National Assembly · Afternoon Sitting

It is, therefore, evident that the current provisions of the Standing Orders do not contemplate the withdrawal of a Bill other than by the sponsor. In this instance, the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill (Senate Bill No.38 of 2023) is not co-sponsored by any Member of the National Assembly. In this regard, and noting the request for withdrawal is from a Member other than a Member of t…

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give a notice of the following Motion: THAT, this House resolves to discharge the Second Reading of the Public Transport (Motorcycle) Bill (Senate Bill No.38 of 2023) .

Thank you, Hon. GK. Next.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Health regarding the challenges faced by teachers and police officers in accessing medical services arising from their medical cover. The Government-funded medical insurance scheme for teachers and the police in Kenya, which relies on a capitatio…

Hon. Karemba. It was to which committee?

Departmental Committee on Health.

Hon. (Dr.) Nyikal, can you respond within the first week of resumption from recess?

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. We will give a report within the first week after recess.

Hon. Mandazi.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 259D (2) , I rise to pay tribute to the late Hon. John Koech, a former Member of Parliament for Chepalungu Constituency, who passed away on 8th April 2025 after a short illness.

The late Hon. Koech was laid to rest on 15th April 2025 in his home in Chepalungu Constituency. His life was a shining testament to public service and selfless leadership. He was a statesman of extraordinary humility, resolve and character. He was a long-serving Member of Parliament for Chepalungu Constituency and the respected Cabinet Minister. He gave his all to the service of our nation. Notabl…

Thank you, Hon. Mandazi. I can see you are very selective. Yours truly also sent support to the family. Hon. Members, Hon. John Koech served this House and country with absolute distinction; a man of great resolve and principle. We served in Cabinet of Mzee Kibaki with him, and he served in various capacities. Even in the days when it was difficult for Members to say ‘no’ to the establishment, he…

[(Applause)]

May his soul rest in eternal peace. Amen. Yes, Hon. Sunkuli. Is it on the same? Okay, let us start with Hon. Sunkuli. I will not give many of you, a chance. I will give Hon. Sunkuli, Hon. Caroli and lastly, the governor of Rift Valley.

[(Hon. Sunkuli spoke off the record)]

[(Hon. Sunkuli spoke off the record)]

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I stand here to convey my condolences to the family of the late Hon. John Koech. We served with him in the Government. I was always privileged to work closely with him as his friend from a neighbouring constituency. He was a man who did not always conform. His politics was different. He was also in a strong competition with people of equal stature, like the late Hon. Kimun…

Hon Caroli Omondi.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I just want to make a small suggestion. I did not know the late, Hon. Koech. However, we should have a tradition in this House that when we want to honour a Member who has passed away, we invite part of his family to be in the Gallery so that the family understands the appreciation we are extending to them. That is what I have seen being done in other jurisdictio…

That is a valid point. Those who have prompted the House to honour our departed colleagues, sometimes logistics allowing, we will not mind a part of their families being in the Speaker's Gallery when we are condoling with them. Hon. Sirma.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker for the opportunity you have given me. The late Hon. John Koech served with me in this House from 2002 to 2007. I knew him because I started following politics from way back. I knew when he was expelled. He was a person who stood by what he believed in. When he was expelled from the Kenya African National Union (KANU) , it was about the drama that was happening in the coun…

some Members from KANU at that time, to work for the Government. They worked together with the late President Kibaki. When we went for a rally in Bomet, we made very serious statements, and that is when I was crowned the governor of Rift Valley. I declared secession of the Rift Valley from Kenya and the late Hon. John Koech almost ran away.

You are disclosing a criminal offense.

[(Laughter)]

There is no problem. I faced it at that time, I wrote a statement and the matter is past. At that time, things were not easy. The late Hon. John Koech was a person who would stand with you during difficult times. I know the drama that was there between Hon. Isaac Ruto and the late Hon. John Koech in Kabarak. One of them was being brought in through the back door and the other one, through the sch…

Give him a minute.

Hon. Speaker, there was a balancing act which was being played on them. Eventually, Hon. Isaac Ruto was voted out of Parliament and the late Hon. John Koech was re-elected. So, he faced both the difficult and sweet moments in his political life. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Hon. KJ.

