Senate · Afternoon Sitting

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

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

[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]

Order, hon. Senators. We now have quorum. Let us start our business. Clerk, kindly read out the first Order. Order, Sen. Roba. There is a Message I want to read.

[(Sen. Ali Roba consulted Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale)]

Hon. Senators, I wish to report to the Senate that pursuant to Standing Order No.46 (3) and (4) , I have received the following Message from the Speaker of the National Assembly regarding the decision of the

National Assembly on the President’s reservations to The Conflict of Interest Bill (National Assembly Bills No.12 of 2023). The Message, dated Tuesday, 3rd June, 2025, was received in the Office of the Clerk of the Senate on Wednesday, 4th June, 2025. Pursuant to Standing Order No.46 (4), I now report the Message- “PURSUANT to the provisions of Standing Order No.41(1) and No.154 of the National …

The Chairperson, Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights (JLAHRC) or a member of the Committee. Deputy Majority Whip, kindly read the Paper.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate today, 5th June, 2025-

Report of the Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights on a petition to the Senate by Ms. Christine Njoki Mweru regarding incomplete investigations, failure to arrest and prosecute suspects involved in the abduction and disappearance of Mr. Joshua Gichuki Mwangi. I beg to lay.

Next Order.

Sen. (Dr.) Lelengwe, give Notice of that Motion.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to give notice of the following Motion- THAT the Senate adopts the report of the Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights on a petition to the Senate by Ms. Christine Njoki Mweru regarding incomplete investigations and failure to arrest and prosecute suspects involved in the abduction and disappearance of Mr. Joshua Gichuki Mwangi laid on the ta…

Before we move on to the next Order, let me make this Communication. Hon. Senators, I would like to acknowledge the presence in the Public Gallery this afternoon, of visiting teachers and students from Ruthagati High School in Nyeri County. The delegation comprises 75 students and three teachers, who are in the Senate for a one-day academic exposition. Hon. Senators, in our usual tradition of re…

Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Indeed, I am delighted because this is my former school.

Since it is your former school, take two minutes.

Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I am a proud former student of Ruthagati Secondary School and proud to see young boys from my former school coming to the Senate and finding one of the Senators of Nyeri County as a former student of Ruthagati. I encourage them that we live in a country that gives every person, every child, regardless of where they come from, an opportunity to serve th…

Very well. Next Order.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee of Roads,

Transportation and Housing on a matter of county-wide concern namely, the construction of stadiums in Machakos County. The County Government of Machakos in January, 2019 awarded contracts for construction of Masii and Mavoko stadiums to a local firm at contract sums of Kshs49,045,479 and Kshs44,616,635 respectively. However, construction works at both stadiums are stalled and the contractor aband…

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I have two statements arising from a crisis in Kirinyaga County. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries on a matter of county-wide concern regarding the drastic reduction in milk collection volumes from Kirima Slopes Dairy Cooperative Societies in Kirinyaga County by th…

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Health regarding the ongoing shortage of essential newborn vaccines, specifically Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV) in medical facilities across the country. There is a growing concern among parents and healthcare providers over the persistent unavaila…

National Immunisation Programme and threatens to reverse decades of progress in child health and disease prevention. In the Statement, the Committee should address the following-

Next is Sen. Eddy Oketch.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I approached you with the request that Sen. Eddy Oketch asked me to read out his statements and you allowed me. With that approval, allow me to read the four statements by Sen. Eddy Oketch in the order in which they appear.

Yes, proceed.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first is a request for a statement on the formation of the Mining Police Unit. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) , to seek a statement from the Standing Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources on a matter of national concern regarding the formation of the Mining Police Unit to help curb illegal mining, smuggling and money laundering within the minin…

I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53(1), to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Land, Environment, and Natural Resources on a matter of national concern regarding the basis for the Cabinet decisions of 3rd October, 2023 to declare radioactive mineral uranium, thorium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, terbium, tin, lithium, severite, coltan, chromite, niobium, rare earths and copper as stra…

Let us now go to the Statement pursuant to Standing Order No.57 (1) by the Senate Majority Leader.

No Senator was on the Floor, so I yield to Sen. Wambua Enock. Did you contribute? If so, you should not.

[(Loud consultations)]

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move- THAT the Motion be amended by deleting the words- “County Allocation = + (Kshs2 billion shared equally among the identified counties) + { *Additional County Equitable Share above Ksh.

[(Baseline Allocation Ratio*Ksh.387.425 billion)]

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to second the Motion as amended. We want to thank the Committee on Finance and Budget for its wisdom. I remember that I was in the National Assembly with you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, during debate on the Third Basis and it was not easy for Members then to pass that particular formula because it was very divisive and basically it divided the country almost into two. Mr.…

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The wisdom behind having a less controversial formula of sharing revenue amongst counties this time is informed by what preceded in the Third Senate; where there was a lot of controversy on the third basis of revenue sharing. As a result, a substantive number of counties lost. There was no

I invite Senators to contribute to this Motion, not to the original Motion, but to this amendment moved by Sen. Okongó. If you did not get the import of the amendment, then we can benefit from the wisdom of the Chair of the Committee who will explain what had happened before, why the amendment has come and the consequences of it. I invite the Chair, Sen. Roba Ali Ibrahim.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The wisdom behind having a less controversial formula of sharing revenue amongst counties this time is informed by what preceded in the Third Senate; where there was a lot of controversy on the third basis of revenue sharing. As a result, a substantive number of counties lost. There was no

amount of force from the State that could sway the position the Senators took in order to carry the entire country along. I rise to support the concept of carrying everybody along, especially the 11 counties that are receiving less money. In the wisdom of the committee, initially we proposed Kshs2 billion to be shared equally among the 11 counties with insights that the original proposed division…

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I submit. Thank you.

Hon. Senators, before I allow another contributor, I have this communication to make.

[(Interruption of debate on the Motion)]