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{
    "id": 667529,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/667529/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 229,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ochieng’",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": "Thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I have been wishing to speak on this Bill because it is one of the most important Bills in this Session. Roads are a national heritage and property and they make a country what it is. In our new Constitution, devolution of roads was one of the things we thought would herald development and open up the rural areas. This Bill comes at a time when this country has witnessed many fights between governors and the national Government on who should do which road yet Kenyans, wherever they are, do not care who does which road. Kenyans want good roads. From the outset, construction of roads and opening up of paths, be it animal or human paths, anything that goes into roads in any country is one way of creating jobs. In this country, we have seen roads largely being constructed by Chinese Government contractors yet we have so many contractors who can give jobs to our young people and ensure that the roads are done and maintained for a long time. They are not doing it because we do not view roads as a national property. We do not view roads as part of the economy. We view roads, and especially tarmacking of roads, as a means of applying patronage and showing political might. For you to have a road tarmacked in your constituency, you must either be a Member of the ruling party or associated with it. Roads should be constructed based on a plan and a clear reason. One of the major reasons why we have not developed is that we produce so much in our farms, but there are no roads connecting the farms to the market. The Bill we have today should not merely be descriptive about national roads, county roads, creating national highways and regional roads authorities, but should go beyond that and put roads squarely at the centre of the industrial development that we want as a country. We cannot do so by merely being descriptive. There are roads that are cross- county and those that are cross-country. In this Bill, I do not see provisions made to ensure that those roads are maintained in the way we want them to as a country. We cannot construct roads by raising 10 per cent of the construction fee today, giving it to a contractor and hope that the contractor will spend his own money and finish the construction of the road in a year or two without being paid."
}