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{
    "id": 479226,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/479226/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 345,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. F. K. Wanyonyi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2065,
        "legal_name": "Ferdinard Kevin Wanyonyi",
        "slug": "ferdinard-kevin-wanyonyi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I want to thank the Chairman for having explained. I think ignorance is no defense. But now I know there is an authority dealing with construction. I think the fine is quite great and we want to nullify it. I support the Report because I know for sure that out there, there are youths who actually have no qualifications at all. As I speak, last weekend I was at home and two youths came to me and they were requesting me to help them register their companies so that they can do some work. I asked them if they had qualifications. I was surprised because I knew one of them. He is Standard VII drop-out. He has not gone anywhere at all and, therefore, the competence of actually constructing even a toilet will be far-fetched. Therefore, I believe we should nullify this. At the same time, you and I and everybody else in this House has witnessed people dying even in this City. We have had buildings collapsing elsewhere too. One collapsed in Busia when I was there. There is one that collapsed here in Nairobi in River Road, just because the wrong people were given certificates. The investors come and what do they do? They give out the money and invest so much only for whatever they are constructing to collapse. I remember the contractor in Westlands where the investor lost so much money. Basically, it was the wrong ratio in mixing the cement. If you do not mix the right cement, concrete and sand, of course, you are bound to have the buildings collapsing. So, I think we should have that penalty. But, at the same time, the Authority should have more teeth to go out there. I was requesting the Committee to go further and look at the parent Act and see what it says. It provides for Kshs20,000, but that should be increased. This should be brought to this House, so that we can increase it to millions to deter the wrong-doers who go out there and all they want to do is to get into business. I had a case last weekend where two young people came to me and asked me to help them - by the virtue of my position - to have them registered as a constructing company. I quite agree and I support the nullification of this fine. If there is anything, the Authority should apply through the right channels to have a stiffer and deterrent fine than the Kshs20,000 for somebody who is going to kill people. At the end of the day, we are dealing with a construction where human beings are going to stay in and not animals. 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."
}