Wednesday, 4th June 2025

Hon. Members, we have no quorum. Serjeant-at-Arms, ring the Quorum Bell.

Hon. Members, we now have quorum to transact business. Clerk-at-the-Table, proceed.

Order, Hon. Members. Take the nearest seats. I have two short Communications to make.

Hon. Members, this Communication relates to the decision that the House made yesterday on the Motion regarding Senate amendments to the Division of Revenue Bill (National Assembly Bill No.10 of 2025) .

As you are all aware, yesterday, Tuesday, 3rd June 2025, the House rejected the Motion on the Consideration of the Senate Amendments to the Division of Revenue Bill, (National Assembly Bill No.10 of 2025) . This decision consequently remitted the Bill to a Mediation Committee in accordance with Article 112 of the Constitution and Standing Order 149.

Article 113 of the Constitution requires that whenever a Bill is referred to a Mediation Committee, the Speakers of the Houses of Parliament shall appoint an equal number of Members from both Houses to attempt to develop a version of the Bill for consideration by the Houses of Parliament.

In this regard, having consulted with the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party, I have appointed the following Members to represent the National Assembly in the Mediation Committee to consider the said Bill—

Hon. Members, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 41 (1) , I wish to report to the House that I have received a Message from the Senate regarding its decision on the National Assembly’s amendments to the Coffee Bill (Senate Bill No.10 of 2023) .

The Message conveys that on Tuesday, 20th May 2025, the Senate considered and rejected the National Assembly’s amendments to the Coffee Bill (Senate Bill No.10 of 2023) . You will recall that the House considered and passed the said Bill with amendments on Wednesday, 27th November 2024. I, thereafter, referred the Bill to the Senate for reconsideration in accordance with the provisions of Article 112 (1) (b) of the Constitution. The rejection of the National Assembly’s amendments to the Coffee Bill (Senate Bill No.10 of

Constituency, Kakamega County. I have been requested by the Member for Butere Constituency to welcome his school on behalf of all of us, and your colleagues from the jurisdictions where the other schools come from, I give you a minute to do so.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to welcome all the students and teachers who have come to the National Assembly today. I wish to encourage all the students and assure them that this House, the National Assembly, is committed to enacting legislation that supports and promotes better educational standards in this country.

I would like to share with the students a quote from Roland Garros, a French aviator. During the World War I, he said that victory belongs to the most tenacious. I urge the students to be very tenacious, persevere, work hard and remain determined. If they do so, they will reach where we are today, or even surpass us, and find themselves in greater positions than this Parliament.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker.

Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table:

Thank you. Chairperson, Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy, Hon. David Pkosing.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table:

Second Report of the Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy on its examination of the Report of the Auditor-General on the financial statements of selected State Corporations.

Chairperson, Departmental Committee on Lands. I thought it was somebody else.

Yes, Hon. Speaker. I am doing it on his behalf.

Go ahead.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table:

Report of the Departmental Committee on Lands on its consideration of the Senate amendments to the Land (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No.40 of 2022) .

Thank you. Chairperson, Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture. Is Hon. Dan Wanyama in the House? Is there anybody representing him?

Next Order.

Chairperson, Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy. Is that Hon. Pkosing?

Yes, Hon. Speaker.

Go ahead, Baba.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:

THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy on its examination of the Reports of the Auditor-General on the Financial Statements of selected State Corporations laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 4th June 2025. I thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Chairperson, the Mediation Committee on the Gambling Control Bill. This Report has not yet met the Speaker's approval.

Next Order.

Hon. Members, before we go to the next Order, allow me to acknowledge the presence, in the Speaker's Gallery, of St. Benedict Kithimu School from

Manyatta Constituency, Embu County. On my behalf and that of the House, I welcome the students to the House of Parliament.

We will go to Statements. Hon. Members, I hope you have seen the Supplementary Order Paper that is in circulation. The first Statement is by Hon. Yakub Adow, Member for Bura.

Hon. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I rise to seek for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding the disappearance of Mr Adhan Noor Hassan of identification card No.22444322.

Mr Adhan Noor Hassan, a resident in Bura Constituency, was forcibly abducted on 13th May 2025 in Bangal Location, Bangal Sub-County. Eyewitnesses report that he was swiftly and violently bundled into a waiting vehicle, which then sped away from the scene. Despite immediate efforts by his family and community to trace him, his whereabouts remain unknown. The incident was officially reported to Bangal Police Station on 14th May 2025 under Occurrence Book No.08/14/05/2025. However, as of today, there has been little progress in the investigation. Mr Hassan's family and the wider community are growing increasingly anxious about his safe return.

Since his disappearance, close to three weeks ago, the family is yet to receive any official updates or information from security agencies regarding the circumstances of his abduction or his current whereabouts. This prolonged silence has left the family in a state of deep anxiety and emotional distress, as they are left to agonise over the safety and well-being of their loved one. Additionally, this incident highlights serious security concerns about the protection of fundamental rights, specifically as enshrined in Article 29 of the Constitution. The lack of transparency and action in this case undermines public confidence in the authorities' commitment to safeguard the rights and security of all citizens.

Hon. Speaker, it is against this background that I seek a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on the following:

Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security. Hon. Ali Raso, I do not see your Chairman.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. We will respond in two weeks’ time.

Thank you. Hon. Aden Daudi.

Hon. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I rise to request for a Statement on the scope of immigration services at Wajir International Airport.

Wajir International Airport was designated as an international airport, a status that signifies its capability to handle and process international flights, passengers and cargo. Subsequently, the Department of Immigration Services posted a Deputy Director, two Assistant Directors and two Principal Immigration Officers to take charge of the clearance of travellers entering the territory of Kenya via the Wajir International Airport. Despite the deployment of immigration officers, passengers, including Kenyans returning home via Wajir International Airport, are not cleared at that airport. Instead, the immigration officers only check passengers' documents against aircraft manifests. Passengers then re-board the flights and are subsequently rerouted to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi for admission.

