Thursday, 9th November 2023

You may be seated. Order, Hon. Members.

Your Excellency, the Hon. (Dr) William Samoei Ruto, CGH, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in- Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces; the Rt. Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Moses Wetangula, E.G.H, MP; Hon. Members of Parliament, Article 132 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya requires the President to address the Special Sitting of Parliament of Kenya once every year and any other time.

Further, Article 132 (1) (c) requires the President to, among others, once every year report in an address to the nation all the measures taken and the progress achieved in the realization of the national value set out in Article 10 of the Constitution.

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

In this regard, therefore, pursuant to Article 132(1)(b) and (c)(i) (ii) of the Constitution, the Presidency, vide the letter referenced No. OP/ CAP.26/4a Vol.2/52 informed the speakers of the Houses of Parliament of the intention of His Excellency the President to deliver his address to Parliament.

Consequently, pursuant to Standing Order No.25(i) and (ii) of the Senate, I gave notice of today's Special Sitting to the Hon. Senators by Gazette Notice No.14716, which was published in the Kenya Gazette on Friday, 3rd November 2023.

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

Your Excellency, Hon. (Dr) William Samoei Ruto, C.G.H, President of the Republic of Kenya and the Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces; the Rt. Hon. Amason King, E.G.H, 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 of Kenya requires the President to address the nation once every year and at any other time.

Further, Article 132 (1) (c) requires the President to once every year, report, in an address to the nation on measures taken and progress achieved in the realization 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 dated 26th September 2023, His Excellency the President conveyed his desire to address a Joint Sitting of the Houses of Parliament today, 9th November 2023.

Therefore, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 22 of the National Assembly Standing Orders and by Gazette Notice No.14715, which was published in the Kenya Gazette on 3rd November 2023, I gave 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, in the custom of Parliament, we recognise invited guests seated in our galleries. I, therefore, wish to recognise the following guests who are seated in the Speaker's Row:

of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces to address this Special Sitting of Parliament.

Welcome Your Excellency.

Thank you very much, Hon. Members.

I rise before this distinguished assembly of the democratically elected representatives of the people of Kenya to discharge my constitutional functions under Article 132 (1) (c) . The occasion requires me to give an account to the people of Kenya, the measures taken by their government, under my leadership, and to give full expression and effect to the soul of our constitutional dispensation by implementing the national values and principles of governance set out in Article 10 of our Constitution.

of shared prosperity, but it has also increased our confidence that we are on the right path and shall, in due course, deliver the transformation of our nation in full.

It is important for us to point out that we began the implementation of our mandate to transform Kenya's economy from the bottom-up under extremely difficult circumstances, not to excuse failure or justify inability or omission to do the necessary work. Not at all. Rather, we do it to emphasise the significance of our progress, underscore the possibility of transformation under daunting conditions and express well-founded confidence that when sufficient progress is made, we shall do much more and go much farther in delivering the ‘Kenya We Want’ for our generation and for posterity.

In our plan, we identified three primary challenges; external shocks, fiscal distress, and structural imbalances that heavily strained our economy, causing nationwide difficulty. The COVID-19 Pandemic, coupled with global supply chain disruptions and geopolitical conflicts, significantly raised inflation and interest rates, adversely affecting our economy, while low agricultural investment and a prolonged drought led to food shortages and made Kenya a net food importer in a volatile international market.

It was under conditions of such extreme difficulty that the people of Kenya entrusted us with the responsibility of simultaneously generating effective solutions to immediate problems, providing a credible pathway to stability in the medium-term, and undertaking long-term structural transformation of our economy in a manner that paid attention to the needs and aspirations of Kenyans especially those at the bottom of the pyramid

The transformation of our economy is not only desirable and important, but it is also necessary and urgent, and the people of Kenya have made this clear at every opportunity. Our duty as leaders is to listen keenly and comply with the people's wishes. Kenyans want to proceed in a new direction and demand a new conversation that puts ordinary Kenyans; the mama mboga’s security, well-being, interests and aspirations at the front and centre of all policy and governance discourse.