Hon. Speaker, on my behalf and that of the people of the Dagoretti South Constituency, I pass condolences to the family of the late Hon. John Koech, a consummate leader. He served a life that has left a legacy for his people and the country. As I pass these condolences, I also want to bring a notice to this House that Nairobi County has just lost the MCA for Kariobangi North, Hon. Joel Munuve, a …

Hon. Kiborek, I am giving you an opportunity to request for your Statement.

Hon. Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I wish to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding a recent attack by armed bandits along the Marigat–Nginyang Road in Baringo County. On Monday, 21st April 2025, armed assailants ambushed traders who were en route to the Nginyang Market, resu…

Hon. Raso, I do not see your Chairman. Being a security issue, are you able to do so on Wednesday next week, or will you do it after recess?

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. With your facilitation, we were able to provide this House with a very detailed report. Currently, the area that is experiencing a lot of problems is Baringo, while in most of the regions like Turkana, Samburu, Isiolo, and Marsabit, the guns are largely silent. We will give a report to the House immediately after the recess.

Thank you. In addition to that, Hon. Kiborek and your colleagues from Baringo who include Hon. Makilap, Hon. Kamket, Hon. Musa Sirma, Hon. Jematiah, Hon. Kandie and Hon. Kamuren, you are leaders. You are going on recess. Go around your county and talk to those young people. Encourage them to stop keeping illegal firearms. It is the young men who vote for you. They are the same ones you use for the…

[(Applause)]

Go meet them and talk to them, so that as leaders, you also play your role to ensure that there is peace within your jurisdiction. I am sure you can. Hon. Kiborek, I am sure some of those young men are your age. You can use your magic as a youth to get to them and talk about these issues. Your access to them is probably better than that of Hon. Musa Sirma's and others. Please go and do that. Do n…

Hon. Speaker, we take your guidance seriously. We promise that we shall do as said on behalf of all the Members who are here and those who are not. We will endeavour to clean up the mess in Baringo.

Thank you. Make sure you include Hon. Kamket.

[(Laughter)]

Hon. Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I wish to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee regarding the status of implementation of the Government’s directive to securitise a portion of the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) . The Government, through the Ministry of Roads and Transport, advised the Kenya Roads Board to…

The Chairman of the Budget and Appropriation Committee, that goes to your Committee. Can you bring a response in the first week upon resumption from recess?

Hon. Speaker, I agree.

Thank you. Hon. Murugara George.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. This morning, Hon. David Kiplagat, the Member of Parliament for Soy, requested for a Statement regarding the venue for the recruitment of Kenya Prisons Constables in Soy Constituency in Uasin Gishu.

Is he in the House?

He is not.

Go on.

I actually sent him the Communication I got. I was told to deliver by tomorrow afternoon. Fortunately, Communication from the Director-General of Prisons to confirm how it is going to be in Uasin Gishu County has come. The recruitment will be conducted in the following sub-counties: Turbo Sub-county, Paul Boit Boys High School at 8.00 a.m. on 30th April 2025; Soy Sub-county, Deputy County Commissi…

Thank you. Next is Hon. (Dr) Mutunga.

Hon. Speaker, I rise to respond to a Statement by Hon. Eric Karemba, CBS, Member for Runyenjes. Pursuant to Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , Hon. Eric Karemba requested for a Statement on the 11th March 2025 regarding the high cost of feeds. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development responded to the issues raised in the Statement as follows: Hon. Karemba sought statistics on milk producti…

kilos, Runyenjes 32,850,269 kilos, Mbeere South 15,121,880 kilos and Mbeere North 5,843,534 kilos.

Hon. Speaker, the second issue raised by Hon. Karemba was in regard to the measures being put in place to decrease the cost of animal feeds for dairy farming. The response is as follows: First, the Government has embarked on the development of the National Animal Feeds Development Strategy. This strategy aims to address the feed situation in the country by promoting increased production of animal…

How much more to go, Dr Mutunga?

One and a half pages, maybe, three minutes.

Yes, finish quickly.

The Government has also deliberately incentivised capital investment in animal feed manufacturing and livestock production through similar duty waivers to enhance local production and value addition. The fourth measure is the promotion of alternative and sustainable feed ingredients. This recognises the reliance on important ingredients, therefore local production is prioritised in this particula…

The fifth measure focuses on investing in capacity building for feed production, where the Government is training farmers to make their own rations, referred to as Omin Ration. This initiative is spreading across the country. The final measure that the Government is implementing is a partnership with other stakeholders through a programmatic arrangement. We have several projects within the Minist…

Thank you, Hon. Mutunga. Hon. Karemba.