Hon. Speaker, this practise, which has been ongoing since 2020, exposes passengers to double verification and unnecessary costs, particularly for residents of Wajir and neighbouring counties who land at Wajir International Airport, and instead of being admitted by the immigration officers, they are flown to Nairobi for admission. This forces them to incur costs for domestic flights back to the northern region.

Curiously, while all other passengers including Kenyans are rerouted to JKIA for admission, certain passengers claimed to be soldiers and intelligence officers from the United States of America (USA) are cleared and admitted into Kenya at Wajir International Airport, raising concerns on the preferential treatment accorded to them.

Hon. Speaker, it is against this background that I request the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security to apprise the House on the following:

Thank you. Vice-Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, Hon. Ali Raso, when can you bring a response?

In two weeks’ time, Hon. Speaker.

Thank you.

Hon. Gitonga Mukunji. He is absent. His request is dropped.

Hon. Members, we have one response to a Statement requested by Hon. Dorice Donya. Is she in the House?

Yes.

Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Livestock and Agriculture, are you ready? Dr Mutunga, go ahead.

(Technical hitch)

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Clerk-at-the-Table, can you switch off the microphone? Go on, Hon. Mutunga.

Hon. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order No.44 (2) (c) , Hon. Dorice Donya requested for a Statement on 12th March 2025 regarding payment of annual bonuses to tea farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development responded as follows to the issues in the raised Statement.

The first issue was on the criteria used to determine the rates of annual bonuses paid to tea farmers across different regions and factories in Kenya. The rates of annual bonuses paid to tea farmers in different regions and factories in Kenya are determined by the factory boards. The rates are usually calculated at the end of each financial year after all the revenue and costs have been determined, financial statements prepared and audited by external auditors. The financial statements and proposed bonus rates are then presented to factory boards for approval in consultation with the factory stakeholders or shareholders, or growers.

Tea bonus is dependent on the following factors: One, price realisation at the tea auction. Price is dependent on the quality of tea produced by each factory, which is determined by the quality of tea leaves, post-harvest handling, and manufacturing practices at the factory. The price is also influenced by the historical tea buyers’ perceptions regarding quality consistency in a specific tea factory. Other factors include the prevailing demand and political situation in the markets, as well as the effects of global economic shocks, and thus the average price varies from one factory to another.

Two, the cost of production. This varies from factory to factory depending on the various cost items within the factory, like transportation costs to Mombasa, labour and administrative costs, and energy. Factories with efficient machinery and operations have lower production costs and higher net income, and vice versa.

The second issue was on the reasons behind the significant variation in bonus payments to tea farmers in the country. The response is such that the variation in bonus payment to tea farmers by different factories in the country is determined by the price realised at the tea auction and the cost of production. Details of bonuses paid to farmers are contained in the response that was shared by Hon. Donya under Table two. I think Hon. Donya has it. The average total

payment increased by 12 per cent from the average of Ksh59.02 in the Financial Year 2022/2023 to Ksh65.95 in the Financial Year 2023/2024. The total payment to the farmers increased by 34 per cent from Ksh67.6 billion in the Financial Year 2022/2023 to Ksh90.5 billion in the Financial Year 2023/2024.

The third issue was on the measures the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is taking through relevant agencies such as the Tea Board of Kenya and the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) to ensure that all farmers receive fair, uniform and transparent bonuses based on their production levels. Tea factories in the west of the Rift Valley generally fetch lower prices in comparison to those in the east of the Rift Valley because of differences in the quality associated with the farmers' husbandry practices. Additionally, most of the factories in the west of the Rift Valley have loans that were used to establish satellite factories that attract high interest rates in comparison to factories in the east of the Rift Valley.

Cognisant of the above issues, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has put in place various programmes to improve the livelihood of smallholder tea farmers by improving average payment from Ksh50.18 per kilogramme of greenleaf in 2022 to Ksh100

by 2027. The following measures have been put in place: One, the Strategic Tea Quality

Improvement Programme (STQIP). The programme entails:

above-average or premium-quality teas, which are expected to fetch better prices in the market.

Two, the standard for the quality of green leaf for processing by tea factories. The Ministry and other relevant industry players have developed a guideline or standard on the quality of green leaf plucked and delivered for processing by tea farmers to the factories. The guideline prescribes the minimum standard on green leaf quality to be processed by all tea factories and will bridge the quality and price differences between the west of the Rift Valley and the east of the Rift Valley factories, once implemented. The Tea Board of Kenya is sensitising tea farmers and factories on green leaf quality standards in collaboration with county governments.

Three, the establishment of a laboratory for quality analysis and tea testing. The Tea Board of Kenya is in the process of establishing a quality analysis laboratory in Mombasa that will validate the quality and safety of tea in regard to the following:

Fourth, the provision of subsidised fertiliser as an intervention. The Government allocated Ksh2 billion fertiliser subsidy to reduce the price of a 50-kilogramme bag of fertiliser to Ksh2,500. This has enhanced productivity and quality of tea in the country. The fertiliser,

which is imported by KTDA is distributed to farmers in all tea growing regions, which is over 190,000 metric tonnes in the last two years.

The fifth intervention is in terms of regulating and controlling costs. To mitigate the high cost of production, factories have put in place cost mitigation measures like mini hydro investment projects that are financed through debt and equity at various stages of completion. Factories have also signed new management agreements with the KTDA that include, among others, reduction of management agency fees from 2.5 to 1.5 per cent of the gross sales value and absorption cost…

Dr Mutunga, too long. Can you paraphrase?

I only took two minutes, Hon. Speaker. That is the final issue. I was saying that it has reduced from 2.5 to 1.5 per cent of the gross value and absorption costs of seconded staff by the management agency.

