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{
    "id": 968915,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/968915/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 461,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Wajir North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ibrahim Ahmed",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13505,
        "legal_name": "Ahmed Abdisalan Ibrahim",
        "slug": "ahmed-abdisalan-ibrahim"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to second this Motion. The PIC’s inquiry into the safety of ferries operated by the Kenya Ferry Services started from an audit query raised by the Auditor-General on the audited accounts of State Corporations for the Financial Year 2016/2017. In his Report, the Auditor-General raised that the pulleys on most ferries were defective causing the prowls to be submerged in water. This has exposed vehicles and passengers on the ferries to a dangerous state. The Auditor-General further observed that the high docking for most ferries was not done on time as scheduled and that some ferry engines had operated for more than 30,000 hours without undergoing an engine overhaul. The MV Kwale is a good example of such ferries. The safety of ferries operated by the Kenya Ferry Services has been under national spotlight. You remember we lost two lives on 26th September 2019, a mother and her child. That ugly scenario led to the country into incurring a lot of expenses as a result of this. Our Committee had a meeting with the Kenya Ferry Services, the Kenya Maritime Association, the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary. Our observations were that prowls on most ferries were totally nonfunctional and some were submerged in water. Secondly, at the time of the inspection of the Committee in November 2019, the prowls of MV Harambee, which led to the loss of two lives, the mother and her child, were badly damaged and totally submerged in water. As a safety measure, we expected a chain was supposed to run across the deck to prevent vehicles and passengers from slipping off into the water. We realised that it was nonfunctional during our visit. Passengers were supposed to be getting education on safety measures, but have not received any education. Interestingly, passengers boarded their vehicles and stayed inside their vehicles. This is contrary to the safety procedures that require passengers to disembark from vehicles once they got into the ferry. In terms of certification, you will find that there were only two people responsible. One man does the inspection and the other person checks the inspection report and signs it. In terms of the two people, as the Chair has correctly observed, both of them are on contractual terms. They are past the retirement age. There was no clear succession plan by the KMA to ensure continuity of service in inspection. This is dangerous to the existence of this country. Before I give time to my colleagues - I seem a bit under pressure from them - we have realised that in terms of budget allocation by the Treasury to KFS, it is very low. It is important for them to do timely dry docking. The National Treasury should allocate the required money urgently. That said, I second the Motion. Thank you."
}