Tuesday, 6th May, 2025

Clerk, do we have quorum?

Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes.

Hon. Senators, kindly take your seats. We now have quorum; we will proceed with today’s business.

Clerk, you may proceed to call the first Order.

Hon. Senators, I take this opportunity to welcome you back from recess. I hope you had time to meet with your constituents, friends and families over the past two weeks. I also hope that you took some time to rejuvenate your spirits for the resumption of regular sittings.

Part III of the Fourth Session commences today and will run until the rise of the Senate on Thursday, 12th June, 2025.

As you will recall, in Part II of the Session, the Senate considered and passed seven Bills, being:

Constituency and indeed the nation, have lost a dependable and astute legislator who served his constituents and the nation with utmost dedication.

A condolence book has been opened at the Senate reception, Main Parliament Buildings, for Hon. Senators, Members of the National Assembly and parliamentary staff to commiserate with the family of the late Member.

On behalf of the Senate and my own behalf, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of the late hon. Charles Were, MP as well as the residents of Kasipul Constituency during this difficult time.

In honour of our departed colleague, I request that we all stand and observe a minute of silence.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. As we resume this afternoon, I would wish to join those who have come before me in commiserating with the family of the late MP, Hon. Ong’ondo. It was in a manner so gruesome and so sad as to paint a picture of the insecurity of every elected Member.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as a member of ODM, we are mourning and will continue to mourn during this period before we lay the late Ong’ondo Were to rest on Friday, 9th at Kasipul.

This is a lesson to all of us who are Members here that we must ensure that in our legislative duties, we think about life and the afterlife. This means that we must know that we serve a constituency and people. When we are in the Senate, we must deliver to those people because we are only here for some time.

It is only the Almighty God who can determine the time when we exit from this world. It is not in our hands. We cannot define the manner, the architecture or the design of how we depart from the universe. Therefore, we must serve and continue to do so at the mercy of His Almighty God. I pray that the Almighty God place the hon. Ong’ondo Were's family in comfort and console them during this trying time.

I also pray for all the fraternity of the ODM family and Homa Bay County because this was a gentleman who was poised to become the Chairperson of ODM in Homa Bay County. May the Almighty God rest his soul in eternal peace.

Proceed, Sen. Maanzo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I had an opportunity to serve with the late Hon. Were at the National Assembly for five years.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, what happened to him is bad and sad. It was done with precision and the killer made sure that he had no chance to survive from the number of bullets

fired. Such brutality against an elected Member or any other person is not warranted at all.

This raises concerns to the nature of security systems in the country. We should have a system where everyone is taken care of; not only by the police, but also by the society. This is because even those who were with him were not able to help him or deal with the assassins immediately.

We have seen some arrests. We hope that they are the right arrests and the family of Hon. Were will get justice. We pray that this does not happen again; that the security systems will learn something from it and improve security, not only of elected Members, but of every single citizen of this country.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the people of Makueni County and my own behalf, we condole with the family and pray that God strengthens the family.

I thank you for giving me this opportunity. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Sen. Osotsi, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on behalf of my family and the people of Vihiga County, I also send my condolences to the family and friends of Hon. Ong’ondo Were whom I knew very well, having served with him in the 12th Parliament in the National Assembly.

This is one gentleman I was interacting with all the time because he was one of our very strong party members; a Member who was loyal and very committed to the party.

I was surprised to hear that he had been killed just one hour after I met him. I met him on the Ground Floor of the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) while I was coming from my office. Although he was on the phone, I stood there waiting for him to finish his phone call. He continued talking on the phone and it appeared like they were in a very tense discussion with the other person.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is very unfortunate that one of us can die in the manner that Hon. Ong’ondo Were died. All we can say is that the killers of Hon. Were must be brought to book. In fact, by now, we should have been told who killed him.

The defamation that is happening in the media against Hon. Ong’ondo Were is very unfortunate. As Luhyas, our culture does not permit discussion of negative things about someone who is dead even if he had issues. We call on the media to be very objective, so that it does not appear like we are condemning someone when he is dead.

As a party, we are concerned about the death and request that the investigation be completed. It is our prayer that the people involved be brought to book and justice be served to the family of Hon. Ong’ondo Were.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I mourn with the people of Homa Bay County and the ODM fraternity for having lost such a very strong Member and a pillar of our party.

Rest in peace, Hon. Ong’ondo Were. When you get there, please, pass our regards to all the fallen heroes of this country, who died in the same manner, being killed---

Sen. (Dr.) Boni, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is very sad. It is sad that a serving Member of Parliament (MP) has not only lost his life, but that it is being reported that the main suspect was an Administration Police officer.

I do not understand what is happening. Is the problem the discipline in police, the command or corruption? This is happening on the backdrop of police killing five innocent people in Angata Barikoi in Narok County. These are serious questions that we must ask. We must demand that security be restored in the country.

I am pleased to tell whoever is listening to me that, today, I had a lengthy discussion with the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen.

Over the weekend, I had told him that he must up his game. This is because under his watch, it is starting to look like the security of the country is going down. I am happy that after our discussion, he has not only given me his assurance, but also sent me with condolences to the family of the high school teacher, Roselinda Akinyi, who was also killed and robbed of her cash in Mumias Town.

He has assured the people of Kakamega that he will personally go there to attend to the rising insecurity. What is more, the police have quickly moved the County Commander of Kakamega.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have to insist that the Government delivers on security. A family can just go about without anything or everything else from Government. However, security is the one thing that the Government must guarantee our people.

This country has many cases of leaders who have lost their lives in a similar manner. We look forward to a time when Kenyans will know that you do not have to walk anywhere in the country looking back over your shoulder worrying that somebody can take your life.

May the soul of Ong’ondo Were Charles rest in eternal peace.

Sen. Nyutu, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also rise to send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Hon. Ong’ondo Were. Hon. Were was known to me because we lived in the same hotel in Kigali during the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Games of 2023. What first captured my imagination of him was his name; ‘Ong’ondo Were.’

He always cracked our ribs every morning because we used to have breakfast together and his neighbour from Ndhiwa. He would tell us stories up to around 11.00

and not just curative. That they must act with speed any time there is a report that any crime is just about to be committed.

We must also get very concerned about our security. We are asking ourselves questions; there was an armed bodyguard in that car and there was no response from him at all when this attack came. This makes us also very much afraid about the preparedness of those who take care of our security. Are they really prepared to take swift action if our lives are under threat?

This security question extends even beyond MPs. On Sunday, a shoe was thrown to the President as he was addressing residents of Migori County on a car roof, just like he does every other day. If the President is not safe, who is safe?

The killers of Hon. Ong’ondo Were must be brought to book. We must be assured of our security and the security of everybody in this country. The Government must wake up. The police have to be seen to be responding.

May God rest his soul in eternal peace.

Sen. Veronica, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. It is with a deep sense of loss that I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Hon. Were Ong’ondo.

It is very regrettable and very sad that a man of this stature lost his life through assassination on one of our major streets in Kenya. I have thought about the kind of surveillance cameras we have in the city. I am hoping that the Inspector General (IG) , together with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) will uncover the killers of Hon. Were and give us the reason why he was killed.

We must understand the minds of those who killed this Hon. MP. I have read a lot on social media. I do not know how truthful those issues are or whether they are just being used to cover up for the loss of Hon. Were.

He struck me as a gentleman who was God-fearing. What I have read in the social media does not come anywhere close to the kind of person whom I thought we knew in Parliament. However, there is no justification for killing a man because if you have any complaint against any leader or any person, it should be reported to the relevant authorities for investigations to be done.

It is very sad that a MP could lose his life today the way Hon. Were did. I know there are those who will shout and say, “why are you only thinking about Hon. Were?” There is no death that should be celebrated, be it of a young man, girl or anybody who loses their lives in an unfair and unjustifiable manner.

For all this, as a Senate, we strongly condemn acts of violence and any act that brings injustice and loss of life. We must start to respect life as a nation.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you look at the way the social media platforms are being utilised, they are now grossly abused; there is a lot of cyberbullying. Not only are the Members of Parliament facing this, women too are heavily targeted. That is why we also have increased femicide cases.

I pray that as a society, we have a deep reflection of the actions that we are undertaking. As young people, we need to have a deep reflection of the way we are

engaging on the social media platforms, let us send messages of hope. We should not allow families to be attacked. Hon. Were Ong’ondo’s family should be respected right now---

Sen. Sifuna, proceed

Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me join my colleagues in extending our heartfelt condolences to the family of the late Charles Ong’ondo Were.

This afternoon, led by the Speaker of the National Assembly, we had an occasion to pay our respects as his colleagues. He is lying at the Lee Funeral Home. We also had the occasion to go to his home in Karen to condole with his family.

The Member for Kasipul has left a very young family. Assurances have been given from this institution by the Speaker of the National Assembly that they are our family. As an institution, they will remain our family. When they come knocking on our doors, they will find those doors open.

As the Senator for Nairobi City County where this incident happened, it is quite unfortunate because we have to explain to the people of this country what the state of security in Nairobi is. I have held the position that, in fact, no one is safe until all of us are safe. If somebody can be gunned down in broad daylight or even in the early hours of the night, in a place that is properly lit, has cameras, very busy and with police officers present on the scene, it speaks to something that these criminals know. Somehow, they believe that they can actually get away with it.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we continue to ask the police to do a very thorough investigation. Just the other day, we saw the Senate Majority Leader and his community having engagement with the Inspector General of Police. Perhaps we also need to have a Kamukunji with him as well in the precincts of Parliament. This is so that we can also ask him some questions just like I saw the residents of Trans Mara directly asking him concerning the security situation in that particular region and the police’s response that led to the killing of over five people.

As the Secretary General of ODM, I take this opportunity again to register the condolences of the entire party to the family of Ong’ondo Were and to the people of Kasipul.

Since we have planned to have a memorial at Consolata Shrine in Westlands tomorrow and inter him on Friday, we hope that we can have an event that is respectful enough of the dearly departed Member, devoid of unnecessary sideshows.

As a party, we are going to put in place whatever mechanisms we can. People imagine that political parties have a lot of power. ODM does not have powers to arrest anyone or provide security. We also depend on these institutions of state. If the police do not do their jobs, then all of us are at risk.

I will end at that and wish that the soul of our brother, Charles Ong’ondo Were - we used to call him Sir Charles - rests in eternal peace.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Wambua, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. First of all, I join you in welcoming our colleagues back from the short recess. I hope that in the days that follow today, we shall be able to apply ourselves to the tasks ahead of us.

I join my colleagues in condoling the family of our departed friend and brother, Hon. Charles Ong’ondo Were who met his death in very mysterious circumstances.

Hon. Charles Were was not just a friend, he was a teammate. Remember we have teams in this Parliament. Hon. Were was one of the Members that do the tug of war for the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya. We pulled the rope with him. He was a very committed leader and a sportsperson.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I only find consolation in the word in the Bible in the Book of Job 4:1. It says:

“A man born of a woman is short of days and full of trouble, but any man born of a woman will surely have to die.” The security of every Kenyan is important. The death of Hon. Ong’ondo Were came in shortly after the killings in Angata Barikoi in Narok County had been reported. This is a reason to get worried.

I associate myself with the sentiments expressed by Sen. Sifuna; that perhaps the entire Parliament needs to have a conversation with the Inspector General of Police on matters security, not just for Members, but the security of every Kenyan in every corner of this country.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this morning, a bus was impounded in Kitui on its way from Mombasa to Meru carrying explosives disguised as milk in some cartons, complete with the apparatus used for detonating the explosives. It is very important that this country feels secure. As things stand now, everybody is scared about their lives.

I would like to call upon the police to tighten security and ensure that every Kenyan in every corner of this country feels secure.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, may the soul of Hon. Were rest in God's eternal peace. Amen.

Sen. Beatrice Akinyi, please, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to mourn a gallant son of Homa Bay County. The loss of Sir Charles Ong’ondo Were as we referred to him, is not only a loss to the Kasipul Kabondo Constituency team, but also to Homa Bay County at large, Parliament, Kenya, and the ODM party.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Hon. Ong’ondo Were was a utility player of the Parliamentary team of Homa Bay County. He was a man that was reliable and a team player that anybody would rely on. If he believed in you, he had no two ways about it. He was a man who said ‘yes’ when he meant it and ‘no’ when he meant it. The Kasipul Kabondo fraternity has lost a worker.

In Kasipul Kabondo Constituency, he was referred to as husband of all the widows and father of all orphans.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, not everybody will like you in this life. Hon. Ong’ondo Were was celebrated by the people who believed in him. We call for calm. As I have said, he

had friends across both Houses of Parliament; the National Assembly and the Senate. It is indeed a great loss to all of us.