The final issue was on the timeliness with which the Ministry will address the disparity to ensure that tea farmers across the country are treated fairly. The response is that the Ministry has developed guidelines on minimum leaf quality standards to address the declining quality of tea. The guidelines will be operationalised this month.

Additionally, the STQIP, which is a five-year programme, has been ongoing for the last two years and is aimed at assisting tea farmers with lower quality of tea to improve to meet the market standards. The programme will ensure that factories manufacture tea of higher quality as desired by the market, and the achievement of this programme is expected to improve the price of tea from the affected factories within a period of one year, considering market dynamics of supply and demand. Further, establishment of a laboratory for quality analysis and tea testing is expected to be completed in 2025.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Dorice Donya, that is a response to your Statement. Are you satisfied?

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Even the Chairman knows that what he has given is the same as understanding that airtime bundles expire. I have never understood why they expire. The Chairman knows that the farmers cannot get contented with what he has stated, because they have said it is the factories which determine the prices of tea bonuses. I do not know what I will do about it, but I am not satisfied.

Do you have any supplementary question to ask him?

Yes. Why can the Chairman, through the Ministry of Agriculture, not do a survey to the factories, and enquire how best they can help the farmers in determining the prices of bonuses? When our farmers in Kisii were told that the tea is tested, they tasked me to go to Kiambu, Murang’a and Kericho and buy their tea leaves and tea bags. They made the tea with those tea leaves, they tasted it and it was the same. Until today, they have not known the difference of their tea and the tea from the mountain. They literally tasted it with their mouth. It is the same.

Hon. Mayaka.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I have an additional supplementary question on one of the strategies that the Chairman has told us, in terms of how to improve the quality of green leaf. I am just wondering. The fact that a tea tree is usually in existence for 50 to 100 years, and it is the same one that usually produces the green leaf, how can one improve the quality of the already existing tea trees? Unless you are saying that the farmers will need to uproot them and plant new ones?

I feel like this strategy is not very realistic in the current situation. It will not help the farmers from Kisii and Nyamira who are very aggressive, but are not getting the same prices for their produce in comparison to our friends from the east side of the rift.

Yes, Hon. Gichimu. Go ahead.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I had at some point asked almost a similar question, a related question to Hon. Donya’s. But mine was appreciating that these factories are also private companies, who deal with their matters as privately registered limited companies. But if an issue arises, there is the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) where someone can easily fall back to and request for a special audit. I requested for a special audit from the TBK way back last year for my constituency, Gichugu, where two companies are domiciled, namely, Thumaita and Kimunye. This has never happened. Can the Chairman, through the Ministry, intervene so that we can also get answers from the TBK, which is a creation of this Parliament, through a legislation?

Dr Mutunga. Yes, mama Zamzam. Hon. Mutunga, hold.

Asante sana, Mhe. Spika.

Hon. Mutunga.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I understand the tea sector a bit. I am not disappointed by this response.

You are not?

I am not. This is because, rarely, will you find a regulator saying that ‘we are doing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 to support the farmers to improve their quality’. Also, a regulator saying, ‘the farmers are to blame for 1, 2, 3, 4’. It will never come out. But it has come out in this particular response. Last time this question was asked in this House, it never came out, and I prevailed upon the Ministry to tell us exactly why. They have cited the issues of cost, efforts that the Ministry is making, and the effort that the Kenya Tea Development Agency is making as a private entity. If it is KTDA that sets the prices based on the parameters around the factory itself…

Hon. Mutunga, whatever it is you are saying, the factories may be private, but the farmers are not.

Yes.

Because the foundation of our Constitution is equity and fairness, to help this House, you should go and bring more information tabulating the amount and level of bonus paid by each and every tea factory, for analysis and comparison. If the variable is minimal, we will understand. But if the variable is as wide as the difference between day and night, then there will be questions to ask for further clarification.

I listened to your Statement very carefully, because this matter has been lingering in this Parliament for more than 20 years past. Let it be you to crack it. A farmer in Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Nandi, Kericho or Kisii, is a farmer.

Hon. Speaker, I stand guided. Thank you very much.

I give you two weeks to bring a complete tabulation on how much bonus is paid by each and every factory, so that you can also do the analysis yourself on the levels of disparity.

Yes, Hon. Donya. What is it?

I confirm to the Chairman and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development that I have not received, read, or seen this report. I need another one.

Yes, Sunkuli.

Hon. Speaker, the Chairman has said that the factories to the east of the Rift Valley have more prudent financial borrowing. And that the factories in the Rift Valley and the west of the Rift Valley borrowed with a higher interest rate and that is why the farmers are paying it. I request you to include in your instructions to the Chairman that he also brings that kind of tabulation so that we can see that it is a fact.

Hon. Mutunga, have you heard what Hon. Sunkuli is asking? Include in your additional information the borrowing profile of the factories to back your assertion that some are prudent and others are not.

Give Hon. Mandazi the microphone.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. There is normally support that is extended to farmers in terms of construction of roads and tea buying centres. We would equally want to know the number of tea buying centres that have been constructed within the regions that we come from, as compared to the other regions in the east and west.

Thank you.

Hon. Members, allow me to acknowledge students who are seated in the Public Gallery. They are: Tuiyomoi Primary School, Rongai Constituency, Nakuru County and Karangare Secondary School, Mbeere North Constituency, Embu County. On my own behalf and that of the House, we welcome the students, their teachers and anyone accompanying them to the House of Parliament.

Hon. Members, we will go back to Order 2. (Hon. Ruth Odinga and Hon.

Hon. Makali Mulu and Hon. Ruth, take your seats.

Order, Hon. KJ and your companion, take your seats.

Hon. Members, I have one more Communication on the incident of violent altercation between a sitting and a former Member of Parliament that occurred on Wednesday, 9th April 2025.

Hon. Members, you will recall that on Wednesday, 9th April 2025, I issued a Communication regarding an incident of violent altercation that occurred within the precincts of Parliament. The incident involved Hon. Umulkher Harun Mohamed, a Nominated Member of this House and Hon. Iman Falhada Dekow, a former Senator and a current Member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) .

