First Order.

Hon. Members, Article 119 of the Constitution accords any person the right to petition Parliament to consider any matter within its authority. Further, Standing Order 225(2)(b) requires the Speaker to report to the House any petition other than one presented by a Member.

I allow the Members who are standing to be seated. (Several Members entered the Chamber and took their seats) Thank you, Members, I will continue. I wish to report to the House that my office has received a Petition from Mr Thompson Kirongo, ID No.21XXX79, regarding the compliance by Safaricom PLC with statutory and constitutional obligations relating to deactivation and reassignment of SIM cards. The Petitioner states that Safaricom PLC, a licenced telecommunication service provider, offers SIM card services that facilitate essential services including voice and data communication, mobile money services such as M-PESA and access to financial services, customer identification and the storage and processing of personal data.

Hon. Members, the Petitioner alleges that Safaricom PLC has adopted a practice of deactivating SIM cards after a specified period of inactivity, ordinarily six months, and subsequently reallocating the corresponding mobile numbers to new subscribers. He contends that before such deactivation and reassignment, affected subscribers are always not given adequate notice. The Petitioner states that, consequently, the subscribers who resume use of their lines may find they are unable to access communication services such as mobile money accounts, financial services or personal data associated with the SIM card, thereby violating consumer rights guaranteed under Article 46 of the Constitution. The Petitioner further states that the subscribers who are unable to use their SIM cards for prolonged periods due to illness, travel, incapacity, imprisonment or other unavoidable circumstances risk losing access to their communication services, financial accounts and funds without adequate notice or due process.

The Petitioner additionally contends that a SIM card belonging to a deceased subscriber remains inactive and linked to financial assets that subsequent deactivation and reassignment of such SIM cards without the involvement of the authority of the deceased person or

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I wish to support this Petition as it raises grave concerns regarding the privacy of the Kenyan people. Once a SIM card has been assigned to an individual, Safaricom must send written notice to that person, informing them that unless they take action to reactivate the line, it will be reassigned to someone else. This is very important. I urge the Public Petitions Committee to process this within the shortest time possible so that Kenyans are spared from the many inconveniences arising from these issues including the potential loss of revenue associated with Safaricom lines.

I support this Petition.

Before we proceed with Hon. Tandaza, I would like to recognise the schools present today. In the Speaker’s Gallery, I would like to recognise the presence of St. Mary’s Kiranda Boys from Nyatike Constituency, Migori County; DEB Kavutiri Senior School from Runyenjes Constituency, Embu County; and St. Matthews Maraba School from Tinderet Constituency, Nandi County. In the Public Gallery, we have St. Paul’s Mbaranga School from Mbeere North Constituency, Embu County; Kimunyu Primary School from Mwingi Central Constituency, Kitui County; St. Mary's Nthabari School from Mbeere North Constituency, Embu County; Kings Vision Academy from Laisamis Constituency, Marsabit County; and Tagice Education Centre from Roysambu Constituency, Nairobi County.

I will now allow Hon. Naomi Waqo, Member for Marsabit, to welcome the students on our behalf before we continue with the Petition.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to welcome all the students from different counties to the National Assembly, particularly students from Laisamis, Marsabit County, which is my home. I want to tell you that you are fortunate to be here, and we are happy to host you. You have a bright future ahead. I know that thousands of students outside would have loved to be in your position today, but you have received this rare opportunity. You are among the privileged ones.

This is where legislators engage in debates, create laws, and shape policies. Kenya is highly competitive today. I am aware that among you are future pilots, doctors, nurses, and politicians. Work hard and excel in your studies. It is only your academic achievements that

Thank you, Hon. Tandaza.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I would like to not only support this Petition, but also suggest to the Committee that when they reassign a number, they should notify the individuals who have previously saved that number. I have personally fallen victim to a situation where I sent money to a number saved in my phone under a specific name, only to realise later that the intended recipient had not received the money because the number had been reassigned to a different person. We cannot hold the receiver responsible for this issue. It is within Safaricom's capacity and responsibility to ensure that once they reassign a number, they notify those who had previously saved that number.

Hon. Naisula, do you wish to contribute to this?

Thank you. Before I comment on the Petition, I would like to welcome the students present today, encouraging them to know that it is possible to achieve their goals and that they should put their utmost effort in their studies. I can only imagine those students from Marsabit: when did they wake up to arrive here? Their dedication illustrates that in life, wherever you wish to go, you will definitely make it.

Back to the Petition, this is a very important matter regarding the deactivation of SIM cards without notice, as well as the assets associated with services like M-Pesa or MShwari when a person becomes deceased. I hope the relevant committee will take action to address this issue. Indeed, what Safaricom should primarily focus on are the fraudsters who exploit people's numbers for extortion. This is particularly relevant for us as Members of Parliament, as our numbers are publicly shared on social media, enabling such fraudulent activities against our constituents. Safaricom and the relevant authorities should concern themselves with more than simply deactivating SIM cards. I support this Petition and look forward to the report being tabled in this House.

Hon. Justice Kemei, Member for Sigowet.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to add my voice to this very critical issue of deactivation of SIM cards. While I entirely agree that it is the responsibility of the service provider to deactivate lines that are no longer in use, I believe there should also be a public notice given regarding the deactivation of these numbers for specific reasons. Fundamentally, the mobile network service provision in this country is dominated by just three institutions. Given the inherent dangers associated with monopolies, duopolies, and oligopolies, we lack a law governing duopolies and oligopolies, even though we do have legislation addressing monopolies. As Parliament, we must consider what actions to take regarding these few service providers who deliver essential services. This way, we can effectively address any transgressions they may commit.

Thank you, and once more I support the Petition.

Hon. Irene Mayaka.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to also comment on this particular issue. As we approach an intense election period, and as highlighted by Hon. Naisula, issues concerning extortion and the misuse of SIM cards become increasingly relevant. Furthermore, in light of our country’s data protection laws, Safaricom needs to inform the Public Petitions Committee about their compliance with these laws in the context of disconnections and the reassignment of SIM cards. Data protection is a very crucial issue. It needs to be taken into keen consideration. We need to ensure that people

Thank you. Hon. Pukose, Member for Endebess, go ahead. Please be brief.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. You know, Hon. Barasa and Hon. Martha were consulting on how Barasa is making Sifuna know that “yeye si Sifuna” kule Bungoma.

I support this Petition. I request the Public Petitions Committee to expedite the Petition as fast as possible because it is of concern. Many of the Members here, as much as they cannot complain, get messages on WhatsApp and SMS even from anonymous people.

Data protection is actually one of the laws that was passed by this House. Safaricom needs to be called to order, especially in the areas of SIM replacements. I do not know how people access Members' numbers. Some people even call someone, and when one responds, you realise that it is not the owner of that number. For instance, yesterday, somebody I have saved as Mosop from Kitale was sending me messages, but the person sending those messages was not Mosop. It was somebody else trying to extort money from me. This is an emerging issue that must be addressed fast.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Let us make it brief. Hon. Mutunga.

Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I would also like to add my voice to this very important Petition. Whenever we subscribe to any network, whether Safaricom, Airtel or whichever it is, we do so for a purpose. Sometimes a line or a phone can be lost, or things can happen, and one is not able to use the phone for some time.

Safaricom and other players in this particular field must know that when they take over the line, they transfer everything and, therefore, the lines are known. They put us on a collision course with our friends, our colleagues and our electorates. Sometimes they imagine that we are the ones hiding the line or that we have transferred it to somebody else. I think it is important that before they assign the line to someone else, they send a notification to the previous user.

I do not know whether I am the only one who is experiencing this, but I would like to probably bring a petition because there is a problem with Safaricom, especially when it comes to bundles. You buy 1.5 GB bundles, and after sending only one message, you have to go back and buy another bundle. I wonder whether those Kenyans who are spending a hundred shillings to send one message, are they really being treated fairly? We have a problem with Safaricom, and they need to be called to order. Those costs are extremely high. Sometimes you recharge your phone, and then everything is depleted within a very short time. There is a problem, and we need an investigation.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Let us have Member for Imenti North, followed by Hon.Umul Kheir.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I concur with the Petition. We have another issue of SIM swapping. Your SIM could be swapped, and it takes three days to get your SIM back, and when you get your SIM back, you receive messages showing what has happened. There is a person in Meru who had his SIM swapped, and he lost Ksh2.7 million from four banks over the four days. In such a case, Safaricom should refund that money because how can they do a SIM swap when the person has not requested it? Therefore, I join my colleagues in supporting the Petition and urge that the issue of SIM swapping should be looked into.

Thank you. We will close this by having the Member for Mandera County.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Petition. I am a victim of the deactivation of lines. A family member of mine who travelled out of the country just realised that he could no longer use his WhatsApp because the line was deactivated while he was away. This Petition is welcome. The Committee should move with speed and ensure that they do a thorough job on this. Once we resume from recess, that should be the first business. It is a menace. You cannot use M-Pesa services; you cannot even use your WhatsApp in a foreign country. It is not a good thing. I support this Petition.

