We do not have quorum. Can we have the Division Bell rang?

Hon. Members, we are now properly constituted we can begin our business. Hon. Sang has indicated that he is unable to process his Bill today but we will do it next week. We will continue with the Committee of the whole House to consider hon. Ganya’s Bill.

Hon. Members, we are now considering the National Drought Management Authority Bill (National Assembly Bill No.42 of 2013) as moved by hon. Ganya. We will be moving pretty first. I do not see many amendments.

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Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move:- THAT, Clause 5 be amended— (a) by deleting paragraph (g) and substituting thereof the following new paragraph— “(g) identify, design and implement projects and programmes that shall strengthen resilience to drought and climate change”; (b) in paragraph (j), by deleting the word “response” appearing immediately before the word “management”; (c) by inserting the following new paragraph immediately after paragraph (k)— “(ka) coordinate the design and implementation of the country’s regional and international commitments pertaining to drought management”.

Probably, you need to give a little justification because it looks fairly straightforward to me.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, the import of that is these are basically functions of the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA). We are just trying to broaden further the functions under paragraph (g).

Very well. I do not see any interest.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move:- THAT, Clause 6 be amended by inserting the following new paragraphs immediately after paragraph (e)— “(f) take appropriate actions that aim at minimizing drought induced risks and building drought and climate change resilience among communities; (g) obtain, collate and publish information from any public or non-governmental organization whose aim is to build drought and climate change resilience and respond to drought and climate change risks.”

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I see hon. Patrick Makau. You want to speak to it?

Yes, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I am just worried. Is the House in order to just say yes? How many Members have gone through this Bill, especially Clause 6(f)?

That is how I expected you to proceed, hon. Makau. Speak about the specific clause because I am sure you must have noticed that nobody said yes.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Clause 6(f) says “take appropriate actions that aim at minimizing drought-induced risks and building drought and climate change resilience among communities.” Is that possible and is it implementable by the Government? Thank you.

Now, I would have expected you to either support or oppose. If you are asking a question it becomes a little difficult, unless I give hon. Chachu Ganya an opportunity to respond. You asked whether hon. Members have gone through the Bill, I would have also expected to ask you the same question. Let me hear from hon. ole Lemein, Member of Parliament for Narok South.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I rise to support the same view given that when you look at (f), it says “take appropriate actions that aim at minimizing drought induced risks and building drought and climate change resilience among communities.” This is very important as far as this Bill is concerned. I support.

Very well. Let us lastly hear hon. Neto.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I rise to support this particular amendment. Just to respond to hon. Makau’s concerns, the NDMA will take actions and the manner in which it is going to do that is elaborated under part (g) that says it will obtain, collate and publish information that will lead to community resilience. I really think that his concerns are arrested. With that, I do support.

Very well. The House will, therefore, make its decision.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move:- THAT, Clause 16 be amended— 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.

(a) in subclause (1), by deleting the expression “National Drought Management Authority Fund” and substituting therefor the expression “National Drought Emergency Fund”. (b) in subclause (2), by inserting the following new paragraph immediately after paragraph (a)— “(aa) such moneys as may be appropriated by the National Assembly”; (c) by deleting subclause (3) and substituting therefor the following new subclause— “(3) The objective of the Fund shall be to— (a) facilitate timely response to drought during its different stages; (b) provide for a common basket emergency fund in order to minimize the negative effects of drought; (c) provide funds for capacity and technical expertise development to improve on drought management; and (d) finance the establishment, management and co-ordination of projects, activities or programmes to further the foregoing purposes”. This is to ensure that the Fund that we are establishing is purely for drought emergency intervention and not for the other cycles of drought management. That is the import of that particular clause.

I see hon. Kangongo.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I rise to support the amendment. This is very important and I want to congratulate my colleague, hon. Chachu for coming up with this amendment. You have seen the drought which has recently affected so many parts of the country. We have seen people eating roots and others dying because of hunger. If we have this Fund in place, it will go a long way to assist and mitigate such measures. I support.

I will give an opportunity to hon. Makali Mulu.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I also want to support Clause 16 and my interest is drawn to Sub-clause (c) of (c) where it is proposed that capacity will be built and technical expertise provided to make sure that we improve on drought management. I think that is quite interesting because this has been an issue that keeps on recurring every year. It is, therefore, important if we build the capacity to minimise this particular problem in this country. Thank you and I support

Let us have the hon. Member for Kabete.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I also wish to commend the hon. Member who has brought this Bill and the amendments. I want to support the amendments as proposed in Clause 16. Drought is a big issue in this country 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.

whenever it occurs and it needs to be addressed adequately. I have every belief that this Bill aims at exactly doing that. I support.

Very well. Since we are moving pretty fast, I will still accommodate the hon. Member for Saku.

Thank you very much, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I rise to support this amendment. We are currently experiencing very severe drought in most parts of this country, yet we expect the NDMA to respond to that drought crisis without having any resources. By establishing the National Drought Emergency Fund, I think they will be best placed to respond in any part of this country. Thank you, I support.

Very well.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move:- THAT, Clause 18 be deleted and replaced with the following new clause— Annual estimates. 18. (1) At least three months before the commencement of each financial year, the Authority shall cause to be prepared estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the Authority for that year. (2) The annual estimates shall make provision for all estimated expenditure of the Authority for the financial year and in particular, the estimates shall provide for the— (a) payment of the salaries, allowances and other charges in respect of members of the Board and staff of the Authority; (b) payment of pensions, gratuities and other charges in respect of members of the Board and staff of the Authority; (c) proper maintenance of the buildings and grounds of the Authority; (d) maintenance, repair and replacement of the equipment and other property of the Authority; and (e) creation of such reserve funds to meet future or contingent liabilities in respect of retirement benefits, insurance or replacement of buildings or 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.

equipment, or in respect of such other matter as the Board may deem appropriate. (3) The annual estimates shall be approved by the Board before the commencement of the financial year to which they relate and, once approved, the sum provided in the estimates shall be submitted to the Cabinet Secretary for approval. (4) No expenditure shall be incurred for the purposes of the Authority except in accordance with the annual estimates approved under subsection (3), or in pursuance of an authorisation of the Board given with prior written approval of the Cabinet Secretary After consulting with the NDMA, we felt that we needed to have a new clause that can capture the need for this particular clause which is about annual estimates and other aspects of financial management of that Authority.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I support this amendment. In the public agencies, we are currently having problems because of a failure to plan ahead. Even where funds are given, it becomes difficult for them to absorb the funding because of things like procurement and other delays. We have a proposal that they should prepare in advance. This means that, one, there is going to be proper planning and secondly, there is likely to be accountability instead of last minute rushes to spend funding. I support.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I rise to support the amendment by hon. Ganya. The National Disaster Management Authority or the Fund which we are creating in essence has to be sustainable. It should be funded and kept for the purposes of mitigating these problems. In the past, we have had this problem whereby once a disaster occurs, that is the time the Government runs helter-skelter looking for money to mitigate the problem. But with proper funding, institutions put in place and proper forecasting done, in case of a disaster, we do not go looking for funds because we have catered for the purpose. I support.

Let us have the Member for Mwingi West. Order, Members! We are not going to have a kamukunji inside the Chamber. Hon. Mwashetani, the Party Leader and hon. Keter! Proceed hon. Member for Mwingi West.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I rise to support the amendments in Clause 18. I notice that the Authority will have to plan ahead because of the activities and the mandate it is supposed to perform. When funds are available for its operations, it will be very effective. In fact, most of the authorities or commissions fail to perform because of lack of funds. The amendment provides for enough funds for the Authority. I hope that the Authority will carry out the mandate that it has been given. I support. 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.

I think we will give a chance to a few more Members since we are doing very well. Let us have hon. Rachael Nyamai, Member for Kitui South.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I would like to support this amendment as presented by hon. Chachu. It is important that funds are availed in time for proper planning and also for evaluating the same programmes. I also support this aware of what is happening in most of the corporations and authorities that have been set up. Where they do not have sustainable funding, they are not able to plan in time. I also support this amendment because of subsection (4) where the funds are reinforced to avoid misuse of funds. The funds cannot be used without proper approval by the boards. I support.

I will give a chance to more Members since I realise this is about the last one that we are having amendments to. So, I will give a chance to four more Members. Let us start with hon. Mary Wambui, the Member for Othaya.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I stand to support this amendment. I thank the Member who has brought it.

You are supporting basically.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I am supporting. When people do not have salaries, they cannot perform well. When institutions do not have money, this causes a lot of strikes like we used to have in this country. The money is not managed well. If the Board will ensure that the money is used properly, this country will go far.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I support the amendment as has been moved. The relief supplies or the support for emergencies in this country has been facing a lot of difficulties. With this amendment by hon. Chachu, I believe everything will be done as per the policy if the Authority will be given more money and all the facilitation that is needed. The support for emergency relief supplies would reach the target people as it has been planned. I support.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I also support the amendment by hon. Chachu as regards financial planning. Every institution needs to plan ahead for purposes of meeting both Recurrent and Development Expenditure. I am particularly impressed by the fact that there is provision for contingencies, so that when there are unforeseen circumstances, they have a Fund upon which they can fall back. Every expenditure should be allocated in terms of the planned expenditure, so that every voted Head is expended for the purpose for which it was voted for. I am impressed by this because that gives a future for the same organization. I support.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, for giving me the opportunity to put my voice and support this amendment. It is important for us to know that drought is always recurrent. It always comes. So, we should put some funds aside to 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.

prepare ourselves for drought. The Board should analyse and look at the expenditures to be set aside for this Fund. I support.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, for giving me this opportunity. I want to support this amendment. Droughts have been a major feature in this country for a long time. This particular amendment wants to bring discipline particularly on the money side. Therefore, when we have this National Drought Management Authority working for some time, I am sure droughts do not have to become emergencies at all. I support.

We have not heard from Samburu. I give the opportunity to hon. Lentoimaga.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I also rise to support the amendment. In terms of Clause 18(2)(c), drought management is a continuation of the former Arid Lands Project, which was funded by the World Bank. During that time, this particular organization was put on a very high standard by the funding from the World Bank. There are very many equipment which were bought and buildings constructed at that time. I support the amendment and I want to propose that these particular equipment and buildings should be maintained well. Money should be allocated, so that we can maintain the standards that were left by the former project. Secondly, on Clause 18(2)(e), with the issue of insurance and benefits of the staff, the staff are going to work very well. They need some insurance benefits at the end of the day. This comes at a time when we have a county government that is paying very well. We also need staff to be paid very well so that they can be attracted and retained in the organization.

What is your point of order, hon. Dido? I just overheard it, but I cannot see it here. I am sure you want to contribute, so proceed.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want clarification concerning Clause 18.

That is gone now, hon. Dido. Let us proceed.

