March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 1

Wednesday, 25th March, 2026

Clerk, do we have quorum?

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

We now have quorum. Clerk, proceed to call out the first Order.

Order No.6 is deferred.

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Statements pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) . Senator for Machakos County, Sen. Agnes Kavindu. The Statement is dropped.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 3 DELAYED PAYMENT OF GRATUITY TO FORMER EMPLOYEES OF MACHAKOS COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Debate on this Order had concluded. I now call upon the Mover to reply.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you for this opportunity to reply to this Motion before you today. As I had earlier mentioned and as I had earlier debated, the Bill brings reprieve to the small-scale farmers. I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the Senators who have contributed to this Motion. I know Sen. Methu, Sen. Wamatinga, Sen. Ledama Olekina, Sen. Cherarkey, Sen. Maanzo and many others who debated on this Bill and saw the need for it to be enacted.

Hon. Senators, once again, the purpose of this Bill is to ensure that we have food security in our country. People who invest in agriculture, especially small-scale traders, should find a ray of hope. Funds being devolved to the counties for agriculture should have an accountability mechanism, so that they are allocated in the right way and also, for the productivity of the farmers to be determined, weighed and scaled.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I remember what happened to Murang’a County the other day. Farmers were asked to harvest mangoes and they expected the counties to purchase them. However, tonnes of them were wasted. The mangoes were rotting in their backyards. The enactment of this law will ensure such farmers do not walk back to their homes empty handed. In such an eventuality, Murang'a County Government would have been held to account for damage of the mangoes wasted because they harvested them expecting the county to organise and arrange for the mangoes to be purchased. However, they failed to turn up and allocate any resources even from the agriculture resource allocation.

This Bill will erase that situation. It will also ensure that the jobless youths can, at least, invest in agriculture. They can take a glance at the opportunities available within the agri-preneurship sector, so that we do not have young people without jobs in this city looking for white collar jobs while jobs can be found within counties that will have allocations.

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Senator, reply.

I am replying, Mr. Speaker, Sir. These are the issues raised by some of my colleagues. Sen. Ledama Olekina had concerns about how the funds to be paid to farmers will be resourced. In my response, the Bill offers different streams of income that will ensure the fund is available. That is what will be allocated by the national Government through the county governments and what the counties will raise from other sources. That will form the funds that will be used to resource the farmers using this framework. Once again, this Bill will ensure that it is streamlined towards the framework that the government has and the bottom-up economic transformation model.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to reply. Under Standing Order No.66, I request that you defer the putting of the question.

Okay, the putting of the question is hereby deferred.

Next Order.

That Order is deferred.

That Order is deferred.

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That Order is deferred.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 6 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE THE PUBLIC FUNDRAISING APPEALS BILL (SENATE BILLS NO.36 OF 2024)

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Hon. Senators, the Floor is open. We will debate Order No.22. Before I give an opportunity to Hon. Senators to contribute, allow me to pass this communication.

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Hon. Senators, I would like to acknowledge the presence in the Speaker's Gallery this afternoon, of Ms. Gabriela Murimi, a Grade 10 student from Braeburn Garden Estate International School, who is undertaking a one- week service in the Senate under the school voluntary service scheme. I request Ms. Murimi to stand to be acknowledged in the Senate tradition.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not know if Ms. Murimi knows that this is the first time that only one person from one specific school is sitting in the Speaker's Gallery. We usually have hundreds of students. So, we are honored. I guess you are the guest of honor this afternoon.

Proceed, Sen. Karen.

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker, Sir, and my head of delegation, Sen. Sifuna. Perhaps I should take this opportunity for everyone to know today that mimi si Sifuna.

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Now let us go back to the debate on Order No.22. Proceed, Sen. Richard Onyonka.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the truth is that--- Could I pass this because I am---

I saw you struggle. I understand.

My apologies.

Proceed, Sen. Wamatinga.

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this important debate. The formulation of the new education model is supposed to address issues that we have been facing since Independence.

We have witnessed a situation whereby the system has not been alive to the fact that there are students who come from different backgrounds. We have had a system where even children from rich families have enjoyed what has been raised through taxes to fund higher education. Across the world, we know that systems are created and structures are made to address prevailing circumstances under which people find themselves. They address dynamic issues as they are.

It came with a bit of a surprise to many of us that we talk about Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) , university funding and the Kenya Medical Training Colleges (KMTCs) , but we left out a very significant part of financing teachers in the teacher training colleges (TTCs) .

We know that the new Competency Based Education (CBE) calls for rethinking, remodeling and retooling the way we have approached our education system since Independence. We have a model that seeks to identify, promote and give children who are gifted in different ways other than academics, an opportunity to make sure that they use their talents or skills to earn their livelihoods. Therefore, by not financing students of

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

What is your point of order, Sen. Kinyua? What is so disorderly about Sen. Wamatinga?

Bw. Spika, ni kuhusu alivyosema kuwa wale walioenda katika shule ambazo ni “polling stations.” Hiyo ni kejeli. Kuna wanafunzi wengi ambao wako katika shule hizo. Tunapaswa kuwapa motisha badala ya kuja hapa na kukejeli watu.

