Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 950098,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/950098/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 265,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 124,
        "legal_name": "Samson Kegeo Ongeri",
        "slug": "samson-ongeri"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. Allow me to pass my condolences to the family of the late Mama Mariam and the baby who died in the tragic accident. This is what I call tragedies of tragedies and painful death. When you watch those videos, you feel sad. I thank Sen. Faki for bringing this Motion so that we ventilate on this matter. It is only last month that Members of the CPAIC used that ferry. One thing that struck me is the number of people who cross that channel in one trip; there were thousands of people. At some point, I asked myself whether it was safe to cross using the ferry. My fears have been affirmed by the rather tragic death. The Kenya Ferry Services is an organised organization. That is their primary responsibility. One of the simplest things to do when I work in an emergency ward is to get the necessary equipment that would help me to handle any emergency of any nature within fractions of time. What we saw instead were spectators and onlookers watching as someone was sinking into the water. That is a sad story. The KMA by now should have known the geographical characteristics of that channel in order to give data and information on how to retrieve such eventualities. They stood at a distance and were not willing to do anything about it. The primary responsibility of the Kenya Coast Guard Service is to ensure the safety of our people within the coastal region. When the tragedy happened, they were nowhere to be seen. The KPA is the beneficiary of that deep channel that is more than 90 metres. The question that lingers in Kenyans’ minds is whether these organisations work together to combine forces to respond to emergencies of such magnitudes. Where is our state of preparedness in saving lives? My advice would be that, apart from creating the necessary facilities for rescuing people from such situations, we should look at the second alternative which is the Dongo Kundu Bypass Highway. The road will decongest the number of people and vehicles going through that channel because as it stands now, it is the deathbed. We were to create economic activities along the Dongo Kundu Bypass Highway. If that is done, more than 900,000 to 1,000,000 million jobs will be created. That will create a powerful economic zone that will even surpass the problems we are having regarding the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). Since the Government has already put up measures to address the state of preparedness and emergencies, they should have a programme and roll it out. Later on, they can revise their plans and see what can be done in order to avoid further tragedies like the one we witnessed recently. I could see the frustrations and anger of the residents being directed to the Kenya Ferry Services. We should look at ways and means of ensuring that only competent people who understand their roles and responsibilities are employed to work for the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}