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The Floor is yours, hon. Ganya.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move:- THAT, the following new clause be inserted immediately after clause 6— Drought coordination institutional framework 6A. (1) The Authority shall, in the performance of its functions— (a) establish and facilitate co-ordination frameworks at national and county levels of government by providing appropriate policy guidance; and (b) ensure that action taken by all stakeholders in response to drought and climate change risks is timely, harmonized and effective. (2) The drought co-ordination institutional framework established pursuant to subsection (1) shall consist of— (a) a national forum that shall provide policy guidance on drought and climate change; (b) a county forum that shall co-ordinate and oversee drought related interventions in all drought prone counties; and (c) a sub-committee of the national and county forums that shall provide technical support to both the national and the county forums. This is basically about drought, coordination and institutional framework whereby, there will be smooth coordination between national Government, county governments and all the stakeholders involved in drought management, so that we avoid duplication, maximize on resources and intervene effectively in drought management.

Hon. Gichigi, what is out of order?

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. The Bill was very clear before the proposed amendment. The memorandum of the last paragraph was clear; this has nothing to do with the county functions and therefore we did not need to go to the Senate. But, with the new proposed New Clause 6A, where certain functions 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.

are now actually being given to the county governments, it is important that the sponsor becomes very clear. He needs to also vary the memorandum so that this particular Bill goes to the Senate for concurrence. It is very clear to me because it brings the Bill under the purview of Article 110 of the Constitution.

That is very valid. Hon. Ganya, I hope you are very clear in your mind that with introduction of Clause 6A, it will bring a new dimension. Is that the intention that you have?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I commend the hon. Member for pointing out that fact. Looking at the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution; drought management is a shared function between the county governments and the national Government. I brought up that issue with the Legal Department when I was working on this Bill and I was advised otherwise. However, I strongly believe that having looked at the Constitution, this is a shared function between the national Government and county governments and it should eventually go to the Senate.

So, are you saying you are clear and want to proceed with it?

Absolutely, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman.

In this manner? Hon. Ganya

Okay. Then I believe that clears your position, hon. Gichigi. I had proposed the Question. I am going to give hon. Wangamati a chance. Do you want to speak to this amendment? The Floor is yours then.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, for giving me this opportunity. I agree with hon. Gichigi in this amendment. It has involved all levels of Government; that is the national Government and county governments so that the worker will be attended to by officials. Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman.

Okay. Lastly, I will give the Floor to the hon. Member for Sigowet/Soin.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I wish to support this Bill. The test of a society which has grown is the ability for it to coordinate issues. In recognizing our Constitution, we need to accept the fact that, at one stage, in one issue, both the national Government and county governments must work together. I support, Thank you.

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Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move:- THAT, the following new clause be inserted immediately after clause 13 – Remuneration of

Members of the Board

13A. The remuneration payable to members of the Board shall be determined by the Cabinet Secretary in consultation with

the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. The import of this is basically to align this Bill to the new Constitution where we have the Salaries and Remuneration Commission giving their input after consultation with the Cabinet Secretary concerned.

Hon. Kisang, hon. Member for Marakwet West.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I thought you have given me another constituency. I support the New Clause 13A. All salaries and allowances have been standardized and it is the Salaries and Remuneration Commission that does that. It is good to give this work to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission instead of the boards setting their own allowances. I, therefore, support this Bill

Hon. Member for Narok South, the Floor is yours.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I rise again in support of New Clause 13A. Indeed, it is true that all salaries are standardized by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission. Again, in line with the Constitution, it is important to ensure that remuneration for the members of the board are standardized. Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman.

Hon. Dido, I see you have withdrawn your card.

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What is it, hon. Ganya?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, there was an amendment on Clause 2. We jumped to Clause 1 before we dealt with the amendment to Clause 2.

Hon. Ganya, I realize that there was an oversight on that one. You are actually right. I will, therefore, give you an opportunity to move that particular amendment. So, we go back to Clause 2. I will start afresh, hon. Ganya.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move:- THAT, Clause 2 be amended by deleting the definition of the word “Fund” and substituting therefor the following new definition- “Fund” means the “National Drought Emergency Fund established under Section 16” Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, we are just expanding the definition of the word “Fund” so that it includes not just drought management but the whole cycle of drought management, which includes drought emergency interventions.

Very well.

Yes, Member for Ndhiwa!

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I would like to support this particular amendment because of the reasons that hon. Ganya has given. The amendment expands the purview of the Fund that is to be established to ensure that it takes care of emergencies. It is important because drought management encompasses a variety of things. The emergency bit is what concerns most Kenyans. With those remarks, I support the amendment.

Hon. Member for Subukia, proceed.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I support this amendment because emergencies require funds. If we do not have funds, we can never mitigate emergences. So, creation of a fund is very necessary. With those remarks, I support the amendment.

Thank you.

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Hon. Ganya, next time you do not shout “Ayes” as you approach the Chair because it confuses me in terms of detecting the levels of decibels in the House. Hon. Members, we are through with the consideration of this particular Bill. Mover, could you proceed?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move that the Committee doth report to the House its consideration of the National Drought Management Authority Bill (National Assembly Bill Number 42 of 2013) and its approval thereof with amendments.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to report that a Committee of the whole House has considered the National Drought Management Authority Bill (National Assembly Bill No.42 of 2013) and approved the same with amendments.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move that the House doth agree with the Committee in the said Report.

seconded.

Speaker (Hon. Kajwang): Yes, Member for Kipipiri.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Member for North Horr for bringing this Bill to the House. For a long time, this country has been suffering from drought. The various Government agencies and Ministries have always handled drought in a haphazard and disorganized manner. Most of the time, we end up having people and animals dying. I hope that with the passage of this law, the Executive will quickly establish the proposed Authority.

Member for Kipipiri, do you want to contribute? Member for Ndhiwa. 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.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would like to second that the House doth agree with the Committee in the said Report. I really think that the provisions of the Bill as proposed by hon. Ganya do sort out very many issues. I am particularly very interested in the New Clause 6(A) of the Bill that does introduce the manner in which the Authority established is going to be coordinating, harmonising and offering a timely response to drought emergency issues in Kenya. You know for a fact that this has for a long time been left to civil society organisations or random people. However, I really think this is something that is very timely. The other thing that I think the Bill does anticipate is coordination between the counties and the various levels of Government. That in our opinion is going to support in terms of drought preparedness and drought response, which is key and a very good thing. Lastly is the fact that this particular Bill does envisage that there ought to be an emergency fund that is going to respond to droughts. Ordinarily, drought management is a huge thing and an emergency fund ought to have been established long time ago. I really think that it is good for us to support. Thank you.

All right. Member for North Horr, remember we are just adopting the Committee report. Okay, Member for Samburu East.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to join my colleagues to appreciate the fact that hon. Chachu brought this Bill which is timely. It should be noted that drought is one of the national disasters that this country has been experiencing to the extent that, hardly two years pass without another drought occurring. It is important that through this Bill the Government allocates funds to cushion both agricultural farmers and livestock keepers who are affected by drought. Thank you.

Hon. Members, now we will put the Question which is that the House doth agree with the Committee in the said Report.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I beg to move that the National Drought Management Authority Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 42 of 2013 be now read the Third Time. I also request hon. Agostino Neto to second. Hon. Oyugi seconded.

I was just winding up, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. What I was saying was that it is important that this Authority that is going to be established does not only focus on emergency. There is need for planning so that in future we eradicate this problem, even if we have a shortage of rain in this country for some years. It is possible for us to construct dams to retain storm water so that our livestock and crops do not miss water. It is possible to plan for this given that the climate is changing. Even in 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.

my area of Kipipiri, there are some areas that suffer from drought year in, year out. So, it is important that they also focus on these other new frontiers. Thank you.

Member for Kipkelion East.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for this chance. This Bill is very important because drought has been a major disaster in this country. The time is now that we get prepared for it because it affects the whole country. So, this Bill is very important because after drought there is another disaster that normally follows. You will find after rain, drainages are blocked. During drought, there is a lot of dust and it blocks all the drainage systems everywhere. Therefore this Authority, I believe will address all the challenges which are brought before it, like the issues of collection of water so that the country can really be prepared during drought. This Bill is very important and I support it. Thank you.

Thank you. Member for Saku

Thank you very much. I wish to thank the sponsor of the Bill, hon. Ganya. This is a very important Bill. The National Drought Management Authority has been a very weak organisation. I think with this Bill this organisation will be able to respond to drought and the issues of development, particularly in the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASALs). Through this Bill we are clearly seeing the responsibility between the national center and the periphery which is the grassroots governments at the county. I beg to support.

Member for Subukia.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to thank the Mover of the Bill because I think this country has been treating drought as an emergency, yet it is not an emergency. It is there in this country and it always comes. So, with this Authority I believe that now we will be able to treat drought as it comes. I want to thank the Mover and I hope the Government is going to implement and appoint a board very soon. I wish the President assents to the Bill as fast as possible. Thank you.

Now I can see an hon. Member who has just walked in. The Member for Balambala, I am not so sure you were there when we were debating the Bill for the Third Time. Do you want to say something even though you have just walked in?

Thank you, very much. I wish to join my colleagues in first of all thanking hon. Chachu Ganya for bringing this Bill. I happen to come from one of the areas in this country where drought is a recurring problem and an issue. It is a situation that usually costs lives of people as well as their livelihoods in terms of livestock.

The passage of this Bill will go a long way in reinforcing the National Drought Management Authority and, therefore, creating an opportunity or an organisation that can get the resources required to dedicate its work towards ensuring that lives are saved during the drought season. It is good that we have rains now in most parts of the country, but I can tell you that even when the rains have come, herdsmen are walking with barely a third of their stocks in hand. The reason is that the drought that has just recently passed wiped out most of the stocks. This Bill will go a long way to ensure that we avert future catastrophes in terms of drought. 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.

I support this Bill.

Hon. Members, I direct the Clerk-at-the-Table to establish if we have quorum. We have been walking in and out to the Committees. I kindly ask Members just to stay in the Chamber for a while, so that we can transact some business. Order! Hon. Members I have confirmed that we have quorum present in the House for the purposes of making a decision.

Order, hon. Members! Before we call the next Order, you will realize that by transacting Clause 6 of that Bill, the nature of that Clause makes the Bill one concerning counties. Therefore, this Bill will be transmitted to the Senate for consequential arrangements. I thank you so much. Next Order.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:- THAT, aware that there are incessant traffic jams on Jogoo and Landhies roads due to congestion; deeply concerned that the jams are an inconvenience to road users and a source of atmospheric pollution from hazardous motor vehicle carbon emissions; further aware that there are 50 acres of land on which the former Muthurwa Railway Estate stands and that this land is adequate for purposes of modernization and expansion of the existing roads and infrastructure to ease the congestion and traffic jams; this House urges the Government to urgently acquire the land from the Railway Pensioners Scheme for the expansion and modernization of the Jogoo and Landhies roads. As the Motion states, in fact, we have permanent jams and headaches along these roads. From as far as Donholm to Ladhies Road, it takes more than three hours in the morning. It is high time that we considered these two roads as part of the 2030 flagship projects. Considering that these roads are in busy areas where the surroundings include the Wakulima Market, Machakos Terminus, Muthurwa Hawkers’ Market, J ua Kali and the route to the busy Industrial Area, I find it necessary to re-plan these particular roads in order to give more value to road users. This is also to decongest these two busy roads. 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.

