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{
    "id": 781794,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/781794/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 311,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ndirangu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2701,
        "legal_name": "Isaac Waihenya Ndirangu",
        "slug": "isaac-waihenya-ndirangu"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I join my colleagues in supporting this Bill. The five counties involved in this metropolis are Machakos, Kiambu, Nairobi, Kajiado and Murang’a. It is important to note that these counties have a combined population of over 10 million Kenyans. That means almost 25 per cent of the total population of Kenya live within these five counties. It also translates to the fact that over 80 per cent of the national GDP is generated from these five counties. There are over 40 Members of Parliament representing these residents. Therefore, it is very important to note that the proposed Authority will positively affect the lives of many Kenyans. If the programme by this Authority is executed, there will be seamless transport across all these counties, which will result in cheaper rent. It means Nairobi residents can move smoothly to Machakos and get houses to rent there. It also means that the farmers who feed the population in Nairobi from Limuru, Murang’a and Kiambu can deliver their produce smoothly and timely. This means the cost of living in Nairobi will go down by a huge percentage. It also means that the food produce will have access to markets, which will translate into better returns for our farmers who live in Kajiado, Murang’a and other places. Even as the Chair confirms that there has been intense public participation in the formulation of this policy, it is still not too late considering the number of people who are going to be touched by the effects of this Bill. It is still not too late for the Committee to take time to consult the leadership of all the five counties. I say so because out of the five governors, only two have been re-elected – the Governors of Machakos and Murang’a counties. The others were sent packing. It is important that these leaders are consulted again. Members of the County Assemblies and Members of Parliament should also be consulted because they have direct consultation and contact with the 10 million residents I have talked about. I support this Bill because it involves directly the leadership of the five counties. If you look at Clause 8, the governors of the five counties will be members of the Council. We also have the national Government represented by the Cabinet Secretaries for Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, and the National Treasury. This is a good example of the agreement and inter-dependence as articulated by Article 189 of our Constitution, which allows for agreement between the two levels of Government in the performance of duties. However, I have a query with the kind of qualifications the officials who will manage this Authority are required to have. For example, the people who will be employed by the Board will be required to have experience in transport management, transport systems and be civil engineers, traffic engineers, economists and urban planners. I think this is discrimination. We should also have space for financial consultants and even sociologists because when you are dealing with transport and members of the public, you need to know what people think. Other areas that should be seriously thought about is the displacement of populations who will be affected by the establishment of the new corridors of transport, for example, the hawkers. The Committee needs to come up with a report indicating how hawkers are going to be affected and how existing matatu owners, people who have means of transport in buses are going to be incorporated in the new Authority so that when it starts operations, it does not mean that we are going to displace the people who had earlier invested in the transport sector. With those few remarks, I beg to support. 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."
}