Wednesday, 19th November, 2025

Clerk, do we have quorum?

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

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

Hon. Senators, we now have quorum. So, we will start the day’s business. Clerk, you may call out the first Order.

Hon. Senators, we have three Cabinet Secretaries appearing before the Senate today for purposes of responding to seven Questions. Now that we are starting at 9.53 a.m., each Question will be allocated 20 minutes, so that we cover the seven Questions.

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We will start with Question No.075, which is a Question directed to the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and it is asked by the Senator for Kisumu County.

Clerk, can you confirm if the CS for Agriculture and Livestock Development is in the House.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development the following Question-

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may now proceed to respond.

The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development

: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir. With your permission, I also wish to record my appreciation for the invitation to come to the House, where I also served for five years.

In response to the Hon. Senator's Question, Homa Bay County is not a pyrethrum growing zone since the climatic conditions are not favourable for such. Homa Bay County is located within an altitude of 1,163 metres to 1,219 metres above sea level, with a rainfall of about 700 to 800 millimetres and an annual temperature of 17 to 34 degrees

Services, Senate. Celsius. These climatic conditions are not suitable for pyrethrum growing. This was also confirmed by the Deputy Governor of Homa Bay County through the letter dated the 28th May, 2025, which is annexed.

For general information, in Kenya, pyrethrum is grown in 19 counties within the highland regions of Kenya, comprising of the North Rift region. The counties in the North Rift are Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Mt. Elgon in Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu and Nandi. In the South Rift region, we have Nakuru, Kericho, Bomet and Narok. In the Central Eastern region, there is also Laikipia, Nyandarua, Meru, Nyeri, Kiambu and Embu. In the Lake Region Bloc we have Kisii and Nyamira.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is the case because the suitable conditions within the highlands for growing of pyrethrum are essentially an altitude of about 1,700 metres to 3,000 metres above sea level. The best flowering is usually achieved in altitudes of above 2,130 metres above sea level. It also requires well-drained volcanic soils, with a minimum pH of about 5.6 and an annual rainfall of a minimum of about 800 millimetres well-spread within the season. Temperatures below 18 degrees Celsius persist for at least six weeks to initiate flowering. High temperatures, water-deficit conditions and photo- period affect flower development and pyrethrin yields.

In response to the second part of the Question regarding the revitalisation of the pyrethrum sector in the Lake Region Economic Bloc and in the country generally, let me inform the honourable House that the Government is pursuing several policy reforms and initiatives to revitalise the pyrethrum sector, both in the Lake Region Economic Bloc, as well as the other counties, particularly Kisii and Nyamira, where pyrethrum does well, and across the country generally.

The reforms are geared towards boosting production, improving farmers' livelihoods and addressing global market challenges. Specifically, on policy reforms, one is the distribution of high-quality and clean planting materials. In the past, we have experienced problems as far as seeds are concerned. The Government, therefore, is focused on providing farmers with high-quality, clean pyrethrum planting materials.

Several stakeholders have distributed planting materials to pyrethrum farmers, which include seedlings distributed to West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nyandarua and Nakuru counties. They each received about 250,000 seedlings respectively, while Kericho received 50,000 seedlings.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is also pertinent that the Government is encouraging the participation of the private sector in the growing and processing of pyrethrum to make the sub-sector more competitive. Not just more competitive, but to create a market for pyrethrum-growing farmers. Already within the country, some of the partners are Botanical Extract, Kentagra Biotechnology and African Technologies. These are investors in production and value addition of pyrethrum products.

We have financial challenges within the sector. The Government allocated some Kshs105 million, which everybody will appreciate that it is not enough for the pyrethrum processing company of Kenya. We have a huge debt portfolio, which has fallen over many years. Therefore, we can only use this money for purchasing of seeds, propagation of planting of seedlings and provision of extension services to farmers. However, we will

Services, Senate. need your support in terms of getting adequate provisions to revive the industry, but I am also going to make proposals as I answer the question.

The issue of addressing the historical delayed payments to farmers is a critical policy reform. Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) regulates both private and Government players to ensure prompt payments at competitive rates per kilo, based on pyrethrin content as an incentive to return to pyrethrum farming.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, many people stopped farming pyrethrum because there was no market and they were not being paid on time. The Ministry, through the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya Limited, pays the pyrethrum growers their produce on the basis of pyrethrin content. In an ideal situation, the practise is to advance growers an amount of money per every kilogramme of dry flowers delivered to the factory and the balance to be paid after the content analysis. To be honest, this is not happening due to cash flow constraints that the Company has. The advance is to cushion growers and enable them manage their agronomic practises to enhance production per unit area.

On the document that we have given, there is a pyrethrum producer price schedule attached to my answer. I do not know whether you want me to go through the whole thing.

No, it is not necessary. The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development

: Let me just highlight one thing; the highest rates that we have paid at the moment is actually in West Pokot, at Kshs525 per kilo. West Pokot is earning very high rates because the pyrethrin content within the pyrethrum grown in West Pokot is actually the highest in the country at the moment.

We are also looking at liberalising the pyrethrum sector by encouraging the private investors to join the value chain. The aim here is at eliminating the monopoly previously held by the defunct Pyrethrum Board of Kenya and foster competition, which is expected to lead to better prices for farmers and stimulate growth.

We also aim at reducing unnecessary competition from imported pyrethrum. You will recall, following demands from both this House and the National Assembly, we banned some 77 pesticides products and restricted over 200 others imported into the country. This creates an opportunity for the pyrethrum industry to start replacing the pesticides that we have banned from outside the country with suitable organic pesticides because pesticides are still necessary and we can produce them organically using pyrethrum. The pyrethrum-based pesticides will provide a good market for our pyrethrum farmers.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is also important for us, as a Government, to encourage the adoption of modern technologies like solar dryers for post-harvest management to reduce losses. This has supported the counties with a total of 72 solar dryers; 64 were supplied by AFA in Nyandarua, Nakuru, Bomet and West Pokot counties and eight were also supplied by the Pyrethrum Processing Company in Nyandarua County for demonstration purposes and adoption by farmers.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding the third part of the Question that alludes to the issue of what the Government is doing to enhance access for farmers to certify pyrethrum

Services, Senate. plantlets and extension services, the Government has been assisting farmers in accessing pyrethrum planting materials, in addition to providing extension services in collaboration with other stakeholders. Remember that agriculture is a devolved function and consequently, the farm extension officers are essentially managed by the counties. We have specialised extension officers who work with county extension officers to provide advice to farmers.

The idea is also to provide training facilities for farmers within the processing company, so that they can get the best crop husbandry that is available in the country. On the planting materials, the Ministry, through the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya, propagates clean planting materials in two areas, that is, Muguga and Molo tissue culture laboratories, through tissue culture technologies.

We also distribute cleaning materials. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has also distributed standard pyrethrum planting materials to farmers, as alluded to earlier. The issue of extension services is crucial, not just for the pyrethrum growing, but also for all other crops. This is one of the issues that we have to work very closely with the county governments to provide extension officers.

I believe it is also important for us to say at this point that, for a long time, the definition of an extension officer has been vague and undefined. One of the efforts that we are putting forward is certification of extension officers. Those qualified to be extension officers should be people who are certified by the Kenya Agricultural Colleges, so that they have certificates that qualify them as extension officers. By so doing, we will make sure that there is a standard in the country for extension officers, including those for pyrethrum.

In the last part of the Question on the issue of providing the details on the initiatives by the Government to secure guaranteed foreign markets, I found several issues within the Ministry and within this sector. To be honest, this has been a very challenging and sometimes frustrating area to deal with in terms of the foreign markets, even though we are exporting. I will explain why I have made that statement.

The draft Crop Pyrethrum Regulations, 2024 under development will provide a framework for the pyrethrum sector, including the requirements for nurseries, processors and exporters. Two, the pyrethrum products market is segmented, and let me explain this. The USA market requires a generation of critical toxicology and efficacy data required by the USA regulatory agency, that is, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya is a member of the Pyrethrum Joint Venture, a consortium that includes major stakeholders in the global pyrethrum industry.

The Government has put in efforts to renew its registrations with EPA. This is important for me. That is a very pregnant statement in terms of our effort to renew, because the registration has expired in the USA, and it takes quite some time and money for us to renew the registration within the EPA.

After registration with the EPA, unfortunately for us, it is renewal, not new registration, because the new registration would take almost two years. So, we are renewing that and putting effort into doing so. We have already got somebody, an agent, who is working on doing so.

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In the European Union (EU), pyrethrum is regulated under the biocidal product regulation and the registration is coordinated through the European Chemical Agency (ECA). Kenyan pyrethrum product has been trading in European markets through a network of distributors. Thirdly, the acquisition of international certification standards for quality products, where the pyrethrum processing company is aligning its processing standards to meet Good Manufacturing Practice. That is known as the GMP, secondly, ISO and third, the good laboratory practices standards demanded by the global markets.

In terms of enhancing value addition and agro-processing, the Government, through the same institution, has invested significantly in agro-processing to enhance value addition to pyrethrum products. You will recall that we have got a new plant in Nakuru, which unfortunately, has never been commissioned as a result of a lack of proper management and lack of enough pyrethrum within the country. So, these efforts have led to the registration and commercialisation of seven pyrethrum-based products targeting pests in animal health, public health, agriculture, commercial and industrial sectors.

Finally, the Government has introduced agro-processing zones, where pyrethrum processors can access affordable industrial species to process pyrethrum-based products.

I submit.

Senator for Kisumu County, do you have any supplementary questions?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Just one question. Hon. Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, on page four, you have indicated the allocation to pyrethrum at Kshs105 million in the Financial Year 2024/2025. Could the Cabinet Secretary clarify whether there are earnings from pyrethrum, if any?

The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development

: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Just take a couple of more questions, then you can respond to them at once.

Sen. Wambua, please proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Cabinet Secretary has admitted in many words that since the disbandment of the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya in 2013, the crop has walked a very painful journey towards being an orphaned cash crop. He has also admitted that there is global demand for natural insecticides and pyrethrum would really fit that bill. I want to know what percentage of the Ministry budget has been allocated to research and development of the pyrethrum subsector in view of the demands of the global market for the crop.

I thank you.

Sen. Mbugua, please proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Bwana Cabinet Secretary, in 2021, the Ministry then approved the sale of assets of the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya to settle debts owed to pyrethrum farmers. Could you tell this House the specific assets which were sold, how much was raised and how much is being owed to pyrethrum farmers at the moment?