Thank you. While I appreciate the effort made by the Chairman in responding to my issue, I would wish to mention and make it clear to the Chairman that there lies a huge potential in this country, in the area of dairy production. I wish we and the Committee, would follow up to ensure that we exploit the benefits we can get from the dairy farmers because we have a huge demand for milk and dairy pro…

vaccination, we believe that there is enormous potential in the dairy sector. We would get much help if animal feed cost lower. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Thank you. There is nothing to respond to, Hon. Mutunga. He has just complimented what you said. Dr Nyikal.

As I invite Hon. Sirma to move a Motion, I note that it is a quick one. It is just moving and seconding. I do not think there will be much debate on it. I want to advise the House that Order No.10 is stood down to tomorrow afternoon.

[(Applause)]

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. As Members are aware, this has been a very contentious Bill. Yesterday, after the quorum was raised by none other than myself, the Speaker called for a meeting in his office with the leadership of Parliament. We discussed the matter at length with the Speaker. He then invited the Council of Governors to a meeting held this morning at 8.00 a.m., which was attended by all th…

Bill. We have supported every Bill that concerns counties whether it originated from this House or from the Senate. We support devolution completely because we know that its intention is to make the lives of our citizens better. The soul of this Constitution is devolution. There are counties that would never have received Ksh1 billion in their history if devolution had not happened. So, no one sh…

It cannot originate anywhere else.

My teacher, who is the Speaker, has taught me that it cannot originate from anywhere else other than the National Assembly. Bills concerning counties can originate from the National Assembly and the Senate. It also said that the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) is constitutional. It almost described the National Assembly as the upper House. The Supreme Court declared. I…

It is a judgement; not a ruling.

The judgement is in public and anyone can access and read it. It is no longer a secret. Even this county government issue can go to the Supreme Court. I am sure it will declare the position. Please, we want to develop our country, support devolution and support all institutions of this country to function in accordance with the Constitution. Nobody should badmouth the National Assembly by saying t…

Hon. Owen.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for taking leadership in this matter. I also thank the leaders of the National Assembly, Hon. Junet, Hon. Millie, the Chairman of Budget and Appropriations Committee, Hon. Osoro, and myself, who sat in that meeting in the morning to come up with resolutions that take a firm position that everybody should respect their positions. First, I reiterate the sentiments by Hon. J…

of the House will protect Members and ensure that what they will require as funds for roads will remain there. Lastly, governors have for a long time tried to poke holes to get much more every time. It is time we rested this matter. We pass a law, they go to court. They even want to go court on the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF). It is time they stopped doing that to…

Hon. Musa Sirma, you can now move the Motion at Order No.8. I do not want to open debate on it. They are your leaders, you should trust them. Let Musa Sirma move his Motion. Hon. Keynan, let Hon. Musa Sirma move his Motion.

[(Hon. Adan Keynan spoke off the record)]

Hon. Speaker…

[(Hon. Adan Keynan spoke off the record)]

Take your seat.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Committee on its consideration of nominees to 31 constituencies committees, laid on the Table of the House on Tuesday, 22nd April 2025, and pursuant to the provisions of Section 43 (4) of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Act, Cap. 4…

No.

No.

Hon. Speaker. I beg to second the Motion as moved by the great by Hon. Chairman. I would like emphasise a point which I want to bring to your attention and that of the House as we approve the names. The next stage is normally gazettement of the names. Colleagues, as we sit here, most names to the constituencies committees that have so far been approved are yet to be gazetted. This delay is being …

[(Hon. George Sunkuyia stood in his place)]

Thank you. Member on his feet, take your seat. Is that Hon. Sunkuyia? Take your seat.

[(Question proposed)]

Put the Question.

[(Question put and agreed to)]

(Resumption of debate interrupted on 23.4.2025 - Morning Sitting)

Hon. Caroli Omondi, my record shows that you had seven minutes to wind up your contribution.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I pointed out in the morning that the measure of poverty is called the foot poverty line, which calculates what the nutrition or food energy requirements are per person. It is weighed against the actual food expenditure of a household or a person and then we put you either above or below the poverty line. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in their…

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

There is a point of order from, Hon. Atandi.

