Thursday, 21st November, 2024

Order, Hon. Members. Let us all be seated.

Your Excellency, Hon. (Dr.) William Samoei Ruto, CGH., President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces; the Rt. Hon. Dr. Moses Wetangula EGH, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly; Hon. Members of Parliament, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Article 132 (1) (b) , of our Constitution provides that the President shall address a Special Sitting of Parliament once every year, and may address Parliament at any other time.

Article 132 (1) (c) of our Constitution further provides that the President shall, among others, once every year, report in an address to the nation all the measures taken and the progress made or achieved in the realisation of the national values referred to in Article 10 of the Constitution.

In addition, Article 240(7) of the Constitution requires the President, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the National Security Council to report to Parliament annually on the state of security in Kenya.

In this regard, the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, vide a letter referenced No.EOP/CAB.26/4a Vol. 4(178), dated 9th September, 2024, informed the Speakers of the Houses of Parliament of the intention of His Excellency the President, to address Parliament.

Consequently, and upon consultation, the address to Parliament by His Excellency the President was scheduled for today, Thursday, 21st November, 2024.

Pursuant to Standing Order 25(2) of the Senate Standing Orders, I notified Hon. Senators of the place, date and time of today's Special Sitting vide Gazette Notice No.14829, which was published in the Kenya Gazette on Friday, 15th November, 2024.

Further, together with the Rt. Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly, I notified all Members of Parliament and the general public of today's special sitting vide notices placed in three local newspapers, yesterday, Wednesday, 20th November, 2024.

Accordingly, Hon. Members, this Special Sitting is properly convened. I thank you.

Your Excellency, Hon. Dr. William Samoei Ruto, CGH., President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces; the Rt. Hon. Amason King EGH., MP, Hon. Speaker of the Senate; Hon. Members of Parliament; members of the Diplomatic Corps; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen, Article 132 (1) (b) of the Constitution requires the President to address the nation once every year, and at any other time.

Further, Article 132 (1) (c) of the Constitution requires the President to once every year report in an address to the nation on measures taken and progress achieved in the realisation of our national values.

Additionally, Article 132 (1) (c) (iii) of the Constitution provides that the President shall submit a report for debate to the National Assembly on the progress made in fulfilling the international obligations of the Republic.

In this regard, Hon. Members, by way of a Message to the House, His Excellency the President conveyed his desire to address a Joint Sitting of the Houses of Parliament today, 21st November, 2024.

Therefore, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 22 of the National Assembly Standing Orders and by Gazette Notice No.15327, which was published in the Kenya Gazette on 18th November, 2024, and indeed has also notified all members of the general public, by way of newspaper notification published on 20th November, 2024, I gave a notice of this Special Sitting of Parliament to the Members of the National Assembly.

Accordingly, Hon. Members, this Special Sitting is properly convened. Your Excellency, Hon. Members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, this year's President's Address comes at a time when the country is set to host the 14th Edition of the East African Community Inter-Parliamentary Games. The Inter-Parliamentary Games shall bring together participants from the Member States of the East African

Community and the East African Legislative Assembly and are part of the deepening, widening, and tightening of the integration process. The games are scheduled to commence next month on 7th December, 2024 in Mombasa County and all is set in readiness for these games.

Moving on, Your Excellency, it is in the custom of Parliament to recognize invited guests seated in our galleries. I, therefore, wish to recognize the following guests who are seated in the Speaker's Row.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

The Hon. Speakers of Parliament, the Hon. Members, distinguished ladies and gentlemen. I am honoured to address you today in the fulfilment of the mandate vested in me under Article 132(1)(c) of the Constitution; to report to you and to the people of Kenya on the measures we have taken, and the progress we have made in realising our national values and principles of governance; and to submit to you, Hon. Members, the progress made in fulfilling our international obligations.

Since my last Address, Kenya has undergone rapid change occasioned by the collective awakening of the people in the understanding that the state of nation depends on the work we do individually and collectively. This realisation extends not only to what we choose to undertake, but to also how we go about securing careers, livelihoods and contributing to the grand enterprise of nation-building.

There has never been doubt and now there is none whatsoever, that Kenya is a land of bold ambition with our citizens always desiring and insisting on the best possible standards, not only for themselves, but also for their families and for our nation.

Consequently, our democracy has empowered citizens to ask questions and demand changes in the way their affairs are managed, driving the wheels of our nation's social, political and economic transformation faster in the direction of excellence and prosperity.

