In London, for example, I am told they were introduced so that when you got lost you go round until you get your bearing. But here we seem to know where we are going and these roundabouts have become a problem that is weighing heavily on us. We need to see how this can be done away with. We also need to restrict heavy vehicles as we think of creating these lanes. I came from Naivasha recently and just after the Westlands Roundabout, I got stuck in the car for three-and-a-half hours just to get to town. I did not understand what the problem was. But as long as those huge lorries are there, we need the bypasses that were the talk of the day some three or four years ago. I do not know whether they have been completed or not, but we do not want to see those huge lorries passing around. Madam Temporary Speaker, in India, I saw express roads; these are roads raised up and built on top of the highway, like the one proposed to be built on Mombasa Road. We should have such express roads; raised highways to bring all the vehicles all the way from Westlands. We may need about Kshs20 billion to Kshs50 billion, just like what we spent on Thika Road. Most of these problems will be done away with. Madam Temporary Speaker, if you also look at the fire-fighting vehicles and ambulances, we need to also have them strategically located in this town and city and in all other cities like Kisumu and Eldoret. Eldoret Town was meant for just a few white farmers, but now everybody is in town. We also have Nakuru, Mombasa and Kapenguria towns. All major towns that are now headquarters for counties must have such express lane designs. The Policy framework must cover all of these towns. Madam Temporary Speaker, these strategies must be put in place so that we can ease the traffic jams that are there. What also came to mind when we had the Westgate Mall siege was about our health centres and hospitals. How equipped are they, wherever they are? To the extent that we have to rush people to Nairobi Hospital and to all the other major hospitals; were there no city council hospitals nearby? How well equipped were they in readiness for such emergencies? Madam Temporary Speaker, when a disaster strikes in the US, they have standby helicopters that are specifically released for rescue missions. I did not see any of our helicopters going to Westgate Mall or the vicinity of Westgate to assist and rush people to hospitals, noting the problem we have here of traffic jams. Those are some of the things that we need to put into consideration, so that we do not have this elongated trouble that we have. Madam Temporary Speaker, as we consider these express lanes, we also need to have a lane for the pedestrians. We have these new arrivals that came the other day; the motorcycles and bicycles. They also need to be considered so that they have their own way. That will also reduce the number of vehicles that come to town. 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."
}