I condole with the family, particularly Margaret and Anne, the young children that he has and his larger family.

He had many names in our region. We called him Jakowaro, Sir Charles, Ogai and, indeed, he was an Ogai to us.

May the soul of Sir Charles Ogai Jakowaro rest in peace. We welcome everybody who will be travelling down to Homa Bay to condole with us and give Sir Charles the last respect. We assure you that everything is in place.

Thank you,

Sen. Sigei, please, proceed.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise to also join my colleagues in mourning the late Hon. Were. As everyone has said, one life is as important as the rest of us. Losing one man, whether he is a Member of Parliament or not, is so painful to the country. Whenever we have an incident like the circumstances that led to the passing on of the Hon. Were, everyone would condemn in the strongest terms possible.

Even as we mourn him, we also call upon the relevant Government agencies and institutions involved in the investigations to ensure that it is not only going to get us to the bottom of what caused the assassination of Hon. Were, but also the security of the rest of us Kenyans.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, whenever such incidents happen, everyone else feels unsafe. We want to live in a country where we know we can see tomorrow because of the security situation we are experiencing.

Hon. Were was one of us in Parliament and the people of Homa Bay and Kasipul Kabondo, the constituency that he represented, are mourning with us and the rest of the country. We ask that his soul be rested in eternal peace.

I urge Kenyans to also be calm and at peace. Let us allow the relevant Government institutions to conduct their investigations. Hopefully, they will get to the bottom of it and give the country a report as to the cause of this very painful death.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we pray that the family of the late Hon. Were be also comforted by words of encouragement that have come from across the country. As they prepare to put his body to rest, we support them in whichever way and manner that we can as a House.

I thank you.

Sen. Wafula, please, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. On behalf of the people of Bungoma County and the residents of the Republic of Kenya, I would like to give our condolences to the family of Sir Charles and condemn the untimely brutal killing of an hon. Member.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to share some of my interactions with Hon. Sir Charles. He was a humorous man and a gentleman who liked doing exercises. At a time like this, when free, he would be at the gym ensuring that he is fit to face the turbulent political experiences at the grassroots level. It is with great shock to realize that after his

demise, we are still gazing, hoping and wishing that answers are given at this spur of the moment.

The only thing that I request is that if Sir Charles was tracked from the House to where he was gunned down, then who are we as Hon. Members not to take seriously our security situations in this country? It means that all of us must be prepared at any time to face an attack or assault.

I would also like to request through the leadership of the House that the security personnel we have are constantly exposed to swift security drills that can enable them to be proactive and not to see what happened to Sir Charles.

I pray to God that he gives Sir Charles eternal peace. Thank you.

Sen. Essy, please proceed.

Asante, Bw. Spika, kwa kunipa nafasi hii. Ningependa kujiunga na wenzangu kumuomboleza marehemu Mbunge wa Kasipul Kabondo, Ong’ondo Were. Ninatoa rambirambi zangu kwa familia, marafiki na wakaazi wa sehemu hiyo kwa kumpoteza Mbunge wao kwa njia tatanishi.

Bw. Spika, ikumbukwe kuwa Mbunge huyo alikuwa ametoa malalamishi katika vitengo vya usalama. Hata hivyo, malalamishi hayo hayakuchunguzwa na matokeo yake ni kuwa Mbunge wetu amefariki.

Kweli dunia ni jukwaa. Amefariki kwa njia ambayo inatukumbusha sisi kama Wabunge kuwa masuala ya usalama siyo tu ya Mbunge bali kwa kila mtu pale nje. Inasikitisha kuwa kama Mbunge anayewakilisha idadi kubwa ya wananchi anaweza kuuawa kwa njia hio, sembuse raia wa kawaida?

Bw. Spika, ningependa kujiunga na wenzangu ambao wanasema jambo hili lichunguzwe ili tuweze kujua mauaji haya yalitekelezwa na nani na nia ilikuwa ipi, ili tusipoteze maisha katika njia kama hio.

Nikisoma katika vyombo vya habari, naona kuwa kuna askari wanaohusika katika mambo kama haya. Najua siyo askari wote wabaya ambao wanatekeleza mambo kama hayo.

Kwa wale wote wabaya ambao wanatekeleza mambo kama hayo, wajue kuwa dunia ni jukwaa, leo ni wewe, kesho mwingine. Mungu ailaze roho ya marehemu Mhe. Charles Ong’ondo Were pahali pema peponi.

Asante sana, Bw. Spika. The Senate Minority Leader (Sen. Madzayo) :

Asante, Bw. Spika. Kwanza

Asante, Bw. Spika. Kwanza

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sir. It is with deep feelings of sadness and grief that I also convey my message of condolences to the family of our departed colleague, Hon. Ong’ondo Were whom I personally knew and interacted with last time Azimio had a meeting in Oyugis.

We all must join hands in condemning this senseless act of murder. We should never allow a situation where the only way people can respond to any grievance is by murdering a fellow citizen.

This also calls for the Government to ensure that the security of all Kenyans - not just Members of Parliament, but for all Kenyans - is guaranteed. Their security should be ensured. We look to no one else other than the Government of the day to ensure that our security is guaranteed.

I hope that all security agencies will do all that is humanly possible to apprehend those who are behind the killing of Hon. Ong’ondo Were. The only way you can deter future crime is by ensuring that those who plan and execute such a murder are apprehended, brought to book and made to pay painfully for the crimes that they have committed.

I have also gone through serious reflection. I have looked at social media and seen the kind of hatred and anger that Kenyans have against us, MPs and I have just wondered, is it that Kenyans are in a state of hopelessness, or is it that we have let down Kenyans?

What would make me sit here and celebrate if, God forbid, my colleague Sen. Cheruiyot drops dead? I mean how inhuman can a citizen be against a fellow countryman or woman?

What I read on social media made me wonder and I want to travel to Kasipul to look at the people of Kasipul, so that I can understand what---

Sen. (Dr.) Oburu, you may proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also want to join my colleagues in mourning and condoling with the family of the late Charles Ong’ondo Were. He was a great friend and also somehow related to us. His first wife came from Siaya; she passed away. We want to sincerely condole with the family for this very big loss.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also want to join my colleagues in mourning and condoling with the family of the late Charles Ong’ondo Were. He was a great friend and also somehow related to us. His first wife came from Siaya; she passed away. We want to sincerely condole with the family for this very big loss.

Proceed, Sen. Kinyua.

Asante, Bw. Spika. Kwa uchungu mwingi ninataka kuungana na Maseneta wengine kuomboleza kifo cha Mbunge, Sir Charles Were wa Kasipul Kabondo.

Ninamjua marehemu Mhe. On’gondo Were kwa sababu kila wakati nikienda katika ukumbi wa gym, nilikuwa ninampata pale. Yeye kila wakati alikuwa mtu wa kupenda mazoezi. Nilimjua kama mtu mcheshi sana.

Ni uchungu mwingi kwa yule Mbunge kupigwa risasi. Maswali yaliyopitia akilini mwangu ni kuwa alikuwa na walinzi wake. Hakuna ripoti yoyote inayoonyesha kuwa walinzi wake walijaribu kuwafurusha waliomuuwa. Kazi ya hao walinzi ni ipi?

Bw. Spika kinachoniudhi zaidi ni yakwamba Mhe. Were alikuwa amesema maisha yake yalikuwa hatarini. Mkuu wa polisi wa Jamhuri ya Kenya alifanya nini kuzuia yaliyotendeka? Haya ni maswali yasiyopatata jawabu.

Vile vile, katika vyombo vyetu vya habari na mitandao ya kijamii, watu wanaongea maneno mengi. Ikiwa mtu yeyoye ana jambo linaloweza kusaidia kuleta jawabu kwa maswali yanayoulizwa na Wakenya, aambie maafisa wa ujasusi ambao wanaweza kufanya uchunguzi vizuri badala ya kuandika katika vyombo vya habari kwa sababu havitasaidia.

Langu ni kuungana na wakazi wa Kasipul Kabondo kusema pole kwa niaba ya watu wa Laikipia. Tumempoteza kiongozi ambaye alijitolea kufanya kazi aliyopewa na aliyochaguliwa.

Roho ya Mheshimiwa Charles Were iwekwe mahali pema peponi.

Asante, Bw. Spika. Kwa uchungu mwingi ninataka kuungana na Maseneta wengine kuomboleza kifo cha Mbunge, Sir Charles Were wa Kasipul Kabondo.

Ninamjua marehemu Mhe. On’gondo Were kwa sababu kila wakati nikienda katika ukumbi wa gym, nilikuwa ninampata pale. Yeye kila wakati alikuwa mtu wa kupenda mazoezi. Nilimjua kama mtu mcheshi sana.

Ni uchungu mwingi kwa yule Mbunge kupigwa risasi. Maswali yaliyopitia akilini mwangu ni kuwa alikuwa na walinzi wake. Hakuna ripoti yoyote inayoonyesha kuwa walinzi wake walijaribu kuwafurusha waliomuuwa. Kazi ya hao walinzi ni ipi?

Bw. Spika kinachoniudhi zaidi ni yakwamba Mhe. Were alikuwa amesema maisha yake yalikuwa hatarini. Mkuu wa polisi wa Jamhuri ya Kenya alifanya nini kuzuia yaliyotendeka? Haya ni maswali yasiyopatata jawabu.

Vile vile, katika vyombo vyetu vya habari na mitandao ya kijamii, watu wanaongea maneno mengi. Ikiwa mtu yeyoye ana jambo linaloweza kusaidia kuleta jawabu kwa maswali yanayoulizwa na Wakenya, aambie maafisa wa ujasusi ambao wanaweza kufanya uchunguzi vizuri badala ya kuandika katika vyombo vya habari kwa sababu havitasaidia.

Langu ni kuungana na wakazi wa Kasipul Kabondo kusema pole kwa niaba ya watu wa Laikipia. Tumempoteza kiongozi ambaye alijitolea kufanya kazi aliyopewa na aliyochaguliwa.

Roho ya Mheshimiwa Charles Were iwekwe mahali pema peponi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. On my own behalf, my family and the people of Nandi, I take this opportunity to pass my deepest condolences to the family of Sir Charles On’gondo Were. He was an amiable man. We used to take tea at the Bunge Restaurant and he was very jovial at all times. I never knew he would be felled by an assassin’s bullet. I thank the police and the DCI for the speedy arrest and arraignment in court of the suspect who might have killed Hon. Were. If MPs are not safe, then Kenyans are not. Even as investigations continue into the death of the late Were, I ask leaders to be cautious while making statements. I was embarrassed by the statement of the Governor of Homa Bay, hon. Gladys Wanga trying to link the unfortunate incident to the Broad-based Government. If there are problems of local politics in Homa Bay, she should just restraint them there. Reducing herself to a village politician is very unfortunate. She must withdraw and retract that statement. Homa Bay County and the nation need peace. I know we are emotional, but that should not justify making reckless and embarrassing statements. I wish to agree for the first time with Francis Atwoli on cyber bullying; that social media must be regulated. We, politicians, are human beings with families and friends. There is no death that is better than the other. There is equity in death. In as much as we are pushing the police to fastrack the investigation and arraignment of the assassins, we must also be told who killed the six people in Angata Barikoi. No one has been arrested over the incident, yet scores were buried yesterday. We must be told who killed the people. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is the sad reality that there is incompetence in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration that is costing lives. I think it is high time the President changes the security apparatus in this country. We saw even in Baringo where people were being killed like dogs in Kerio Valley. Incompetence is costing lives. It is high time that Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Murkomen, must resign. There is more insecurity in this country than has ever happened. I wish he would borrow a leaf from Prof. Kindiki so that we are safe. I also saw Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale complaining. You know he has several homes and wives. We are not saying the Government should provide security for all his wives, but we want everybody to feel secure.

Asante, Bw. Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii nichangie na Seneta wenzangu kwa kifo cha mwenzetu mwendazake Mhe. Were.

Ni shock kubwa sana. Siku hiyo nilikuwa humu Bungeni kufuata mambo yangu na nikapatana naye hapa chini. Nilikuwa na karatasi yangu ya Bunge Sacco. Aliniambia nimsubiri kidogo, lakini nilikimbilia mtu mwingine aliyenitilia sahihi. Baadaye jioni, nilipata habari kwamba alikuwa ametuacha.

Kuna haja sisi viongozi kupata ulinzi wa kutosha kabisa kwa sababu mlinzi mmoja wakati huu hatoshi. Huyu alipigwa risasi akiwa na mlinzi wake mmoja. Je, sisi wengine tulio na mlinzi mmoja tutakuja kumalizwa wakati mmoja? Naomba Maseneta wenzangu tuhakikishe kwamba tumeongezwa ulinzi wa kutosha. Kama mwenzetu ameondoka, hatujui tutakuwa namna gani kesho.

