Transport and Roads cabinet nominee Davis Chirchir has said the government will explore the possibility of complementing efforts by petrol stations and construct toilets along highways.
Chirchir was appearing before the Moses Wetang’ula-chaired Committee on Appointments at County Hall, Nairobi.
The speaker sought to know whether the former Energy CS, if approved, would consider it prudent for the Roads ministry to construct toilets along highways to stop Kenyans from defecating in forests while on transit.
Chirchir said the idea is so progressive such that it can help reduce road crashes as drivers will not have to drive under pressure.
“I don’t think it’s expensive to locate toilets between towns, it’s something we can look at, it’s not an expensive investment on our major highways,” he said.
Travellers and motorists on long journeys occasionally find the going tough whenever the urge to answer the call of nature strikes, sometimes in the middle of the night.
Whilst restaurants and petrol stations located along highways always come to the rescue of passengers and motorists who find it unbearable to hold the call until their destinations, forests and roadside thickets are often the site of choice in the absence of those facilities.
“With modern petrol stations - Total, Shell, Rubis – having very modern toilets we can be able to support that investment and ensure that on our highways we do have very good facilities for people to [relieve themselves],” he said.
“It could be nice in terms of even people stopping [to relieve themselves] and stop driving under pressure and causing accidents. It could actually reduce accidents by certain levels.”
Pokot South David Pkosing told Chirchir that should he be approved as Transport and Roads CS, he should make himself accessible to the public because “the area you are going is almost like a market”.
Pkosing alleged that MPs have previously found it difficult to reach Chirchir for consultations because he doesn’t pick up calls.
“Roads touch on everybody in this country because it’s a critical thing, son my only comment to you nominee sharing from a lot of members of Parliament who told me to bring up this issue is about your availability [and] accessibility,” he said.
“People cannot get you in office, people cannot call you and receive their calls particularly MPs so I think if you are approved to work as CS, please go and work on that part of your skill so that you can be able to be accessible by as many people as possible.”
