Transport Cabinet Secretary nominee Kipchumba Murkomen on Wednesday revealed an elaborate strategy to make the sector a key economic driver.
Transport sector will be in overdrive, going faster and saving fuel.
He promised to ensure all ministry contracts less than Sh1 billion will be reserved for Kenyans.
A new tolling policy will charge users for high-density roads as part of a plan to reduce transport costs and raise revenue for development.
Murkomen said he will push for digital camera-backed traffic policing of major roads in the city, and in time countrywide.
He told the Committee on Appointments chaired by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula that phasing out physical traffic police in the city will raise Sh50 billion annually.
Through the Integrated Transport Management System, cameras will be installed in strategic locations along Nairobi city roads before the programme is rolled out countrywide.
In the smart transport system, e-police will record the offences and levy instant fines.
“The resources we raise from these fines will go into supporting the traffic police, putting up traffic signage and expanding the technology countrywide," Murkomen said.
If his nomination is approved, the senator said he would present Parliament with a clear and detailed proposal on how to roll out the transport system.
“We will catch all offenders and take advantage of their bad manners to build this nation. I am sure in less than two or three years, there would be a deterrent,” he said.
The senator said his tenure would be a departure from how John Michuki instilled discipline in the matatu sector by “working in silence, leveraging on technology.
“We will deploy the Intelligent Transport System and we’ll therefore have no need for the analogue way of dealing with road discipline," he said.
“In the days of Michuki, you had to shout but with technology, you don’t need to shout," Murkomen said.
"You catch the offender, send the bill to him and make his insurance expensive. If you continue being a serial offender, you will get to a stage where you abandon the car,” he said.
The plan headlined the Transport CS nominee’s submissions, which also revealed radical steps Ruto’s team plans to shake up the sector.
The plans would greatly change the strategy that was employed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta to consolidate the transport sector, especially earnings, to make it self-sustaining.
Changes by the Ruto team would affect key projects on roads, air, sea, and railways. They are under Kenha, Kura, Kera, Kenya Airports Authority, Kenya Ports Authority and Kenya Railways Corporation.
Murkomen proposed to dual most roads and impose tolls if necessary, saying tolling the Nairobi Expressway will remain.
He will push to dual the Mombasa-Nairobi highway as well as the Rironi-Mau Summit highway as toll roads, adding to the Nairobi Expressway.
Road tolls should not be perceived as a charge but a saving as it saves on fuel costs and time.
He said the government will identify high-density roads and charge a fee.
"Tolling is a saving. Look at the Expressway. It takes less time to move from one end to the other, so you save time, sometimes even three hours," the Transport nominee said.
He went on, "The cost of staying on Mombasa Road for three hours will come to a certain figure. And you will save time when it's reduced to 20 minutes, but most important you save a lot on fuel."
He faulted the previous administration for fearing to take risks and get local investors fund the elevated road.
The earnings by the current investor have shown the country could have recouped the investments in no time, he said.
“The ministry should focus on getting local investors. If it was a bank or pension fund, they would now benefit the local investors,” he said, defending tolling.
Murkomen revealed the new administration would renegotiate the SGR agreement to ease the burden of repayment.
“The problem is we took a loan of 20 years on infrastructure that may not break even, even after 100 years. We are willing to pay the amount that was lent…we should renegotiate the loans to ease the burden of the repayment,” he said.
The senator also pledged to make public the SGR agreement, which is one of the most-guarded documents in Kenya.
“I spoke to everyone at the ministry and none told me they have ever seen the SGR agreement. It is opaque," he said.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta failed to release the agreement after promising on live television that he would publish the contract between Kenya and China's Exim Bank.
“I will find the agreement and give it to the people of Kenya through Parliament. We need to know our exposure,” Murkomen said.
Because of secrecy, speculation is rife that the strategic Mombasa Port asset may have been used as collateral for the SGR loan.
Concerning fears operations would cease at the Naivasha Inland Container Depot, Murkomen said KPA was working to get Uganda, South Sudan, and Rwanda use the port.
“KPA is working with KR to assure customers on last-mile as a complement between truckers and the KR to give them space to transport goods the last mile,” he explained.
The new administration plans to scrap the roads annuity programme used to maintain two roads, namely Loitoktok- Taita Taveta and one connecting to Modogashe.
“Even if we were not to continue with annuity programmes, we will not cancel contracts haphazardly. But if we continue this way, we may not have money in the roads maintenance levy fund to finance projects,” the Transport nominee said.
MPs had recommended scrapping the annuity programme, saying it was too expensive a way to build and maintain roads.
Local investors have taken berths and ICDs built with public funds. I will make sure I dismantle those agents of state capture and return the resources to the Kenyan people
Concerning Mombasa Port, Murkomen said he would scrutinise the Kenya Ports Authority management structure. The aim would be to scrap the 14 positions of deputy directors general. They were introduced by the previous administration.
He said he would reverse the situation where private local investors have taken over berths at the Second Container Terminal built with taxpayers' money.
“Local investors have taken berths and ICDCs built with public funds. I will make sure I dismantle those agents of state capture and return the resources to the Kenyan people," Murkomen said.
For Kenya Airways, the Transport nominee said they would consider the nationalisation plan, revealing the government has determined to keep its shares below 50 per cent.
“We need to create subsidiaries to deal with cargo and charter planes to drive tourism. We might need Kenya Airways to have other businesses on the side, like the hiring of drones and doing surveys to make revenue," the legislator said.
Murkomen promised to work on a policy whereby each of the 47 counties would have an airstrip. Only 13 are functional.
To reduce pedestrian deaths, Murkomen said it would be a policy and the law for every contractor to include walking and cycling paths on all road projects.
He said no part of the country would be discriminated against in the distribution of roads and related resources.
To free the Transport ministry of more than Sh140 billion pending bills, Murkomen proposed a roads bond for repayment.
“We proposing to securitise and use road levy funds to guarantee a one-off roads bond to pay all pending bills and help complete stalled roads,” he said.
His team would eliminate "mwisho wa lami" in every county, he said.
On border point congestion, the new administration plans to upgrade clearance systems and has asked counties to consider constructing parking lots for trailers.
(Edited by V. Graham)