Thank you. Hon. Members, allow me to reorder the Order Paper. We will move to Papers. Then after the Leader of the Majority Party is done with presenting Papers, we will move to Order No.7 so that he can make his weekly statement, and then we can proceed.

Next Order.

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

Thank you. Next Order.

Leader of the Majority Party, you can start with your Statement.

Hon. Deputy Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44(2)(a), I rise to present the following Statements on behalf of the House Business Committee, which met on Thursday, 18th August 2026, to prioritise business for consideration during the week and the business coming before the House in the week commencing Tuesday, 25th August 2026.

With regards to business scheduled for Tuesday next week, the House is expected to consider the following Bills at various stages, some of which are listed in today’s Order Paper.

Yes, Hon. Tongoyo followed by Hon. Caroli. Give the microphone to Hon. Tongoyo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I will make some little comments on an issue that has been read by the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party in regards to Statements that have not been responded to, in particular the Statements that refer to my Committee. It has been indicated that they are about 28. I really regret that some may have taken a little bit long yet majority of them come with urgency. We know the nature of our departmental committee, but as much as I appreciate the same, it should also be noted that the Committee receives the highest number of requests for Statements. By the time we had 28 pending responses, we had tried covering much as such.

You remember I reported to the House that to address and clear such backlog, we had adopted a system where we called the Cabinet Secretary to appear before the Committee, together with the Member that had raised the Statement. This would ensure the matter is prosecuted before the Committee plenary. In fact, today we were supposed to have the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration appearing before the Committee at

To appear before the Committee or the House?

To appear before the Committee. I appeal to the Members and report to the House that we will address the majority of the 28 listed Statements. It is our duty and it is in our interest, to expedite all Statements that have not been responded to.

Fair enough. Hon. Caroli Omondi.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I am following up on what the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party has submitted with respect to private Members' Bills. Several have not been processed expeditiously. I have about four Bills. Some have gone through First Reading and Second Reading, but they have not turned around to come back to the plenary. It is a matter of grave concern, not just to myself, but to many other Members. Related to that are the petitions. We need a record. I am very happy with what you are doing because that is what accountability is all about. There are so many petitions that have not been concluded and reports brought back to the House. Again, if you could, please, help the House expedite those ones.

Thank you very much.

Yes, Hon. Barasa.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I am reacting to what the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party has just said. That the Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure where I sit as the Vice-Chair, has not responded to 21 requests for Statements. I agree, but you know as chairpersons, we read the responses given to us by the cabinet secretaries. There are times when we push these cabinet secretaries are so hard, that they say we are harassing them. We have since escalated the matter to the Office of the Leader of the Majority Party.

I am surprised that Hon. Owen Baya, who is the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party, reads his own report by saying that we have not ‘responded to’. We do not respond to reports from the blues. We respond with the reports that we are given. We have escalated this matter to his office; therefore, it is him who should confirm to this House what he is doing to ensure that cabinet secretaries bring reports to the committees for the chairpersons to submit them. We do not fabricate our own reports. Hon. Owen Baya is cutting a tree that he himself is standing on. That is his responsibility. We do not want to go in the direction where when we persistently ask cabinet secretaries to do their duty, they report to his office that we are harassing them. Hon. Owen Baya, you should tell us when these Statements are coming. My role is just to read them.

Fair enough. I want to recognise the presence of Nyalil Buch Junior School, Mogotio Constituency in Baringo County, and Kehancha Ravine School, Kuria West in Migori County, seated in the Public Gallery. Any Member of Parliament from Kuria here to give words of encouragement to the students from Kehancha Ravine School? Yes, proceed. Hon. Hassan, I remember you were brought up partly in Isibania.

Yes indeed. I am partly a Kuria man.

Not that I was a witness when you were growing up in Isibania. You are much older than me, but that is information I have.

Do not worry, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity. As a person who has connections with Kuria, both West and East, and a former student of Tarang’anya Secondary School, I consider myself partly Kuria. I welcome the students from Kehancha very warmly to this Parliament. I encourage you to continue with your studies so that you can rise to the highest scale in life. Only through education and dedication in your education can you really reach that. I hope one day you can aspire to be a doctor, an engineer, an architect, and maybe a lowly position of being a Member of Parliament in this Assembly.

Thank you so much.

Anybody who is from Baringo? Hon. Makilap, welcome students from Nyalil Buch Junior School in Mogotio.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I take this opportunity on behalf of my colleagues and Members of Parliament from Baringo County, especially the Member for Mogotio, to welcome the students of Nyalil Buch Junior School to the House of Parliament of Kenya. I encourage you that one day, one of you will become a Member of Parliament here. If you can only foster discipline and hard work in your schools, you will have an opportunity to be here and become a lawmaker in the years to come. Even to the other students from Kuria, the future of our country is in the hands of young people. The students will one day become old and lead this country in any sector, be it private or other professions of the future of our country. Education is the only equaliser in this country where people from Mogotio can meet with people from Dadaab, from western or from Nairobi. Thank you. I wish them success.

We are now back to Statements again.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is not the first time this has happened. We share both names; I am Martha Wangari and she is Martha Wangari Karua, but this is the Member for Gilgil.

Okay, proceed.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding the rise of incidences of violence in political rallies across the country.

In recent weeks, the country has witnessed a worrying escalation of violence, disruption of political gatherings and destruction of property during political rallies, with recent incidents reported in Homa Bay, Nyandarua and Nakuru counties. The loss of life…

Order, Members. Order, Hon. Tongoyo. You are engaging in an animated discussion with Hon. Passaris and Hon. Barasa when a matter that concerns your own Committee is on the Floor.

I blame Hon. Passaris. We were very peaceful before she came.

Listen to what she has to say and then give an undertaking.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to take it again. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44(2)(c), I wish to request for a Statement

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order, Hon. Millie?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Martha, for requesting for that Statement. I have listened very carefully, and I wish she could have raised the issue of violence against women. Very recently, it has been said that many women were raped in the Homa Bay incident. On top of that, I saw the Governor of Homa Bay going to condole with a family in Shauri Yako Estate in Homa Bay Town. The person she went to condole with is a woman. We are told that the deaths in Homa Bay County are under-reported; not less than 12 people died.

I hope Hon. Martha or the Committee could, please, add to that Request of Statement the exact number of women who were raped and if there are investigations being undertaken. This is because women are very shy to come forward in cases of rape. I, personally met two women who were attacked. One was from Kwale County, she was cut with a panga on her head. Consequently, she is now in a wheelchair. Some people called to inform me about her plight because they know my concerns about women. I went to see her around midnight when she was on transit from Kisumu to Mombasa.

I think you have taken note of everything she has raised, in addition to what Hon. Martha Wangari had raised in her Statement. Hon. Naisula.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to congratulate my sister and colleague, Hon. Martha, on requesting for this important Statement in the House. The incidents that have happened in this country are not something to take lightly. For each one of us in this House, this is not just a show. We should not take them lightly. It does not matter the political side that you support because everything raised in this House sometimes just becomes politicised. Why did Hon. Martha ask those questions? Why did Hon. Millie support? Why did so-and-so raise that issue? It does not matter which political side you are on, all of us should condemn violence, especially in the manner that it is happening in this country.

I want to say this Madam Speaker. I am so used to Madam Speaker. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I wanted to say Madam Speaker, then I realised it was you. Right now, we can cheer because it is somewhere else, but it will come to each one of us, as leaders. We were almost beaten here in 2024. So, anybody can fall victim to violence. Let us not be forgetful. Violence, in whichever form, should be condemned.

Fair enough.

You should ask some of us, who have to deal with these matters of banditry, through which lives are lost in our place every day. We now have people carrying pangas in public. I am still in shock with what happened in Homa Bay. I am yet to fathom what was happening that day. I support this Statement. It should be taken seriously and all of us should condemn violence, regardless of which side of the political divide we are on.

Okay. Let us have Hon. Oundo, and then one more Member before we move to the next Statement.

As I stand here, let me go on record that most of those attacks in these political rallies have been directed against my team of Linda Mwananchi and I. We almost faced death in Kisumu. However, what I saw in Homa Bay County on Sunday is not political violence. That was terrorism. Premeditated terrorism. The incident was recorded.

For that reason, I want the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security to face the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary and make it clear that what they watched and how the police officers stood by as they watched the happenings, is a dereliction of duty and breach of the Constitution of Kenya. I would urge that they extend this enquiry to include similar incidences that have happened several months back, since last year. We want an expedited answer as soon as it is practically possible, because once we go on recess, we are going to have many of these rallies. If perpetrators, some of them who are our colleagues here or our women governors are planning for the murder and rape of women, they must be condemned.