Sen. Wamatinga, you may proceed because you are not in any way out of order. You should be proud that your school is also doubling as a polling station.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir. That was meant to be a compliment because not many of us made it to those super high schools. I intended to say that the opportunity to any Kenyan, regardless of which school they attended, must be equalled by the fact that we train the teachers uniformly, so that they deliver on the quality of the students they produce.

I am sure that my colleague from Laikipia understands that it is important to ensure the quality of the education given in our schools is right. It is hurting to see that a teacher will do everything possible to get him or herself trained and still struggle to even get that job. Once they get that placement, they do not get the right facilities.

As a country, it is high time we delink education from one’s background. We should give every child born in this country an opportunity to become somebody, not

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I was signaling the Serjeant-at-Arms to ensure that Ms. Murimi is here to hear her Senator contribute to the debate this afternoon.

Mr. Speaker, Sir kindly allow me to address her.

You may.

Sen. Sifuna: Do not be jealous. Ms. Murimi, the Motion before us this afternoon seeks to have a resolution of this House to include teachers or people who go for training as teachers in the higher education funding. So, as it is right now, there are very few at the tertiary level of education who actually get access to funding. So, this is what this House is trying to achieve through this Motion.

I want to confirm to you, Mr. Speaker, Sir and you already know this, that I am a child of a teacher. My mother went to a teacher training college called Asumbi somewhere in Nyanza. I also want to confirm that I am a product of public education unlike Ms. Murimi, who has found herself at Braeburn School. I went to a primary school called Kakamega Township Primary School in Amalemba., which Sen. Khalwale knows very well.

After I finished that, I went to Musingu High School, which Sen. Khalwale is very familiar with. When I qualified to do law at the University of Nairobi, I want to confirm here, that I was educated under the support and funding of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) .

I also want to confirm that immediately I finished in 2006/2007, because the environment was such that if you finished university education, you would get something to do, I was able to clear my loan before I ever became a candidate for election in 2017. I have a certificate from the HELB saying that I cleared all my dues from the University of Nairobi.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, unfortunately, for many Kenyans and young students that is no longer the case. We saw a report last week in the media, that over 500,000 people who have graduated from the universities are unable to service their loans. I remember the

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Do not be jealous. Ms. Murimi, the Motion before us this afternoon seeks to have a resolution of this House to include teachers or people who go for training as teachers in the higher education funding. So, as it is right now, there are very few at the tertiary level of education who actually get access to funding. So, this is what this House is trying to achieve through this Motion. I want to confirm to you, Mr. Speaker, Sir and you already know this, that I am a child of a teacher. My mother went to a teacher training college called Asumbi somewhere in Nyanza. I also want to confirm that I am a product of public education unlike Ms. Murimi, who has found herself at Braeburn School. I went to a primary school called Kakamega Township Primary School in Amalemba., which Sen. Khalwale knows very well. After I finished that, I went to Musingu High School, which Sen. Khalwale is very familiar with. When I qualified to do law at the University of Nairobi, I want to confirm here, that I was educated under the support and funding of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) . I also want to confirm that immediately I finished in 2006/2007, because the environment was such that if you finished university education, you would get something to do, I was able to clear my loan before I ever became a candidate for election in 2017. I have a certificate from the HELB saying that I cleared all my dues from the University of Nairobi. Mr. Speaker, Sir, unfortunately, for many Kenyans and young students that is no longer the case. We saw a report last week in the media, that over 500,000 people who have graduated from the universities are unable to service their loans. I remember the

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Order, honourable Senators. Order, Senator for Nandi.

Sen. Joyce Korir, you do not have to give the story of your husband, please.

You have your own parents. You can tell the story of your circumstances while growing up. Allow me to tell mine.

At that particular moment in time, they used to involve even the chiefs and there were forms to be filled to ascertain that you were eligible for these loans.

We have a situation where testing has become a bit problematic. There have been many complaints and all of us have heard that the system is not working the way it is supposed to work. They have raised questions about the transparency of the system with regard to means testing. It is shrouded in a lot of mystery. People do not know whether it is accurate or whether after that “means testing” is applied, the result is accurate to portray your status in life and whether you deserve financing.

The idea is this: As a House, we should support this Motion. You cannot argue that those going to universities are more deserving than those going to the KMTCs or the TTCs. We should agree that all Kenyans deserve support from the HELB if they wish to pursue higher or tertiary education.

Is there enough funding towards education in the country? No. We have demonstrated to this House that there are serious financing gaps. One out of three applicants is unable to access the loan. If you listen to young people, they will tell you that just like we have problems in terms of frequency of disbursement of money to counties, those who qualify face delays in receiving loans too. Therefore, we need to relook at the entire sector. Let us agree that we must prioritise good education at the tertiary level. We must resource it properly so that no category is left out.

With those remarks, I support.

Sen. Mungatana.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to comment on this Motion.

I congratulate Hon. Joe Nyutu for moving a very good Motion that will promote the discussions around the funding of education in this country. Every time we talk about education, I am reminded of Cuba. In Cuba, education is fully funded. Even old people pursue second and third degrees because education is well supported. You will recall that in the past administration, we received support from many Cuban doctors. In that country, you stop going to school only when you choose to.

