National Assembly · Afternoon Sitting

Hon. Raso, take the nearest seat. Hon. Members, I have a Message from the Executive on the nomination of a person for appointment as the Director-General of the Financial Reporting Centre. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42 (4) , I wish to report to the House that I have received a Message from the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning regarding the nomina…

Thank you.

Hon. Caroli Omondi.

Thank you, Hon. Janet. Vice-Chairperson, Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, Hon. (Major) Bashir.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table: Reports of the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations on:

Chairperson, Departmental Committee on Energy.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table: Report of the Departmental Committee on Energy on its consideration of the Energy (Amendment) Bill, (Senate Bill No. 42 of 2023) . Thank you.

Leader of the Delegation to Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) , Hon. Cynthia Muge.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table:

Leader of the delegation to IPU in the United States, Hon. Fred Kapondi. Hon. Muge, are you also concerned with this? Next is the Deputy Speaker, the leader of the delegation to the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments (WCSP) in Geneva.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table:

Next is Hon. Bashir.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I beg to give notices of the following Motions: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations on its Inspection Visit to Kenyan Diplomatic Missions in the United States of America from 14th to 23rd May 2025, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025.

Thank you. Hon. Wanjala.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I beg to give notice of the following Motion: THAT, this House adopts the Fifth Report of the Select Committee on Implementation on the Implementation status of Reports on Petitions and Resolutions passed by the House, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025.

Hon. Owen Baya, as we call the next Order, if the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development is within the precincts, usher him in.

Member for Westlands.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to provisions of Standing Order 43 (1) , I wish to make a general statement regarding the commemoration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025. Today, Wednesday, 3rd December 2025, the global community marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities under the theme: Fostering Disability Inclusive Societies for Advancing Social Progres…

cannot be achieved if millions of Kenyans with disabilities remain excluded from national decision-making, economic participation and social services. Hon. Speaker, I urge Members of this House to model the way as we move forward with unity, urgency and boldness in entrenching disability inclusivity. Let us foster a Kenya where every person is valued, supported and empowered to contribute to our …

Thank you. Hon. Members, I join everybody… You want to comment on this?

[(Hon. Ali Raso spoke off record)]

Yes.

Hon. Raso, a minute.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I appreciate Hon. Tim Wanyonyi for bringing the Statement. Disability in the old days used to come as a result of natural causes. However, nowadays, it comes with development and accidents among other causes. There are Members who come to this House walking on their two feet but by circumstances, go back home on a wheelchair. What he has presented has called upon…

Hon. Milemba, dakika moja.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I thank Hon. Tim Wanyonyi for that Statement regarding the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The day is related and associated with United Nations (UN) since 1992. Today was that particular day. I thank him, and reiterate that there is need for the parent Ministry to work closely with Parliament and Parliamentarians, so that the celebrations can go deep to th…

Time up. Hon. Hassan, dakika moja.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I would like to add my voice and thank Hon. Wanyonyi for bringing up the importance of this International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I support the points he has raised. We have made some progress as Parliament in making the premises accessible by people living with disabilities. However, I am hopeful that we will carry out some of the changes that would be required …

to bring in Members of Parliament with disability closer so that they can be more visible and have easier access to participating in the deliberations of the House. That aside, I am in the Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity and more importantly, more emphasis is put on the way Kenyan corporations and Government departments deal with people with disability. We have found out that…

Time up. Hon. Harold Kipchumba. One minute.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I join my brother Hon. Tim and thank him for having issued this Statement. As I join other persons with disabilities in celebrating this day, we want to bring to the attention of the people that disability is no longer a charity affair but a developmental agenda. I celebrate the many caregivers, specifically, mothers of children with cerebral palsy, autism and many other …

Thank you. We will end that debate there. Hon. Members, the entire House joins in commemoration of the International Day of Persons with disabilities, both in Kenya and worldwide. Hon. Catherine Omanyo, make your Statement.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 259D (2) (b) , I rise to extend hearty congratulations to our athletes for their exemplary performance in the Deaflympic Games that were held in Tokyo, Japan from 16th to 25th November 2025. I had the privilege and honour to attend the Deaflympic Games held in Tokyo, Japan, where Kenya was well represented by a contingent of 16…

Thank you, Hon. Omanyo. Clerk-at-the-Table, call out Order 8 so that we can dispose it off.

Order! Members on their feet, take your seats. I will now put the Question at Order 8.

[(Question put and agreed to)]

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development the following Question: Could the Cabinet Secretary:

Cabinet Secretary. The microphone has a problem. Clerk-at-the-Table, wapi fundi wa mitambo?

