National Assembly · Afternoon Sitting

Hon. Members, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42, I wish to convey the following Message from His Excellency the President, regarding the nomination of a person for appointment as a member of the National Gender and Equality Commission. In the Message, His Excellency the President conveys that in exercise of powers conferred on him by Article 252 (b) of the Constitution and Section 1…

In this regard, the Committee should undertake approval hearings and submit its report within 21 days as provided for in the National Gender and Equality Commission Act. The law, however, allows for an extension of this period, should need arise. In view of the foregoing, Hon. Members, the Committee is expected to immediately commence the approval process, notify the nominee and the general public…

Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table: Reports of the Auditor-General and Financial Statements in respect of the following institutions for the year ended 30th June 2018 and the certificates therein:

Thank you. Hon. Beatrice Elachi, Select Committee on the National Government Constituencies Development Fund. I do not see her. Is there any Member of that Committee who is present so that he can lay the report on the Table? Leader of the Majority Party, in the interest of time, you can do that for them.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. It is important we mention that all chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of committees should be in the House at 2.30 p.m. This is only out of respect for the Office of the Speaker.

They should actually be here five minutes to 2.30 p.m.

Yes.

I should find them in the House.

The Speaker cannot be sitting waiting for chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of committees, or even Members. The House starts at 2.30

Before you lay the document, Hon. Ichung’wah, Hon. Wandayi, what is it?

Hon. Speaker, I just want to agree with Hon. Ichung’wah, the Leader of the Majority Party, on the matter of the attendance of House sittings by chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of various committees. It has always been a tradition in this House, at least, since the advent of the new Constitution, that they must be physically present in the Chamber when the House commences its sitting. It is now…

Thank you, Leader of the Minority Party. To all chairs, the French say noblesse oblige. Nobility carries obligation. When you are given a responsibility, it has attendance obligations. If the chairpersons of committees were responsive to the time of the House, we would never be ringing the Quorum Bell because they constitute more than enough Members that make up a quorum. So, proceed. I advise you…

[(Loud consultations)]

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Order! Go on, Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Speaker, we shall indulge our chairs. Today, being the last time, we indulge them. I sometimes come late because I also have other responsibilities for my constituency. For instance, I was not in the House this morning. The Deputy Leader of the Majority Party and the Whip of the Majority Party were also not there. I made sure I asked a chair of another committee, in this case Hon. Chepkonga, …

Thank you. Next Order.

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Kamuren, what is out of order? Can you give him the microphone?

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I think it is in order when you are accused, you are given a chance to defend yourself. Hon. Speaker, being the chair and vice-chair, it is good to be heard because we have been present, but nationally, it appears as if we have not been present.

Hon. Kamuren, we know you are present. The rollcall does not have to be physical. Every time you enter the Chamber, your presence is automatically recorded. The rollcall is with these clerks. We know who is here and who is not here. Next Order.

Hon. Leader of the Majority Party, you will have to go the whole hog.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On behalf of the Chair of the Select Committee of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund, I beg to give notice of the following Motion: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund on three Constituency Committees, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 15th March 2023 and pursuant to the provisions o…

Thank you. Let us have Hon. Mark Mwenje.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion: THAT, aware that lack of access to ownership of productive assets, in particular to land, is one of the very serious sources of economic and social insecurity for Kenyans; further aware that many communities particularly in rural areas and informal settlements in the urban areas depend on land for their production and livelihood and, the…

Thank you, Hon. Mwenje. Before I go to the next Order, Hon. Members, I wish to acknowledge in the Speaker’s Gallery, the presence of four staff members from Makueni County Assembly. You may stand to be acknowledged. You are welcome to the House of Parliament. In the Public Gallery, I wish to acknowledge the presence of Star Sheikh Academy from Mavoko Constituency, Machakos County.

[(Applause)]

We start with the Question by Hon. Mary Maingi, Member for Mwea Constituency.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to ask my first Question in this August House.

On a point of order.

Yes, Hon. Kamket, what is out of order?

Hon. Speaker, we recently passed amendments to the Standing Orders. When are we likely to get the Cabinet Secretaries to come and answer these Questions?

Hon. Kamket, if you have passed, then you should have known the effective dates.