Ninatoa rambirambi zangu kwa familia ya marehemu. Mungu amlaze mahali pema peponi.

Sisi viongozi tujihadhari na kujikinga kwa sababu mauti hutokea wakati wowote. Hata hivyo ni lazima tuongee na kusema ukweli kwamba tupate ulinzi wa kutosha. Au sivyo? Mbona hamsemi tuongezewe?

Mara kwa mara alipenda kunirai nijiunge na chama chao cha ODM lakini nikamkumbusha kwamba mimi ni generali wa Mhe. Rais William Ruto na tukawa tunazozana katika hali ile.

Ni uchungu sana kumpoteza kiongozi yule. Ninaomba tu Mwenyezi Mungu amsamehe dhambi zake, amrehemu na amweke mahali pema palipo na wema.

Pia nichukuwe fursa hii nizungumzie waliozungumza katika mitandao ya kijamii. Wakenya wametoa hisia zao kuhusiana na kitendo hicho chote. Wengine wamefurahia na wengine wana huzuni. Sio jambo nzuri kwamba tunasherehekea kifo hususan cha kiongozi.

Bw. Spika, kifo ni uchungu sana na sisi sote tutapitia safari hiyo. Ninawaomba tu Wakenya waache kuwa na semi na hisia zile. Tuwape fursa watu wa vyombo vya usalama wafanye uchunguzi wa kina. Watakaopatikana na hatia, hatua kali za kisheria zitachukuliwa kuhakikisha familia ya Mhe. Were imepata haki.

Asante, Bw. Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii nichangie na Seneta wenzangu kwa kifo cha mwenzetu mwendazake Mhe. Were.

Ni shock kubwa sana. Siku hiyo nilikuwa humu Bungeni kufuata mambo yangu na nikapatana naye hapa chini. Nilikuwa na karatasi yangu ya Bunge Sacco. Aliniambia nimsubiri kidogo, lakini nilikimbilia mtu mwingine aliyenitilia sahihi. Baadaye jioni, nilipata habari kwamba alikuwa ametuacha.

Kuna haja sisi viongozi kupata ulinzi wa kutosha kabisa kwa sababu mlinzi mmoja wakati huu hatoshi. Huyu alipigwa risasi akiwa na mlinzi wake mmoja. Je, sisi wengine tulio na mlinzi mmoja tutakuja kumalizwa wakati mmoja? Naomba Maseneta wenzangu tuhakikishe kwamba tumeongezwa ulinzi wa kutosha. Kama mwenzetu ameondoka, hatujui tutakuwa namna gani kesho.

Ninatoa rambirambi zangu kwa familia ya marehemu. Mungu amlaze mahali pema peponi.

Sisi viongozi tujihadhari na kujikinga kwa sababu mauti hutokea wakati wowote. Hata hivyo ni lazima tuongee na kusema ukweli kwamba tupate ulinzi wa kutosha. Au sivyo? Mbona hamsemi tuongezewe?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance. On my behalf, on behalf of the ODM women and all the women in this nation, I send my heartfelt condolences to the family of Hon. Charles Ong’ondo Were. I also send my condolences to the people of Homa Bay County and our party, ODM.

Hon. Were was a gentleman. As the leader of the women in our party, I interacted and worked with him severally. I have gone to Kasipul Kabondo Constituency to participate in women activities within the constituency. I can confirm that Hon. Were was loved by his people and he loved his people. He served his people with commitment and a lot of dedication. It is a shock that he died in that manner.

My biggest concern is how Kenyans perceive death of late. As a parent and a patriotic Kenyan, I see that we are losing empathy. It is not usual for people to celebrate death whether it is the death of an enemy or that of a friend. It is bad to see people on social media celebrating and writing things that are not good about a person who has passed on.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, where I come from people will give beautiful testimonies even when a thief dies. They do not talk bad about a person who has passed on. I ask Kenyans that we should get back to our culture, root and religion. We should be empathetic with the families that have lost their loved ones. If the person who has passed on was your enemy, you need to remember that the person he has a family, friends and people who value him thus they are hurting. It is not good to speak bad about a person who has passed on. As Kenyans, we should love one another and be concerned about one another.

I pray that the soul of Hon. Charles Ong’ondo Were rest in eternal peace. Thank you.

Asante, Bw. Spika, kwa kunipa ruhusa ili niweze kutoa rambirambi zangu, ya familia yangu na ya watu wa Embu County. Huyu Mbunge wa Kasipul Kabondo alikuwa rafiki yangu.

Ni ajabu kwamba hiyo mambo ilifanyika. Sisi kama waheshimiwa, hatukufurahia hicho kitendo. Naomba familia yake na watu wa eneobunge lake wakae vizuri. Pia ningewasihi waombe ili waendelee kuishi vizuri. Wakati ukifika wa uchaguzi, wachague mtu ambaye atafanya kazi kama Mhe. Were.

Inahuzunisha vile gari lake lilifuatwa kutoka hapa Bunge mpaka wakati alipopigwa risasi kwa traffic jam. Tuliona kwa picha vile yule mtu alitoka kwa boda boda na akaenda akamuua. Mambo ya ajabu ni kwamba lile gari lilikuwa na driver na askari, ilhali hicho kitendo kilifanyika. Hebu jiulize kile ambacho wananchi wa kawaida wanaweza fanya. Hakuna vile yule askari angeweza kutoka kwa lile gari na aweze ku- shoot yule mtu?

Hiki kifo ni kitu cha kuhuzunisha. Kwa hivyo, tunapaswa kujiangalia. Lazima tuishi vizuri na wale watu ambao tunafanya kazi nao. Ulinzi wetu pia uangaliwe. Tuliona vile Mhe. Rais alitupiwa kiatu kule Migori alipokuwa anahutubia wananchi. Ni lazima security ituambie ni nani alirusha hicho kiatu.

Ninatuma rambirambi zangu na watu wa Embu. Hon. Were alikuwa rafiki yangu. Alikuwa akiniita shemeji kwa sababu alioa msichana wa Meru. Lazima tuangalie haya mambo ndiposa kitendo kama hicho kisifanyike tena.

Asante.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the people of Tana River and my family, I extend my condolences to the people of Kasipul Constituency and the family of Mhe. Sir Charles Were.

In Tana River, we say that we learn from those who proceed before us. From the little interactions that I had with Sir Charles, I learnt that he was a disciplined person even at his age. He was a serious man. He always went to the gym and maintained that discipline. We can take that from him. He was a silent and well-spoken man. He related well with the colleagues who regularly go to the gym.

May his soul rest in eternal peace. I thank you.

Asante.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the people of Tana River and my family, I extend my condolences to the people of Kasipul Constituency and the family of Mhe. Sir Charles Were.

In Tana River, we say that we learn from those who proceed before us. From the little interactions that I had with Sir Charles, I learnt that he was a disciplined person even at his age. He was a serious man. He always went to the gym and maintained that discipline. We can take that from him. He was a silent and well-spoken man. He related well with the colleagues who regularly go to the gym.

May his soul rest in eternal peace. I thank you.

Asante, Bw. Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii ili nilete rambirambi zangu na watu wa Machakos County. Ninawapa pole watu wa Homa Bay County kwa kumpoteza mtoto wao, Mhe. Charles Were. Hili jambo linahuzunisha watu wote kulingana na vile lilitokea. Alikuwa kazini siku mzima kisha akapoteza maisha yake alipokuwa akielekea nyumbani.

Kenya imepoteza. Hii ni kwa sababu hakukuwa akitetea watu wa eneo bunge lake peke bali alikuwa akitetea watu wote wa Kenya. Kwa hivyo, Wakenya wanafaa kulia kwa jumla. Ningependa kurudia kile ambacho Sen. Beth Syengo amesema.

Hata mwizi akikufa, tunafaa kujua ya kwamba yuko na wazazi, watoto na watu ambao wanaomboleza. Hao watu huwa na majonzi kwa sababu hawakujua uovu wake. Kwa hivyo, Wakenya wangeshikana pamoja. Kama kuna watu ambao wana sababu zingine zaidi ya hizo, wafuate njia zinazostahili. Sio vyema kuweka mzigo mwingine mzito kwa familia wanapoendelea kuomboleza.

Kama taifa, tuko na jukumu la kuajibika. Ninataka kusema hii kwa sababu imenihuzunisha. Wakati Mhe Rais wa Kenya alipokuwa akiongea, kiatu kilirushwa kikamgonga mkono.

Bw. Spika, niko upande wa upinzani lakini siwezi kufurahia kitendo kile. Raisi ni kiongozi na kama mzazi. Je, mtoto akichukua kiatu na kumrushia mzazi, itakuwaje? Hata kama tunalia kwamba kuna mambo hayaendi inavyostahili, lakini kuna pahali hatufai kufika kama taifa. Kama taifa, tuko na jukumu la kuwajibika. Ningeomba kitendo kama hicho kisitendeke tena.

Natoa rambirambi zangu kwa watu wa Kaunti ya Homa Bay na Machakos. Asante.

office, and we shared a cup of tea; little did I know that it would be the last time we met with Sir Charles, as we fondly called him. Therefore, I extend my pole to his constituents, friends and loved ones. I pray for a speedy resolution of the investigations into the heinous act that led to his untimely demise.

Lastly, many Members have addressed the security concerns faced by both parliamentarians and the public. Members should not be embarrassed to advocate for better protection. The work we do today is not easy. The way we vote and the decisions we make expose us to individuals who may dislike us for reasons beyond our control, some simply because we are politicians. Unfortunately, the hatred towards leaders has been normalised. It often starts on social media, where people cheer on, believing it is normal to demonize public figures, insult them, or even celebrate their death. It may seem funny on the social media until it escalates, as witnessed in the case of the Hon. Charles Ongondo Were.

Nobody should normalize hate. Kenya is a constitutional democracy. If you do not like the way certain public official conducts their affairs, there is a constitutional and legal way through which you can step up to the platform and offer better leadership than what that particular individual does. However, it has become the norm and the order of the day to curse Members of Parliament (MPs) and various leaders as if they are second to the devil. This is being celebrated by other people, including even colleague leaders sometimes. It is an issue that should be of concern to anybody that is right-thinking and cares for the future of this country.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we must build a society that is tolerant of each other. We shall never agree on everything. We shall never view the world with the same pair of lenses. What we must learn---

Next Order, Clerk.

office, and we shared a cup of tea; little did I know that it would be the last time we met with Sir Charles, as we fondly called him. Therefore, I extend my pole to his constituents, friends and loved ones. I pray for a speedy resolution of the investigations into the heinous act that led to his untimely demise.

Lastly, many Members have addressed the security concerns faced by both parliamentarians and the public. Members should not be embarrassed to advocate for better protection. The work we do today is not easy. The way we vote and the decisions we make expose us to individuals who may dislike us for reasons beyond our control, some simply because we are politicians. Unfortunately, the hatred towards leaders has been normalised. It often starts on social media, where people cheer on, believing it is normal to demonize public figures, insult them, or even celebrate their death. It may seem funny on the social media until it escalates, as witnessed in the case of the Hon. Charles Ongondo Were.

Nobody should normalize hate. Kenya is a constitutional democracy. If you do not like the way certain public official conducts their affairs, there is a constitutional and legal way through which you can step up to the platform and offer better leadership than what that particular individual does. However, it has become the norm and the order of the day to curse Members of Parliament (MPs) and various leaders as if they are second to the devil. This is being celebrated by other people, including even colleague leaders sometimes. It is an issue that should be of concern to anybody that is right-thinking and cares for the future of this country.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we must build a society that is tolerant of each other. We shall never agree on everything. We shall never view the world with the same pair of lenses. What we must learn---

Next Order, Clerk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for welcoming the students from AIC Nunguni Secondary School in Makueni County to the Senate. The students are here

to learn, and I believe they will have an opportunity to understand how Parliament operates. I hope they will be inspired by what they have seen in the Senate and encouraged to pursue leadership in the future.

When schools visit the Senate, they experience Parliament firsthand, they can see the Mace and the Speaker. In every examination, there are always questions about Parliament. I am confident that when they return, they will perform better in their studies. I hope this visit will encourage, inspire, and instil hope in them to strive for greater achievements in their lives.

I send them back home to Makueni, Nunguni, Kilungu in Kaiti Constituency, with warm greetings. I hope that they have learned and will remember this day all their lives. I thank you.

Sen. Kavindu and Sen. Karen Nyamu, just take your seat. (Sen. Kavindu Muthama and Sen. Nyamu walked into the Chamber)

Hon. Senators, I wish to report to the Senate that pursuant to Standing Order No.47 (1) , I have received the following Message from His Excellency the President regarding the referral of the Conflict of Interest Bill (National Assembly Bill No.12 of 2023) . The Message, which came as a Presidential Memorandum dated 30th April, 2025, was received in the Office of the Clerk of the Senate on Wednesday, 30th April, 2025.

