Senate · Afternoon Sitting
Thursday, 27 February 2025
Senators raised concerns about KEMSA's drug procurement and distribution, highlighting unpaid county bills, lack of inventory monitoring, and the need for a transparent audit of the health supply chain. The debate also touched on judiciary disciplinary matters, urging swift action to preserve public confidence in the courts. Senators debated shortcomings in Kenya's health procurement system, particularly KEMSA's credit‑based drug purchases and lack of tracking, and evaluated a proposed enterprise‑resource‑planning marketplace to improve drug delivery and accountability. They also raised urgent public‑health concerns about the emerging Kala‑azar disease and called for stronger control measures. The discussion combined criticism of existing structures with enthusiasm for innovative solutions. The Senate Committee highlighted severe shortages of health staff and equipment in Taita‑Taveta and Kilifi counties, alongside escalating human‑wildlife conflicts that threaten food security. It criticised the fragmented and delayed processes for designating hardship areas and paying related allowances, and recommended a unified statutory framework to standardise hardship classifications across public service. The debate also noted procedural lags in house‑allowance advisories for newly gazetted municipalities.
Clerk, do we have quorum? Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes.
[(The Clerk-at-the-Table consulted with the Speaker)]
[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]
[(The Clerk-at-the-Table consulted with the Speaker)]
Hon. Senators, I am informed that we do have quorum now. So, we will straightaway go to the Order Paper. Clerk, proceed to call the first Order. The Senate Majority Leader.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of this Senate; today, the 27th February, 2025. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the County Executive of Isiolo for the year ended 30th June, 2024;
Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the County Assembly of Isiolo for the year ended 30th June, 2024; Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the County Revenue Fund - County Government of Isiolo for the year ended 30th June, 2024; Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the Receiver of Revenue - Revenue Statements - County Government of Isi…
Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Tharaka-Nithi County Climate Change Fund for the year ended 30th June, 2024; Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Municipality of Kathwana – County Government of Tharaka-Nithi for the year ended 30th June, 2024; Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Nithi Water and Sanitation Services Company Limited …
Statements pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) . The Senator for Marsabit County, Sen. Mohamed Chute.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I have a Statement on the outbreak of Kala-azar in Marsabit County. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Health regarding the outbreak of Kala-azar, also known as Visceral Leishmaniasis in Marsabit County. The outbreak has sparked serious public health concerns about Kala-azar. If l…
Now, upon request by the Senator for Taita-Taveta, Statements No.2 and 3 are hereby deferred.
We go to Statement No.4. The hon. Senator for Kisumu County, Sen. (Prof) Tom Ojienda.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am standing in for Sen. (Prof) Tom Ojienda. He has two Statements.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I stand pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) , to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Information, Communication and Technology, regarding the unauthorised access by third parties to personal and company information in the Business Registration Service (BRS) platform, on e-Citizen on or around 31st January, 2025. In the Statement, the Committee should-
Proceed, Sen. Olekina.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) , to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Health regarding the distribution of drugs by the Kenya Medical Suppliers Authority, (KEMSA) , to county public health facilities. In the Statement, the Committee should-
Hon. Senators, before I allow comments on those Statements, let me allow the Senate Majority Leader to read his Statement. Sen. Boni, are you representing the Senate Majority Leader?
Yes.
Proceed to make your Statement pursuant to Standing Order No.57 (1) .
Chairperson Standing Committee on Education, Sen. Montet Betty.
Madam Temporary Speaker, I beg to move- THAT, the Senate adopts the Report of the Standing Committee on Education on a Petition to the Senate regarding the discrimination by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) on payment of hardship and enhanced house allowances to some teachers in Kilifi and Taita Taveta counties, laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 8th October 2024. Thank you. Madam Te…
Further, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), informed the Committee that the Commission has no legal mandate to gazette any area as a hardship area. However, under Regulation 9.1 of the Code of Regulations of Teachers, the TSC is mandated to pay hardship allowance to teachers who qualify or in designated areas. Madam Temporary Speaker, the mandate of classifying the gazetting hardship areas re…
administrative actions. For instance, while Kilifi Township was officially gazetted as a municipality in March 2019, the SRC did not provide advisory on the house allowance payable until July 31st, 2023. This gap highlights the lag between the enttachment of legislative. Further, the criterion of designation of hardship areas in the county has not been standardised across the entirety of the publ…
Thank you, Sen. Betty. Proceed, Sen. Beatrice Ogola.
Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. From the onset I want to thank Sen. Betty Montet, for moving this Motion. Sen. Betty Montet is the current Chair of the Committee on Education and from the word, go, we know her as a team player, who will steer the Education Committee to the next level. She is an organiser and often when we have some of our arrangements as women Senators, she is our designated o…
Madam Temporary Speaker, I rise to second the Motion as moved by Sen. Montet. This is a Petition to the Senate regarding the discrimination by Teacher Service Commission (TSC) on the payment of hardships and enhanced house allowance to some teachers in Kilifi and Taita Taveta counties. This discrimination may not only be specific to Taita Taveta and Kilifi counties. A number of teachers in this …
Some of the innate effects of this discrimination is that the teachers finally have reduced morale to work. When teachers who are teaching our children, and looking into the growth of the youth and our children, into becoming hardworking and serious adults in this country have no morale in work, this directly affects the growth of our children, and finally affects the growth of these young people …
As I end my presentation, I want to Second this Motion but say that we need as a country to relook overly at the welfare of teachers. There would be even no need to single out only specific areas to have hardship allowance. If you are to take my word, teachers everywhere still have hardships, because what they earn is not commensurate with the expectations. Madam Temporary Speaker, all of us loo…
Thank you, Sen. Beatrice Ogola. I will now invite Senators to contribute to this Motion, starting with Sen. Catherine Mumma.
[(Question proposed)]
Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this report and to congratulate the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Education and the outgoing Members of the Committee, noting that I am also a Member. This is a very good report which I hope we can adopt and follow up collectively as the plenary of the Senate to ensure it is implemented as envisaged. Madam Tempor…
This Motion is absolutely important as we discuss the issue of unequal remuneration across the country. The same Constitution that established so many constitutional commissions with powers to do this, I feel they have failed us. Madam Temporary Speaker, we have the TSC, we have the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), we have the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHRC), we have …
comparable to county Y. We need to find out how the marginalized counties can be handheld to ensure citizens in those counties do not suffer lack of access to services. This is because we are deliberately refusing to implement the principle of equality, non- discrimination, equity and equality. You will agree with me that the political question on the table in Kenya today is equity. Whatever fact…
wanted it in governance andsharing of resources. The devolved governance system is the number one tool of ensuring equity. I urge our Chairperson and the Committee to look beyond what the KENYA Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Kilifi branch have brought to us. I would like to thank them so much and encourage them to bring the other aspe…
Thank you, Senator. There are no other contributors to this Motion so I will request Sen. Betty to reply.
Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I beg to reply. I wish to thank all the Senators who have contributed to this Motion. From what we have gathered as a Committee, this is a very important Motion. It is affecting not only Kilifi and Taita Taveta counties, but most of the hard-hit areas in our Republic. We have gotten very good insights, which this Committee will sit and look into. I pray that th…
Thank you, Sen. Betty. The putting of question is deferred to the next sitting of the Senate. Next Order.
[(Putting of the question on the Motion deferred)]
endured for the last twelve years, laid on the Table of the Senate on Thursday, 5th December, 2024.
The Mover, who is the Chairperson of Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries is not here so this will be deferred to the next Sitting. Next Order.
Sen. Wafula is the Mover of this Motion. He is not there, so, the Motion is deferred. Next Order.
Hon. Senators, there being no other business on the Order Paper, the Senate, therefore, stands adjourned until Tuesday, 4th March, 2025, at 2.30 p.m. The Senate rose at 5:52 p.m.