Thank you.

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Sen. Maanzo, please proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Bearing in mind that the world is now going organic and organic insecticides are very popular and in demand in the world now, what programmes does the Cabinet Secretary have for the future, so that we may capture this market and make sure that pyrethrum is back on track, there are no more debts and we can make profits worldwide?

Thank you.

Sen. Eddy Oketch, please proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Waziri has indicated that Homa Bay County has got no good climatic conditions for growing pyrethrum.

The national Government is charged with making policy on some of these devolved Government functions. Is there a policy position to that effect and has it been communicated to counties?

We have seen Homa Bay County budget lines having pyrethrum as a core cornerstone for agriculture in that area. Even in Migori County, there has been indication for growing pyrethrum. Could there be a possibility that there is a conduit for loss of money by our counties if there is no policy position?

Hon. CS, you have four minutes to respond to those supplementary questions.

The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development (Hon. Mutahi Kagwe: Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the issue of the earnings, there are some earnings that we get from selling the products that the Company has been making, but given the budgetary requirements, this is not enough. The Company has been earning about Kshs35 million per year. At best, it came to about Kshs60 million per year. There is no money that has been allocated for research, which is a very critical area for us.

Not that we have not proposed the research budget, it is only that at the end of the budget process, we find ourselves with not just no money for research, but not enough money even to sustain the organisation itself. This is why I was quite candid and honest about it. Perhaps, if I answer in a broader way, I will cover some of the questions together.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the only way, in our view, in terms of policy structure, that we have a future within the pyrethrum sector, is to involve the private sector. The way we propose is that there is a Cabinet memo at the moment, which I have done. We are working with National Treasury on this one, to see whether we can go into leasing of the Pyrethrum Processing Company of Kenya.

This idea came from the employees themselves, who actually sent a memo to me to ask me whether that was possible. I agree that this is the way forward. If you look at the private organisations in the country, they are managing to survive. Just like we have done with other industries in tea, cotton and sugar, we should license the private sector, so that they can do so, obviously, in a transparent and very clear manner.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me just for a little bit also address the issue of the debts and the assets of the organisation. Farmers are owed only about Kshs10 million, which is

Services, Senate. essentially the payments from August, September, October and November, which we have not managed to pay, but which we are going to pay.

That is not the main beef. The main challenge is that the debt portfolio of the organisation is some Kshs3.5 billion. That also comes back to the question that was asked about what we are doing about the debt, which is essentially in suppliers and staff pension. We have tried as much as possible to keep on paying the farmers, but there is a debt portfolio of about Kshs3.5 billion. There was a proposal, as a Senator has rightly said, that assets should be sold in order to cover this debt. It is true that the organisation also has an asset portfolio of about Kshs6 billion. So, it is possible for us to cover the debt once we sell.

The process of doing so hit a problem at some point. The movement from the original company to this organisation, the transition period, the valuation of those assets, and so on and so forth, delayed everything about the sale of the assets. So, to date, we have not sold any of the assets.

Once the Cabinet agrees that we license the organisation, we will need to go through the entire valuation of the assets again, because the valuation that we have was the one done at that time. The idea of settling the debts via the sale of some of the assets is still what we intend to do because there is no other way. Indeed, for us to make it viable for licensing, it is necessary that we settle the debts. Nobody in their right minds, no businessman, is going to come up and say that they want an organisation that is in the red to the tune of Kshs3.5 billion. So, we need to clean up our balance sheet as we move forward towards the licensing regime.

On Homa Bay, the guiding principle in terms of where to plant what is essentially the weather and climate conditions that I alluded to when I answered the first part of Sen. (Prof.) Ojienda's Question. This is what guides the policy framework. You cannot decide that you want to grow pyrethrum in an area where the climatic conditions do not allow. There are some hilly spots within Homa Bay that there is experimenting going on to see if indeed it is possible to grow pyrethrum there. Largely, this is not going to be a big crop in the Homa Bay area, simply because of the climatic conditions.

There are other crops such as palm oil that are very suitable for Homa Bay. We are in engagement with the county government regarding how we can support the production of palm oil, which perhaps will be the premier crop in that county in the future.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I think I have addressed all the questions that were asked. I submit.

Thank you, honourable CS. We will terminate our interaction with the CS at that juncture and allow him to leave at his own pleasure.

We will now move to Question No.105. Clerk, you may usher in the CS in charge of Energy and Petroleum.

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Hon. Senators, let me take this opportunity to welcome the CS in charge of Energy and Petroleum to the Senate. Honourable CS, you are before the Senate for purposes of responding to Questions Nos.105 and 123.

Hon. Senators, these two Questions will be allocated 40 minutes, meaning 20 minutes per Question. We will start with Question No.105 and terminate at 10.44 a.m. and, thereafter, proceed to Question No.123 to terminate at 11.05 a.m.

I call upon the Senator for Makueni County to proceed and ask Questions. Question No.105

Mr. Speaker Sir I rise to ask the following Question to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum-

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may proceed to respond. The Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum

: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I wish to respond to Question No.105. To put this in context, the national Government under the guidance and leadership of His Excellency President William Ruto is implementing a robust and elaborate programme to extend electricity to every corner of this country without exception, as I will demonstrate shortly.

As a matter of fact, from August, 2022 to now, more than 1.2 million additional households countrywide have been connected to electricity; Makueni County, of course, being part of that package.

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During the financial years 2022/2023, 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, the Government has been able to allocate some Kshs2.03 billion for Makueni County under the last mile electricity projects targeting some 18,320 households. A total cost of Kshs832,581,888 has been committed through the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) for implementation of some 139 projects. The list of these projects is provided under annex one, showing both the approved budgets and their current implementation status.

There were further four projects whose survey and design phases were completed and had been earmarked for implementation, but owing to resource constraints could not be implemented as scheduled and were therefore deferred to the Financial Year 2025/2026.

Annexes two, three, four and five provide details of the projects that have been implemented and those that are planned in Makueni County, including their constituencies and design status.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding part (b) of the Question, the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, continues to implement various programmes aimed at accelerating electricity access in counties where connectivity remains low, including Makueni County.

To address funding constraints and expand rural electrification coverage, the Government is pursuing additional financing from development partners to scale up ongoing initiatives under the Last Mile Connectivity Project and other complementary programmes.

In particular, the African Development Bank (ADB) financed Last Mile Connectivity Project Phase Three, which is currently under procurement, targets some 35 counties across the country, focusing on areas with low connection levels. Under this programme, Makueni County has been allocated approximately Kshs185 million, which will facilitate the construction of new low voltage distribution networks and transformer installations to connect hundreds of households.

The Ministry is also working closely with Kenya Power and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) to optimise available resources, rationalise existing infrastructure and implement grid intensification and extension works to ensure equitable access across all counties.

The table that follows shows the summary of the Last Mile Connectivity Project in Makueni County, with the amounts and the respective number of households.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding part (c) of the Question, the Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, in collaboration with development partners such as the World Bank, is implementing several initiatives to promote the adoption of solar and other off-grid renewable energy solutions among residents in arid and semi-arid regions.

One of the flagship programmes under this effort is the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project, famously referred to as KOSAP, which seeks to expand access to modern energy services in areas that are not viable for grid extension in the short term, at a cost of US$150 million. The project targets 14 undeserved counties, and these counties are

Services, Senate. Garissa, Isiolo, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, Wajir, West Pokot, Narok and Taita Taveta.

The objective of KOSAP is to provide renewable energy access to approximately 37,107 households and 343 public facilities, including schools, health centres and administrative offices, through solar mini-grids, stand-alone solar systems and clean cooking solutions.

Although Makueni County is not among the 14 counties targeted under the initial KOSAP phase, the Government continues to explore the expansion of similar off-grid renewable energy interventions to other counties with low access levels.

In parallel, the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) is also implementing stand-alone solar systems and mini-grid projects across non-grid areas, complementing national electrification efforts. These initiatives collectively contribute to the realisation of universal electricity access by the year 2030, as outlined in the Kenya National Electrification Strategy.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on part (d) of the Question, the aim of the Ministry is to diversify the country's energy mix to ensure that we meet the rising demand for electricity. The current energy mix is as contained in the table that follows.

I note that there are future possibilities, based on the available information, to tap into available renewable energy resources, in particular solar and wind, which I note is available in Makueni County and various other areas in the country. The Ministry is in the process of exploiting the same.

Secondly, the Ministry is transitioning to renewable energy options that will encourage the private sector to invest more into solar and wind resources, and sell their power at competitive prices. These initiatives will ensure that we harness more power from solar and wind and diversify our energy mix.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, finally, the National Assembly, which is part of this Parliament, has lifted the moratorium that was imposed by the same House some time back. Therefore, we at the Ministry and our respective implementing agency, Kenya Power, are now free to engage in negotiations with prospective Independent Power Producers (IPPs). This will go a long way in addressing the shortfall. It will also attract more local and foreign investments.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Maanzo, do you have any supplementary questions?

Yes, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the effort he has made. He has clearly indicated that Makueni County does not have a budget on part of solar power.

Recently, the President, while in Qatar, talked about power rationing and I believe he said that based on the advice of the Cabinet Secretary. When will the people of Makueni County experience this power rationing? We want to know for us to plan ourselves.

Hon. CS, wait for the Members to ask a couple of questions, then you can respond to them at once.

Services, Senate.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, as you know, I am a Member of the Committee on Energy. This morning, we woke up to news that Kenya Power owes Kshs30 billion out of this same programme, rural electrification, because the Government has pushed power to people who cannot sustain that power. Those people cannot pay the power bills.

We have seen the CS for Energy and Petroleum, go into some hut and switch on light, yet one can see the economic situation of that house. I think that is photo obsession. Our sister Committee in the National Assembly has now recommended that for Kenya Power to repay the state the Kshs30 billion, the electricity cost should be raised from July, 2026. That money will be paid by the working middle class in this country who can afford to pay.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, we were in Kilifi County where you come from. We were told that people are connected to power, but the complaint was that the power is unreliable and it has low voltage, hence it cannot power a posho mill for a ‘hustler’ down to run the business. I am sure you have interacted with this issue.

As the CS pushes this power to the people, my question is: what plans have they, as a Government, put in place to ensure that the people they are connecting that power to are in an economic situation where they can pay their power bills after they get the infrastructure?

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, Sir. First and foremost, I thank the CS for coming to this House and appreciate the good work they are doing. I know people are crying for power in every part of this country, but I will talk about my county.