Talking of these 50 acres of land, I am aware that this land is available. About10 acres of this land were recently hived off and used to construct the current Muthurwa Hawkers’ Market by the Kibaki Government. This land is available. It was remitted by the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) to pensioners after the KRC failed to honour their retirement benefits. They are willing to dispose of this particular land. Failure to acquire this land at this particular time---

Hon. Gakuya, try to refer to your notes. Try not to be seen as though you are reading.

Very well, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Considering the importance of these two roads, it is of essence to consider acquiring this piece of land and plan it for modernizing and expansion of these two roads. As I mentioned earlier, the surroundings of these two roads are busy markets, the Machakos Terminus and the busy Jua Kali sector. I am of the opinion that the Government should consider acquiring these 50 acres before they are sold to individuals. Once the land is sold to individuals, we will not have a place for which we can consider modernizing and expanding this particular project. The Eastlands still maintain the old colonial bungalow type of houses. The Cabinet of the former President Kibaki’s Government approved the upgrading of the Eastlands estates like Shauri Moyo, Bahati, Makongeni and the neighbouring estates. As we move to highrises, we are just going to increase the population in this area. If we are not going to take the necessary measures to ensure that we decongest these roads, we will be moving into another more critical condition as far as traffic jams are concerned along these roads. Therefore, it is my request that this House considers to approve this Motion for us to have a space for this modernization. As you move to the Wakulima Market, the roads are totally congested. In fact, it has totally spilled over and lorries are completely blocking the Market. Failure to do something about this will mean that we will have a permanently unresolved problem. The idea is not to relocate the Wakulima Market from where it is. The markets support the locals and also outsiders. This land will be enough for the expansion of these two roads. It will also give room for modernising the Wakulima Market and the Muthurwa Hawkers’ Market. The current state of the Muthurwa Hawkers’ Market is deplorable. The initial mode of operation of the market was on a first come, first served basis. Before the opening of the market, this was changed and another format was introduced. As it is, the Nairobi County Government is not collecting any revenue from this. It is important to consider expanding the Wakulima Market and give it more space. Originally, the Wakulima Market wa meant for wholesale only. Currently, in Wakulima Market, we have both retail and wholesale markets. It is important to separate the two, so that we can create room for the wholesale and also for the retail markets. As we sell, I propose that the current Muthurwa Hawkers’ Market be part of Wakulima Market to decongest Wakulima Market. As we plan for the rest of the 50 acres, it is important to consider that we have no terminus for Eastlands matatus . If we can plan for the 50 acres well, it is enough to create room for a new terminus for Eastland

. If we can construct a bus terminus for Eastlands matatus at Muthurwa, I believe we can move a notch higher and build high-rise business malls. The high-rise malls will 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.

accommodate the hawkers who are currently using Muthurwa Hawkers’ Market. As we do that, it is also important to consider the Machakos Terminus, which neighbours Muthurwa Hawkers’ Market. It is full and is spilling over to Pumwani and Landhies roads. It is my proposal that, as we acquire that land, we consider how to accommodate those buses that do not have adequate space at Machakos Terminus. Further, it is high time that we thought of creating a middle income economy. As you know, in Wakulima Market and Muthurwa Hawkers’ Market, we are dealing with middle income economy people. I am very sure that Wakulima Market today manages over 10,000 traders a day, including suppliers and workers. If we are going to expand that market, we are going to increase job creation. We can create another 10,000 jobs at that retail market. If we consider this, at the end of the day, we will have resolved two big problems. We will have resolved the problem of traffic jams and, at the same time, solved the problem of neighbouring facilities. I want to rest my case there but it is very important to consider that Nairobi is the capital City. As a capital City, I believe it is high time that we planned on how to connect freely to the busy Industrial Area. Most of our youth make a living by working in the manufacturing industries. If we can consider expanding those two roads, we are going to create a smooth way of reaching our working destinations. Considering that Nairobi generates over 60 per cent of our revenue, it is important to consider acquiring that piece of land before it is taken by individuals. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to rest there and ask the hon. Member for Embakasi West, hon. Theuri, to second this Motion.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

I am sure this is not your Maiden Speech.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I stand to second this important Motion for the expansion and modernization of Jogoo Road and Landhies Road. The important part of those roads serves the people of Eastlands. It serves over 80 per cent of the population. In the morning, we experience traffic jams which last for hours due to narrow roads and yet, those roads can be expanded and modernized to avoid that.

Speak to the microphone so that we can hear you.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. In the morning, we experience traffic jams which last for hours due to congestion and yet, those roads can be expanded and modernized to avoid that. The adjacent 50 acres piece of land which is next to Landhies Road belongs to Kenya Railways. It can be acquired by the Government to provide space for the expansion of the Road. We can build a modern bus terminus to ease congestion. That will help the people of Eastlands and other road users. The population of road users has really gone up over the years. So, I urge the Government to modernize and expand that road. As you know, Nairobi is the capital City of Kenya and Eastlands is the heartbeat of Nairobi. I, therefore, beg to second this Motion.

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Member for Lamu West, are you in the Chamber? Absent though desiring to contribute.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion by hon. Gakuya. Infrastructure is a key factor as far as the development of any country is concerned. For this country to achieve Vision 2030, we should have a proper road network which can serve the citizens properly. When the Thika Superhighway was completed, it opened that region all the way to Thika, despite the fact that by the time it was being completed, it had already been overtaken by the population growth and the expansion of the city. As at now, it is still congested. I support this Motion that the Government should hit the nail when it is hot. If we can have all the major roads which come to the City expanded and made into several lanes, it will ease communication. It will save time to come to the City for those who work or do business. It will also save on energy because of traffic jams. People are stuck in traffic for hours. I believe this will improve in the development and the economy of this country. It is unfortunate that most of the public land which we are requesting the Government to purchase, because of poor planning in the past by our forefathers or the leaders who were there then, the Government is struggling to get land so that it can put up public utilities. It is high time the Government went very fast and acquired that land before it is either grabbed or bought by individuals. Otherwise, it will become a tall order to expand those roads. At the end of the day, those roads will remain with us because the City is here with us and we need that expansion. If a mistake was done, it will be expensive to correct it. The faster we do it, the better. We are talking of Vision 2030. We are in 2014 and we have only 15 years to go. However, if we do an analytical study, we will find that we have not gone far in moving towards that direction. When noble ideas like those ones come by, they should be taken seriously and implemented so that, at least, we can move towards that direction. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, apart from the mentioned Landhies and Jogoo roads, we need to expand our roads. We spend two hours on the road for a distance which could take you 30 minutes or an hour. If you calculate the economic value or the loss the country suffers when such delays are caused, it is enormous. So, it is high time the Government put its foot forward and explored ways and means of opening as many roads as possible not only in Nairobi, but other major cities and towns in Kenya. We have been talking of a road from here to Moyale, Mandera, Lokichoggio and other northern parts of this country. If we had those roads in place, even the problems we are having in Kapedo with the bandits in Pokot would not be there. With proper roads, the Government can rush security officers there very fast. Those areas in the northern parts of Kenya like Marsabit could have been established as cities if we had proper infrastructure. However, without roads, we will have bandits and other criminals. That is because they know even if they go into the bush, nobody will follow them there. However, if there were good roads, even criminals would think twice before they commit any atrocity because they know that within no time, they would be caught up by the long arm of the law. 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.

So, let us not only expand the entry points into Nairobi, like Landhies and Jogoo roads, but all roads which lead into our major cities. We should also expand those roads which criss-cross this country, if we are to achieve Vision 2030 and be able to compete with our neighbours either within or without the region. With those few remarks, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to support.

Member for Vihiga.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to commend

Gakuya for this very important idea and very good initiative. It is a signal and it should serve as an eye-opener to the planners whom we have entrusted with the responsibility of planning our cities and towns. It is becoming a problem all over the country. It is not only here. When you come from Thika, for example, you take very few minutes. But by the time you get to the Museum Hill Roundabout, getting to town becomes a very big problem. You end up spending even 30 or 40 minutes. Just coming out of this Parliament, here at Continental House up to Nyayo National Stadium is a problem. The other day, I was going to the airport and it took me one hour to just get out of this place. So, the issue of opening up the City is important. We really condemn those people who have grabbed land around the roundabouts like the one near the University of Nairobi. Some people grabbed land many years back and put up buildings there. If you come around here, you again find the same thing. If you go to Nyayo National Stadium, you will find the same thing. So, it is a very good idea. For Mombasa, even getting to the Port is hell. This is the reason why the Port is becoming very uneconomical; there is lack of space to move out of the Port. For those of us who use the Kisumu International Airport, when you come from the airport to town, it is a big problem and yet, the town has not even grown. So, this Motion should not end here. It should be something that can serve as an eye-opener to the planners. Right now, that is what we are trying to do, out of a Motion that we did in this Parliament. The roads running in constituencies are also being done in piecemeal and in a very haphazard way. We are giving the Government what we want to be done in our constituencies, but it is picking the roads that are totally different and yet, we are the ones who come from those places. So, it is something that must be looked at in a broad way so that we can open up this country. If you look at the same place Mheshimiwa Gakuya is talking about, which is Gikomba, the Jua Kali sheds project that started there many years back during the Moi era is something that should have grown. Even those people who want to go and buy school boxes there for their children find it impossible to get to the place. So, it is something that must be looked at very seriously so that the Country Bus Station and the Wakulima Market are modernized. Some of us used to go and buy vegetables from Gikomba on Sunday mornings. However, now you cannot go because you will spend the whole Sunday morning there. So, it is a very important idea which all of us must support. Word must get to the people who are charged with the responsibility in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Nairobi County Government and all the other commissions. When I come from Kisumu International Airport to join the road going towards my home, I spend more time than the flying time from Nairobi. Driving from the airport 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.

to join the road at the Kondele Junction is impossible because of the same issue. That congestion is something that we must deal with. If you look at the Eastlands areas like Bahati, it is like the mzungu thought very well for us. However, when we took over, we never did anything to improve on what was left. When you are coming from that side of Jerusalem and you get to a place like Bahati, the road is so narrow and yet, you are within the estate. So, this Motion should not just end up here. It is something that should make the whole of this City open up. Look at a place like Westlands; we have a good estate on its own, but to approach it and get out of it is a nightmare. So, it is our planners who have let us down. They should wake up when this comes up. They should take it up and plan well so that, as we talk about Vision 2030, we are talking about what can happen. I want to commend the Kibaki Government because, for a short time, it was able to do so much. There are times I have gone to a place like Lavington. When you come from there, there is a road that we use there and one time at night, I did not know that I was in Nairobi. They have opened up that place and I think that should be the example of what we should emulate so that we can decongest our cities and make communication easier. We have now done Lang’ata Road which was just improved the other day, but it is a big problem because there is a big estate across it as you go to Ongata-Rongai. When you come from Karen even at 5.00 a.m., the roads are full because the people from that side have to leave their homes at about 4.00 a.m. or 5.00 a.m. in order to get to town on time. So, it is a major issue which should be addressed. I am very happy that the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing is here. Sometimes, we discuss issues and the other Members are not here to listen to what we are saying. He needs to take up this matter and do a big thing. It is going to earn this Parliament a big name if we can decongest our City. With those few remarks, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to support.

