Hon. Senators, let us determine if we have a quorum.

I am informed that we do not have a quorum. I order that the Division Bell be rung.

Hon. Senators, we now have a quorum. Let us go on with this morning’s business.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to move a Motion which is already in the House. The Motion is as follows:- THAT, aware that tourism is one of the leading sources of income to Kenya’s economy; noting that the Government has set a target of 3 million tourist arrivals per year by 2017; cognizant that the country is endowed with many, scenic and captivating natural tourist attractions; aware that access to some of the tourist attractions by conventional means of transport is difficult, insecure and a constraint to the achievement of their full tourism potential; acknowledging that cable cars are an ideal mode of transport in difficult terrains and provide The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Sen. Mositet! Your friend!

My friend, can you second this Motion? I rest there, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to second this Motion that has been moved by Sen. Karaba. It is a timely Motion and it is in line with Vision 2030. We can only achieve this Vision if we have an idea of how to improve our infrastructure. I was listening to the hon. Senator talking about cable cars. He has done a thorough research of the countries where these cars are used. I noted that this country has many good sceneries where locals cannot reach. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am just thinking of a place like Ngong Hills. It is quite near Nairobi. I do believe that if we could have cable cars from Ngong Hills, we can manage to traverse into other hills, whose owners cannot even reach and yet they have title deeds. Even the elderly people would want to climb up to those hills maybe to see all parts of the land they own. However, they cannot climb those hills because of their age. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we talk about the tourism industry I am very much concerned about my county. This county is rich in terms of tourist attraction sites. For example, when one goes to a place like Shompole, the next place you would want to see game is at the Maasai Mara. The distance between Shompole and Maasai Mara is just about 60 kilometres. If you want to go there, you actually have to come all the way back to Nairobi then you go round the Narok-Maai Mahiu Road, which is a distance of about 350 kilometres. If we had the cable cars, you could just have traversed very comfortably into the Ngurumana Escarpment. Here people would really enjoy seeing the escarpment. I do believe that tourists would use very little money going to Maasai Mara. If we had this mode of transport, we can really encourage most of them to come to Kenya. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am also imagining that this will be more like a new technology; so, how many people will be employed in that industry? Here, we are talking about creating job opportunities with this technology. We will need people to manage those vehicles. Our engineers will design infrastructure to support these cable cars. I do believe that young people, who are innovative, will even be encouraged to take up engineering courses when they see this technology. In Likoni, for example, these cable cars will be very useful. It is quite something that everyone would want to see taking shape in this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do believe that the landscape of our country is so beautiful, for example, Murang’a, Suguta Valley, Kitui or Machakos regions where we have hills and valleys. I wonder how those people climb all the way up to the top of the hills. I do believe that if cable cars could be introduced, the elderly and the sick people will manage to move about comfortably and reach their destinations without wasting a lot of time or getting fatigued. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am also imagining the kind of destruction we sometimes go through when, maybe, some roads are being done and even in acquiring land where people have already put up some structures. Suppose we could just introduce cable cars, I doubt whether we would have infrastructure or the structures which are owned by people being destroyed. It is for that reason that I stand and say that this is a project for which I feel the central Government should initiate a feasibility study The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to say in principle that I do not object to this Motion, but I have a lot of issues with the Motion as it is framed and as it has been prosecuted. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first and foremost, I believe that what the Motion is seeking to achieve is simply a policy framework. This is because it is not the Government business to put up this kind of infrastructure. Even where examples have been given, it is not the Government that develops cable cars, but the private sector. I believe that if it is a Motion simply to call for the policy framework to be established by the national Government, it is okay. But where we go beyond that, and we want the Government to be involved in the development of cable cars, I think we would be going out of our way. I have good reasons for saying so. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first, it has been suggested that cable cars can ease traffic in the city. I do not think so because cable cars would specifically be for tourist attractions. Like the example of Table Mountains in South Africa which has been given here; where you are moving people from one area to another purely for pleasure. We cannot attempt to believe that cable cars would in any way reduce or improve transportation in a city. What I would have expected to hear is how this city can develop mass transport in the city like tram transport. Just walk around the city in the evening and you will be amazed to see the number of people standing at bus stops waiting for transportation to their homes. They wait there until 8.00 p.m. before they get transport. So, in my view, what we should advocate for is the establishment of mass transport, including trams, in all our cities. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it has also been suggested that, for example, in the case of Likoni Ferry, cable cars would be used. Cable cars cannot carry trucks which cross that channel. So, we cannot substitute ferries with cable cars. What I would have liked to hear is that the national Government should be urged to build a bridge which would cross that channel instead of using the archaic methods of moving millions of people who cross that channel in cable cars. They can never be moved by cable cars. They can only be moved over the bridge, but not otherwise. I am saying these things because I think we have got it wrong.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first of all, the priorities are wrong. We have tourists going to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, which is a world famous tourist attraction; but The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order, Sen. Musila! You must end up by saying whether you support or oppose. I know we are not voting, but I think you must state your position.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have a lot of reservations; on one side, I do not want to appear to be opposing development and, on the other side, I think this is awful. So, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to oppose.

