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{
    "id": 667401,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/667401/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 101,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "needs serious designing of roads. We need to design the road network properly so as to provide shared trunk for both communication cables and pipes. For example, we have very many companies including Faiba and others who have been destroying pavements in towns. This country will never develop if we do not design it properly. We need to come up with a proper trunk which is shared even if at a fee so that anybody who wants to lay cables can do so in properly designed routes. As we construct our roads, we must pay attention to our local contractors. We have very many contractors coming to this country because it is very lucrative in terms of construction of roads. We have a group of people, especially youths, who have been registering companies and if we go to the banks you will be surprised that almost all of them have collapsed. When we started implementing devolution in 2013, Kenyans were very enthusiast. They were saying that devolution is the answer. They bought trucks and all sorts of machinery but almost all of them are either grounded or have been confiscated by banks. This is because the way we manage our contractors is wanting. Procurement laws require that no procurement should commence if funding is not available but, you will find most county governments, especially when they are constructing roads, currently procuring without proper planning. They end up leaving the contractors wallowing in poverty. Their machines and everything is taken by their financiers, either banks or different lenders. We want to encourage counties to follow the procurement law to the letter. Secondly, there is an enemy called “pending bills” which has worked against the Government’s effort to build our roads. Initially, pending bills came up because of lack of enough funding. This is a situation where county governments are allocated all the money they require and it is used before the end of every financial year. At the end of the day you find many counties have pending bills with small contractors who were supposed to be assisted. They are actually terrorised for close to two financial years and yet the counties do not wait for any money from the national Government. I want to urge that this Bill must be adhered to and implemented properly. As I finalise, I want to urge the KeNHA to relocate the weigh bridges away from the highway to ease movement of goods. An example is the Gilgil Weigh Bridge which has been a nightmare because people line up the whole night. They should be designed and relocated away from the highway. They should also be installed with automatic sensors so that light weight vehicles can move. With those many remarks, I beg to support and urge this House to support this important Bill. Thank you, Hon. Speaker"
}