Pursuant to the said Standing Order, I now report the Message- “WHEREAS the Bill, titled An Act of Parliament to provide for the Management and Regulation of Conflict of Interest and for Connected Purposes, was passed by the National Assembly on 5th December, 2024, and by the Senate on 8th April, 2025;

AND WHEREAS, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, the Conflict of Interest Bill (National Assembly Bill No.12 of 2023) was presented to me for assent on 17th April, 2025;

NOW THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Article 115 of the Constitution, I decline to assent to the Conflict of Interest Bill (National Assembly Bill No.12 of 2023) and refer the Bill for reconsideration by both Houses of Parliament for the reasons set out hereunder.”

Hon. Senators, in the Memorandum, His Excellency the President has noted his reservations and set out the proposed parts for reconsideration by the Senate.

National Assembly for consideration, pursuant to the provisions of Article 110(4) of the Constitution;

AND WHEREAS the National Assembly considered the said Bill and passed without amendments on Thursday, 24th April, 2025, in the form passed by the Senate;

NOW THEREFORE in accordance with the provisions of Article 110 of the Constitution and Standing Order Nos. 41(1) and 144 of the National Assembly Standing Orders, I hereby convey the said decision of the National Assembly to the Senate.”

I am in the process of transmitting the Bill to His Excellency the President for assent.”

I thank you. Yes, Senate Majority Leader.

my Communication, I even indicated the dates when we are supposed to receive the report from the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights.

The Chair is in the House. Chairperson of the Committee of Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, would you like to say a word?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the morning when we had a meeting as the Senate Business Committee (SBC) , I indicated to the Committee that we had set aside two days, that is, Tuesday next week and Thursday in anticipation of additional business that may be committed to the Committee. Since we got notice to the effect that that communication was coming, we will purpose to prioritise processing of this particular Bill on those particular days and the following week.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to commit to you and hon. Members of the House that as a Committee, we will work within the timelines that the Speaker has given to us. I equally have taken note of the comments by the Senate Majority Leader. Having the Bill sent back with those comments means that we definitely have got to consider.

I want to urge Members who have interest to submit any information as regards the content of the Bill and a report that we previously presented before the House. Remember we tabled a report when we handled this Bill in the first instance. Therefore, I urge hon. Members to take an interest in that report, so that their contributions can feed into this second consideration that has now been brought to the Committee.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, by and large, we are going to work within the timelines that you have directed to submit a report to the House.

I thank you.

my Communication, I even indicated the dates when we are supposed to receive the report from the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights.

The Chair is in the House. Chairperson of the Committee of Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, would you like to say a word?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the morning when we had a meeting as the Senate Business Committee (SBC) , I indicated to the Committee that we had set aside two days, that is, Tuesday next week and Thursday in anticipation of additional business that may be committed to the Committee. Since we got notice to the effect that that communication was coming, we will purpose to prioritise processing of this particular Bill on those particular days and the following week.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to commit to you and hon. Members of the House that as a Committee, we will work within the timelines that the Speaker has given to us. I equally have taken note of the comments by the Senate Majority Leader. Having the Bill sent back with those comments means that we definitely have got to consider.

I want to urge Members who have interest to submit any information as regards the content of the Bill and a report that we previously presented before the House. Remember we tabled a report when we handled this Bill in the first instance. Therefore, I urge hon. Members to take an interest in that report, so that their contributions can feed into this second consideration that has now been brought to the Committee.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, by and large, we are going to work within the timelines that you have directed to submit a report to the House.

I thank you.

Senate Majority Leader, whatever is happening in the National Assembly, the Senate has not been involved. When the time comes to involve the Senate, we shall be able to respond appropriately.

At this juncture, my advice to you, the Senate Majority Leader, is you need to get hold of your counterpart. As Speakers, we do not move any Motions or Bills. It must have been moved by your counterpart in the National Assembly. Kindly get hold of your counterpart to understand exactly what is happening in the National Assembly.

As far as I am concerned, the Senate has not been involved. We have not received any communication concerning the process that is taking place across the country. Therefore, I am afraid I may not be able to comment on it now. However, you have a better avenue, as the Senate Majority Leader, to get hold of your counterpart in the National Assembly, to understand. Only then, can you bring a substantive business before the Senate for me to make a ruling.

accompanied them on that exercise to sensitise the public. Therefore, we appear as if we are being bribed as Senators just to accommodate the NG-CDF. I feel slighted. I also feel bad.

As a Senator, I have survived for over 10 years without the Senate Oversight Fund. It is not even a big issue to some of us. However, as an institution, we made a decision that we will operate better and fulfil our constitutional mandate in the presence of this Fund.

Should it not concern you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, the way your House is being projected in those public gatherings, given that members of staff of the National Assembly who do presentation of issues before members of the public, who eventually give their views on this issue, are only doing presentations on NG-CDF and it is benefitting them?

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I request that you make a ruling or communication to this House on how this matter is going to be treated because we do not want to enter into a contest with our sister House, where when the time comes for this House to also do public participation, we may give the other view of how the NG-CDF should be run without any involvement of Members of the National Assembly or otherwise, but I do not think that is the route we need to go.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, you need to guide this House, whether this is a matter that you discussed with your colleague, and how this House can be represented in the coming days. I know they are still going to do this for the next two weeks before a report is returned to this House.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg for your indulgence because I know this projects the image of this House and it goes to cast very bad light for Senators who come from those counties where public participation is being done and members of the public imagine that we are just looking for a kickback, so that we can pass the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill.

I thank you.

amend the Constitution. Therefore, we expected that at least there would be guidance from the Office of the Speaker, because there are further technical issues that will arise. Forget about Senate Oversight Fund, but the ability to amend.

When we did the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) Report, which was passed here, having been brought by the Senate Justice, Legal Affairs, and Human Rights Committee (JLHARC) before this House, they said that you jointly must set the rules of how a constitutional amendment is to be done, because what happens in the other House affects what we will eventually be able to do in this House.

Therefore, while I take your advice and do what you have guided me to, I would like to humbly request that you equally engage your counterpart, so that more issues beyond the content of the Bill are resolved, particularly on the issue of procedure, because that is something that will affect how we handle constitutional amendment Bills even in the future.

Okay. Next Order.

The Senate Majority Leader, please proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate, today, Tuesday, 6th of May, 2025-

The Senate Majority Leader, please proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate, today, Tuesday, 6th of May, 2025-

The Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget, please, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Next Order.

You had two Notices, so you may proceed to the next.

Who is giving Notice? Sen. (Dr.) Boni, please, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This is a report of the joint Sitting of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning and the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on the approval hearing of the nominees for appointment to the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya.

The Co-Chairperson, Joint Parliamentary Committee on the vetting of nominees for appointment as members of the Board of Central Bank---

You had two Notices, so you may proceed to the next.

Who is giving Notice? Sen. (Dr.) Boni, please, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give Notice of the following Motion-

THAT, the Senate adopts the Joint Report of the Departmental Committee on the Finance and National Planning of the National Assembly and the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget of the Senate on the approval hearing of the nominees for appointment to the Board of Central Bank of Kenya, that was laid on the Table of the Senate today, Tuesday, 6th May, 2025, and that, pursuant to Section 11 (ii) of the Central Bank of Kenya Act and Section 8 (ii) of the Public Appointments for Parliamentary Approval Act, the Senate approves the appointment of the following nominees as members of the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya

Order! Proceed, Sen. (Dr.) Boni.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Energy had a youthful and energetic weekend where he has performed exceptionally well. Therefore, I can do other duties for him because he is holding forte elsewhere very responsibly as expected, unlike somebody else who is in front of me.

The Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, please, proceed.

The Senate Majority Leader, where is the Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Energy?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise under Standing Order No. 105. Did you hear the Senate Majority Leader tell the House that the Senator of Siaya County has had an extremely, not using his own exact words, ending up and suggesting that he has had a very good time. The public is following. Therefore, can he specify what he means? Otherwise, he could impute improper motive on the distinguished Senator of Siaya County.

What is the point of Order, Sen. (Dr.) Boni?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise under Standing Order No. 105. Did you hear the Senate Majority Leader tell the House that the Senator of Siaya County has had an extremely, not using his own exact words, ending up and suggesting that he has had a very good time. The public is following. Therefore, can he specify what he means? Otherwise, he could impute improper motive on the distinguished Senator of Siaya County.

Yes, Senate Majority Leader.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I was speaking of the oversight responsibilities of Sen. (Dr.) Oburu. You saw him take on governors---

The Chairperson, Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, you may proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, do you not want me to explain further?

Okay.

The Chairperson, Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, you may proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give Notice of the following Motion –

THAT, the Senate adopts the Progress Report of the Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations on the

Yes, Sen. Ali Roba, you may proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.159 (1) of the Senate, to withdraw the County Statistics Bill (Senate Bills No.5 of 2024) , which is appearing in today's Order Paper as Order No.12.

The reason for the withdrawal of this Bill is to allow for further consultation with stakeholders with a view to develop a comprehensive framework that addresses concerns at both the national Government and county government levels.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Yes, Sen. Ali Roba, you may proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.159 (1) of the Senate, to withdraw the County Statistics Bill (Senate Bills No.5 of 2024) , which is appearing in today's Order Paper as Order No.12.

The reason for the withdrawal of this Bill is to allow for further consultation with stakeholders with a view to develop a comprehensive framework that addresses concerns at both the national Government and county government levels.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Next Order.

Approval) Act, the Senate approves the appointment of the following nominees as members of the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya-

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion- THAT, the Senate adopts the Joint Report of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning of the National Assembly and the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget of the Senate on the approval hearing of the Nominees for appointment to the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya, laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 6th May, 2025, and that pursuant to Section 11 (2) of the Central Bank of Kenya Act and Section 8 (2) of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary

Approval) Act, the Senate approves the appointment of the following nominees as members of the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya-

nomination of FCPA Sophie Muturi, CPA Abudullahi Mohamed Abdi, Ms. Beatrice Koskey and Mr. David Simpson Osawa for appointment as members of the board of the Central Bank of Kenya.

Lastly, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to request the Senators to approve the report of the Joint Committee on the approval hearing of the said persons.

I move and request the distinguished, specially elected Sen. Esther Okenyuri, who is in a tete-a-tete, to second this Motion.

Sen. Esther Okenyuri, you may proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I wish to second.

On my screen, there are several Senators interested to maybe contribute. I open now this session for contributions to this Motion. I will start with the Sen. (Prof.) Ojienda.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The Board of the Central Bank of Kenya and the nominees to the Board play a very important role in this country.

In supporting the nominations of the Board members, it is important to note that the Board of the Bank, chaired by Senior Advocate Andrew Musangi, makes determination on key issues that affect this country. It is important that this afternoon, the Senate has indeed made the approval. The threshold of integrity and stature that was considered by the Committee is important in all these approvals.

I think that the Senate Committee on Finance and Budget that sat to hear the members and consider all memoranda has done a good job. This is how committees should work. When there are Kenyans who apply to positions of influence and national nature such as that of the Board of the Central Bank, we should ensure that individuals nominated are those with stature; not those that will bend the rules in making approvals as required by the mandate of the institution

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, Sir. Since this is a Procedural Motion, I congratulate the Committee on Finance and Budget and Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale.

Party Leader of UDM and the Senator of Mandera and the members, for the good job done.

This is one of the committees that has continued to define the role of the Senate, especially apart from, of course, yours truly’s Committee on County Public Accounts.

One of the critical committees is Finance and Budget. I know they are busy with the Fourth-basis generation. Other vital committees are the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations and the Committee on Health.

Going through the names, I am surprised. I advise Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale in future that when you take a position, you do not retreat unless there is something special. Over the weekend, I endorsed his position on my X handle. I am surprised that today, he has retreated from the position he had over the weekend, when he was in some funeral in Kakamega County. I hope that in future, he will stick to a position.

He had insisted that the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration is incompetent and he must resign. Today, after tete-a-tete over a cup of tea and mandazi in the office, he has retreated. That was on a light touch.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

There is a point of order from Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale.

It is a very weighty matter, appointing members of the Board to oversee how our economy is performing and also the performance of the Central Bank of Kenya. Sen. Cherarkey Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, Sir, for that guidance. I said it looks like because as you can see, the mood of the House, many people felt that we should dispense of it, I think, for the following reasons- One, I thank Sen. (Dr.) Boni for moving this Motion ably and for the work well done. I also thank the Committee on Finance and Budget, my brother, the Principal and

What is your point or order?