Rare are the times when the leadership is ahead of the people. We are always striving to steer the machinery of the state and Government to keep pace with the aspirations of our citizens. We have learnt through the hard way as well as the more customary ways, that listening is a full-time occupation of leadership and that all questions asked by the people must be answered thoroughly and in full. We have learnt never to take anything for granted and make every effort to call all our people and to carry all our people along with us in the pursuit of our transformation.

The context in which I make this National Address is not only significantly different from previous occasions, but it is also a singular moment with unique historical implications for us all. It is an opportunity to affirm the principles and values of which our nation stands, review the steps we have taken, the path we have chosen in our journey of national development and reinforce the commitments we have made to one another and to our beloved nation for the sake of the present and future generations.

I do not take this for granted and with utmost respect and humility before this august Assembly of the people's elected representatives; I desire to respond to the most pressing concerns that have been raised by Kenyans of all walks of life in recent months. To my understanding, the concerns and issues voiced by millions of Kenyans about the state of our nation deserve meaningful engagement, a thorough understanding and a thoughtful response.

There are discussions about whether leaders understand the pain, hardship and struggles endured by countless citizens every day as they strive to make ends meet and whether the Government is doing anything about it. Similarly, many struggling Kenyans impatiently wonder when will real money get to their pockets and when will the jobs promised, which they deserve become a reality.

Additionally, there have been conversations about our education system, particularly the transition to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and whether policies in this sector are working for or against Kenyans.

Important questions have also been raised concerning the direction of development in relation to democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as the rule of law, transparency and accountability.

Another more direct question that emerges every now and then is whether public policy in this administration is in furtherance of service delivery to citizens or just in aid of political strategy.

It is undeniable that for many Kenyans, times are hard and the struggle to meet their daily basic needs remains daunting. It is also true that these conditions have persisted for a number of years now leading to much frustration and anxiety.

Although we have gone a long way to mitigate some of these difficulties, much remains to be done. Though we have laid a firm foundation for decisive intervention, I believe that it is critical for us to bear in mind that this administration was inaugurated at an extremely difficult time characterized by domestic challenges, compounded by regional and global security, geopolitical, financial as well as climate dynamics.

As a result, in 2022, the country's total debt burden was not only immense, but was also stacked up in the most burdensome manner, leaving very little room for investments in public service or development of critical infrastructure. The prices of basic food commodities soared due to a combination of prolonged drought, declining local productivity due to inadequate support and disruptions in the global supply chain caused by the war in Europe.

Kenya faced a crossroads of extremely difficult choices, where defaulting on our obligations would have significantly worsened an already perilous situation, and more borrowing was not an option. It was, therefore, essential for us to drastically reduce expenditure, mobilise as much as possible resources domestically and curtail waste. As I informed the nation then, matters would get more difficult before they could get better and we all had to tighten our belts and work hard under unforgiving conditions.

We had staked the fate of our ambitious Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) on easing the stress that the economy was in and the strain citizens underwent while creating room for implementing our transformative interventions.

Hon. Members, I give this background to underscore two very important facts. First, we have not been watching helplessly and doing nothing as adversity took a toll on the economy and undermined the livelihoods and well-being of the people. On the contrary, we have been working tirelessly to steer the country away from the brink of unprecedented economic collapse and onto a more promising trajectory.

The second point is that while we may not be where we would like to be, we are certainly not where we were two and a quarter years ago. At the same time, the cost of living was substantially high, with prices of basic commodities beyond the reach of many households.

Today, I am proud to report that the macroeconomic indicators point to a positive turnaround and an upward trajectory. Allow me to highlight a few milestones that underscore this progress. The shilling has stabilised significantly, appreciating from

Kshs162 to the dollar in February 2024 to Kshs129 today, a remarkable gain of 20 per cent.

This recovery has restored confidence in our financial markets and significantly reduced the cost of servicing external debt, creating physical space for our development imperatives. Inflation has declined dramatically from 9.6 per cent in September 2022 to

metric tonnes, surpassing the national monthly consumption average of 40,000 metric tonnes. For the first time in recent history, Kenya is producing enough sugar to meet our local demand.

This success is attributed to many factors; subsidised fertiliser for sugar cane farmers, an additional 500,000 acres that has been brought under production and improved management of the sugar sector, which has revitalised production and brought the industry back to life. I just signed, as you know, the new sugar laws to provide further policy guidance as we seek to be a sugar-exporting country shortly.

In the coffee sector, we are on track to increase exports from 51,000 metric tonnes this year to 150,000 metric tonnes by 2027.

