Thursday, 31st March, 2016

Your Excellency, Hon. Uhuru

Further, Article 132(1)(c) requires the President to, among others:- “once every year-

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Justin Muturi---

I can sit kidogo waendelee.

Order, Members! I wish to draw the attention of the House to the Provisions of Standing Order No.24 (4) of both the National Assembly and the Senate with regard to the President’s Address to Parliament. For avoidance of doubt, Standing Order No.24 (4) of the National Assembly provides as follows:-

“When delivering an address to the House, the President shall be heard in silence and the Address shall not be followed by any comment or question.”

use of force. I now order that hon. Wandayi be forcibly ejected from the House by the Serjeant- at-Arms.

(Hon. Wandayi was forcibly ejected from the Chamber by the Serjeant-at-Arms)

Hon. Members, I order hon.T. Kajwang to withdraw from the Chamber.

(Sen. M. Kajwang stood up in his place and blew a whistle while waving a placard)

Order, Members! Order, Sen. M. Kajwang!

Order, Members!

Hon. Odhiambo-Mabona, I order you out of the Chamber.

Hon. Members, as you know, everybody has a right to hold their opinions. I advise that any Member who feels that he or she is not ready to listen to the Address by His Excellency the President should feel free to withdraw from the Chamber. It does not show any level of maturity. If you feel you do not wish to listen to the Presidential Address, you are advised to withdraw quietly.

Thank you’ Mr. Speaker, Sir. After being thoroughly entertained, we can now get back to serious business.

The Speaker of the Senate, hon. Ekwee Ethuro, hon. Members of Parliament, fellow Kenyans, today I join you in this august House to reflect on the great state of our nation---

Once again, hon. Members, Hon. Arati, you are out of order. The provisions of the Standing Orders as referred to by the Speaker of the Senate are correct both in the Senate and in the National Assembly.

Hon. Simba Arati, you are out of order. Kindly withdraw from the Chamber.

Hon. Bosire, I am on my feet; just resume your seat.

Hon. Bosire, you are grossly out of order. Let me also disclose that we are able to identify those of you with whistles. If you do not want to listen to the Address, please, just withdraw; do not hide. Nobody should point or name any other Member.

Hon. Bosire, you are out of order now. Those Members wishing to withdraw can do so now.

Hon. Members, I take it that no Member wishes to withdraw voluntarily. Let me also restate that any interruption, in whatever manner, will be gross disorder and in breach of Standing Order No.24 (4) of both Houses.

Your Excellency the President, you may give your Address.

Hon. Speakers, this occasion is not just important, but it lies at the heart of our democracy and nationhood. It is in the spirit of accountability and democracy that I have, over the last two years, addressed the nation to explain what my administration has achieved in fulfillment of the constitutional requirements laid out in Articles 10, 132 and 240.

Hon. Speakers, fellow Kenyans, I want to affirm that our nation is strong and the Nationalist Covenant negotiated by our founding fathers at Independence is alive and well. We have re-imagined, enhanced and expanded it. The spirit of the Lancaster covenant that bound us together as a nation in the 1960s is still with us. Although we experienced turbulence in the 2007 post-election violence, we as a people reaffirmed our commitment to the Nationalist Covenant in August 2010, when we proclaimed a new Constitution.

Hon. Speakers, I am humbled to pioneer the establishment of the Second Republic as envisioned by our second Constitution. To establish the first Republic, our founding fathers sacrificed their years of youth, defended the ideals of the Nationalist Covenant with their very lives and stayed the course until we were free and became an independent nation. Every one of us owes a sacred duty to them and a responsibility to pass on a secure, united and re-imagined nation to future generations.

Hon. Speakers, as I stand here, there are brave Kenyans in uniform who echo the youthful valour and patriotism of our founding fathers. With skill and tireless determination, these young heroes are fighting a cruel enemy who is burning cities and countries across the globe. Our soldiers in Somalia, their police and intelligence counterparts at home are all keeping their part of the bargain by defending the nation. They are protecting the Republic, but more fundamentally, securing the broader Nationalist Covenant. Their duties have at times demanded the ultimate price and for this, we owe them gratitude and an eternal place in our hearts. As their Commander-in-Chief, I honour them and want to assure their families of our utmost consideration and respect for their service and sacrifice. While on this, I want to assure this august House that my Government has every intent to uphold the dignity of our soldiers. As their Commander-in-Chief, I will not allow them to be subjected to undue harassment.

Hon. Speakers, I would now like to take a moment to salute our fallen heroes from the Kenya Defence Forces and the National Police Service. I ask the House to stand for a minute of silence in their honour.