The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development (Hon. Mutahi Kagwe): Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. At the outset, I once again reiterate my apology for my absence when I was previously summoned. As I explained in my letter, first and foremost, nobody has more respect for this House than I do. Hon. Speaker, you and I were here 22 years ago when I was a Member of this House and…

channel, the TBK will work jointly with the private sector partners to implement and promote an online trading platform, e-commerce to enhance market access for Kenya tea and tea products. The objective of e-commerce platform is to provide a direct link between the tea consumers and the tea producers, thus resulting to a short route to market and increase tea sales, both value-added and bulk teas,…

(CDA), should be undertaken on the differences between the cost of production for tea factories from the East and the West blocks, and action taken to address those gaps. In order to address the governance challenges contributing to inefficiencies, high operational costs, and governance gaps in tea factories, the Draft Tea Industrial Corporate Governance and Code of Practice will soon be gazetted…

Hon. Ikiara.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I am satisfied with the measures that are being taken by the Ministry. However, I wish to reiterate that it should conduct proper follow-up, particularly on governance matters and ensure improvement in tea quality and reduction in production costs. This will prevent the House from revisiting the same issues next year. I am satisfied.

Cabinet Secretary, in addition to that, there is a Committee. Most Members who raised the issue on tea bonuses are not here. The Committee, chaired by Hon. (Dr) Mutunga, is currently sitting. They indicated that the report will be ready in a week or two. Committee activities close on 15th December 2025. We will await the outcome of the Committee, share the report and, if necessary, call you back o…

[(Hon. Mutahi Kagwe)]

I will allow Members from the tea-growing areas, both East and West of the Rift, to meet with you and review the report together so that they can inform the House. Let us have Question 84/2025 by Hon. Daniel Karitho, Member for Igembe Central. Question 84/2025

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I would like the Cabinet Secretary to clarify the terms and conditions of the lease agreement of the State-owned sugar farms, including how the Government intends to invest or utilise the lease proceeds for the benefit of the local communities. This is as a result of the President’s recent revelation that the Government intends to sell parastatals and ring-fence the money…

Order, Hon. K’Oyoo. Read the Question as you framed it.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development the following Question: Could the Cabinet Secretary:

What was declared a nullity, the case or the sale? The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development : The sale, Hon. Speaker, was declared a nullity in accordance with the report we have.

[(Hon. Mutahi Kagwe)]

So, it is not the case. The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development : Following that, in 2008 the appeal was made and jury heard, but was also dismissed. The court also reiterated the position that the proceedings that were used to effect the sale were also null and void.

[(Hon. Mutahi Kagwe)]

When the predecessor of the Kenya Sugar Board, Agricultural and Food Authority commenced measures to lease the land, Crossley Holdings Limited filed yet another suit at the Kisumu Environmental and Land Court, being Petition No.6 of 2020. Crossley Holdings Limited versus the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and others. Despite the court being notified that the is…

How can a junior court override the Court of Appeal? The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development : Hon. Speaker, I claim no authority in law. As it stands, there are two conflicting judgments on the issue of ownership. One from an Environmental and Land Court and the other from the Court of Appeal. The Cabinet issued a memo that directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Livest…

[(Hon. Mutahi Kagwe)]

Of course, Cabinet Secretary, there has been a Petition presented before the House this afternoon on the same matter and, at some point in time, your Ministry may be caught in the crossfire. Hon. K’Oyoo?

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I agree with the Cabinet Secretary on certain aspects. I only want to inform him that we will need valuation reports of the belongings for various factories before the lease was done. So, this will inform whether they were done properly or not. If possible, we would want to know the workers' plight. What was pledged and agreed to during the leasing has not been done for w…

[(Hon. Mutahi Kagwe)]

Hold on. Let us take mwalimu Milemba.

Thank you. I really got interested in the Cabinet Secretary's speech on Miwani. He explains how the Court of Appeal made a ruling and later, the Environment and Land Court also made a judgment.

It never made a ruling. It made a judgment.

Allow me to use ordinary language because I am not a lawyer like yourself.