This Motion raises the question of how we should fund our education and whether TTCs should be included in the existing model of funding. The second part of the Motion is consequential. It says we need to create the necessary guidelines.

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Asante, Bw. Spika, kwa fursa uliyonipa ili nichangie mjadala ambao umeletwe na Seneta wa Murang’a, Sen. Nyutu, kuhusu kuwapa mikopo waalimu walio katika vyuo vya walimu.

Niko katika Kamati ya Elimu ya Seneti inayoongozwa na Sen. Montet. Swala hili kwa mara isiyo moja, tumelileta kwa maafisa na Mawaziri wanaohusika na kupeana mikopo hii ya elimu. Ni jambo la kuudhi na kushangaza kwa nini vyuo vya walimu vinatengwa kupewa mikopo ya HELB. Vyuo vikuu vyote, vyuo vya kitaifa, vya anuai na pia zinazofunza elimu ya matibabu KMTCs vinapewa mikopo. Inashangaza ni kwa nini vyuo vya walimu vinanyimwa mikopo hii.

Kihistoria, taaluma ya walimu kidogo imedharauliwa. Nikianza masomo yangu ya uzamili kule Dar es Salaam, tuliongea na wenzetu wa Afrika Mashirika. Watanzania na Waganda wengi waliongea wakasema sasa wewe unatakikana kwenda chuo kikuu kusomea taaluma. Kwa nini hujapata taaluma yeyote hata ya kuwa mwalimu? Ukiangalia dhana ambayo ipo kwa wananchi wa Afrika Mashariki, wanaona ualimu sio taaluma inayofaa. Ninafikiri labda ndio sababu wanatelekezwa na kukosa kupewa ufadhili.

Bw. Spika, taaluma ya ualimu ni muhimu kama zile zingine. Kwa hivyo, wanapaswa kupewa mikopo na ufadhili wa elimu kulingana na kazi wanayoifanya ya kukuza watu wa kufanya kazi. Katika huu mjadala tunatakiwa tuwe na azimio la kusema

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Sen. Nyamu, please proceed.

I rise to support this Motion by Sen. Joe Nyutu, the Senator for Murang’a County, on the exclusion of funding from the higher education funding model because it speaks to fairness and the reality in our teaching colleges and institutions. Our Constitution guarantees the right to education in Article 43. In the same Constitution, under Article 53, it makes basic education compulsory and free. Let us be honest with ourselves, education is only as strong as the teacher who is delivering it. We are disadvantaging our teachers right at the training stage.

In 2003, the government rolled out the new model of funding for higher education. Interestingly, it left out the teachers training colleges. That gives us a very interesting situation where the university students can access HELB loans. A TVET student is supported, but the student-teacher in colleges is left to figure it out. Then what happens? They start to hustle, doing side jobs, miss classes and we start having trainees who are on survival mode. We cannot have a quality teacher under such circumstances.

Let me bring it closer to home. A student from Mathare gets admitted to a teacher's training college. Their parents are already struggling. There is no provision for HELB, there is no structure for upkeep provision or even guaranteed accommodation in those institutions for them. So, they end up in this situation where they are doing side hustles instead of attending classes. That is not the kind of situation that we want to have our teachers in.

Let us talk about our daughters. A lot of these students in these teacher's training colleges are young females. When they do not have any means of survival, we are exposing them to unsafe methods of survival where they could end up being taken advantage of. That policy gap ends up having our daughters exposed and that is a gap we need to seal.

At the same time, the CBC system requires us to have well-trained, motivated teachers who are on top of things. However, we get demoralised trainees who translate to demoralised teachers. If we do not fix this, we will end up having less trained teachers, a lot of dropouts and future shortages in our classrooms.

Another set of students that need to be supported are students at the Kenya School of Law (KSL) . That is also a tertiary institution. Why are they not included under the new funding model? We would like to see our young lawyers supported, so that we can have all students under this funding model.

I support this Motion, and congratulate Sen. Joe Nyutu for such a progressive Motion.

With those few words, I support.

Sen. Mumma, please, proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I am a member of the Committee on Education and would like to thank Sen. Joe

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What is your point of order, Senator for Nairobi City County?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is only fair when - I do not want to say older Members, but - when people who were there, when these things were happening---

Thank you, I stand corrected. When the senior Members use some of these terms that we do not understand, they should dumb it down for us, so that we are able to understand, the way we have dumbed it down for them, phrases like niko kadi, so that they understand what we are saying. So, I am lost. I need to follow the debate.

Sen. Catherine Mumma, would you simplify, so that your colleagues, especially the young ones can follow?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. When we went to university, the government supported us. We did not even know what the fees was, because it was paid. When you came in, you were given a residency. You had a hostel in which you lived. You could eat in the dining and the food was good. We had sausage, bread, chapati, jelly for breakfast. Has anyone in the new lot eaten jelly?

In addition, we had pocket money that we called boom. Those days, most of the men would pull their boom for a semester to buy the biggest music system, while the girls would buy clothes. Of course, those who came from struggling families would support their siblings with school fees. However, we moved on from 1995 to 2010, when the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) came in to offer loans to support students. Between 2014 and 2022, we moved on to supporting the Technical and Vocational Education and Trainings (TVETs) , when it was recognised that we need a skilled workforce in order for the economy to grow.

