Senate · Morning Sitting
Wednesday, 1 May 2024
Sen. Khalwale launched a vehement attack on the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, accusing him of allowing the sale of counterfeit fertilizer and demanding his resignation, while Sen. Kathuri pressed for evidence and warned against unsubstantiated accusations. The debate then shifted to Sen. Sifuna highlighting extensive delays and unpaid bills in health‑sector projects across Nairobi, calling for audit‑office intervention and greater accountability. The session featured applause and procedural interjections, reflecting both criticism of the executive and a push for constructive oversight. Senators criticised county governments for receiving funds without settling pending bills, highlighting stalled projects such as the Woodley social hall and the misuse of procurement processes that divert contractor payments. They raised concerns about supplementary budgets redirecting development funds to emergency relief and called for stricter enforcement, including ring‑fencing of county monies and better public participation. The debate combined negative assessments of corruption with proposals for tighter financial controls. Senators voiced strong disappointment with Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa and the Prime Cabinet Secretary for repeatedly missing scheduled Senate appearances, urging the House to adopt sanctions and finalize amendments to the Powers and Privileges Act. Senator Sifuna highlighted a recent positive appearance by the Defence Secretary and raised broader concerns about diaspora arrests and other critical questions. The debate combined criticism of executive non‑compliance with calls for procedural reforms and occasional acknowledgment of constructive engagements.
Clerk, do we have quorum? Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes. Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for a further 10 minutes. Hon. Senators, kindly take your seats. We now have quorum.
[(The Clerk-at-the-Table consulted the Speaker)]
[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]
[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]
[(Several Senators stood in their places and consulted loudly)]
[(Loud consultations)]
good people, as long as you are here. They were a bit agitated in the morning, but now they are relaxed. So, welcome to the Senate, and feel free to answer the issues that the Senators have. Proceed.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. On behalf of the Senator of Kirinyaga County, Sen. (Dr.) James Murango, I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary the following Question No.025-
Is that for both two questions, ‘A’ and ‘B’? Sen. Mutinda, do you have any supplementary Question?
Yes, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. On behalf of Sen. (Dr.) Murango. I am the vice Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Budget. As a Committee, we have embarked on the issue of libraries, especially the 33 counties where we have Kshs425 million that is still pending to be submitted to these counties. We have employees and staff that have not received their remunerations because of lack of disbur…
Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, library services are a devolved function. I served in a county that had a library. However, libraries were not constructed in all the counties. It is the feeling of this House that we should have at least a library in every county. The only remedy to that is to ask for conditional allocation for development of those libraries, just the way some counties were given funds t…
We will pick a few more questions before the Cabinet Secretary responds. I think it will save some time. Sen. Mwaruma, you may proceed.
Asante, Bw. Naibu wa Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii ili niulize swali la ziada kwa Waziri Aisha Jumwa. Kwanza, nimpa kongole kwa sababu hii ni mara yake ya kwanza kuja katika Seneti. Tunakutakia mema katika utendakazi wako katika hii Wizara.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I concur with the Sen. Tabitha Mutinda that the Cabinet Secretary is not giving this House sufficient information regarding this question. We know that library services are devolved. Though devolved, library services are one of the functions which have not been fully transferred to the counties. The only attempt that was done was to release over Kshs400 million as conditi…
Waziri, jibu yale maswali mawili ili tuendelee. The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage : Asante, Bw. Naibu Spika. Nitaanza na swali la Seneta wa Taita Taveta. Mkurugenzi wa maktaba hayuko, yuko pwani katika warsha---
[(Hon. Aisha Jumwa)]
Waziri, usisumbuke kwani tulikuwa tunahitaji Waziri na sio mkurugenzi wa maktaba. Waziri kama yuko anajibu kila swali. The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage : Asante, Bw. Naibu Spika. Masuala ya pesa ya mishahara ya wafanyikazi wa maktaba ni kwamba tulipeana bajeti inayosimamia wafanyikazi hawa kwenye kaunti 33 ambazo zina maktaba. Haya ndio maelezo ambayo naweza kupea…
[(Hon. Aisha Jumwa)]
Sen. Olekina, proceed.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I will begin by appreciating the candidness of the Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary went straight to the point and said there were no plans. I wish she had read her entire response; it would have made sense. In her entire response, she has given mitigating factors for how this problem can be resolved. Before I ask my supplementary question, for the purp…
We will pick a few more questions before the Cabinet Secretary responds. I think it will save some time. Sen. Mwaruma, you may proceed.