In the Communication, I directed Hon. Falhada to explain herself to the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) in writing on Monday, 14th April 2025 by 5.00 p.m. I further ordered that the Member be precluded from accessing the precincts of Parliament, Parliament Buildings and facilities for a period of 90 days, save for Monday, 14th April 2025 being the day she was to deliver her written explanation to the Speaker.

Hon. Members, I also indicated that upon reviewing the response by Hon. Falhada, I would guide the House on any further or other action that would be taken, not only on the two Members involved in the altercation, but also on the Member claimed to have recorded the video of the incident.

I wish to inform the House that, indeed, Hon. Falhada delivered her written response to my office on 14th April 2025 as directed. Upon receipt of her written explanation, I reviewed it concurrently with the explanation and apology tendered by Hon. Umulkher to this House on Wednesday, 9th April 2025.

Further, I reviewed the incident report submitted to me by the Serjeant-at-Arms through the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly and the video clip of the incident despite it being an unauthorised recording. Lawyers like Hon. Otiende Amollo know the value of illegally obtained evidence.

Hon. Members, from my review, I have satisfied that whereas Hon. Umulkher Harun Mohamed was involved in the altercation, she appeared to be the victim in the violent altercation and not the provocateur. Accordingly, she bears no fault in the matter, hence I will not prefer any sanctions on her.

With respect to Hon. Falhada, the EALA Member of Parliament, and having carefully considered her detailed account of the altercation and the apology therein, I note that although her actions towards Hon. Umulkher were, indeed, warranted, they were not premeditated. I also note that she expressed an unreserved remorse and apology for the incident. However, Hon. Falhada was a visitor who decided to tag along another visitor into the precincts of Parliament. I noted that the visitor appeared to have been very enthusiastic in her engagement in the unfortunate altercation. As a former Member of this House and a sitting Member of EALA, Hon. Falhada did bear a greater responsibility to be of good behaviour.

Consequently, I invoke the provisions of Standing Order 1 and vary the period of her expulsion from the precincts of Parliament from the 90 days that I pronounced on Wednesday, 9th April 2025 to 45 days. For clarity, the 45-day period commenced on Wednesday, 9th April 2025 when I gave the order vide my Communication No.18 of 2025. For the avoidance of doubt, the period effectively ends on Monday next week, 9th June 2025.

Hon. Members, you may also recall that when I reported to this House the unfortunate incident of the violent altercation, the House was in a profound shock as to the claim that a Sitting Member of this House recorded and circulated a video of the incident. To this end, I indicated that should the claim be ascertained, that abhorrent act would attract sanctions under the Standing Orders and Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act, Cap 6.

Witness accounts have identified Hon. Lawrence Mpuru Aburi, Member for Tigania East as the Member believed to have made and circulated the video. Indeed, I personally spoke

to Hon. Mpuru Aburi and he claimed that he recorded the video for fun and shared with one female Member of this House who subsequently circulated the video unlawfully. I have no evidence to that effect. I take exception to the Member's irresponsible conduct given that he is a senior Member of this House and, therefore, bears a higher level of responsibility befitting a ranking Member in upholding the dignity of the House.

I hasten to emphasise that any form of indignity by one of us becomes an indignity to all of us, this House and, indeed, to the institution of Parliament as a whole. I implore all of us, who are Members of this House, to collectively safeguard the dignity of this august House in the manner we conduct ourselves in the chamber, within the precincts of Parliament or elsewhere in our private or public life. As Members of Parliament, you have no private capacity. You are Hon. Members of Parliament when in the precincts, out of Parliament, in your homes, in your constituencies and even outside the jurisdiction of this country.

Accordingly, having considered the circumstances surrounding this matter, and having duly allowed Hon. Lawrence Mpuru Aburi a reasonable opportunity to reflect on his conduct, I will now allow him, should he be present in the House, to rise in his place and proceed to tender an appropriate, unconditional and unqualified apology to the House. If he is not present in the House now, I will allow him to tender this apology at the next appropriate time in the presence of the Hon. Speaker. The Clerk of the National Assembly is hereby instructed to take the necessary action to enforce those directions.

Thank you, Hon. Members. Is Hon. Mpuru Aburi in the House?

No.

He is not in the House. Yes, Hon. Junet.

Hon. Speaker, in line with your well written Communication, this is the first time such an incident has happened in the precincts of Parliament; where there was an altercation and the person recording the video is an Hon. Member of the House. All along it has been either outsiders or other people. Hon. Speaker, I know discipline rests with you under your Committee, but I feel that it is very lenient for the Member only to apologise because the crime he committed might even be worse than the two who were fighting.

That video showed many unnecessary things. The Member ought to get a severe punishment worse than the culprits. Thank you.

Let us listen to his apology and see whether it will attract further sanctions. For the female Member who circulated the video, according to Hon. Mpuru, if he turns up and mentions you and he has proof, you will also face some sanctions.

Next Order.

Hon. Members, take your seats. Hon. Ferdinand and Hon. Haika, take the nearest seats.

Next Order.

Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:

THAT, taking into consideration the findings of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs in its report on the vetting of nominees for appointment as chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, laid on the Table of the House on Tuesday, 3rd June 2025, and pursuant to the provisions of Article 25 (2) (b) of the Constitution, this House approves the appointment of the following persons to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission:

Monday. As a result, the Committee had to burn the midnight oil and spent the entire day evaluating the report of the Selection Panel and conducting hearings physically. All the seven nominees appeared before the Committee and were vetted.

