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{
    "id": 799126,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/799126/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 31,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "The drainage, water and sewerage systems in this county cannot hold. There is urgent need to reclaim riparian reserves that have been grabbed in Nairobi as well as to overhaul the water and sewerage infrastructure in this city. I call upon the Committee that deals with infrastructure to help us come up with a solution that can support our county government in doing this. The state of our infrastructure is wanting; perpetual traffic jams and bad roads hamper the productivity of our people. It is totally unacceptable that a majority of the residents in Nairobi who contribute to more than 50 per cent of the country’s GDP continue to waste up to six hours of their productive time daily in traffic jams. We have seen certain proposals from the national Government but none is sustainable. Mr. Speaker, Sir, painting red lines on highways will have the same effects as the “Kidero drums” on the roundabouts. We urgently need a mass transit system in the city that will incorporate both light rails as well as bus rapid transit systems that will ensure a clean, efficient and reliable transport system for the people of Nairobi. Some of these interventions are going to be done together with the national and county governments as well as this House in championing them. We have also witnessed insecurity at the heart of the capital in a manner that we have not seen before. The fact that hardworking residents of Nairobi would get mugged in broad daylight, as we saw several months ago, was as disturbing an issue as any other. We watched it and got shocked at the sheer audacity of goons attacking innocent residents in broad daylight. Only recently, the Chairperson of the Nairobi Central Business Association was attacked as he went to give a press statement. I am glad that law enforcement has taken action. There must be a partnership with the national Government and the security forces in making sure that Nairobi remains a city where the rule of law supersedes the rule of man and where impunity does not reign. Lack of water in our taps has become the norm, yet we have been receiving torrential rains over the past few weeks, not just in Nairobi, but in Ndakaini, which supplies water to Nairobi. A litre of water in Nairobi is almost becoming as expensive as a litre of petrol. To make it worse, the people who live in slums; our citizens and electorate in this city end up paying more than 50 times for water than the hon. Senators are paying in their houses, wherever they are staying. The residents of Nairobi have suffered enough under the heavy hand of water cartels and poor management of this valuable resource. We will engage our committees, the county committees as well as the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company to find out what exactly is the solution to this problem. Mr. Speaker, Sir, living and doing business in such conditions has become unbearable for many residents and even as we continue to endure, we should not accept it as a norm. I put it to this House that it is, indeed, possible to fix this mess because, evidently, and after a long time, based on our Governor’s assertion, we can see that the revenue collection in Nairobi is going up and this is the money that needs to be used to sort out these problems. I have seen Sen. Nyamunga bring up the issue, in this House, of South C Estate. Sen. Kwamboka has also raised issues regarding different residential areas. Nairobi needs a marshal plan and to be helped by the Senate. I look forward to getting support from 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"
}