Sen. Khaniri.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to start by thanking you for this opportunity to make just one or two remarks on this Motion, which I think is very The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Motion. I had just stepped out of the House when Sen. David Musila opposed the Motion. So, I do not know why he opposed the Motion. However, that is his democratic right. One of the reasons I support this Motion is that we should not only think about tourism in relation to foreigners. One of the things we should begin to focus on is domestic tourism. There is, indeed, a lot of domestic tourism going on only that it is not captured in the data of the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism. I have been to several countries which have succeeded in building their tourism industry such as Mexico, Great Britain and the United States of America. There is a lot of tourism there. Local air travel is encouraged and there are very many destinations. For instance, the Ethiopians have a lot of domestic tourism. The Ethiopian Airlines have many destinations. We have improved, recently in terms of domestic destinations in Kenya. However, these are very expensive. One of the things that are a disaster today is the amount of money it costs a Kenyan to travel by air from one part of the country to the other. This is a complete disaster because it compels Kenyans to spend a lot of money. The airlines in the industry that have monopolised the routes have kind of captured their audience to the extent that they charge an arm and a leg. I do not think this is good for the airlines industry, nor is it good for Kenyans. It makes no sense to pay Kshs28,000 for a return ticket to Kisumu. That is more than half the pay for a ward representative. I do not think this makes sense at all. I would like to urge those who control the airlines industry to think twice before they charge this kind of money. Secondly, one good thing with Sen. Karaba’s Motion is that it is innovative. Cable cars should have been implemented a long time ago. Travelling from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) into town is a nightmare when one has arrived at about 5.00 a.m. on any day of the week. It is also a nightmare when you arrive in the morning about 6.00 a.m. or 7.00 a.m. because you are competing with cars and matatu users on the same highways. You are also competing with lorries coming from Mombasa, transporting goods to Kampala. This is not good for either air transport or tourism. Building a cable car of light car transport from the airport to town is a very simple thing. I remember my experiences from other jurisdictions. In 1982, Mexico decided to expand on its subway system. Within a matter of ten years, the City of Mexico had been connected to the subway all over. This has improved domestic travel and tourism tremendously. Mexico has many ancient and historical sites. Due to the huge size of the Mexican State and nation, people from different parts of Mexico do not know about other parts of their country. Since they have established air travel domestically and packages that suit local people, there is a lot of travel internally. There is something they call goleto todo pogo dos which means a ticket with everything paid for. That means that you can buy a ticket and you can travel down for three weeks while everything has been paid for, including hotel, taxis among others. That package gives one an opportunity to visit sites you have never seen. The word tourism means visiting places you have not been to. I am sure that many of us in this Senate have many places they have not visited. If we were to visit these places, these would be very exciting. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to join my colleagues who have spoken in thanking Sen. Karaba, the Senator for Kirinyaga county where they grow a lot of rice, for presenting this Motion which talks about a policy framework that needs to be looked into or prepared. Kenya is known for generating a lot of documents and paper work. But we have not generated this one yet. Since we are talking about cable cars which relate to tourism, it is time that we, as the Senate, passed this Motion and hopefully, the Government will implement it so that we develop the nation. We have been talking about Vision 2030 which should be achieved 17 years from now. Tourism is identified as a key driver for the development of our nation in generating sufficient funds. However, we have some constraints as my colleague has put it. One of them is infrastructure that should entice and attract tourists, both local and international. We know that we may be the only country in Africa that has been identified to hold one of the Wonders of the World, the Wildebeest Migration. Everybody, including Kenyans, wants to go there and see. However, as you have heard from my colleagues, moving from the JKIA to where the action is taking place is a total nightmare. Let us start with moving from the JKIA to the town centre. How many hours do we spend on the road? I fly from home every Monday or Tuesday from Eldoret. However, the minute I land at the JKIA, I am sure to spend not less than one hour stuck on Mombasa Road. