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{
    "id": 774278,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/774278/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 125,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I want to make my remarks very briefly. The tone and the mood which was set yesterday by the Mover and Seconder of this Bill set a cloud of anxiety and uncertainty about the drafters of this Bill and the thoughts therein. However, there are many good things that have been well thought-out in this Bill that I agree with and the very premise upon which they want to do this law. It is for that reason that this afternoon, I rise to support The Urban Areas and Cities (Amendment) Bill, 2017. Mr. Speaker, Sir, since the onset of devolution, it has become quite clear that, as a country, we need to have good legislation and laws that will govern how we manage our cities, towns and centres. I am certain that given an opportunity, each of these Senators here this afternoon can share their experiences to a great length of the struggles that they see in their individual counties. In all our counties, it is only what used to be the main towns of the county that have been properly developed. But they still do not qualify or meet the demands of a growing urban population. It is evidently clear that many of the urban centres and towns have an influx of population. This can be attributed to the challenges of life in the rural homes and villages which forces many people out of the rural homes and from the villages to come to towns to fend for themselves. We still do not have plans, either by the national Government or county governments, on how to respond to this growing demand. I can think of so many towns and centres within my own county where, even in a town with a population of more than 10,000 people, there is no working sewerage system and pit latrines are the order of the day. Therefore, the very premise that the drafters of this Bill do set out henceforth, is that we need to rethink and look back; we need to plan from the experiences that we gained from the time that we were setting up many cities like Nairobi. This is a thought that we must agree with. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will start with the thoughts that I agree with in this Bill before sharing my thoughts on, perhaps, what I think should be amended. One of them is the thought of a cap on the population that is needed when declaring an urban centre, city or town. That is a good thought. Different counties are unique and they have unique challenges. I do not want to name specific counties because I may run into headwinds, The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}