Senate · Afternoon Sitting

Clerk, do we have quorum? Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes.

[(The Clerk-at-the-Table consulted the Speaker)]

[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]

Serjeant-at-Arms, ring the Bell again for a further 10 minutes.

[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]

[(Several senators walked into the Chamber)]

Serjeant-at-Arms, I am informed that we have quorum now. You may stop the Bell. Clerk, please proceed to the first Order.

Sen. Methu, please proceed.

[(Sen. Methu was not in the Chamber)]

The Petition is dropped.

Clerk, please call the next Order.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise, pursuant to Standing Order 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources regarding the state of licensing and activities of gold mining companies in Vihiga County. In the Statement, the Committee should -

Sen. Wambua, please proceed.

[(Sen. Wambua was not in the Chamber)]

Is there any Senator holding brief for Sen. Wambua? That Statement is dropped.

Sen. (Prof.) Tom Ojienda, please proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I have three Statements. The first Statement is on the ownership and registration of land in the irrigation schemes in Kisumu County.

The second Statement is on the state of insecurity in Katito Township in Kisumu County.

The Senate Majority leader, please proceed onto Statement pursuant to Standing Order 57 (1) .

Mr. Speaker, Sir, can I please say something on the Statement about the state of insecurity in Katito Township in Kisumu County?

I am afraid we want to hear you on your Statement.

[(Applause)]

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Katito Township is on the boundary of Kericho and Kisumu Counties and the insecurity incidents actually affected some people from Kisumu County and some from Kericho County, I would have liked to say something about it, but it is okay. I believe the distinguished Senator for Kisumu has represented us well enough and that the people of Kisumu and Kericho Counties will get justice …

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 57 (1) . I hereby present the business of the Senate for the week commencing Tuesday, 27th June, 2023. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the last few weeks, the Senate has made commendable strides in processing of legislations. At the sitting of the Senate held on Thursday, 15th June, 2023, the Senate passed the County Allocation of Revenue Bill (Senate …

Petitions procedures, however, has timelines set under the Petition to Parliament Procedures Act and our own Standing Orders. Twelve Petitions are now due for reporting. It means that the 60-day calendar period allowed for consideration has been exhausted. Specifically, four Petitions by the Senate Standing Committee on Transportation and Housing, one before the Standing Committee on Agriculture,…

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in conclusion, the Senate will proceed for a short recess at the rise of the House next week Thursday, 29th June, 2023 pursuant to the Senate Calendar. I urge the Standing Committees to make use of this period to conclude pending business before them and table reports pursuant to Standing Orders. I thank you and do hereby lay the Statement on the Table of the Senate.

Now, there are two Senators whose business had been dropped. That is Sen. Methu and Sen. Wambua. The reason was that they were not in the House when I called out their business. The two Senators have since entered the Chamber. They have approached the Chair and given the reasons why they were not present when their business was called out. I have found their reasons not just persuasive but also co…

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for allowing me to read this Petition on behalf of Nyandarua Integrated IDPs. It is a Petition to the Senate by the Nyandarua Integrated IDPs concerning delays in compensation and occupation of parcels of land both for their settlement between 2010 and 2013. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I hereby present a Petition that has been submitted to the Senate by the Nyandarua Integrate…

THAT, the IDPs were vetted and profiled to be genuine and were to benefit from the money that the Parliament of Kenya appropriated and budgeted for compensation which they have not received to date. THAT the Petitioners have made efforts to have the matters addressed by the Nyandarua County Assembly, the Laikipia County Assembly, the National Land Commission, the Ministry of Interior and National…

Pursuant to Standing Order No.237, I will allow interventions on that Petition. Sen. Sifuna, you may have the Floor.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, allow me to pass that opportunity to another Senator. I wanted to express some sentiments on the question that had been put forward by Sen. (Prof.) Tom Odhiambo Ojienda, SC.

Sen. Cheruiyot, you may have the Floor.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is a curious matter that we still have IDPs in the country. It is something that pricks my curiosity. This is because, before Parliament, that is in the National Assembly and I think if I am not mistaken, even before this Senate, there have been reports of billions of Kenya shillings that have been spent to resettle IDPs that came as a result of the difficult times that we …

This House has just passed the Preservation of Human Dignity and Conservation of Economic Rights Bill sponsored by Sen. Mungatana, a few weeks ago. The Bill has just been referred to the National Assembly. This is part and parcel of what we are talking about. We cannot live in a country where other Kenyans feel more Kenyan than others. If there are those who unfortunately for one reason or the ot…

Sen. (Prof.) Tom Odhiambo Ojienda, SC.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I speak about the IDPs question and the issues raised by the Senator for Nyandarua County. This is because I am passionate about the question, not just as a previous lawyer having acted for IDPs in several capacities, but also having been directly involved with questions of post-election violence. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am a resident of Nakuru County. Of course, I am the Senator of…

experience in the 2007/2008 conflict. I believe that Government through its structures should rise to the occasion and deal with questions of IDPs. We had sets of IDPs, the direct IDPs and the integrated IDPs who moved to their counties or sub-counties and settled. I think they never benefited from the compensation that was given to the direct IDPs living in the various camps in Naivasha, Nakuru …

Sen. Wakili Sigei, you may have the Floor.

