National Assembly · Afternoon Sitting

Hon. Members, I have a short Communication and a Message from His Excellency the President. The Communication is a recognition of a delegation from Kitui County Assembly. Hon. Members, I wish to introduce to you a delegation from the County Assembly of Kitui, who are seated in the Speaker’s Gallery. The delegation comprises the following:

Take your seat Hon. Member. Member for Tharaka Nithi, where you are going is not the nearest seat. Hon. Members, as I had stated, I have a message from His Excellency the President on nomination of persons for appointment as members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) . Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 42, I wish to convey the following Message from His Excellency the President r…

[(Hon. Susan Ngugi walked along the gangway)]

Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, 2011, he has nominated Ms. Caroline Nzilani King’oku Ajuoga and Hon. Isaac Kiprono Ruto as members of the JSC. Article 171(2) of the Constitution requires that the JSC comprises among others, one woman and one man to represent the public not being lawyers appointed by the President with the approval of the National Assembly. His Excellency the Pre…

No, it was supposed to be under Communication but I saw you went ahead. Hon. Speaker, I stand under Standing Order 20A (4) …

Order, Hon. Wandayi! I do not know if we are following the same Order. Communication is only limited to be from the Chair.

Hon. Speaker, I have an issue if you would indulge me for one minute. On 6th April, I wrote to you on behalf of the minority coalition informing you of the decision of the coalition…

Order, Hon. Wandayi! Order!

To remove Hon. Sabina Chege…

Order, Hon. Wandayi! I will give you space to prosecute after we are through with the listed Orders. Order! Take your seat, I will give you space. Order, Hon. Wandayi! Communication, which is Order No.2, is only limited to be from the Chair. There is no communication from any Member to the House. I will give you space to prosecute what you are saying. I have told you, let us deal with the Order th…

Yes, Leader of the Majority Party.

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

Next Order!

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion: THAT, aware that Article 42 of the Constitution accords every person the right to a clean and healthy environment and that Article 69 (1) (d) of the Constitution also mandates the State to encourage public participation in the management, protection and conservation of the environment; concerned that, the prevailing climate change and gl…

[(Loud consultations)]

Order, Hon. Members! Order!

The Chamber is too cold.

Too cold? Are we in the same Chamber? Okay, the Serjeant-at- Arms will work on that. Members are complaining; you should lower the air-conditioning. Carry on Hon. Umul Kheir.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice of following Motion: THAT, aware that Article 42 of the Constitution accords every person the right to a clean and healthy environment and that Article 69 (1) (d) of the Constitution also mandates the State to encourage public participation in the management, protection and conservation of the environment; concerned that, the prevailing climate change and global…

ecosystems and biodiversity causing unprecedented droughts, food insecurity and famine thus affecting livelihoods and our economy, further concerned that, there is a general lack of awareness or insensitivity among our citizens regarding the place of environmental conservation in preserving our biodiversity; noting that, there is need to inculcate a culture of environmental conservation practices …

Next is Hon. Jessica Mbalu.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion: THAT, aware that agriculture is the backbone of the Kenya’s economy contributing approximately 33 per cent of the GDP and employing more than 40 per cent of the total population and 70 per cent of the rural population; noting that the sector’s performance has been declining as a result of adverse effects of climate change, resulting in d…

Thank you Hon. Jessica. Hon. Peter Salasya.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion: THAT, aware that the importation and exportation of sugar is regulated by various laws including the Crops Act and the Agriculture and Food Authority Act, 2013; further aware that, the Agriculture and Food Authority is charged with the responsibility of regulating the importation and exportation of sugar in the country

and in accordance with the law; and noting that, the importation of sugar is also negotiated within the regional trade blocs.

Hon. Getrude Mbeyu, what is out of order?

Is Hon. Osoro in order to carry a female handbag around the House? It has been down on his Chair and now he is running up and down with it yet we do not know what he is carrying in it. Thank you.

Unfortunately, the Hon. Speaker never saw that. Hon. Osoro, carry on.

