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{
    "id": 816014,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/816014/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 335,
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    "content": "are supposed to learn so that our local contractors can be further empowered. So, this has to be stated in the contracts for the foreign contractors. They have to demonstrate it as well. There has to be a mechanism that NCA has to adopt that ensures that technology transfer and CSR are done. Madam Temporary Speaker, it is unfortunate that you have a big contractor coming in to do a project like the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and there is no nursery school, clinic, hospital or something that they give along the way of this huge contract. How else are we supposed to benefit besides the infrastructure? I believe that they are supposed to do this alongside technology transfer. We should have one or two technical colleges being given somebody from that country which has won the contract to train some of the local selected contractors. That way, we do not all the time have to depend on foreign contractors who come to do jobs that we should be able to do. Several positive things have happened after I raised this Statement. The question around foreigners doing what Kenyans have capacity to do, has been raised here. However, we need to give a clear way forward. So, one of my proposals, of course, is when NCA conducts a new, fresh registration drive, several things will happen. One, we should be able to weed out all non-performing contractors because this is also another big issue in counties where we have unfinished roads and collapsing buildings. Every contractor has to present their performance to whichever CEC in the different counties for them to have a new registration certificate. When we do this, we begin to weed out those who do not finish work because we still have instances where a contractor has never finished a road but is still getting new contracts. This should not be the case. Ideally, if you do not complete a road project, you should not get a new contract. We also have instances of contractors who finish their roads and do it very well. These ones should be given new certificates so that they continue getting new jobs. So, we weed out all those and if possible, it should even be declared publicly that these ones have been deregistered. When we do the same for the foreign contractors, we should not seek foreign contractors to do secondary or primary schools in counties. That is just wrong and should not be the case. We want any foreign contractor who has been commissioned to do something specific, once it is done and they have done their CSR and technology transfer, they should be decommissioned and leave because by then, some Kenyans will have learnt this new technology. They can be the ones to take up the new projects and jobs. Madam Temporary Speaker, a good thing that NCA has done after I had raised this Statement is that there is now a draft construction policy that is going around amongst the professionals for their input and comments. I have perused through the policy and one of the things that they would like is a mechanism for dealing with disputes and complaints, which is another question that I had asked. They had confirmed that they do not have a mechanism to deal with complaints. There is a gap because everyone has issues with contractors but where do they raise their complaints? There seems to be no mechanism on where we can report contractors who are not performing. So, one is to deregister them but two, going forward, NCA needs to institute a mechanism. They have addressed it in their policy which is a positive thing. So, I am looking forward to it but 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."
}