Senate · Morning Sitting

Clerk, could you confirm if we have the quorum? We have no quorum. Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes. Clerk, could you please, confirm if we now have quorum? Serjeant-at-Arms, please ring the Quorum Bell for a further five minutes. Clerk, I have been made to understand that there is a committee sitting when the session is supposed to be commencing. That should not hap…

[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]

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

[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]

(The Clerk-at the-Table consulted with the Temporary Speaker) Hon. Senators, we now have a quorum and, therefore, the session can commence. Clerk, call out Order No.1

Thank you, Prime Cabinet Secretary. Sen. (Prof.) Ojienda, please, ask one supplementary question if you have because we do not have time. We are running out of time.

[[The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Veronica Maina) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Abdul Haji) in the Chair]]

Thank you, Prime Cabinet Secretary. Sen. (Prof.) Ojienda, please, ask one supplementary question if you have because we do not have time. We are running out of time.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir. I thought there was Gen Zs sabotage, but it is a Wednesday. I am satisfied with the responses by the Prime Cabinet Secretary and as a student of International Law and Diplomacy, I will reach out to the Cabinet Secretary to clarify some of the data that he has alluded to. I am satisfied and I have no follow-up questions. Thank you.

Hon. Senators, we are running out of time and with your indulgence, I will have to cut this Session short because the other two Cabinet Secretaries are already here. They have arrived. So, I will only allow two supplementary questions; one from Sen. Gataya Mo Fire and the other from Sen. Issa Juma Boy. Please, be very brief and ask one question. Sen. Gataya Mo Fire, please go straight to your que…

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I want to revisit the concerns of my senior, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, on the issue of not having clear data of Kenyans abroad. I mean, it should not arise because our immigration department that clears people to travel at the airport should have the data. Hon. Prime Cabinet Secretary, do you collaborate with the sister Ministry, State Department of Immigration, …

Thank you, Senator. Sen. Isa Juma Boy, please proceed.

Asante Bw. Spika wa Muda. Swali langu ni, ningependa kurudia tena kuhusu wafanyikazi ambao wanafanya kazi Uarabuni, Saudia. Mimi nikiwa Seneta wa Jimbo la Kwale, kuna shida kubwa sana katika Kaunti yangu. Baada ya miezi miwili au mitatu, utapata maiti kati ya wafanyikazi ambao wanafanya kazi kule Saudia ikiletwa Kwale. Miezi miwili iliyopita kuna mwanamke mmoja kwa jina---

Sen. Boy, nilitoa agizo kwamba uende moja kwa moja kwa swali lako. Uliza swali; hadithi nyingi hatutaki.

Bw. Spika wa Muda, wakati mwingine mtoto mdogo anapotaka kuzungumza, huanza kidogo kidogo ndiposa aongee.

Kuna dada yetu kwa jina Zuhura Swale Mwabege ambaye alikuwa akifanya kazi Saudia. Aliuawa mwaka jana mwezi wa Disemba. Dada huyu kwao ni Magaoni, Sub-County ya Msambweni. Aliuwawa na mpaka sasa hivi, familia yake haijapata sababu ya kuuwawa kwake Mimi ninakemea sana Embassy yetu ya kule. Sio kwa ubaya lakini tunataka Embassy yetu ya Saudia iamke ifanye kazi. Watu hawa ambao wanafanya kazi kule wa…

Kuna dada yetu kwa jina Zuhura Swale Mwabege ambaye alikuwa akifanya kazi Saudia. Aliuawa mwaka jana mwezi wa Disemba. Dada huyu kwao ni Magaoni, Sub-County ya Msambweni. Aliuwawa na mpaka sasa hivi, familia yake haijapata sababu ya kuuwawa kwake Mimi ninakemea sana Embassy yetu ya kule. Sio kwa ubaya lakini tunataka Embassy yetu ya Saudia iamke ifanye kazi. Watu hawa ambao wanafanya kazi kule wa…

Asante, Senator. Cabinet Secretary,

usually from the public and they demand for these answers. So, we hope that we will have more interactions with you in the future. Thank you and we wish you all the best in your duties, Sir. (The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs (Hon. Musalia Mudavadi) was ushered out of the Chamber) (The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry …

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry the following Question No.057

So, Hon. Cabinet Secretary, my apologies for that, but I thank you for your thorough answers to the questions that were asked today. I would want to also encourage you not to lose heart on this one case where the Senator was not here to ask the question. We need this kind of interactions because the issues that are raised here by the Senators are brought to us by the public and they find this oppo…