Incrementally and progressively, this has been good. However, the Motion brought by Sen. Joe Nyutu is important in the sense that we have usually charged learners in teacher training colleges, yet that is the lot that actually focuses on the primary

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Is that a point of information or a point of order?

Sen. Catherine Mumma, would you wish to be informed? You may go ahead, Sen. Mandago.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I would like to inform Sen. Cathy Mumma that from 2013, a number of counties have actually been allocating funds for VTCs. I say so as a former Governor of Uasin Gishu County who served for two terms. I ensured that there was Kshs13,000 capitation for every student attending the VTC. We also made sure that the enrolment in all our 12 VTCs was more than 400;

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I take the point made by Sen. Mandago and actually rephrase what I said to say that majority of governors have not been investing in VTCs and Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) . In fact, very few have invested in childcare which is within their function. In Uasin Gishu, we would like to confirm that not one more VTC has been built since you left. We have been checking and since we started monitoring on this particular function, some governors are now busy trying to build ECDEs. We visited Busia County and you remember what we saw. Some of them have all of a sudden realised that they are supposed to be doing something and yet, this is important. Education is important and both levels of government; the national and county, need to imagine the way in which we can functionalise our VTCs. VTCs are stigmatised. They are called village polytechnics and because of that, a number of governors have not seen the need to put in funds. Sen. Joe Nyutu, I thank you. What you have brought up is absolutely important. Of all the things that I have raised, as a House and possibly together with the National Assembly, we need to seriously do the young people of Kenya a favour. We need to relook at the education system and ensure that we are not dumping our youth after they finish form four. That is a time bomb that is awaiting this nation. We congratulate the county governments where they have done something, but what needs to be done is a lot more. I whole heartedly support the need for teacher training colleges to actually be included in receiving the public funds to support them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, sorry. It is not that I want to contribute to this Motion, but about three weeks ago, you made a ruling on the Floor of this House. The ruling said that the Inspector General of Police should submit the report on my shooting that happened in Isiolo County by 20th. It is 25th today and there is no response from the IG. I request you to intervene.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, as much as I support this Motion, I have looked at it. It says that we urge the Government to include the TTCs in the funding model. I have said in this House before, severally, that when we spend time to debate Motions, let us focus on Motions where we are giving an order, not basically to urge government institutions or ministries. This is because when you say, urge, it means it is an open cheque. They can implement it, they can keep it on their shelves and nothing happens.

What we are supposed to say is that we are resolving as a House. We will spend like one or two hours discussing this Motion and after that, nothing happens. It is so sad. So, I start on that note by saying that this is a very good Motion. How I wish we were making a resolution because by the mere reading of this Motion, this is not a resolution because we are urging the government. We are not making a resolution.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, as much as I support this Motion, I have looked at it. It says that we urge the Government to include the TTCs in the funding model. I have said in this House before, severally, that when we spend time to debate Motions, let us focus on Motions where we are giving an order, not basically to urge government institutions or ministries. This is because when you say, urge, it means it is an open cheque. They can implement it, they can keep it on their shelves and nothing happens.

What we are supposed to say is that we are resolving as a House. We will spend like one or two hours discussing this Motion and after that, nothing happens. It is so sad. So, I start on that note by saying that this is a very good Motion. How I wish we were making a resolution because by the mere reading of this Motion, this is not a resolution because we are urging the government. We are not making a resolution.

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Madam Speaker, I am sorry, but this disease started in the morning from my senior brother, Khalwale. So, you can know where it is coming from.

What is your point of order, Sen. Hezena?

Madam Temporary Speaker, is it in order for the Senator for Vihiga County to mislead the House that, indeed, investing in roads is not investing in the people? For some of us who come from very marginalised parts of this country without roads, we know the detrimental effect of not having proper infrastructure to connect citizens to basic needs across the country. So, on a statement of fact, he is misleading the House.

Thank you.

Hon. Senator Osotsi, for purposes of clarity and good communication, can you rephrase your argument to ensure it captures the feelings and the understanding of the need for a structure as an investment into people, as proposed by Senator Hezena?

Madam Speaker, if you understand English, then you will understand the meaning of the word “priority”.

Everybody here understands English. The Chair and Sen. Hezena understand English. That is just a point of confirmation.

I said priority should be on education. That means roads are important, but they are not a priority compared to education.

Sen. Osotsi, let me guide you. The reason you are having a challenge with Sen. Hezena is because of the approach you are taking in your communication. In your response, you began your sentence with; “If

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Madam Temporary Speaker, so that I do not waste my time, I want to say that priority is---

On a point of information, Madam Temporary Speaker.

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Sen. Mandago is a former governor who was involved in education issues. Therefore, he can inform me.

Sen. Mandago, please, inform him adequately.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I just wanted to inform Sen. Osotsi that the current administration has doubled funding for education from Kshs350 billion to a tune of Kshs700 billion. For the first time since independence, this Government has employed 100,000 teachers. That is a clear indication that the Government is investing in its people, not just for now, but also in the future. That is why we even have the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) .

