National Assembly · Morning Sitting
Wednesday, 9 April 2025
Hon. Kuria Kimani criticised the 25% excise duty on transformers introduced by the Tax Laws (Amendment) Act 2024, arguing it raises electricity costs, hampers transformer availability and undermines the Last Mile Connectivity programme. He called for a review of the duty and for correcting tariff misclassifications, especially for glass, to better support local manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports. Hon. Silvanus Osoro urged amendments to several statutes—including the Mining Act, SACCO Societies Act, Accountants Act, Estate Agents Registration Act and the Public Benefits Act—to embed a definition of terrorism financing and grant regulators stronger anti‑money‑laundering, CFT and CPF powers, with penalties up to Ksh5 million for entities and Ksh1 million for individuals plus daily fines. He highlighted loopholes that could be exploited for terrorist funding, declared his personal stake in mining, and used light‑hearted remarks about a fellow MP’s reaction to accounting references. Members debated a motion to promote domestic fertilizer manufacturing, citing high import reliance, quality concerns, and vulnerability to global supply disruptions. They argued that local production would improve fertilizer quality, boost yields, and enhance food security, and the motion garnered broad support despite procedural interruptions and unresolved constituency queries.
I order the Quorum Bell to run for 10 minutes. I order that the Quorum Bell be stopped. Hon. Members, for the convenience of the House, I wish to re-organise the Order Paper. Order, Hon. Rindikiri, Member for Buuri. We will deal with Order No.8, whichever way it goes. We will then deal with Orders Nos.9 and 10 and return to Order No.5. Next Order.
[(The Quorum Bell was rung)]
[(Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri consulted loudly)]
Hon. Waqo, are you dealing with this one? Hon. Osoro, take your seat.
[(Hon. Silvanus Osoro remained upstanding in his place)]
Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to move: THAT, this House resolves to exempt the Business appearing as Order Nos. 9, 11 and 12 in today's Order Paper from the provisions of Standing Order 40 (3) , being a Wednesday Morning, a day allocated for Business not sponsored by the Majority or Minority Party or Business sponsored by a committee. I beg to move, and I request Hon. Atandi …
Hon. Atandi, you must get used to this now.
Hon. Temporary Speaker, I second.
Put the Question.
Is it the mood of the House that I put the Question?
Yes.
[(Question put and agreed to)]
Next Order.
Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to move that the Division of Revenue Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 10 of 2025) be now read a Third Time. I also would like to request Dr Pukose, the Member of Parliament for Endebess and the Vice Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, to second.
Hon. Pukose.
Hon.Temporary Speaker, I second the Third Reading of the Division of Revenue Bill. This is a very important Bill that looks into the division of resources between the National Government and the county government. I second.
[(Question proposed)]
Put the Question.
Is that the mood of the House?
Yes.
Okay. Hon Members, having
Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to lay the following papers on the Table:
Is that it? Do you have another Paper to lay? Go ahead.
Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. There is an additional part of that.
Thank you. Next Order.
Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44 (2) (C) , I rise to request a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee and infrastructure regarding the high frequency of accidents along the Likoni-Lunga-Lunga Highway. In recent months, there has been a surge of road accidents along the busy Likoni-Lunga- Lunga Highway, particularly along the …
Despite raising these concerns, the relevant authorities have taken little to no action to curb these strategies. Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is against this background that I request a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure on the
I saw the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure in the House this morning. Is the Vice-Chairperson in? Hon. Osoro, this will be under your charge. How long do you think the Committee will take to respond to this request for a Statement by the Member for Msambweni?
Hon. Temporary Speaker, the committees have a set standard of two weeks to respond. I will submit this request to the relevant Committee. I commit to doing it, and the answer will be given in two weeks.
Please proceed as you suggested. The answer should be given in two weeks. The Member for Eldas is in the House. Please proceed with your request for a Statement.
Fertiliser and Animal Foodstuffs Board regulates the fertiliser and animal foodstuffs industry including the manufacture and production of fertilisers; noting that the country currently relies heavily on imported fertiliser due to inadequate local production capacity; further noting that the low local production leads to high costs for farmers, reducing their profits and resulting in an unhealthy …
Yes.
