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{
    "id": 811476,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/811476/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 261,
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    "content": "I do not sit in the Committee on Finance and Budget, but Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. does. He can tell us that a lot of money has been spent on consultancy services in this country. I do not what the consultancy services are, but they take up a quarter or a third of the total cost. I hope that with this standardisation, we will have an opportunity to regulate some of these things, so that we do not use a lot of money for road design and consultancy services on which we spend a lot of money before the start of the actual works. Madam Temporary Speaker, on the issue of the boards of these authorities, I agree that some of these issues can overlap and they can be done in one board. Regarding the usage and access of roads; we have weighbridges in this country because we need to regulate usage and access to most of our roads. A good example is on the standardisation of roads. I will give the example of the road that connects Kopere, Maraba and Timboroa in my country. The standard that this road was made of is not the standard for transporting cane. Therefore, even as the contractor finishes work, the repairs have already started. This means that by the time we award a contract for construction of a road from point A to B, we should specify the standard, considering the usage of that road. Subsequently, we will not be using a lot of money to repair and maintain a road barely six months or one year after the contractor has left the site. Therefore, I hope that this authority will bring in some sanity so that when we are constructing a road from point B to C, we should then know its classification and standard. Madam Temporary Speaker, I think that public participation has just been mentioned simply because it is provided for in the Constitution and just because they know that Kenyans are now very keen on public interest litigation. That is why they have just mentioned it in passing, because they know that if they do not include it here, they risk being taken to court. Now that everybody has an opportunity and Kenyans are now litigious, they have now become aware and conscious of their rights. Madam Temporary Speaker, I have seen the issue of toll stations or revenue collection centres. We need to look at this issue properly so that it becomes a good thing in terms of road maintenance. We also have the fuel levy fund, where every litre of petrol consumed is taxed a lot of money and, which goes into road maintenance. Therefore, how will these proposed toll stations operate? This is because, at the moment, we have illegal “toll stations” in the name of police officers along many roads. That is why you will pass the road in the morning and, in the evening, you will encounter around three roadblocks within a span of 20 kilometres. I hope we will be able to factor in and sort out some of these issues once and for all. Madam Temporary Speaker, we hope that when this road classification is implemented, we will want to see these roads that interconnect counties so that KeNHA can take a more proactive role in ensuring that some of those roads are maintained. This is because we have a regional manager of KeRRA at the lowest level in the county, who cannot go beyond the county because sometimes some of maintenance--- 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."
}