Wajir County has been experiencing power blackouts and power inefficiency supply for many years. Subsequent governments have always told us that we will be connected to the national grid and that they have a five megawatts hybrid solar system, but we continue to experience the same problems up to now.

We have also been told that Kenya Power has leased some generators from a private company called Encomm Power, but they are very inefficient. Encomm Power does not give sufficient supply of power to Wajir County. Wajir experiences blackouts every day. My question is; when will the Ministry connect Wajir to the national grid because Wajir is growing? There are so many off-grid plans that have been taken from the main town to the rural areas, which is okay, but the power is not enough. There are many connections hence the main town---

Sen. Abbas, just pose your question.

Okay. The problem is we are experiencing terrible power blackouts. When are we going to have the promised five megawatts hybrid power from solar and what is your Ministry doing to connect Wajir to the national grid?

Thank you.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to ask a question. Hon. CS, welcome to the Senate and thank you for your response on Makueni.

My question is; does the Ministry have a programme around the national Government partnership with county governments, to ensure operationalisation of the

Services, Senate. industrial parks? How much has the Ministry supported the provision of energy resources around the County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), and how equitable is that process?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Hon. CS, on page two of your response, you talked about the Last Mile Connectivity Project, Phase Two. Could you tell this House how much that financing is and also name the 32 counties which are supposed to benefit?

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. In Nandi County, we usually have regular blackouts which affects our business, as farmers, especially preservation of milk and other produce. What strategy does the Ministry have to ensure they prevent regular blackouts that affect the ease of doing business even as they do the last mile connectivity to rural homes? How much has been allocated for rural electrification, in Nandi County, in this financial year?

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity. Thank you, Hon. CS, for your presentation.

My question is; what mechanisms of sustainability have you put in place to maintain and sustain these gadgets? In Bungoma County, where I come from, most mama mbogas are suffering because of regular power outages. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker, Sir. What is the CS doing to ensure that the costs of the projects they are procuring, particularly in the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited- KETRACO, are the actual market costs and not inflated costs? What is he going to do to resolve the matter that has been hanging around between the court and Kenya Power about the metres that is affecting the connections of rural projects? What is he going to do to address the conflict of interest in those who are invoked in that matter?

Thank you very much.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is not true that majority of the households that we connected to electricity to fail to pay bills. We do not have that evidence. Many a time, when we go out there to commission or launch these projects, it is really as a way of rallying the public and sensitising them on what the Government is doing for them, as far as extending electricity is concerned.

If there is any default in electricity bill payment, it can only be out of individual cases where somebody has failed to pay bills for one reason or the other, not because of the fact that we are extending these services to those who are unable to.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in reference to plans for consistent, reliable and uninterrupted supply of electricity, it is important to point out that we are not just implementing these last mile connectivity projects or programmes in isolation. We are looking at this in a holistic manner.

As I mentioned, it starts with generation, which thankfully we are now able to progress as a result of the lifting of the moratorium. However, after we generate, we are also concurrently dealing with the issue of infrastructure for both transmission and distribution. We have invested heavily as Government and also with support of partners like REREC, Kenya Power and the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO). You must look at all these in totality because they contribute eventually to supply electricity which is reliable, consistent, uninterrupted and more importantly, cost effective.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in regards to Wajir County, we have been in touch with the leadership and are working very closely with them. We know there have been challenges, especially Wajir Town, as a result of a breakdown in one or two generators that supply the town. I have personally been in touch with Governor Ahmed Abdullahi and my good friend, the Hon. Member of Parliament for Wajir East Constituency, Hon. Daudi. We have worked very closely and I am happy to report that the restoration of power to normalcy in Wajir Town and environs is almost complete.

More importantly, in plans, we have a robust and transformative project that is going to ensure that we have a hybrid system in Wajir Town. It is a hybrid system that will supply six megawatts of electricity to Wajir Town and environs, which is comprising of a solar photovoltaics (PV) and a battery storage system, to the tune of approximately Kshs2.8 billion. This is a project that we are keen as a Ministry to implement successfully. We are hopeful that come sometime in November or December next year, this project will be complete and commissioned. This is going to address in totality, and with finality, the issue of power in Wajir Town, the environs and many parts of Wajir County. I must thank the leadership of Wajir County for working very closely with us, as a Ministry.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as a Ministry and through our relevant agencies, we continue to support county governments on a case-by-case basis. These county industrial parks are at different stages of implementation or development. Therefore, if and when they get completed, we come in very fast and support them through Kenya Power. We intend to continue in that trajectory.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, the African Development Bank (AfDB) funding phase three that we are just about to implement in 35 counties, is going to cost Kshs12 billion. This project is going to create a very big positive impact in terms of our electrification coverage.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, blackouts in Nandi County must be looked at in the context of the national outlook. I am happy to report, and this is something which is evident, that for some time now, we have almost reduced to zero, cases of national blackouts. I am sure the Hon. Members will agree with me that it is long since we had an episode of national blackout. However, for the localised blackouts, if and when they occur, we have put in place elaborate systems and mechanisms to ensure that the response time is as short as possible, and that electricity is restored as soon as possible. These localised blackouts can be attributed to very many factors, but chief of which is the vegetative growth - the trees that sprout and grow along the wayleaves.

We have worked closely with Kenya Power and in the past few months, a lot of efforts have been put in cutting down these trees. This has reduced significantly the number of blackouts. Where the localised blackout is as a result of constraint in the supply, as I have said, we are implementing a very comprehensive project to ensure that we have adequate supply in the grid, going forward. This deals with the issue of Bungoma County and many other places.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the question by Hon. Sen. Mandago is not specific in terms of the cost of procurement by KETRACO. However, I would like to report to the House that, as a Ministry, and working closely with our entities, we strive to ensure that there is value in every procurement project.

There is no problem so far on the matter of metres procurement by Kenya Power. Any small hitches that were there have been resolved and the Kenya Power is on course to have these metres installed, for use by Kenyans.

Nandi County has been allocated Kshs1.349 billion, which is under implementation. This is going to connect an additional 19,000 households in Nandi County.

Thank you.

Thank you, Hon. Cabinet Secretary (CS) . We will now move to Question No.123 by the Senator for Tharaka-Nithi County, the Hon. Mwenda Gataya. This Question will take us to 11.14 a.m. Hon. Senator, you may proceed to ask your Question.

Question No. 123

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. I would request to know from the Hon. Waziri-

Services, Senate.

power outages affecting Tharaka Nithi University in Tharaka-Nithi County and its environs?

to improve power supply infrastructure and ensure progressive realisation of universal electricity connectivity in the specified area as well as across Tharaka- Nithi County and indicate the projected timeline for its implementation?

Thank you.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may now respond. The Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum

: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I will proceed to answer Question No.123. From the outset, I am pleased to report that I had the opportunity to visit Tharaka-Nithi County. In July, I toured Tharaka Constituency extensively to inspect the ongoing electrification works.

The response to part (a) is, over the past year, the Ministry, through Kenya Power has implemented a range of measures aimed at improving electricity supply reliability in the area surrounding Tharaka University and the broader Tharaka Constituency.

By way of background, electricity supply to the region is delivered via the extensive 33 kilovolt (kV) Marimanti feeder, which spans over 600 kilometres from the Kyeni 132/33 kV substation located in the neighbouring Embu County.

This long medium-voltage line serves more than 450 distribution transformers along its route and includes numerous power lines. The feeder traverses the heavily vegetated Chuka/Igambang’ombe Constituency before reaching Tharaka, presenting significant challenges in maintaining a clear wayleave trace. Vegetation encroachment has been a major contributor to recurrent outages.

Tharaka-Nithi University is situated approximately 120 kilometres from the Kyeni substation, along this radial and non-redundant feeder, making it highly susceptible to faults occurring along the main line. Following a comprehensive inspection of the feeder, Kenya Power initiated an intensified corrective and preventive maintenance programme in June, 2025. The assessment revealed substantial vegetation encroachment within the wayleave corridor, deteriorated wooden poles and faulty 33 kV line equipment on spur lines and distribution transformers, all of which contributed to frequent service interruptions.

To address these challenges, Kenya Power commenced extensive wayleave trace clearance along identified sections of the feeder. Concurrently, network rehabilitation works are underway to replace aged and rotten poles, thereby minimising outages caused by pole failure. In addition, over the past year, Kenya Power has undertaken preventive and corrective maintenance along the Marimanti 33 kV feeder at a cost of Kshs67.5 million. A further Kshs77.1 million has been allocated in the current financial year for continued rehabilitation works to enhance power supply quality and reliability.

To mitigate the limitations associated with the long feeder and the high number of connected distribution transformers, construction of a 25-kilometre dedicated 33 kV line from the Kyeni 132 kV Substation to Marima substation is ongoing. This project,

Services, Senate. estimated to cost Kshs105 million, is expected to deload the Marimanti feeder by approximately six megawatts.

Additionally, the construction of the Kajuki 33 kV Switching Station, completed at a cost of Kshs29 million, will significantly improve supply flexibility and redundancy for Igambang’ombe, Kathwana, Marimanti and the wider Tharaka Constituency by enabling the provision of separate 33 kV supply lines. The Kenya Power has allocated Kshs145 million in the current financial year for the implementation of the dedicated 33 kV in Kama and outgoing feeders to optimise and fully operationalise the Kajuki Switching Station.

Finally, an upgrade and reinforcement of the low-voltage distribution network serving residential and commercial areas adjacent to Tharaka University is underway. This project, costed at Kshs14.92 million, has been prioritised for implementation within the next eight weeks. The proposed schemes around Tharaka University are as listed in the table. These short- and medium-term interventions will provide our customers, the people of Tharaka Nithi County, with quality and reliable power supply.

To address part (b) of the question, the Ministry, through Kenya Power and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), has established a comprehensive long-term framework to enhance the electricity distribution network and attain universal access in Tharaka-Nithi County. This framework is principally anchored on the Last Mile Connectivity Programme (LMEP) and is further reinforced by complementary initiatives financed by the Government of Kenya (GoK) and various development partners.

Under the French Development Agency (FDEU), European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Government of Kenya (GoK) financed Last Mile Connectivity Programme, whose implementation is currently in progress, Chuka/Igambang’ombe, Maara and Tharaka Constituencies, the three constituencies that constitute Tharaka-Nithi County, have collectively been allocated approximately Kshs966.5 million. This funding is intended to connect an additional 9,277 households. The project scope encompasses the construction of new low-voltage single-phase distribution lines, installation of service cables and provision of electricity metres to households situated in proximity to existing transformers. The table that follows depicts a summary of the allocations to the county.