Citizen freedoms and fundamental rights lie at the heart of enterprise and democracy. Accordingly, our governance system must be fit for purpose; able to protect people and their belongings, safeguard freedom, facilitate democracy and promote market efficiency. To do this, law enforcement must be robust; judicial integrity, efficiency and independence absolute; and the right to the protection of the law non-negotiable and impartial. Therefore, our Police Service and all other actors in the justice, law and order chain – including the judiciary – must be professional, independent, impartial, effective and inspired by national values and principles of governance.

In keeping with our promise to the people of Kenya, I signed important instruments on my first day on duty. Among them, the delayed appointment of six judges to the Court of Appeal as recommended by the Judicial Service Commission.

Officer of the National Police Service to enhance police independence and subsequently appointed a taskforce – led by former Chief Justice David Maraga – to review the terms and conditions of service of members of the National Police Service. Hon. Members, this was necessary so that we can cement our place as a nation on a firm foundation of the rule of law.

Together with the people of Kenya, we have changed everything. We have transformed the national political conversation from personalities to issues; from regional or ethnic largesse to opportunities for all our young people; from division to inclusion, and from the status quo to bottom-up economic transformation for shared prosperity. To date, Kenyans remain fully seized of the agenda, engaging vigorously and with unrelenting focus on expanding agricultural productivity to deal with the cost of living, affordable housing to create enterprise jobs and dignified dwellings, universal health coverage for a healthy productive nation, and digital transformation to create e-commerce and jobs and make Government efficient, effective and accessible, especially to Government services. Also, fintechs – including the Hustler Fund – have benefited from the space around technology and digital transformation.

By virtue of the internal coherence of our constitutional dispensation, national values and principles of governance set out core directive precepts whose observance imbues every decision and action with implicit constitutionality. To the extent that our plan is aligned with Article 43, the implementation of the bottom-up economic transformation agenda is a programme to intensify the actualisation of national values, with a special focus on citizens at the bottom of pyramid.

From the first day in office, we have worked hard every day to move our agenda forward – amid many challenges – to forge a path in the direction of progress. That is the essence of our commitment; to make progress despite challenges and move forward by overcoming great obstacles. We must never be defined by our problems, and Kenya’s destiny cannot be derailed by our challenges.

The cost of living is not an abstract phenomenon. It is a reality experienced by all households, which can be addressed through practical action and effective measures. One of the most salient interventions in addressing the high cost of living is the strategy to support agricultural production throughout the sector's range of food and cash crops as well as livestock value chains. I am committed to put the shame of hunger behind us once and for all.

We have also established 22 new fish landing sites in nine counties in the Nyanza and Coast regions. We have funded and organised beach management units into cooperatives, set up two hatcheries in Kabonyo in Kisumu County, and in Shimoni in Kwale County. We are in the process of completing Liwatoni fish processing plant in Mombasa by end of next month and Shimoni Fish Port by the end of next year, again, to bring our blue economy resources into the realm of food production.

Additionally, we are enhancing dairy productivity for better farmer returns. The Government, working closely with milk processors, and I had a long conversation with them in Nakuru… We are mapping the country to ensure coolers are supplied where needed. Soon, farmers will be paid based on milk quality this boosting incomes. They can also enjoy global market access.

Our reforms in the coffee sector are bearing fruit, with our farmers set to earn four times advance pay for their crop, from a low of Ksh20 to Ksh80, following the allocation of Ksh4 billion from the Coffee Cherry Fund that was ably facilitated by this House. Coffee reforms and regulations will give farmers the necessary representation and weight at the National Coffee Auction. It is my intention to make sure that the auction operates with farmers at the centre of it. These measures are expected to aid ongoing efforts, including expanding production to new counties and double coffee output in the next four years.