He is misleading the House.

I am not giving you time just to give you statements which are not on the point or order.

Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I must set the record straight on petty things that touch on integrity such as taking mandazi. I have never stepped in an office of any Cabinet Secretary of this Government since I came to this House.

What is your point of order?

He is misleading the House. Can he withdraw and apologize for misleading the country that Khalwale can be compromised? No. That is my brand.

Sen. Cherarkey, you have heard what your colleague has insinuated.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you know that Kakamega is my neighboring country and I know they love tea.

Can you substantiate what he has alleged you have said?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the part of tea, chai and mandazi, I can withdraw. From his speech, even on Standing Order 105, he has insisted that he has

What is your point of order?

He is misleading the House. Can he withdraw and apologize for misleading the country that Khalwale can be compromised? No. That is my brand.

us the business that the banks doing when Kenyans cannot do business. Could they be doing money laundering?

The regulator, which is Central Bank of Kenya, must also look into the microfinance on what to credit. There are a number of them that give small loans for motorbikes and what they do is very unfortunate. There is a famous one in our villages which comes to take people’s cows, sofa sets and television sets. It is a microfinance that is run mostly by women. They even take the roof under the supervision of the police.

This is happening where I come from. Families are breaking down because of the poor regulation mechanism by the Central Bank of Kenya. Marriages are actually breaking down, yet the strength of a society and a nation is a strong family. The microfinance is called Kenyan Women. They usually come and take everything. They take people’s clothes, beds, roofs, television sets, cows and even the shoes.

I know no one wants to wear shoes in Migori after the incident that happened over the weekend. I saw Sen. (Prof.) Tom Odhiambo Ojienda on the ground. He will tell me, in camera, of what really happened.

Those people take everything. We have been told that a number of young men take loans to buy motorbike, but they end up paying Kshs350,000, which is four times the cost of that motorbike under that credit. When they realize that you are almost finishing paying for that motorbike, it then disappears mysteriously. We must be told.

This Board is challenged to do their work of oversight, so that microfinance entities are not allowed to operate unlicensed and unchecked. They should not be given a free hand to stifle and frustrate the small businesses in this country. Most of the young men who are in boda boda sector here in Nairobi and Nandi call me daily. They tell me that they had taken a loan to buy a motorbike from a credit facility just for it to disappear before they finished their last instalment. When they report to a police station, the police men collude and no one is arrested.

The same thing happens to Kenya Women Microfinance. In our respect, we are equated to cows. When somebody from Kenya Women Microfinance comes and drives away with a cow worth Kshs120,000--- In our local language, they say, konyit ko tetany ok muren, which is equated to respect yet somebody just comes and takes it.

I want to challenge the Board on its oversight role. They must reign on the microfinance entities and commercial banks. You saw what the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations did. There are counties who run an unknown number of commercial bank accounts. Bungoma County had over 150 commercial bank accounts. Nandi County has over 100. Why would the Bankers Association of Kenya, the CBK allow this?

Under the Public Finance Management Act, counties are supposed to operate a minimal number of accounts. I am happy that the Chairperson of the County Public Investment and Special Funds Committee is here. The counties are supposed to have a special purpose account that is allowed under the law for the World Bank.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you know that Kakamega is my neighboring country and I know they love tea.

Can you substantiate what he has alleged you have said?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the part of tea, chai and mandazi, I can withdraw. From his speech, even on Standing Order 105, he has insisted that he has

You have 10 more minutes.

us the business that the banks doing when Kenyans cannot do business. Could they be doing money laundering?

The regulator, which is Central Bank of Kenya, must also look into the microfinance on what to credit. There are a number of them that give small loans for motorbikes and what they do is very unfortunate. There is a famous one in our villages which comes to take people’s cows, sofa sets and television sets. It is a microfinance that is run mostly by women. They even take the roof under the supervision of the police.

This is happening where I come from. Families are breaking down because of the poor regulation mechanism by the Central Bank of Kenya. Marriages are actually breaking down, yet the strength of a society and a nation is a strong family. The microfinance is called Kenyan Women. They usually come and take everything. They take people’s clothes, beds, roofs, television sets, cows and even the shoes.

I know no one wants to wear shoes in Migori after the incident that happened over the weekend. I saw Sen. (Prof.) Tom Odhiambo Ojienda on the ground. He will tell me, in camera, of what really happened.

Those people take everything. We have been told that a number of young men take loans to buy motorbike, but they end up paying Kshs350,000, which is four times the cost of that motorbike under that credit. When they realize that you are almost finishing paying for that motorbike, it then disappears mysteriously. We must be told.

This Board is challenged to do their work of oversight, so that microfinance entities are not allowed to operate unlicensed and unchecked. They should not be given a free hand to stifle and frustrate the small businesses in this country. Most of the young men who are in boda boda sector here in Nairobi and Nandi call me daily. They tell me that they had taken a loan to buy a motorbike from a credit facility just for it to disappear before they finished their last instalment. When they report to a police station, the police men collude and no one is arrested.

The same thing happens to Kenya Women Microfinance. In our respect, we are equated to cows. When somebody from Kenya Women Microfinance comes and drives away with a cow worth Kshs120,000--- In our local language, they say, konyit ko tetany ok muren, which is equated to respect yet somebody just comes and takes it.

I want to challenge the Board on its oversight role. They must reign on the microfinance entities and commercial banks. You saw what the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations did. There are counties who run an unknown number of commercial bank accounts. Bungoma County had over 150 commercial bank accounts. Nandi County has over 100. Why would the Bankers Association of Kenya, the CBK allow this?

Under the Public Finance Management Act, counties are supposed to operate a minimal number of accounts. I am happy that the Chairperson of the County Public Investment and Special Funds Committee is here. The counties are supposed to have a special purpose account that is allowed under the law for the World Bank.

The Deputy Speaker corrected me. In conclusion, I want to say something regarding the commercial bank accounts that counties are allowed to open and operate.

I am happy that the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations is looking into the matter. I do not know if the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee is also looking at that matter. Why would somebody allow Tana River County to operate 34 commercial bank accounts without supervision? What is the role of the Central Bank of Kenya Board? Kakamega County has 200 commercial bank accounts. What is the role of Central Bank of Kenya Board under Section 10 of the CBK Act Cap 491, Laws of Kenya? It is oversight that is provided under Section 10 of the Central Bank Act.

My third point is on the issue of Governor’s performance. We have been told that the inflation rate is looking better and the same applies to the economy and the exchange rate. For the first time, the Dollar has stabilized against the Shilling, at Kshs130. We thank President Ruto’s Government for this financial management. We also appreciate him for ensuring that the Governor has the option of performance.

The work of the Central Bank of Kenya Board is now cut out. We want to challenge David Simpson Osawa Owuor, Madam Beatrice Kosgei, CPA Abdullahi Mohamed Abdi and FCPA Sophie Moturi to rise up to the occasion under the chairmanship of the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya. We want our banks to do business, but not to profiteer or exploit Kenyans who are doing business, especially the SMEs. It is for this reason that we have the success story of the Hustler Fund.

We want to ask the Board as it sets in to ensure that the conditions of loan borrowing by the small businesses and startup businesses are conducive. They should even encourage tax holidays for the small kiosk businesses in Kirinyaga Road, Nairobi. The same should apply to the small businesses in Namgoi in Nandi County and the small businesses in Mombasa or Majengo in Vihiga County. If they do, then the young man or woman who doe not have collateral security like the title deed or logbook, can walk into a commercial bank and get fair conditions of loan, and be able to start up a business and build a serious empire in this country.

What is it, Senator?

He is throwing his hands around. I do not know what the problem is.

You have 10 more minutes.

Yes. We are paid to speak.

Any Member contributing to this Motion is entitled to 20 minutes.

The Deputy Speaker corrected me. In conclusion, I want to say something regarding the commercial bank accounts that counties are allowed to open and operate.

I am happy that the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations is looking into the matter. I do not know if the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee is also looking at that matter. Why would somebody allow Tana River County to operate 34 commercial bank accounts without supervision? What is the role of the Central Bank of Kenya Board? Kakamega County has 200 commercial bank accounts. What is the role of Central Bank of Kenya Board under Section 10 of the CBK Act Cap 491, Laws of Kenya? It is oversight that is provided under Section 10 of the Central Bank Act.

My third point is on the issue of Governor’s performance. We have been told that the inflation rate is looking better and the same applies to the economy and the exchange rate. For the first time, the Dollar has stabilized against the Shilling, at Kshs130. We thank President Ruto’s Government for this financial management. We also appreciate him for ensuring that the Governor has the option of performance.

The work of the Central Bank of Kenya Board is now cut out. We want to challenge David Simpson Osawa Owuor, Madam Beatrice Kosgei, CPA Abdullahi Mohamed Abdi and FCPA Sophie Moturi to rise up to the occasion under the chairmanship of the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya. We want our banks to do business, but not to profiteer or exploit Kenyans who are doing business, especially the SMEs. It is for this reason that we have the success story of the Hustler Fund.

We want to ask the Board as it sets in to ensure that the conditions of loan borrowing by the small businesses and startup businesses are conducive. They should even encourage tax holidays for the small kiosk businesses in Kirinyaga Road, Nairobi. The same should apply to the small businesses in Namgoi in Nandi County and the small businesses in Mombasa or Majengo in Vihiga County. If they do, then the young man or woman who doe not have collateral security like the title deed or logbook, can walk into a commercial bank and get fair conditions of loan, and be able to start up a business and build a serious empire in this country.

With those many remarks, I support and commend the Committee on Finance and Budget for the job well done. Let the Board settle in and ensure there is a transformative finance and management of the Central Bank of Kenya.

I thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

A spokesperson talks to the public. These people are employed to speak to Kenyans about what is happening to the economy, what they are doing to stabilise the Shilling and what they are doing in terms of monetary policy, and so on and so forth.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it has been a historical position and a culture amongst Governors of the CBK. Dr. Thugge is the 10th Governor of the CBK. They never speak to the public. The only time you would see Prof. Ndung’u, Dr. Njoroge and now Dr. Thugge speaking to the public is when they appear before parliamentary committees.

I would like members of Board of the CBK to come in with a transparency policy. They should get off the old traditions, speak to Kenyans and tell them why our reserves at the CBK are small, what they are doing about it, how they are going to help grow them, and how they plan to stabilise the economy. They should come out and speak to us.

If you are the Governor of the CBK, you are not a politician or a person who is there to please anyone. You should speak independently. In fact, your office has constitutional independence. This idea of hiding behind closed doors should stop.

In terms of reviewing performance, members of the Board of CBK, especially the new ones who will come in, should insist that the Governor of the CBK as the spokesperson, must come out and speak to Kenyans. They should tell Kenyans what needs to be done, how banks are behaving, whether they are stable or not and how they have managed them.

There was a time when banks in Kenya were collapsing all over and it became a big story. How do they manage to keep them stable? Do we have any risks and are there banks that do not keep the minimum reserves that have been indicated by the CBK? If that is the case, Kenyans can walk with us and the Governor of the CBK must come out to speak to us because he is a public servant. An independent public servant like him must come out all the time.

My prayer is that these four members of the Board of CBK, who are coming in, should not go in there and be swallowed by traditions of former board members and just keep quiet. They should push the management to be more transparent and present in our rooms and houses, speak to us and tell us how the economy is performing.

I am saying this because people hear what the Government says on one side and also what the minority side says. Some people do not know the correct position. So, it is important for an independent person that we know is protected by the Constitution to tell us the position as far as management of the economy of Kenya is concerned.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, still on the review of performance, I am asking the four who we will approve today, because of their wonderful CVs, that they need to go and ask these questions. Why is it that we have Mr. Leonard Ouma as an Acting Director for Internal Audit and Risk? Why is it that we have Mr. Evans Mutai as an Acting Director in charge of Currency Operations Department? Why is it that we have Mr. Matu Mugo Acting Director in charge of Banking Supervision? Why are these people acting yet there is a board there? Why can they not make a decision? They need to confirm somebody in the management, so that they can act with authority.

The CBK should not be like some of our counties where people are given positions on an acting capacity. You will find someone acting as the county secretary or

Asante, Mheshimiwa Naibu Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii nichangie Taarifa ya Kamati ya Fedha na Bajeti kuhusiana na uteuzi wa wanachama wa Bodi ya Banki Kuu ya Kenya.

Kwanza, ninapongeza Kamati hii pamoja na ile ya Bunge la Kitaifa kwa kumaliza zoezi hili la kuwapiga msasa wale wateule wanne wa nyadhifa hizo.

