Senate · Afternoon Sitting

Clerk, do we have quorum? Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes. Order, hon. Senators. We have quorum now. So, we will proceed with the business of the day. Clerk, proceed to call the first order. Senator for Lamu County, take your seat. Sen. Okenyuri, you may pass your greetings later.

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

[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]

[(Sen. Githuku stood in his place)]

[(Sen. Githuku sat in his place)]

[(Sen. Okenyuri consulted Sen. Crystal Asige)]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I would like to extend a warm welcome to the students and teachers from Kajiado County. I encourage the young lads to observe keenly what we do here. We were once sitted where they are sitted when we came to observe what Parliament is all about and now we have an opportunity to practice what we saw before. I challenge all of you to commit yourselves to a better future…

Next Order. Proceed, Senate Majority Leader.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Senate Majority Leader, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate, today, 24th February, 2026- (Reports of the Auditor-General to be laid pursuant to the Senate Resolution of Tuesday, 11th November, 2025, on the Referral of Statutory Instruments and Papers submitted during recess for the year ended 30th June, 2025) Report of the Auditor-Gener…

Sen. Enock Wambua.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate, today, 24th February, 2026. Report of the Proceedings of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference on the role of Parliament in shaping the future of responsible AI held from 28th to 30th November, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thank you.

[(Sen. Wambua laid the document on the Table)]

Next Order.

Sen. Enock Wambua.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to give notice of the following Motion - THAT, the Senate notes the Report of the pproceedings of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference on the role of parliaments in shaping the future of responsible AI held from 28th to 30th November, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 24th February, 2026.

Hon. Senators, before we consider statements pursuant to Standing Order No.53, allow me to arrange today's Order Paper so that we deal with Order No.8, 9 and 10, then resume the normal flow of today's Order Paper. Clerk, proceed to call those orders please.

Clerk, do we have quorum? Sen. Hamida, kindly take your seat. Sen. Omtatah. Hon. Senators, I will now put the question.

[(Sen. Kibwana and Sen. Omtatah stood in their places)]

[(Question put and agreed to)]

Do we have quorum? Next Order.

[(Question put and agreed to)]

Clerk, do we have quorum?

[(Question put and agreed to)]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.52 (1) to seek a statement from the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on a matter of county-wide concern regarding the status and implementation of the Financing Locally-led Climate Action (FLLoCA) programme in Bungoma County. In particular, the accountability arrangement for funds disbursed and the implementation of ward-le…

Senator for Kajiado County, Sen. Seki.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a statement from the Standing Committee of National Security, Defense and Foreign Relations on a matter of nationwide concern regarding the shooting of two civilians in an incident involving police officers in Kitengela Town, Kajiado County.

The next one is by the Senator from Busia County, Sen. Andrew Omtatah.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek for a statement from the Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing on a matter of nationwide concern regarding the failure by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to enforce the road safety management system as provided under the National Transport and Safety Authority Act of 2012 and its subsidiary l…

Next is the Senator for Bomet County, Sen. Wakili Sigei.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a statement from the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on a matter of countywide concern regarding administration of the Facilities Improvement Fund (FIF) in Bomet County. The Facilities Improvement Financing Act provides that all monies raised or received by or on behalf of all public health facilities shall be retained…

Next is Senator for Kirinyaga County, Sen. James Murango. If he is not here, that Statement is dropped.

Next is Sen. Faki, Senator for Mombasa County.

Asante, Mheshimiwa Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii. Nasimama kwa mujibu wa Kanuni za Kudumu Nambari 53 (1) ya Kanuni za Seneti kuomba taarifa kutoka kwa Kamati ya Kudumu ya Afya kuhusiana na jambo la umuhimu wa kitaifa kuhusu hali ya huduma na utawala katika hospitali ya Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital. Hospitali hiyo ni nguzo muhimu kwa wakazi wa Kaunti ya Mombasa na maeneo jirani ya pwa…

Senator for Kilifi County, the Hon. Stewart Madzayo, proceed.

Hon. Senators, I will allow comments for not more than 15 minutes. If you have a chance to speak, kindly do so for not more than three minutes. The Senator for Nairobi City County, Sen. Edwin Sifuna, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I want to comment on the statement by the Senator for Kajido County regarding the shooting incident in Kajiado, specifically, Kitengela. In my view, there is a problem with the police in Kitengela because it cannot be that across the country, we are only hearing a concentration of this incidents in Kitengela.

Sen. Chute, proceed.

Asante, Bw. Spika. Namshukuru Sen. Madzayo kwa kuleta kauli hii ya athari za kiangazi. Kaunti za Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Turkana, Garissa na zingine nyingi zina shida. Taabu tunayo ni kwamba, hatuna mpangilio mzuri wa ugavi wa chakula cha msaada. Utasikia kwamba chakula kinanunuliwa hapa na kinasafirishwa. Kikifika mahali kama Isiolo, kinapunguzwa, kikifika kwa store ya National Cereals and Prod…

Hakuna shida kama Somalia.

Sen. Maanzo, proceed. Sen. Wambua, proceed.

