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{
    "id": 396638,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/396638/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 86,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, these roads were expected to improve significantly since this Act of 2007 was passed, but as I speak to you, it is worse off. What does that mean? It means that we need to embrace the spirit of the new Constitution, which has now discovered so sincerely and truly that these activities or functions that are supposed to be done relating to the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) on the ground must be done by the county governments. We are not saying that all the KeRRA people must be sacked; no. The KeRRA people on the ground must work together with the county governments there to offer the standardization and oversight there, but they should not handle the funding. If this is not done, then we are still going round in circles. If you go round the country, including where you come from, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir – I went through your county two years ago – you will find that there are some impassable roads and you cannot move. So, let us test by releasing – the way the Constitution has said – the funding to the county government so that the KeRRA people on the ground can work together with them. If we find that this is not working, we can then try otherwise. But prior to this, I am hearing Senators saying that we are reversing the activity to say that we manage them from Nairobi, which cannot work. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are some areas which needed some roads to open up some of our counties, like the county I come from. The border between West Pokot and Turkana counties has no roads, and it is a very active area for illegal activities like cattle rustling. Now, how will Nairobi – that has failed to understand that this cattle rustling is going on because of lack of roads – be able to do it? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support this Motion to say let there exist a decision; release this money and, in fact, have a number of officers working on the ground. You can only know this if you visit our headquarters – I do not know whether the officers who work in the KeRRA offices have ever been to these difficult areas – that is the only way you can appreciate what we are talking about. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support this Motion and say; let the funds be released. We can do evaluations as time goes by to see whether the decision we have taken has been implemented or not. We should not fear that the county governments will misuse funds; there is law and order in this country. We will hold them directly responsible and even the citizens of Kenya who gave us this mandate to work for them have every reason to step in and say “you have failed.” Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support this Motion."
}