The Government has also raised disbursements from the Cherry Advance Fund from Kshs2.7 billion to Kshs6 billion, complemented by an additional disbursement of Kshs1.5 billion by the Commodities Fund. Average prices of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange have risen by 25 per cent. In the last financial year, the country produced and exported 48,000 metric tonnes, earning farmers Kshs25 billion.

Additionally, 320,000 bags of fertiliser have been allocated specifically for the coffee sector. We will be working with cooperatives to make sure this fertiliser is distributed at the nearest possible destination to the farmers. These interventions are expected to boost smallholder farmer earnings from Kshs300,000 to Kshs500,000 per acre annually by the year 2027.

Hon. Members, the dairy sector remains a vital value chain with a quick turnaround impact on households in the economy. The Government of Kenya has released, and you, Members, approved Kshs3 billion to modernize the New KCC, ensure farmers are paid on time and maintain a high price of Kshs50 per litre. As a result, intake to KCC has increased from 100,000 litres a day to 220,000 litres a day by last month.

To address this issue in our education sector, we have already hired, as you know Members, 56,000 teachers and are in the process of recruiting another 20,000 by January next year.

long, too many households have lived on the edge, just one inch less away from financial catastrophe.

Our healthcare system has historically neglected the poor and vulnerable, leaving them without any option, while private sector medical coverage remained out of reach for the majority. This is precisely what we will correct through the provision of universal health coverage.

This agenda is not just about a promise; it is about a bold commitment to deliver health through transformative financing reforms, making healthcare accessible and affordable, digitizing our healthcare services to enhance efficiency, eliminate fraud and stop corruption, and to empower a skilled and motivated health workforce.

To honour our commitment on the UHC, I signed into law four groundbreaking legislations on the 19th October, 2024, passed by this august House. The Social Health Insurance Act replaced the outdated National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and established the Social Health Authority (SHA), which oversees three essential funds.

This modern framework ensures that every Kenyan, especially the most vulnerable, can access quality healthcare services when they need it most. The shift from the NHIF model to Taifa Care is fundamental and radical in both skill and character.

If I may give you a bit of example, NHIF served a few salaried Kenyans and those who could afford to pay, but Taifa Care covers every Kenyan, regardless of employment or financial status.

Secondly, despite serving a limited class of citizens, NHIF nevertheless accumulated billions of shillings of debt because of misalignment between contributions and the actual cost of healthcare.

Taifa Care has undertaken an accurate costing of all healthcare-related goods and services in order to provide affordable, timely, effective, and efficient service to every Kenyan.

Additionally, the NHIF had a waiting period lasting between registration and eligibility for service; I think it was about three months. Under Taifa Care, citizens are eligible for all services upon registration.

I, therefore, urge every Kenyan to take the most important step in securing dependable healthcare for themselves and their families - register. Register now, or at the earliest possible opportunity.

interaction, we are tackling corruption, reducing inefficiencies and ensuring that resources are used where they are needed most.

As a result, the good news is, SHA will pay all October claims in full by next week and it will continue like that going into the future.

Dear Kenyans, we have a date with an urban future and the only choice we have is what this urban future will look like. Will it be characterized by decent, dignified, safe and liveable neighbourhoods and communities, or will it be haphazard, unsanitary, unsafe slum dwellings? This is the fundamental question that our Affordable Housing plan seeks to answer.

Kenya has a serious housing deficit and the cost of housing is beyond the reach of the majority. While the social and economic efforts of this shortage are far-reaching, rent as a component of the cost of living is unsustainable. People are forced to choose between enduring long, punishing commutes to faraway homes or taking up less desirable spaces within reach. Supplying the number of units required to fill the affordable housing gap requires us to undertake construction throughout the country at the rate of 200,000 new housing units every year for 10 years.

Many people have asked why they should be interested in affordable housing projects in rural areas. If you look around, you will witness the signs of our urban future. Land sizes are becoming smaller as the population grows in rural agricultural areas. To protect agriculture and food security from the effects of uncontrolled land fragmentation, urbanization must be planned and controlled.

The Affordable Housing Programme is, therefore, a vital component of integrated land use planning and development programme that we are implementing throughout the country and in every county. Each unit of housing drives demand for different types of labour, professional services and materials, bringing labourers, masons, bricklayers, artisans, electricians, carpenters, as well as architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, lawyers and real estate economists into the equation.

The Affordable Housing Programme is also a major opportunity for manufacturers, developers and other industries. In other words, the economic boost from housing pillar of our Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda is significant and undeniably much needed. As we speak, the Affordable Housing Programme now directly accounts for 164,000 new jobs created over the past one year.