Mhe. Bosire, sikuulizi usimame kwa sababu yangu; ni kwa niaba ya askari wetu ambao wanakulinda hata wewe.

financial institutions agree on the strengths of our economic fundamentals, our management of the economy and our future growth story.

Speakers, hon. Members and fellow Kenyans, my administration is investing not only in the immediate improvement of Kenyans’ lives but also in laying the future for the true prosperity that we seek. That is why we have made such bold investments in security, transport and infrastructure, energy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), mining and agriculture. We all know that even while the national economy is growing strongly, it is still too small to fulfill our people’s aspirations for themselves and their families. Only a true transformation will do this for us. However, transformations are not easy. They are full of ups and downs, and it is a very hard path. Every Kenyan knows this from their own life stories how tough it is to save money for school or to start small businesses; how difficult it is to walk miles every morning to get to school and work, yet with undying hope in a better tomorrow, the Kenyan people persist in working hard in seeking to improve themselves and their families.

My job as President, our job as Government, your job as legislators, is to walk with the people in that path of personal transformation, by ensuring that the country is transforming with our people. As we transform one individual at a time, we will fulfill the Nationalist Promise. In time, we will create a collective nation that is secure, prosperous, healthy and well educated in line with the covenant of our founding fathers.

This Nationalist Promise that I keep referring to was not just about inspiration or citizenship; it was also a determination to combat poverty, ignorance and disease and that we were going to enable our people to make an honest living. These are the reasons that have driven my administration to now make it easier to register a company. Through the overhaul of the Companies Act, we have cut to a minimum the old stringent rules that once made it difficult for sole business owners to register as limited companies. Further reforms such as the passing of the Insolvency Act have improved the processes that are required for one to be in business in the formal sector. They have sought not to fiddle with existing approaches but instead transform the business landscape.

Evidence of our success is that the World Bank’s doing business indicators show Kenyato be the third most improved country in the world. We, as a country, jumped almost an unprecedented 28 positions in their rankings. Nairobi, our capital city, was named the most attractive destination for foreign direct investment in Africa. Kenya alone on the African continent was singled out as one of the seven most promising emerging markets. This achievement is also part of our Nationalist Promise.

charter flights which have resumed their previous frequency; and visa fees for children under 16 were waived with effect from 1st February, 2016. We have also accelerated the construction of the Port Reitz-Airport Road in Mombasa County as well as the planned Dongo Kundu bypass. Together, they will allow Kenyans as well as our tourists to get from the mainland to the south Coast without using the ferry.

Between 1963 and 2013, we built 11,000 kilometers of tarmac road. This translates to an average of 220 kilometers per year. In the last three years, my administration has tarmacked approximately 3,000 kilometers of road or an average rate of 1,000 kilometres per year. By 2017, we will have laid almost as much tarmac as happened in the 50 years since our Independence as we also continue rehabilitating our existing roads.

Hon. Members, as I address you today, road contractors are on the ground working day and night to complete a number of projects. In Marsabit, for example, the road from Merrille River to Moyale; in Taita Taveta County, the road from Mwatate to Taveta; in Kilifi County, the Mariakani-Kaloleni-Kilifi Road; in Migori County, the road from Kehancha to Suna to Masara; in Kajiado County, the road from Isinya to Ngong and, in Nairobi County, the road from South C to Kikuyu Town.

As part of this comprehensive effort in infrastructure, we have undertaken massive rehabilitation and expansion of our main port in Mombasa. In 2013, Mombasa was the 8th busiest port in Africa with a handling capacity of 890,000 twenty-foot containers. Indeed, in February this year, my Government completed the expansion of two additional shipping berths at Kilindini, doubling our total handling capacity to 1.6 million twenty-foot containers per year. Indeed, in 3 years, Mombasa has now moved to becoming the 4th busiest port in Africa down from 8th three years ago.

Hon. Members, to consolidate our position as the region’s transport hub, we opened the newly completed passenger air Terminal 2 and in addition, we will be commissioning two new terminals; 1A and 1E by May 2016. These new terminals will increase our passenger handling capacity by 5.1 million new passengers, bringing our total capacity at JKIA to 7.5 million passengers a year.