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my colleagues are suggesting the railway. We also can consider the cable. We need as many avenues as possible, the way Sen. Karaba has suggested. We have not been able to open up more roads. For example, we are supposed to have an overpass that will be used only by vehicles going to Mombasa or outside Nairobi City but we are jamming all vehicles on one road. It is like telling a pastoralist to put cows, goats, sheep and chicken into one house. It cannot work. You can appreciate the kind of problem that we have. We had a meeting in Naivasha and when I reached Westlands, for the first time, I spent three-and-a-half hours seated in a car. That is why we need the cable cars. I want to convince Sen. Musila that although Kitui is as flat as you have described, there is no harm taking an experiment of this cable for your people to---

You must address the Chair!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we may need to look at a policy that can make us think outside the box. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, most of the sceneries that we have in Kenya are endowed. If you go to Mt. Kenya, for example, even the road or railway that you may want to construct cannot work. We must explore the nature that God gave us. One of the investments that we need to consider in such areas is the cable cars, so that when tourists The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important and timely Motion. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, from the outset, I would want to urge my good friend, Sen. Karaba, that he should separate the cable cars and trams. Because of the infrastructure that we require, we need a policy that will tell us when to introduce trams, so that people within the central business area and the outskirts could easily access the city and move out. Samburu is one of the counties with a good potential for tourist sites. I think that my friend, Sen. Karaba, must have seen the table mountain in Samburu East, where it would be easy to use the cable car to transport tourists across the two small hills there. It can also be used in Suguta Valley. Samburu County is very rich when it comes to tourism. We have got the “big five” and very rare animals there. I would urge my friends, The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this important Motion that my brother, Sen. Karaba, has introduced in this House. Indeed, I am very proud of my friend, because if I look at the cover page of my election manifesto, there is a cable car leading to Mt. Kenya. Therefore, I am pleased and thrilled that colleagues in this House are thinking exactly the same. It is the workings of great minds. Great minds think alike. Congratulations to Sen. Karaba. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the image of a nation or country is what determines the quality of the people who visit that country. Kenya, to a large extent, has over the last many years been a low-cost destination for tourists. That means that you can get millions of tourists – and the target is three million – but the revenue that we gather from them can be very small. The reason would be because the image of the country is one where you either visit the beach or go and see wildlife. With cable cars, two things happen. First, you cannot have a banana republic and cable cars in the same sentence. Cable cars are an advancement of human endeavour. It is something that belongs to another set of development. It does not belong to a very poor country. In public relations, we talk about perception being everything. Therefore, when a nation introduces cable cars; I can imagine a place like Mt. Kenya. I can see ourselves going by cable cars, all the way to point Lenana and, therefore, avoiding the destruction of the route, forests and giving wild animals the freedom to roam around there without human interference. Therefore, the image that you would create is that it is an expensive destination. The tourists who will go there will on average spend US$5,000 rather than the ones who will spend US$100 on curios. