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{
    "id": 813296,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/813296/?format=api",
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    "content": "were constructed together with the other roads that other agencies were dealing with. This is because those roads used to have proper maintenance money. You can see that despite the serious floods we had in the country, we are able to protect and maintain those roads. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will request, because there are many amendments that hon. Members are proposing, that we approach it soberly. We will sit down as the Senate and agree on which amendments we will do. But let us not do it from the perspective that it is only the counties which should get the money. Getting the money to maintain what because you can only maintain that which has been constructed? The kind of standards of the roads that have been constructed here should be given to an entity that can borrow loans, can look at the national economical benefits and the economics of scale. I also think that as a House, even after we pass this Bill, we should come up with an amendment later or another law on making road maintenance levy going to counties to be conditional grants. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it must be traceable. At the moment it is a conditional grant but as we pass this law, we have not said it here that it is a conditional grant. This is because if by law the seven percent will automatically go to the counties it will be our responsibility every year to apportion this money in the County Allocation of Revenue Bill. This will ensure that when we are allocating that money - the Vice-Chairperson and the Members of the Finance Committee are here - the conversation must be that that money is traceable. It is automatically going to the counties as per the percentage. It is divided based on the formula that will be provided for allocation to various counties, but must be traceable. Counties must account that they got Kshs100 million this year and this are the roads they maintained. The fear I have is to have an overlapping responsibility where people lump into together with the money allocated under the Division of Revenue Bill, that is the equitable distribution of resources; then the county assembly will budget for it. The money that comes under the levy meant for maintenance of those roads should again be budgeted for as though it is for construction of the roads. It will then be easy for some people to steal the money and run away with it. Mr. Speaker, Sir, something else that we must appreciate is the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA). We must understand why it is important for it to be there. The resources we are giving to, for example, the County of Nairobi, cannot be able to construct the roads. At the moment, the roads that are being constructed by the national Government in Nairobi County are 60 percent. All those roads are supposed to be county roads. The capacity of Nairobi County, the money that we give them, they struggle to deal with overheads and payment of salaries. Even collection of garbage has become a big problem. I must say here that I want to congratulate Governor Sonko for the steps he is taking in ensuring that he builds a factory that will be able to recycle waste but at the same time generate electricity. I only hope that it will not be captured by entrepreneurs because I know that their advert is out there. We are living in very interesting times. Kenyans are now extremely suspicious of any project and nobody believes in any price you tell them that this is the price, whether it is competitive or not. We are so suspicious because the indications now are that every project that has Kshs1 billion in it, 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."
}