Thank you, Hon Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Naomi, will be the last Member to contribute to this Statement which has been requested by Hon. Martha.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to this very important Statement. What we are witnessing in our country these days is not acceptable. Many people seem to be blaming politicians by saying that goons belong to politicians. I want to condemn that because when we do that, we hurt each other.

We only have one country. We have nowhere else to go if we bring it down. We, therefore, have to protect it by upholding peaceful coexistence and tolerating each other. Being in different political groups does not matter. What matters is us sharing our ideas and selling them to the people. We should leave the rest to God and the people. Everyone who is responsible—those who are behind the attacks, not only of last weekend, but all the attacks that have been carried out—should be put in jail. We should also protect the common man. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Fair enough. We must make some progress. I will give the last opportunity to the Member for Banissa since he is a freshman with less than two years to go. Proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for considering my freshness. In addition to representing Banissa, I also come from Homa Bay County. Madam Millie can attest that I am from Homa Bay as well. I own businesses there. What we saw last Sunday was terrible. I do not wish such occurrences on any part of this country. I urge the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to prevent such things from happening in future. They must map out critical areas, so that such things do not repeat themselves in future.

Let us hear from the lady behind you. Hon. Emaase.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to add my voice in support of the Request for Statement. The culprits must be called out for what they are – criminals. As a country, we cannot continue to tolerate what we have witnessed. It is not just in Homa Bay. We witnessed it in Ol Kalou and other places including Busia County. The investigations must be thorough and those responsible must be arrested. If no action is taken, we risk seeing this country degenerate into a state of anarchy where anybody can take the law into their own hands. We cannot allow that. It cannot continue. It must be stopped. It cannot be tolerated. Every Kenyan has a right to go anywhere in this country to seek for votes. Therefore, we cannot encourage such incidents. Otherwise, we shall be unable to carry out our campaigns across the country in peace. We need peace.

Ordinarily, I would presume that I have given a lot of leeway, but because of the sensitivity of the matter, I will give an opportunity to a few more Members. Let us have the lady behind the Member for Kesses. Sorry for my short-sightedness.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute. I want to join my colleagues in supporting this Request for Statement. Our hearts were bleeding when we saw an innocent officer die while protecting Kenyans and when we saw our children die as they innocently supported their preferred political candidates. It is unfortunate. We must sober up as politicians. Let us stop being emotional. If your colleague is holding a rally, just relax and hold your own. We must reject such bad behaviour. We cannot sit in this House and watch our sons and daughters die due to such criminal activities. We want the Cabinet Secretary to take action and arrest those responsible.

This is a Request for Statement. Ordinarily, Members are supposed to comment on what has not been captured in the request. It is not an opportunity for debate.

On a point of information, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Keynan, whom do you want to inform?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, there comes a time when we must side with the Republic of Kenya. Fidelity to the rule of law and constitutionalism is not a sign of cowardice. What unites us under our flag and defines the very borders of our sovereign republic is adherence to the rule of law. Goonism and violence have no place in a modern-day Kenya. We must all stand to be counted and reject such violence. We are destroying our tourism sector. We are discouraging foreign direct investors. We are sending a chilling and scary message to visitors.

I want to remind my fellow politicians that we must protect our country. I want to appeal to those in charge of the criminal investigations to investigate and arrest the perpetrators, regardless of their status or position, and bring everybody to book. We reject violence and goonism. Kenya must thrive. Our image must persist and our premier republic must be protected by all those who love Kenya. We love Kenya. We do not have a spare country.

Member for Kesses, do not take more than one minute. Do not give a long speech. Enrich the Request with anything that you feel has been left out.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. From the outset, allow me to first of all condole with the families that lost their loved ones. I have in mind the families of the police officer and the citizens who died. I wish those who were hurt a quick recovery.

I just want to mention one thing. All these issues surround the misuse of our democracy. Democracy has given us freedom of speech. However, we have reduced democracy and freedom of speech to profiling individuals and ethnic groups. We have reduced it to calling each other names and incitement. I urge politicians to be responsible for their conduct.

Let us have Hon. Caroli and then Hon. Barasa will be last.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, Hon. Oundo and I are the victims of this recent violence in Homa Bay County. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to contribute. I do not want to spend too much time on other issues because they will be discussed elsewhere. However, there is a fundamental issue at play. Part of the team that planned the violence in Homa Bay County is made up of Members of this House. There are audio and video recordings of Members of this House, some of whom sit on the Speaker’s Panel, planning violence against other Members.

Order, Hon. Caroli Omondi. You understand the rules very well. You cannot discuss or debate the conduct of a Member of Parliament without a substantive Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I have a contrary view. We are inviting the Cabinet Secretary to issue a Statement on this matter when we know the problem is not lack of policy direction. We already have laws that the police can use to arrest the perpetrators. We should invite the Inspector-General (IG) of the National

Order! When I tell you “order” you better listen. There are no provisions in the Standing Orders for you to invite the IG to the House. You can only invite the Cabinet Secretary. (Hon. Didmus Barasa spoke off the record) You can invite him at the Committee level, not in the plenary of the House. (Hon. Didmus Barasa spoke off the record) You are not supposed to be giving speeches. Proceed. Give him half a minute.

Hon. Members, you have now seen that such violence is not good for the country. In 2019, I lost my red royal kofia in a violent incident and some Members in this House celebrated. It was my turn in 2019, but today it can be somebody else. I reported the theft and my kofia was later seen on a senior ranking Member of this House. Nobody has arrested him. He has never even been told to return my kofia. Now you see that such violence is not good for anybody.

That is fair.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me one minute to comment on this.

Yes.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I indicated earlier that we are expecting the Cabinet Secretary to appear before the Committee on Tuesday.

Yes.

Given the urgency and the importance of this...

I hope you have a pen and a notebook and have been taking note of what every Member of Parliament has said.

Yes, but I have a suggestion, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Yes, proceed.

From the table, you can see that we have the highest number of non-responded Statements.

Yes.

For the obvious reason, we received the highest number of requests.

Yes.

Given the urgency and importance of this matter, which is a national issue and a security concern, we are going to prioritise it among the matters to be addressed by the Cabinet Secretary on Tuesday. I want to add that…

Fair enough.

Allow me one minute, Hon. Temporary Speaker. It will not be a one-on-one interaction. It should be clear to all of us that the President, the Inspector-General and the Cabinet Secretary himself have, on several occasions, clearly pronounced themselves on this issue and stated that they are doing everything possible to ensure the elimination of gangs and goons in this country. It is incumbent upon all of us, the 349 of us seated in this House, including those who are speaking the loudest, to take responsibility and be patriotic enough to ensure that we help the Government fight this menace of gangs and goons.

Fair enough. When are you meeting the Cabinet Secretary?

Tuesday.

So, if you are sitting with the Cabinet Secretary on Tuesday, when are you coming back to the House?

On Hon. Wangari's Statement?

Yes.

Once we receive the responses, we will bring all of them to the Floor of the House.

When?

On Wednesday.

The following day?

Yes.

Fair enough.

Thank you.

It is so directed.

For tabling as the record of the House.

It is so directed. The Member of Parliament for West Mugirango, Hon. Stephen Mogaka.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to request for a Statement. Just on a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker. On 11th August 2026, I requested for a Statement, which is materially similar to what Hon. Wangari has raised. I hope the two Statements will receive urgent attention.

Proceed on the current matter.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I seek to request for a Statement regarding implementation of Income Tax exemptions for persons with severe disabilities as well as their parents or guardians.

Hon. Temporary 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 Finance and National Planning regarding implementation of Income Tax exemptions for persons with

Fair enough. Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning, Hon. Kimani. (Hon. Dorice Donya spoke off the record) It is a very straightforward matter. What do you want to add?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The issue that Hon. Mogaka has raised is very crucial in our current economy because parents who have children living with disabilities do not work the whole day. They go half-duty because taking care of a child living with a disability is another job. This should not be taken as something that needs to be given a thought. It must be given consideration. We should help these parents. Given that we give a waiver to people living with disabilities, we should also consider their parents and give them even double because of the mental burden of taking care of children living with disabilities. I support what Hon. Steve has presented before this House and action should be taken within one week. We should have a response before we go for the recess.

Yes, Hon. Kimani.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I would like to thank my two colleagues for seeking this particular Statement. One of the issues that I would like the Member to specify is that under the Persons with Disabilities Act, the first Ksh150,000 of income per month or Ksh1.8 million per year is automatically exempt from Income Tax. However, there is a rider that for you to qualify for that exemption, you must be registered by the National Council for People Living with Disabilities. As I seek to provide the answer requested by the Member, it is important for him to facilitate us with the information on whether the person for whom the Statement is being sought for is registered by the National Council for People Living with Disabilities.