Hon. Members, the House wishes to recognize Maseno University students from the Faculty of Communication and Media Technology accompanied by their lecturers. They are in the Gallery. Join the hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker in recognizing those students.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. This is a very timely Motion. The decongestion of Jogoo Road, Landhies Road and the modernization of the areas currently occupied by the traders market at Landhies is a timely issue. It is a timely development; a very important development aspect that needs to be undertaken. Nairobi is one of the very important hubs of business not only for Kenya but, indeed, the region of East Africa and, to a great extent, very many parts of the African continent. Many of those who wish to access the African Continent either for business or pleasure often have to pass through Nairobi. For that reason, Nairobi is well known or referred to as the “Gateway to Africa”. The reality on Nairobi roads is that they are in such a terrible condition that they cause one to spend many hours on the road because of traffic jams. 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.

The roads that have been mentioned are alternative routes to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). That is where there is a real problem. If you decide to take that road coming from the Airport, it could take you hours to get to Nairobi. Unfortunately, because of the poor condition of that road, it also has spill-over effects to the main highway entering the Nairobi City, which is Mombasa Road or Uhuru Highway. That is because traffic that will have alternatively used Jogoo Road is now forced to use one main road and that causes a lot of traffic. Driving right now from where we are to Industrial Area, which would normally take you 10 minutes, will otherwise take you an hour or even more. Coming back is even far worse in terms of time. It is time that we modernized Jogoo Road to reduce those very uncomfortable effects of the traffic jam. Reduction of traffic jam will also have a reduction in costs because if you sit in that vehicle and your engine is running--- Time and again, I find myself trying to calculate and estimating the number of vehicles sitting in that traffic jam and trying to get the amount of fuel that they waste in terms of costing; within an hour, we could easily be blowing away millions of shillings which, otherwise, would have been saved and would have been a wealth that stays and remains in our economy. Unfortunately, the traffic jams have one of those effects. The other one is that pollution is also becoming a problem. People living around the main roads with a lot of traffic jam are living in conditions of very high pollution. That is because you have hundreds of vehicles at any one time emitting those very hazardous emissions from the exhaust pipes. Nairobi is becoming polluted because of that particular reason. Otherwise, that vehicle would have run a journey of 10 minutes and would have been parked somewhere and switched off. But now, that engine has to run for two or three hours for a journey of otherwise 10 minutes and, therefore, emits lots of very hazardous pollution into our air. It is one of the areas that we often not take note of, but I can tell you that it has an impact on our health and the environment within which we live. Sometimes, you will sit in those traffic jams and get stressed up because it is not very easy sitting for three hours at one point and you have very important engagements to attend to. I want to believe that those long traffic jams have also the effects of causing people to suffer in terms of health. Security is also becoming a nightmare. There are now people or young boys who live on those streets. They walk along those traffic jams snatching phones and picking bags from cars because you are helpless. Those street thugs pluck out the side mirrors of your vehicle and literally walk away from where you are and there is not much you can do about it. This encourages insecurity. It is even encouraging armed robbery. They come to your window with guns and demand for your money. The modernization of that main road will go a long way in solving those issues, from a traffic point of view, that I have just mentioned. As hon. Gakuya has rightly said, the modernization of the markets is another very important aspect. I agree with my colleagues that it is a nightmare to even think of going to do shopping in those markets right now. I want to say that we need to borrow a leaf from what other countries in our neighbourhood have done. I have particularly admired what the Ethiopia as a country has done with its main market, which is called “Merkato”. That is one thing that we need to borrow a leaf from because not very many years ago, Merkato was an open air market and almost inaccessible, just as those markets on 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.

Landhies Road are but today, that market has been transformed into high-rise buildings. Those hawkers and the people selling their commodities out there have been housed in very modern shopping malls. That has had a lot of other benefits. I will say that if we do the same to our markets as well, we will have an opportunity to increase business for our traders. All of us who are seated here will then have the courage and the pleasure to go and enjoy those markets. That will come as an increased business for our traders. That is a very important thing that we need to do. The modernization of that particular road and markets will go a long way in enriching value into ourselves, our own lives and, indeed, into the economy of this country. As Kenyans, we need to identify key roads whose construction will lead to the enhancement of our economy. You will realize back in our rural areas where we come from, we have critical roads that run towards very arable lands but, unfortunately, they are in very poor conditions. Otherwise, if we were to invest in those roads, indeed, the farmers and the people living in those areas would be encouraged to produce more and take their produce to the markets at lower costs. That would have boosted our economy whose wheel is turning as farmers and traders get access to very good roads. In the northern region where I come from, we have serious challenges in terms of access to the rest of Kenya. Unfortunately, the tarmac road ends in Garissa Town. But Mandera, which is further - about 800 kilometers - and areas that have the largest number of livestock--- If we open up those roads, we can tap into the livestock market and build abattoirs and make Kenya one of the countries that supply beef and other animal products to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, those roads too are very inaccessible. As I end, I just wish to say that I support this particular Motion. I urge, as a country, that we focus on developing roads whose construction and whose modernization will add to the wellbeing of our economy. Thank you.

Yes, Member for Westlands.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support the Motion.

First, I must thank my colleague for bringing this important Motion to the House. Infrastructure is the key factor in the growth of the economy of any country. The expansion of Thika Highway has created more problems for this City. As you drive on the highway towards the City, you do it on a wider road and end up on narrow road. Traffic snarl-ups then develop. That has created a lot of traffic snarl-ups within the City and its environs. In order for us to move forward, we must work out a plan to expand the road network within and beyond Nairobi so as to make movement much easier.

The traffic jam on Uhuru Highway, sometimes, causes people to miss their flights. Driving from Parliament Buildings to Nyayo Stadium and beyond will take you more than two hours, when it is supposed to take only five minutes. This problem extends to Capitol Hill, where so much development is going on with very little road network being developed. So, it creates a lot of problems for those who are moving around. Sometimes, it is much easier to walk than move around in your vehicle within the City. Moving around in a vehicle is very difficult. Therefore, we must plan ahead with a view to expand our infrastructure as we have done with Thika Superhighway and modernize 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.

our road network. Those roads were planned a long time ago, before the City reached the current level.

The road network in the business hub of Nairobi – Westlands – is terrible. The planners who came up with good roads did not create safety measures. For example, there are no pedestrian walks. The roads are not signed to direct road users where to go. Unless you know this City very well, it is very difficult to manoeuvre and get where you want to go. As I support this Motion, I urge that the Government moves with speed to ensure that the road network within the City and beyond is modernized and expanded so that our economy can grow as much as we plan. Thank you.

Member for Kipipiri, what is the problem?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I have heard hon. Gakuya move his Motion. Clearly, he has in mind more programmes and projects on the 50 acres than just the expansion of the road. I am, therefore, proposing to move an amendment so that we can incorporate the other projects that he has in mind.

I confirm that I have seen the text of the proposed amendment. Have you discussed it with the Mover of the Motion?

Yes, and he is of the opinion that---

Are you in agreement with him?

Yes, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

You have the Floor to move your amendment.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, under Standing Order No.54, I beg to move the following amendment:- THAT, the Motion be amended by inserting the words “and creation of a CBD Parking, a bus terminus, modernization of Wakulima Market, expansion of the railway terminus and building of an overpass” immediately after the word “roads” at the end of the last sentence. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, having heard hon. Gakuya move his Motion, it is clear that the 50 acre parcel of land that is available for purchase from the Railways Pension Scheme is not just intended to expand Landhis Road and Jogoo Road, but he also had in mind that the bus terminus commonly known as “Machakos” be expanded and modernised. He also wishes to have Ukulima Market modernised and expanded, including the establishment of a mall for hawkers. Further, he has in mind the establishment of parking for vehicles terminating in the CBD. It is, therefore, important that all this is captured in the Motion. A 50 acre piece of land is very big, especially noting that it is next to the CBD. I am aware that, that is an urgent issue that needs to be dealt with. As we speak, the relevant pension scheme is trying to organise the sale of that land, so that it can liquidate claims by its members. Therefore, even as we think of the roads, it is important that there be a lot of speed on this particular Motion. 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.

With those remarks, I beg to move and request the Member for Njoro to second the amendment.

Proceed, hon. Kiuna.

Member for Mavoko, can you allow the hon. Member to be heard before you raise your point of intervention, so that we can have a Motion before us? Before a Motion is moved and seconded, we really do not have anything to discuss. So, hold your horses. I will come back to your intervention. Please, finish your sentiments, hon. Kiuna.

Hon. Members, we want to dispose of that amendment before we can go back to the substantive Motion. Member for Mavoko, what is happening?

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I was just wondering whether we are subsidizing the efforts by the Nairobi County Government. Recently, when they were rolling out their strategic plan, they stated that they were going to address the issue of the Wakulima Market and improve on the public transport system.

Member for Mavoko, that may be so, but it is not a point of order. It is a debate.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is a point of order.

Just hold on. When the Chair is speaking---

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, that is why I had wanted to---

Hon. King’ola, I do not want to disconnect your microphone like I have done now, because I want you to listen and then I can give you the microphone to respond. What you are saying may be so, but it is a debate which, when you get the chance, you will put those points before the House and persuade the Members to vote one way or the other upon the Motion. So, can I have 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.

people discussing the amendment and not necessarily the Motion? This should be very brief before we go back to the substantive Motion.

Member for Suba, you have been quiet lately. I have not seen you for some time.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, in the better part of yesterday, I was not in Parliament. Yesterday was the first day after the House resumed from the short recess, unless you are referring to not seeing me in other fora.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I wanted to support the original Motion. I have a problem with the amendment that has been proposed. Why? This is the National Assembly; we cannot get involved in what, to me, appears like operational functions. We are now talking about bus parks and over-passes. We are talking about the details of what should be done. This is not a House of professional engineers and planners. We are not able to design exactly what needs to be done. So, as a House, we should remain faithful to the Motion as it is; which is making a proposal for compulsory acquisition of land for better use by the Government. The original Motion makes a lot of sense to me. As regards the proposed amendment, I think we are over-stepping our mandate by even going to the extent of prescribing what needs to be done and yet, we are not experts in that area. Chair, you are a lawyer and I am sure you have limited knowledge in terms of planning. I am an accountant and I have very limited knowledge in terms of city planning. Therefore, I beg to oppose the amendment.