To improve domestic travel, there are new airport facilities at various stages of completion in Homa Bay, Isiolo in Isiolo County; Manda in Lamu County; Malindi in Kilifi County and Lokichoggio in Turkana County. We are also working on Suneka in Kisii County which we hope to start soon, Kakamega, Mandera, among others. All this is meant to link the communities of Kenya into a nation as part of our Nationalist Promise.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, efficient and adequate supplies of energy remain central to our nation’s development agenda. My administration can report significant achievements here. In the last year, we have brought on-line 634 MW of new power, raising our total installed capacity to 2,282 MW. We appreciate that taking that power we generate into every Kenyan home is just as important as generating it. That is why we have built more than 10,000 kilometres of high capacity transmission as well as distribution lines, which now connect more parts of the country to the national grid than ever before, some of them for the very first time since Independence. Garissa is a case in point. It will receive the first ever electric power supply from the national grid next month. This shows my administration’s commitment to the Nationalist Covenant and the inclusion of all.

This has also enabled us to connect many more Kenyans to the national grid. In the last twelve months, we have connected an additional 1.2 million Kenyans to electricity in their homes and places of work. My Government’s street lighting initiative will have completed the installation of 26,000 new street lights across 5 counties by mid 2016. We have extended this programme to another 50 towns across the country.

Why are we doing this? It is to improve security and make the 24-hour economy a reality. From Kibokoni to Mtwapa, from Majengo to Kibera, street lighting means better returns for

Kenyans and better service for their customers. As a result of this programme, traders like Dominic Ombaka in Mathare, Aisha Abdalla and Mabel Barasa in Kisii can keep their businesses open longer because of improved security. Asha and Mabel have moved from using kerosene to using electricity. This is a 24-hour economy in practice; it is part of the Nationalist Promise to practically prosper everyone.

No!

Is there clean drinking water and proper sanitation?

No!

Efficient garbage collection?

No!

Medicines in hospitals?

No!

Agricultural extension workers visiting your farms?

No!

Hon. Members, fellow Kenyans, devolution was meant to be a mechanism that would ensure no areas were left behind. Instead, in some areas we see wastefulness, fleets of vehicles and palaces being acquired to benefit administrators and officials. We have not seen enough of these hard-earned resources being utilised to provide concrete benefits to the people. It is important that we celebrate achievements and also face shortcomings squarely. Just as Kenyans demand from their National Government accountability, today I also join them in demanding total accountability and better results from our county governments; for this is your money.

We have enhanced our co-operation with different jurisdictions through mutual legal assistance agreements. This means that hiding the proceeds of corruption will get more difficult, here at home and abroad. We will seek to prosecute the corrupt even if they seek refuge outside our borders. We have also worked with the private sector to develop tools and agreements that will ensure that it does not drive corruption in the public sector. These efforts are bearing fruit. This is demonstrated by the recent quick tracing and seizure of Kshs400 million of assets acquired through stolen National Youth Service (NYS) funds. There has also been progress in the Jersey and Anglo-Leasing cases. To reduce the temptation and opportunity for corruption, and increase efficiency, my Government has enhanced the automation of service delivery.

Speakers, hon. Members, fellow Kenyans, I understand the frustrations of those who feel that investigative and court processes have been manipulated by the corrupt in order to escape accountability, delay and derail justice. It is crucial, therefore, that the judiciary reduces and eliminates the frivolous exploitation of legal technicalities to defeat the course of justice.

Hon. Speakers, hon. Members and fellow Kenyans, I understand the frustration of those who feel that investigative and court processes have been manipulated by the corrupt in order to escape accountability, delay and derail justices. It is crucial therefore that our judiciary reduces and eliminates the frivolous exploitation of legal technicalities to defeat the course of justice. Kenyans are justified to demand from the judiciary a tightened regime that is impatient by unwarranted delay. The judiciary has the funding and the requisite leadership and must therefore play its rightful role. It must not be perceived to be helpless, a bystander or complacent in this war. That is a threat to our development and security. They have cases before them and should concluded them and tell Kenyans the verdict.

Following the measures I took last year, I am encouraged by the overwhelming support Kenyans and indeed our friends abroad continue to give us in this fight. Everywhere I have gone, people have spoken clearly, demanding that corruption must be eliminated. I believe that this war must and will eventually be won. I will, today, be tabling before this House, the report showing cases of corruption that are already in court and another report showing frozen assets acquired using corrupt means.

Hon. Speakers, hon. Members, fellow Kenyans, our founding fathers fought for Independence to use our freedom and sovereignty to fight poverty, ignorance and diseases--- One of them is walking in to the Chamber right now.

administration initiated the Managed Equipment Services Scheme so that Kenyans can find the care that they need at the prices they can afford and in places accessible to them.