Asante sana, Bw. Spika, kwa kunipa nafasi hii pia nami nichangie taarifa ambayo imetolewa na Kiongozi wa Walio Wachache, Seneta wa Kaunti ya Kilifi. Hii taarifa ikifikishwa kwa Kamati ya kuangazia mambo ya ukame na njaa, ambayo yamekita mizizi huko Kilifi, pia wakumbuke eneo la Ukambani ambako limekithiri. Siku chache zilizopita, nimekuwa nikitazama malori makubwa na matrela yakipita kwenye bara…

[(Sen. Wambua’s microphone was switched off)]

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I serve in this House as the Senator for Kericho. As a legislator, I am equally allowed to ask questions and not to be directed on what to say, like Sen. Wambua is trying to imply. Of course, I sympathise with the drought situation in the country. I will be remiss if I do not say that this is an issue that needs to be treated with the seriousness it deserves. In fact, the respons…

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support the statement by the Senator for Bungoma County, Sen. Wakoli, who is also the Majority Whip. This is a statement on a climate-led action called Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) funded by the World Bank, to the county governments. A lot of funds have been disbursed to county governments in the past year to address climate-related issues. I sup…

Proceed, Sen. Abass.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also join the---

Just a minute, Sen. Abass. Sen. Osotsi, you must be wondering why you are on top of the dashboard and why your name is on top in the list and yet I have not called you out. I have a communication that concerns you. So, unless we deal with that, you have to hold your horses.

[(Laughter)]

Hon. Speaker, thank you so much. I also support the statement from the Minority Leader, the Senator for Kilifi. The drought situation in this country is actually worrying. As you are aware, drought in this county has become cyclic. Unfortunately, we do not have any early warnings and early planning for drought interventions. Hon. Speaker, the situation in Mandera, Wajir and the entire northern Ke…

Hon. Senators, we have utilised the 15 minutes allocated to this session. I have a communication to make regarding the Senator for Vihiga County, Sen. Osotsi.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Budget, Sen. Roba, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate, today, Tuesday, 24th February, 2026- Report of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on the 2026 Budget Policy Statement. Report of the Senate Committee on Finance and Budget on the 2026 Medium Term Debt Management Strategy.…

[(Sen. Oketch Gicheru laid the document on the Table)]

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give notice of the following Motions-

Chairperson, Committee on Energy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate, today, Tuesday, 24th February, 2026- Report of the Joint Sitting of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy and the Senate Standing Committee on Energy on the consideration of the field development plan and production sharing contracts for block T6 and T7 in Sol Lokichar Basin, Turkana County.

[(Sen. Kisang laid the document on the Table)]

I beg to give notice of the following Motion- THAT, the Senate adopts the report of the Joint Sitting of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy and the Senate Standing Committee on Energy on the consideration of the field development plan and the production sharing contracts for blocks T6 and T7 in Sol Lokichar Basin, Turkana County, laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 24th…

Next Order.

The Senate Majority Leader, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. Further in accordance to Standing Order No.66 (3) , I beg to request that the putting of the question be deferred to a later date.

Putting of the question is deferred. I will now further rearrange today's Order Paper. Where is the Chairperson of the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights (JLAHR) ? I will handle Orders No.14 and 15 first and then we resume normal flow. The Chairperson, Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights (JLAHR) Committee, proceed.

[(Putting of the question on the Bill deferred)]

Thank you, Senate Majority Leader. Sen. Wafula Wakoli, proceed.

Sen. Chimera.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I appreciate the fact that we have a new Chamber system and I was not able to work on it. I take this opportunity to

Thank you, Senator. I will now call upon the Senate Majority Leader to proceed and reply.

Madam Speaker, I thought there were more than two people in the House, but maybe for one reason or the other, they chose not to speak to this particular topic and expected Sen. Chimera, my colleague, who has just walked in to have more to say, but I realized typical of the selfish nature of the profession he comes from.

February, 24, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 57

Thank you, Majority Leader. The putting of question is deferred to the next session of Senate. Next Order.

[(Putting of Question on the Bill deferred)]

Thank you, Majority Leader. The putting of question is deferred to the next session of Senate. Next Order.

[(Putting of Question on the Bill deferred)]

Sen. Mwaruma is not in the House, so that will be dropped from the Order Paper. It is now deferred. Next Order.

I am dark and handsome, and I do not appreciate when there is interference of that complexion. The implementation of this Bill will guide the principles, including equal recognition. Remember Article 11 is part of the Bill of Rights. That is one of the sections of the Constitution that we are proud of. It sits at the apex of development of that space globally in terms of the freedom that we have …

February, 24, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 60

I am dark and handsome, and I do not appreciate when there is interference of that complexion. The implementation of this Bill will guide the principles, including equal recognition. Remember Article 11 is part of the Bill of Rights. That is one of the sections of the Constitution that we are proud of. It sits at the apex of development of that space globally in terms of the freedom that we have …

Hon. Senator, when we resume, you will have a balance of 52 minutes to speak on that important Bill.