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{
    "id": 811486,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/811486/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 271,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Not to demean anyone, I meant my responsibilities have grown immensely of late. Therefore I find myself straining in terms of time to do legislative work. I listened to almost each and every organisation that has been mentioned and all the stakeholders that came before us to give memoranda and presentations. Therefore, I do not want to take a lot of time delving into issues about the many boards that have been created, their duties and their constitution. I agree with many of the sentiments that have been raised by colleague Senators. However, the English have a saying that he who pays the piper calls the tune. The crux of the matter in this Bill is in the First Schedule. Concerning distribution of resources, who will manage what percentage and the amounts of money to be sent to the various Government departments and county governments? That is where all this debate should lie. As a House, we are being called upon to make an extremely important decision that at the end of the day can be used to judge whether we are truly the custodians and defenders of devolution or whether we are just rubberstamps and an appendage of the Executive. Madam Temporary Speaker, there are three important points I want to raise. Allow me, because I am in the Third Schedule to do it downwards as I rise upwards. The seventh part of the Third Schedule speaks about the percentage of the fuel levy that shall be sent to the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).One per cent is what is being proposed. The National Transport and Safety Authority appeared before us, then showed us the budget and the amount of money that is being sent to them. Basically, apart from salaries, there is nothing else that the NTSA shall do if we grant them only one per cent of fuel levy yet the world standard is 3percent. Countries that are better organised and know how to run the business of roads, taking care of the roads give three per cent to the authorities charged with managing safety on the roads. Madam Temporary Speaker, each December, Easter holiday and during the peak travel season in our country, we witness huge amounts of road accidents that continue to take the lives of innocent Kenyans. Yet I remember that a few months ago when we had all the hue and cry about the number of accidents we were seeing on the roads; the Government thought of an extremely simplistic situation and said that NTSA has been defeated in terms of managing and providing safety on our roads and therefore kicked out of the roads. What a shame! If you do not provide for them the funds to do their job, like run road safety campaigns like they used to do back in the day---. When I was a primary school student you would have the officials from the Ministry of Transport visit schools and remind you how to cross roads or drive. Nowadays, we do not have that kind of sensitization yet the 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."
}