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker. I rise under Article 7 of the Constitution. Sen. Osotsi asked whether Sen. Lemaletian understands English, but that is unconstitutional since it is made in bad faith.

Under Article 7 of the Constitution, the national language of the Republic is Kiswahili. The official languages that should be used on the Floor of the House are either Kiswahili, English or Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) . We can also use braille or any other communication appropriate for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) .

The only languages allowed to be used officially under Article 7 of the Constitution are English, Kiswahili or KSL. Therefore, he is totally out of order and he must apologise. He can say those statements in Linda Mwananchi or Linda Tumbo rally somewhere in Narok.

On a point of information.

Sen. Osotsi, would you like to be informed by Sen. Hezena?

Madam Temporary Speaker, you know that these points of orders are meant to waste my time.

Your time is paused.

You asked me to clarify and I have clarified by saying that priority should be on educating Kenyans. That is my clarification. Therefore, allow me to proceed with my contribution.

Sen. Joyce, please hold on. Clerk, please, pause his time, so that they do not use his minutes.

Sen. Osotsi, would you like to be informed by Sen. Hezena based on her wealth of experience?

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Madam Temporary Speaker, I have had so many points of information from Members. Let me proceed.

What I was trying to say before I was interrupted is that education is so important to the country that it should be given priority in budget-making. I appreciate that the budget has increased to 28 per cent, but we can put more money in education, so that we make education basically free. That is the most important gift we can give to Kenyans because with education, as Sen. Mumma said, it becomes an equaliser. That way, many other things that indirectly rely on education will have a multiplier effect.

I was giving an example and asked why we should import skills, for example, in road construction when we can train our people to be world-class engineers, so that we spend less money. The same should apply to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) where I belong. We have big ICT institutions like Safaricom. Why would they, for example, import experts from China to do things that if we improved the capacity of our own local ICT engineers, we would reduce the cost and that would have a multiplier effect on our education?

My view is that education is such a critical aspect of our lives that the Government needs to consider making it free by increasing budgetary allocation to that sector then other things will flow, including things that Sen. Cherarkey is always protective about such as going to Singapore. We can go to Singapore through software and not necessarily hardware.

We have to look at the software and hardware and ask ourselves what we need to invest in. It is not necessarily brick and mortar. We can invest more in health, so that we have a healthy society or in education, so that we have an educated society and therefore everything else will flow.

Talking about investment in education, we have a lot of money in this country. What we lack is appropriate allocation. We also have an issue of wastage in the government. It does not make sense that one institution or a small government office can be given Kshs17 billion. What do they need that money for when we are talking about underfunding of education or collapse of our universities in this country?

Our universities are collapsing because of funding yet we put money in places where ordinarily we should be saving. That is why some of us question this myth of going to some other small country in Asia yet we cannot make quick fixes to our software that includes education and health because we are lying to ourselves and basically not moving in the right direction.

The point I want to make is that this Motion is timely. How I wish we looked at the entire education sector and made sure that education is prioritised and properly funded. It should not just be primary or secondary but also tertiary education. For example, we have Technical Training Institutes (TTIs) and that was a good concept, but our TVET centres in the counties are dying. Actually, they have died. Like in my own county, most of them have died because there is nothing much happening there.

We would like the government to revert back to the old approach of co-funding TVET centres, so that many young people in the villages who cannot go to colleges or universities can have a chance to go and learn skills like masonry, carpentry, metalwork and all that. That will help them to sustain themselves in the villages.

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Sen. Hezena, what was your point of order based on?

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Sen. Hezena, when you rise on a point of order, you should always state what standing order you are rising on. We know that is Standing Order No.10. Sen. Osotsi, you can proceed and respond to that as you continue winding up your submissions.

Madam Temporary Speaker, you know it is important that some of these Members learn from us, but that was not a point of order. Let me proceed.

It is important that we relook at our budgetary processes, so that areas of wastage and unnecessary budget allocation should be re-examined, so that more funds are put in critical sectors such as education and health. That way, this country will make progress. Fixation on issues of brick and mortar should not be the approach. The approach should also look at the software aspects of our lives, and that includes education and health.

As I earlier said, how I wish this Motion was making a resolution that the House resolves and not the House urges, because we do not want to waste our time here discussing very good things which no one implements.

I support.

Sen. Osotsi, once again, I am not Mr. Speaker. Please remind yourself again and again. I might not excuse it again.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I will not repeat the mistake that has been done by my colleagues, because you are my neighbour here. As I

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March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 28

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Sen. Kavindu, just take your seat now. It is time for the Mover to reply, and he is persuaded to donate some of the minutes to the two remaining Senators.

Resume your seat, Sen. Agnes. Proceed, Sen. Nyutu.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. Just like you have indicated, we have two Senators on the line; that is Sen. Consolata and Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale. I do not have a lot to say as I reply. Therefore, allow me to donate five minutes to Sen. Consolata and five minutes to Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, respectively. Then, I will take another five minutes.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 31

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. In a condensed fashion, the country remembers that in 2003, the biggest change that took place after election was the announcement by President Mwai Kibaki that there shall be free primary education. One million Kenyan children came from nowhere and joined school. That was leadership.

