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{
    "id": 76189,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/76189/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 371,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Kimunya",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Transport",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, I agree with hon. Odhiambo-Mabona that, indeed, there may have been deficiencies. These are historical issues. I have had the opportunity to tour the port site on the lake in Kisumu and see what needs to be done to revamp it. I have been discussing with the KMA and the Railways Corporation who as of now, are the ones who have been given that mandate of overseeing some of those operations. We will be bringing legislation here in the House to shift those responsibilities back to the Kenya Ports Authority, so that we now have the body that is specialized in water management being the one handling some of those issues rather than the Kenya Railways. It is a historical issue that has not been addressed but we have taken it up and we are addressing it. It is also true that there are all those boats but everyone just does their own business. The Fisheries, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the Provincial Administration have their own interests and what we are encouraging is the greater co- ordination and the sharing of the resources within the lake, so that a boat that is looking at revenue issues could also multi-task, and look at other issues. But it is unfortunate in terms of accidents. We only learn most of those things after the event. It is so easy that if a boat was there, we could have rescued the victims. It is never easy to synchronize with all those boats to say which boat should have been there to help during the accident. We will try to prevent accidents happening in the first instance and that is why we are sensitizing the boat owners and they are responding very well. We are getting them to start using live saving gear, which they are already accepting. By working with them, there will be no over-loading which is also a contributor to some of those accidents because there are so many boats there. It is only the over-loaded ones that seem to capsize. If we can help and work out on that in terms of the over-loading of those boats, then we will save several lives as we also try to use the equipment that is available to intervene, should an accident occur. In terms of the ferry for Mbita and Mfangano---"
}