I thank you.

Hon. Mwenda Gataya, do you have any supplementary questions?

Hon. Speaker, I am comfortable with that comprehensive answer given by Hon. Waziri. However, I have received a concern from a resident in Tharaka Constituency. They would want to know the current percentage of electricity connectivity in Tharaka Constituency and the timelines to achieving 100 per cent connectivity by the year 2030.

Thank you.

Sen. Maanzo.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding the power outage, could the Cabinet Secretary clarify how long, on average, it takes to restore electricity supply? Specifically,

Services, Senate. at the junction of Muindi Mbingu Street and University Way. All the buildings and commercial enterprises have been without power since yesterday and up to now, supply has not been restored. How long does it normally take to address such blackouts? Is there power rationing currently in the country?

Thank you.

Sen. Joe Nyutu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I will refer to Question 123 (a) by the Hon. Senator for Tharaka-Nithi County regarding power outages. Although the Senator specifically asked about outages around Chuka University, this is a problem affecting the entire country. The Cabinet Secretary has gone into detail to explain issues of connectivity and has assured us of quality and reliable power supply. However, my question to him is; what exactly is your Ministry doing to ensure that we have stable power supply?

I ask this because no lesser person than the President has admitted that there is power shedding, which means that we do not produce enough electricity for our country. Has your Ministry ever considered nuclear energy as a solution, so that we may achieve constant and reliable power supply in the country?

Thank you.

Senator for Nairobi City County, the Hon. Edwin Sifuna.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, immediately I heard the President speaking about load shedding, I knew that the target was the moratorium that had been placed on Independent Power Producers (IPPs) . It has taken less than three weeks and I have heard that the Cabinet Secretary has confirmed here that the moratorium has been lifted. This House, through the Energy Committee, conducted an inquiry into the cost of electricity. A report was produced and it was adopted by this House. One of the things that we found is that there is a lot of opaqueness in the award of this Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with these IPPs. There was a lot of shadiness in the ownership of the IPPs. The report of this House is there.

So, the question I want to put to the Cabinet Secretary is; now that this moratorium has been lifted, what measures have been put in place to ensure that the problems uncovered by this House, including that opaqueness, the onerous terms, including payments to these IPPs, denominated in Dollar currency, lack of transparency and even measures put in place to give priority to IPPs who have been waiting for these power purchase agreements, like the one solar plant in Nyeri that we saw, somebody had been waiting 13 years for the power purchase agreement, are addressed. What measures have been put in place to make sure there will be no corruption this time around, that there will be no onerous terms that have been put on those IPPs for Kenyans to enjoy low power costs?

Thank you, Honourable Speaker. I also take this opportunity to welcome my brother, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum to this House. I served with him for 10 years in the National Assembly. When I see him here, I am very proud that we are really also progressing to other tasks in this country. I also hope that in

Services, Senate. the near future, I will also be in another level since we are progressing positively and not negatively.

The connectivity in Meru is very low, especially in some constituencies. I saw the Principal Secretary in one of the constituencies. Igembe North has 19.2 per cent of households that are connected. Similarly, Tigania East, 19.4 per cent, Tigania West, 24 per cent and Igembe Central, 22.3 per cent. I am aware that there is money set aside for electricity connectivity in Meru at Kshs2.4 billion, but going by these statistics, Hon. Cabinet Secretary, I do not think we can do much in that county because owing to the figures, as I have read, we have a challenge.

Therefore, what is the Ministry doing to make sure that these constituencies with low connectivity at least match up to 50 per cent of the households to be connected by 2027? Is there an elaborate plan that the Ministry has, at least, to uplift these constituencies with low connectivity to match those with the 50 per cent and the 70 per cent?

Thank you,

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on this part of power outages or power blackout, the Cabinet Secretary has conveniently left out a very important issue. My concern is on the replacement, especially when there is a power blackout or outage in a region. In Nandi, we have a number of faulty transformers. So, my question is, if there is no load shedding or power rationing, how long does it take to replace most of the faulty transformers? I know he might not have been the Cabinet Secretary then, but could he shed light? The reason we have power outage mostly is when the transformers are faulty or are damaged. So how long does it take to replace one transformer? Are there ways to establish the needs or the support within that power line of transformer, so that we can put this matter to rest?

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I just wanted to ask the Cabinet Secretary; what is the national average connectivity for the country? How does Tharaka-Nithi compare to Murang’a, Nyeri, Meru and Kiambu, so that we can have a fair comparison of the west and the east of the mountain in terms of connectivity?

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may now proceed to respond. Before you respond, Sen. Boni, you had a supplementary question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. We do not understand why there is all this power rationing. Western Kenya tends to be the biggest casualty. What is the reason? You are well-placed to tell us, because fortunately for us, you also come from Western Kenya. By that I mean the former Western and Nyanza provinces and parts of Rift Valley, Uasin Gishu and Nandi. What is the reason?

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you have five minutes to respond to those supplementary questions. You may proceed.

The Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum

: Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. Let me just answer these questions in the order they came. However, some will be answered jointly, for instance, the matter of connectivity. As a country, we are committed to attaining universal electricity access by 2030. That is a

Services, Senate. commitment that the Government has made and is working progressively towards attaining it. As we speak, average national connectivity is about 76 percent, the national access rate.

Of course, it goes without saying that different parts of the country are at different levels. I may need to go back and come up with comprehensive data covering every part of the country. As a fact, in Tharaka-Nithi County, for instance, Maara and Chuka/Igamban’gombe Constituencies are fairly ahead of Tharaka Constituency, but I can share the specific figures with the House, Honourable Speaker, if you allow me at an opportune moment.

What is critical is that we are working progressively towards attaining universal access by 2030. As a matter of fact, Kenya is also a party to the Africa Mission 300, which is a serious endeavour being spearheaded by the World Bank and Africa Development Bank to bring on board some additional 300 million people to access electricity.

Hon. Speaker, the second issue, of course, is about Muindi Mbingu Street and University Way. This is an isolated case, and of course, the relevant entities are seized of the matter. It is regrettable that it has taken long, but we are hopeful that by the time we are leaving this place, power will be back. I have been assured, Honourable Speaker.

Again, on the issue of stable, reliable power supply, I have spoken to it at length. I have said that we have a number of initiatives that we have embarked on, including the nuclear energy power that Sen. Nyutu talked about. For the first time, this country is looking at a clear case of establishing a nuclear power plant. We are more than determined that by 2027/2028, we should be doing some groundbreaking. That nuclear power plant will initially produce some 5,000 megawatts, which is significant, of course, in different phases. The first one, of course, being in Siaya County, as has been proclaimed by His Excellency the President.

The matter of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) has been spoken to, again, at length, by various committees of this House and the National Assembly. We are learning from past experiences, and therefore, making improvements to the process of coming up with the PPAs. If one takes time to read the report of the Committee on Energy of the National Assembly that has ultimately lifted the moratorium, you will see a raft of recommendations in that committee report. For the first time now, these PPAs will only come into force upon approval by the Attorney General, something that was never the case before. That enhances transparency to a very large extent. Again, for the first time, from the recommendations of that committee’s report, these PPAs will be pegged on both Kenya Shillings and Dollars. Previously, they were basically and exclusively Dollar denominated.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is also important to point out that in developing these PPAs, we are guided by the Resource Power Development Plan (RPDP) which is our blueprint. It is our guidebook in terms of determining how much power we need to generate when and where.

Services, Senate.

Just like the other counties surrounding Meru County, we are making progress in terms of driving accessibility to electricity. We have allocated Kshs2.3 billion to connect 27,500 or so additional households.

The issue of faulty transformers in Nandi County is not isolated. We are working closely with Kenya Power to ensure that replacements are done when they are due. More importantly, we continue to have a robust engagement with political leaders, especially Members of Parliament from time to time.

Since they are the people’s representatives, we get to understand the feeling of the people on the ground through them. No week passes without us having an engagement with one group or the other of MPs and other leaders, including governors and Members of County Assemblies (MCAs).

We are alive to the matter affecting Western Kenya. We have put in place deliberate measures to address the issue of power reliability in Western Kenya just like we do for the rest of the country. A number of transmission lines are currently being implemented and a number of improvements including upgrading of sub stations---

I could count very many of them if I had time, but I will share with the House more comprehensive information and data concerning projects that we are implementing to ensure that Western Kenya, just like any other part of the country, is serviced adequately, appropriately and consistently by Kenya Power and other relevant agencies.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Thank you, Hon. Cabinet Secretary. Hon. Senators, we will terminate our interaction with the Cabinet Secretary at that.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may leave at your own pleasure.

We will now move to Question No.043 by the Senator for Nairobi City County, which is directed to the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development.

Clerk, could you usher in the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development?

Hon. Senators, as the Cabinet Secretary is being ushered into the Chamber, you will notice that she has four Questions to respond to. It is now 11.20 a.m. I am going to allocate 20 minutes per Question. That means we will interact with the Cabinet Secretary for one hour and 20 minutes. That is inclusive of the Cabinet Secretary responding and also hon. Senators asking supplementary questions.

Services, Senate.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, welcome once again to the Senate. You are before the Senate for purposes of responding to four Questions. We have limited time to do that. I, therefore, ask you to paraphrase now that we have already circulated your written responses to all Senators. The first Question you will respond to is Question No.043 by the Senator for Nairobi City County, Sen. Edwine Sifuna.

Sen. Sifuna, you may now proceed to ask your Question. Question No.043

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is good to see the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development. As you are aware, we have very many pending questions for her Ministry.

This is Question No.043-

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you can answer that first Question. That is Question No.043. As directed by the former Chair, you do not need to read this document verbatim because it is voluminous. You should paraphrase by going to areas you think the Senator for Nairobi City will understand. It is also important to note whether he is satisfied or not since he has to familiarise himself with the response.

Proceed, Hon. Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think it is voluminous because of quite a number of attachments.

Services, Senate.

To save time, I will not repeat the question. To respond to the first part, I would like to state as follows-

LR No.18282 measuring 7.1668 hectares originally formed part of LR No.11344 measuring 277 hectares. It was registered in the name of City Council of Nairobi.

In 1992, the City Council of Nairobi leased that parcel LR No.18282 to M/S Broadway Limited. The land was leased for a term of 99 years with effect from 1st April, 1992, at an annual rent of Kshs88,000. We have put the lease document as an annexure to this response.