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are also giving them an opportunity to spend money, because sometimes people can have money, but do not know what to spend it on. When you give them an opportunity to travel in cable cars and go up the mountains and down the valleys, then the psychological impact that we have of our nation in the world is that this is the place to visit. It is an up-market place and you go there if you have got money. The target of three million tourists is very small. Places like Paris in France have got over 50 million tourists; more than the population of Kenya. Over 17 million people walk The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to support my colleague, Sen. Karaba, for this nicely put Motion. This country started on a proper footing in trying innovation. You remember we started with the Nyayo car. As my colleague, Sen. Kagwe, has put it, the cable car is just a simple string which connects one end to another; it is not rocket science. To enhance tourism in this country, we must think big. This country is endowed with enormous resources. If you read the report of the Auditor-General and note the wastage of our resources, you will understand that just a minute percentage of the funds wasted can be used to connect areas that are relevant to this type of infrastructure. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, where I come from, we have a big ridge called Manga Ridge. So, if we have this kind of facility there, I can assure you that we will have a huge turnout of tourists in that region and, therefore, more employment opportunities. We are in the 21st Century and we are talking about Vision 2030. So, Kenya must think big if we have to attain the dreams of Vision 2030. Countries like India, which have been Independent for the last 60 years, have done great works on this end. If you go to the northern part of India, the Himalayas, they are using these cables with a lot of precision and this brings in a lot of revenue. Now that we have enormous minerals which we are now going to tap, for example, we have coal from Kitui which can be used to run these cables and we also have coal from Pokot. These are the areas where we urge the relevant departments to come up with policies. This country has the best engineers in the region and it would not be very difficult for us to experiment with this. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Bw. Naibu Spika, nashukuru kwa kunipa nafasi hii. Ningependa kuunga Hoja hii na kumpongeza mwenzangu, Sen. Karaba, kwa kuleta jambo ambalo ni la hekima, haswa kuangalia mazingira sehemu tofauti tofauti nchini, sehemu zingine za nyanda za juu na zikiwa na milima mingi. Jambo hili linaweza kutekelezeka kwa kuleta Hoja ya kuomba Serikali Kuu ili iweke halmashauri ya kuangalia jambo la kutengeneza gari za waya. Ningependa kuunga mkono na kusema kwamba hili jambo laweza pia kufikiriwa na Serikali ya Ugatuzi. Hivi leo mkiangalia kwa magazeti na vyombo vya habari, serikali za ugatuzi zimeshindwa kutumia hela. Hela zimefurika kwa benki, sijui ni kwa sababu hawana mipango kamili lakini mambo kama hayo pia yangefanywa kwa daraja hilo ili kutekeleza wazo letu nchini na kuendeleza mambo yetu ya uchumi kama utalii. Hapa, tuna lengo la kuwa na watalii karibu million tatu kila mwaka. Hilo ni jambo la aibu kwa sababu nchi hii ina uwezo wa kuwa na watalii zaidi ya millioni kumi kila mwaka, haswa ukiangalia sehemu nyingi nchini: Upande wa magharibi kuna Ziwa Victoria ambalo halitumiki kabisa, kwenye nyanda za juu, kuna Mlima Kenya na Aberdare, upande wa kusini kuna Taita Taveta ambapo tunaweza kutumia vifaa hivyo kusudi watalii wanapotembea huko wasigutushe wanyama ambao wako chini kuliko kutumia magari au ndege aina ya helikopta zenye kelele nyingi. Kwa hivyo, hili sio jambo la kutafakari kwa siku nyingi. Hili ni jambo ambalo linaweza kutekelezeka. Yafaa tuwe na mipango kamili kwa sababu tuko na uwezo, nia na lengo. Kwa hivyo, hatuwezi kushindwa. Sina mengi ya ziada ila kuunga mkono.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also rise to support the Motion knowing very well that tourism in our country is one of the sectors that gives us revenue and it is one of the sectors that the Government depends on in terms of collecting revenue. As we talk about cables, we know that we have to transform our country but we also need to know that as Kenyans, it is time to transform our entire infrastructure where we know that tourism is the key activity. Therefore, the cables will start at the airport. When tourists come, they can use the cable, rush to the Nairobi National Park, view the animals, go back to the airport and continue with the journey. As we do that, we need to ask ourselves how to ensure that we have the incentives to make people also accept the idea. We have very good policy frameworks but we are not ready to give incentives so that we can encourage people to borrow ideas and do the right thing. Therefore, within the policy framework, I would wish to see us come up with