Asante, Bw. Naibu wa Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii ili niulize swali la ziada kwa Waziri Aisha Jumwa. Kwanza, nimpa kongole kwa sababu hii ni mara yake ya kwanza kuja katika Seneti. Tunakutakia mema katika utendakazi wako katika hii Wizara.
Bw. Naibu Spika, wanasema kuwa, mgala muue na haki umpe. Nimefurahia sana kusikia Waziri mmoja wa Serikali hii akikiri kwamba kuna mambo ambayo ni ya ugatuzi na Serikali Kuu haifai kuhusika na masuala yale haihusu Serikali Kuu. Ni Waziri wa kwanza katika Serikali hii ya Kenya Kwanza ambaye nimesikia akisema hayo. Imenishangaza kwa njia nzuri kwani mara nyingi kunaletwa Miswada hapa Bungeni ambayo …
Bi. Waziri, unayo maswali mawili. One from Sen. Olekina and the other one from the Senator for Nairobi County, Sen. Sifuna. The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage : Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I would like to respond to the Senator for Narok, Sen. Olekina. We shall revert to the question on cultural centres. The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts a…
[(Hon. Aisha Jumwa)]
[(Sen. Olekina spoke off record)]
[(Hon. Aisha Jumwa)]
Bi. Waziri, malizia jibu.
Respond to the other question from the Senator for Nairobi. Sen. Olekina, the Cabinet Secretary will give you a comprehensive report on the cultural issues. Sen. Sifuna, your answer was given, but you said you are not satisfied. Can you satisfy Sen. Sifuna on his question about the Nairobi County Library? The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage : Asante sana, Bw. Naibu …
[(Hon. Aisha Jumwa)]
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I will begin by appreciating the candidness of the Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary went straight to the point and said there were no plans. I wish she had read her entire response; it would have made sense. In her entire response, she has given mitigating factors for how this problem can be resolved. Before I ask my supplementary question, for the purp…
Hiyo ni sawa. Proceed, Sen. Abass.
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to ask the Cabinet Secretary a question. As she has rightly said, the function of the library is devolved, but it has not been followed to satisfaction. As the Chair of Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, the employees have been experiencing salary problems. It is only in this financial year that the funds were released, but they we…
Proceed, Sen. Kinyua.
Asante, Bw. Naibu Spika. Nimemsikia Waziri akisema ya kwamba kuna maktaba ambazo ni za kitaifa na akazitaja ni takriban tatu.
Bi. Waziri, malizia jibu.
Respond to the other question from the Senator for Nairobi. Sen. Olekina, the Cabinet Secretary will give you a comprehensive report on the cultural issues. Sen. Sifuna, your answer was given, but you said you are not satisfied. Can you satisfy Sen. Sifuna on his question about the Nairobi County Library? The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage : Asante sana, Bw. Naibu …
[(Hon. Aisha Jumwa)]
Sen. Mwaruma, you have approached me that you are not satisfied with your Question. Which part are you not comfortable with?
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. I am not satisfied by the response given by the Cabinet Secretary about the money for promotions of the employees working for the Kenya National Library Services (KNLS) . This is a question that came from a union that represents the employees working for KNLS. They indicated that there was money that was released to the department in the M…
Sen. Mwaruma, let me assist you. You mentioned that you have a statement on this matter. I request that the committee involved to expedite it so that she can have time to reply to it substantively. That is the best way to go. Which committee did you direct your statement to?
The Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare.
I have directed that they should expedite it.
Nauliza, je, zile zengine zilizoko kwa gatuzi zetu, wanazisaidia vipi kama Serikali kuu? Kitambo, maktaba hizi zilikuwepo lakini zilikuwa zinapata usaidizi kutoka kwa Serikali kuu. Je, tayari Serikali kuu imeleta hela katika kaunti zetu ama bado ziko katika Serikali kuu? Asante, Bw. Naibu Spika.
