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{
    "id": 555140,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/555140/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 184,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Makenga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1650,
        "legal_name": "Richard Makenga Katemi",
        "slug": "richard-makenga-katemi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to also put a word on this very important Motion. I support the Report of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing on the consideration of the Protocol and operation of the SGR. At the outset, the SGR has come at a time when this country and the region require fast infrastructure in terms of transport. The benefits that SGR is going to bring in the region are enormous and we cannot over-emphasize that. It is very clear that the regional network is going to open. The cost of doing business in this country and in the region is going to come down. There will be benefits in terms of moving bulk cargo. The volume of cargo on our road network is going to come down. When you look at the kind of congestion that is witnessed in our roads these days, it is due to lack of moving infrastructure like the railway. With the Standard Gauge Railway coming on board, I think it will cure the problem of congestion at the Port, the gridlocks on the roads and so forth. We cannot over-emphasize that. The business within the region is going to be robust since movement of cargo from Mombasa to the region is also going to be enhanced. When you look at the time it will take to move cargo from Mombasa to upcountry, it will definitely be reduced. For that matter, the cost of transportation will be cut down. We should not also overlook the benefits of the employment opportunities the SGR is going to create. As we are talking, we have over 3,000 Kenyans working with the SGR. At the end of the project, more than 30,000 Kenyans are going to benefit from the project. It is a very important project to Kenyans because it is a single employer recruiting 30,000 employees at ago. The creation of business within the Northern Corridor will be enhanced. The benefits are really going to be enormous. Finally, some importers have taken the Port as a storage facility. The Port is not a storage facility. It only facilitates the off-loading and movement of cargo from upcountry or overseas. For that matter, the SGR will be moving the cargo very fast, clearing it out of the Port and moving it to upcountry destinations as well as other regions. I support this Motion and commend the Committee members for their hard work. The Framework in the Northern Corridor should be ratified without any further delay. 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."
}