Fast forward to 2022, the biggest announcement that came was that we will have the new funding model and solidify the competency-based system of education. Unfortunately, the new funding model and the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) have both failed completely. It is a shame that the failure of CBC has resulted in the loss of free education that we have in this country. We have to be the adults in the room and accept that our oversight role demands of us to call out when things are not being done right.

The top eight African economies are South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Morocco in position five, Kenya in position six, Angola and Ghana in seven and eight. In all these top African economies, education is free. It is only in Kenya, which is one of those countries that we do not have free education. What are we planning for our youth?

I know that the biggest argument has been the growing population of children. Please, those people who are propagating that misinformation must stop. This is because South Africa has free education and they have a bigger population than us. Egypt has free education and their population is in hundreds of millions. Nigeria has free education and their population is over 200 million.

We are visiting a crime against a generation. The long and short of this challenge is that we have enough money. Even the 28 per cent that is allocated for education is enough, but it is subjected to financial mismanagement and corruption.

Colleagues have spoken to financial mismanagement. This nonsense of presidential, governors' and National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) bursaries are just avenues for corruption. The country remembers that only

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 32

Thank you, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale.

Proceed, Sen. Wakwabubi Consolata.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for according me this opportunity to contribute to this substantive Motion by Sen. Nyutu. I am a product of teaching. I want to reiterate that teachers need a dignified lifestyle. Looking at this Motion, it is one of the avenues that will improve their welfare, even as they join the teachers’ training colleges. While I was growing up, I used to be told ‘teaching is a noble profession’. Indeed, it is a sacred profession. It is a career of altruism because it is selfless.

I concur with what the rest of the hon. Senators have presented on the Floor of the House today. This is because we are looking at an avenue to churn out a nation's human capital that is highly trained, with a lot of quality presentations because at times, we compromise quality for quantity.

So, as a product of the same profession, I echo the fact that this inclusion aligns with the student-centred funding model, which is the goal that was intended for to provide financial aid to the teacher trainees. This is because most of them come from marginalised and minority areas. Some of them come from impoverished family backgrounds that are less privileged.

As a House of legislation, although I stand to be guided and corrected, at this juncture, we can maybe craft a subsidiary legislation to buttress this substantive Motion. Otherwise, I support the Motion by Sen. Nyutu and also call upon the House and maybe the Standing Committee on Education and other related agencies, to look at the role of Article 43 (1) (f) , Article 53 (1) (b) , Article 55 (a) , 56 (b) , and 54 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I support the Motion.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 32

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. Allow me to say that I am very pleased with the very rich contributions and support that this Motion has received from Members from both sides of the House. I wish that we can have that unanimity in all the matters that we prosecute in this particular House. This is because most of them are of national importance, but because of partisan interests, sometimes we are not able to agree. I appreciate the spirit in the support of this Motion.

Allow me to also thank Members who have contributed to this particular Motion. Some of the contributions that were made, I had not even thought about them. This is because there are Senators who also thought that we can think of funding other

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 33

Thank you, Sen. Consolata. Sen. Nyutu, you can proceed to reply.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. Allow me to say that I am very pleased with the very rich contributions and support that this Motion has received from Members from both sides of the House. I wish that we can have that unanimity in all the matters that we prosecute in this particular House. This is because most of them are of national importance, but because of partisan interests, sometimes we are not able to agree. I appreciate the spirit in the support of this Motion.

Allow me to also thank Members who have contributed to this particular Motion. Some of the contributions that were made, I had not even thought about them. This is because there are Senators who also thought that we can think of funding other

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 33

Sen. Nyutu, I think you have done justice to your Motion. You have already replied to it, and that marks the end. You remember we did not have sufficient time, and we were winding up on the time available for that Motion. Also to bring it to your attention that yours truly, the Temporary Speaker, contributed to that Motion in your absence, and a few more Senators. So, that marks the end. The putting of the question is deferred.

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March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 37

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 38

Madam Temporary Speaker, before you allow a matter to be conversed the way it is being conversed by my good neighbour, Senator for Nandi County, the facts should be undisputed. I do not know how Sen. Cherarkey has ascertained that our transmission this morning was not on YouTube, and our gadgets were malfunctioning. Indeed, I was somewhere and was watching the proceedings of Parliament live this morning.

So, before he is allowed to proceed the way he is proceeding, can he table evidence before the House to indicate that the gadgets malfunctioned this morning, and Kenyans were not receiving live transmission of the proceedings of today morning? Otherwise, you will be dealing with rumours. Anybody can rise here and address Parliament and say we are not live on YouTube.

Let us know from Sen. Cherarkey on what authority he is telling you that we were not live on YouTube. What evidence does he have that he can table before the House this afternoon that can convince you beyond reasonable doubt before you address that issue, that we were not live on YouTube today? This is not a House of rumours. When you raise serious issues like this, especially when I am not in the right mood because the railway line that was meant to pass through Nyamira County has been diverted to Sotik and then from Sotik we are being told we should just watch as it passes

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 39

Sen. Omogeni, I would like to guide you on the question that you rose to respond to. It was on live streaming. However, on this, bring a substantive question or substantive Motion. That is a serious issue.