Allow me, Hon. Speaker, to thank Members of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs, all of them singularly and collectively, including the Vice-Chair, Hon. Mwengi Mutuse and Senior Counsel Otiende Amollo, who are here. I saw Hon. Daudi Mohammed of Wajir East, Hon. John Makali of Kanduyi, Hon. Stephen Mogaka of West Mugirango and the rest. All of them, named in the Report, played a key role in vetting the nominees and making the elaborate Report that was tendered to this House yesterday. It is a bit long, but I hope every Member has had a chance to read it and to acquaint themselves with it so as to know the reasons why the Committee recommended that we approve the seven nominees.

The Report begins with the foreword by the Chairpersons, in which observations are made, including compliance with the Constitution, reasons why vetting was done on a Saturday and the position the Committee took regarding the court order that stopped vetting which had been scheduled for 26th May 2025. It appeared, on the face of it, that the courts were injuncting Parliament from carrying its duty. We took exception to that and pointed out that Parliament, and Speakers have previously ruled, cannot be injuncted from discharging its constitutional mandate. Be that as it may, this is a House of laws. We obeyed the law as it was. Before we could evaluate the court order, we had to obey it first. Fortunately, the judge realised the mistake he made and on Thursday, and he varied the order to what it is today.

Chapter one, which is the preface on the establishment of the Committee, is self- speaking. Chapter two, which is on the background information of the Committee and the nominees, is also self-speaking. I will not go into the details for purposes of saving time. Chapter three is on the memoranda received from the public on the suitability of the nominees. We need to speak on this because various issues were raised by several members of the public. We did not capture supporting memoranda. We received quite a huge amount of paperwork in the form of supporting affidavits. However, since we are not required to consider them, we did not capture them. Under the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, we are only required to consider objections. The House can see what was said about each nominee. I will be commenting on the objections shortly.

Chapter four is on approval hearings. We have tried to capture the hearings almost verbatim. We have captured what each nominee presented to us, right from their opening statements. They gave a history of themselves. We also looked at their academic backgrounds, experience in various fields and suitability, which are a requirement of the law. We looked at all these and it is captured in Chapter Four of the Report. Chapter Four is quite lengthy because I repeat, it captures almost verbatim what the nominees had to say including their responses to the objections.

Chapter Five which is very important is on our observations regarding the nominees. Committee observations on the nominees, we have observed whatever it is we took of interest and importance, and we have set it in Chapter Five on each of these nominees.

Chapter Six is actually on our recommendations. Having evaluated these nominees, we did not hesitate to recommend that each of them be approved.

(Applause) Who are we approving as the nominees? For the Chairperson of the IEBC, we have Mr Erastus Edung Ethekon who hails from Turkana. Number one, he was one of the two persons who were forwarded to H.E. the President for nomination, and he was picked from those two. In regards to the process of nominating him, we were satisfied that the process followed the

Constitution and the Public (Parliamentary Approval) Act. Mr Ethekon demonstrated knowledge in his area of speciality, law and that he satisfies to be a Judge of the Supreme Court, which is the requirement for his appointment. He has more than 15 years of practice and a lot of experience in other matters including conflict management which we think is very important, and especially because of the disputes that arise after elections.

There was an objection to Mr Ethekon’s appointment on the basis that he is closely related to the former Governor of Turkana, Mr Josphat Nanok. This was in a sworn statement and, therefore, we had to deal with it. On interrogation, Mr Ethekon confirmed that he has no relationship whatsoever with Mr Josphat Nanok apart from work related relationship. That at one time, he was appointed as the County Attorney of Turkana and he worked with Mr Josphat Nanok. Even after Mr Josphat Nanok left office, he continued working with the Governor who is presently in that office. Therefore, work related relationship cannot be a bar to his becoming the chairperson. Otherwise, he demonstrated knowledge on electoral matters, he demonstrated knowledge of law, and he actually confirmed that he has the spine to deal with elections in the Republic which are ordinarily very emotive. With those remarks, we were convinced that he suits to be the chairperson of the IEBC.

The second person was Ms Ann Njeri Nderitu, who is currently the Registrar of Political Parties. She has worked for over 10 years with the IEBC where she rose to become a director. Therefore, in our view, we termed her as an insider, a person who knows how IEBC works. There was an objection to her nomination on the basis that she is a State officer. The person who objected stated that the appointment was contrary to the law because she is a State officer. Unfortunately, the law is clear which is that you cannot be appointed when you are a State officer. The word used is appointment and not nomination. She was able to clarify to our satisfaction that she has not been appointed, she has only been nominated.

The third person is Mr Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, who is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with over 11 years’ experience. On top of that, he has been a teacher for a long time amongst the many other things he has done. What struck the Committee with satisfaction was his ability to communicate. Mr Mukhwana is a good communicator, especially when he started giving us his journey through life in Kiswahili, eventually he answered our questions in English. He is able to speak both languages in a manner that he will be able to relay matters of the IEBC to the country when the time comes. So, to him the gem he takes to the IEBC is that of communication, and I hope he will make use of it because one reason Kenyans have a problem with the IEBC is trust. This is purely because communication is not as good as it should. We want to hear what is happening at every step of everything including awarding of contracts, so that nobody feels they are being short-changed or somebody is trying to do things under the table with a view to delivering elections that are not credible, fair and justifiable. Mr Mukwhana will fit that shoe very well.

The fourth candidate was Ms Mary Karen Sorobit, another Advocate of the High Court of Kenya who came in with experience from many institutions of the Government including the Advocates Complaints Commission, vetting of judges and many other areas that she has served in for the last almost 20 years as an Advocate. Mary Karen suits the position and we thought that as a lady, she also gets into the gender equality which is very important and as a person from South Rift, then again, regional balance is achieved.

