National Assembly · Morning Sitting
Thursday, 16 October 2025
The session began with procedural instructions from the Temporary Speaker regarding member log‑ins and adjournment. Members Hon. Mutunga Kanyuithia and Hon. Kibet Komingoi delivered eulogies, lauding the late Raila Odinga’s role in Kenya’s democratic reforms, constitutional development, devolution and peace‑building, and welcomed the President’s decision to grant him a state funeral. The remarks emphasized national unity and the continuation of his vision for Kenya’s future. The House adopted ten petroleum sector regulations before turning to a solemn tribute for the late Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, with members proposing a two‑minute speaking limit to allow many eulogies. Several MPs delivered heartfelt remembrances while a point of order raised a cultural‑attire dispute, reflecting both reverence and procedural tension. Members of the National Assembly paid heartfelt tributes to the late Hon. Raila Odinga, highlighting his contributions to engineering, infrastructure, and the pursuit of democracy and national unity. The speakers expressed deep sorrow and offered condolences to his family while emphasizing his non-tribal, reformist legacy. The session also noted the public's emotional response and the desire for a dignified send‑off.
Hon. Wario, were you not in the Chamber yesterday? Hon. Members, we have quorum to transact business. Clerk.
Hon. Members, welcome to this Sitting today, for the Special Motion. We meet this morning under a sombre cloud that hangs heavy over our nation. You will recall that I did invoke Standing Order 1 to adjourn the Morning Sitting of this House yesterday; a decision that resonated with the anxious solemnity that gripped the country as news broke of the passing on of one of Kenya’s greatest sons. Hon.…
Hon. Members, as Prime Minister in the Grand Coalition Government, the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga steered national reconciliation after the 2007–2008 post-election violence, working alongside the late President Mwai Kibaki to rebuild a nation torn by grief. As a principal in the eventual Grand Coalition Government, the Right Hon. Raila Odinga and His Excellency Mwai Kibaki appointed a team comprising H…
We will be advising you in the course of the day as we go along. We shall have many visitors within Parliament. Be good hosts. There will be Cabinet Secretaries, military and service commanders, and diplomats who will come to pay their respects. Let us, as always, be good hosts. Equally important, there will be a State Funeral tomorrow at the Nyayo National Stadium. I have instructed the Clerk an…
[(Applause)]
Hon. Members, take the nearest seats. Hon. Osoro, you are missing in action. As I was saying, let us be each other’s keeper. Let us love one another. Let us love our people. Bob Marley once said, “Know people, feel people, love people.” That is what makes a society. Know people, feel people, love people. That was the great Bob Marley and that is the Kenya we want. As I conclude, Hon. Members, in…
Odinga!
Thank you. I now give the following directions, Hon. Members. The mover of this Motion will have 10 minutes, the seconder will have 10 minutes and when the Party leaders come, they will each have 20 minutes. Every Hon. Member will have five minutes to speak. You may use all five minutes or less. At the end of the day, every Member will have an opportunity to contribute because an entire day has be…
[(Hon. Ali Wario spoke off the record)]
Hon. Owen Baya, you have 10 minutes to move the Motion.
Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, following the Presidential Proclamation issued on 15th October 2025 regarding the passing on of the Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, EGH, the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, and pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 259D (1) , the tributes of this House be recorded in honour of the late former Prime Minister’s contribution…
inspired this nation to do more, to be more, to learn more and to become more. The late Raila Amolo Odinga was a leader for all Kenyans, even those who did not believe in him. He was a warrior for Kenya. He was our Mandela. Hon. Speaker, you may recall that when Nelson Mandela was released from prison, he shook hands with his jailers and later served in the same government with them. It was in th…
Hon. Gisairo.
Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Today we sit here mourning the loss of the father of the second liberation. A man who fought for the Constitution and the freedoms that we have and enjoy today. The freedom of speech and freedom of expression that we have today carry the name of the Rt Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga. Raila Amolo Odinga was a man of courage, a man who spoke for what he believed, who walked the ta…
Have you read a poem by Art Gurfunkel called the Sound of Silence?
Not yet, Hon. Speaker. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga believed in constitutionalism and doing what is right. He believed in fairness. When I became elected as a Member of Parliament and I managed to construct a private office in my constituency, I looked for someone to commission it. The Rt Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga agreed and honoured me to commission it. He came with Mama Ida. I learnt a lot about him on…
[(Question proposed)]
Before I give the next speaker a chance, allow me to go back to Orders No.5 and 6. They are urgent. Is Hon. Chepkonga here? Hon. Gichimu to lay an urgent Paper on the Table and give Notice of Motion. Call out Order No. 5
Hon. Gichimu
Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the Chairman Committee on Delegated Legislation, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table:
Next Order, No. 6.
Hon. Members, the time being 1.16