The lease document between the City Council of Nairobi and Broadway Limited was registered at the Land Titles Registry in Nairobi on 30th August, 1993. The property was charged in 1993 to Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Limited for a sum of Kshs10 million. We have attached the charge document showing the status in terms of the borrowing by Broadway Limited.

On 26th September, 2024, the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning received a letter from the Director of Assets Recovery Agency stating that the agency was conducting investigations into a suspected case of money laundering in respect to, I believe, the company that is the registered owner of this parcel, one of the properties in question. The parcel number was, therefore, put under caution or restriction under Section 76.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have put in the letter in respect of that, a request by the Director for Assets Recovery. Therefore, the property is still registered; however, in the name of Broadway because the question in terms of asset recovery was about investigations into money laundering aspects by the company. I would like to confirm that this is the current status of the parcel. We have not yet lifted the restriction since no request has been made. I believe the investigation into money laundering is still ongoing. I believe that was the last question in that respect. I do not know whether--- On the Makadara one, I will wait for ---

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is No.12, which is LR No.209/4844/124, Makadara Constituency, which was designated for use by Mbotela Charcoal Dealers. My response to that question, with respect to this matter, is that we have a survey plan with an acreage of 0.2926, as stated on page two of my response, in the last paragraph.

The land measures 0.2926 hectares and is depicted on survey plan No. FR310/52. A copy of the survey plan has been attached as part of the exhibits in this particular matter. This parcel came about as a result of the subdivision of LR No.209/4844, measuring 17 hectares or 40.9 acres, which land was registered in the name of the City Council of Nairobi. In other words, this is a subdivision of that parcel. The land was registered at the Land Titles Registry as No. IR15371, and we have attached a copy of that. The City Council of Nairobi caused 209/4844 to be subdivided into 75 portions, which were then leased out or given out to various entities and people.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that parcel was leased by the specific 1/124, by the City Council of Nairobi, to Mesaskimemia Engineering Construction Company Limited for a term of 99 years, with effect from 1st February, 1953. The transfer was registered at the

Services, Senate. Land Titles Registry, Nairobi, as LR No.822769, as evidenced by entry No.94 and we have attached that register. A copy of the lease document is attached.

The land has since been converted into parcel No.55/127 Nairobi Block, because this is one of those under the Land Titles Act, which is for conversion. Under the Land Registration Act, Nairobi Block 55/127, in compliance with the law. A copy of the land register and an internal search are marked annexure No.7.

Finally, with respect to that parcel, the land is now converted into the number that I have stated, Nairobi Block 55/127 and it is private property leased or by way of a lease, to Kimemia Engineering Construction Company Limited. That could be sufficient for that. Then, there is a further question No. iii of Question 1, LR No.79/811, again in Makadara Constituency, which was designated for the Buruburu Phase 5 community playing ground, according to the question.

The response is that Buruburu Phase 5 sits on Nairobi Block 79 and not LR No.79. Records held in the Ministry reflect or show parcel number Nairobi Block 79/811, which shows that the said parcel was planned and surveyed as an open ground during the planning and survey of the estate. The land parcel measures 0.0685 hectares per the survey plan No.FR159/16.

We have put an extract there, the survey plan and annexure eight. The Ministry records show that there is no allotment in respect of that parcel and it therefore remains an open ground for the community or for public use. Finally, allow me to say that in total, those parcels, that is, Nairobi Block 209/4844/124, which is now Block 55/127 and then Nairobi Block 79/811 and 188, the first one that I started with, 82, are vested in the Nairobi City County Government.

The County Government is responsible for planning, surveying and allocation of the parcels of land registered in their favor. The role of the Ministry is to register land rights upon determination by the county government. In other words, once we receive at least an allotment or allocation, then we proceed to register. However, we do not determine who should be allocated.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I believe I have responded to the first question with its three components.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Sen. Sifuna, proceed with your supplementary question.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I propose that the Cabinet Secretary should move to part (b) of the Question, then we take the supplementary questions from there. There is a part (b) there of the same question-

What is the Ministry doing to safeguard the rights of legitimate owners of these parcels of land and to address reported cases of fraudulent claims and encroachment in respect of the safe parcels?

Services, Senate.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development (Hon. Alice Wahome): I thought I clarified in the last part of page three of my response, where I said that the role of the Ministry is to register land rights or allocations forwarded by the county government, any other authority or individual owner. Therefore, I believe with respect to the Buruburu parcel, it is for community land use. It is for public use. It is an open ground. The other two are actually privately owned. Therefore, I do not see what the hon. Senator requests I do. I believe the main concern was whether they are still held or if I am able to demonstrate the registered owners. The last one is in the name of Nairobi City Council and it is an open ground and it can be subject to encroachment but as of now, it remains and our records show that it is open land.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, these are the kinds of properties that get grabbed.

Sen. Sifuna.

Waziri, that is what my concern is exactly and there is what the Ministry knows in the office; that, this plot in Buruburu Phase 5 is an open ground, but there is what is in the ground. I wanted to request the Cabinet Secretary to dispatch officers from her office to go and ascertain whether the position she has reported here about the piece of land remaining an open land and play area for residents is factual on the ground.

We are looking at her Ministry and when we see encroachment there because some of these people move around with pieces of paper, purporting to be from the Ministry, I am sure you have anti-fraud measures that you have put in place, as a Ministry. The residents are expecting that as a Ministry, you will come through for them and curb what is happening on the ground.

Sen. Sifuna, is the said ground in Buruburu vested in city council or held by the Ministry?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, from the response, it is open ground and is vested in the City County of Nairobi, but that is the reason why we go to the Ministry. We have interacted with the Cabinet Secretary on many properties in Nairobi, including Tom Mboya Social Hall and her Ministry was very instrumental in ensuring that the people of Nairobi get back that property.

Most of these problems, I admit, come from the County Government of Nairobi and our only hope is in the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development because the County is the originator of the problem. They are the ones who issue these allocations and we depend on the Ministry to set the record straight about the ownership of these parcels.

To set the record straight or to assist in making sure that it remains with the City County of Nairobi?

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, proceed. What clarification are you seeking for because it is a question raised by Sen. Sifuna? She needs to respond.

Services, Senate.

You will have to wait and ask your supplementary question.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is not a question, but a clarification.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, let us hear him.

My clarification is with regard to her answer. She says that the role of the Ministry is to register land rights upon determination by the County Government. Has the open area been given other land use or allocated to someone else? That is where I wanted clarification.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: For record purposes, the HANSARD can capture that this land remains an open ground in terms of our records and there is no request for any other transaction registered. However, I asked my teams yesterday to give me a ground report, but I do not have it yet, but I will dispatch it to the hon. House once I receive it. It is true that I requested for the ground report and that is the situation. I do not know whether there is encroachment and even if there is any, it will be an illegal and irregular encroachment without any title.

Sen. Sifuna, do you have another supplementary question? Sen. Maanzo?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask a supplementary question in relation to Dagoretti sub-county. For purposes of affordable housing, land has been compulsory acquired from residents who have not been compensated. Although some 99-year leases had not ended, that land has still been confiscated from residents of Dagoretti.

Sen. Cherarkey.

On supplementary, we are discussing on the sanctity and protecting the issuance of rights and documentations. In Nandi County, there are more than 2,000 squatters that do not have access to land. I would like to ask this question to the Cabinet Secretary because she is here. Three weeks ago, two of my people were killed in Kimwani area over a land dispute.

My concern is that there are people allocated that land and who were well connected in the Kanu era. Is the Cabinet Secretary aware and what is she doing to ensure that people do not die? People died during the colonial era fighting for land. Why is it that my people in Kimwani area are dying because of a land dispute? What is the strategy the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development is putting in place to ensure that each and every Kenyan is allowed to access and has a place to live in?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you are aware that in Africa, if you do not have land, you are a nobody. Land is equated to our lives. What is she doing to protect the rights of squatters on allocation of land in Kimwani? We have buried two people and others were injured. Even as we speak, there is ongoing eviction.

Services, Senate.

Waziri, we were with you on the other side after Ruai when people were being evicted there at night during the Covid-19 pandemic and we refused. Why is it still happening under your watch?

Sen. Cherarkey, I do not know whether I will allow your question because your supplementary question has to be related to the primary question. You are ambushing the Cabinet Secretary with a question about Nandi when we are talking about issues of Nairobi in this primary question.

It is under similar circumstances.

Does the land you are referring to belong to Nandi County Government?

Yes, because all land is managed through county governments.

Then why not raise that question to the Governor?

It does not belong to the County, but under the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) .

I will not allow that question, but I will give the Cabinet Secretary the opportunity to answer if she has information about it. If not, she will guide us.

She is the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development of the Republic of Kenya.

Let us take the other supplementary question from Sen. Catherine Mumma.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I welcome the Cabinet Secretary to the Senate. My question is whether the housing projects you are undertaking are ensuring that you protect the minimum rights of persons who were evicted for the houses to be built, so that they do not end up with Kshs150,000 and with no houses. What are you doing to ensure that someone who has been removed from a house is guaranteed to get a house and is provided with necessary compensation to facilitate with their stay temporarily elsewhere until the houses they are ready and are allocated to them? Otherwise, we are evicting---

Sen. Mumma, I do not know whether I am going to allow your question because it does not relate with the primary question that was raised by Sen. Sifuna.

Sen. Onyonka, what is your question?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to bring up a supplementary question related to this matter because I have known the Cabinet Minister before. She works meticulously and she will be able to solve the problem. The problem is that many people who had bought properties at Embakasi Ranching Scheme in Nairobi have been unable to achieve their ownership titles. As a result, we are now having the same issue of encroachment. There were pieces of land which were left for social amenities like for stadia. Some of the land was for the schools and some for the hospitals. The problem is that all that land has already been grabbed. I wanted to find out from the Cabinet Secretary whether she has actually been able, either by accident or by design,

Services, Senate. started sorting out the Embakasi Ranching problem, just like the one of Athi River. The Athi River one was actually sorted out and it was a very good strategy that was used. Is it possible, if the Cabinet Secretary is aware, that even the issue of Embakasi Ranching Scheme could be sorted out the way they did in Athi River?

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

Thank you. Cabinet Secretary, you may respond to the question raised by Sen. Maanzo and Sen. Onyonka. The questions raised by Sen. Cherarkey and Sen. Mumma, will depend on your prerogative, on whether you will respond or not, but they do not touch on the primary question.