Waziri, endelea. The Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Arts and Heritage : Asante sana, Bw. Naibu Spika. Kwa kweli nimejieleza sana kuhusu ugatuzi wa maktaba, kwamba tumegatua masuala ya maktaba. Sisi kama Serikali kuu tulifanya jukumu letu. Baada ya kugatua hizi maktaba kwa gatuzi tulizozipeleka, tulipeleka kila kitu, ikiwemo wafanyakazi na bajeti. Kwa hivyo, suala la ni vipi Serikali y…
[(Hon. Aisha Jumwa)]
Asante, Bw. Naibu Spika. Namkaribisha Bi. Waziri. Najulisha Seneti ya kwamba, katika Kamati yetu ya Labour and Social Welfare, tuko na mapendekezo ya Mswada wa usimamizi wa maktaba zetu. Mswada huu umependekezwa na Seneta, Kamishina, Mhe. Joyce Korir. Baada ya kujulishwa kwamba jukumu hili limegatuliwa kwa gatuzi zetu, na hili ni ombi Bi. Waziri, kwa sababu umejieleza vizuri kwamba usimamizi pamo…
Yours was just a comment. I want to close with the Senator for Kilifi, who is also the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Madzayo. The Senate Minority Leader (Sen. Madzayo) : Bw. Naibu wa Spika, nachukua nafasi hii kama Seneta wa Kilifi nikijua kwamba Waziri aliye hapa ni dada kutoka Kilifi. Sikua nimempa kongole. Kama Seneta wa Kilifi, nampa kongole rasmi kwa kuchaguliwa kama Waziri wa Gender, Culture…
Asante Kiongozi wa Wachache.
Let us go back to the business we had. Sen. Mandago, you can proceed with the Motion on pending bills.
[(Resumption of debate on the Motion)]
Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I had risen to support the Motion by Sen. Olekina. Of particular interest are pending bills in counties. My submission in this
Yes, we would like to know if there are employees that were promoted. We want to get their names and the grade that they were promoted and how their renumeration changed. Thank, you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.
You cannot get such an answer from the Cabinet Secretary at this juncture. So, I have guided you in that manner. Last but not the least, Sen. Miraj, do you want to give vote of thanks?
Thank you. In the budget-making process of Financial Years 2024/2025 by our county governments, the CoB should ensure that all county government budgets for all pending bills have been verified and ascertained because they are due for payment to the suppliers and contractors in counties. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the second matter on the Motion is misappropriation of funds, where funds have been r…
Yours was just a comment. I want to close with the Senator for Kilifi, who is also the Senate Minority Leader,
Bw. Naibu wa Spika, nachukua nafasi hii kama Seneta wa Kilifi nikijua kwamba Waziri aliye hapa ni dada kutoka Kilifi. Sikua nimempa kongole. Kama Seneta wa Kilifi, nampa kongole rasmi kwa kuchaguliwa kama Waziri wa Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage. Hio ni nafasi kubwa ambayo watu wa Kilifi walipewa. Namshukuru Mhe. Rais kwa kumchagua dadangu, Hon. Aisha Jumwa. Tumetoka mbali naye. Alikuwa wo…
Asante Kiongozi wa Wachache.
Let us go back to the business we had. Sen. Mandago, you can proceed with the Motion on pending bills.
[(Resumption of debate on the Motion)]
Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I had risen to support the Motion by Sen. Olekina. Of particular interest are pending bills in counties. My submission in this
House is that in the budget-making process of Financial Year 2024/2025 by county governments is that---
Sen. Mandago, you have 14 minutes.
Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir
Hon. Senators, it is now 1 p.m., time to adjourn the Senate. The Senate, therefore, stands adjourned until today, Wednesday, April 24, at 2.30 p.m. The Senate rose at 1.00 p.m.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when these young innovators come with their platforms where they are able to do business with the Government, it cannot be then that county governments or government agencies are the ones killing innovation by not paying for services rendered by the young people. That will be negating on what the Government is doing in ensuring that our young people take advantage of the d…
The miracle Senator, Karungo Thang’wa Paul.
Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity to also weigh in on this issue of pending bills. For sure, we have discussed this issue on numerous occasions on the Floor of this House. From the onset, it is time for this House to stamp its feet and make sure that we help the county governments reduce these pending bills by coming up with solutions. Sanctions and calling those …
We would go to the whole village saying our uncle is here, he has come to see us and he has brought a few presents. However, if you misbehaved, the same uncle would remove his belt and whip you. This is just to tell those who were excited that it was just a visit and I am back at work to ensure I am oversighting the same county governor. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, some of the issues of pending bill…
Sen. Karungo, you will have your 9 minutes next time. Maybe today afternoon. So, you should be around.
Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir
Hon. Senators, it is now 1 p.m., time to adjourn the Senate. The Senate, therefore, stands adjourned until today, Wednesday, April 24, at 2.30 p.m. The Senate rose at 1.00 p.m.