Mhe. Spika, inasikitisha kwamba ijapo kuwa uteuzi wa wakurugenzi wa bodi ni muhimu sana, jukumu la Bunge ni ndogo sana. Jukumu la Bunge ni kupitisha yale majina yaliyofanyiwa uchunguzi na taasisi zingine. Hata kama Bunge lingependekeza kwamba kuna mtu aliyeteuliwa ambaye hafai katika nyadhifa fulani, halikuwa na uwezo wa kufanya hivyo. Kuna haja ya kurekebisha sheria ili pia sisi tuwe na uwezo wa kukataa wale wanaoteuliwa. Kuna wengine hawafai kuwa katika wadhifa huo, lakini kwa sababu mikono yetu imefungwa, hatuwezi kutoa mapendekezo yoyote kuhusu wale walioteuliwa na majina yao kuwasilishwa Bungeni.

Pili, wakurugenzi wa Benki Kuu ya Kenya wana jukumu muhimu la kuangalia ni vipi mfumo wa fedha utakavyoendeshwa katika nchi yetu. Kwa hivyo, hii si bodi ambayo itachukuwa mtu yoyote katika Jiji la Nairobi au kaunti zetu, bali mtu mwenye tajriba na anayeweza kutoa muongozo katika masuala yatakayozungumzwa katika Benki Kuu ya Taifa.

Katika uteuzi ule, yule kijana wa mwisho alinifurahisha na maelezo yake ya mambo aliyoweza kuyafanya kwa ule muda ameweza kuhudumu katika nyadhifa tofauti katika nchi za kigeni pia. Amependekeza mambo muhimu kuhusu masuala ya fedha. Sasa hivi, kuna suala ibuka la crypto currency. Masuala kama haya ni muhimu na inafaa wakurugenzi wa Benki Kuu ya Kenya wawe na ufahamu na uwezo wa kuyafafanua na kutoa mwongozo kwa taifa kuyahusu.

Kuweka mtu yoyote anayetafuta kazi kama tunavyoona kwa tume nyingine inapelekekea kulemaa kwa tume nyingi. Kwa mfano, Kenya National Human Rights Commission na National Gender Equality Commission zimelemaa kwa sababu ya kuweka makamishina ambao hawajui kazi zao vizuri.

Nimefurahi kwamba kumepata mwanachama wa bodi ya kitaifa. Tunatarajia kwamba wale wengine watakaochaguliwa kwa siku za usoni watakuwa ni watu wenye tajriba ya kuwezesha kusaidia bodi hizi na kusaidia nchi kuweka misingi thabiti ya masuala ya fedha katika nchi yetu.

Asante kwa kunipa fursa hii.

Sen. Mungatana Danson, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the Floor. I rise in support of the Motion before the House to approve the appointment of

Sophie Moturi, Abdullahi Mohamed Abdi, Beatrice Kosgei, and David Simpson Osawa Owuor as Members of the Board of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). I am proud to participate in this approval today.

Many years ago, when I was younger than I am today, after resigning from the Government, I moved the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act. This Act ensured that important national positions would be approved through a parliamentary approval system. I am pleased that it has since been amended, improved, and now includes members of the Board of the CBK.

To disclose my interest, the Chair of this Board, Mr. Mukite Musangi, is a good friend, a man of integrity, and someone whom we went to school with for six years. As I speak here, I know he is listening from his seat.

There are two key issues. First, I believe the four nominees have outstanding Curriculum Vitaes (CVs), and I will not dwell on that. However, I would like to focus on two issues regarding the Board of the CBK and the challenges these nominees will face as they take up their responsibilities.

The Board of the CBK is, first and foremost, responsible for oversight the CBK management, led by the Governor. May I say that Governor Thugge has performed well thus far? I am pleased that he has stabilized the financial and monetary situation in the country. However, I want to focus on the role of the Board of Directors of the CBK, particularly their oversight function.

When examining oversight of the CBK’s management, one key issue that arises for us as representatives of the people is the fairness of the Human Resource (HR) distribution across counties. How equitably is HR representation spread across the country within the CBK?

This new Board must ensure that, in their meetings, they ask important questions such as, how many employees at the CBK come from Tana River County, for example? How representative is the workforce across different regions? The HR component of the CBK has not been well distributed across the country, and this is an issue that needs urgent attention.

I say so because when the CBK sits to provide various services to Kenyans, it is important for them to consider diverse perspectives and viewpoints on how their decisions affect the country as a whole.

Therefore, it is my prayer that the new team, Sophie Moturi, Abdullahi Mohamed, Beatrice Kosgei, and David Simpson Osawa, takes the time to ensure that future recruitment by the management of the CBK is distributed fairly across the country. We should not, as a previous speaker noted, have departments in this country where people can comfortably converse in their mother tongues simply because they form the majority from a particular region.

The second role of the Board of Directors of the CBK is to review the performance of the management, led by the Governor. In terms of performance evaluation, there is much to discuss regarding the CBK. What I have always hoped to see, and I am praying that this new team will prioritize, is the proper implementation of the Central Bank Act. It says that the Governor is the spokesperson of the CBK.

Sen. Sifuna, do you have a point of order?

acting as this or that. Since you are acting and you have no proper authority, you are not able to perform optimally the way you should because you want to be confirmed to that position. Sometimes people who are supposed to confirm you may not like what you say. So, you are always careful trying to balance. Let us not have that in the CBK.

I know you are listening to me. When you get in there as members of the Board of the CBK, please ask these questions. Why do we have three senior positions on an acting capacity? Why can they not be confirmed? If you do not want them, then you should advertise and bring in new people who can do the job with confidence without fear of interruption.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I finish my contribution, I would like to pay tribute to the CBK Board of Directors who are leaving. I want to thank Nelius Kariuki, Ravi Ruparel, Samson Cherutich, and Rachel Dzombo. They did a good job when they were there. I am saying so because it was during their time that the management of the CBK brought in a loan process that allowed for relief during the COVID-19 period between 2020 and 2021. We will not forget that they came through for us.

We thank them as they go into other positions. As we encourage the new directors who will come in, they should know that they have been given the positions by Senate of the Republic of Kenya on behalf of the people of Kenya. Therefore, they must speak and do what is right. They must remember that they are public servants when they enter office and they must do fair for the entire country as they serve at the CBK.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those many remarks, I beg to support the Motion on appointment of the four fine people to join the Board of the CBK.

I thank you.

According to my screen, there is no other Member interested to contribute. Therefore, I call upon the Mover to reply.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, allow me to start by thanking all colleagues who have contributed to this Report. I would also like to thank colleague Members of the Committee on Finance and Budget for ensuring that we scrutinized these nominees thoroughly as per the required standards.

The nominees that were presented before us came from different sectors in terms of professions and also experience. One of them is Mr. Abdullahi who holds a PhD in Philosophy and has vast experience as far as issues of management are concerned.

The other nominee is Madam Sophie who holds a Masters Degree in Banking and Finance. She also holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) with Accounting Option. That blends well with the profession of Mr. Abdullahi.

The other one is Madam Beatrice Kosgei, who is also an advocate of the High Court, with over 30 years experience, and brings in legal expertise to the Board.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when it came to David, the Committee raised concerns as far as credibility of academic papers were concerned. He was not able to present a copy at that particular moment. His names were mixed up in that the names in the final certificates and Identity Card seemed different. However, I would like to thank the Secretariat because we tasked them to go to the bottom of this and ask Kenyatta University to ascertain if this gentleman had been in that institution, and this was

affirmed. I was concerned because David was the youngest in this team. Opportunities need to be given to both the women, men and the youth. As I said, this Board represented all - women, men, and the youth - and David was among the youth.

Further to that, David is an expert in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). So, we have an expert in ICT, management, an advocate of the High Court, and Sophie, with banking and finance experience. These four Board members come from different areas of expertise and were able to showcase experience and dedication in terms of how, when they sit in the Board, they will ensure that what needs to be done as far as their role is concerned will be achieved.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my colleague, Sen. Mungatana, has raised an important point that we also brought out when we were doing this vetting, on the issue of having many directors and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in different government institutions, who keep on acting for years, yet we have boards that are supposed to undertake their role and confirm them, or the right person.

I would like to support and urge that the Board should now be able to take up that role as their first key mandate and confirm the different directors within the different institutions the people who have been working for a long period. You realize that they work for a long period and then after a short while, someone just comes from the blues with less experience, not understanding the nitty-gritties of some of the issues that we have been addressing. These are some of the stakeholders that we normally invite and engage in the Committee. So, they are best suited to take up this role. I, therefore, urge that the Board, with the speed that it deserves, to ensure that these confirmations are done on time.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when you read the names of these four nominees, you will realize that there is regional balance. They come from the different parts of this country, which is a plus.

We were also able to interrogate them to ensure that they are able to oversight the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Governor. Earlier on, I raised through a Statement the issue of CBK rates that have been proposed---

Sen. Sifuna, do you have a point of order?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on Statement of fact. Skimming through that report of the Committee, it in fact says that two of those candidates were born in Uasin Gishu. Is it, therefore, factual for the replier to assert that these people come from different regions of the country, yet half the number come from Uasin Gishu? We should be factual. This is in the report of the Committee. I am not making these things up.

Let us proceed to Statements are under Order No.53 (1) . We shall start with the Senator for Vihiga County, Sen. Godfrey Osotsi.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I notice that the Senator for Nairobi City County is always keen when I am doing my submissions, and I appreciate it. I actually take it as a compliment.

From their names, one can tell which region David Owuor or Kosgei, comes from. It is one thing to be born in Nairobi City County and another to come from Kitui County. It does not mean that since I am born in Nairobi City County that I do not have a

Proceed, Senator for Kisumu County, Sen. (Prof.) Tom Ojienda.

For sure, we have no quorum to put the Question.

There was the reorganisation of the order of business this afternoon. Therefore, before we proceed to any other Business, we shall revert to Order No.7 on Questions and Statements.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Energy on a matter of national concern regarding payments made by Kenya Power to independent power producers under take-or-pay contracts, specifically in relation to electricity that is ultimately lost due to high idle capacity.

In the Statement, the Committee should address the following-

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on a matter of countywide concern regarding the revenue generation in Trans Nzoia County Government.

In the Statement, the Committee should address the following-

Proceed, Senator for Kisumu County, Sen. (Prof.) Tom Ojienda.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise under Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Education on a matter of national concern regarding the tragic death of two Form Four students at Ramba Boys High School in Rarieda, Siaya County. I am not the Senator for Siaya.

The two students lost their lives after falling into a septic tank within the school premises that collapsed on 22nd March, 2025. The students are said to have been together with others on top of the septic tank when it caved in, trapping them in while other students were seriously injured. This heartbreaking loss has sparked concern over the state of infrastructure in schools across the region and especially in rural areas.

In light of this, I convey my sincere condolences to the bereaved families and demand the following-

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.56 (1) (b) of the Senate Standing Orders to make a Statement relating to the activities of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries during the first quarter of the Fourth Session, that is, January to April, 2024.

The Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries is established under Standing Order No.228 (3) of the Senate Standing Orders and is mandated to consider all matters relating to agriculture, irrigation, livestock, fisheries development and veterinary services.

During the period under review, the Committee held a total of Fifteen (15) sittings during which it considered four (4) Bills, ten (10) Statements and one (1) legislative proposal.

In the reporting period, the Committee held a consultative meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Water and Irrigation to deliberate on the proposed policies, programmes and expenditure ceilings of the respective state departments as contained in the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) . The Committee further sought information on the status of the Financial Year 2024/2025 budget and the key policies underlying the expenditure ceilings in the 2025 BPS. Further, the Committee participated in the consultative meeting with the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and all the SAGAs to consider the programmes and projects undertaken by the Ministry.

Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, during the period under review, the Committee undertook pre-publication scrutiny on the Legislative Proposal on the Seeds and Plant Varieties (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The Committee recommended it for publication in the Senate.

During the period under review, the Committee considered the following four (4) Bills-

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on a matter of countywide concern regarding the revenue generation in Trans Nzoia County Government.

In the Statement, the Committee should address the following-

Thank you, Sen. (Prof.) Kamar. Lastly, I call upon the Chairperson of the Committee on Education to make a Statement relating to the activities of the Committee.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.56 (1) (b) of the Senate Standing Orders to make a Statement relating to the activities of the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries during the first quarter of the Fourth Session, that is, January to April, 2024.

The Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries is established under Standing Order No.228 (3) of the Senate Standing Orders and is mandated to consider all matters relating to agriculture, irrigation, livestock, fisheries development and veterinary services.

During the period under review, the Committee held a total of Fifteen (15) sittings during which it considered four (4) Bills, ten (10) Statements and one (1) legislative proposal.