Secondly, even as we wait for the answer from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), there is no exemption given in law for relatives or guardians of people living with disabilities. The exemption is to the person living with disabilities and not to the parents or guardians. Maybe until such time when this honourable House may provide an extension of this exemption to those people taking care of the persons with disabilities, there may not be any provision in law to exempt those caregivers of people living with disabilities from Income Tax.

That is fair. (Hon. Stephen Mogaka spoke off the record) Order, Hon. Mogaka. The law as it is now…

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I draw the attention of the Chair to Section 57(1) of the Persons with Disabilities Act which gives the Cabinet Secretary discretion or application by a caregiver of a person with disability to grant that exemption. That is the law that I am asking the Committee to compel the Cabinet Secretary to grant parents of persons with disabilities their entitlement. That discretion needs to be exercised judiciously. The person in question is registered. I draw the attention of the Chair to Paragraph 3, where Mr Obade is registered under Disability Registration Certificate Ref:

Fair enough. That is clear. Hon. Chairman, how long will you take to bring a response?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, now that the Member has provided clarity on the details he seeks, this is a fairly straightforward request for a Statement. I will provide a response by Thursday, next week before we go for recess.

Okay, fair enough. It is so directed. The next request for a Statement is by Hon. Walter Owino, Member of Parliament for Awendo Constituency, on the impending auction of land belonging to South Nyanza (SONY) Sugar Company Ltd. Proceed.

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 on Finance and National Planning regarding the impending auction of land belonging to the South Nyanza (SONY) Sugar Company Ltd.

SONY Limited has maintained banking services at the Co-operative Bank of Kenya since 2012. At various times, prior to the transitioning to the leasing arrangements, the company secured a five-year loan facility of Ksh335 million under the Commodities Fund and an overbought facility of Ksh300 million. At the time of transitioning to the leasing arrangement, the outstanding loan had accrued…

Order, Hon. Members. There is a small caucus of North Eastern Members of Parliament consulting loudly. Consult in very low tones. Hon. Abdisirat Khalif!

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I may have to start again. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44(2)(c), I rise to request a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning regarding the impending auction of land belonging to the South Nyanza (SONY) Sugar Company Ltd. SONY has maintained banking services at the Co-operative Bank of Kenya since 2012. At various times, prior to the transitioning to the leasing arrangement, the company secured a five- year loan facility of Ksh335 million under the Commodities Fund and an overdraft facility of Ksh300 million. At the time of transitioning to the leasing arrangement, the outstanding loan had accumulated to Ksh710,453,474, which included capitalised interest accrued over time. Records show that the security for the loan is the first-ranking legal charge of Ksh900 million in favour of the Company's property land, LR 16339, situated in Sare Awendo.

On 13th August 2025, the bank issued a statutory notice demanding settlement of the debt which the bank was advised to pursue it as a pending bill. Regrettably, the matter remains unresolved despite engagements involving the Kenya Sugar Board, the bank and the leasee. On 14th July 2026, the bank issued a notice of intention to sell the charged property within 40 days to recover the outstanding loan, which then stood at Ksh862,328,980. The impending auction of the Company land raises concerns regarding the protection of public assets under the subsisting lease arrangement.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is against this background that I request a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning on the following:

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. On that issue, has the Member spoken to Hon. Nyamita? Yesterday I listened to Hon. Nyamita on television where he said the exact opposite. Does Hon. Nyamita have updated information about South Nyanza (SONY) Sugar Company Ltd? Perhaps you could find out from Hon. Nyamita.

Is Nyamita in the House now? Where is Hon. Nyamita?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I represent Awendo Constituency and Hon. Nyamita represents Uriri Constituency, which neighbours Awendo. Therefore, I speak on behalf of Awendo. Thank you.

Fair enough. Hon. Kimani, give an undertaking on when you will provide a comprehensive Statement on that.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank Hon. Walter Owino for seeking this Statement. This is one of the institutions that the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning and the Departmental Committee of Agriculture and Livestock processed a Sessional Paper, I think, in 2023 on commercialisation of sugar companies. I know we will be going on recess and because we may have to visit the factory, we will need one month to bring a comprehensive statement on that. I ask the Member to be available to the Committee when we will be undertaking that so that he can give us inside information that will enable us carry out the process effectively.

Hon. Kimani, the Company's land is charged by a bank. The bank wants to realise the money it lent to the organisation. Efforts by the bank to recover its own money will be done not too much in the distant future. Unless you give a firm undertaking that you will manage to intervene before then, it might become ex post facto.

Who else wants to contribute on this? Member for Awendo.

I appreciate the response, however, a 40-day notice from 14th July 2026 was given by the Co-operative Bank for auctioning the parcel of land. So, waiting for another one month may not work. We may come back from recess after the parcel of land has already been auctioned.

(Hon. Didmus Barasa and Hon. Abdisirat Khalif consulted loudly with several other Hon. Members)

Order, Hon. Members. Hon. Barasa and company. Hon. Abdisirat Khalif, I do not know what campaign you are on, but you seem to be making one small caucus after another.

Hon. Kimani, this is a commercial transaction. The bank has to recover its own money. This is a loan. If you really want to do something about it, you have to give an undertaking such that you make the right interventions with the National Treasury and Economic Planning or find a way to pay off the bank. Whatever you have to do, you have to do it yourself, because otherwise, the land will be auctioned. This is a parastatal, to the best of my knowledge. So, for you to protect the interest of the nation and the interest of the public who live around that place, you have to give a firm undertaking that you will make a certain intervention to make sure that the bank discharges the property upon a negotiated settlement of whatever it is. This is because it is a commercial loan and you cannot stop the bank as you have no powers to do so.

Yes, indeed you are very right, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Now that there already exists a contractual arrangement between the sugar company and the bank, which is an arrangement or a contract as per the Contract Act, we need to be careful how we manoeuvre around this matter. However, there is still some relief because this august House passed a Sessional Paper in 2023, if I am not wrong, on the commercialisation of these companies, where there was an undertaking by the National Treasury to take up some of these debts. Therefore, considering the urgency of the matter as explained by yourself and by the Member, we shall make it a priority business in the Committee and bring a preliminary Statement next Thursday and a comprehensive Statement thereafter after which we shall meet all these parties.

I submit.

Fair enough. Hon. K’Oyoo, I think this matter is settled for now at least.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning should be very specific. The Government should be very careful with protecting people's property. We have been bailing out Kenya Railways Corporation every other day and that is a parastatal. This is something very unusual because the land belonged to the locals. The locals gave it willingly because they wanted a factory to be erected to promote industrialisation, create employment and keep the economy growing. However, somehow, somewhere along the way, people lost taste and what we are suspecting is that some serious people want this thing auctioned so that they buy it cheaply. They should be very serious with public properties. I want you to be specific and give a guarantee to this House that you will do what you said and stop the auction.

He has given an undertaking. He cannot stop the auction. An auction can only be stopped by a court of law. You can also have an undertaking if he negotiates, through the National Treasury, with the lending institution itself, then maybe that is the case.

Point of order Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order Hon. Millie Odhiambo?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I think the Chairman of the Departmental Committee knows that it is now in the public domain that Homa Bay and Migori counties are marginalised and the Government takes special measures to support marginalised counties. Can the Government pay that loan? We are marginalised. So, let the Government pay that loan. After all, we are in the Broad-Based Government. Let the Government pay that loan!

Hon. Wamboka.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the circumstances under which corporations belonging to the Government are exchanging hands from Government to individuals are saddening. I speak with a lot of pain because of the manner in which Nzoia Sugar Company changed hands. It is similar to the way this sugar mill is going. Before they realise, it will be a very serious issue. The Chairman of the Committee is my good friend. He knows that I like him like a brother. We have had governments since 1963, but the people of this country have never undergone so much pain like the pain being inflicted on them right now.

You came to this House and assured us that we are leasing Nzoia Sugar Company. You told us that farmers and workers would be paid and the machines would be running. I want this Committee to just organise a fact-finding mission to Nzoia Sugar Company. It is sad that the employees have never been paid. They were told to go home without any pay. The farmers who supplied cane have never received their money and now the sugar factory is not milling. For a sugarcane farmer to get a permit to cut his sugar cane is a problem. We want the Committee to take this matter seriously. We want Hon. Mbadi to address the issue when he comes to this House because we are losing Government property. The properties belong to the people. It is sad.

Order, Hon. Wamboka. You cannot rise on a point of order and hijack a matter that is for Sony Sugar Company. (Hon. Wanami Wamboka spoke off the record)

That is where I was headed Hon. Temporary Speaker. Can I just finish my point of order?

No. Proceed, Hon. Kimani.

Order.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, inasmuch as the Member may have raised that point arbitrarily and abused it...

Confine yourself to the matter before the House right now. Do not generalise it.

Yes, I undertake and I had committed…

South Nyanza Sugar Company has a loan that is owed to one bank. If I did not hear it wrong, which bank is it? Is it the Cooperative Bank? I hope that is going to be settled.

