Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 583615,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/583615/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 259,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "they are, they reach on time. If you take a train from Syokimau to the city centre, you are sure you are going to make it on time and honour your appointment. However, if you decide to drive even if it is on a motorcycle, you are not sure which time you will get to the city center. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with that background, I fully support this Motion that calls upon the national Government and county government to undertake certain measures to reduce congestion in the City. Kenyans are proud of Nairobi. I spent some time in one of the neighbouring countries and their President had once asked them why they have to go to London when there is Nairobi. You will find everything in Nairobi; an excellent infrastructure, transport system, health care and education. Neighbouring countries are proud of Nairobi and so are we, as Kenyans. It is our pride and a city like no other. Even though Nairobi has some world class facilities, people and engineers, like the Chairman seated here today, it is not a world class city. We are not yet there and it should concern us, as the Senate and Parliament. Therefore, measures must be taken to ensure that by 2030, Nairobi becomes that world class metropolis that will attract foreign capital, expertise and labour that will promote the economy of this nation. Problems are many in Nairobi. We have slums, poor planning and flooding. Right now, El Nino rains have been predicted. As they approach, it is very important that we take measures to ensure that our people do not die since we have been given adequate time to respond. We have high levels of crime, muggers and churches that tend to think that everyone should listen to their services and so they scream throughout the night, polluting the environment through noise. However, this Motion specifically addresses issues of traffic and comes up with certain proposals to decongest Nairobi City. The Mover of the Motion has stated and quoted research from the Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), that the economic cost of traffic jams in Nairobi is Kshs1.9 billion. As I speak now at 5.42 p.m., Kenyans are burning fuel and money in traffic. A sum of Kshs1.9 billion is enough to pay our teachers for one and a half months. Our teachers are only asking for Kshs1.3 billion per month. That money that we burn every day, without any productivity, is enough to pay our teachers. This is what we lose every other year. The population growth in Nairobi is expected to go up to 14 million people by 2030. In as much as rural-urban migration and urbanization is a trend that is difficult to stop, we must take measures to ensure that the 47 county governments that we have in the country attract people. It should not be fashionable to come to Nairobi County to look for a job. It should be more fashionable for me to go and look for a job in Homa Bay, Kisumu, Nyeri or Machakos counties. There is increasing affluence by Kenyans where we see new cars on the road every other day. If you went to a city like Havana in Cuba – even though that could be a bad example – you will find cars from 1950s and the population of new cars is fairly small. However, they somehow get by. The problem of Kenyans is that we feel that when we make a little bit more money, then you need to buy a new car. We, as Members of Parliament (MPs), sometimes lead that gravy train by wanting to have big cars that consume and do not produce. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}