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{
    "id": 911647,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/911647/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 587,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Halake",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13184,
        "legal_name": "Abshiro Soka Halake",
        "slug": "abshiro-soka-halake"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, whereas we are supposed to have completed projects which contribute to Vision 2030 as has been articulated here, we have many county and national Government projects that have become a dead-end and have not added value to the economy or the lives of the people of this country. From airports, roads, markets, stadiums and pipelines, money has been put and nothing has come out of it. It begs the question whether these projects were designed for corruption or so that some people could just line their pockets. The more we look at these things, the more we are convinced that these projects were never meant to serve Kenyans; they were meant for corruption and siphoning taxpayers’ money. Madam Temporary Speaker, a few months ago, I asked about the Isiolo International Airport that we were told will open up the north, handle cargo from Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and as far as Egypt. However, as we speak today, there is Kshs2.7 billion down the drain. It is a 1.4 kilometre tarmac and cannot handle anything bigger than a 12-seater caravan. What happened to the Vision 2030 where we were told that the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Project will be one of the flagship projects that would open up the resort city of Isiolo, the surrounding areas and countries? This is only an example of what I am familiar with. It has been a source of anguish for the people from that place who are told that they have an international airport which is 1.4 kilometres and needs to be redone. In 2017, just around elections, His Excellency the President launched the airport. However, to date, no aircraft that is bigger than a caravan can fly to ‘Isiolo International Airport’. This is one example of what we see every day. For example, there are bridges that have been started and are still life-threatening for the people. We have seen water projects that have been started and have never served anybody, including the northern collector tunnels. Madam Temporary Speaker, there are some projects that have been paid for in full and others that had been commissioned but have not been paid for. We do not know what the problem is. If these projects were not supposed to be implemented, the people who are culpable should be brought to book and made accountable; to pay back the money that was already invested in part of these projects so that Kenyans get value for money. Madam Temporary Speaker, as you are aware, we are debt-burdened. Our debt burden has reached Kshs5 trillion. Most of the money that this country has goes to pay the debt. While it is okay to borrow money, it is not okay to sink it into projects that will never provide social or economic benefits to the country and to the people of Kenya. This is a disturbing case. We see these projects at county and national levels. However, we are told that there is no money to complete them. How is it that projects that have no budgetary allocation were implemented and not completed? Did the money go somewhere else? These are questions that this House needs to make sure that the responsible people are put to account. If there is any corruption case, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACAC), Director of public Prosecution (DPP) and Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) should look at all the projects around this country. One, they should check for value for money and two, whether they were priority projects. We know of counties where there are so many other priority needs but projects"
}