The fifth person was Mr Hassan Noor Hassan. Mr Hassan has worked in the Public Service for over 40 years although today he is not working with the Public Service. He has great knowledge in matters public, dispute and conflict resolution as he demonstrated. In fact, due to his age, we said the rest of them are young and we require somebody of his age to guide the Commission when the time comes. Therefore, inspite of objections raised to him and they were many, including that he had been in the Rift Valley when there the post-election clashes, he was able to show that even when he was there during the clashes, he was able to quell them,

he was able to re-settle the persons and peace was restored. There was an objection to his relationship with a Member of Parliament, but we will not discuss that much apart from that he is a brother-in law to the Member of Parliament. Anything else was not material in the objection because as we have said, he is a senior citizen. In fact, his response was that he was where he is even before that Member of Parliament was born, so it is coincidental that one of them is married to the sister of the other, which does not affect anything. It does not impair his way of delivering results when it comes to working for the IEBC. With those reasons, we were convinced that his relationship to the Member of Parliament was not material to the way he was going to discharge his duties.

Number six was Mr Francis Odhiambo Aduol, a gentleman who has worked in the universities ever since time immemorial with an advanced age which we also felt was extremely useful for the Commission. Number one, he has great experience in quantity surveying, Geospatial Engineering and many other matters he brought before us. He struck the nation, because they were listening to him, as a person who is highly knowledgeable in matters relating to the earth and the way you can sub-divide the earth. All of you are looking forward to having constituencies delimited and here is one person who can match the size of the constituency with the number of persons, so that we can arrive at a fair and just decision. Therefore, Mr Francis Aduol is suitable to be a member when it comes to what Kenyans expect, which is fair representation based on constituencies. We did not hesitate to approve Mr Francis Odhiambo Aduol to become a member of the IEBC.

Finally, there was a young lady who came from a place called Shela in Lamu. She is young, 32 years old, and the first impression she created was that of a youth. Therefore, the youths who have been extremely agitated, anxious, and have been complaining that they do not get involved in such important matters like electoral matters, the IEBC and many more, now have one of their own in this particular Commission. Ms Fahima represents the youth. Thank you.

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

There is a point of order.

Hon. Speaker, I have heard the able Chairman of this Committee refer to Ms Fahima using the words, ‘she created the impression of being a youth’. I thought he would say that she is a youth. That statement is misleading. Since he is on the Floor of the House, can he correct that and say, ‘she is, indeed, a youth’?

Hon. Murugara, did she create an impression or she is a youth?

No, she is a youth as required in law. The impression was that at 32, when she appeared, we thought she was in her 20s. Otherwise, she is 32 years old, and extremely knowledgeable.

That is not a qualification.

That is not a point of qualification to be considered, Hon. Junet. Although Hon. Farah kept on repeating that one, and some Members found it quite curious. When he gets a turn to speak, he will possibly speak on it. But this young lady has worked ever since she left…

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

Yes, Hon. Farah.

The Chairman is casting aspersions on me. He does not know that my family and my wives are watching this. He wants to land me in trouble when I go back home.

He is saying you have roving eyes.

(Laughter)

Thank you. Hon. Farah, the operative word is “wives”. The wives are watching, not the wife. However, he observed it and let him just tell us something about it. This young lady has worked right from her days after university with the Lamu County. She has been a ward administrator, and she has risen all the way. Today, she is the Chief Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Finance in that county. When we evaluated her, she met all the parameters that were required. First, she is a youth. The youth of the Republic of Kenya are taken care of. They should not complain again that we, the elderly ladies and gentlemen, are avoiding them when it comes to matters as important as this one.

Secondly, she is a lady. Of course, she cannot be anything else. The ladies have produced a youth who will represent the youth, both men and women. And this is extremely important. Thirdly, she is from a small community. Although a Bajuni, she is Shela, which is a small community in Lamu, not very developed and marginalised to some extent. She has been able to rise to that important position. Fourth, on her education, she holds a degree from Kenyatta University. She has worked in senior positions and demonstrated she is able to deliver.

Our question was this: Can she stand up and defend the IEBC when it is under attack, especially by the youth? She demonstrated that she will be speaking directly to the youth on matters IEBC. When there is an issue, when they are questioned, or questions to be answered, she will be speaking to the youths directly so that they can hear her and understand her.

We looked at every one of them. We were satisfied that they suited the nominations given to them, and we did not again hesitate to approve all of them.

With those remarks, Hon. Speaker, allow me to move and then request the Senior Counsel in the House, with the permission from my Vice-Chair who is here, to second. These days, you know we are in broad-based and we have to be broad-based everywhere with my Vice-Chairman who is here and is listening attentively. The Senior Counsel is none other than Hon. Otiende Amollo, the Member of Parliament for Rarienda, who sat throughout, listened to these people writing the reports and everything else.

With the permission of the Speaker, Senior Counsel, kindly second.

Hon. Otiende Amollo.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to second this Special Motion and I thank my Chairman, my Vice-Chairman and the other Members for sacrificing not just their Saturday, but their Madaraka Day. For us, we had no Madaraka holiday on this day because we sat throughout.

It is important that Kenyans and this House understand the context in which we are recommending all the nominees to be approved.

First of all, we had a very robust vetting session. It was covered live in most of the stations. We posed to the nominees all the questions that had been raised by those who had objected, and three people objected: Dr. Gikenyi, Mr Omondi and Ms Masinde. It is their constitutional right to object, but we were satisfied that all the objections they had raised were sufficiently dealt with to our satisfaction. It is also important to note that in some cases, we had to recall some of the nominees for further clarification when some of the Members also raised issues which looked like they were not sufficiently addressed. They came back and answered those questions sufficiently.

Hon. Speaker, let me briefly speak to some of these as the Chairman has covered a lot of them. Let me start with the nominee for the chairperson position, Mr Erastus Ethekon. It is important to note that for you to be Chairperson of the IEBC, you must be qualified to be a judge of the Supreme Court under Article 166. To be a judge of the Supreme Court, you need

either to have practised for 15 years as an advocate, been a judicial officer for 15 years or have done something relevant in the field of law. We were satisfied that this nominee had practised for 22 years continuously. In addition, the work he has done over the period, including his current station as an expert in the African Union Development Agency in South Africa, qualifies him in any other relevant field of law, and that is why we have recommended him.