Also, Cabinet Secretary, we do not have much time. We need to go to the next question.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

I think in respect of the question by Sen. Cherarkey, it is such a critical and important question. I would request that for me to give a substantive and correct answer, you give me time and send the question to me. Of course, we are concerned about deaths and I regret if there has been any death and, therefore, you need also to assist the families by ensuring that a report is also made to the police because that now is a criminal aspect of it. While I deal with the land question, maybe that is necessary.

Of course, quickly, in terms of settlement of people without land, yes, we have a Government programme under the adjudication and settlement programme in my Ministry and that goes together with the budgeting. When we have enough budget, we consider. I think these people are on Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) land from your own statement, and ADC land is Government land. Therefore, if there is any activity to remove them, obviously, we must not train Kenyans---

An hon. Senator: On a point of information, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Let me finish the statement. What I am saying is that---

She will respond in full at a later date.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Yes, thank you and I think I should end there in respect of that response.

I think the question of Sen. Catherine Mumma, I am dealing with the question on land and I want to agree with the Temporary Speaker that we can hold this question until later. However, in terms of our work on housing, we are not carrying out any evictions and, therefore, I think there is a generalised attitude or maybe perception that the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development is evicting. When we get a site for a project, there is a determination by the people who are living in those places. Most

Services, Senate. of the land we use is either where there are houses that belong to the county government, and so we work in conjunction with them. If the houses belongs to the national Government because the other land we are using is land belonging to national Government, different entities of national Government, then it means they leave it to us. Either they are paid by the national Government and they request to move out to another place where they can rent. We would not then require or give the Government responsibility to then pay them.

It is not an eviction. It is an arranged plan where they are given time to organise new residences. There is normally a small disturbance allowance depending on case-to- case basis. We plan to do registration because some people want to come back there. In such a case they register, enumeration is done and they are given preference when the new project is complete.

With regard to Sen. Onyonka, on his question on Embakasi Ranching, this is one of the biggest challenges my Ministry has had and I believe, of course, the shareholders of the Embakasi have been suffering and going through quite a difficult period. The biggest challenge is posed by the officials of Embakasi Ranching. We have two teams of officials who keep on fighting and throwing out each other, taking coups against each other. In that process, we have people who pose as officials and keep on issuing illegal share certificates. Nevertheless, my Ministry has a designated Committee that is working in conjunction with the Embakasi Ranching to deal with those issues day to day. So far, we have issued 25,000 titles. There is still more land that requires to be titled and we are working with them; we have facilitated them as much as we can.

It is important that the public knows that there are some crooked cartels that sell land that does not exist and that is not the Ministry's headache. Our concern is how we can quickly finalise the titling.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I hope there is no question that I have left unanswered.

Sen. Maanzo, did I pick your question?

It was on the issue of national housing.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: I thought we had agreed that I answer it when I am answering the question on housing because there were questions on housing.

Very well, Cabinet Secretary. We will proceed to the next question, Question No.099. Cabinet Secretary, we are going to skip Question No. 095 because Sen. Alexander Mundigi is not in the House and there is nobody he has designated to ask the question. So, we go straight to Question No.099.

Sen. Sifuna, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker. Just before I do this, I think there was an agreement that colleagues who have raised questions and have been waiting for a long time for answers from the Cabinet Secretary should be given priority when the Cabinet Secretary finally appears. I urge my

Services, Senate. colleagues to please let us get these answers for our people. You have an opportunity to also put those questions to the Cabinet Secretary and wait as long as some of us have waited from April to get these answers for our people. These disruptions by the Senator for Nandi County are totally unwelcome.

I will go straight to the Question. Question No.099

Cabinet Secretary, proceed. The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: On the question on the College of Insurance asked by Hon. Senator for Nairobi-

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this is grant No. LR No. 209/10210 or IR No.66157 which contained an acreage of two hectares more particularly, delineated in survey plan No.193902. The grant comprised a leasehold term of 99 years commencing 1st March, 1982 with an annual rent of Kshs138,000. The grant was first registered on 20th June, 1995 in the name of Insurance Training and Education Trust.

The same parcel was also allocated to one Rajab Ahmed Karume. The grant indicates that the parcel contains an acreage of two hectares in the name of Rajab Karume as well and more particularly, delineated on survey plan No.278905. The grant comprised a leasehold term of 99 years from 1st October, 1998 with an annual rent of Kshs80,000 as revised. The grant was registered on 6th July, 2011.

Ownership of this parcel has been a subject matter of court proceedings and the Environment and Land Court (ELC) at Milimani, Case No.816/2012, declared Rajab Ahmed Karume as the sole and lawful registered proprietor of the parcel. The ELC ordered for cancellation of the initial grant registered in the name of Insurance Training and Education Trust.

Services, Senate.

The Court of Appeal in Civil Appeal No.E505, consolidated with case No.E519 of 2020, upheld the position taken by ELC in the High Court. We have put an annexure and a bundle of documents, including the decree and an order of the Court of Appeal. Those are the annexures there one to four. That is the judgment of 14th June, 2024, in the Court of Appeal, decree dated 22nd August, 2024.

In other words, then, therefore, the correspondence file for Rajab Ahmed Karume is in our custody and we are yet to trace the correspondence file for Insurance Training and Education Trust. That, of course, speaks to something, but I have tried to look for that file and it is not there.

In response to part (b) of the question, the courts and the Court of Appeal have pronounced themselves on this matter and declared ownership of this land in favour of Rajab. The Ministry is, therefore, unable to take further action on the matter. Indeed, my officers have been continuously under threat of being committed to civil jail for taking time to interrogate some of these records, especially where a court ruling and judgment have been given. So, to that extent, then, we are following the court order unless advised otherwise.

In response to part (c) of the Question, the Ministry is undertaking the digitisation of land records to make them less susceptible or vulnerable to manipulation, thereby guaranteeing their integrity. Once we finish that process of automation, we will be in a better place to deal with questions of integrity and security of documents.

We have also fast-tracked the titling of institutional titles or public spaces, institutions and private institutions. We have continuously cooperated with investigating or investigative agencies, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and sometimes even the National Intelligence Service (NIS), when issues of public property arise and a request for documentation is normally given with easy access. To this end, we have officers from the DCI domiciled in the Ministry headquarters and that has also assisted in terms of making the place a corruption free zone. However, I, as the Cabinet Secretary in charge, would still want to say that it is a work in progress.

So far, the Cabinet has approved close to Kshs35 billion for a first phase of additional funding to the automation. That has been approved as a process of funding with World Bank support. I believe we should be possible managing to go throughout---- Of course, the work of automation is not a one-day exercise. It is a programme that is running throughout the country. So far, I believe we have done well. Nairobi is at maybe 98 percent. We have moved to other counties. With this new funding, we should be able to make better progress.

I do not know whether I have lost course. I think I have exhausted Hon. Sifuna's Question, but he needs to also assist me with the Tom Mboya one because there is a court case coming up. I believe the response by my Ministry, in response and defense of our position, which has been challenged since my appearance to this Senate, has been well spelt out and written by way of defense and reply in the court.

I believe the case is being handled properly by the Attorney General. The people of that area should know that remains public property.

Services, Senate.

Sen. Sifuna, your supplementary question?

Sen. Sifuna: Madam CS, I assure you that you have the full support of the people of Nairobi as you fight to recover all these properties that belong to the public that have been illegally acquired.

My question to the CS was on what sort of defense they put up in this particular matter. If I remember my land law at the University of Nairobi, the first allocation that is given has some level of superiority over subsequent allocations.

I am wondering if you have clearly delineated here that on this particular parcel, the grant was first registered on 20th June, 1995 in the name of the Insurance Training and Education Trust. Then you come here and we see a registration in favor of this private individual in July of 2011. This has upended my entire understanding of land law. I thought the first registration is superior. I wanted to understand what sort of defense you actually put up in courts in support of your own records and how can something like this happen?

I thought that unless the courts say the first registration was irregular, how can it be trumped by a registration that comes over 20 years later?

Sen. Sifuna, your question is very wide. You are asking the CS what sort of defense they put up in this case on a matter which has already been pronounced by the courts.

Madam CS, I assure you that you have the full support of the people of Nairobi as you fight to recover all these properties that belong to the public that have been illegally acquired. My question to the CS was on what sort of defense they put up in this particular matter. If I remember my land law at the University of Nairobi, the first allocation that is given has some level of superiority over subsequent allocations. I am wondering if you have clearly delineated here that on this particular parcel, the grant was first registered on 20th June, 1995 in the name of the Insurance Training and Education Trust. Then you come here and we see a registration in favor of this private individual in July of 2011. This has upended my entire understanding of land law. I thought the first registration is superior. I wanted to understand what sort of defense you actually put up in courts in support of your own records and how can something like this happen? I thought that unless the courts say the first registration was irregular, how can it be trumped by a registration that comes over 20 years later?

Sen. Sifuna, your question is very wide. You are asking the CS what sort of defense they put up in this case on a matter which has already been pronounced by the courts.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, you heard her saying that even in the case involving Tom Mboya, the Ministry is putting up a strong defense because their records are what the courts rely on. So my only concern is how was it possible?

So if she can just give us a brief on the sort of defense they put up, unless, you think that it is not an important question.

Sen. Sifuna, no, it is an important question, but I do not know if the CS will be in a capacity to know the defense that was put in place.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am following the concerns of the honourable Senator for Nairobi City County.

I invite the honourable Senator to read the judgments from the High Court and also the Court of Appeal. I believe in the Office of the Attorney General because, definitely, the defense and our lawyer is the Attorney General. Looking at what we did, the Commissioner of Lands evidence was disregarded and dismissed by the court. Maybe you could read the judgment. If you think there is anything else we can do, we can engage. There is now a judgment of the Court of Appeal and it is not possible for me to move further.

There was a first grant, by order of dates, and then this other grant. I am yet to understand the reasoning fully, but the position is that the court has pronounced itself, and you do not want the CS to be committed for contempt.

Services, Senate.

Services, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I am very concerned about this double allocation of land that was initially allocated to, I believe, what is currently the Kenya College of Insurance, which was later allocated to a private developer.

I have listened to the Cabinet Secretary explaining the measures in her last paragraph that they are taking, including digitisation. However, my question to the Cabinet Secretary is this: Do you have other any administrative measures in the Ministry that you are taking? For example, even before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and whoever is coming to investigate, do their job, the concerned officers are administratively made to resign or to step aside? Whether then in that regard, the Ministry is investing in doing a moral change in the officers serving under the Ministry. This is because these court processes can be lengthy, time consuming, expensive and sometimes very draining, even emotionally to those that are seeking legal address.

