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{
"id": 59991,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/59991/?format=api",
"text_counter": 326,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kiunjuri",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Public Works",
"speaker": {
"id": 175,
"legal_name": "Festus Mwangi Kiunjuri",
"slug": "mwangi-kiunjuri"
},
"content": " Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to join other hon. Members in congratulating His Excellency the President and support his wish list of legislations to be enacted by this House. One thing which is very important for all of us, which all Members of Parliament are aware of, is that we must finish the load of legislation that is ahead of us. We have the new Constitution. We have to do the Constitution implementation framework. We must pass all the Bills as required by the Constitution. Most importantly, I am glad to note that in the next three months, we shall have passed the legislations which will enable us to go for elections. Why do I say this? It is because we are already campaigning, and none of us would say that we are not already in a campaign mood. If we go by the new Constitution, the next elections will be held in the next 16 months, because we will be going to the polls in August. Therefore, three months before August, we shall already have gotten our recess to go and campaign, so that we can have a new Government. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, this is very important because we already have an unstable Government. Every day, we wake up quarrelling with each other. We cannot agree on anything. The biggest gift that this country can get today is a government which will not be shared by coalition partners in the manner we are doing today. Therefore, I am eagerly waiting for those Bills to come here, so that we can pass them. I wish we could have the elections even earlier than August, so that we can settle this matter once and for all. Kenya today is facing issues which bring revolutions in other countries. Considering the high food prices and the fact that Kenyans go hungry while Parliament quarrels each and every day, and that we cannot agree on anything unless there are things which benefit us as Members of Parliament; then it is very unfortunate. We must get a stable Government to be able to address these issues. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, on the issue of unemployment, we have stable sectors like the matatu industry, which has over 100,000 matatu vehicles. Unfortunately, what we are discussing today is how we can phase out the 14-seat vehicles from our roads and replace them with 45-seat vehicles. If we imagine that every vehicle employs three people, 100,000 vehicles employ 300,000. If we reduce the number of these vehicles by one third, it would mean that we are cutting the labour force in this sector by one third. Every 45-seat minibus represents three 14-seat vehicles, meaning that we are removing two 14-seat vehicles from the road, whose drivers and conductors will lose their jobs. It is true that 14-seat vehicles are in operation across the world. Let us take an example of Africa, where the 14-seat vehicles are still operational. What we should be talking about is controlling them in the urban centres, where they create chaos. That one I agree with, but how many towns in this country are being affected by them? It is only Nairobi. In Mombasa, the situation has not reached the level of Nairobi. Even if we replace 14-seat matatu vehicles with minibuses in Mombasa and Nairobi, we will continue to have our youth in employment in other places. In this case, we are not only talking of loss of jobs for the young men who work in the matatu sector every day but rather we are talking about a multiple factor, which will affect even the insurance industry and those who benefit from them. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we are not empowering the same young men we are asking to go back home."
}