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{
    "id": 799806,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/799806/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 165,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Farhiya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13179,
        "legal_name": "Farhiya Ali Haji",
        "slug": "farhiya-ali-haji"
    },
    "content": "Yes, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. It is a Statement. The lack of roads and other infrastructure in Wajir and Mandera has economically marginalised the region. Currently, the dilapidated state of infrastructure has been worsened by the rains. Travelers spend weeks as they endure the pain of travelling from one place to another. No one has ever bothered to tarmac these roads since Independence. Traveling to Mandera from Nairobi by bus takes about two days and costs about Kshs3,500 to Kshs5,000. During the rainy season, the journey can take up to two weeks as the roads become impassable. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this sad state of affairs has cost the region a lot. The economic potential of pastoralism has remained stunted by lack of proper roads to take products to the market. Insecurity has become the order of the day with tourism holding sway. The poor roads pose a risk to Kenyans and our armed forces since our enemies can exploit the floods and immobility due to non-existent roads and that can lead to attacks. The region is being crippled by the lack of roads for it to propel to the next level. Even with the massive investment in the counties, progress is slow because the dilapidated state of the roads. Northern Kenya counties cannot trade between themselves since they are cut off from each other. Nonetheless, I must commend the Jubilee Government for showing commitment to improve road network and has initiated engagement with donors and other lenders to help in the construction of Nuno-Modogashe and Modogashe-Wajir roads. Today, northern Kenya has great potential to become the next unchartered frontier for immense opportunities. With the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) project and other massive projects in the making, this region is set to become Kenya’s next economic hub. It is against this backdrop that I express my sincere gratitude to the consortium of development partners from the Gulf in the Middle East led by Kuwait Fund who have come together to rekindle the potential of northern Kenya region by investing in massive 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."
}