[(Laughter)]

Hon. Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42A (5) , I rise to ask ask the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development the following Question:

Question to be replied to before the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock. Thank you, Hon. Mary Maingi. Next Question is by the Member for Kibwezi East, Hon. Jessica Mbalu. Question No.040/2023

Hon. Speaker, I rise to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum the following Question: Could the Cabinet Secretary -

Question to be replied before the Departmental Committee on Energy. Thank you, Hon. Jessica. Next is Question 044 by the Member for Teso North, Hon. Oku Kaunya. Question No.044/2023

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I rise to ask Question 044/2023 to the Cabinet Secretary for Education. Could the Cabinet Secretary:

Thank you, Hon. Kaunya. Question 045, Member for Yatta, Hon. Robert Basil. Question No.045/2023

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to ask Question 045 to the Cabinet Secretary for Education:

Thank you Hon. Basil. Question 046/2023, the Member for Bahati, Hon. Irene Njoki. Question No.046/2023

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42A (5) , I rise to ask my Question to the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration:

Thank you, Hon. Njoki.

Next is the Statement by the Member for Kitui Central, Hon. Makali Mulu.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 43 on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Kenya Branch, I wish to make a Statement regarding Commonwealth Day, 2023. Hon. Speaker, Commonwealth Day, 2023 was marked on Monday, 13th March 2023 throughout the Commonwealth across the Commonwealth Parliamentary Associations (CPAs) in nine regions, 180 parliaments and legisl…

one of the top issues on the agenda of the CPA is through the change of legal status of the association from being a charity registered under British law, to adapting a new legal status as an international inter-parliamentary organisation. This change of legal status seeks to enable the CPA to continue to achieve its ambitions for the future. This statement is signed by yours truly, Hon. (Dr) Mak…

Thank you, Hon. Makali. Next Order.

Order, Hon. Members. This Motion was debated and responded to. What remained was putting of the Question. THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Public Debt and Privatisation

Next Order.

Chairperson, Budget and Appropriations Committee, Hon. Ndindi Nyoro.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. The

Hon. Chair, I am told you should start by saying you seek to move the following Motion, then you move on.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Committee on Budget and Appropriations Committee on the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) for the Financial Year 2023/2024 and a compendium of Departmental Committee Reports on the 2023 BPS, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 15th March 2023 and pursuant to the provisions of Section 25 (7) of the Pub…

The second element that makes a country to grow is value addition of every raw product that cannot be consumed in its primary form. We have to add value to the products that we cultivate in our farms and add value to the minerals that we get almost for free either underneath or over the soil like forests. That is one, and two, in terms of exploring and exploiting natural resources and also agricul…

by imposing very high interest rates. That is why we are looking more inwardly than outwardly. The global rates that we would fetch out there may not be very favourable for our economy. There are a few areas which we considered that I want to highlight. I mentioned some of them when we were considering the Supplementary Estimates. That is why I will not over- emphasise them today. Currently, we a…

Give the Chairperson three minutes.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. One is aggregation, which is both in agriculture and SMEs in terms of production. Second is skill development – which I mentioned before – in terms of making sure that our TVETs are well-equipped to impart skills to Kenyan youths. Third is the issue of junior secondary schools and the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) , to which we have allocated enough ceilings to cater f…

Hon. Speaker, we have also reviewed the ceiling of road infrastructure. The ceiling that was brought forward in this House was by the National Treasury. We represent constituencies that have stalled roads. We amended the ceiling of pending bills on roads so that our contractors can go back to the sites. On top of the money we appropriated through the Supplementary Estimates, the ceiling that was c…

Thank you, Hon. Chairman. Who is seconding you?

Hon. Speaker, I call upon another very deep Member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, a holder of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Economics, Hon. Makali Mulu, to second.

Hon. Makali Mulu.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Let me start by thanking my Hon. Chairman for ably moving this Motion. This Report is very detailed. I urge Hon. Members to take time and read it because we will not be able to say all that is contained therein within the limited time allocated for moving and seconding of the Motion. We will highlight a few things. Hon. Speaker, Members will realise that we are working un…

universities have excess capacity. A review of Budgets over the years shows that the Government has sent a lot of money to students who have been admitted in private universities. One of the recommendations we have put forward is that, from this financial year, no more money should be sent to private universities unless public universities have reported that they have no capacity to cater for all …

Thank you, Hon. (Dr) Makali. Hon. Members, before we open this debate, allow me to deliver some message from His Excellency the President. I am sorry, it came late.

[(Question proposed)]

Hon. Speaker, taking into consideration the findings of the Joint Committee of the…

Hon. Gikaria, start by saying, “I beg to move the following Motion.”

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, taking into consideration the findings of the Joint Committee of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining and the Senate Standing Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources in its Report on the Vetting of Nominees for Appointment as Members of the National Climate Change Council, laid on the …