[(Laughter)]

I will continue from where I left. THAT, aware that the importation and exportation of sugar is regulated by various laws including the Crops Act and the Agriculture and Food Authority Act, 2013; further aware that, the Agriculture and Food Authority is charged with the responsibility of regulating the importation and exportation of sugar in the country and in accordance with the law; and noting t…

[(Applause)]

Thank you, Hon. Salasya. Next Order.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. My Question to the Cabinet Secretary for Education is 102/2023: Could the Cabinet Secretary:

Thank you. That is the first and last. Hon. Abdul Haro. Clerks, spare the other Question by Hon. Kaunya for next time. Question 103/2023

[(Question 103A/2023 deferred)]

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to ask Question 103/2023 to the Cabinet Secretary for Education. Could the Cabinet Secretary:

The Member, Machua Waithaka. We will come to you, Liza Chelule. Just hold your horses. Question 112/2023

Hon. Speaker, I rise to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education the following Question:

Cabinet Secretary, you can now answer those three Questions. The Cabinet Secretary for Education : Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Concerning the first Question by Hon. Kaunya, the decision to domicile junior secondary schools in primary schools is not a temporary arrangement. The matter has been considered extensively and the decision was made after considering a range of key factors. As all the Memb…

[(Hon. Ezekiel Machogu)]

Hon. Speaker, the decision about JSSs is now six years old, namely, since 2017 when we started Grade One. There is no engaging reverse gear. We cannot go back to reconsider the decision. We are moving forward with JSS. The second set of question is that a total of Ksh7.662 billion was utilised to build 9,721 classrooms in our secondary schools. These classrooms are currently being used and have r…

County was Ksh203,893,240. For the two sub counties in this particular constituency, the total amount spent in the school feeding programme in the first term was Ksh59,956,400. On provision of water, as you are aware, the responsibility and function of water falls under the Ministry of Water and the county government. You know that Parliament has given an allocation to the Ministry of Water. In t…

Cabinet Secretary, please, try to paraphrase the answer. We want to be done with you in the next 30 minutes so that we can allow your colleague who is waiting, to come in. I also have many supplementary questions. Finish that and move to the next Question. The Cabinet Secretary for Education : We have 70 boreholes now, and they supply and provide water to our primary and secondary schools in the…

[(Hon. Ezekiel Machogu)]

The last Question is by Hon. Machua Waithaka on students in Cuba. The Cabinet Secretary for Education : Thank you, Hon. Speaker. The Kenyan Government entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Cuba in 2004. The agreement entered upon was that Cuba will give partial scholarships by providing for tuition and accommodation. They would take two students per given year.…

[(Hon. Ezekiel Machogu)]

The first supplementary will go to the Questioner, Hon. Oku Kaunya. One supplementary at a time.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I will ask one supplementary question. First and foremost, I want to say that the response is largely satisfactory. However, my supplementary question relates to the shortage of staff. There is an acute understaffing of teachers, especially in Teso North and Butula in Busia County. The acute shortage is likely to undermine the implementation of CBC. What action or measures…

Hon. Haro.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I have one supplementary question. Largely, I am happy with the answer the Cabinet Secretary has given. I can confirm schools in my constituency have received food distributed by NACONEK. Given that NACONEK is doing a good job in terms of food distribution, and given that the other major problem we have in schools in ASAL areas, Mandera South Constituency being one of them…

Hon. Haro, you are making a speech. Ask your question.

Thank you. My question is: Could the Cabinet Secretary liaise with his counterpart in the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation to see how water provision to schools can be consolidated under one institution such as NACONEK so that as they provide food they also provide water?

Thank you. Hon. Waithaka.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. The Cabinet Secretary said that in 2004, the Cuba Government got into an agreement with the Kenya Government to provide bursary and other requirements for students in Cuba, but according to my constituents who are students in Cuba, they are being forced to conduct Harambee. The agreement that was signed has not taken effect. Can the Cabinet Secretary confirm whether the ag…

Thank you. Mhe. Mama Zamzam wa Mombasa.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Recently, there was recruitment of teachers by the TSC. Mombasa had teachers who had been in probation for too long, some for two years and others for one year, but unfortunately, they never got a chance to be employed. Which criteria did the TSC use to recruit the teachers and why was Mombasa left out?