Hon. Speaker, this Bill was moved yesterday and we have been discussing it this morning. Most Members are in agreement that the Bill needs to be passed. I was going to urge you to ask the Mover to reply.

Hon. Atandi, it is out of order for the proponent of the Bill to move closure of debate. Get another Member to do so. You are legitimately right, but the procedure is wrong.

Thank you and sorry for that rude interruption. He wanted to oust…

The Bill was moved by the Leader of the Majority Party. Sorry, I was looking at the wrong Order. Anyway, let us allow Hon. Carolli Omondi to finish then we will put it to the House. If it agrees, we will then call the Mover to reply.

Hon. Speaker, therefore, the categorisation under Section 28 may not be accurate. Somebody could be an orphan, but he is not below the poverty line. You could be an old person, but you are not below the poverty line. You could be a person with disability, but you are not below the poverty line. I think there is some serious work we need to do here to avoid controversies in the future. Secondly, a…

bureaucracy are we going to create that can access all applications? Is this really practical? I am just wondering how this monster will function in a place like Turkana where the poverty prevalence is 82.7 per cent of the population. How many forms or what system will they have to help us do this assessment? I understand very well that this is part of the conditionalities with our relationship w…

I will give Hon. Timothy Kipchumba a chance as the last contributor to the Bill. Hon. Tim, you will have five minutes then we can ask the House if we can call the mover to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support the letter, intent and purpose of this progressive piece of legislation. This Bill collapses the Social Assistance Act. It says that when it is passed, it repeals the Social Assistance Act which, in my opinion had a lot of loopholes. Therefore, this is a very progressive piece of legislation that we should support as a House. It addresses the issue of se…

person who had been appointed to work under the Social Assistance Act that we shall repeal, shall now work under this statute. I submit and second this Bill. I urge the House to proceed to pass this piece of legislation. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Thank you, Hon. Members. Order, Hon. Mawathe. Take a seat. Following the request by Hon. Atandi, I now put the Question to the House that the Mover be now called upon to reply Mover.

[(Hon. Julius Mawathe consulted Hon. Owen Baya in the aisle)]

[(Question, that the Mover be now called upon to reply, put and agreed to)]

In replying to the Social Protection Bill, I thank Hon. Members for their robust contributions. We have had incisive thoughts on this Bill. I think we will have a very good Committee of the whole House on the same to ensure that we give Kenya a good Social Protection Bill. As billed by Hon. Toroitich, this is a very progressive Bill. It unshackles and unhinges many things in social protection. I …

Hon. Members, we will put the Question to this Bill tomorrow at 2.30

Deputy Leader of the Majority Party.

I beg to move that the Value-Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, (National Assembly Bill No. 11 of 2025) , be now read a Second Time. This is a very short piece of legislation and a small amendment to the legislation that is required to ensure that we remove some ambiguities in the Value-Added Tax Act. As I do that, I want to prepare Hon. Junet to second. The Bill needs to do a small thing. It wants to a…

billion and the exemption was granted before 1st of January, and shall continue to apply for 12 months after this date.” This House is aware that the Tax (Amendment) Act took effect on 27th December 2024. As currently worded, the amendment appears to apply retrospectively. It implies that the Cabinet Secretary should not have granted exemption after January 2024 and that only exemptions granted b…

[[The Speaker (Hon. Moses Wetang’ula) left the Chair] [The Deputy Speaker (Hon. Gladys Boss) took the Chair]]

Hon. Junet, you may proceed.

Thank you. I stand to second the Value-Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, (National Assembly Bill No.11 of 2025) . This is a very small amendment that is rectifying what happened in the Tax (Amendment) Act that we passed in December. It is very controversial, but also a necessity because it is helping manufacturing by big investors who have put faith and decided to take the risk of investing in our count…

[(Question proposed)]

Yes, Hon. Murugara. What would you like to say?