So, as a Ministry, even before we talk about the law enforcement agencies, do they have any administrative decisions or any moral change programmes and that kind of thing?

I thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir,

Sen. Osotsi, you may proceed.

Thank you Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. The issue of double registration among other malpractices in land management is real, not just in Nairobi, but all over the country. I have seen the Cabinet Secretary say that they have undertaking digitalisation of land records.

This matter of digital digitalisation of the records of the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development has been talked about for a long time. I think it started during President Mwai Kibaki’s regime; then during the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime and now during this regime. Do we have timelines and the status of implementation of this digitalisation? We keep talking about it, but we are not seeing tangible progress.

I would like the Cabinet Secretary to tell this House, what is the status of digitalisation of the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development and particularly land records and how long is it going to take? What percentage has been implemented, so that this House can have some concrete information when this exercise is likely to end?

Sen. Osotsi, I do not know if you were here when the Cabinet Secretary said that for Nairobi City County, it is almost 90 per cent completed. Are you asking now for the timelines for the whole country?

Services, Senate.

Services, Senate.

This question was touching on the Nairobi and that is why I am asking you: Are you asking for the timeline for the whole county?

Yes, I am asking for the whole country.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may proceed to respond.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. In response to Sen. Osotsi, let me say that, maybe by way of repeating myself; it is true that the programme of our digitisation has taken long, but the Ministry having realised that the speed and the funding that we are getting is not sufficient to deliver timely completion of this programme. We did engage the Government.

The Cabinet has approved new funding through the World Bank and the National Treasury to enable us move faster. Once I get this funding, I will be able to respond in terms of how much time that will take. However, looking at other jurisdictions, it is a programme that will be expanded to the rest of the country where we already have titles. Remember, we are talking of places where we have already done titling. A lot of our land is not titled, but we have ensured that the records in our registries are secure. In other jurisdictions, they take between five and seven years to holistically work on that.

So, with funding, which is coming, I should be in a better position to give a work plan in the long-term. I say it is coming because it has been approved by the National Treasury and the Cabinet.

Services, Senate.

The funding is available hence we will move faster. I may have an opportunity to come back here to give Parliament a better answer on where we are and how we are going to complete the remaining work.

Services, Senate.

The funding is available hence we will move faster. I may have an opportunity to come back here to give Parliament a better answer on where we are and how we are going to complete the remaining work.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development the following Question.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development the following Question.

Services, Senate. hectares and an additional land was given as Makuyu/Block 1/1635. The green card copies

are there for those parcels. Block 1/807 measuring

Makuyu/Kimorori/Block 1/1806 measuring 3.26 hectares, were amalgamated on 23rd September, 2024 to form Makuyu/Kimorori/Block 1/5613, which approximately measures 5.38 hectares of land. That is basically, if you divide that by the conversion of

into two portions;

that is Block 1/5615, measuring 4.89436 hectares and Makuyu/Kimorori Block 1/ 5616, measuring 0.48564 hectares, and then 5615 was set aside for Maragua District Headquarters. Therefore, Makuyu/Kimorori/Block 1/5615 was set aside for Maragua District Headquarters and Makuyu/Kimorori/Block 1/5616 was set aside for the construction of the law courts. That is approximately one acre. The two parcels belong to the national Government of the Republic of Kenya. That is where the so-called or the commonly used ground by the youth and other residents of that area is contained in that parcel.

The youth and other people arose because initially, the land was being used by the school. There was a sports field set aside for school children. When the school was moved, the issue of a playground became a matter of discussion, since the field had been earmarked by the national Government for the construction of district headquarters. May I first answer the question before I say what I think should be done.

On 26th May, a restriction was registered against the two parcels of land by the Cabinet Secretary to prevent any dealings on the said parcels pursuant to a memorandum I issued on 15th May. This was necessary because the whole area is under survey and I felt there was a risk of disposing of the land before ownership was determined. For purposes of securing the land, I confirm that I have placed a caveat on all land belonging to Ngimu, as it has been subjected to numerous fraudulent dealings.

On 23rd September, 2024, parcels No.1607 and 1635 were amalgamated to create Kimorori Block 1/5614. On 26th May, a restriction was again placed on this parcel by the Cabinet Secretary. Therefore, all these parcels, as I have stated, are restricted. In terms of security, the land is safe, there is no danger and measures have been put in place.

To answer the Hon. Senator’s question on whether this land is available as a sports ground, I note that there has been considerable politics and push and shove on this matter. The youth, lacking alternative grounds for games and sports, do not understand why other arrangements have been made for the use of this land.

The Judiciary parcel is separate. The sports ground is contained within the district headquarters land and is not in any danger. Therefore, it is a matter of re-planning to see whether the sports ground can be accommodated within that parcel.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, there have been demonstrations and I appreciate the concerns of the youth. However, they need to understand that this parcel was not under the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports nor was it formally reserved as a sports ground. Since it is property belonging to the Government of Kenya, it is possible to sit down and re-plan to see whether we can accommodate the uses required. That is what I can say.

Services, Senate.

The Temporary Speaker (Sen. Abdul Haji): Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Sen. Joe Nyutu, do you have a supplementary question?

Services, Senate.The Temporary Speaker (

It is because the Cabinet Secretary and I come from the same county. I know she is also concerned about that particular field. By the way, she is my political mentor. I have a lot of respect for her.

That is good. Proceed, Cabinet Secretary.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Housing and Urban Development

: Hon. Temporary Speaker, I do not know what to say, but I know that I have been one of those people accused by several people around there. I think some of them are friends of the Hon. Senator, that we have an intention of grabbing. Let me first assure the people of Murang’a and Kenyans that this land already has a title. I had put a caveat on all parcels that emanate from the main block, the entire Ngimbu land. So, there is nobody grabbing that parcel of land. The other person who has been accused - I think politics have been quite propelled there - is the Member of Parliament for Maragua. It is

Thank you, Senator. You have asked almost three questions. So, I think that covers all your supplementary questions.

It is because the Cabinet Secretary and I come from the same county. I know she is also concerned about that particular field. By the way, she is my political mentor. I have a lot of respect for her.

That is good. Proceed, Cabinet Secretary.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Housing and Urban Development

: Hon. Temporary Speaker, I do not know what to say, but I know that I have been one of those people accused by several people around there. I think some of them are friends of the Hon. Senator, that we have an intention of grabbing. Let me first assure the people of Murang’a and Kenyans that this land already has a title. I had put a caveat on all parcels that emanate from the main block, the entire Ngimbu land. So, there is nobody grabbing that parcel of land. The other person who has been accused - I think politics have been quite propelled there - is the Member of Parliament for Maragua. It is

Proceed, Sen. Maanzo.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. On the issue of public participation, I still want to go back to Dagoretti Sub-county. Is the Cabinet Secretary planning to do public participation with those people whose land is being acquired compulsorily for the Affordable Housing Programme?

Yes, Sen. Osotsi.

Proceed, Sen. Maanzo.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. On the issue of public participation, I still want to go back to Dagoretti Sub-county. Is the Cabinet Secretary planning to do public participation with those people whose land is being acquired compulsorily for the Affordable Housing Programme?

Yes, Sen. Osotsi.

I did.

You have a point of order directed to who?

The Cabinet Secretary has made an allegation---

The Cabinet Secretary is not on the Floor at the moment.

But this is a House of record, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. We have to get things clearly.

Proceed.

The Cabinet Secretary has made an allegation that---

Sen. Osotsi, are you seeking clarification from the Cabinet Secretary?

Yes, clarification on the fact that Sen. Nyutu is the person asking the question in this case. His friends have been making allegations that the Cabinet Secretary is involved in the grabbing.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as a House of records, I think it is important for the Cabinet Secretary to make clarification and name those friends of Sen. Nyutu who have been claiming that the Cabinet Secretary is involved in the grabbing that parcel of land. That is important for our records.

Let us take one more supplementary question before the Cabinet Secretary answers all of them.

Sen. Onyonka, do you have a supplementary question?

Sorry. Cabinet Secretary, on the matter of clarification, if you do not feel like naming the names, you could as well withdraw the phrase “friends of Sen. Nyutu.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I said I am one of the people who has been accused. It is true that allegations were made that we were having a housing project there. Let me state that we have no housing project on that particular land because it is very limited for purposes of a district headquarters. Therefore, we are not doing affordable housing there. The people of Murang’a, including my Senator, know that we are doing that in Makenji.

There was an allegation that the land is being grabbed. I have made a clarification that no land is being grabbed by any person. It is secure because we have restricted it to allow time for resurvey that is going on.

Finally, I think Sen. Maanzo--- Maybe I should finish with allegations of Joe Nyutu’s friends. Joe Nyutu is my friend. You heard him say that I am his mentor. It is

Sen. Osotsi, are you seeking clarification from the Cabinet Secretary?

Yes, clarification on the fact that Sen. Nyutu is the person asking the question in this case. His friends have been making allegations that the Cabinet Secretary is involved in the grabbing.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as a House of records, I think it is important for the Cabinet Secretary to make clarification and name those friends of Sen. Nyutu who have been claiming that the Cabinet Secretary is involved in the grabbing that parcel of land. That is important for our records.

Let us take one more supplementary question before the Cabinet Secretary answers all of them.

Sen. Onyonka, do you have a supplementary question?

Sorry. Cabinet Secretary, on the matter of clarification, if you do not feel like naming the names, you could as well withdraw the phrase “friends of Sen. Nyutu.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I said I am one of the people who has been accused. It is true that allegations were made that we were having a housing project there. Let me state that we have no housing project on that particular land because it is very limited for purposes of a district headquarters. Therefore, we are not doing affordable housing there. The people of Murang’a, including my Senator, know that we are doing that in Makenji.

There was an allegation that the land is being grabbed. I have made a clarification that no land is being grabbed by any person. It is secure because we have restricted it to allow time for resurvey that is going on.

Finally, I think Sen. Maanzo--- Maybe I should finish with allegations of Joe Nyutu’s friends. Joe Nyutu is my friend. You heard him say that I am his mentor. It is

Is the eviction an order from the court or from the Ministry?

No. Since the current residents needed to give way for the project, they had already been given those notices to leave.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Projects are ongoing in that place. Therefore, I may not be able to withdraw or ask my department to withdraw. I must consult. I believe that we have previously extended the notice. In fact, we have been on notice for the whole of this year, but we will engage with them as soon as possible, so that we can determine how we can intervene. Perhaps, we can expedite public participation.

Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary. We have come to the end of the questions and answers. At this point, we would like to permit you to leave. We would also like to thank you for answering all the questions comprehensively and for attending this morning's session. Thank you very much, we wish you all the best.

Clerk, next Order.

Is the eviction an order from the court or from the Ministry?

No. Since the current residents needed to give way for the project, they had already been given those notices to leave.

The Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development

: Projects are ongoing in that place. Therefore, I may not be able to withdraw or ask my department to withdraw. I must consult. I believe that we have previously extended the notice. In fact, we have been on notice for the whole of this year, but we will engage with them as soon as possible, so that we can determine how we can intervene. Perhaps, we can expedite public participation.

Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary. We have come to the end of the questions and answers. At this point, we would like to permit you to leave. We would also like to thank you for answering all the questions comprehensively and for attending this morning's session. Thank you very much, we wish you all the best.

Clerk, next Order.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I beg to move the following Motion-

THAT, the Senate notes the report of the consultative meeting of the Executive Committee of the Forum of Parliaments of the Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR) , which was held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 22nd to 24th January 2025, laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 23rd September, 2025.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR) is an intergovernmental organisation of the countries in the Great Lakes Region and is comprised of 12 countries, including all the East African countries. There is Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Zambia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

The FP-ICGLR has the following divisions which include: peace and security, democracy and good governance, economic development and regional integration, humanitarian, social and environmental issues and the gender, women and children where I proudly serve at. It is imperative to note that Kenya secured the chairmanship of two committees; democracy and good governance and economic development and regional integration.

The establishment of ICGLR is based on the recognition that political instability and conflicts in these countries have a considerable and regional dimension and thus require concerted efforts to promote sustainable peace and development. The ICGLR was established on 4th December, 2008 in Kigali, the Republic of Rwanda, with the objective of promoting, maintaining and strengthening peace, unity and security within the Great Lakes Region in accordance with the will of the heads of states and governments as expressed in the pact on security and stability and development in the Great Lakes Region which was signed on 15th December, 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this regional legislative entity aims to play a role in the implementation of the mandate of the international conference on Great Lakes Region under Article Two of the Revised Inter-Parliamentary Accord. It has the committees I mentioned earlier on as divisions. We also have organs within ICGLR which are: Plenary Assembly, Executive Committee, the Committees and, the General Secretariat.

Pursuant to Article 71 of the founding documents of FP-ICGLR, it mandates the Executive Committee to be responsible for the coordination of the forum’s activities and functioning of the forum under the supervision of the Bureau of the Plenary Assembly.

The last Executive Committee meeting was convened pursuant to the fifth recommendation of the final communique adapted following the 29th Ordinary Session of

Sen. Hezena Lemaletian, proceed.

Services, Senate. relation between what they were getting paid and their location or rather places where they lived.

benefits between international and local staff, since this was noted to be a source of frustration and demotivation among the staff at ICGLR;

stability. Employment contracts should be open-ended for positions where the holder is expected to perform duties that are permanent in accordance with the international standards.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, there was also a consideration and adoption of the final communique, which was considered and deliberated on the items of the agenda of the consultative meeting and the following final communique was adopted-

outstanding administrative issues and officially launched the recruitment process of the next Secretary General of the FP-ICGLR.

next Secretary General of FP-ICGLR was endorsed. It will be held in utmost compliance with the final declaration of the 14th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly and the relevant positions of founding documents.

As per the seventh point which I made, the final declaration of the Ordinary Assembly of the Plenary Assembly of ICGLR instructed the general secretariat to request all eligible Member Parliaments to represent candidates like I earlier stated.

They were further instructed to ensure that the amended versions of the FP- ICGLR founding documents and management guidelines are signed by Members of Parliament (MPs) and endorsed with FP-ICJLR seal and approval. They developed and secured a box file for each MP where all officials signed. Founding and corporate documents should be kept under lock and key at the head office in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

They also examined the proposals to improve the administrative situation of the staff of the General Secretariat of the Forum as well as the amendments the founding documents and management guidelines of the FP-ICJLR to be submitted to the plenary assembly for adoption.

It also constituted an ad hoc working group comprising of the ExCo President that is the right Hon. Moses Frank Moyo, who is the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Zambia, Hon. Suzanne Augusta de Melo from the Republic of Angola, Hon. Morgan Sitwala from the Republic of Zambia, Hon. Geoffrey Ekanya from the Republic of Uganda and Hon. Boniface Kabanda Matanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo to examine the proposals from the General Secretariat before they were presented and adopted at the 15th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly to be held in Luanda, the Republic of Angola.

Among the recommendations was that the Republic of Uganda should host the 16th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly for the FP-ICJLR in 2026. We also commended the general secretariat for organising the consultative meeting and expressed

Services, Senate. our sincere gratitude for the Government, Parliament and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to the delegates which created favorable conditions for holding consultative meetings of the Forum.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I move and request Hon. Hamida Kibwana to second. Thank you.

Services, Senate. relation between what they were getting paid and their location or rather places where they lived.

benefits between international and local staff, since this was noted to be a source of frustration and demotivation among the staff at ICGLR;

stability. Employment contracts should be open-ended for positions where the holder is expected to perform duties that are permanent in accordance with the international standards.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, there was also a consideration and adoption of the final communique, which was considered and deliberated on the items of the agenda of the consultative meeting and the following final communique was adopted-

outstanding administrative issues and officially launched the recruitment process of the next Secretary General of the FP-ICGLR.

next Secretary General of FP-ICGLR was endorsed. It will be held in utmost compliance with the final declaration of the 14th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly and the relevant positions of founding documents.

As per the seventh point which I made, the final declaration of the Ordinary Assembly of the Plenary Assembly of ICGLR instructed the general secretariat to request all eligible Member Parliaments to represent candidates like I earlier stated.

They were further instructed to ensure that the amended versions of the FP- ICGLR founding documents and management guidelines are signed by Members of Parliament (MPs) and endorsed with FP-ICJLR seal and approval. They developed and secured a box file for each MP where all officials signed. Founding and corporate documents should be kept under lock and key at the head office in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

They also examined the proposals to improve the administrative situation of the staff of the General Secretariat of the Forum as well as the amendments the founding documents and management guidelines of the FP-ICJLR to be submitted to the plenary assembly for adoption.

It also constituted an ad hoc working group comprising of the ExCo President that is the right Hon. Moses Frank Moyo, who is the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Zambia, Hon. Suzanne Augusta de Melo from the Republic of Angola, Hon. Morgan Sitwala from the Republic of Zambia, Hon. Geoffrey Ekanya from the Republic of Uganda and Hon. Boniface Kabanda Matanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo to examine the proposals from the General Secretariat before they were presented and adopted at the 15th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly to be held in Luanda, the Republic of Angola.

Among the recommendations was that the Republic of Uganda should host the 16th Ordinary Session of the Plenary Assembly for the FP-ICJLR in 2026. We also commended the general secretariat for organising the consultative meeting and expressed

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I thank my colleague, Sen. Hamida, for her very well thought-of seconding. I am glad she has an experience with the amount of tragedy that country is going through, all because of conflict and poor political decisions.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, we have had an honour to visit the western part of Uganda which holds one of the largest refugee camps within the region. Uganda has a very friendly policy that welcomes refugees from across all other Great Lakes Region.

The most interesting part is that they even allow the refugees to own businesses, take part in various kinds of investments within the country and go to school. The only right they do not have is voting, which is understood.

I sit in the Committee on Women, Children and Gender. It is very disheartening to note that women and children have been at the receiving end of conflict across this world and most especially within the Great Lakes Region. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo has displaced millions of women and children. I convey my profound gratitude to the Republic of Uganda for ensuring that they have a safe haven.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is also important to note that the geopolitics and geopolitical decisions, especially those made by powerful nations such as the United

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this issue is very dear to me. I was in DRC Congo nominated by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the late right Hon. Raila Odinga to support the country for the formation of the first government of President Tshisekedi. I feel sad looking at these countries and seeing what they are going through especially the political instability of the country.

The African countries are quite rich, but then looking at the instability - I do not know whether they are intentional; looking at a country like DRC, it is the richest country in the world yet very poor. I feel sad that these conflicts are dwelling. I am certain that this conference or meeting was for a great purpose to bring the countries together. Look at Sudan and now South Sudan, it is unfortunate that we are not achieving peace especially like Sudan, it feels very sad when you look at an African country going through what they are going through in this era.

I hope that the purpose of that conference will be achieved, if not yet achieved, and that the promise of tomorrow will go to pass to African countries.

I second.

Since there are no Senators wishing to contribute, I call upon the Mover to reply.

Hon. Senators, it is now 1.00 p.m., time to adjourn the Senate. The Senate, therefore, stands adjourned until later today, Wednesday, 19th November 2025 at 2.30 p.m.

The Senate rose at 1.00 p.m.

Services, Senate. States, will greatly impact the refugees in these refugee camps. This is because a lot of funding will be cut short.

It is about time now that we start thinking as individual African countries and especially those countries within the Great Lakes Region, and what we can do to meet what this donor was contributing. I know that if funding from the United States will be cut, our women and children within the Naki Valley refugee camp in the western part of Uganda will suffer a great deal.

When we were there the last time, with the committee, toddlers were chasing us, telling us that the only thing they wanted was education. Some of them have been through tragic traumas. The women there told us stories of how they witnessed seven of their family members being raped and slaughtered. Some of them are extremely traumatised.

I think this is the best time for us, as African nations, to think about our independence, collaboration and how we can come together to assist. That is why within the Committee of Women, Children and Gender, which is comprised of majority of women within the Great Lakes member parliaments, we decided that we were going to come up with ways to assist these women in ensuring they have schools. We are also having a conversation with the various countries that host these refugee camps to make sure they have at least schools and can get basic needs such as sanitary pads.

I am glad as far as health is concerned, we have doctors who frequently visit them. The Red Cross has played a very important role in also ensuring by providing medical services to these women and children. I am glad there is a lot of passion being expressed by all Members of this Committee.

With those few remarks, pursuant to Standing Order No.66(3), I request that the putting of the question be deferred to a later date.

Hon. Senators, it is now 1.00 p.m., time to adjourn the Senate. The Senate, therefore, stands adjourned until later today, Wednesday, 19th November 2025 at 2.30 p.m.

The Senate rose at 1.00 p.m.