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{
"id": 91498,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/91498/?format=api",
"text_counter": 139,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kimunya",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Transport",
"speaker": {
"id": 174,
"legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
"slug": "amos-kimunya"
},
"content": "Within the ongoing projects and programmes some of which will be in the financing, is our ongoing road safety campaign. I was privileged yesterday to have started some very innovative road safety campaign in conjunction with one of the fuel suppliers and resallers in the country. We will continue engaging the private sector and, other stakeholders not just in the multimedia public awareness campaigns but also in the actual enforcement of all those regulations. I do hope that by the time they crack down bites, I will have the support of this House in terms of ensuring that we have order and normalcy on our roads. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the Port of Mombasa there is a detailed modernization programme that is ongoing which is aimed at making our Port a world class institution that will attract big ships and ensure that all the cargo destined for our region arrives on time and all our exports are out on time. The Port is at an advanced stage in automating its operations. In terms of its capacity, there is a dredging project that is ongoing to deepen our channel to about 14.5 meters; this will allow the docking of large vessels that currently cannot access our Port; currently they bypass Mombasa to other ports across the world. For this I am happy to note that the Treasury has already availed Kshs1.4 billion and the balance will be realized from international financiers. This contract should start immediately we have the concurrence of the Treasury. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, you will have noted that obviously we have two new ferries, those are MV Kwale and MV Likoni, that have been added to the fleet of the existing five ferries to make seven. The five are being refurbished and have capacities of 60 vehicles and 1,550 passengers each. This has eased the communication problems and linkages between the island and the South Coast. The offshoot of the dredging project is the development of Mombasa Container Terminal, using the material that has been dredged plus other reclamation. This project is ongoing with funding by the Japan Bank for International Co-operation. I wish to thank this House for having approved the necessary guarantees for this financing when it came on the floor of the House. Consultancy has finalized the preliminary designs for that and the tender documentation is being prepared to facilitate the contract for the construction works. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, maritime safety is our major consideration. The International Maritime Organization has identified Mombasa as a regional centre. Following this recognition in May, 2006 the Ministry entered into joint venture with the Kenya Ports Authority and the Kenya Maritime Authority to establish a search and rescue co-ordination centre for ships and crew in distress at sea. This centre not only serves Kenya but also the whole of East Africa region; it has a very sophisticated network and security system that identifies the ships in distress and sends the necessary assistance to them. Our airport is currently under expansion. Phase I is complete. Phase II has just began. With the increased traffic - over the last three years traffic has been growing at between five to 10 percent - our focus is to expand the current airport. First of all, we intend to increase the handling capacity and eventually move into the development of a second runway and associated infrastructure. This will begin within the next couple of years. Hopefully, within the next five years, we will complete it. Kenya Airport Authority will be meeting 90 percent of the project cost from its own internally generated resources and the balance will be from the Exchequer; I will come this later. There are also other developments taking place in terms of expansion of Kisumu Airport, other airstrips and the development of an airport in Isiolo to open up the whole of northern Kenya. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are also initiatives taking place in terms of flight safety, with modernization of the equipment at the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. We have the most up to date navigation equipment at the control tower at JKIA; I can confirm to this House that the equipment we have in Kenya is at par with the equipment in the best airports in the world. So, we do not take the issue of safety lightly. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry has several challenges that it faces. I will spare House this because we were able to discuss it with the Committee. The important thing to note is that in terms of the fragmentation of our transport systems, the low investment in the past in the transport sector, the lack of institutional framework and the congestion. We all know of the road carnage situation that we have. All these are challenges that we are facing and I would like to confirm to this House that we are confronting all of them with the right strategies and policies which we will be happy to share with this House in due course. Turning to the expenditures, the Ministry has been funded in the infrastructure sector in the current 2010/11 Financial Year. The gross amounts to finance both the Recurrent and the Development Votes in the Ministry are, on the Recurrent, Kshs3.5 billion and on Development, Kshs8 billion. I will give you the exact figures at the Committee Stage. In total we have Kshs11.6 billion but when we compare that with what we would require to carry out all the programmes within the Ministry--- We had estimated that we would require about Kshs41 billion, but we also do recognize that we are only one of the many players within this economy. We are currently looking at how we can finance a deficit of Kshs29 billion through raising money as well as rescheduling some of the activities that we had planned to do without compromising on the effective achievement of our mandate. I will spare the House the actual figures and how they are split between Treasury allocation and the Appropriations-in-Aid; that is all contained in the Printed Estimates that we have. Our net Recurrent amount of Kshs1.2 billion for the current financial year reflects a decrease of Kshs177 million when you compare it with the previous year’s figure; the decrease is about 12.7 per cent. We do know that this is partly because of the austerity measures by the Treasury. Some of our one-off expenditures that have been reduced include foreign travel and subsistence and refurbishment of buildings. We now have scaled down purchase of furniture. Some of the things have been cut off and a couple of others can be discussed should the need arise. On the Development Vote I would like to highlight that we have a combination of loans and grants from institutions and friendly countries. Most of these will be used in Development. I just want to highlight the Isiolo Airport, where we are spending Kshs308 million from the KAA; the expansion of Kisumu Airport will take Kshs600 million from the KAA; for dredging of Mombasa Port, there is an initial contribution of Kshs300 million by the KAA. Maintenance of aerodromes is allocated Kshs546 million. Part of the work for facilitating the feasibility study on Dongo Kundu is allocated Kshs225 million; other small jobs like the refurbishments and the mass transport system will be funded from the Development Vote. But more importantly is the construction of a flight data recorder laboratory for air accident investigations, where we have Kshs150 million budgeted."
}