In the reporting period, the Committee held a consultative meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for Water and Irrigation to deliberate on the proposed policies, programmes and expenditure ceilings of the respective state departments as contained in the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS) . The Committee further sought information on the status of the Financial Year 2024/2025 budget and the key policies underlying the expenditure ceilings in the 2025 BPS. Further, the Committee participated in the consultative meeting with the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and all the SAGAs to consider the programmes and projects undertaken by the Ministry.

Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, during the period under review, the Committee undertook pre-publication scrutiny on the Legislative Proposal on the Seeds and Plant Varieties (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The Committee recommended it for publication in the Senate.

During the period under review, the Committee considered the following four (4) Bills-

I now invite the Chairperson of the Committee on Devolution and intergovernmental Relations to make a statement on the activities of the Committee.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to make a Statement on the activities of the Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations for the period between January to April, 2025, issued pursuant to Standing Order No..56 (1) (b) .

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 56 (1) (b) to make a Statement on the activities of the Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations for the stated period of January to April, 2025.

During the reporting period, the Committee has carried out various activities pertaining to its mandate. In summary, the Committee has transacted the following legislative business-

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is meaningless to celebrate the lives of the departed if we do not take moments to ask what lessons we have drawn from them or their works. Predictably, many leaders in Kenya and in the world have had occasion since the death of the Pope to hail him as a great person, a wonderful human being and a compassionate Jesuit. However, I have to point out to everyone that while Pope Francis served, he declined the trappings of the papacy. He preferred to live a humble life in his Casa Santa Maria Marta residence rather than the papal apartments used by his predecessors.

Besides this, the Pope was a legendary believer and purveyor of the common touch philosophy. He always preferred to reach out to the masses and show compassion to the lowly. Indeed, the late pontiff was a strong opponent of global economic models that enriched a few and widened the gap between the rich and the poor. He often pointed out the unsuitability of such economics.

It is my strong contention, therefore, that mourning the Pope in flowery media releases, while holding on to the exclusivity of right-wing politics, divisive ethnic rhetoric, corruption and wanton theft of public resources, is hypocritical. Such actions contradict the principles held here by the departed pontiff.

The Catholic Communion is often painted as a hugely conservative institution, and yet in the period that it has been led by a progressive liberal, the conversation around freedom rights and equality has been magnified more. The lesson being that a good person at the top is all it takes for society to find its foot and move forward. I hope that this lesson will not be lost to both Catholics and non-Catholics as we seek a united front in socio-economic and political realms to empower people and move our countries forward.

I am inclined to express my hope that whoever becomes a new Pope will stay on the progressive path charted by the departed pontiff rather than returning the Holy See to the conservative arena. The challenges facing the church and the world today require a new focus, new methods and a new vision. The church and the political platform are now dominated by younger people for whom conservative beliefs may not hold sway.

Like Pope Francis, we are obligated to be more sympathetic to migrants, to gender and sexual minorities, to the vulnerable and to the new face of the young voter, nearly all liberal. We have to spur action on climate change and build bridges across ethnic divides. We are now called upon to detach from the divisive rhetoric of our predecessors and embrace each other in our diversity because we have no other option. This will be the greatest way to honour the memory and work of Pope Francis.

I thank you.

Hon. Members, I will allow you to make comments. As I had indicated earlier, we will make comments on all Statements that have been issued pursuant to Standing Order Nos.53 (1) and 56 (1) (b) by the respective Chairpersons of the Committees.

Let us begin with Sen. Maureen Tabitha.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for your kind indulgence. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.52 (1) to make a Statement of general and global concern namely, the passing on of Pope Francis the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican State. He died on Easter Monday, 21st April, 2025, at the ripe age of 88. I join the rest of the world in celebrating the life of arguably the most liberal and progressive Pope ever. His death is a huge loss to progressives of all shades across the world.

As a practising Catholic, I have had the privilege to see three Popes in my life, with a fourth about to start his term. This experience has given me time to reflect on the values and principles that the leader of the Holy See usually bestows on the Catholic community, the largest religious denomination across the world.

In my reflections, I have come to understand that the key qualities that made Pope Francis unique on the stellar role of Popes were his genuine compassion, his grace towards the poor and the vulnerable and his deep belief in the principles of inclusivity. He extended a mighty hand of support to the marginalized, including sexual and gender minorities, at times when these topics were unaddressed in most parts of the globe. Indeed, Pope Francis manifested courage in its pure form.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is meaningless to celebrate the lives of the departed if we do not take moments to ask what lessons we have drawn from them or their works. Predictably, many leaders in Kenya and in the world have had occasion since the death of the Pope to hail him as a great person, a wonderful human being and a compassionate Jesuit. However, I have to point out to everyone that while Pope Francis served, he declined the trappings of the papacy. He preferred to live a humble life in his Casa Santa Maria Marta residence rather than the papal apartments used by his predecessors.

Besides this, the Pope was a legendary believer and purveyor of the common touch philosophy. He always preferred to reach out to the masses and show compassion to the lowly. Indeed, the late pontiff was a strong opponent of global economic models that enriched a few and widened the gap between the rich and the poor. He often pointed out the unsuitability of such economics.

It is my strong contention, therefore, that mourning the Pope in flowery media releases, while holding on to the exclusivity of right-wing politics, divisive ethnic rhetoric, corruption and wanton theft of public resources, is hypocritical. Such actions contradict the principles held here by the departed pontiff.

The Catholic Communion is often painted as a hugely conservative institution, and yet in the period that it has been led by a progressive liberal, the conversation around freedom rights and equality has been magnified more. The lesson being that a good person at the top is all it takes for society to find its foot and move forward. I hope that this lesson will not be lost to both Catholics and non-Catholics as we seek a united front in socio-economic and political realms to empower people and move our countries forward.

I am inclined to express my hope that whoever becomes a new Pope will stay on the progressive path charted by the departed pontiff rather than returning the Holy See to the conservative arena. The challenges facing the church and the world today require a new focus, new methods and a new vision. The church and the political platform are now dominated by younger people for whom conservative beliefs may not hold sway.

Like Pope Francis, we are obligated to be more sympathetic to migrants, to gender and sexual minorities, to the vulnerable and to the new face of the young voter, nearly all liberal. We have to spur action on climate change and build bridges across ethnic divides. We are now called upon to detach from the divisive rhetoric of our predecessors and embrace each other in our diversity because we have no other option. This will be the greatest way to honour the memory and work of Pope Francis.

I thank you.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to comment on the Statement by Sen. Osotsi regarding the presence of expired medication in our public hospitals.

The issue of having expired medicines in our public hospitals is a significant one because it has continued to be persist. The Auditor-General keeps raising it and flagging the presence of expired medication in our public hospitals.

That means financial wastage because medication cost a lot of money, which is released by the exchequer. That also puts the safety of patients to question because you cannot guarantee that a patient in such a facility will not encounter expired drugs. Since such drugs also have to be disposed of, it poses environmental issues such as pollution.

The presence of expired medication in our hospitals also points at the low quality and reduced quality of healthcare in a particular facility. Why does that happen and why do we keep on having the issue of expired medication in our public hospitals?

One reason is a poor inventory system. We may have oversupply of a certain drug while other drugs are in shortage. That is an oxymoron! On the ground, Kenyans complain every day that despite visiting health facilities, there are no drugs. They have to get prescriptions to go and buy drugs outside the hospitals. That brings me to a key point. Pharmacists in public hospitals prefer prescribing drugs to patients, so that they go and buy them from outside because they run those pharmacies. I want to laud the County Government of Mombasa. Recently they declared that they will no longer renew licenses of pharmacists who operate pharmacies near public hospitals. I urge other county governments to follow suit by enforcing such a directive.

We do not have proper storage facilities in some hospitals. I have heard that Members of the Committee on Health are going to go around the whole country with the aim of tackling the issue of expired drugs in our public hospitals. I urge them that those hospitals should not only be reprimanded, but they should also be facilitated with proper storage space and facilities. I suggest that we digitize this space. We should have an inventory that can forecast expiry of drugs.

We are fond of getting medical donations. Some donations do not align with what is needed on the ground. We do not have to take everything we are given in form of medical donations because we do not even use some of them as a country.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I also want to comment on the Statement by Sen. Sifuna regarding the late Pope Francis. I am not a Catholic, but Pope Francis is one of the popes who caught my attention because of the many stands he took. He was open and outspoken about global affairs. He spoke about the war in Gaza. He was also open about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) movement. Just because I admired how he was outspoken does not mean that I support the LGBTQ or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more LGBTQ+ movement. My stand and preference is out there. As we mourn the Pope, we have seen that there are proposed African Popes to take over from him.

I do not know why Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale is laughing, it may sound far- fetched, but at least for the first time, we have a possibility of a black Pope. It is a huge step in the right direction.

Thank you.

Sen. Cherarkey Samson, please proceed.

My Committee Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are not here, but I would like to state that we are going to look at the bottom of issues of health. With my experience as a pharmacist, I am going to make an input.

I was able to inspect key drugs. One of them is Diazepam. That drug was missing in all the counties that I visited. It was less as per the cards and records. Such drugs are always under key and lock. When I asked why there was a shortage, most pharmacists did not have answers. To them, it was a surprise. These are some of the issues that we are going to get to the bottom of.

There was also another Statement raised by Sen. Chesang regarding revenue generating streams in Trans Nzoia County. As Members of the Committee on Finance and Budget, when it comes to the issue of revenue collection, we are still talking to the National Treasury to speed up the process. There is a uniform system that is supposed to ensure that counties maximize on their own-source revenues.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I thank you.

I am not canvassing. It is not allowed in the Conclave because they are even switching on signals. I was just saying it is the wish of many Kenyans.

May perpetual light shine upon him, as he rests in peace. The Catholic Church will continue in pushing for both.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Catholic Church has done a lot in the education and health sectors. We should ensure that we support the Catholic Church and all other churches or religions to push for a better society in education, health and governance issues.

I also wish Cardinal John Njue would have participated in the Conclave, but because of health reasons, he could not. I am happy that Bishop Anyolo has clarified that he was indeed invited to participate in voting in the Conclave. We wish Cardinal John Njue all the best and quick recovery. He would have been part of the cardinals who are in the Conclave to ensure we have a new pontiff.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Vatican is one of the smallest states in the world. Pope Francis even visited this nation. I hope the next Pope will also visit this country and commune, and be part of pushing for the agenda of equity and decency among the morals.

Finally, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on the issue of the Statement by the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, I expect the Chairperson of the Committee to tell us the status of top-dressing Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) and the distribution of fertilizer in the country. We need to stop playing politics with agriculture. I saw the former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, courtesy of Sen. Methu, trying to cast aspersions, yet during the investigation of the scandal of fake fertilizer, he was at the centre of it. Therefore, those are for political expediency. These people want to run for some office and they do not have an agenda.

The investigations placed the former Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Linturi, at the centre of the fake fertilizer scandal. The National Assembly wanted to impeach him due to that scandal, I challenge the Standing Committee on Agriculture to table their report on fake fertilizer because, you will find the former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture at the centre of it. He should not now twist the story or try to change it.

Where I come from, when the T9 bites you or your dog, that dog becomes a T9 and wants to bite everybody in the village. So, he cannot be threatening us, alleging that some individuals outside him were involved in the fake fertilizer scandal. He must tell us where the donated fertilizer went. He was the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture then, and the back stopped with him.

I hope the media will be bold enough to ask him in the report by the National Assembly, when he was supposed to be impeached or to be removed by the vote of no confidence, why he did not have the energy to blackmail and intimidate?

I want to ask the President not to be intimidated or blackmailed by known profiteers and auctioneers of politics. I know he wants to blackmail the Government, so

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to comment on the Statement by Sen. Osotsi regarding the presence of expired medication in our public hospitals.

The issue of having expired medicines in our public hospitals is a significant one because it has continued to be persist. The Auditor-General keeps raising it and flagging the presence of expired medication in our public hospitals.

That means financial wastage because medication cost a lot of money, which is released by the exchequer. That also puts the safety of patients to question because you cannot guarantee that a patient in such a facility will not encounter expired drugs. Since such drugs also have to be disposed of, it poses environmental issues such as pollution.

The presence of expired medication in our hospitals also points at the low quality and reduced quality of healthcare in a particular facility. Why does that happen and why do we keep on having the issue of expired medication in our public hospitals?

One reason is a poor inventory system. We may have oversupply of a certain drug while other drugs are in shortage. That is an oxymoron! On the ground, Kenyans complain every day that despite visiting health facilities, there are no drugs. They have to get prescriptions to go and buy drugs outside the hospitals. That brings me to a key point. Pharmacists in public hospitals prefer prescribing drugs to patients, so that they go and buy them from outside because they run those pharmacies. I want to laud the County Government of Mombasa. Recently they declared that they will no longer renew licenses of pharmacists who operate pharmacies near public hospitals. I urge other county governments to follow suit by enforcing such a directive.