Thank you, very much Mr. Speaker, Sir. The question of land and settlement is a very emotive one. When Sen. Methu speaks about the IDPs in his country, he is speaking to very many issues affecting very many Kenyans not only within his county, but across. Indeed, it is a matter of public interest especially in this time and age, to have Kenyans who are unable to own homes and do whatever the rest …

Hon. Senators, pursuant to Standing Order No. 238

Mr. Speaker Sir, let me take this opportunity to thank you for indulging me on the matter of this Statement so that we have clarity on this issue. I was delayed at the leaders meeting, but I am happy to issue the Statement now. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Education on the delayed payment of salaries to staff and …

Hon. Senators, kindly take your seats. Before I allow the Clerk to call the next order, I have the following communication to make.

Hon. Senators, the Natural Resources Benefit Sharing Bill (Senate Bills No.6 of 2022) was published on November, 2022. The Bill was read for the first time on the 1st of December, 2022 and committed to the Standing Committee on Lands, Environment and Natural Resources. The Committee tabled a report on the Bill on the 21st of March 2023 pursuant to Standing Order No.148. The second reading debate …

I have this other Communication to make. I would like to acknowledge the presence in the Public Gallery this afternoon visiting teachers and students from Garden Estate Secondary in Roysambu Constituency.

The Group comprises three teachers and 100 students who are in the Senate for a one-day academic exposition. Hon. Senators, in our usual tradition of receiving and welcoming visitors to Parliament, I extend a warm welcome to them. On behalf of the Senate and on my own behalf, wish them a fruitful visit. I will allow the Senate Majority Leader to just say a few words of welcome in one minute.

Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to extend a warm welcome to the students that have found time to be with us. They have patiently been sitting in the Speaker’s Gallery since 2:30 p.m., if I am not mistaken. Even when we had a quorum hitch, I saw them excitedly chatting amongst themselves wondering that even Hon. Senators can be late. Please, do not pick such bad habits. Always be in time for your classes t…

Thank you. Now, Hon. Senators, pursuant to Standing Order No.45 (2) , I will proceed to rearrange the sequence of today’s Order Paper. We will start with Order No.11 and proceed on thereafter. In the event that we have enough county delegations in the course of interrogating Order No.11, then we may come back to Order No.8, 9, and 10. Clerk, kindly proceed to call Order No.11.

towards the service of the year ending 30th June, 2023, and to appropriate the said sums for certain public basic services in the marginalized regions; AND WHEREAS the Senate passed the said Bill on 6th June, 2023 and referred it to the National Assembly for consideration and whereas the National Assembly considered and passed the said Bill on Thursday, 22nd June, 2023 without amendment and in th…

[(Applause)]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Allow me through you, to laud the National Assembly for taking such a short time to pronounce itself on these two Bills. Mr. Speaker, Sir, just two things. The first one is that as you take these Bills to the President for assent, we would like to see the presence of the Senate when the signing is going on.

[(Applause)]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to support this wonderful Bill from my very own student; the Mung Beans Bill, 2022. This Bill came to us in the last Senate. I am happy that we interrogated it at that time. We looked at a number of issues that have been ably addressed by Sen. Wambua.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to support this wonderful Bill from my very own student; the Mung Beans Bill, 2022. This Bill came to us in the last Senate. I am happy that we interrogated it at that time. We looked at a number of issues that have been ably addressed by Sen. Wambua.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, may I take this opportunity to congratulate the Senator for such a well worded Bill. This Bill will make a big difference in the agricultural sector of this country

[[The Speaker (Hon. Kingi) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Wakili Sigei) in the Chair]]

I know the Bill has provided for use of the same beans in our school feeding programmes. However, the money maker is going to be export of these beans. This will be very important for us because before anybody exports any crop to us, we will also tell them what we have for exports. This will be good. Seed breeding is going to be prime. Hybrids will be grown all over. The standards of packaging wi…

Thank you, Sen. (Prof.) Kamar. Sen. Tabitha Mutinda, you may have the Floor.

Thank you so much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to support my home county Senator, Sen. Wambua, on this wonderful mung bean Bill. As a champion of agriculture, in regards to my current Bill on Agriculture and Livestock Extension Services, I am very happy to see this Bill on the Floor of this House. This Bill expounds and brings about the achievements of the extension, as I talk about making…

Thank you so much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to support my home county Senator, Sen. Wambua, on this wonderful mung bean Bill. As a champion of agriculture, in regards to my current Bill on Agriculture and Livestock Extension Services, I am very happy to see this Bill on the Floor of this House. This Bill expounds and brings about the achievements of the extension, as I talk about making…

Thank you very much, Senator. Sen. Sifuna, resume your seat. I have this Communication to make, then you can contribute.

[(Sen. Sifuna stood in his place)]

[(Interruption of Debate on the Bill)]

Thank you very much, Senator. Sen. Sifuna, resume your seat. I have this Communication to make, then you can contribute.

[(Sen. Sifuna stood in his place)]

[(Interruption of Debate on the Bill)]