What is out of order? Give the microphone to the Member for Kirinyaga Central.
Thank you, Temporary Speaker. I raised five requests for Statements on various dates but have not yet received answers. The first one was to the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security. This was with regard to the insecurity in Kirinyaga County. I raised it on 27th February 2025.
Order. We just called a new Order, and I do not see how what you are asking relates to the Order we just called. Hon. Joseph Gitari : I had called for a write-up before then, Hon. Temporary Speaker.
[(Kirinyaga Central, UDA)]
Would you approach the Temporary Speaker? Hon. Mutunga. Are you contributing to this? Hon. (Dr) John Mutunga Kanyuithia Yes.
[(Tigania West, UDA)]
Go ahead. Hon. (Dr) John Mutunga Kanyuithia Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support the Motion on the local manufacture of fertiliser. Fertiliser and Animal Food Act 2015 governs fertiliser importation. The Act is basically about fertiliser importation and regulations. It also basically focuses on having fertiliser brought in from without. Fertiliser importation has serious implicati…
[(Tigania West, UDA)]
it is important for us to focus on manufacturing fertiliser in this country. If we are able to manufacture fertiliser, we can manufacture fertiliser for different types of soils that we have. There is no time in the foreseeable future when we will not use fertiliser in this country. Kenya will need fertiliser as long as we are probably engaged in agricultural production just as much as the other c…
On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.
Hon. Member for Endebess Constituency.
Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. We have listened to a lot of debate supporting this Motion. This is a very important Motion that has received wide support from most Members. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I now request that the Mover be now called upon to reply.
Is it the mood of the House that we ask the Mover to reply to this Motion?
Yes.
Hon. Member for Alego Usonga Constituency.
Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.
Order. Take your seat. Hon. Member for Alego Usonga Constituency, you can now reply.
[(Question, that the Mover be now called to reply, put and agreed to)]
Hon. Temporary Speaker, let me take this opportunity to thank the House for the vigorous debate that occurred on this Motion. The House is unanimous that Kenya can no longer rely on imported solutions for our agricultural
sector. Fertiliser is very important. In the Budget Policy Statement (BPS), which we passed, agriculture is regarded as the cornerstone of our economic growth projection. Therefore, we must do everything possible as a country to ensure that we have home-grown solutions for our fertiliser needs. I want to thank the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock Development, Dr…
Next Order.
[(Question put and agreed to)]
Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The point I am making, and I am happy that Members have listened to me, is that if you want to give an authority other than Parliament the power to make laws through regulations, rules, or guidelines that impose such grave sanctions such as ten years imprisonment or fines of up to Ksh20 million, then it really requires that those regulations, guidelines or rules …
On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.
What is your point of order, Hon. Murugara?
Hon. Temporary Speaker, is my time frozen?
It is.
I plead for him to be frozen.
May it be confirmed?
I will give you additional time, Hon. Kaluma. Do not worry. Hon. Murugara, proceed.
Hon. Temporary Speaker, in the Republic of Kenya, under the Statutory Instruments Act, no regulation whatsoever made by any regulation-making authority or anyone else has the force of law that is enforceable unless it comes to this House and approved. I do not understand what Hon. Kaluma is propagating by...
Order, Hon. Murugara. You repeating what Hon. Kaluma said. He is saying that even if Parliament were to give those regulations, they would still not vest those powers in the hands of the Judiciary but in a body that essentially has the powers to impose those sanctions. Am I right, Hon. Kaluma?
Hon. Temporary Speaker, you are right. Additionally, Hon. Murugara is right, but he is not making an existent distinction within the Statutory Instruments Act. There are regulations that can be made and promulgated by the various authorities. Under that Act, unless the Committee on Delegated Legislation intervenes, those regulations become law after a certain period. Under the Statutory Instrument…
[(Hon. Mutuse consulted Loudly)]
Proceed, Hon Kaluma. Hon. Mutuse will have his time.
I established the Committee on Delegated Legislation before you came here. So, I know that law. I have been interrupted.
Order, Hon. Members. Hon Kaluma, when this matter comes up for debate again, you will still have five minutes.
Hon. Members, the time being 1.00