Yes, I gave a commitment that, because of the urgency of the matter, we will bring a preliminary report next Thursday. However, I do not know how you intend us to deal with the issue of Nzoia Sugar Company, unless it is in your ruling…

No. We are now dealing with Southern Nyanza Sugar Company.

Okay. For South Nyanza Sugar Company, I think I was clear in my undertaking on the same. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I submit and thank you.

The next Member is Hon. Umul Kheir Kassim on preparedness for anticipated El Nino rains in the ASAL areas.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44(2)(c), I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Regional Development regarding the preparedness, contingency planning and response mechanisms in place for the anticipated El Niño rains and associated flooding risks across the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties, particularly Mandera County.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the anticipated heavy and above-average rainfall presents a significant humanitarian, economic, public health, security and environmental risk to communities across Northern Kenya. Mandera County has experienced a prolonged period of drought peaking in February 2026. The drought, driven by consecutive failed rainy seasons, has severely weakened household resilience, depleted livestock and undermined food and water security. The onset of intense rainfall following such prolonged drought could consequently result in loss of lives and livelihoods, displacement of communities, destruction of infrastructure, flooding and outbreaks of waterborne and other communicable diseases. The risk of flooding in Mandera County is further heightened by its geographical and ecological characteristics. Heavy rainfall in the Ethiopian highlands and other upstream areas has the potential of causing a rapid rise in water levels in the Dawa River, thereby exposing communities along the river and other flood-prone areas to the risk of riverine flooding.

Is the Chairman of the Departmental

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I will endeavour to bring a response to the Statement in the first week after we resume from recess.

The first week after recess?

Yes.

When is the anticipated period as far as the meteorological report is concerned?

According to the Kenya Meteorological Department, the anticipated period is the first week of September. We will be on recess until the end of September. That is going to be a long period of time.

Hon. Chairman, you have to give a better undertaking. This cannot come any later than next week. Give an undertaking for some time next week, otherwise, it will be a joke. You can get the preparedness report from the Government in half a day.

Yes, if the El Niño is set to begin in the first week of September…

We have the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in the country.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, as you have directed, I may bring a preliminary Response to the Statement Request next week on Thursday.

Next week on Thursday. It is so directed.

Hon. Members, we have another Request for Statement by Hon. Bernard Kitur. I will give him the Floor in a moment to speak, but before he does so, let me recognise, in the Public Gallery, the presence of students from Koimiret Secondary School from Chepalungu Constituency, Bomet County; and Ihumbu Primary School from Maragua Constituency, Murang’a County.

Hon. Kitur, would you like to give a word of encouragement to the students from these two schools?

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to welcome all the students from the two schools. I welcome all of you to this House of records. Take your time to learn. This is where laws are made. As you follow the deliberations, this can also encourage most of you.

You can now go ahead and seek your Statement.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44(2)(c), I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding the forceful eviction of squatters in Nandi Hills Constituency.

Is there a Member from that Committee in the House now? I do not see the Chair.

There is a chairperson who can take the commitment for the same.

I thought I saw Hon. Naomi Waqo, the Deputy Whip of the Majority Party. Anybody from the leadership of the House? Whip of the Minority Party.

Yes, I am here.

You should be able to make an undertaking on behalf of the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee. After all, you are in the Broad-Based Government. Listen to what he has to say.

Proceed, Hon. Kitur.

Allow me to start so that she can get it right. Hon. Temporary Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44(2)(c), I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding the forceful eviction of squatters in Nandi Hills Constituency.

On Tuesday, 11th August 2026, Kimasas Cooperative squatters were forcefully evicted from Sitoi Farm, leaving their homes demolished, property destroyed, and their families left without shelter. The exercise was allegedly supervised by police officers from Nandi Hills Police Station in the presence of the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) and Officer Commanding Station (OCS). The affected squatters have been engaged in a longstanding land dispute with Eastern Produce Kenya Limited, which is reportedly the subject of ongoing court proceedings. It is concerning that no valid court orders were presented to the squatters authorising the eviction and demolition.

Lawful evictions are permitted under the law. They ought to be undertaken in accordance with due process. The destruction of homes and property in Sitoi Farm without proper legal authority therefore constitutes a serious violation of the affected persons’ constitutional rights to dignity, adequate housing and access to justice.

It is against this background that I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on the following:

Hon. Millie Odhiambo.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I will forward the Statement to the Committee. They will respond in two weeks’ time.

Two weeks is not possible because Parliament will be on recess by then. You should give it next week.

Okay, because this is an urgent matter, as it concerns property rights, the health of the people who have been evicted, and the children and women who are now being displaced.

So, when?

Realistically, let me put it for Thursday next week. So, I will inform the Chair of the Committee, and the Request will be responded to on Thursday. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Are you happy with that, Hon. Kitur?

Yes, it is fair enough.

It is so directed.

Thank you.

Next are Responses to Statements. Is the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure here?

Yes.

You are supposed to respond to Hon. Edwin Mugo’s Request. Is he here? If he is not in the House, it would not be fair for you to give the Statement in his absence.

Will you table it?

I will table it, but most importantly, when he requests for a Statement, it is not for him but for the people from that area.

It is for the people and the House. Common decency dictates that the questioner must be in the House for him to raise any concerns.

I will table it, but I ask for your indulgence because some of the roads in Mount Kenya are actually destroyed by demonstrators burning tyres on roads. Maybe you could form another committee, to be chaired by Hon. Kimani Kuria, to speak with the Member for Mathira.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

A point of order on what? He has already been put in order by the Chair. There should be no point of order when a Member has already been told to sit down. Order. Sit down.

Is the Member for Turkana North, Hon. Ekwom, in the House? Vice-Chairman of Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, proceed with the response on the improvement of two roads in Turkana South Constituency.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

I direct that the matter of Hon. Edwin Gichuki be deferred to a time when Hon. Mugo is in the House. I suggest it will be on Wednesday next week. (Statement deferred) Proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I would like to read the response to the Statement sought by the Member for Turkana North. He sought a Statement on the reasons for the delayed routine maintenance of Lokitaung - Kibish and Lokichogio - Lokitaung Roads despite the allocation of funds. He also needed to know the details of the funds allocated for the maintenance of these roads, and the plans being put in place to ensure that the necessary maintenance works are carried out in a timely manner. Lastly, he needed Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) to provide accountability measures to address its failure to execute maintenance works.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to respond. Regarding the reasons for the delayed routine maintenance, the Ministry submitted that routine maintenance activities have been carried out consistently with the exception of the Financial Year 2024/2025 when there were budgetary constraints. Routine maintenance normally entails spot improvement and drainage works. Due to the long stretch of the road, only critical sections are constructed within the limited budgets.

Regarding the funds allocated and corresponding works undertaken, I have listed here a detailed report which the Hon. Member can read. It explains the amount of money that was allocated in the Financial Year 2025/2026 and the subsequent works that were undertaken.

Regarding accountability measures, the Ministry submitted that the implementation of maintenance works has largely been affected by budgetary and funding constraints. Notwithstanding these challenges, KeNHA continues to prioritise critical maintenance activities aimed at ensuring road safety, maintaining trafficability and preventing further deterioration of the affected road infrastructure

The Ministry further submitted that to enhance accountability and improve delivery of maintenance works, the Authority has strengthened monitoring and supervision mechanisms through regular road condition assessments, periodic inspections and performance reviews of maintenance programmes. Further, priority road sections have been identified and incorporated into planned routine maintenance and spot improvement programmes for implementation, subject to the availability of funds.

I assure the Member that I undertake to visit the particular section of the said road sometime next week to ensure that the Ministry and KeNHA address the issues raised in this Statement. The Member for Turkana North is very hardworking. In the region that he comes from, people do not destroy roads by burning tyres on them. So, we have to support him.

Hon. Ekwom.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The written response to this Statement Request is unsatisfactory. However, the Vice-Chairman has undertaken, from his off-the-cuff statement, that he will visit these roads. One of the roads connects Kenya to Ethiopia from the north-western part of Kenya - that is, from Turkana to Ethiopia. It is supposed to be a highway, but it is not. It is not motorable. It is cut off. The second road does not exist. It does not connect Turkana North from Lokitaung to South Sudan. It is not there. The last time these roads were budgeted for was in the Financial Year 2022/2023. The Response to the Statement Request indicates that there was a budget for maintenance of the two roads. These are some of the roads that have become cash cows for the Ministry and,

Give a very brief rider, Hon. Oundo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The issue of highways has become emotive. As the Committee visits Turkana North, please, pay attention and visit the Busia-Kisumu Highway, which is in a pathetic state.

Order, Hon. Oundo. Why do many Members of Parliament have this habit? Whenever a specific question is asked, you raise your issues instead of supporting your colleague to get definitive answers that will help his constituents. (Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo spoke off the record) You are raising your issues. Request for a Statement on Busia - Kisumu Highway. (Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo spoke off the record)

No, it is not right. Vice-Chairman, give a definitive answer.