This matter is emotive.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 39

This matter is emotive. Even my mother who is 86 years is wondering. This matter is being discussed in our local media houses every day. So, when I have an opportunity to speak about it--- Even the Senator for Kitui County will always know that is an injustice.

I understand it is emotive and Murang’a could also question---

So, to go back to the point I was making, before you allow the Senator for Nandi County to prosecute the issue that he has raised, you need evidence that the assertions he is making are indeed factual, that we were not live on YouTube. If not, ask him to first tender the evidence before he misleads the House that we were not on YouTube.

Before I respond to what you have submitted on, I will give Sen. Enoch a chance, then I will respond.

Madam Temporary Speaker, today I had the opportunity to move a Motion on the report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and was very sure that the whole world was following what we were doing, because we were doing a good job. There were disruptions, on the screens inside the Chamber and Members raised issues. Since I was moving to the Floor for the next Order, I approached the Clerks-at-the-Table, and asked whether---

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 40

Sen. Enoch Wambua, I recommend that you focus on your submissions and ignore Sen. Tabitha.

Sen. Tabitha, avoid distracting the Senator. Proceed, Sen. Enoch.

You saw what she did. You have just seen the gestures that she has made. That makes it even worse. However, if you insist that I persevere, I will.

I bring to the attention of Sen. Cherarkey that when I personally approached the Clerks-at-the-Table on the matter of the live streaming, they confirmed to me that the interruptions were just internal, and that the live streaming was taking place, unless then Sen. Cherarkey has additional evidence or maybe he was not in the Chamber. I do not know.

The people of Nandi elected Sen. Cherarkey to follow proceedings from the Floor, not on YouTube. So, the people of Nandi have a right to their Senator following proceedings and participating on the Floor of the House, not to follow proceedings online on YouTube. If that was what he was doing, then he can confirm to us that he was not in the Chamber.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 40

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker.

Sen. Cherarkey, what is the problem now?

Madam Temporary Speaker, you know very well that one of the most active and industrious Senators of this session is yours truly. He even asked about Wote while I asked about Kapsabet Stadium when the Cabinet Secretary was here.

Before you rule, I demand the following; one, an Information Technology (IT) audit be done because when there is a disruption of live streaming in this House, they upload it later. Number two; I have heard my senior saying that this is a non-issue and yet, it is a constitutional matter under Article 118. When he speaks about the railway going to Kisii and Nyamira, those people in Nyamira cannot all come to the Senate, they must follow online somehow. By the way, for his information, Kenya has the highest access to internet in Africa followed by Nigeria and then South Africa.

While I agree on the issue of the railway, which I saw Dr. Matiang’i discussing, I ask Sen. Okong’o Omogeni to go with me to State House, if he is gracious enough. We will sit with the President and ensure that the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passes through Nyamira and Kisii counties---

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 41

Sen. Cherarkey, can you finish your submissions on the earlier points?

That is why I am saying, if Sen. Okongo Omogeni, SC, is saying that Article 118 should not be a priority, I want the people of Nyamira and Kisii counties to see where Sen. Okongo Omogeni is saying the railway should pass.

Finally, I will be demanding that an IT audit of the system be done. Even the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) can do it because if there is an internal disruption of live proceedings, it will affect--- I know that the Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit (PBU) will upload the HANSARD later.

My argument is that, under Article 229, the Office of the Auditor General should do the IT audit of the Senate HANSARD, so that my assertion is very correct. At least, Sen. Wambua said that there was internal disruption of the proceedings, which is a serious matter contravening Article 118. However, I appeal to Sen. Okongo Omogeni, a Member of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and broad-based Government to go with me to State House, where we will solve a small matter of ensuring that the SGR passes Kisii and Kisumu.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I rest my case and request for favourable ruling on this matter. I know it is an administrative issue, but it is very critical for the country because these proceedings should be open and accessible to the public through any platforms, either physically, online or through television (TV) . We thank the Kenya Broadcast Corporation (KBC) for tirelessly ensuring that proceedings from Parliament are accessible to Kenyans across the country through their channel.

I yield back and request that we go to State House with the Senator after this.

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Today, I have been christened Sen. Onyonka.

I apologise for that.

Madam Temporary Speaker, we were at university with you and Sen. Onyonka has never been to that School of Law where we were with you.

I apologise for that, it is Sen. Omogeni.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I am sure the people of Nyamira and Kisii region are watching these proceedings or they will access them on YouTube. It is not proper for Sen. Cherarkey to mislead the people of Nyamira and Kisii that the only way the railway line will traverse through Nyamira or Kisii is if I go to the State House and kneel before the President. That is not right. We deserve access to the usage of the railway line, the way my brothers in Bomet, Kericho and Narok deserve it.

Mr. Speaker, when the President raised the Bible when he was being sworn in---

There is no ‘Mr. Speaker’ here.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 42

Sorry, Madam Temporary Speaker. The President raised the Bible with his right hand and said that he will serve all Kenyans. When the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) levies taxes, it does not exclude people of Nyamira or Kisii, we all pay taxes equally. So, on the issue of the railway, we just want fairness. We want that development to extend to all counties. All the 47 counties deserve equal access to the railway line as long as it is traversing in that region. That should be very clear. Sen. Cherarkey, we do not need to go to State House---

Sen. Cherarkey, I do not need to go to State House and I will not go to State House to beg on behalf of my people what they rightly deserve.