Hon. Members, I can see a lot of you on the request list, which was on the original Motion. I do not want to remove you from the request list. I want to deal with those of you who are responding to the amendment. So, those who want to speak to the amendment, please, press your intervention buttons, so that I do not remove you from the queue. Some of you have been here since morning, faithfully, waiting for your chance to speak. Therefore, those of you who want to speak on the amendment and not necessarily the Motion itself, please, press the intervention button, so that I can recognise you. Yes, hon. Johnson Sakaja.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to speak to the amendment. I concur with hon. Mbadi that, in as much as through a Motion this House expresses itself on certain issues such as the one before us, we are generally urging something to be done about the congestion in Nairobi and the expansion of the road. Going to the details as to what exactly must be done and where to put a bus-stop and other issues is really not the work of this House. However, in itself, that is testimony to the fact that there is lack of either communication or good planning in this City. We would like to hear from the Chair of the Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing about the master-plan for Nairobi. What plans do the Nairobi County Government and the national Government have in terms of dealing with the roads in Nairobi and traffic congestion? For that reason, I oppose the amendment in as much as I support the Motion on the general expression of what the National Assembly feels. Let us not get into the details. Let us also get the actual plan of this City. Many of us believe that there is too much guess work going on in terms of how this City is being run.

Yes, Member for Bobasi. 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.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support the amendment. This City has become very uncontrollable. There are so many vehicles on our roads. Whenever you want to make an appointment to meet somebody in Westlands, you have to set aside three hours in order for you to get there in time.

Hon. Manoti, make your way very fast to support or oppose the amendment.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, that is what I am trying to say. If the 50 acre plot is properly planned, it can assist this City and make Nairobi look better.

Hon. Manoti, you are speaking to the Motion.

I am not doing so, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

The issue of the 50 acre plot is in the substantive Motion, which you will get time to debate. Now, we are dealing with the amendment, which seeks to insert a few words into the substantive Motion.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am aware of that and I am following it very closely. It will be very good to pass the amendment, so that we can have a bus station on the 50 acre plot. A police station can also be established to take care of the security of the same area. With those remarks, I beg to support the amendment.

Yes, Member for Igembe North.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to oppose the amendment. In my opinion, we are going into greater details as far as the amendment is concerned. I agree with the original Motion. Going into specific land parcel sizes and where they are, I do not know if the land can be spread to cover the part of the road. In my opinion, this requires concurrence within the Nairobi County Government. This goes into the mandate of the county government as far as roads and infrastructure in the City is concerned. Thank you.

Lastly, let us hear the Member for Kaiti.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, although I wanted to speak on the original Motion, I would like to support the amendment. The 50 acre plot should not only be for the expansion of the road, it should be for other infrastructural use. Therefore, the acquisition would pave way for ultra-modernisation of the bus park, commonly known as the “Machakos Airport”. That is where all countryside buses park. With the growing population, even the bus park is becoming small.

Order! Order, hon. Members! Okay, proceed.

Modernisation is very important. We will also see the ultra- modernisation of the Ukulima Market. The Ukulima Market is one of the oldest markets in Kenya. I happen to have grown up in Eastlands and when I was a young boy, I used to walk in that market. Forty years down the line, that market is still in the same state. Therefore, I support the Motion as amended because that will see the ultra- modernisation of the market. Also the original Motion talks about the modernisation of 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.

Jogoo Road. Definitely, with the modernisation of Jogoo and Landhies roads, many things are going to come. More infrastructural projects are going to be seen around that area, with even modern lighting systems. An area like Kamukunji where there is a lot of business activity---

Hon. Makenga, remember you are just supporting the amendment.

I support the amendment. Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

I will give this chance to the hon. Member for Kipipiri because he is the Mover of that amendment. Hon. Member for Kipipiri, can you just press your intervention button?

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. It is important that hon. Members in this House understand the importance of the amendment. When the original Motion was being moved, it was very clear that hon. Gakuya had in mind the 50 acres being more than expansion of the two roads. He is the one who introduced the expansion of the market and the Machakos Bus Terminus. If any person has gone to that particular area, 50 acres is the entire Muthurwa Estate; actually a whole estate. So, if we urge that, that land be used for the road and mark you, hon. Members, we are talking of 50 acres--- According to the last information we have, one acre goes for Kshs.200 million. That means you are actually going to spend about Kshs10 billion for that acquisition. Therefore, it is important that we inform the Government. We are not passing a law; it is a Motion urging the Government to do something. So, it is important that we also express our intentions and ideas that the Government, in conjunction with the county government, can do more with the 50 acres than merely expanding the road. We know that there can be mischief at the Executive level when they just acquire the land, purport to use it for the road, and then the other potion of the land is given away to private developers. We are not passing a law but debating an amended Motion. It is important that this amendment be included so that, that land is not merely used for the road. It is also important for hon. Members to know that this amendment has been discussed with the Mover of the original Motion, hon. Gakuya, and he is in agreement with it. So, I urge the hon. Members to accept and pass this amendment. Thank you.

Hon. Kajwang’): All right. Let me allow hon. Members to settle down. There are hon. Members intimately exchanging telephone numbers. All right, hon. Members, I hope you have been fully convinced or not convinced about the amendment and, therefore, I put the Question.

Therefore, we can debate the Motion as amended. I will give this opportunity to the hon. Member for Starehe Constituency, as I recognise that part of the issues we are 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.

discussing concerns his constituency. He is also the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing. Hon. Kamanda: Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I do not know whether to support or not to support this Motion coming from my dear friend, hon. Gakuya, who has brought many Motions here and I have been supporting them. However, on this one, he needed more consultations and, more so, from me. First of all, the entire 50 acres is within my constituency and I am also the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing. Maybe, I could have shed light as far as the 50 acres are concerned. Nevertheless, let me support him on the issue of traffic jams because this is an issue of the entire Nairobi City and not just Jogoo Road. On the 50 acres that my friend says should be acquired by the Government, I would like to inform him that the Government, through Kenya Railways, has a plan to look for money and pay the pensioners so that it can get back the land for the simple reason of a metropolitan railway in Nairobi. Those plans are already there. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, you are one of the Nairobi MPs and you know that there is a master-plan already undertaken by the county government. On 21st of this month, the Governor of Nairobi has invited all of us, including my Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing, so that they can take us through the master-plan for the entire Nairobi. That is because the traffic jam in Nairobi is not in one area only. I believe they cannot do the master-plan for Nairobi and not touch on that particular land. As we speak, the land is not even 50 acres; it is about 30 acres because the Nairobi County Government has also acquired 20 acres to put up the Muthurwa Market. So, part of the Muthurwa Market does not belong to the Government; it belongs to Nairobi County Government. I am in a dilemma on this particular Motion because it is better if we had consulted. We could have consulted with my dear friend here and I could have told him all those things - what the Ministry and the county government are doing. That is because the traffic jam in Nairobi is not only in one area. If you ask those Members of Parliament who live across the border of Nairobi, you will find there is traffic jam everywhere.The national Government and the county government have already come up with a master-plan on how to reduce traffic jam in Nairobi. So, for this particular Motion, I am not going to support it. I do not want to support it because I have a lot of information on what the Government and the county government are doing. The 50 acres that the hon. Member is talking about is entirely within Starehe Constituency. I know what the Government is doing. It is only that my dear friend here never consulted. I could have told him the plans that are there to ease the congestion in Nairobi, and not only in one area. The master-plan for Nairobi was done over 50 years ago; in 1950. It is now that the Nairobi County Government with the national Government are trying to come up with the master-plan for Nairobi for another 100 years. If we see the expansion and modernization of Jogoo Road, I have no problem with that. But about the acquisition of the land, even if this Motion passes here, it is a Motion that will never be implemented. It cannot be implemented because there are issues and the national Government and the county government are working on the entire Nairobi plan. I thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. 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.

I think Chair of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public works and Housing, you can still persuade your colleague and give him that information that you have and consult with him. Probably, in a short while, he may be convinced either to withdraw the Motion or to support the Motion. Secondly there is no Motion which is passed in this Chamber that cannot be implemented and that is why there is the Committee on Implementation. If the House resolves - and this is the National Assembly seated - it will be implemented.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to support this Motion. First, let me make a few observations on what my colleague has just said; that even if this House passes this Motion, it will be a waste of time. We have the history of this City. I am a Member of Parliament for Dagoretti North and my constituency touches the Central Business District (CBD). I neighbour the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public works and Housing, who is the Member of Parliament for Starehe. I want to point out a number of issues. I want to thank hon. Gakuya for bringing this Motion on time, given that we know the trend in this City of getting prime land. I can tell you without contradiction that a number of colleagues here are beneficiaries of the Karen land and are now salivating on the 50 acres. Hon. Gakuya has done us great for trying to stop those who are salivating on the 50 acres of land which is in Starehe. I want to indicate that for the 50 acres, if we are not very keen, it will not take a week, now that it has been exposed that we have 50 acres of land in Starehe. We will see new title deeds being issued because we know very well that the pensioner’s scheme is disposing its properties all over. Those guys who do not care and whose work in Nairobi is to grab land will definitely get it. I want to say that the only way to stop the grabbing of that land is to go the direction of hon. Gakuya’s Motion, making it possible for people who are using Jogoo Road and Landhies Road to expand it. I happened to be one of the people who opened Muthurwa Market when it was new. I realized that even out of that construction, a number of people in Government then benefited from taxpayers’ money. While supporting this Motion, my worry is the people who are going to implement it. Even the top officials of this Jubilee Government are known to have tried to grab the Processional Way which links Kenyatta Avenue with State House. When we are talking about the master-plan, we know very well that the City Council and the county government is busy grabbing the remaining pieces of land and even roads including in my constituency. I want you to concentrate and I request that---

It is not the hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker that you are talking to; you are talking to the Republic of Kenya.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to bring to your attention - and it is not necessarily for Kenyans - that in my constituency, Maji Mazuri Road, while we are being told of a master-plan, has been grabbed and people are building. About 16 children have been killed because of using James Gichuru Road. There is no way we are going to stop.

If you see those who are agitating for--- 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.

Hon. Simba, allow hon. Waititu to make an intervention.

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Is it in order for hon. Simba to tell you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, that you are not listening when he knows that you are a very active speaker in this House? Is it in order?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, ignore that one! It is just a sideshow which I cannot dwell on because he has nothing to tell Kenyans. I want to state that in my constituency, the so-called county government is busy allocating riparian sites where roads are supposed to be passing. Therefore, let us not run away from reality. We have crooks in the county and the country. Unless we do what we are doing at the moment by making sure we have procured and secured those lands, especially the one earmarked for the railway, this City requires stronger people than the ones who are there at the moment. This Government will need stronger people than the ones who are leading it for us to realize the desires of Kenyans. I want to point out two major items where we have been failed by the system that purports to now have a master-plan for Nairobi. This is two years down the line since election time. You take three hours from the airport to the CBD. People are running away from Jogoo Road. People who are living in Umoja and Shauri Moyo no longer use those roads because of the traffic jam. We are talking about carbon pollution and we are being told the County of Nairobi is going to come up with a master-plan and yet, they have not recalled the old vehicles plying those roads. They have not been removed from the roads.