I have undertaken to visit that place next week.

When?

I will do so next week on Friday. I will liaise with the Member so that when we come back from recess….

You will do sufficient consultation and then you will come back with a definitive Statement.

Absolutely. Most importantly, allow me to table this Statement in response to the sentiments raised by Hon. Edwin Mugo. It is straightforward because the work is ongoing. He is not here. We will table it. We do not have to read it when he comes to the chamber.

Unfortunately, I have already given a direction on that.

Correct. Lastly, we also need to plead with Members that some of the little money allocated to these roads and highways should be used for the intended purpose. There are times when you sit down with the Authority and they tell you that politicians mobilise their supporters to vandalise the road signs, bring down the guardrails and burn tyres. This makes the Ministry commit the money that had been allocated for other activities to carry out makeshift repairs.

I plead with Members, especially from some parts of our country, not to mobilise their supporters to destroy the road signage that we are repairing. The people who do this are known. We need to get elders to go and speak with them. One notorious man is from Mathira—the former Deputy President. He is very notorious for mobilising people to destroy property in this country. That is part of the long-term measures to ensure that roads are not destroyed.

Fair enough. You have been heard.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order, Hon. Suzanne? (Hon. Suzanne Kiamba spoke off the record)

Makueni.

Kibwezi is next door.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I requested for a Statement which was directed to the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works during the last session. I was advised to raise the matter again in the House after raising five points of order. The last time I raised a point of order, I was told that I would be answered within two weeks. I have never received an answer.

I also raised a point of order about the 18 girls who were chased away from Kiganjo Police Training College, and I was told that I would be answered two weeks after the recess. I have since raised another point of order, but I do not seem to be getting an answer.

Thank you.

Hon. Naomi, the Member for Makueni sought Statements on a number of issues. The Hansard is recording that fact. One of them is about the 18 girls who were chased from Kiganjo Police Training College.

Yes, 18 girls who were chased from Kiganjo.

What of the other one?

The other one was on affordable housing in Makueni.

When will you bring those Statements?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. It is unfortunate that Mheshimiwa has not received her responses and has been waiting all this time. I apologise on behalf of the committee chairpersons. I will take that up. She is requesting that we do it before we go on recess. So, I will discuss it with the chairpersons, and she will receive her responses, probably, by Thursday next week.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I am responding on behalf of the others. That is why I want to be sure that she receives her responses by Thursday. Let me work very hard. I will whip the chairpersons so that she receives her responses before we go on recess.

On Wednesday?

Yes, Wednesday afternoon.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, on the same note, I also requested for a Statement on 40 transformers from my constituency. Last week but one, I raised the same matter, but it has not been responded to. So, I would like to know when it will be responded to.

Hon. Naomi, you will have to give an undertaking on that one too.

I will do some very serious follow-up and make sure that she also gets a response probably by Wednesday.

Thank you.

Fair enough. Next Order.

This Motion was being moved by Hon. Geoffrey Mulanya, who had 16 minutes remaining, but he is not in the House. So, we will have to proceed to the next Order. Order No. 8 is therefore deferred.

Is the Chairperson of Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock is not there in the House?

We can go to the next Order?

Are you standing in for the Chair? Proceed.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I wish to second the Motion that this House approves the ratification of the Inter-African Coffee...

It is Order No. 9. It is supposed to be moved by the Chairperson, then you second it thereafter. You cannot second it when it has not been moved, unless you are moving it on behalf of the Chairperson.

The Motion is deferred.

Is the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives in the House. Is there someone who has been nominated to move the Motion? Hon. Waqo, is the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives here?

He is not here.

Okay, we move to the next Order.

Are you standing in for the Leader of Majority Party on this one?

Yes, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Okay. The Clerk's Office should ensure that chairpersons are notified when their Motions are coming up for debate so that we do not have to defer them. It is also agreed that the moving notes of the Leader of the Majority Party will be brought here so that when there is nobody to move, someone else can pick them up.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move that the Power of Mercy Bill (National Assembly Bill No.56 of 2025) be now read a Second Time. This critical piece of legislation was published in the Kenya Gazette on 25th November 2025, read a First Time on 26th February, 2026 and subsequently committed to the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs (JLAC) for consideration.

The Power of Mercy under Article 133 of the Constitution lets the State balance strict criminal laws with grace, forgiveness and healing for reformed offenders. We currently have the Power of Mercy Act (Cap.94) which was enacted in 2011 to operationalise Article 133 of the Constitution. While the Article has served the country over the years, experience in its implementation has revealed practical, instructional and operational gaps that require legislation reform.

This Bill is a major step forward that updates our laws, creates transparent system for presidential pardons and replaces old rules with modern a framework that respects human rights. This will really help Kenyans since the presidential pardon will be in place. The primary objectives of this Bill are as follows:

You can proceed, Leader of the Majority Party.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Allow me to first thank the Deputy Whip of the Majority Party, Hon. Naomi Waqo, for ably moving the Power of Mercy Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 56 of 2025). This Bill is actualising the provisions of Article 133 of the Constitution. Its primary objective is to bring into effect or operationalise the Power of Mercy as set out under Article 133 of the Constitution. If you look at Article 133 of our Constitution, it says that—

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order?

The point I am raising is that Members neither kill nor shoot. We have not heard of anybody convicted for shooting. We have a court of law, which convicts somebody if they are found to have committed a crime. That is as per the Penal Code. Among our Members, none has been convicted. When we speak of shooting, it is only when one is convicted.

Order! Hon. Member. You are out of order.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I did not see what was out of order. Member for Imenti Central needs to relax; he will have his opportunity to advance his argument if he wants to argue, but not with me. I was saying that we have seen incidents where even leaders, including Members of Parliament, have been accused of shooting people. (Hon. Moses Kirima spoke off the record) Hon. Temporary Speaker, please protect me from the Member.

Member of Parliament for Imenti Central, order!

Just tell him to have some decorum. If he wants to shout, he can go and do it in some market in Imenti Central. Not here.

You have a problem because you choose to address somebody across. There is a procedure and systems here.

Thank you. In fact, the Member for Homa Bay County is telling us there is no market here. Indeed, there is no market. This is a House of

The Chairman, Hon. Murugara.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to laud the Deputy Whip of the Majority Party, who has ably moved the Bill, and also the Leader of the Majority Party, who has ably seconded the Bill. Today, we are here to debate a very important piece of legislation, the Power of Mercy Bill, which does several things for this country, all of which are very important.

Let me put on record, to correct or inform the Leader of the Majority Party, that on 28th February 2019, in the 12th Parliament, I brought a Motion on village elders, which was successful. Hon. Mutuse’s Motion on village elders borrowed a leaf from what I had brought at that particular time, but all of this is commendable because our village elders are today drawing some stipends.

Allow me also to explain to those who are here what exactly this Power of Mercy Bill is because, in essence, we are repealing a law known as the Power of Mercy Act, Cap.94 of the Laws of Kenya. In our history, it is curious when we are told that sometime in 1975, after the elections of 1974, a gentleman by the name of Paul Ngei lost a petition against him on the basis that he had conducted some witchcraft on some voters and, therefore, he was guilty of an election offence. We read from the history books that one morning, he visited the President of the country, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, and reminded him of many things, right from Kapenguria to where the country was at that time, and said he had to be forgiven. The word used is actually “forgiven”.

We are told that that the House convened one afternoon and there was a “constitutional amendment” whereby the President was granted the power to pardon an election offence. That is not true because what was amended that afternoon was the Power of Mercy Act, which did not include mercy regarding an election offence. That is why it went through the First Reading, Second Reading and Third Reading and was assented to that afternoon, and Paul Ngei got the clemency he wanted.

This is a law that is derived from England and the exercise of the prerogative powers of the sovereign in the United Kingdom. The powers of the Sovereign are powers of the King or the Queen reigning at that particular time. This is how the Sovereign is given the power to forgive offenders through what is called Royal Clemency, what we now call the Power of Mercy, the Presidential Power of Mercy.

The Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs went through this Bill with a fine-tooth comb. It also listened to the various participants and stakeholders who came to make representations regarding the Bill. In our estimation, we have refined this Bill to make it one of the best laws in the country, especially on the exercise of the prerogative power of mercy by the President. I would urge every Member to obtain a copy of the Report so that, when we come to the Committee of the whole House and propose amendments, everyone would grasp what those amendments relate to, and how they apply to make this law good.

We have said in this Bill that the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee will sit in the Office of the President. This is exactly where it is supposed to be because its work is to act under Article 133 of the Constitution to advise the President on how to exercise the power of mercy granted by that provision. We must always respect our Constitution. There are many issues we worry about from day to day, including what the Leader of the Majority Party has gone through, that now all offences in the country are bailable, and this is derived from our Constitution. We know very well that it sends jitters to citizens. Constantly, you would hear that somebody has murdered or killed somebody else, but those facts can only be ascertained after the person is convicted.