The Government of Kenya is currently restructuring public sugar mills, expediting the leasing of five companies for rehabilitation and expansion to boost industry competitiveness before the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) sugar safeguards expire. The objective includes creating a competitive sector, raising farmer incomes and enhancing productivity. This House agreed with my Cabinet that we waive Ksh117 billion non-performing debt for Government-owned sugar factories for which I am grateful to this House.

We have worked hard, at home and abroad, to mobilise a broad coalition of bilateral development partners. Many of them I see them in this House, multilateral development banks and other agencies, which have rallied to pull our country back from the brink of debt distress and set us firmly on the path towards sustainable economic growth.

In the intervening period, the Hustler Fund has also launched a group product, which has attracted 50,000 active groups to the platform of which 20,000 have received Ksh151 million.

The Hustler Fund has provided us not only the huge pent-up demand for affordable credit, but also the readiness of Kenyans to embrace credit and savings and to pay their loans on time with minimum prompting. The notion that Kenyans are not credit worthy or are high-risk borrowers is nothing more than unjust financial profiling which has, in many instances, become a needless self-fulfilling prophecy.

transporters, steel and cement factory workers, and hardware merchants will be partakers in this transformative plan.

I spoke to Moses at the site today in Ruiru, an electrician who told me that out of the 1,700 workers who were in the site today, he was in charge of 114 electricians who are engaged in that site. He asked me to make sure the next site is ready for them because they will finish the project ahead of time.

To fully democratise our education system and make higher education accessible and affordable to all, we have also chartered the Open University of Kenya following requisite Cabinet and parliamentary approvals. I want to thank this House for expediting the Open University of Kenya Charter that had been in the works for the last 10 years. I also want to announce to you that the first 1,000 students will report next month.

In the course of consulting Kenyans from all walks of life during the formulation of the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda, the fundamental contribution of health to citizen wellbeing and the role of costs in driving up poverty were identified as chronic. The implications are very clear, and we cannot afford to delay the delivery of universal healthcare anymore. Consequently, we have instituted radical reforms in the provision of healthcare services in Kenya, including the enactment of four new laws that will anchor the implementation of this bottom-up approach to healthcare. I am tremendously grateful to this House and Hon. Members for enacting the Primary Health Care Act, the New Social Health Insurance Act, the Digital Health Act, and the Facility Improvement Financing Act. Hon. Members, these laws, will usher in and guarantee a new era in the provision of healthcare by covering all essential services from preventive, promotive, curative, palliative, and rehabilitative services, thus guaranteeing every Kenyan access to comprehensive and quality healthcare.

Under Afya Nyumbani, we have scaled up our investment in the healthcare workforce by employing 20,000 new healthcare workers. We have also deployed 8,429 workers whose contracts had lapsed and enrolled 3,394 interns across the country to increase the availability of human capital in our public health sector. Working with county governments – again I am grateful to them – we have taken measures to resolve the perennial challenge of human resource management in the health sector which has been the cause of many strikes. We have established the Kenya Health Human Resource Advisory Council (KHHRAC) which will be a trusted mediator between government at both the levels and our health sector workers.

Further, under the Afya Nyumbani model, we identified preventive care as an essential pillar of healthcare service delivery because it enables Kenyans to manage their conditions early enough before they cause serious harm to their wellbeing and productivity. Community health promotion is our bottom-up intervention to deliver preventive and promotive health solutions at the grassroots. Community Health Promoters (CHPs) will visit Kenyans at their homes, provide basic diagnoses for common conditions, and refer cases to appropriate medical facilities. Together with all 47 counties, we have deployed 100,000 community health promoters fully equipped with the necessary kits and an electronic community health information system.

In the last one month, CHPs have attended to 1.2 million households.

high blood pressure. In a twist of fate, he tested himself and discovered that he too, had high blood pressure.

