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{
    "id": 971481,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/971481/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 226,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wetangula",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 210,
        "legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
        "slug": "moses-wetangula"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this country has now literally become a Chinese colony. Chinese are competing for construction of even projects of less than Kshs100 million. When at one time I visited the Ministry and inquired what the thresholds are, they said that we allow them to compete for projects of Kshs1 billion plus. Even if we are talking like that, we have very serious construction companies in this county like H Young Construction Company that have undertaken mega projects. H Young constructed the road from Maai Mahiu to Lanet in Nakuru. They are now doing the road from Garsen to Lamu. They have done many major roads and we have similar companies that can do these jobs. There is no magic in Chinese; you go to road construction sites and find a Chinese holding a rope, something that our unemployed youths can do. You find a Chinese busy with survey equipment showing our boy and telling them: “Move this way, move that way, move straight on.” These are jobs that our boys from the polytechnics can do, honestly! A Chinese company can win a contract within the context of international competition and law, but there is absolutely no justification to have Chinese truck drivers in Kenya, Chinese sub-contractors, and they come as a package. The contractor is a Chinese, the sub-contractor is a Chinese, the supplier of materials is Chinese, the person who will plant grass along the road when it is finished is Chinese, and the person who will put signage on the road is Chinese. Are we becoming a Chinese colony? I want to urge the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Development and Public Works to embark on a serious affirmative action, to support local contractors. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if we have a road of Kshs20 billion and a Chinese contractor makes a profit of 30 per cent that is money out of our economy, because the money goes back to China. If we have a road of Kshs10 billion and a Kenyan contractor makes a profit of 20 per cent that is money into our economy. He will employ people. From the contractor making a road, there will be a quarry that will employ more people. He will also have transport trucks. Like you heard Sen. Wamatangi say, when these Chinese come in, they have so many favorable clauses in their contracts. They bring their graders, shovels, dozers and tippers duty, yet you expect them to compete with African contractors. This is like taking you to a boxing ring, tying your hands at the back and telling you to have a fair fight with a man whose hands are free. How can you? It is not possible. After over 50 years of Independence, we cannot be a country that can say that we have serious engineers,"
}