{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=138144","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=138142","results":[{"id":1397841,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397841/?format=json","text_counter":204,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"The Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"I submit, Hon. Speaker."},{"id":1397842,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397842/?format=json","text_counter":205,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Hold on, Hon. Ruku. Hon. Mathenge has a supplementary question."},{"id":1397843,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397843/?format=json","text_counter":206,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nyeri Town, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Duncan Mathenge","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I confirm that the Cabinet Secretary visited Ruring’u Stadium on 29th August 2023. However, its status today is such that everything, except the small part of the pavilion and the borehole will have to be redone. The artificial turf is already peeling off. It cannot be used for athletics. The grass at the football pitch is completely overgrown with the kikuyu grass. The contractor that the Ministry claims has no capacity is still their favoured one. He is still in possession of the site. About Ksh235 million will still have to spent, if Ruring’u Stadium will be constructed to the expected standard. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor"},{"id":1397844,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397844/?format=json","text_counter":207,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nyeri Town, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Duncan Mathenge","speaker":null,"content":"The Ministry has a peculiar cosy relationship with this contractor. The Ministry blames the contractor, but they have enjoyed the same relationship that he had with the previous dispensation for the last one-and-half years. Sports Kenya which was in charge of overseeing the project is still intact. There are no changes. How can we keep doing things the same way and expect different results?"},{"id":1397845,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397845/?format=json","text_counter":208,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nyeri Town, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Duncan Mathenge","speaker":null,"content":"In terms of prudence, the Ministry went ahead and retained…"},{"id":1397846,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397846/?format=json","text_counter":209,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Ask questions, Hon. Mathenge."},{"id":1397847,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397847/?format=json","text_counter":210,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nyeri Town, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Duncan Mathenge","speaker":null,"content":" When will the private consultant who was retained in Ruring’u Stadium be removed from office? The Ministry of Roads, Transport and Public Works has the capacity to supervise this stadium. I want the Cabinet Secretary to look at the people of Central Kenya region in the face on television today and tell them when this stadium will be completed. It is a regional stadium. Nyeri is the regional headquarters. Alternatively, we can be told that the master plan has decided to disenfranchise the sporting fraternity in the Mt. Kenya region. Why is the region’s stadium not being given preference as other regions have completed theirs?"},{"id":1397848,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397848/?format=json","text_counter":211,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Mathenge is unhappy with you maintaining the private consultant and failed contractor. That is the question he has raised."},{"id":1397849,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397849/?format=json","text_counter":212,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Ababu Namwamba","speaker_title":"The Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports","speaker":null,"content":" Hon. Speaker, I confirm to this House that there are no favoured contractors. I have no personal knowledge of this contractor. When he was hired in January 2017, I was an Hon. Member of this House. I used to sit in this House at that time. I was not on the scene when he was being engaged. The current Director-General of Sports Kenya, the mother agency responsible, was not even hired then. The contractor was picked by a different Cabinet Secretary and Director-General. There is absolutely no relationship between this contractor and any of us in the leadership of this Ministry."},{"id":1397850,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397850/?format=json","text_counter":213,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Ababu Namwamba","speaker_title":"The Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports","speaker":null,"content":"I want to borrow the flowery language of the Member for Nyeri Town. I confirm to this House that there is no peculiar cosy relationship between us and this contractor or any relationship at all other than that of someone who owes Kenyans an obligation to complete this project well. Let me also look the people of Mt. Kenya region and Kenyans straight in the eye and tell them that Ruring’u Stadium shall be completed. It is an important facility. The people of Nyeri County and Mt. Kenya region, like Kenyans in other parts of this country, deserve to have this project completed. It certainly has been a disservice. Indeed, I can dare add that we owe an apology to the people of Nyeri, the Mt. Kenya region, and all Kenyans as a whole. All of them have a right to use this facility. We did not effectively carry out work on this project, alongside others that I have mentioned like the Wote Stadium and Kamariny Stadium. We owe Kenyans an apology. I say “we” because the Government inherits everything, the good and the bad. We inherited this ‘bad’ as an administration, and we have a responsibility to correct it. I can confirm to the Member and the people of Nyeri that we will fix this ‘bad’ that we inherited. I commit that some of the issues that the Member has raised here have a lot of truth. I have admitted that there is an issue of incapacity in some of our institutions. I have also admitted that our institution like Sports Kenya, for example, could do with resident architects, engineers and technical people. That is why I will still insist that resources should be made available for institutions like Sports Kenya to build their capacity by bringing in the requisite technical competencies. It will help to forestall challenges like these. I also agree that it is not necessary to have consultants. I can give my confirmation to this House that we will revisit this matter so that we have a framework that can better serve the interests of the people. The bottom line is that we must complete Ruring’u Stadium. I commit to the Hon. Member and the House that I am going to be hands-on on this. Since we came into office, we have taken on some projects like the Moi Stadium in Embu. We did it in five weeks, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor"}]}