The correct position is that every person brought before the court as a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty. It is on that basis that we say you cannot delineate the fundamental rights to freedom; such that a person is confined in prison or remand while undergoing a trial purely because we suspect that he has committed a grievous offence. So,

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

What is your point of order?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, and sorry for interrupting the Chairman's speech, but would the Chairman just be clear because he seems to be contradicting himself on the issue of the death penalty? On one hand, he is saying that we are doing away with the death penalty. On the other hand, he is saying that we are not doing away with it. I am very keen because I am a proponent of the abolition of the death penalty.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Thank you, Hon. Millie. This is what we are going to do soon, and we are bringing the report and the Bills are going to be read a Second Time. What we are doing, in essence, is to amend the Penal Code and provide for punishment for capital offences. Remember, the courts have ruled that the mandatory death penalty is unconstitutional because the court must always be given discretion. It cannot be told, “You must do this.” That is what the judges have said. So, the discretion is going to be this. We will remove the mandatory nature of the death penalty, but it will remain. However, you can get the death penalty for what you have done, depending on the degree of your offence.

Number two, you may get a prison sentence, a life sentence, which is going to be a maximum of 30 years, or whatever it is going to be. Just to explain to Hon. Millie, what we are saying is that we will have degrees of murder, robbery with violence and other capital offences. If yours is in the first degree, you may get a death sentence. The court has a discretion. If it is on the second degree, you may get a life sentence. The third degree would also be determined.

The last bit I need to explain, including to the Leader of the Majority, is plea bargains. That is what he referred to as an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). It is allowed in law. You can get into a plea bargain where there are terms like restitution, which is trying to pay back to the people. Thereafter, you are charged with manslaughter instead of murder, meaning

Member for Wundanyi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity to add my voice to this important Power of Mercy Bill that helped us effect Article 133 of our Constitution. I laud the Committee that looked at this Bill and brought a report to the House. Indeed, this Bill is of great importance. We know that it gives effect to the President’s power of mercy to pardon anyone who has served a prison sentence, are remorseful, have been rehabilitated, have shown that they can be re-integrated into the community and are living a peaceful and harmonious life with the other Kenyans. As I stand here this evening, there are many Kenyans who have been in prison for very many years. We know of people who are serving life sentences and some who were to initially face a death penalty. But because of what has been described here, most people who served the death sentence are now serving life sentences. They have lived in prison to a point that they are fully rehabilitated and are extremely remorseful for what they did. They can be reintegrated into the community, engage in meaningful life and re-join their families.

We also know of people who are serving life sentences yet they did not commit the crimes they were convicted for. In that situation, someone is imprisoned for life yet we know the circumstances which they were charged still raise questions. My former classmate from Dr. Aggrey High School went through Form 1 to Form 4, but in the year 2005, he was found to have committed murder that up to date, he says he did not commit. Some of us still believe that he did not commit that crime. He has been serving a life sentence in prison. As we speak today, he is in Manyani Maximum Security Prison having served in all other maximum prisons in Kenya. His name is James Love Mwang’ong’o. This gentleman has risen to be a trustee or what we call a team leader or a prefect in Manyani. He has been appointed to teach others when they sit for exams and have been serving as an English and Literature teacher at Manyani Maximum Security Prison. The last time I visited him, I met the prison officers who sat me down and told me that, indeed, this young man has reformed. He has been pursuing power of mercy, but due to the challenges of getting a pardon, it has become extremely difficult for him to access this constitutional provision.

This Bill, therefore, comes at the right time as it will resolve the existing ambiguity. I laud the Mover of the Bill, the Deputy Chief Whip, for her initiative. She has indicated that the advisory committee to be established will consist of individuals of high calibre who will assess the attitude, reform, and mindset of the prisoners considered for pardon. When they recommend to the President that a particular individual has reformed, I trust that the President will not hesitate to exercise the power of mercy.

I truly support this Bill. We need to expedite its passage so that those suffering in prison can benefit and re-join their families. It is incredibly challenging for families with loved ones serving life sentences. Therefore, we must pass this Bill swiftly to enable many Kenyans to access the President’s prerogative of mercy. I stand in support of this Bill and thank you.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, at your discretion and considering the importance of this Bill, I rise under Standing Order 96. Colleagues, I respectfully request direction on how to proceed, taking into account both Standing Order 35 and the importance of this Bill, its far-reaching consequences for our penal system and for those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law, whether rightly or

If you wish to adjourn the debate until a later time, you should rise under Standing Order 96. It states that the debate is now adjourned. You go full blast.

Very well. Hon. Temporary Speaker, in view of the importance of the Bill, I seek your indulgence to adjourn this debate in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 96.

No. You should state, “I rise under Standing Order 96 that the debate be now adjourned.” Please, read it as it is.

I rise under Standing Order 96 that the debate be now adjourned.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I hear Hon. (Dr) Oundo. Indeed, this is a very important Bill. Many Members have queued to contribute to the debate. I do not understand why Hon. (Dr) Oundo would wish to curtail debate on such an important matter. Perhaps, he is in a hurry to go somewhere. I suggest allowing him the opportunity to speak following the current contributor so that he contributes and allows other Members to participate in the debate. Everyone here wishes to contribute to this. I, absolutely, see no reason to adjourn this discussion.

In any case, every Member of Parliament is paid by the Kenyan people to legislate on their behalf. If you believe this Bill is important for your constituents, you ought to be here. If you are not, you have no one to blame, but yourself. You cannot stop the House from fulfilling its responsibilities because one or two Members are absent. I urge you to allow the debate to continue.

Leader of the Majority Party, kindly approach the Chair.

(Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah consulted with the Temporary Speaker) Take the opportunity and consult among yourselves. This is the House of consultations.

The beauty of dealing with mature legislators like Hon. Oundo is that we consult across the aisle. I have understood his concerns, and I have assured him that we are not going to close this debate today. We will continue with the debate and allow those who want to contribute, to do so. He has mentioned that there are other Members who have expressed interest in contributing. We will not close the debate today. I, therefore, will not be replying to this Bill today.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg your indulgence that when the last person contributes, you adjourn debate until the next sitting of the House to allow any other Member, including those Hon. Oundo mentioned, to contribute.

The rules are clear.

You put the question whether to adjourn or not.

I have no other recourse other than to put the question right now on whether debate should be adjourned. But if that is defeated, let us assume, for argument's sake, we will continue with the debate; but should you wish to adjourn again, somebody else has to rise again, under Standing Order 96. Otherwise, if you all contribute, or whoever is interested in the Bill contributes, then the Chairperson has no option, but to put the question again and conclude the debate. I hope you understand.

(Question, that debate be now adjourned, put and negatived) The next person is Hon. Joshua Kimilu, Member for Kaiti.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I take this opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. I brought a Bill in this House, and I thank the Members for supporting it, which was passed and assented to by the President. It is not easy to draft a Bill and witness it become a law. I support the Bill. However, when we get to the Committee of the whole House, I will bring amendments.

This Bill is very important. It will also modernise the system. The Bill clarifies Article 133 and replaces the outdated Cap 94. It removes us from arbitration pardons to a structured accountable framework which is very important to our country. When we make laws as Members of Parliament, we should try and modernise them because some were enacted many years ago and may have since been overtaken by events. When we modernise laws, we make progress for our country.

The Bill focusses on rehabilitation and not only punishment. The guiding principle is that it promotes rehabilitation, community involvement and social support for reformed offenders who show remorse. When people go to jail, we wish that they get reformed so that when they come back to the society, continue building the society together with other people.

The Bill will also reduce prison congestion and cost. When I was doing my research, I found that every inmate spends Ksh7,600 per year. Some of the offenders go to jail and change. For example, there is a guy from my Constituency who was sentenced to death but when he went to jail, he got reformed and became a great pastor. When he was released and came back to the community, he brought a big change to my community. Today, he is a pastor and he has mentored many youths. He has assisted many people to stop criminal activities. And therefore, when I talk about this Bill, I know it will help many people and reduce the congestion in our cells so as to create space for other offenders who are taken there to get reformed.

This is a very important Bill to the country. However, the amendments to this Bill should not encourage people to commit crimes knowing that they will be released when they change. Some prisoners can even pretend that they have changed. The main objective of the Bill is to release some of the prisoners so as to create space for the others. We all saw what happened over the weekend when we went to Homa Bay. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I was there and we were badly attacked. I have not yet healed from what I saw that day. Some inmates should be released to create room for Hon. Kaluma and Hon. Gladys Wanga because they need to be taken to the cells.