Hon. Members, corruption, wastage, inefficiency and negligence are serious threats to our transformation agenda, and unacceptable practices that have no place in our nation. I have given my firm assurance to the people of Kenya that cases of misconduct and corruption shall be dealt with ruthlessly, with finality and expeditiously.

been committed to a citizen centric, rights-focused, inclusive and community-based security strategy.

I am, therefore, quite clear that there exists no tension between the effective delivery of security services and the upholding of human rights and fundamental freedoms. We can be and therefore must be secure, yet free and democratic.

In order to entrench our all-of-society coalition, we have resolved to enhance diversity and inclusion, by expanding enrolment into the National Youth Service (NYS), as an agency to capture young people at the bottom of the pyramid. Consequently, we are doubling enrolment to 40,000 yearly in the NYS, and have made it absolutely mandatory that every village, centre, town and city in Kenya is properly represented in the recruitment.

obligations through Kenya’s leadership in the international arena. This is underscored by the high-level summits Kenya has hosted and participated in.

Kenya successfully hosted the inaugural, first-ever Africa Climate Summit, the 43rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council, the 5th Mid-Year Coordination meeting of the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities and the first- ever African edition of the Berlin Climate and Security Conference in Nairobi. All these summits brought to our country over 30 Heads of State and Governments and over 30,000 delegates from different parts of the world.

The Government has made deliberate efforts to harness the immense potential of Kenyans in the Diaspora. Indeed, I established the State Department of Diaspora in the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs so that Kenyans in the Diaspora can fully participate in the affairs of their motherland.

I have committed to work collectively, consultatively and collaboratively with counties and all Kenyans to uphold our cherished national values such as human dignity, equity, social justice, national unity, inclusiveness, integrity, good governance, transparency and accountability. I encourage all Members and Kenyans to embrace an open mindset in regard to national strategic interests, and to leverage on our rich heritage and diversity.

One of the greatest strengths of our country is our capacity to devise bold, unprecedented solutions to our threats and challenges, create imaginative strategies to avert danger and chart new paths to deliver us from adversity. There is no doubt that our nation has been confronted with immense pressure emanating from political misunderstandings and electoral disagreements. This is because we have a robust democracy, which we are very proud of. Such pressure can disrupt lives and livelihoods and undermine our economy. Thankfully, Kenyans always find the moral strength and political imagination to reach across the political divide and engage in dialogue in the spirit of goodwill, fraternity, commitment to national interests and the welfare of the nation.

Hon. Members, it would be remiss of me not to mention the ongoing bipartisan process of national dialogue that has enabled our leaders to find common ground on many issues, whose resolution will accelerate our transformation, deepen our democracy and entrench national unity. Specifically, I thank the two Co- Chairpersons, my good brother, Hon. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, our former Vice- President, and the Leader of the Majority Party in the House, Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah, for doing a wonderful job. Congratulations gentlemen. I salute the courage and patriotism of my fellow leaders who have embraced national dialogue and encouraged all of us to keep up the noble work of bringing Kenyans together.

There is so much to report about the progress we have made in serving the people of Kenya and transforming our economy. I have only provided a summarised highlight of the most salient instances of transformational progress in my address. It is my pleasant duty to hand to the Speakers of the Houses of Parliament the three Reports in full as follows:

Hon. Members, please, be upstanding.

Your Excellency the President, Rt. Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Members, we have come to the conclusion of the business of the day, and it is now time to adjourn

The Senate stands adjourned until Tuesday, 14th November 2023 at 2.30 p.m. at the Senate Chamber.

Hon. Members, remain upstanding.

Hon. Members, the National Assembly now stands adjourned until Tuesday, 14th November 2023 at 2.30 p.m.

Your Excellency the President, I also take this opportunity to invite all Members and our guests to a reception at the Parliament courtyard. I also request all Members and our guests to remain standing in your places until the procession of His Excellency the President and the Speakers leaves the Chamber.

Thank you.