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{
    "id": 669941,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/669941/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 125,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mulu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1955,
        "legal_name": "Benson Makali Mulu",
        "slug": "benson-makali-mulu"
    },
    "content": "point “B”. To some extent, they also improve commerce and open new opportunities for Kenyan business people. Quite a number of Members have contributed to this Bill, but there are important clauses that we must take note of. Under the transitional provisions, Clause 96(2) of the Bill talks about protecting staff working in these authorities. Currently, we have three authorities namely; the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA). There are also officers at the county level who will be in charge of road construction. This Bill ensures that staff who work in the authorities that will be dissolved, for purposes of merging, do not lose their jobs. The Bill says that the staff will be assumed to be employees of the two newly created authorities. This is important because most of these employees are our voters and relatives. They are already expressing concerns in terms of their job security. The Bill assures them that once this Bill becomes an Act of Parliament, their jobs are secure. Clause 94(4) of the Bill talks about harmonisation of policies. We are aware that county governments have been given more responsibilities to construct roads, and so is the national Government. The Bill emphasises on the need to harmonise policies. It makes sure that national policies are more superior to county policies. The Bill says that the policies implemented by counties should be aligned to national policies. It is important because in some counties, governors do not consult when it comes to development of roads. They do their own things. Harmonisation is required to ensure that things are done in the right way. This is overlooked by counties and it causes delay in implementation. For instance, the national Government might advertise for road construction and by the time they send a contractor to sign, they find that either the contract has already been awarded or the county government has taken care of that road. That wastes implementation time. The Bill emphasises on the need for consultation as we implement this important sector. In my view, that is quite critical. Clause 66 of the Bill talks about co-funding. It talks of a situation where the authority concerned can agree with the county government to co-fund a road. This is important because in case you want to open a new road before it is classified, the national Government and the county government can agree to co-fund it. After co-funding, the necessary classification of that road is done. The fact that the Bill provides for that small component of co-funding will make sure that we open areas which have no roads currently. Land is a thorny issue and there are cases where the Government or the county government takes land to develop roads. Clause 54(7) of the Bill states that before the Government takes possession of individual land, the owner must be given a 30 days' notice to enable him clear the land. The law also makes sure that there is proper compensation before individual land is taken for purposes of public good."
}