Where is the Governor?

The Governor is in Jubilee. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to just point out that the Jubilee Government needs to realize that we are going to modernize the infrastructure that we have - that is the railways.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, protect me from this hon. Member from Garissa because I cannot concentrate. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to support the Motion and I want to urge the House to accept that this City requires drastic measures for us to be able to improve infrastructure. That is the only way we are going to help our country and City. There is no time to derail the process of getting things right. Thank you, I beg to support.

All right. Thank you, hon. Member for Subukia.

Thank you hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. At the outset, I want to support this Motion by hon. James Gakuya on the expansion and modernisation of Jogoo Road and Landhies Road. The recent survey that was conducted indicated that the city with the highest number of vehicles is Nairobi and that is why everybody here is complaining that we have traffic jams. When you look at the travel mode of Nairobians, everybody drives a car and it is high time we expanded roads and even imposed a tax to decongest this City. When you 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.

drive in cities like London, you have to pay a tax known as Congestion Charge. I think we should expand Jogoo Road because we know there are very many estates that are coming up along the Eastern side of Nairobi. We have estates like Pipeline, Utawala and the rest which all congest Jogoo Road. We need to expand Jogoo Road and maybe have a bus route that will have a lane that will be used by Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) only. We have seen the influx of tuk-tuks and motorbikes. If we modernise this Jogoo Road, it is high time we thought of having separate lanes for buses, motorbikes and tuk-tuks. After Jogoo Road which is a dual-carriage road, there is a bottleneck at Landhies Road. If we can have the Muthurwa land that hon. Gakuya is talking about, set aside for expansion of the Landhies Road so that we can have a better flow of traffic in the City, it will help. The 50 acres that are along Muthurwa are in a very prime area. If you look at the way we are expanding our businesses in this City, we have converted all shops into boutiques and remained with very small shops. So, if we can expand Muthurwa and have high-rise markets over there, it will also decongest this City. We will not need people in the City,we can have them terminating their journey at Muthurwa Terminus. This is land that, as my friend has said, needs to be secured. There is a trend in this country of “big fish” who always want to take such prime land. If we can secure this land by having a law that will make sure that this land is used for the expansion, it will be good. I want to support this Motion and say that it is not Jogoo Road and Landhies Road only that should be expanded; there are many other roads. We need to expand them so that we can decongest this City. I would also want to thank the former regime for thinking of having bypasses which have decongested the City although it is not the best that we would have wanted. As we also consider expanding these two roads, we should also improve on our railway system. I do not think we need to wait for the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) so as to have a better railway system here in Kenya. We can use the existing railway and improve on the Syokimau and Makadara stations and make frequent trips to Nairobi rather than use roads. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker if you remember very well, this Government had a plan to do an overpass from Westlands through Uhuru Highway all the way to the airport. I do not know where those plans went and that is why we are having a lot of congestion along Uhuru Highway. So, as we also think about expanding and modernizing Jogoo and Landhies roads, I think the Government should come back to realising that we need to have that overpass that was supposed to be built six years ago. I would urge the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing to remind the Government. I remember when hon. Uhuru Kenyatta was the Minister for Finance, we went to the World Bank to negotiate over this overpass. As the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing, please remind him because he is now the President of the Republic of Kenya. That is the only way we are going to decongest our transport mode from the airport to Westlands or to the City centre. I support this Motion and urge other hon. Members, especially those of Nairobi City to come up with Motions that are going to help decongest these roads. With those very few remarks, I want to support the Motion. 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.

Hon. Member for Tigania East.

Asante Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Yangu ni machache. Mambo ya msongamano wa magari katika Nairobi ni makubwa sana na hili linahangaisha wananchi sana. Kwa mfano, ukitumia Mombasa Road, utajikuta umetumia saa nzima na ulikusudia kutumia nusu saa. Lakini kwa saa hii Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, ukiangalia hiyo Barabara ya Jogoo na ile ya Landhies, na mahali wanasema wanataka shamba la ekari 50, huku ukizingatia kuwa thamani ya ardhi Nairobi ni milioni 400 ekari moja na ukiangalia wote wanaosikika wakiunga mkono Hoja hii, utaona kuwa wote ni (word expunged ) wa mashamba. Kwa sasa, tukipeana nafasi ama tupitishe Hoja hii kwamba tutengeneze hii barabara na hiyo nyingine na uangalie Kenya Railways vile ilivyo kwa saa hii, hilo shamba liko mahali pamoja. Mahali liko, ukiangalia Jogoo Road na Landhies Road, kwani tutabomoa zile ghorofa za Landhies Road ndio tuzipeleke mahali ardhi iko ama hii barabara ya Jogoo Road kutoka Outer Ring tutaivuta kutoka Railways ipelekwe Jogoo Road ndio iweze kufidiwa? Ndio maana ninasema kuwa huu ni (word expunged ) mtupu! Jambo lingine ni hili Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, mambo ya Tigania East ni ya Mpuru M’Aburi; mambo ya Starehe ni ya Mhe. Kamanda. Kwa nini unasikia Mheshimiwa anatoka pembe ile nyingine anakuja kupanga mipango ya eneo Bunge lingine? Mhe. Kamanda mwenyewe amesema kwamba kule hiyo ardhi haitoshi, hii ni kumaanisha ya kwamba hili ni kundi kama lile lilipangwa kule Karen. Huu ni ( wordexpunged ) mtupu. Huu ni (word expunged ) wa wizi na hizi ni nyumba za Kenya Railways wanataka kubomoa.

Okay, just hold on there. The Hon. Member for Dagoretti North is on a point of order.

Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, nasimama kwa Hoja ya Nidhamu ni kitaka kuuliza: Je, ni lugha safi ya Bunge kwa Mhe. Mpuru kuita Wabunge wengine wanaounga mkono Hoja hii (word expunged) wa mashamba ilihali yeye mwenyewe tunamjua kuwa (word expunged ) wa kwanza wa mashamba?

Now, now, order!

Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda---

Hon. Member for Tigania East, just hold on for a minute. I was going to take your point of order seriously but you also did what I thought you knew better not to do, and yours now is even intentional. I want to punish you for it. This could have been a slip of the tongue but yours is intentional because issues to do with misconduct and parliamentary language have to do with mens rea. If you do it deliberately, it is worse than that person who has slipped his tongue. Hon. Member for Subukia

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Is it in order for the Member to call the people who have spoken before him (word expunged) ? 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.

He has said that he comes from Tigania and hon. Maina Kamanda from Starehe. I thought we were all Members of the National Assembly.

Alright, I hear you. Member for Mbeere North!

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, mine is premised on the same line. We are honourable Members. Is it in order for two Members of this House to refer to honourable Members as (word expunged) and the other one as (word expunged )? This is not a market place or (words expunged). Kindly give us direction or ask those Members to withdraw and apologise for insulting us.

Can I also hear from the Member for Buuri.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Mine is on the same line. It is on the issue of un-parliamentary language and whether the Member should be directed to withdraw and apologise.

Thank you. Last on this issue; Member for Budalangi!

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, this is the august House. There is a reason why it is called the august House. It is a House of honour. It is a House of rules, but also a House of record. It is a House of records because everything that is uttered on this Floor goes into the annals or records of this House. You know this perhaps better than the rest of us, that the records of this House are a reference record for researchers, students of Government, students of Law and the media. It is absolutely unacceptable. It is inexcusable for any hon. Member of this House, either in a fit of excitement or a state of emotional displeasure, to do or say anything that lowers the dignity of this House. When that happens, it is not just about the dignity of that particular Member or the dignity of those of us who sit in the House, it is about the dignity of this institution. Those of us who served in the Tenth Parliament and I believe those who served in earlier Houses would know that, it was unthinkable and unimaginable to witness the kind of altercation that is becoming the order of the day in this House, especially when you rise on a point of order to object to the use of a slur, a phrase or language that is un- parliamentary or unacceptable and then you proceed in the same breath to repeat to use the same words or phrase. It is actually worse than even the first instance. Therefore, in this case, I want to plead that in the interest of the decorum that must define this discourse and debate in this House, we must desist from such language. In fact, it has become difficult for some Members in this House to contribute to debate because of fear of the kind of response that you are likely to run into. I want to insist, with all due respect to the two hon. colleagues, that the Chair takes appropriate action that will discourage and act as a deterrent to any further such 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.

conduct or language, so that we can maintain the dignity and honour of this august House. I submit.

Alright Members, I rule that the Member for Tigania East is grossly out of order for referring to a Member or Members of the National Assembly as dishonest. That is the nearest English translation of the word (word expunged) in my view. I also rule the Member for Dagoretti North, for rising on his place purporting to be on a point of order and raising the issue with the Member for Tigania East, but repeating the words intentionally either to the Member for Tigania East or other Members of the National Assembly, to be dishonest. Both of you are out of order and you must apologise to the Members in the Chamber now, failure to which the procedure will follow. Let me start with the Member for Tigania East.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Let me apologise but, I would like to say that--- Okay, I apologise.

Order! Order! Withdrawal of an apology is unconditional. It is unequivocal. It is unreserved. So, can we hear you on the HANSARD? Yes, Member for Budalangi.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I absolutely agree with you that, that apology must be unconditional. It must be unequivocal. It must leave absolutely no doubt. But in addition to that, may I also invite you to consider asking the hon. Member to withdraw that unfortunate statement? I also request you to require that, that be expunged from the records of the House. Of course, the Member for Tigania East is aware that when we conduct debate here, it is not just amongst ourselves. The galleries are always full. Those galleries have our children, pupils, students and members of the public. We do not just show respect to each other, but we must also show respect to the Kenyan people who send us here and who take their time to witness debate in this House. That apology should be accompanied by a withdrawal.

All right. Thank you. Yes, Member for Tigania East.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I withdraw and apologise.

Thank you. The apology is accepted. Member for Dagoretti North!

Bwana Naibu Spika wa Muda, ningetaka kusema kwamba sikufanya jambo hili makusudi.

Start with: “I am withdrawing, apologising unconditionally and equivocally.”

Bwana Naibu Spika wa Muda, hapo ndipo ninaelekea.

Get there fast.

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.

Bwana Naibu Spika wa Muda, ningetaka kuomba msamaha na kuondoa yale ambayo nimesema. Hili ni Bunge la heshima na ni lazima tudhihirishe heshima ya Bunge hili. Ninashukuru na kusema kwamba tuendelee kuwa wangwana.

The two withdrawals and apologies are hereby accepted and the exceptional words are hereby expunged from the HANSARD of the National Assembly. Member for Tigania East, you have four minutes to go. Can you make your speech in four minutes?