Hon. Sabina Chege, what is your point of order?

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. My point of order is on a question I had asked the Cabinet Secretary on payment of JSS teachers. I did not hear him respond to the question.

Cabinet Secretary, you did not answer the question. Note it. Hon. Liza Chelule. Mhe. Liza Chelule : Asante sana, Mhe. Spika, kwa kunipatia nafasi nielekeze swali langu kwa Waziri wa Elimu. Kwa wale wanafunzi ambao wamefanya mitihani ya shule ya upili, sijui kama ana habari kwamba kila wakati watoto hawa wakienda kuchukua stakabadhi zao shuleni wanakatazwa kama hawajamaliza kulipa karo ya shule. …

[(Kaunti ya Nakuru, UDA)]

Thank you. Mhe. Liza Chelule : Mhe. Spika, tuko na shida ya Chuo Kikuu cha Egerton kule Nakuru.

[(Kaunti ya Nakuru, UDA)]

Hon. Members, allow me to acknowledge students from Kenyatta University School of Law, who are seated at the Speaker’s Gallery, namely:

Hon. Members, over the past few years, the Parliamentary Service Commission has endeavoured to provide a favourable working environment for Members of Parliament, including availing to them professional teams of staff. Coupled with this, Members are able to engage other support staff including personal assistants. In this regard, in light of the fact that the support staff engaged by Members ought…

Hon. Machogu, as you can clearly see, your Ministry attracts tremendous attention and interest from Members of the House. Literally, each and every Member here has wished to ask a question but we are limited by time because we have your colleague, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum waiting. As for the Members who

did not get opportunity, the Chairperson apologises but we will summon Hon. Machogu to appear before this House on the first Wednesday after recess. We resume on the 6th, which is a Tuesday. So, I direct that Hon. Machogu comes back on 7th, which is not too far away. I will ask the Clerk to avail to me the list of the Members who have already asked questions today so that I can put you in the cool…

Hon. Shakeel, you can only ask the Question on her behalf if there is a written request from the Member herself to the Speaker. That Question is dropped. Next is Question 095/2023 from the Member for Mandera South, Hon. Abdul Haro.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Haro, can I request you to hold back? You have asked more than your fair share this afternoon. Let me give an opportunity to the next Member. I will come back to you a little later, so that in case we run out of time, you would have had several bites of the cherry this afternoon. Cabinet Secretary, just note that the Question from the Member for Mandera South will come slightly later. Membe…

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

Thank you, Hon. Lekuton. Cabinet Secretary, just hold on. Because of pressure of time, I will allow a second Question. You may sit and take your notes. Hon. Members, Question 135 is by Hon. Robert Mbui, who does not seem to be here, but he had asked me to take it off the Order Paper. He alleges that the Clerks mutilated his Question and that this is not the way he wanted it framed. Clerk, you wil…

[(Question 135/2023 withdrawn)]

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

That is your Question. Cabinet Secretary, let us now take the Question from the Member for Mandera South, Hon. Haro. Question 95/2023

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Articles 230 (2) (b) (i) and 250 (2) (c) of the Constitution, Section 7 (10) of the of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission Act, No.10 of 2011, and Section 6 of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, No.33 of 2011, His Excellency the President notified the National Assembly of the nomination of Mr. Isaac Kipkemboi …

Order! Committee Chair, move the Motion. Start by “I beg to Move” and reading the entire terms of the Motion before you make your contribution.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for the guidance. I beg to move: THAT, taking into consideration the findings of the Departmental

Order, Hon. Members. Hon. Waqo was on the Floor. Hon. Naomi Waqo you have five more minutes. You may proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

On a point of order.

What is your point of order, Hon. Kamuren?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. It is clear that we do not have quorum.

Serjeant-at-Arms, ring the Quorum

Order, Hon. Members! You cannot leave when the bell is ringing.