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{
    "id": 776525,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/776525/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 148,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ichung’wah",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1835,
        "legal_name": "Anthony Kimani Ichung'Wah",
        "slug": "anthony-kimani-ichungwah"
    },
    "content": "Kenya Roads Board (KRB) is specifically geared towards the delivery of better roads for Kenyans. I want to implore the Chair and the Committee to make sure that the agencies in the roads sector designate and mark those assets that will now fall under them. This is so that even MPs know the roads in their constituencies that will fall under whatever roads agency and, therefore, be able to follow up with those particular agencies. It is also important for Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) in our counties and the public at large to know which roads are being constructed in their areas then they will hold their governors, their MCAs and county executives to account in terms of delivery in the roads sector. I urge the Committee that moving forward, it should have a very consultative way of engaging with MPs because most of them are yet to know how roads have been classified. I would encourage the Chair that when we retreat in workshops, they should get time to explain to Members what roads have been classified in which class of roads and which ones will fall under the national Government agencies so that Members are able to oversee the construction. The other thing that happens is that you find many of these road agencies will come and commence on a road project in a constituency. At times, there are roads that cut across two constituencies but the particular MPs are not even aware what agency is constructing that road or the funds that have been allocated to that particular project. Therefore, Members will not be able to oversee the construction. One of the easiest ways to make sure that there is value for money in the delivery of road projects in this country is to empower the MPs because every Thursday they retreat to their constituencies and are, therefore, able to see first-hand and relay that information back to this House through the Committees, areas where contractors have stalled the construction of roads. Last year and the year before, a lot of road projects commenced across the country under the 10,000 Kilometres Roads Project. Many of them there were contractors who got mobilisation funds - the 10 per cent to mobilise equipment - and just left tractors lying there. But MPs suffered the wrath of the public because the public could see tractors on the road but there was no work going on. Innocently, those MPs did not even know what agency was in charge. It is easier when MPs are well-informed on what agency is in charge of a particular road to provide first-hand oversight on the ground and also come back to this House and hold the particular agencies to account so that we do not have a situation where we have so many kilometres of roads with contractors who have been commissioned to start work but work has stalled and nobody back in Nairobi knows what is going on. The MPs who go back to their constituencies every other weekend will relay that information back to the House and also help the Ministry to weed out those contractors that are not able to deliver on time. Finally, I want to mention the overlap. This is for the Chair of the Committee. There is clearly an overlap between many roads that were urban roads and are now being managed by KeNHA and others that were under KeNHA but are now being managed by KURA. There are contracts that had already been given. I have a case in point of the by-passes that have been done around the city. Many of them were constructed by KeNHA but a few of them are now coming under the mandate of KURA. There may be ongoing contracts and the Chair, Committee and the Ministry must ensure that there is a very smooth transition so that at the end of those maintenance contracts, the agencies that had contracted the roads are able to hand over the maintenance contracts. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}