Bwana Naibu Spika wa Muda, yangu nikuongeze kwamba tukisema Jogoo Road iongezwe kutoka kwa shamba ambalo liko Kenya Railways, hatuishi hiyo sehemu ya chini. Hatuwezi kung’oa stesheni ya mafuta na kituo cha reli ambavyo viko karibu ili tusukume soko la Muthurwa chini. Hili si jambo zuri. Jambo hili linahitaji mpangilio na watu wanafaa kuketi wapange pamoja. Sitaki kurudia mambo ya (word expunged ). Huo ni mdomo uliteguka na nimeomba msamaha. Lakini ukiwachunguza watu ambao wameileta Hoja hii katika Bunge kuhusu shamba la KRC, utapata kuwa kuna kitu ambacho kinaendelea nyuma yake. Nyuma yake, utasikia kuwa Mhe. Aburi alisimama Bunge na akasema kuwa kuna kitu ambacho kinaendelea. Bw. Naibu Spika, kwa mfano, katika eneo la Tigania East niko na mipango yangu. Kwanza, lazima uniulize; “Bw. Aburi, lile daraja likoje?” Ndio maana Mhe. Kamanda amesimama akasema kwamba shamba hilo halitoshi kwake. Shamba lililoko pale kwangu ni ekari 35 na lote liko na nyumba ndogo ndogo kama zile za zamani. Bw. Naibu Spika wa Muda, inamaanisha kwamba kile kikundi ambacho kinataka kuleta hayo mambo ni kikundi ambacho kina mpango wa kubomoa zile nyumba halafu hiyo mada iletwa Bunge tena ili tuanze kupiga kelele katika Bunge kwamba nyumba za Shirika la Reli zimebomolewa. Kwa hayo machache, Bw. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kamwe siungi mkono Hoja hii. Asante.

Thank you so much. Hon. Member for North Imenti!

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. From the outset, I would like to support this Motion. I would like to say it is a good one moved by hon. Gakuya. I believe he has no ulterior motives in bringing this Motion to Parliament. As the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing has already said, this Motion is not going anywhere. I think we should leave it to the National Assembly to say where it is heading to at the end of the day. However, what hon. Gakuya has brought to this House is good. Ladhies and Jogoo roads are congested. It is not only these two roads that need attention, but all roads in Nairobi. In Meru, we also have problems of traffic jam. Traffic jam wastes a lot of time and we cannot do what we are meant to do on time. In foreign countries like England, an ambulance is given way instantly. Unfortunately, in Nairobi we have a problem because when we see an ambulance, we try to block it or we follow closely from behind so as to avoid traffic jam. We need to put order on our roads for that matter. We also need Wakulima Market to be expanded. The good thing about the mall for the hawkers which has been talked about is that as a country, we need to think about hawkers who are in our towns. We do not want to chase them away because they are 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.

mostly youths and by chasing them away, we are creating more insecurity. When we talk about the CBD car park, it will probably not work but the railway terminus will work. The other thing which the Mover of the Motion has talked about is that 60 per cent of the GDP of Kenya is in Nairobi. I think it is a fallacy which needs to be corrected. This week there was an article written by David Ndii, an economist who said that the GDP of Nairobi would not even be 30 per cent of the whole country. We, therefore, need to move away from the fallacy that only Nairobi contributes to the GDP of Kenya, because we in the counties are contributing a lot to this country. With those few remarks, I would like to support and say that when the Government acquires these 50 acres of land, it should be done transparently, not what hon. Aburi and hon. Arati have just said; that people will make a lot of noise. When it is done transparently and land is bought by private individuals, it should come through the Government in a transparent manner, not through the Cabinet Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. This Motion should even go further and include roads like the ones in your Constituency; Ruaraka. I think Outer Ring Road is being done. I went to church a couple of months ago and found the roads are impassable. We should, therefore, think about other roads as well in the whole of Nairobi because even going to Industrial Area is a problem. It is as if people do not exist there, yet we have roads being done in other areas like Muthaiga and Lavington.

We have got roads being done in areas where there are no cars, like Muthaiga, Lavington and other parts of the City. So, we need to recognise that there are people living in other areas, like in Eastlands; which need modern roads as well. We cannot just have the good roads leading to Gigiri or the United Nations offices and have bad roads in other parts of the city. With those few remarks, I beg to support the approval of this Motion.

Hon. Members, sometimes, we need to think about the amount of time that we are going to put into Motions, particularly those which have very good intentions like this one, which is urging the Government to do certain things. However, even as we urge the Government to do certain things, we may want to think of how much parliamentary time are we going to put into a Motion. It is not the Speaker’s duty to force closure of debate. I can see a lot of requests that are still coming in. I can see that Members still want to urge the Government to do certain things. We will still go on. Yes, Member for Kilome.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this Motion because it is timely. As we request the Government to acquire the land from the Railway Pensioners Scheme for expansion of the roads nearby, we should also urge the Government to consider other roads. The said road should be expanded all the way to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The problem that we have currently is that visitors to this country cannot even be accommodated in city hotels because the traffic jams on our roads is too heavy. Some of them are made to check out of their hotels three to four hours before departure time. If this road is expanded and enough security provided, it can be 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.

used to link city hotels with the JKIA to ensure that our visitors are not inconvenienced. It will serve as a gateway. Jogoo Road is one of the oldest roads in the City but it has taken so long for it to be expanded. The traffic jam that emanate from it extends to other roads. As we sit here, we cannot say that there is a road on which you can move fast. All the roads leading to and from town are very congested. The road leading to Nyayo National Stadium and JKIA has very serious traffic jams. Therefore, I support the expansion of this particular road. I would suggest that the Mover includes the two roads and extends this particular one since they all meet at one place. The road that passes by the Nyayo National Stadium and Jogoo Road and Outer Ring Road meet at the JKIA. All our international visitors come through the JKIA. It is a nightmare for them getting to the Central Business District. Maybe, in future, the national Government and the Nairobi County Government should come up with a common strategy of streamlining transport within the City. When we leave our houses at 6.30 a.m., most of the time we get here at 9.00 a.m. We travel a distance of only five kilometres, but we are unable to get to the City in good time. If I say that people should use public transport, people out there will say that Members of Parliament should start so that they can follow. If there is any master-plan it must be used to plan this City. Once it is planned, it will be very easy to leave town. So, I am urging the Government to do something about Airport Road. It is a serious issue with foreigners coming in and going out. I am talking from experience. I run a travel agency company and I know when our guests come to these city hotels like Intercontinental and the rest, they check out four hours before departure time and for international flights you have to check in two hours before departure. Let us try and see how we can help our guests. All of us have travelled outside the country and we have seen master-plans in those cities It is very easy to move in them. The movement is not that difficult. So, as we talk about Jogoo Road, if we can extend it through Outer Ring to the airport, it will be good. The other day when His Excellency the President was coming from the International Criminal Court (ICC), he passed through that road and I am sure it was not easy for many vehicles to access that road because it is very narrow. I do not have the geography of that area. I think he came from the airport through Donholm. We must do something only in this area. So, I stand here to support. Thank you.

Member for Mukurweini. Hon. Kabando wa Kabando

Thank you very much---

Just as you are rising, Member for Migori, what is out of order?

Thank you hon. Temporary Speaker, I think I had touched the wrong button.

Thank you very much, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion. I rise to support this Motion as 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.

amended. I thank hon. Gakuya for bringing it up. He has made a very valid case. In fact, if anything, I think this Motion is very much overdue. The wananchi who use this road have suffered for a long time and I think they just needed somebody to highlight this for them. So, thank you very much Mheshimiwa . The issue of congestion on Jogoo Road needs to be addressed very urgently. It has been there for some time as we all know; it is a very wasteful thing. Economically if you cost the wastage in terms of time lost, man-hours lost and the fuel lost, I think this will run into millions of shillings; resources that we can hardly afford to waste. I think it needs to be addressed so that travelling can be fast and smooth and we save money on it. As we address this, the whole question of congestion on our roads needs a clear, consistent systematic and well planned approach. You will notice, and we are quite grateful for the effort that is being put in terms of opening the bypasses, in terms of what has happened about Thika Superhighway, it looks like the number of vehicles seems to be rising at a much faster rate than the efforts that we are putting in. Even now, most times you find the Superhighway is very congested. We need to quicken our pace in opening and decongesting these roads. I also want to commend hon. Gakuya for pointing out about the idle land. For 50 acres of land in the middle of Nairobi; the Government or somebody needs to move very quickly otherwise we have very unscrupulous land grabbers and people just looking around for any idle space so that they can play all manner of tricks to acquire it. For this one, perhaps, it is just a matter of time. The reason why I am supporting the Motion as amended is that, even as we do the road, modernize and expand it, the other services that go along with it, like the bus park that has been mentioned--- That bus park is long overdue for expansion and modernization. If you are going through that bus park to meet visitors, it is impossible. Going in and coming out or getting your direction or getting the vehicles that you want is a mess. So, it really needs very urgent action as well. As we do these things, we need to look at long term strategic plans for not just this particular road. This is just an example of the many roads, not only in Nairobi. This problem is now in nearly every city you go to. In Kisumu, between the town centre and the airport or between Ahero and the town centre, we are already starting to experience this problem. If you go to Mombasa and many other cities, it is the same problem. So, what we should be doing as we are addressing this one is that we should have a nationwide approach so that this congestion is addressed in all the cities and towns. We need to have long term planning. I really want to support what the Member for Mukurweini said about classification of these roads. There is a lot of confusion that we are experiencing as a result of not being sure who is supposed to handle which road, particularly in the rural areas. We need to let the stakeholders and those concerned like the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing and the departments that are concerned come up with a proper classification so that we are able to know the different levels that are supposed to maintain or open certain types of roads. That way, when we are allocating money we are able to know that we are doing it based on certain standards of roads that we expect and the lengths of those roads. That kind of classification is very important. 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.

Finally, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, as we address the issue of expansion and decongestion of roads, we should also address the issue of the mode of transport. Unless that is also addressed, even if we expand the roads and everybody is coming onto the roads with their cars, we are having 14-seater vehicles; we shall still not be able to address the problem fully. It needs to be a much more comprehensive approach including looking at the mode of transport. We should be looking at the railways and issues of trams and issues of buses as has been mentioned. The quicker this is done, the better. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I support. Thank you.

Member for Suba.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. As I support this Motion by hon. James Gakuya which---

Member for Suba, just hold on your horses. Member for Kirinyaga, on intervention.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Mine is a concern. When you check the representation in the House, it is like we are 50 to 50. It is always good if you could call a gentleman then call a woman. Thank you.

I apologise. I recognise both genders in the National Assembly. However, if you have been in the Chamber you will notice that we have been balancing. I do not know whether the gender ratio in the National Assembly is 50 to 50. That is for another discussion.