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I ask Question No.045 by the Senator for Siaya County, Sen. (Dr.) Oburu Oginga, MGH, MP. The Question is-

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I ask Question No.045 by the Senator for Siaya County, Sen. (Dr.) Oburu Oginga, MGH, MP. The Question is-

The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport (Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen): Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to come and respond to the questions. Again, let me repeat that it is my greatest pleasure to come back to this august House. Since all the questions relate to pending roads, allow me, by way of introduction, just to say something in two minutes. One is that the situ…

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will read the answers a bit faster because most of the answers to the questions relate to the nonexistence of budgetary allocation for the roads to be done. This is important for the state of the nation, the Ministry and our roads. The reason this Government has been accused of miscommunication is that for the last two years, we have behaved like an African father wh…

The upgrading to bitumen standards and performance-based maintenance of the Gotnanga-Jera-Ba-Ober-D-1853 road project is currently at 20 per cent progress, with

The upgrading to bitumen standards and performance-based maintenance of the Gotnanga-Jera-Ba-Ober-D-1853 road project is currently at 20 per cent progress, with

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to ask Question No.050.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to ask Question No.050.

This has become also a problem for us at the road safety site. The questions Kenya is asking, and then again using this answer, it is across the country. All the roads which are pending are partially done. The sequencing of how to construct these roads requires that you finish first before you start road furniture and markings. The people of Kenya are suffering because there are no bumps and marki…

[[The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Abdul Haji) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Wakili Sigei) in the Chair]]

Thank you, Hon. Cabinet Secretary for that response. Sen. Omogeni, I believe you have got a supplementary question to that. I, therefore, grant you the opportunity to proceed.

[[The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Abdul Haji) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Wakili Sigei) in the Chair]]

Thank you, Hon. Cabinet Secretary for that response. Sen. Omogeni, I believe you have got a supplementary question to that. I, therefore, grant you the opportunity to proceed.

projects that are already ongoing before we deal with the new ones, noting that there is no one single bus stop along that road or bumps anywhere in the whole of that stretch? Secondly, on the issue of the Nyageita Bridge, you note that is a high-volume road. The bridge I am mentioning is really a makeshift. It is the road that we use to transport our tea, which is a key economic activity in the …

[[The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Wakili Sigei) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Abdul Haji) in the Chair]]

Thank you, Senior Counsel. Proceed, Hon. Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport : Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. At least I did an earlier introduction about the general status of the funding across the country. The thing I would suggest is that maybe we can plan for safety activities just within the available budget. We will see if we can take care of bumps and …

[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]

[[The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Wakili Sigei) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Abdul Haji) in the Chair]]

However, the people of Kenya have told us that, yes, we want the roads and, yes, you can get the money, but not at transferring up the cost of the pump by Kshs7. The cost of living is up because fuel creates a problem across the sector. We will sit because we completed the public participation last Monday and then we will go and sit together with the State Department for Petroleum to see if there …

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. We will take one supplementary question. Sen. John Kinyua, is it in regard to this Question? You can go ahead.

Asante, Bw. Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa fursa hii. Nashukuru Bw. Waziri kwa kuja na kuweka maneno paruwanja kulingana na vile Wizara yake iko, kulingana na mambo ya barabara. Swali langu ni kwamba nimesikia Bw. Waziri akisema ya kwamba alikisia atapata Kshs165 bilioni, lakini akapata Kshs50 bilioni. Kuna zile barabara ambazo zinatengenezwa. Bw. Waziri anachagua vipi barababa itakayotengenezwa na ni…

Wakati bajeti inapitishwa kama ile schedule iliyopitishwa majuzi inayoonyesha pesa zinavyotumika, tayari imetenga pesa za kila barabara. Ukiangalia zile barabara nilizozisoma hapo awali, nilionyesha wazi kila barabara na kiasi chake kwa bajeti. Wakati hiyo schedule itatoka National Treasury mda wowote kutoka sasa, kila mkenya ataweza kuangalia ni pesa ngapi imetengwa kwa barabara ya kaunti fulani.…

Wakati bajeti inapitishwa kama ile schedule iliyopitishwa majuzi inayoonyesha pesa zinavyotumika, tayari imetenga pesa za kila barabara. Ukiangalia zile barabara nilizozisoma hapo awali, nilionyesha wazi kila barabara na kiasi chake kwa bajeti. Wakati hiyo schedule itatoka National Treasury mda wowote kutoka sasa, kila mkenya ataweza kuangalia ni pesa ngapi imetengwa kwa barabara ya kaunti fulani.…

Very well, Cabinet Secretary. However, before we proceed to the next Question, Sen. Ogola, accept my apologies. We did not give you an opportunity to ask a supplementary question on Question No.045. Do you have a Supplementary Question?

on our roads after the massive floods that just ended? That is a general question and not specific to Siaya County. It points to the inadequate finances you were talking about, and yet all over the country we have broken roads after the floods. Thank you.

on our roads after the massive floods that just ended? That is a general question and not specific to Siaya County. It points to the inadequate finances you were talking about, and yet all over the country we have broken roads after the floods. Thank you.