We do not have proper storage facilities in some hospitals. I have heard that Members of the Committee on Health are going to go around the whole country with the aim of tackling the issue of expired drugs in our public hospitals. I urge them that those hospitals should not only be reprimanded, but they should also be facilitated with proper storage space and facilities. I suggest that we digitize this space. We should have an inventory that can forecast expiry of drugs.

We are fond of getting medical donations. Some donations do not align with what is needed on the ground. We do not have to take everything we are given in form of medical donations because we do not even use some of them as a country.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I also want to comment on the Statement by Sen. Sifuna regarding the late Pope Francis. I am not a Catholic, but Pope Francis is one of the popes who caught my attention because of the many stands he took. He was open and outspoken about global affairs. He spoke about the war in Gaza. He was also open about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) movement. Just because I admired how he was outspoken does not mean that I support the LGBTQ or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more LGBTQ+ movement. My stand and preference is out there. As we mourn the Pope, we have seen that there are proposed African Popes to take over from him.

I do not know why Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale is laughing, it may sound far- fetched, but at least for the first time, we have a possibility of a black Pope. It is a huge step in the right direction.

Thank you.

Sen. Cherarkey Samson, please proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I would like to comment on two Statements.

First, I would like to commensurate and pass my deepest condolences to the Catholics across the globe for the unfortunate demise of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. He was the unlikely Pope. If you have watched the movie called Conclave in Netflix, it tries to watershed on how Pope Francis became the Pope, coming from South America, where we have the largest number of Catholics.

He was one of the reformers or rather a reformist Pope, who spoke against the war in Gaza, which was unlikely. You have seen videos where he is engaging people and the priests in Gaza. We know what is happening, and we continue to pray. He had a clarion call that we should have a peaceful globe.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as we celebrate his legacy, we must continue to have humanity, a peaceful world and push for an equal society across various nations. Leading billions of people from the Vatican has been a very interesting service of Pope Francis. His funeral service boarded simplicity, which he did while alive as the pontiff of the largest religious community in the world.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir there is a Ghanaian cardinal and another one from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) . I think it is a high time that the Conclave, as they retreat from tomorrow, consider giving us a black Pope. Africans have been loyal Catholics. This was first time to have a South American Pope by the name of Pope Francis. Previously, we had a German, Pope Ratzinger, who resigned midway because of health reasons. We hope to have a black Pope for the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church across the world. So, as we celebrate---

I am not canvassing. It is not allowed in the Conclave because they are even switching on signals. I was just saying it is the wish of many Kenyans.

May perpetual light shine upon him, as he rests in peace. The Catholic Church will continue in pushing for both.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Catholic Church has done a lot in the education and health sectors. We should ensure that we support the Catholic Church and all other churches or religions to push for a better society in education, health and governance issues.

I also wish Cardinal John Njue would have participated in the Conclave, but because of health reasons, he could not. I am happy that Bishop Anyolo has clarified that he was indeed invited to participate in voting in the Conclave. We wish Cardinal John Njue all the best and quick recovery. He would have been part of the cardinals who are in the Conclave to ensure we have a new pontiff.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Vatican is one of the smallest states in the world. Pope Francis even visited this nation. I hope the next Pope will also visit this country and commune, and be part of pushing for the agenda of equity and decency among the morals.

Finally, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on the issue of the Statement by the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, I expect the Chairperson of the Committee to tell us the status of top-dressing Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) and the distribution of fertilizer in the country. We need to stop playing politics with agriculture. I saw the former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, courtesy of Sen. Methu, trying to cast aspersions, yet during the investigation of the scandal of fake fertilizer, he was at the centre of it. Therefore, those are for political expediency. These people want to run for some office and they do not have an agenda.

The investigations placed the former Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Linturi, at the centre of the fake fertilizer scandal. The National Assembly wanted to impeach him due to that scandal, I challenge the Standing Committee on Agriculture to table their report on fake fertilizer because, you will find the former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture at the centre of it. He should not now twist the story or try to change it.

Where I come from, when the T9 bites you or your dog, that dog becomes a T9 and wants to bite everybody in the village. So, he cannot be threatening us, alleging that some individuals outside him were involved in the fake fertilizer scandal. He must tell us where the donated fertilizer went. He was the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture then, and the back stopped with him.

I hope the media will be bold enough to ask him in the report by the National Assembly, when he was supposed to be impeached or to be removed by the vote of no confidence, why he did not have the energy to blackmail and intimidate?

I want to ask the President not to be intimidated or blackmailed by known profiteers and auctioneers of politics. I know he wants to blackmail the Government, so

that he can be paid a gratuity after serving as the Cabinet Secretary. We should not allow that blackmail to happen in this country. Our politics must be hygienic.

It is embarrassing for our farmers from Nyandarua, Nandi, and even Kericho. For the first time, when President William Ruto took office, fertilizer which was Kshs7,000, was subsidized to Kshs2,500. All farmers, not only maize farmers, but tea and even sugar cane farmers, can now access fertilizer at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).

This year, to report as a farmer, we have not had any scandals involving fake fertilizer, unlike when Hon. Linturi was in office. It means that he was the problem. I was in Lessos, Mosoriot and Malaba NCPB, there are all types of fertilizer and they are up to standard. So, who was the problem in the Ministry of Agriculture? It was the Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Linturi.

This year, even in Bomet County, we have not had any complaint on the supply of fertilizer. I want to challenge the counties. I know other counties are doing the same. You know, my county is on autopilot. We have an inept Governor called Hon. Sang who has decided to autopilot everything. If my county can do the last-mile distribution of fertilizer, it will assist farmers. I want to challenge governors across the country, including Governor Stephen Sang, Governor Barchok and Governor Badilisha, to do the last-mile distribution of fertilizer to save farmers on transport costs, so that it becomes cheaper at the end of the day.

I want to challenge NCPB to ensure that there is the topdressing fertilizer, the Urea and CAN to ensure that farmers have access to the fertilizer. I expected the Standing Committee on Agriculture to tell us about that.

Finally, I saw the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Hon. Mutahi Kagwe in Kericho County discussing issues of bonuses. We want to be told which mathematics and computations are being used. When you go to another region in this country, they get the highest bonus of up to Kshs68, but when you come to Nandi County, we are getting bonuses as low as Kshs17. What magic are they doing in Mombasa that we are being told that the tea from Western Kenya, amounting to Kshs34 billion, has not yet been sold, but tea from one region has been sold?

I hope Hon. Mutahi Kagwe is not doing a Public Relations (PR) exercise in Kericho County as we speak. He must tell the farmers of Kericho, Nandi, Bomet and Western Kenya counties, why we are getting less bonuses? You, Sen. Aaron Cheruiyot and I know that there is one constant question that our farmers ask us - why are our bonuses in this region lower than in other regions?

I challenge the Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, that as he is working on the issue of tea, he must tell us what the problem is with this issue of tea. I hope that as we do tea sector reforms, the friend of Sen. Methu will tell us why he stole and objected the tea sector reforms where farmers should have reaped.

I remember Sen. Aaron Cheruiyot hosted us for the tea conference. We must reap the fruits of the guaranteed minimum returns for the betterment of a tea farmer, a sugarcane farmer, a coffee farmer and a maize farmer.

With your indulgence, I support all those Statements. I thank you.

Sen. Cherarkey, it is not called Western Region, but west of the Rift that includes Nandi, Kericho, Bomet and the Western Region.

I wanted to comment on the report by the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, but they have since left.

I was deeply concerned as I listened to the presentation by Sen. (Prof.) Kamar, on behalf of the Committee on its activities. I am particularly worried because of the situation that is pertaining in the neighbouring county of Nyamira where there are two county assemblies.

It will be interesting to know why up to now, we are unable to resolve what appears to me to be a pretty straightforward issue. I said it when the matter first came to this House that the easier thing to do is to establish which of these institutions the Controller of Budget (CoB) is funding and allowing release of funds to.

Who is the Clerk since clerks are gazetted and it is known? It is important for the Clerk, who is the administrator of the County Assembly duly recognized by the Government, to come and appear before the House and confirm to which Assembly he owes allegiance to of the so-called two county assemblies. There can only be one.

I wanted to listen to the presentation from that Committee on how they have succeeded in securing justice for the citizens of Nyamira who continue to suffer because of lack of services of primary oversight. This is because a dysfunction oversight means nobody is checking the goings-on in the County Executive of Nyamira. Perhaps one would not place Governor Nyaribo away from these disputes because he benefits more. A weakened county assembly benefits the Executive more than any other person because it means they are able to have a free hand and reign.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would also wish to register my concerns with that Committee with regards to another issue that has emerged in our county governments. We said this when we were passing the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPIC) reports toward the period we went on recess. We hurriedly passed I think almost 50 reports combined here on very topical issues in our county governments. These included maladministration, governance challenges and so on and so forth. It is not right

that featuring prominently from the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations nothing has been said on what we as Senate need to do. It is not a good situation when we are being told that on average 90-99 per cent of the counties are spending on average 10-20 per cent only of all these funds we are talking about as devolved funds on development. The rest is in recurrent expenditure and other charges that were not the original intent of devolution.

The Committee must lead this House into a conversation whether we, as a House, are concerned with this situation and are happy to content, and leave it as it is. There is no need to fight here to push the figures to Kshs450billion yet we know that close to 80 percent is going to pay salaries and how people travel.

On average, every county perhaps one would hardly find two to three per cent of the county population works in the county government. If that two to three per cent in

their service provision is consuming close to 50 per cent of the funds we are devolving, is that really the original intention of devolution. I do not think that is the case. Therefore, as a House, we must make difficult decisions. We should guide the counties, hold their hands and help them to make the right decision so that there is prudent use of resources.

The Public Finance Management Act is not a suggestion. It is a set of rules that we are actually duty-bound, as a House, to ensure that we enforce its compliance. We have to ensure that the county governments follow through with the intended purpose of the regulations that we have passed here on many occasions.

We are increasingly getting to hear that committees have visited various places, which is a good thing, but I wish that we address ourselves to more concrete and substantial issues. If we do that, we will help the country appreciate and know that the Senate has taken its place and that we take our duty of oversight very seriously.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I said what I am about to say again towards the end of last session. I said that it is possible for us, as a House, to develop the tools through which we can measure the performance of a county government. The Senate can then give a fair and objective appraisal of all the 47 county governments based on the indices that we will develop. This is not rocket science. They are things that are available.

We can look at how a county treats pending bills, what percentage of their resources are dedicated to development and their own source revenue. We can also look at corruption indexes, the cases that are being reported, completion of projects, budget implementation and absorption of the budget. These are things that we know and are available in all the 47 county governments.

Sen. Mungatana, MGH, do you want to tell me that as a House, we cannot do this? We can have the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations or the Committee on Budget and Finance lead us. If they find it to be difficult, then those of us who take our legislative duties seriously, like yourself, Sen. Cherarkey, the Temporary Speaker and many of us can develop the tools. Why do we have to wait for some dubious institutions to rank governors and troop them here to Nairobi and say that governor so and so has performed yet we know how they secure those things? That is stupidity of the highest order. A governor who goes to pose for pictures with those things is a con man that the people of that county should quickly reject.

What basis do they use to indicate their performance? We know the tools that we can use to measure the performance of a county government. This is a responsibility which we, as Senate, cannot pass on to any other person. These are things that we need to do and ensure that we set the indices together with the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). We should develop the framework and the formula, such that when it is applied and weighted, one can see the performance of a county government. We can then objectively assess and say that this is what we know about it and the things that are happening.

I earlier raised an issue of a Senate Oversight Fund, which I hope that at the right time, we will get an opportunity to explain to the citizens of this Republic why that fund is important and why it should be made available to Senators. I said we can make do without it because we have stayed without it for the last 10 plus years. There is nothing

new about it. In fact, we operate better when there are no resources that are attached to us thus nobody can say that we misappropriated this or the other. However, we have said we will be more effective, as a House, if we hired the correct pool of people to work with us in ensuring that the function of oversight in the office of a Senator in the counties is properly tackled and handled. That is something that is under consideration and I hope that citizens will be fair arbiters in this process. When we eventually get the chance to take this Bill to the citizens and explain our perspective of it, especially with regards to devolution, we hope that they will make the right decision.

I take judicial notice of the fact that it is a few seconds to the rise of the House. Therefore, I quickly conclude my comments.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Sen. Cheruiyot, the Senate Majority Leader.

Shall we rise? Hon. Senators, it is now 6.30 p.m., time to adjourn the Senate. The Senate, therefore, stands adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, 7th May, 2025, at 9.30