Our people will no longer have to travel to Nairobi or abroad for that matter to find the specialist medical treatment that they need. The goal and objective of this programme is quite simple. We are equipping two hospitals, One Level Four and one Level Five in each county with state of the art equipment. The intention is to have Level Four and Level Five hospitals in every county. We want this by function and not by name.

availability of research and training services and the first in Africa. We are 33rd in this report in capacity for innovation and the first in Africa”. These are just a partial reading of the comparative statistics. The conclusion is that Kenya is number one in Africa in multiple categories.

did not have the requisite skills available here in Kenya. We also need to make our technical jobs attractive. We, therefore, need more technicians, chefs, masons, plumbers, welders and agricultural related workers to close this gap. My Government has committed and completed 54 new technical training institutes and plans to construct an additional 76 such institutes. This represents 100 per cent increase in the number of institutes in this country since 2013.

By September 2016, we expect a student enrolment of 350,000 young men and women. We have also invested in the Kenya Medical Training colleges (KMTCs). We have added an additional 33 more county campuses to reach a total of 54 across our nation. Students enrolled in these KMTCs have increased from 19,000 to over 25,000 in the last three years. This is in line with our aim to modernize the health sector, not just through brick and mortar and equipment, but also by building the capacity of our young men and women. This is also part of the Nationalist Promise.

Fellow Kenyans, we have vulnerable Kenyans that deserve a helping hand. We are not a rich country able to afford an extensive welfare system, but we are a kind-hearted people who want to help those most in need. My administration has undertaken to provide “uplift” to those who most sorely need it. These are the orphaned children, the elderly and persons with severe disabilities. In the last year, working with some of our development partners, we have benefited over 717, 000 households compared to just over 500,000 in the previous 12 months.

In budgetary allocation, we have transferred just over Kshs 18billion shillings in cash transfers compared with Kshs 14 billion in the previous 12 months. Today, Mama Jillo from Malindi who is a senior Kenyan citizen has received the helping hand of the Kenyan people through their Government. The same goes for Amina Kazungu from Kilifi who suffers from disability. They do not need food aid any more. Their dignity and their well being have been uplifted.

When I entered office, we also had less than five million Kenyans enrolled in the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). My administration initiated a recruitment drive that today has increased enrolment to almost 7 million. This means that the cost of medical care has been reduced for millions of Kenyans, as the package by NHIF has also been expanded. My appeal to you, hon. Members, is that you join us in ensuring that we register more Kenyans to ensure that the heavy burden of medical expense and cost that Kenyans bear is reduced through adequate insurance cover.

Fellow Kenyans, these are concrete manifestations of our embracing the values of social justice and human dignity articulated in our Constitution. My administration is also working hard to ensure that every sector of the economy is uplifted. We know that agriculture is the mainstay of most of our people. It is from farming revenue that school and health fees are paid. To boost the earnings of our farmers, my administration has undertaken measures to address burdensome licensing fees and levies that remain a bottleneck, particularly in sugarcane, tea and coffee farming.

As you will recall, not long ago, I appointed a taskforce to address the challenges to the coffee sub-sector. In line with their preliminary recommendations, I have from today directed that all coffee licensing fees and levies be waived with immediate effect.

I expect this to increase the revenues received by the coffee farmers by 4 per cent. I have also directed the Ministry of Agriculture, the Office of the Attorney-General, and the National Treasury to review the other sectors, notably, sugar and tea to come up with a recommendation on the way forward in these sectors. We will extent these efforts also to regulatory fees in multiple sectors that continue to make it costly as well as a time consuming affair to undertake new projects or to expand existing ones. To this end, I am also today directing that the prohibitive levies at the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the National Construction Authority (NCA) as well as the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) be reviewed with immediate effect.

We have seen a proliferation of exciting local talent and content on our now numerous television channels, from hilarious comedies like Aunty Boss to the educational entertainment offered by the Shamba Shape Up Show. I take this opportunity to salute our local producers like Dorothy Bosibori Ghettuba of Spielworks Media Ltd and Alison Ngibuini of Al Is On Production Ltd who have seized the opportunities brought about by digital migration, to create new jobs for hundreds of young actors, casting crew, videographers and editors. That is what we always envisioned.

Speakers, hon. Members and fellow Kenyans, the Government’s most critical duty is to protect the lives and property of its citizens, as well as the sovereignty of our Republic. This task is today made more complex by violent extremism, geopolitical rivals, organised crime such as cybercrime and human and drug trafficking. I will be tabling, before the House, the report of the National Security Council (NSC) on the state of our national security, where I outline specific measures that have been undertaken by my Government to secure the people of Kenya.