Cabinet Secretary, you may proceed. The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport : Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will be brief so that I save time. This question is important, but it also touches on the other question on Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) . Restoration of roads affected by floods is actually maintenance. I had already explained that we are unable to do so because the RMLF is ru…

[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Question No.058 addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport is on Kenya Airways (KQ) .

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Question No.058 addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport is on Kenya Airways (KQ) .

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, because of time, I will use the Standing Orders to extend this sitting for a further 15 minutes, so that we conclude Question No.058. The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport : Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, unfortunately, I may not meet the expectations of the Senior Counsel and hon. Senator because the Government of Kenya holds a significant stake in KQ. That is appro…

[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Sen. (Prof.) Tom Ojienda Odhiambo, SC, proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as the Cabinet Secretary has indicated, obviously his response is unsatisfactory. In view of his response on the need to interrogate the leadership of KQ, the question of shareholding arises. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I note that the Government has 48 per cent shareholding, but there is the other question of the public interest that also arises under this obligation.…

Thank you, Senator. Hon. Senator, since we have extended the sitting for 15 minutes, Sen. Faki, we are not taking any supplementary questions at the moment. We will take supplementary questions at the end and that is what we have agreed. We are going to the next question. Sorry? What is your point of order, Sen. Osotsi?

[(Sen. Osotsi spoke off the record)]

Sen. Osotsi, the Cabinet Secretary has not spent a lot of time on the written response; he has actually been very brief. Anyway, because of time, let us go to the next Question, which is actually raised by you. Could you proceed to ask Question No.59, so that we can proceed? Question No.059

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, and thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for appearing to answer my Question. I rise to ask Question No.59, and it reads-

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, and thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for appearing to answer my Question. I rise to ask Question No.59, and it reads-

Due to the limited budget ceiling available to the State Department of Roads, KeRRA is unable to allocate funds to all critical areas. Allocated funds should be enough to address the particular challenge and realize value for money as a thin spread of funds would result in ineffective allocation with little to show from the spread. The procurement of road works in KeRRA adheres to the Public Proc…

Due to the limited budget ceiling available to the State Department of Roads, KeRRA is unable to allocate funds to all critical areas. Allocated funds should be enough to address the particular challenge and realize value for money as a thin spread of funds would result in ineffective allocation with little to show from the spread. The procurement of road works in KeRRA adheres to the Public Proc…

Sen. Osotsi, your supplementary question?

Number two, the answers to question two and three is the best case scenario. However, we know that the 22 per and the 10 per cent of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) funds, which are under the management of Members of Parliament (MPs) are misappropriated. That is a fact and it is something that we discussed the whole of last week and this week. So, as much as the answer there looks very goo…

Number two, the answers to question two and three is the best case scenario. However, we know that the 22 per and the 10 per cent of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) funds, which are under the management of Members of Parliament (MPs) are misappropriated. That is a fact and it is something that we discussed the whole of last week and this week. So, as much as the answer there looks very goo…

Thank you, Senator. Cabinet Secretary, proceed. The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport (Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen): Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, first of all, the truth is that every constituency gets the same amount of money from the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA). They are the same. For the last Financial Year, it was Kshs62 million for every constituency in the Republic. The Kenya Road…

[(Applause)]

Question No.61 to the Cabinet Secretary, Roads and Transport is in five parts.

Question No.061

Question No.61 to the Cabinet Secretary, Roads and Transport is in five parts.

Cabinet Secretary? The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport : Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I confirm that the Ministry, through its road agencies is actively undertaking real-time monitoring and mapping of infrastructure affected by the unusually heavy rains during the period of April, May 2024, as well as the El Nino rains of October to December, 2023. This initiative aims to facilitate time…

[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]

According to the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, the national Government is responsible for the construction and operation of national trunk roads and set standards for the construction and maintenance of roads by both national and county governments. The county government is responsible for the construction and operation of county roads. From this, it is evident that the national Government…

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, thank you for appearing. Just as a point of information, the Senate Business Committee (SBC) has indicated that the remaining questions shall be referred to next week. I hope we will have you again. That is how much we like you, Hon. Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport : Thank you.

[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]

We will have you appear in this House again next week.