Anyway, let us proceed.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am wondering why the hon. Member for Kirinyaga has noticed the gender imbalance only when the hon. Member for Suba has been given an opportunity but being my friend, I know it is in good faith. As one of the gender activists in this country, I would also support her that, that needs to be looked into. Maybe gender equity and not gender equality. I started by saying that while I support the Motion by hon. Gakuya, I realize this Motion is coming out of frustration because Kenyans are suffering. I cannot overemphasize the cost of the traffic jams that we see every day in the morning and in the evening and even a lot of times these days around lunch hour. As we discuss that, I ask myself whether the problem we face is with regard to the width of our roads. To me, we need to look into the way the roads are designed to have more bypasses, to have roads that are going over; do they call them overpass or whatever you call them? I am not an engineer so you would forgive me for lack of better words. Besides that, I listened to my colleague who has just spoken before me; he has made a fundamental statement. The problem in this country is with regard to transport system; it is not the roads. If you look at our roads at the moment, they are not so narrow as they used to be. The roads have been widened but the traffic flow in Nairobi is the problem. You cannot have a country where every single person in the city is striving or working hard to get a small car and get into that car to get to town. We need, as a country, to think of a system where we would leave our vehicles at home and still get to work. We need a proper public 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.

transport system where we have a reliable transport system not only the buses but also the railway; proper town or urban railway system. That is what is happening in other developed countries. But if we insist on widening the roads and buying more cars, still those roads will be congested until there will be no space to expand. Those who are coming up with the master plan because I hear there is a proposed master plan that has been worked out for the Nairobi City, I pray that it is taken to other major towns of the country. Apart from Kisumu and Mombasa, I would add that even Eldoret is becoming a real problem. It has only one major street and if you are driving through Eldoret you go through a lot of stress. What were the wordings of the Motion? It was that this House is urging the Government to urgently acquire the land from the Railways Pensioners Scheme for the expansion and modernisation of the Jogoo and Landhies roads. That is commendable if there is land lying somewhere that is not properly utilized. Actually, if you read the chapter on land and the legislations that we were supposed to come up with, we were supposed to come up with proper land use system in this country which we have not done. It is high time that the Ministry of Lands together with the National Land Commission (NLC) stopped their unnecessary wars and came up with a proper land use mechanism in this country because that is lacking. We need rules and regulations which were supposed to be developed out of the various land laws that we passed in the last Parliament so that this country can properly utilize the land resource that we have in this country. Land is limited but if we do not utilize it properly then we will get maximum economic benefit out of our land which is God-given to us. Therefore, acquiring land compulsorily to do something that is of more economic value is commendable and acceptable but I would urge that when the Executive sets into Motion the acquisition of this land, we need to ask ourselves who this land belongs to. The land belongs to the Railways Pensioners Scheme. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, therefore, if the land is to be taken from its owners, they should get proper compensation. The pensioners are people who have left employment. Therefore, they should live decent lives. If you take their land, you should compensate them adequately, so that they do not lose out for a mistake that was not theirs. I want to urge this House that as we pass this Motion, we need to critically look at the issue of congestion in Nairobi City in a broader perspective. We need not to be narrow-minded and look at Jogoo Road and Landis Road. There is no single road in this country where there is no traffic jam. If you take Waiyaki Way out of town, through Westlands, it is a nightmare. When I want to leave for my constituency, I have to plan for two hours just to exit the City of Nairobi. The time you take to travel from Parliament Buildings to Westlands is equal to the time you take to travel from Westlands to Narok. It is a serious thing. First, it is time consuming. Second, it is wasteful in terms of the expenditure we go through on the roads as well as the opportunity cost. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I know that some of my colleagues want to contribute to this Motion. Since it is a Motion I would support it, but if it was a Bill probably we would need to do it differently. I was about to forget to say that, on the amendment that was brought here, I still have a feeling that it was not very necessary. As a House, we need not get into operational matters. If we get involved in too much of the work of the Executive, just like what is happening between Parliament and the Judiciary, 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.

we will be accused of doing the work of the Executive. This House has even formed the habit of stopping procurement. Our role should not be to stop procurement. We need to question, to recommend for investigation and prosecution. If we realize that procurement is being done in a wrong way, we recommend to the relevant authorities to prosecute the culprits instead of telling people to stop doing their work. We will be accused of being part of the implementation process and therefore we will lose our oversight role. With those remarks, I support.

Hon. Members, let us hear the Member for Tharaka Nithi for the voice of the gender.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Speaker, for noticing me. I have been waiting since 10.00 am. I stand to support this important Motion. I know where hon. Gakuya comes from. I was a resident of Eastlands sometime back. Landhies Road and Jogoo Road are pathetic at this particular time. Nairobi City is growing. Roads like Landhies and Jogoo are very old. They are always congested. The security on those roads is not very good, particularly in the evenings. If those two roads are modernized and expanded, they will assist Mombasa Road, which is used by people on their way to and from the airport. People do not like using Outer Ring Road and Jogoo Road on their way to the City Centre. You waste a lot of time. We waste a lot of man- hours on the road. You feel insecure on those particular roads. We are proud of hon. Gakuya for bringing this particular Motion to the House. While visiting friends, sometimes I use those particular roads. They are pathetic. On the issue of Ukulima Market, it is important it is modernized to ensure that it is in tandem with the growing city, so that it can take care of the ever increasing population of Nairobi City. I wanted to request you, Chair; because, looking at the mood of the House, all the Members in this House are waiting to contribute to the Motion. It would be a good idea for us to reduce the speaking time for hon. Members to, maybe, five minutes. All these Members have been sitting here since the start of business. I have been sitting here since 10.00 a.m. With those remarks, I beg to support the Motion.

I want to commend you, Member for Embakasi, for being very brief. You have spoken for less than three minutes and you have said everything that could be said. We know that if you want to shorten the time of a particular Motion, bring it just before that Motion has been put to the Floor. Then we will make a decision on it. There is this Member for Embakasi South who is gesturing to the Speaker in a manner to suggest that if the Speaker does not allow him to talk, he may not come back to the National Assembly.

Thank you very much, hon. Deputy Temporary Speaker. I belong to that area. Most of the times, for the knowledge of the Members, I come by a bodaboda to Parliament and I do not feel shy. I am proud of coming on boda boda . First, I would like to congratulate my brother because we come from the larger Embakasi. This is overdue. Secondly, hon. Kamanda has mentioned that the 20 acres out of the 50 acres have gone. So, as Members of Parliament from Nairobi, we have been invited on 21st November, 2014, to go and see the Outer Ring Road. I want to urge all the 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.

Members of Parliament from Nairobi to join hands, so that we can also contribute to the welfare of Nairobi. When we talk about decongesting the City, we are not talking about removing cars, buses and matatu s from the City centre. There are people who are ready to invest money; not the Government. If you remember there is the Build-Own-Lease-Transfer model. Investors are ready to come and put metro rails in Nairobi. We are late for the metro railways. Somebody can travel in 15 minutes from Embakasi to the City by metro railway on one pillar, not on the road. People can travel from Athi River to the Nairobi City on one pillar. Eastlands, and you are one of Eastlanders, is one of the highly populated areas in the country. Eastlands is congested with cars from Outer Ring Road. We could emulate Dar-es-Salaam. Buses from Central Province should off load passengers in Kasarani where we should have metro railways. Buses from other regions should offload passengers near Kikuyu. We should not have a single bus in the City Centre. Buses from Central Province should be somewhere in Kasarani and others in Syokimau. Then we can create jobs for taxi and matatu operators. I urge the Government to invite tenders from private investors who will invest in railway transport. I am sure we will get them. I have been in touch with some of the metro railway investors. We should also ask how the 20 acres have been disposed if they have been disposed of. This is not just a road expansion but it is an Eastlands terminus. The other thing that is congesting the Outer Ring and Jogoo roads is that in the last two years, a Cabinet Secretary decided to close the road from Taj Mall to the airport. The decision inconveniences our people and they have to use matatus from there to Mombasa Road and then from Mombasa Road to the airport. The people who work in companies that park vegetables for export literally walk to the airport. We want the Chairman of the Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing to tell us why this is happening. I was told that this is a security measure as this is a no fly zone, but just 400 metres down the road, there is the Mombasa Road. So, the Cabinet Secretary should open that road to decongest the Outer Ring Road. I would not like to take much of the House’s time. As members of the National Assembly from Nairobi, including the Chair, we should get together. We should literally push for the metro railway.

Member for Muhoroni.

Thank you very much, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for recognising me. I want to take this opportunity to commend hon. Gakuya for coming up with this ideal Motion. I believe it is in the interest of the larger citizenry of this country. If you are concerned about the economic growth of this country, you will not fail to commend the Mover of this Motion. The man-hours that people spend on Jogoo Road would be spent better elsewhere in growing the economy of this country. My fear is that at the advent of attainment of our Independence in this county, we benefitted from the good brains of the late T. J. Mboya who used good economists in the world. The proper master-plan for this country and this town was done. There are master-plans for roads that were done. Roads were supposed to go through Hilton, Nyati and Utalii houses and they were supposed to be bypasses, but they have since been used. I realise that the Government intends to reorganise all this through a master- plan so that the City can be motorable and business can be done at lower costs. I would like to 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.

urge the Government to be bold and ensure that those places earmarked in the initial master-plans which have since been taken by some politically-correct mandarins are repossessed and are put into correct use as initially intended. The Government will lose nothing as billions are lost every day in various camps. Therefore, the Government will be right to spend money to acquire the Muthurwa Railway houses and put the land into proper use. This will decongest Jogoo Road. Today when visitors come to this country, they go back with a story to tell about Jogoo Road; that you can easily come from Paris and go to London by train and the time you spend between Paris and London is much less than the time taken from Buru Buru to the City centre. Somebody leaving Paris to catch up with his work schedule in London will reach faster than the person who is leaving his Buru Buru house to work in Jogoo House or in Parliament Buildings. We want these things to be corrected. I take this opportunity to commend the Mover of this Motion because anybody sensible enough should contribute and support the Motion. Thank you very much.

Leader of Minority Party, you have a few minutes. Make use of them.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this chance to contribute to this Motion. I want to start by saying that I support this very good Motion. When Jogoo and Ladhies roads are expanded, congestion will be eased. There are reasons why we have traffic jams and the biggest reason is the roundabouts. If the question of roundabouts is sorted out in the urban centres, traffic jams will have been controlled by 90 per cent. However, if roads are expanded and there are no overpasses, where there are roundabouts, there will always be a gridlock and vehicles will accumulate and form traffic jam. Therefore, this Motion is timely. It will ease traffic jams on the Eastlands side and besides that other roads have to be opened. If you come from Jogoo House to Uhuru Highway, you cannot access the airport without following Jogoo Road or the Airport Road. There has to be a road through the railway station; an overpass which moves from the Central Business District (CBD) to Industrial Area. New roads have to be opened so that traffic jams are not caused. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, bad manners on the road where some drivers want to overlap is one of the reasons why we have traffic jams, besides having too many vehicles on the road.

Hon. Kajwang’): Leader of the Minority Party, would it be the right time to ask you to keep your remaining eight minutes? If you come to the House on Wednesday morning, you will get them back when this Motion will be resumed. Hon. Members, the time being 1.00pm, this House stands adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m. 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.

The House rose at 12.30 p.m. 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.