(Applause) Hon. Speaker, Madam Anne Nderitu’s objection was based on the fact that she is currently serving as the Registrar of Political Parties. That objection was satisfied as explained by the Chairman on the issue that the disqualification is on appointment. This nominee produced to us a Ruling by our own Speaker on 4th December 2014, which has been religiously followed that the disqualification comes at the point of appointment and assured us that should she be successful, she will resign before appointment, and therefore, it satisfied that objection.

Dr. Moses Alutalala is a man who has had an odious educational odyssey, having qualified first as a primary school teacher with a diploma and then rose through self-education to be one of the first parallel students in law. His journey has been very long, but of note to us is the fact that he was admitted as an advocate in the year 2014, and was able to produce to us every practising certificate each year since then. That satisfied the idea of being a practitioner of at least 10 years. That is why we were satisfied.

Ms Mary Karen Sorobit has practised law for 29 years, but an objection was raised that she may have been a member of the governing council of a political party contrary to Article

required by Section 6 of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act. But of note was an objection that had been raised under Article 88(2)(a) that he may have vied as a governor within the last five years. Mr Hassan demonstrated to us by reading the express provisions of the Constitution that the disqualification only applies to Members of Parliament and Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs), not those who vie for president or governor. As a Committee, we came to the conclusion that you cannot import a disqualification into the express provision of a text, and therefore, we found that he was not disqualified.

The other nominee is Prof. Francis Aduol. He was quite impressive. He is a professor of Geospatial Science and Engineering.

(Laughter) Shall I repeat?

Yes.

He is a professor of Geospatial Science and Engineering. Part of his speciality, his first PhD, was on the study of the earth. He told us that he can tell where any of you are at any one point if he gets your phone number. But of importance is the fact that one of his areas is delimitation of boundaries, including the focus on what wage should be placed on population, size and even poverty. We came to the conclusion that of all the nominees, this one will be very helpful to the Commission on the issue of delimitation. We are all aware that we are immensely out of time on the question of delimitation. We are also all aware that it is a very emotive matter. It is important to note that

Prof. Aduol has worked with all the bodies that have dealt with the issue from the Interim Independent Boundaries Commission (IIBC) to the Committee of Experts (COE) to the IEBC and, therefore, we had no hesitation in recommending him.

Hon. Speaker, on Fahim Abdallah, the Chairman has spoken to all that there is to speak. She ticks the three very important boxes, namely, youth, minority and gender. She has had at least ten years in public administration. This nominee was accompanied by her father and one of the Members had the courage to ask whether she was married or not. However, this was not part of our consideration. I have heard Hon. Farah objecting that the Chairman is casting aspersions, but I do not see that because I know that Hon. Farah is allowed, by religion, to marry more than one wife or get even up to the fourth. And even after getting to the fourth, I am sure Hon. Farah is allowed, by religion, to divorce, talaq. It means that Hon. Farah remains permanently eligible...

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

Order, Hon. Otiende. There is a point of order from Hon. Farah.

Hon. Speaker, there seems to be a conspiracy against me.

You seem to have exhibited some profane behaviour in the Committee.

No, Hon. Speaker.

What is your point of order?

Hon. Speaker, my point of order is that I did not say that this lady is single.

What is your point of order? You are compounding the allegation because you seem to be very excited.

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

Yes, Hon. Junet, what is your point of order?

Hon. Speaker, I would like to come to the aid of Hon. Farah. As you know, Hon. Farah is the ‘Akuku Danger’ of northern Kenya.

Hon. Speaker, I believe you know what I mean by that. As you see him there, he is still the ‘Akuku Danger’.

Yes, Hon. Zamzam.

Mhe Spika, ningependa kuwaambia Mhe. Otiende Amollo na wenzake kuwa huyu ni mtoto wetu mrembo sana na mzuri lakini hajakuja hapa kwa maswala ya ndoa ila kuchapa kazi. Ni mwanamke na ni vyema kuwa wanawake wanapoonekana katika sehemu ya kazi, isionekane ndoa tu bali wapewe nafasi yao ya kujenga taifa.

Asante sana, Mhe Spika.

Hon. Otiende Amollo.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I agree with Hon. Zamzam, but hasten to remind her that there is also a right to marry. It is not excluded in the Constitution. I am happy that Hon. Farah has sustained his excitement right from vetting to this House.

Hon. Speaker, I second.

Order, Members on their feet, take your seats.

Who is that Member with his back to the Speaker? Take your seat. Hon. Members, I will now propose the Question.

Hon. Members, how long do you want us to take on this? I will allow some debate and then I will call the Mover to reply at 4.30 p.m. Yes, Hon. Kamket.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this Motion.

Hon. Kamket, I have a proposal from the Whip of the Minority Party that you compress your contributions to three minutes. I am sure you are capable of doing that. It also applies to everybody else. Hon. Kamket.

Indeed, Hon. Speaker, if you cannot say it in three minutes, then you better not say it. I thank you for this opportunity. I also thank you for the ruling you made that the vetting of these proposed nominees continues because the attempt to block Parliament on this process would not have been constitutional. The delay in the nomination of the members of the IEBC has been very costly to this country. As I speak, I feel for the people of Banissa, Kasipul, Magarini, Ugunja, Mbeere North and Malava constituencies, as well as the constituency of the former nominated Member, Hon. John Mbadi. There are also several vacancies at the ward level that have been caused by the delay in constitution of this Commission.

When these commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are approved, their hands will be full. Their first task will be to look at the delimitation of boundaries in the constituencies. In fact, as we move forward, Tiaty Constituency should be divided into three. Tiaty deserves to have three Members of Parliament. This is not because I am incapable of representing Tiaty as it currently is, but because of its size and population.

The Commission also needs time to operationalise the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) , one of the major revolutionary achievements from the constitutional and the IEBC Act reforms. The KIEMS is a vital part of our election cycle. I want to remind all the lazy politicians who constantly blame the referee that votes can only be won through hard work.