The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I rise to support this Motion. First of all, I would like to congratulate my colleague, Sen. Karaba, for bringing a very innovative Motion to this House. When George Owen wrote his book in 1984, many of us thought that it was a joke. He envisaged a situation where we had flying cars. I think this is what Sen. Karaba has in mind. With the usage of car cables, it means that we shall be able to improve our tourism. We will be developing new tourist circuits. I have listened very keenly to a number of my colleagues in this House and they have mentioned many new tourist circuits that we can develop in this country by using cable cars which we have never had. Senator Elachi mentioned Kerio Valley as one of the new tourist circuits that we could create by use of cable cars. If I heard him right, the Senator for Nyeri, did also mention a new tourist circuit that we could create by using these cables to look at Mt. Kenya in another new way. We could also look at the Aberdare Ranges that we have never looked at. I envisage a situation where, if we had these cable cars that we could use for tourism especially in South Mugirango, tourists could be able to see the soapstone that has never been seen. However, we should not only talk about cable cars, we must also improve the road infrastructure in many of our tourism areas. We will not just speak about cable cars without looking at the road infrastructure. The airstrips in this country are in a deplorable state and, therefore, there is need for the tourism industry, especially the Ministry that is concerned with tourism to look for areas in which they can improve infrastructure. This includes the road network, the airstrips and the airports. I expect to see a new airstrip The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Asante, Bw. Naibu Spika, kwa nafasi hii. Ningependa kumpongeza Seneta Karaba kwa kuleta Hoja hii nzuri sana ambayo inalenga kwetu pwani. Tukiangalia uchumi wetu wa Kenya unachangiwa na utalii. Tukiangalia kama kwetu pwani, kuna mahali pengi sana ambapo shughuli za utalii zinaweza kunawiri, lakini zimefifia kwa sababu ya barabara. Usafiri umeleta changamoto kwa watalii kuweza kufikia maeneo fulani. Kwa mfano, Mekatilili ambaye alikuwa mpiganiaji Uhuru wa nchi yetu ya Kenya, ni mama aliyejulikana sana ulimwengu mzima na kila mtalii anayetembelea nchi ya Kenya hutamani kujua pahali yule mama alikozikwa, lakini imekuwa ni vigumu sana kwa watalii kufika mahali pale. Kama Hoja hii ingeweza kutekelezwa na tukapata hizi

, itakuwa ni rahisi watalii kuweza kufika mahali alikozikwa kule Bangale, Malindi. Shughuli kubwa sana za utalii hapa kwetu Kenya, tunaona zimelenga hoteli zilizoko kwenye ufuo wa bahari. Na utaona kwamba kuna shida kutoka Kiwanja cha ndege cha Mombasa hadi mahotelini ilhali ni sehemu ambayo ingechukua hata dakika kumi, lakini siku hizi tunachukua hata masaa sita. Wakati mwingine magari yanakwama ukifika mahali panapoitwa Changamwe ama Kipevu. Kuna msongamano wa magari na wakati mwingine magari yanakwama pale kwa masaa 24; hayaendi na hayarudi, kwa sababu njia inayotoka kwenye uwanja wa ndege kuelekea Nairobi ama kuingia Mombasa, ama kuenda Jomvu, kuna msongamano mkubwa wa magari. Lakini tukiwa na cable cars, tungerahisisha utalii wetu. Hasa wakati wa Krismasi watalii wanapokuja hapa nchini, huwa wanakwama kwenye uwanja wa ndege. Hata wakati mwingine Krismasi inaishia kwa usafiri. Bw. Naibu Spika, kungekuwa na cable cars, zingesaidia kwenye Kivuko cha Likoni. Huwa kuna msongamano kwenye Kivuko cha Likoni kwa sababu kuna uhaba wa feri. Lakini leo hii tungekuwa na cable cars, zitatusaidia katika kuwavusha watalii wetu kufikia maeneo ya utalii ambayo yako upande wa Kwale, kuingia katika hoteli zetu za kitalii upande wa Likoni. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion. First, these cable cars will enhance the tourism sector in this country. Tourism is very key when it comes to income generation in this country. If we go the way of cable cars, we shall open the recreation sites or the mountains in this country. It will enable tourists who come to this country to view various tourist sites. We have so many untapped zones for tourism in this country because we do not have a good transport system. When I look at countries like Ukraine, San Francisco and the City of London, they have actually used these cable cars to achieve prosperity. Looking at this “digital Government” as we call it, and in order for us to achieve the Vision 2030, we need to put this in place. It will be able to create employment opportunities to our people in this country, especially the young people that I represent. We will have to employ drivers, and various staff manning the stations, engineers and even attendants in the cable cars. I support.