Thank you. I rise to support this Value- Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, (National Assembly Bill No. 11 of 2025) . As explained by the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party, it is a small Bill, but it has great impact on what it makes provision for, especially if you look at the First Schedule to Cap 476 that we are trying to amend. Clause 146 deals with exempt suppl…

law understands exactly when that law is going to affect him or her. The provision in the Act is that provided the value of such investment is not less than Ksh2 billion and the exemption was granted before 1st January 2024, it shall continue to apply for 12 months after that date. That is where the proposed amendment comes in. We now have to substitute 12 months after this date, which is the 1st…

Hon. Atandi, you can proceed.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I rise to also support the Bill as presented by the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party. There are many ways of growing the economy. One of the ways is giving tax incentives to potential sectors that are important for generating more revenue and creating job opportunities. This year, the economy is projected to grow on the back of manufacturing. We project that manufacturing w…

I can see Hon. Emaase has pressed the intervention button. She is not present. How about Hon. Sunkuyia or Hon. Irene Mayaka? Hon. Oundo.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I support this Bill that seeks to rectify the omission that was occasioned when we passed the Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill. We should have picked this issue out but, sometimes, the process is rushed in this House and some basic things are left out. The Bill proposes to extend tax incentives to investors. In such an arrangement, this amounts to tax expenditures, where …

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Who else wants to contribute? Hon. Mayaka.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I also support this particular amendment. As indicated by the Mover, the amendment will, in essence, help to correct the ambiguity that was caused by the previous Bill. It will also promote investment. One year is a very long time for a manufacturer, especially in the steel industry. It is one industry that does not have many investors, though they make a huge impac…

It seems there is no further interest. The Mover can reply.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, in replying, the Bill gives incentives to manufacturers to turn Kenya into the manufacturing hub we have always wanted to be. It is an important piece of legislation that encourages manufacturing. It is, therefore, important that we pass it. We are also correcting the ambiguity that was created when we passed the Business Laws (Amendment) Act. We need to be more careful in fu…

Thank you. We shall defer putting the Question to a later time. Next Order.

[(Putting of the Question deferred)]

The Chairperson of the Committee on Delegated Legislation is not present. We defer the Motion. Next Order.

This is also supposed to be moved by the Chairperson of the Committee on Delegated Legislation and so, we defer it. Next Order.

Where is the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education? Is any Member of the Committee present? I think the Chairperson of the Committee is away on some official business. Therefore, the Bill is deferred. Next Order.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move that the Treaty-making and Ratification (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, (National Assembly Bill No. 9 of 2024) , be now read a Second Time. The principal object of this Bill is to amend the Treaty-making and Ratification Act, Chapter 4 (d) of the Laws of Kenya, to include a special enactment procedure for economic treaties to strengthen participation of the Nationa…

we breach them. That is why this proposal to amend the Act has been brought to the House. This is a very good Bill that seeks to make certain provisions that are peculiar to certain circumstances. Upon the passage of this Bill, this House will be involved in the treaty-making process. Hon. Temporary Speaker, Clause 3 proposes to amend section 3 of the principle Act by deleting its provisions and …

Hon. Millie.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to second the Bill. I thank the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs for tabling it at this time. I know that Hon. Kaluma had brought similar amendments. I hope his proposed amendments have been consolidated into the Bill. I am honoured because I came up with the Treaty-Making and Ratification Act that is now being amende…

may no longer be any mud-walled kitchens or granaries. That is because of the treaties that we passed that compromised our food security. I am happy that you have brought this proposal that puts Kenyans first. I commend you on the notification of regulatory impact statements in the proposed New Clause (b), which states that the preparation of a regulatory impact statement for an economic treaty s…

The first Member on my list is Hon. Wilberforce Oundo. Hon. Ojiambo Oundo (Funyula, ODM) . Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for allowing me to support the Treaty-Making and Ratification (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, (National Assembly Bill No.9 of 2024) . Let me, speak from two points of view. I sat in the Committee on Delegated Legislation in the 12th Parliament. The saddest moment was when we had …

some semblance of the National Assembly participation in the treaty-making process. I say so in recognition to the statement by Hon. Millie Odhiambo. She indicated as it is written in the Constitution that, all treaties that are ratified by Kenya should become part and parcel of the laws of this country. Indeed, in the Constitution, the only body that is authorised to make laws is the National Ass…

You have had your bite. You indicated that you support the Bill. Let us have the next speaker, Hon. Mary Emaase.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Bill. From the onset, I support the Treaty-making and Ratification (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2024. It is very timely and important. Firstly, it gives Parliament the opportunity to represent and protect the people of Kenya by allowing the National Assembly to scrutinise a treaty before it is approved. We know tha…