Order! Order! You are out of order. You cannot discuss a fellow Member of Parliament here, without a proper Motion. There are rules in the House. Hon. Sunkuli Julius.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I also want to support this Bill that seeks to give His Excellency, the President, an opportunity to exercise mercy on certain aspects. It is always good to understand the context under which we are

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

On what Hon. Sunkuli is saying?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, this is unfair. I was on the Floor...

Order, you are out of order. Do not invite my wrath. You should learn the rules of the House. Proceed, Hon. Sunkuli.

As I said, the Commonwealth derived its laws mainly from England. In the British system, where justice ends, mercy starts taking effect. The King or the Queen had the prerogative to look into the situation of a particular convict and see whether to exercise a power of mercy. This is based on a number of things: One of them being that the Judiciary has the responsibility of looking into the evidence. They only convict a person based on the evidence available. But this is also a human institution. The judges in the Judiciary are human. There is a chance that sometimes, somebody will get convicted through the process of the Judiciary and have no recourse, but to go to prison. But in reality, someone must look at it from another point of view. That is why it has always been the case—that we give the sovereign of a country the responsibility to look at that situation and say, where the law has not looked at it, justice can still have another opportunity.

This law has come to Kenya because we are part of the Commonwealth. We have had this prerogative of mercy, where His Excellency, the President, could pardon a number of crimes. But the reason why we want to effect Article 133 of the Constitution today is because for one reason, there is a thinking that we should not make this power arbitrary; that we must base it in law. That is a good thing. We have a lot of provisions in this Bill which say how the advisory committee will be appointed, how pardon officers will be appointed, and how everybody in that system of power of mercy is appointed. That is good, but there are a few things of caution. This is because when this Bill comes to Committee Stage, we have to amend a number of things to make it aligned to mercy.

I do not believe that the power of mercy should have too many rules. This is because in the first place, the President must exercise true mercy. The exercise of this power must be under exceptional circumstances. You cannot demand mercy because it is not part of the legal rights that you have. It is mercy. To exercise genuine mercy, we have to leave some sort of leverage in the hands of the President for him to exercise that mercy. In my opinion, when you tabulate too many reasons why the President should give mercy, you are actually legislating mercy. Mercy cannot be fully legislated. Let us just say, for instance, that under exceptional circumstances, the President may pardon these persons. Pardon has two arms: Either it is totally unconditional, for example the President says, you go home and that is it; or if you are on a very high capital offence, he might remit that offence to life imprisonment or imprisonment based on a number of well-evaluated reasons that the President does in his own discretion.

I say this because in a litigious country like Kenya, you will start having people going to court and saying that His Excellency, the President acted ultra vires. That he did not act in accordance with the Act. Although it is a very important act of the Executive, and most of the actions of the Executive should be included under judicial review, the prerogative of mercy should not be subjected to judicial review. That is why we should not put too many rules because unfortunately, under our laws, what is not in the law, is considered to be outside it.

We must always keep in mind that what we are doing here is meant to give the country sovereign power by looking at where the law has become harsh. I have practised criminal law in many courts. For instance, I know there are offences in this country that we have legislated out of emotion, saying that a certain offence must be punished with a certain punishment. This is where you introduce a minimum punishment, and then the judge cannot do anything in the

Hon. Millie Odhiambo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support the Bill with amendments. From the beginning, I want to say this is a good Bill anchored in the Constitution. However, I wish we had stuck to the issue of the prerogative of mercy, because whenever you talk about power, it tends to be misused. I wish we focused more on responsibilities than power. Before I make very brief comments on the Bill, in response to what the Leader of the Majority Party has said, I want to say that we are all presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Whenever you have a case where people are given bail, I know about this because we have been accustomed to a situation where people, even before they are charged with murder, presume that they will be kept in forever. However, that process was really abused in the past. Somebody would accuse another of murder or robbery with violence, which is not bailable. As a result, somebody stays in custody for a very long time. I know of a person who stayed in custody for 10 years, but was eventually found not to have committed the offence. That is why those of us who are founders of the Constitution said that we need to do away with it. I am very uncomfortable with ADR being used for serious crimes or felonies. I know it is practised in some communities, but I do not think we need ADR on issues of murder, unless we are talking about manslaughter, not murder, which is premeditated.

I just wanted to mention a few things in this Bill. First, I am very uncomfortable with the definition of a vulnerable offender. Maybe we need to relook at it because I do not understand how a person who is 60 years old is a vulnerable offender. What makes one a vulnerable offender? I will be 60 soon. What makes me vulnerable? If I come in here and shoot people, why am I vulnerable? I would understand if the person was older.

Another thing I see in the Bill is that a woman who has children under two years old is a vulnerable offender. If I am a mother with a two-year-old child, and I go and shoot my neighbour premeditatedly and kill him yet I do not have postpartum depression, what makes me vulnerable? We need to qualify that provision to stipulate that it must be proven that such a person also has postpartum depression.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this Bill. It could not have come at a better time. It is part of implementing the Constitution of Kenya. It has taken some time to come to the Floor. This Bill will give His Excellency, whoever the President will be, some leeway to apply certain acts of clemency, which are necessary for the Head of State.

Sometimes the Head of State must intervene in certain matters, and they have no flexibility. The Constitution and Kenyan law bind them. Nonetheless, the elaboration of this particular Article of the Constitution into law is progress in this country. I am happy that the 13th Parliament will be on record for enacting a law on the power of mercy. The most important issue to check in this law is the extent to which we have provided checks and balances so we do not allow corruption and other social evils to set in and take control. I have taken some time to review the provisions, and I noted that some issues were raised through public participation.

I want to start with issues raised during public participation. Some of them are very critical. For instance, the National Intelligence Service raised concerns about a lack of standardised procedures or a framework for actuarial reassessment. I look at actuarial reassessment and wonder if it is really sufficient. They are basically talking about noting risk profiles of offenders, which must be metric-based. I want to pick out what the Member who just finished speaking said. We need to look a lot more at the psychological concerns of a particular person. In the actuarial analysis, psychology may not be expounded as much.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, prisons are concerned about errors that may have mistakenly placed capital offenders. They looked at how we have aligned the Penal Code so that the power of mercy is not used to release dangerous people back into the community. On that, we have several stakeholders like the Law Society of Kenya and others.

I want to point out what came out of the Witness Protection Agency and the Media Council of Kenya. They requested clear mandates on data analysis and anonymisation for vulnerable victims, and structured frameworks for responsible public communication, and that these be taken very seriously. Legislation seems to focus much more on how we should release people who have been convicted, whether erroneously or correctly, and less on the effect it has on the victims of such offences. That is key and very important as far as we are concerned.

The provisions in Article 133 of the Constitution speak clearly to the President's possible actions upon personal application. I want to take a minute to look at personal application. Personal application has to do with the individual, an offender in this case, who is already a convict, requesting to be considered. Under the legislation, the process itself must be foolproof. I want to revisit Clauses 40 to 45 of the Bill, which introduce the framework for nationwide awareness creation, continuous public education, offender sensitisation, and guaranteed channels for the public to access crucial information.

I like the vetting of these particular individuals. The State secretariat has the prerogative to conduct the vetting. I like it because the Committee is supposed to propose who qualifies for

Hon. Kuria Kimani.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. From the outset, I would like to lend my voice to this. I am fully supportive of the Power of Mercy (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No.55 of 2025), sponsored by the Leader of the Majority Party and Member for the great people of Kikuyu, Hon. Kimani Ichung'wah.

This particular Bill gives full effect to Article 133 of the Constitution. It provides a clear, transparent, and accountable framework for exercising the presidential power of mercy. It will provide for free or conditional pardon, postponement of punishment, substitution of a less severe form of punishment, and remission of all or part of the sentence. The existing Power of Mercy Act of 2011, Cap.24, has served us very well, but it is now outdated.

This Bill, therefore, seeks to modernise the system and strengthen the Power of Mercy Advisory Committee. It also introduces clearer eligibility criteria, embeds victim participation,

What is your point of order, Hon. (Dr) Nyikal?

Hon (Dr) James Nyikal (Seme, ODM): Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise on Standing Order 96. Given the importance of this Bill, I request that the debate be adjourned to a later date.

Do you want the debate to be adjourned?

Yes.

Okay. It is very simple. (Question, that debate be now adjourned, put and agreed to) (Debate adjourned) Next Order.

In the interest of the Committee that wants to be fully involved in this Report, I have directed that Order No. 12 be deferred to an appropriate date. Next week, it should be brought back as a priority.

Next Order.

I also direct that Order No. 13 be deferred to an appropriate date when there is full capacity of the Committee or when many Members are in the House to deliberate on this.

Next Order.

I am informed that the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee is not in the House and has requested that this business be deferred to an appropriate future date. Therefore, I direct that this business be deferred to an appropriate future date.

Hon. Members, there does not seem to be any other business in the Order Paper for today.

Hon. Members, the time being