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{
    "id": 466761,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/466761/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 358,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kobado",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2964,
        "legal_name": "John Owuor Onyango Kobado",
        "slug": "john-owuor-onyango-kobado"
    },
    "content": "nearly 60 per cent of Kenyans are unhappy with what is happening. The question in the people’s minds is: Where are our priorities? Does the ordinary Kenyan really matter? Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Bill touches on retirement benefits. The objectives and functions of the Retirement Benefits Authority are to regulate and supervise the establishment and management of the retirements benefits schemes. The Bill also talks about promotion and development of retirement benefits. In this country today, particularly the corporate sector and even the Government departments, those organizations get human resources from the society. They get them when they are young and energetic and still innovative. These resources are used and when we return them to the society, we return them when they are dilapidated and more or less paupers. We are aware of typical examples in this country. We have typical examples in this country. We know of the late Chelegat Mutai, who was a heroine in this country. She died more or less a pauper when she was a heroine in this country. We also know about Robert Matano and Paul Ngei. So, there is need for the organizations that utilize the human resources in this country to ensure that those resources are returned to the society in a better form. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Bill also touches on transport and more so the envisaged construction of standard gauge railway line connecting Mombasa and Malaba. If that is done, it will be able to ease congestion at the Port of Mombasa and it will be able to offload the pressure on our roads. It will also be able to reduce the cost of doing business. So, that is a worthy idea that we need to look at as leaders and we need to support. That will also help us deal with road carnage in this country. Transport operations regulations will be look at afresh and issues to do with compliance with requirements of trailers that are congesting our roads. Issues to do with tyre mass and axle load will be looked at very critically so that at the end of the day, we will be able to have safe roads to make businesses easier for us. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we will also be able to look at issues that touch on vehicle dimensions such as the length of rear motor vehicle overhangs that today are causing serious dangers on our roads because we do not have proper compliance with road requirements. We will also address the issue of protection of roads and structures. Our roads are congested. This is demonstrated by the heavy trucks that move on the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway. The roads that we are proud of today may really not last for a long time. In summary, I want to say that, as leaders, we are not doing much to transform this country. If this amendment Bill is passed, it will help to reinvent this Government. Today we have fewer Ministries but the old jobs and structures are still in place. So, when we talk about taxation, there are areas that the Government can address to generate more revenue. There is need for this Government to shift from bureaucracy to customer- driven government, so that at the end of the day the State can bring down the cost of doing business through improvement. We should be able to create an enabling environment that will help us to bring in new enterprises and create an environment that will improve productivity. As we speak, Kenya’s annual labour productivity stands at only 1.3 per cent compared to China’s 10.5 per cent. India’s annual labour productivity stands at 7.5 per cent, while that of the United The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}