Thank you, Sen. Omogeni, the point is made.

Yes, access is free to everyone without having to go to State House, but, obviously, State House also houses the President of the Republic of Kenya and it is accessible to every Kenyan, including Sen. Omogeni.

Coming to the points that are raised---

Sen. Cherarkey, maintain peace for now, so that I give direction on the two issues that you raised.

On the administrative action that communicates to Senators on what is on the Order Paper; I confirm that the Order Paper is always circulated 12 hours before any session. It is the responsibility of hon. Senators who have brought business to the Floor of this House to ensure they are available during the sitting to execute their business without having to be reminded. They have the mandate both from the electorate or from where they have been sent to the Senate to do, they do not need to be coerced or pushed. They can actually take responsibility and prosecute their business.

On that issue, once the Order Paper is circulated, it is good enough for the Senators to read and come back to the sessions and make sure they are available when the session is running.

On the other question of whether we had live transmission throughout; I confirm from the secretariat that if you go to your phone even right now, there is a live streaming running. The KBC is also running these proceedings throughout, meaning nobody has been disentitled from being able to access the Senate's live proceedings, and so, Article 118 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 has not been breached. There may have been interruptions like when Sen. Wambua said that screens went blank for very few seconds on different occasions, but that did not affect the YouTube live streaming. So, the Article was not breached.

Finally, I request the PBU to ensure that there is no excuse for not transmitting seamlessly without interruption throughout, both in and outside Senate for the public to access what is happening in the Senate.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 42

Madam Temporary Speaker, the issue is properly rested. Perhaps then the Commissioner, because he is seated with us here, the only thing that he can do for the benefit of all of us, because these are not decorations, there is a reason why these screens have been mounted. The Commissioner may take responsibility and report to the House the contractual agreement between ourselves and the service provider, especially on the issue of uptime. At the uptime for these screens, what is the agreed percentage? This is so that we do not have a situation like we had in the morning, where we had the Cabinet Secretary responding to questions, then there are people who are monitoring the screens and some of them turn yellow. I do not know why specifically yellow. Others were turning to some other funny colours.

So, let us know what the uptime is, because there must be something in the agreement that these screens must be operational for the consumption of the audiences up to a certain percentage of the time.

Thank you.

Sen. Enoch, this is a new system. The tidier way to manage it would be just to first ask the technical team to ensure we do not have those disruptions in the next sittings. If they persist, then maybe we can dive into deeper issues of the contract that is there.

So, technical team, please, up your game, so that we do not have any downtime during the proceedings. I think we have exhausted that issue. We allow it to rest.

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 43

Madam Temporary Speaker, mine could be an expert opinion, if it is important. Again, it is very tough and difficult to rise on a matter that perhaps you have pronounced yourself on.

Do not take that issue backwards. You can only move forward.

Just because you have given directives that perhaps the Commission and the technical team should be able to look at this issue and look at why this problem persists; if you look at the problem that we are seeing in this House, it is not just about persistence in terms of just transmission. It is a number of things. There is quality of pictures which insinuate the technicality in the system itself. There are blank images that come in anytime that somebody is speaking. There are times when the microphones cannot go on. At my back, one is blank, another one is not blank.

What is happening here is that maybe we are dealing with a number of problems that perhaps I need to highlight, so that we can know. I do not want to be presumptuous, but maybe there is insufficient internet bandwidth for this streaming, so that you do not assume that because we are seeing blank images here, then the outside one is okay. If there is a bandwidth problem in Parliament, then, certainly, there is a problem outside

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 44

Thank you, Sen. Eddy. We know you are an expert in the subject matter. I hope the technical team can take advantage of that information you have shared. I am sure all these offices are open. So, you can access and assess.

Thank you very much. That issue is now closed. We have already spoken enough. So, we are done on that issue.

Just because you have given directives that perhaps the Commission and the technical team should be able to look at this issue and look at why this problem persists; if you look at the problem that we are seeing in this House, it is not just about persistence in terms of just transmission. It is a number of things. There is quality of pictures which insinuate the technicality in the system itself. There are blank images that come in anytime that somebody is speaking. There are times when the microphones cannot go on. At my back, one is blank, another one is not blank.

What is happening here is that maybe we are dealing with a number of problems that perhaps I need to highlight, so that we can know. I do not want to be presumptuous, but maybe there is insufficient internet bandwidth for this streaming, so that you do not assume that because we are seeing blank images here, then the outside one is okay. If there is a bandwidth problem in Parliament, then, certainly, there is a problem outside

March, 25, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 44

Thank you, Sen. Eddy. We know you are an expert in the subject matter. I hope the technical team can take advantage of that information you have shared. I am sure all these offices are open. So, you can access and assess.

Thank you very much. That issue is now closed. We have already spoken enough. So, we are done on that issue.

Hon. Senators, there being no other business on the Order Paper, the Senate stands adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, 26th March, 2026, at 2.30 p.m.

The Senate rose at 5.26 p.m.