Senate · Morning Sitting
Wednesday, 5 March 2025
The Senate session opened with quorum and the laying of numerous Auditor General reports on county financial statements, after which Senators questioned the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection. The CS provided a summary of Kenya’s bilateral labour migration agreements, monitoring mechanisms, and recent reforms aimed at safeguarding migrant workers’ rights and ensuring fair recruitment practices. The debate was largely procedural and informational, emphasizing compliance with international labour standards. Senators raised serious concerns about the death of a Kenyan woman in Saudi Arabia, accusing the Cabinet Secretary of providing misleading information and demanding consular assistance and compensation for repatriation. The debate also covered broader issues of labour migration, including the role of recruitment agencies, the need for medical screening funding, and the government's financial strategies for supporting migrants abroad. The Senate examined USAID’s off‑budget assistance of roughly US$405 million for FY 2024/25, detailing allocations to education, governance, food security and other sectors and highlighting the role of implementing partners. Senators urged the Finance and Budget Committee’s involvement and agreed that three committees will report on interim measures to bridge gaps caused by the US aid freeze within 60 days.
Serjeant-at- Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes. Hon. Senators, we now have quorum. Please, settle down for the business of the day. Clerk, you may proceed to call the first Order.
[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Machakos County Bursary Fund for the year ended 30th June, 2024. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the County Executive of Lamu for the year ended 30th June, 2024. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the County Assembly of Lamu fo…
Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the County Revenue Fund County Government of Lamu for the year ended 30th June, 2024. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the Receiver of Revenue - Revenue Statements - County Government of Lamu for the year ended 30th June, 2024. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of the County Assembly of Lamu Car …
Next Order.
Hon. Senators, we are expecting three Cabinet Secretaries this morning. We have a total of 10 Questions and, therefore, time will be of
the essence. We intend to have the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Labour and Social Protection to start the session from 9.40 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., then from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30
Sen. Kathuri, do you have any supplementary question?
[(Applause)]
Senator, just proceed to ask you a supplementary question because the more you---
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise to ask Question No. 25, as indicated on the order paper. Allow me to congratulate the Cabinet Secretary for the candid manner in which he has handled this matter of gross national importance.
[[The Speaker (Hon. Kingi) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Abdul Haji) in the Chair]]
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Hon. Senators, due to time, I will not be taking any supplementary questions except from Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale. You can ask one supplementary question if you are still not satisfied with the response.
(Technical hitch) Sorry, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Perhaps I can now continue. Under education, I said that there is a US$ 22.3 million. Giving examples of where this money will have been spent or would be spent is improving early grade literacy across public primary schools. I want to single out that there was support to public Technical Vocational Education Training (TVETs) in Kilifi, Mombasa, Nakuru an…
With the affected State Departments, we are conducting a review of our existing budget allocations to prioritise funding for essential services in sectors such as health, education, governance and food security to be included in the budget estimates of supplementary budget three, if it becomes very necessary. If this funding stops abruptly and there are critical areas, we cannot wait for the 2025/…
deliberate efforts will be put in place to strike a right balance between the need to create a stronger and more reliable revenue stream and the need to protect the critical masses who have been grossly affected by the prevailing macroeconomic shocks. To strengthen expenditure control and improve efficiency and effectiveness in public spending, the Government will; rationalize and reduce non-esse…
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. We shall give you leave now. I wish you all the best in the hard task ahead, and we'll probably see you next time in this House to ask you more questions. (The Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Economic Planning
[(Hon. Mbadi) was ushered out of the Chamber)]
Sen. Cherarkey, proceed. Give him the microphone.
Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I am satisfied with the answer that has been given by the Cabinet Secretary. I regret on behalf of the people of Kakamega, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kilifi and Isiolo counties that Kshs1.1 billion, which was earmarked for promoting accountability in delivery of services in those counties and reducing fraud, wastage and abuse of resources in the health sector has falle…
Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration is coming and has more than 10 questions to respond to. We have been sitting since morning; we need guidance early so that if there is no space for supplementary questions, we do not have to wait. If we do not get a chance, then why did we indicate in the Standing Orders that supplementary questions will be …
Thank you, Senator. Cabinet Secretary, please respond. Thank you. Sen. Cherarkey, I have told you that we have run out of time. Another Cabinet Secretary is waiting. The Questions have been answered. These are supplementary questions. Sen. Cherarkey, we are not going to engage each other in a verbal exchange. Cabinet Secretary, please proceed. Sen. Cherarkey, that is enough. Let the Cabinet Secr…
[(Sen. Cherarkey spoke off record)]
Yes.
Thank you. Let us go to Question No.021 by Sen. Beatrice Ogola. Sorry, Hon. Cabinet Secretary. I did not welcome you to the House. Welcome. The Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration : Thank you.
[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]
Sen. Ogola, please ask your question as it appears on the Order Paper so that we save time. Question No.021
Thank you, Senator. Let us now get the response by the Cabinet Secretary. We request that you summarise the responses as much as possible because the answers have already been circulated to the Members. The Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration : Good afternoon, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to be here. I thought you directed that all the…
[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]
Thank you, Sen. Cherarkey. What you have raised is valid. We will take it up with SBC. We should not lump up Ministries which have many questions to respond to. Today we have three Cabinet Secretaries and it is quite evident that we are not able to manage our time properly. We have six questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration. I propose that we get all the six q…
Question No.027
Thank you. Let us go to Question No.021 by Sen. Beatrice Ogola. Sorry, Hon. Cabinet Secretary. I did not welcome you to the House. Welcome. The Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration : Thank you.
[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]
Sen. Ogola, please ask your question as it appears on the Order Paper so that we save time. Question No.021
Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, my Question is as follows-
Thank you, Senator. Let us now get the response by the Cabinet Secretary. We request that you summarise the responses as much as possible because the answers have already been circulated to the Members. The Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration : Good afternoon, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to be here. I thought you directed that all the…
[(Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen)]
We can do that. Question No.027 is by the Senator for Turkana, Sen. James Lomenen.
Question No.027
Thank you, Senator. We were proceeding well before you interrupted. We will continue the way we were doing. The Chair has a leeway to increase the time once it gets to one o’clock. We will see how well the Cabinet Secretary will have done in terms of his responses. Proceed, Sen. Hamida. Question No.006
Thank you, Senator. Next is Sen. Chute, Senator for Marsabit. Question No.003
The next question is by Sen. Joe Nyutu on behalf of the Sen. (Dr.) Murango of Kirinyaga county. Question No.012
Thank you, Senator. Next is Sen. Hamida Kibwana.
On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Not to challenge your directions, but when you look at the time, we have got just about 30 minutes before we close this session. When you look at the Order Paper, there are quite a number of questions. We run the risk of asking the questions then time runs out and then end up taking the written responses from the Cabinet Secretary, which will defea…
session. When we put this in the Standing Orders, this session was never there. It was meant to build interaction with Cabinet Secretaries. I want to plead with you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Let us not rush so that we finish. Let us have a substantive conversation and probably just take the first three or four questions and have the Cabinet Secretary to respond. If he responds satisfactorily w…
Thank you, Senator. We were proceeding well before you interrupted. We will continue the way we were doing. The Chair has a leeway to increase the time once it gets to one o’clock. We will see how well the Cabinet Secretary will have done in terms of his responses. Proceed, Sen. Hamida. Question No.006
Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have the following questions to Bw. Waziri-
The next question is by Sen. Joe Nyutu on behalf of the Sen. (Dr.) Murango of Kirinyaga county. Question No.012
Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, give me 30 seconds to conclude.
No, Senator, you have taken long enough. We have understood the question.
I rise to seek answers to the following-
Hon. Senators, it is now 1.15 p.m. Having concluded the business for which I extended the hours of sitting, pursuant to Standing Order No.34 (2A) , the Senate stands adjourned until later today, 5th March, 2025, at 2.30 p.m. The Senate rose at 1.15 p.m.