[(Laughter)]

Hon. Oundo.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I have heard the Cabinet Secretary talk about monopoly and dominant players in the market. I want to bring to his attention that the entire Busia County and the neighbouring region have only one sugar company, Busia Sugar Company. They are indeed involved in some very mischievous and probably market-predator activities. They are leasing swathes of land to grow sugar-cane a…

[(Hon. Mutahi Kagwe)]

zones, where, for example, some people in Bunyala may not want to be in Miwani and so on, in terms of the regional makeup. Secondly, even within the regional makeups themselves, there will be litigation regarding who is being selected. We might have no choice but to come back to this House and seek amendments to the Act to allow for faster implementation of the Act. It took five years for AFA to …

Cabinet Secretary, the Bill passed and it is now the Sugar Act. I come from the sugar zone. There are people who have been campaigning continuously to be elected as directors of the Kenya Sugar Board for the last three years. It is not fair to those ordinary farmers. You know how expensive campaigns of any election in this country are. Something must be done. Approach Parliament through the leader…

[(Hon. Mutahi Kagwe)]

Is Hon. Adan Haji in the House?

Is the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning in the House?

[(Hon. David Mwalika stood in his place)]

Are you moving this Motion on behalf of the Committee Chairman?

Yes, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I am a ranking Member of the Committee. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning on its consideration of the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Singapore and the Government of the Republic of Kenya for the elimination of double ta…

Singapore included coffee, tea, and spices at US$1.47 million; ores, slag and ash at US$0.99 million; edible nuts and fruits at US$1.7 million; and plants and flowers at US$0.68 million. Kenya's imports from Singapore in 2024 amounted to US$41.24 million and were mainly composed of plastics US$6.4 million, man-made stable fibres US$5.13 million, machinery and boilers US$5.08 million, and chemical…

Thank you. That is a former mandarin of the National Treasury. He is my friend, and I enjoy working with him. That is why I take this opportunity to second not just him, but also the Motion he has just tabled. The 2010 Constitution did a very fundamental shift. All bilateral agreements that are signed must come to this House of Representatives for review and consent. That is one of the fundamenta…

The Hon. Member's presentation focuses on eliminating double taxation on income and preventing tax evasion. The title of this bilateral Agreement conveys its importance. One, we will eliminate double taxation on income to avoid tax evasion. Those are keywords. These kinds of agreements allow us to get more money for the country. When we eliminate double taxation, we have the opportunity to generat…

Hon. Catherine Omanyo.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, this is a Report by our Chair. Hon. Kivasu will read, then I second.

We are dealing with Order No. 10. Fair enough. As there is no further interest in this business, I will call upon the Mover to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I take the opportunity to thank the Members, especially the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party. He has struggled to say something on this Treaty. I am aware that he is not an economist. He has a degree in education. So, he has tried to talk about this Treaty. Double taxation is a significant deterrent to investment. For example, suppose a company from Singapore…

Hon. Temporary Speaker, with those few remarks, I beg to reply.

The Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning on its consideration of the Agreement for Establishing the Shelter Afrique Development Bank, laid on the Table of the House on Tuesday, 2nd December 2025, and pursuant to the provisions of Section 8 (4) of the Treaty Making and Ratification …

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I second this Motion on the consideration of the Agreement for Establishing the Shelter Afrique Development Bank, ably moved by the Hon. Member. As we have heard from the Mover of the Motion, this is one way of establishing a bank that will help us finance housing in this country. This is one of the key components of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) plan…

Shelter Afrique and establishing the Shelter Afrique Development Bank (SADB) is intended to ensure the perpetuity and continuity of the projects we already have. Therefore, I sincerely request that this House support the establishment of Shelter Afrique as a development bank, like many other development banks worldwide. The beauty of this is that it is a bank that Kenya will control, as it is the…

I thought you would say Eastleigh.

[(Laughter)]

Eastleigh is too full. However, I want to welcome you to Kilifi County. Vipingo is an area where you should invest heavily in development. You can get money from SADB. The third benefit is a centred partnership in delivering affordable housing and essential infrastructure. This bank will do that. However, what is in it for Kenya as a nation, State and Democracy when we establish this bank? First,…

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Saney, do you want to raise a point of order?

Yes, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is out of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I rise under Standing Order 35. Looking at the quorum in the House, and given that we have serious critical matters lined up for debate and, more so, the Motion on the British Army Training Unit in Kenya, which is a very serious and damning Report.

Fair enough.

I would request that this debate be deferred to tomorrow’s sitting so that…

Order, Hon. Member. You have raised a Quorum issue, and, understandably, the Chair is also convinced that we do not have Quorum. I direct that the Quorum Bell be rung for 10 minutes.

[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]

Where are the Whips of the Majority and Minority Parties? Deputy Leader of the Majority Party, take the lead and bring Members into the House. Order, Hon Members. The Quorum Bell is now ringing. Please ensure Members come into the Chamber.

[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]

Hon. Members, as a matter of fact, for all the other businesses except the one concerning the military, the Chairpersons are not around. I think there has to be strong communication for them to be available here to perform their jobs and maintain a working House.