Hon. Members, today marks a significant milestone in our journey towards providing decent and affordable housing for all. After two years of hard work under the Affordable Housing Programme, I am proud to announce, and you have seen it in the newspapers, the launch of the sale of the first 4,888 housing units now in completion across 21 social housing projects. These units, comprising studios, one-bedroom, two- bedroom and three-bedroom homes are tailored to meet the needs of our people, offering 1,041 social housing units, 2,133 affordable housing units and 1,714 affordable mid-class housing units in 24 counties.

I invite every Kenyan above the age of 18 to join this historic journey towards home ownership, guided by our principle of fairness; one Identity Card (ID), one house. Every eligible Kenyan is encouraged to express interest, visit these developments, view the show houses and engage with on-site staff who are already too willing to assist. The allocation process will be transparent and equitable, ensuring that every qualified applicant has an equal opportunity to own a home.

Hon. Members, as part of the Government's endeavour to build a nation grounded in intergenerational equity opportunities and empowerment for all Kenyans, we have

made significant strides in implementing another key pillar of our manifesto; labour migration. This initiative seeks to harness Kenya's abundant human capital by creating meaningful job opportunities abroad, empowering our citizens and positioning Kenyan talent on the global stage. Since July, 2023, we have successfully facilitated employment of 105,367 Kenyans across multiple countries in a wide range of jobs.

To mark the Fund’s second anniversary, we have taken a bold step by launching a third product, specifically tailored for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This new initiative will initially target two million beneficiaries who have demonstrated a strong credit history with the Fund.

By so doing, we aim to create a pathway for these entrepreneurs to transition into the formal banking system, thereby deepening financial inclusion and strengthening the SME sector. This milestone underscores our commitment to build a financially inclusive and economically resilient nation.

The progress we have made has been possible only because the people of Kenya have been courageous, strong, determined and patriotic. It has also been enabled by a number of early interventions under our Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), and at the same time created space for us to implement the agenda in full.

As we proceed with the implementation, we expect to quickly capitalise on the gains we have secured and invest resources in the economy, with an emphasis on strategic pillars of our plan. As more projects get off the ground, more people get hired, liquidity levels improve, more money ends up in people’s pockets.

Hon. Members, you know we are a democracy. Democracy is a founding principle and defining value of our nation. Democracy is a hard-won non-negotiable right and guarantees freedom that we are proud of and must always defend.

Our national democratic culture expresses itself energetically through robust discourse, boldly speaking truth to power and holding leadership to account. It is a tradition of fearless expression and vigorous public participation. This is who we are and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

We understand, therefore, that protests are always legitimate and permitted by the Constitution. Protests are conducted by citizens who are peaceful and unarmed. Assemblies, demonstrations and picketing to advance constitutionalism, increase accountability and defend the rule of law are constitutional imperatives.

Conversely, mobilisation in pursuit of criminal agenda, chaos and anarchy are explicitly forbidden because we all have a duty to defend our Republic, our Constitution and the rights of all people. The Government, in particular, must remain vigilant at all times against modern threats to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our nation, as well as public order, peace and security.

We have a democracy which we are proud of, must defend and should defend by all means. At the same time, we have citizens whose lives and rights we must protect and a nation whose security, stability and prosperity we must safeguard.

The task at hand is complicated if citizens and state agencies dilute the distinction between the lawful and the criminal, the just and the unjust, thereby making it difficult to tell protesters and security officers from bandits, gangsters and criminals. It is only by following the law that we are able to achieve our aims and apportion accountability properly. It should not be possible for robbers and looters to escape accountability by claiming that they were taking part in a protest.

This is both tragic and unacceptable. It also complicates, in disturbing ways, the struggle by Kenyan women for inclusion, equality, dignity, social justice, their rights and protection, a section of our society that has been marginalised for a long time.

Government services and revenue collection to promote transparency, seal loopholes that lead to revenue losses, enhance accountability and eliminate opportunities for corruption, therefore improving efficiency, transparency and integrity.

I am delighted to report to this House on the dramatic improvements we have recorded by automating and digitizing our revenue collection and service delivery through e-Citizen. We have so far digitized 20,855 Government services, up from 350 in 2022, representing an increase of almost 6,000 per cent, while we have significantly improved revenue collection.

Take the case of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) whose total revenue for the year ending June 30th, 2023, was Kshs5.3 billion. Nonetheless, after implementing a digital revenue collection system, the revenue grew to Kshs7.6 billion in the year ending June 30th this year, representing a 43 percent increase. This initiative alone has firmly put the KWS on the path to self-sufficiency, freeing the corporation from reliance on exchequer support.

