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{
    "id": 968739,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/968739/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 285,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Pokot South, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David Pkosing",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2662,
        "legal_name": "Losiakou David Pkosing",
        "slug": "losiakou-david-pkosing"
    },
    "content": "of this Committee and, therefore, the benefit of the House that we give Kenya Roads Board the power to borrow that roads bond since this Committee has been pushing for that for the last two years. The reason being that the bonds that are borrowed through the National Treasury sometimes do not end up on the roads. They call it an infrastructure bond because it goes to other priorities, maybe, health and some other things which are not necessarily roads. Therefore, it was the wisdom of this Committee and by extension of the House that we give power to Kenya Roads Board to then float for a roads bond. It is history. This House is on the verge of making history. This will be a legacy of this 12th Parliament. When we do this, then we will be able to accelerate construction of our roads. That is only one thing that this small Bill is attempting to do. Members will find it in our Report and also in Clause 5. Two, this Bill is trying to take development money which we normally vote from the House to Kenya Roads Board to pay for the bond. It is very clear. That needs to be understood very clearly. Where will Kenya Roads Board get the money to pay the bond? It will get from the money we normally appropriate in this House for purposes of building roads in terms of development. How much is that? From the last budget, it is about Kshs65 billion. In Clause 4, it means that when we are appropriating money to Kenya Roads Board, that money will then go directly to pay the bond. This bond is one of the most sustainable. I will prosecute the reasons in a while but that is under Clause 4. So, we are giving the money to Kenya Roads Board to pay for that bond. Why? It is because the third thing that this small Bill is trying to attempt is to ring- fence the money we give Kenya Roads Board every year through Fuel Levy which is transmitted to our constituencies through the Constituency Roads Committees. Therefore, it was the wisdom of this Committee and the public who made their presentations that we still ring-fence this money so that it is clear to the Members of Parliament and specifically the National Assembly that Kenya Roads Board will not spend the money that is going to repair our roads in the constituencies to pay for the bond. We still need those roads. Therefore, the amendments in Clause 2 which is actually the first part of the Bill are attempting to amend Section 6 of the Act and, therefore, ring-fences the money that goes to the constituencies. That is very clear for Hon. Members and the country. This means it is only the money we vote from Parliament which is like Budget which we normally do which will go to Kenya Roads Board to pay for the bond. Finally, there might be a few amendments which you have seen and which are well guided that we might prosecute tomorrow. By the Committee hearing the views, it was able to prosecute and propose amendments just to clarify and make the Bill clearer. It is only five clauses. The context of this Bill from my Committee and the public is one: We better say the truth or bite the bullet. At the moment, there is a portfolio in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development of Kshs700 billion. In another language, works totaling to Kshs700 billion has been procured under the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development."
}