Nashukuru, Bw. Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa fursa hii. Pia ninamshukuru Sen. Karaba kwa kuleta Hoja hii kwa wakati ufaao. Hii Hoja ni ya muhimu na itaweza kupeleka uchumi wa nchi ya Kenya mbele. Hii ni hatua ya kisasa na yakupendeza. Ninaunga mkono Hoja hii kwa kusema kwamba Kenya inahitaji hizi cablecars kwa sababu kuna milima mingi sana hapa nchini. Pia kuna mito mahali pengi. Mimi ninatoka Tana River na kuna sehemu ambako hata mimi hushindwa kufika. Tukipata magari haya, yatatusaidia kuweza kufika sehemu mbali mbali ambazo hatuwezi kufika kwa wakati huu. Magari haya ya stima yataweza kutumika katika mahali pengi nchini. Na ninafikiri kwa sasa, katika Afrika nzima, Kenya ni nchi ambayo imenawiri na inahitaji kuwa na vifaa kama hivi. Magari haya yatatuwezesha kukwea milima na kuvuka mito mbali mbali bila shida yoyote. Juzi, nilikuwa na mkutano katika kaunti yangu, na tulishindwa kuvuka mahali fulani kwa sababu gari letu halingeweza kupita mahali hapo. Ilitubidi tutembee kwa kilomita kumi. Gari kama hili litawezesha watu kufika mahali hapo na kuwawezesha watalii kutembelea sehemu nyingi na itaweza kuongeza hazina ya nchi. Ninaunga Hoja hii mkono kwa dhati na ninawasihi wenzangu waiunge mkono ili tuipitishe kwa pamoja. Asante.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion and also to congratulate my colleague, Sen. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you. Hon. Senators, as you are aware, this is a Motion that is not affecting counties; basically, it is contributing to the general welfare of the whole country. So, it is important that we now invite the Mover of the Motion to basically reply and, if he so wishes, if a Senator comes in and he wants to donates one or two minutes, that is his own volition. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. As I reply to the Motion, it is important that Kenyans travel. What I have witnessed in this House is that people are ignorant of the facts; they do not seem to understand what the Motion is all about because they have been moving around here in Kenya, and I hope that you encourage them to be exposed. They need to go to Venezuela and see how the cable cars have eased the economy in that country; they need to go to Canada and see how the Rocky Mountains have really contributed to the economy of the country in provinces such as Alberta, which have become richer than even Kenya, yet they are provinces. That has been made possible because of the Rocky Mountains and the use of cable cars. It is also important for them to visit Cape Town, South Africa, and see that in Cape Town alone, the cable cars have contributed more than half of the scenery in South Africa only because cable cars transport tourists from the Cape Town to the top of the Table Mountains. As I talk like that, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there are some people here who do not even know what Table Mountains are. So, “to go is to see;” that is what we say in our language. When you visit such places, you come back enriched. This is one of the reasons why we tell people to move to Singapore; and when they go there, they are amazed to see the kind of infrastructure which is in place there. In a town called Kuala Lumpur, which is the capital city of Malaysia, they have designed two two tallest buildings in the country called the Twin Towers. As a result of that, the country earns a lot of money from tourists who come just to view the Twin Towers alone. Malaysia is said to be one of the richest tourist destinations in the world. Cambodia was ravaged by internal strife. There were wars between Cambodia, Vietnam and America, but the construction of the cable cars, which are now the longest cable cars in the world, has revamped the economy of Cambodia a hundred times. So, this is something that we need to address ourselves to. As I said when I was moving the Motion, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I fear that if this project is not taken up and embraced in the right time by the right people in the country, countries like Rwanda and Uganda are going to use this facility to exploit the tourist potential in the Ruwenzori Mountains. When they do that, we will be seeing tourists bypassing Nairobi, going all the way to Ruwenzori Mountains, and from there, they will, of course, contribute a lot of money in the name of foreign exchange, and The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you.

Order! Order, Senators! It is now time to put the question. Once again, I remind you that this is not a Motion affecting counties; meaning that it is just an ordinary Motion for all of us to vote for it. Therefore, I want to put the question. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Hon. Senators, that brings us to the end of the business on the Order Paper. Therefore, the Senate stands adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m. The Senate rose at 10.55 a.m. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.