Members, it is also unacceptable for the Houses of Parliament to deny the nation a much-needed instrument in the war against corruption, by continuing to sabotage the passage of the Conflict of Interest Bill.

Hon. Members, the work of taking our nation forward is our collective responsibility as citizens. For this reason, we value the contribution of all, whether they come in the form of support or encouragement, suggestion or proposal, criticism or protest. I believe that the most powerful component of leadership is listening and learning.

Therefore, I engage with you and listen to all citizens, their elected leaders, public officers, administrators, teachers and other professionals, learners and the youth, farmers, fisher folk, pastoralists, traders, craftsmen, artisans, nurses, doctors, community health promoters and workers across all types of sectors in every sector.

I listen too to religious leaders, the civil society, industrialists, entrepreneurs and professionals. Their contributions and everyone else's have my full attention and commitment to respond through positive affirmative action that takes the national transformation endeavour forward. I commit to continue listening and acting to engage, debate, deliberate with you and to take your input into consideration in serving our nation.

By design, the bottom-up economic transformation agenda is defined by its capacity to elicit feedback in the course of implementation and incorporate the same in making improvements and further progress. With every input from stakeholders, our ability to drive progress increases. By listening to you and to every Kenyan, I am able to serve this nation better.

As we take part in this necessary discourse, I want to make one thing clear. That I am fully invested in the success of the strategies, policies, programmes and projects under our plan. For this reason, I am committed to do all it takes and work with every willing Kenyan until we succeed because failure is not an option.

Given the challenges our nation has faced, it has become clear, Hon. Members, that overcoming these obstacles requires the collective energy, wisdom, ideas and goodwill of Kenyans of all political, cultural persuasions, religious beliefs and walks of life. The wisdom of entrenching national unity and inclusivity as a national value in our constitution is clearly evident. Our diversity is our source of power and this moment in the history of our nation calls for radical collaboration to transcend our challenges.

We do not have the luxury of magnifying our differences. It is time for all of us to pull together and usher the nation into the future of our dreams. With this in mind, I initiated extensive consultations with leaders from across all divides, public and private.

Through these engagements, we resolved to re-imagine unity and inclusivity and harness the full potential of our nation through bipartisanship, which culminated in the formation of the broad-based Cabinet. The imperative to accommodate the contribution of leaders across the aisle inspired us to constitute the broad-based government, a partnership based on shared purpose and premise on a commitment to bring our national values into action to turbo-charge the implementation of the transformation of our nation.

Being a farmer, transformation is like farming. A lot of resources are invested in ploughing the land and planting the seeds, after which there is nothing to see for all the work, except stretches of bare earth. Impatience might lead to anxiety and lamentation of the waste of effort in seed buried in the earth. However, after a brief wait, seedlings sprout, requiring close attention, weeding and patient tending into the crop that will be

ready for harvest. So is economic transformation; it requires hard work, investment of resources, patience and faith. We have planted the seed and all over the field it is beginning to sprout.

While, admittedly, there remains much to fulfill, our collective hope to deliver the national economic transformation that this nation so dearly deserves, is on course. I am proud to declare that we have also made undeniable progress in building on the strong foundation laid in previous years and getting the national development project off the ground.

Hon. Members, from the reports that I have the honour to table for your consideration and debate, there is reason to be optimistic that our forward march is unstoppable, and that our capacity and commitment to live and work by our national values and principles of governance are stronger than ever before.

Our nation is a proud member of the international community, making our contributions to the global progress boldly and with great determination. We stand collectively facing the dawn with confidence that our expectations of a bright daylight are not in vain.

In summary, Hon. Members and all fellow citizens, the state of our nation is resilient. Hon. Speakers, it is my pleasure to submit to Parliament the following three reports as required by the Constitution-

Order, Hon. Members. Your Excellency the President, the Right Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Members, distinguished guests, please be upstanding.

We have come to the end of the business of the day and it is now time to adjourn. The Senate stands adjourned until Tuesday, 26th November, 2024 at 2.30 p.m. in the Senate chamber.

Hon. Members of the National Assembly, the National Assembly now stands adjourned until Monday, 25th November, 2024 at 2.30 p.m.

I will repeat. The National Assembly stands adjourned until Monday, 25th November, 2024 at 2.30 p.m.

I also take this opportunity to invite all Hon. Members and our guests to a reception at the Parliament’s courtyard.

I also request all of you, Hon. Members and our guests to remain standing in your places until the procession of His Excellency the President and the Speakers of the two Houses leave the Chamber.