Allow me now, hon. Speakers, to focus on a few important issues that touch on the security of our nation. We have implemented specific strategies that deal with our security challenges and have made a number of cross-cutting multi-sectoral interventions. These include review of security related legislation, roll out of a collaborative approach to counter terrorism and an integrated command and control centre. We have undertaken National Police Service reforms, reforms to the national administration, immigration services, correctional services, peace building and conflict management, as well as citizen participation in security through our Nyumba Kumi Initiative. Our reforms include the Integrated Population Registration System, operationalisation of the Asset Recovery Agency, Integrated Border Management Programmes, inter-agency collaboration in investigation and prosecution, multi-agency team on eradication of corruption as well as regional and international initiatives.

Specifically, hon. Speakers, we have increased the number of police officers by 10,000 in the last 12 months, with an additional 10,000 set for recruitment next week.

I take this opportunity to commend the National Land Commission (NLC) for collaborating with the Ministry of Lands. We have been able to undertake thorough audits of the 13 major land registries, to facilitate their digitisation and introduce cashless digital payment systems for various land-related services. In addition, this collaboration has given birth to a one- of-a-kind digital titling centre that enables advanced security and transparency features. It has also led to the national geo-spatial infrastructure that will come into operation at the end of this year, setting the stage for further development in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) that will improve service delivery and development initiatives.

Hon. Members, we have taken steps to improve access to Government services; creating Huduma Centres that offer Kenyans a range of vital public services under one roof. The Huduma Centres are offering a wide range of different government services and serve approximately 35,000 Kenyans per day. Each of these centres is a visible manifestation of our desire to improve the citizen’s experience of Government and show the Kenyan people that serving them quickly and comprehensively is both our priority and pleasure.

Speakers, hon. Members and fellow Kenyans, Kenya’s international standing continues to improve. We have cemented our role as the champion for regional integration and security. Peace-building, ceasefire and national reconciliation processes in the region are often informed by efforts supported and facilitated by Kenya. Most recently, we have witnessed the product of our persistence and faith in peace in the reconciliation underway in our neighbouring South Sudan. Our soldiers are skilled and brave peacekeepers in multiple theatres, particularly in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, just to mention a few.

Our medical staff volunteered to go to West Africa to fight Ebola, a testament of their skill and bravery, and our nation’s leading place in making the world a better place. Kenya matters on the world stage. Our diplomats – and I particularly single out Amb. Kamau – led in the negotiations that led to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We were a crucial player in advancing a World Trade Round that had stalled when we hosted the WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi; the first time it has ever been hosted in Africa. We are an important player in multilateral negotiations on trade, environment, sustainable development, and a host of other global challenges.

In the past year, we have also hosted major international events including the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. I am happy to report to Kenyans that, that trend will continue this year when we host the First Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), the first ever to be held outside Japan. Also, later this year, we will host the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) which will be holding its 14th Session here in Nairobi.

In 2015, one renowned world leader after another visited Kenya. To name but a few, His Holiness Pope Francis made a very successful three day visit choosing Kenya as a first destination on his first African journey. Earlier in the year, President Barack Obama and I hosted the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi and the Italian Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Mateo Renzi made a state visit and we are welcoming more this year.

Hon. Members, fellow Kenyans, these visits and conferences are a clear proof of the trust you have placed in the leadership of this country. Kenyans are seizing this moment to create economic opportunities and to expand our influence globally. Our international standing is high.

Hon. Speakers, hon. Members, fellow Kenyans, all these efforts are part of my generation’s contribution to the Nationalist Covenant. Just as we have inherited and re-imagined

the efforts of our founding fathers, so shall future generations inherit the fruit of our labour; that far, we have kept our part of the bargain of the sacred labour to build a great nation. Earlier in my Address, I singled out the heroism of Mr. Salah Farah and our men and women on the front line. In our way, let each one of us make a sacrifice to make Kenya great.

Hon. Members, let us embrace tolerance. Let us celebrate each other. Let us avoid utterances and actions that set one Kenyan against another Kenyan. Kenya is big enough for all of us. It is indeed so. This must be our solemn contract with our nation and with one another. It must be part of our Nationalist Covenant. We must take this trajectory; and if we take this trajectory, we will avoid the pitfall of passing on national challenges to our children. We will enjoy the pleasure of sharing with them the dividends of our covenant in both material and spiritual form.

Hon. Speakers, it now my pleasure to submit to Parliament the Annual Report on the State of National Security, the Report on Measures taken and Progress Achieved in the Realisation of the National Values and to the National Assembly, the Report on Progress made in Fulfilling our International Obligations.

God bless Kenya. God bless us all. Asanteni sana.

Your Excellency, Sir, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Members of the Senate and the National Assembly, the Senate stands adjourned until Tuesday, 12th April, 2016 at 2.30p.m.

Hon. Members of the National Assembly, the National Assembly now stands adjourned until Tuesday, 12th April, 2016 at