Very well. Next is Hon. Mishi Mboko.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Spika wa Muda. Naunga mkono Mswada huu unaozungumzia kutengenezwa na kudhibitishwa kwa mikataba ya kiulimwengu. Kama tunavyofahamu, taifa letu lina sheria zinazotokana na sheria mama ya Katiba yetu. Pia, tunazo sheria ambazo zimetokana na mikataba ya kiulimwengu ambapo nchi yetu

hutia sahihi. Kwa hivyo, ni muhimu sana sheria hizo kutambulika kinaga ubaga haswa na Bunge la Kitaifa. Ili mikataba hii ikubalike, ni mujibu wa Bunge kutengeneza sheria nchini ambazo pia zinaambatana na Katiba yetu. Hivyo, nchi yetu inatambulika ulimwengu mzima kukubaliana. Mhe. Murugara amezungumzia kwa uwazi vifungu ambavyo vinahusiana na Mswada huu. Vifungu hivi vimeguzia maswala muhimu sana.…

kibanadamu na haki za kimsingi. Kwa kweli, haki za kibanadamu ni muhimu sana. Lakini, katika hizo haki za kibanadamu, kuna haki nyingine ambazo zinakiuka mila na tamaduni zetu, dini zetu na Afrika ama Uafrika. Kwa hivyo, lazima kila jambo lifanywe kwa utaratibu ufaao ndiposa tuwe tukiweka sahihi katika mikataba inaofaa. Namaanisha mikataba ambayo inasaidia Wakenya ambao hawana nafasi ya kuwa kati…

Very well. Ahsante sana. Mover.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to thank everyone who has contributed to this Bill, which is a very important Bill. Openly and candidly, Members have stated how important it is for this House to be involved in treaty-making, instead of just doing ratification alone. We should also be making treaties. I was keen to what Hon. Oundo has said, that we must be very clear on what …

Very well. It is a very progressive law. Next Order.

Deputy Leader of the Majority Party.

I beg to move that the Kenya National Council for Population and Development Bill, (National Assembly Bill No. 72 of 2023) , be now read a Second Time. I want to say that the gist of this Bill is very simple. It is to anchor the National Council for Population and Development (NCPD) in law. It has existed because of a Legal Notice. As we know, Legal Notices only exist up to 10 years only. Then, t…

(SAGA) within the Ministry of National Treasury and Economic Planning. If you allow me, I can go into the details a little bit, and then I will ask Hon. Bashir to second. By way of introduction, the NCPD was established in 1982, as a department in the then Office of the Vice-President and Ministry of Home Affairs. It was set up to formulate population policies, strategies and coordinate populatio…

Hon. Bashir.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to second.

[(Question proposed)]

The first Member to speak on this Bill is Hon. Mary Emaase.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support this Bill, which is very straightforward. It seeks to give the NCPD legal standing so that it becomes a corporate body. Secondly, it seeks to give it a new lease of life after the expiry of 10 years, as stipulated by the Policy or the Act at formation. Issues of population, especially population census, are very emotive. We have cases in the country wh…

Hon. Gitonga Murugara.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support this Bill, which seeks to establish the Kenya National Council for Population and

Development in the country. We have considered the Bill for quite some time and we are now in the final stages of passing it. The country cannot boast of a good population development policy, especially bearing in mind that we began with a Sessional Paper. Thereafter, we had a legal notice, which is a subsidiary legislation. After a lull of over 60 years, we are now coming up with an Act of Parli…

Very well. There being no further interest in this Bill, I call upon the Mover to reply.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I reply, I thank the Members who have made contributions to this Bill. I also thank them for recognising that this is a very important piece of legislation that we must have as a country in order to anchor the NCPD into law. As mentioned by Hon. Murugara, it is very important that the country plans its families and population. As Hon. Mary Emaase has asserted, populatio…

Eastern region. So, we need a policy-making body that will give directives on population issues in this country. I am a big believer that this country should have as many people as possible. We should have a huge population because it presents a good market for our products and supports productivity. However, having a large population without proper planning can strain our schools, markets, trans…

Very well. Hon. Members, we shall defer the putting of the Question on Order Nos. 16 and 17 to the next sitting. Next Order.

[(Putting of the Questions deferred)]

The Chairperson of the Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity gave a notification that he will be