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{
    "id": 449777,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/449777/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 422,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Tonui",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1242,
        "legal_name": "Ronald Kiprotich Tonui",
        "slug": "ronald-kiprotich-tonui"
    },
    "content": "waste two hours and then in the evening, we waste another two hours. Therefore, if we could move to a better mode of transport in this country, the economy will grow faster and we will be able to create jobs. Hon. Deputy Speaker, it has been said – even though I am not an expert on issues of railways but - from the information which has been availed to us, the SGR is going to create many jobs in this country. That is what we are keen to do in this country. We need to do something so that we have more jobs created for our people. As we go to our constituencies, the biggest problem we have currently is lack of employment. If there is anything which can create or promise employment, I will always support it. I believe the SGR is one of them and I support it. This country needs to industrialize so that we get more jobs created. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I was not happy by the way we allocated very little money to the Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise; just about Kshs7 billion. We need this country to industrialize. We should allocate more money to that Ministry. We have been talking about special economic zones which should be in various parts of this country. They should be connected by the SGR and that could expand the economy. That is how other countries in the Asian Tigers have developed. They have developed through those special economic zones. We are yet to really implement that. We keep on discussing it, but we are yet to put it into action so that we can change our economy. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the other day, we were told that the money to finance that project is coming from China; a cheaper loan to this country. The Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury went abroad to look for more money to develop the economy. I understand he will get a lot of money. He was going for Kshs130 billion, but the media is saying that he will get over Kshs700 billion. I wish we could go for all that money; not only to finance Government operations, but simply to take this money to the business people and the farmers through various banks that are owned by the Government. For example, institutions like Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC) should be given money so that they can loan our people at a lower rate of interest. The bank interest rates that we have currently are over 20 per cent. If you borrow money at that interest rate, what kind of business can you do to repay the loan? Therefore, I would wish that we become proactive in ensuring that we get more resources; the way we were able to get finances from the Chinese. It should not be meant for the National Government only. The money should be sourced and taken to the grassroots for the villagers to borrow so that we can stimulate growth in all the sectors of this country. Hon. Deputy Speaker, this will be a plus for the Jubilee Government. It will be a flagship project; something which it can be remembered; or something which can be a legacy. That SGR can serve that purpose. The Government of nusu mkate - the previous Government – can be remembered for infrastructure. That is because they did something good. They even constructed the Thika Super Highway – I believe so. But we need to remember the Jubilee Government through the SGR."
}