Hon. Adan Keynan.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. From the onset, I support the approval of these seven great Kenyans. We do not have a perfect society. That is why God, the Almighty, allowed us to submit to His will, which also provides us with rules in the form of regulations and constitutions. These individuals have gone through all due processes: We have the Constitution, the Election Act, which stipulates the formation of a panel with a clearly defined mandate, the Public Appointments Act, vetting and public participation. The public has had the right to express their views. Ultimately, the concerned Committee found these seven individuals eligible for approval by this House.

However, as Kenyans, we must admit that we have politicised almost everything in this country. It is high time we think outside the box and contribute to continued peace, stability, respect and tranquillity, so that our country is respected nationally, regionally, continentally and globally. Currently, Kenya is projected as a society that constantly complains, lacks self- belief and one that does not have faith in its administrative mechanisms. Managing elections is

very challenging. Many of these seven individuals come from pastoral communities. Wherever you are, you should remember that you have been entrusted with a very important exercise. I ask you collectively to carry the image of this republic. You must continue to project the respect that the Kenyan people, through this Parliament, have granted you.

I know many people have maliciously and capriciously tried to impute improper motives on these individuals. I believe once approved, and I pray the remaining processes are shortened, they will carry the flag of this country high. They will project our image, protect Kenya as a premier republic and ultimately deliver credible elections in 2027.

Your time is up. Please give Hon. Joseph Emathe the microphone.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for this opportunity. First, I thank the Committee that vetted and produced a good report on these individuals. From the outset, I want to speak about Erastus, the Chairperson of the IEBC. His appointment is a demonstration of equity and inclusion. I thank the Committee and those who nominated him. He is a rare gem. Like a hummingbird, in Kenya’s northern frontier, we have a man who rose from humble beginnings, from the dust, from marginalised areas often denied opportunities, to where he is now. As a hummingbird, Erastus became the first breed of law students from Turkana. He flapped his wings hard to be interviewed for this position. Though he did not secure an appointment, he was interviewed for the position of a judge. As a hummingbird, Erastus will fly fast and land at an opportune time. He will manoeuvre in darkness and find direction. With our democracy, I believe he will fulfil all requirements and give us a taste of fair elections.

Thank you.

Hon. Zamzam Mohammed.

Asante sana, Mhe. Spika.

Leader of the Majority Party.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support the Special Motion on the approval of the nominees to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

As much as the Selection Panel and the Committee did a very good job in interviewing and vetting these nominees, we have not had an IEBC for almost three years. We are three years late in establishing a commission. That is why I agreed with you, Hon. Speaker, when

you said that there is nobody who can injunct us from either vetting or approving these nominees under the Constitution. I also ask those in the Judiciary to be considerate of the circumstances we are in as a nation.

Moving on to the nominees, it is saddening that because of politics, a number of us out there had started demonising some of these nominees largely on account of where they come from.

Leader of the Majority Party, although you are entitled to contribute for 15 minutes, I want you to be considerate and speak for fewer minutes.

I will endeavour to do that, Hon. Speaker. Now that I want to be considerate, it was very inconsiderate to hear somebody who has held a high national office assert that the nominee for Chairperson of the IEBC, Mr Erastus Edung Ethekon, does not warrant that position on account of where he comes from. It was sad to hear somebody say that because Erastus comes from a community that he perceives not to have adequate shares in the country in his own analysis, Erastus does not deserve to chair this Commission. Reading through his curriculum vitae (CV) , he has a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Derby in the United Kingdom (UK) , and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the University of Nairobi. He qualifies to be a judge of the High Court or even the Supreme Court. That is all that is required in law. The law does not require a person to come from an ethnic community that pleases those who think that people should be given jobs on the basis of their ethnicity.

Regardless of whether Mr Erastus Ethekon comes from Nyeri or Turkana, he is a Kenyan. It was unfortunate to hear the impeached and disgraced former Deputy President assert that Mr Ethekon does not warrant to be nominated to this position on account of the community he comes from. I heard Martha Karua say that Ethekon comes from some bush somewhere. Turkana is not a bush. It is part and parcel of our republic. We must respect people, not on the basis of where they come from, but on the basis of their intellectual abilities. I am sure this lawyer is better than Martha Karua by far. I am certain. Turkana County has produced a very well-schooled individual.

I speak about Ethekon because I heard him being attacked by disgruntled politicians, not on account of his qualifications, abilities or capacity to lead this Commission, but largely on the basis of where he comes from. It is rather sad that people who purport to have held national offices can demonise a person on the basis of the community they come from.

Looking at Erastus’ CV, as well as the CVs of all the other nominees, they all qualify to serve the Republic of Kenya as commissioners of the IEBC. We are rather late in establishing this Commission.

Lastly, I would like to tell those out there who are looking at these nominees on the basis of their ethnicities and the villages they come from that they will never win an election on the basis of who presides over the election. You win elections based on the agenda you take to the people. If you take an agenda of ethnicity…

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Joseph Emathe, you had already spoken to this Motion. What is irritating you? What is your point of order?

Hon. Speaker, I beg you to give guidance on this matter. My community has not responded well to this appointment. We have the National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity Committee…

Order, Hon. Emathe. I gave you an opportunity to speak to the Motion but you did not mention that point. Take your seat.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Maybe I reminded the Member of what was said about this great man from Turkana. He is a great leader.

You never win an election based on who is presiding over the election. If you want to win an election, take your agenda to the people of Kenya. Speak to the people of Kenya. You will never win an election based on hatred, bitterness, or belittling people from certain communities because you think the village you come from is more important than other villages in Kenya. We all come from certain villages which are all as important as your small village.

We are three years late in establishing a commission and the sooner we approve these nominees, the sooner the President will appoint them. The sooner the Commission starts working, the better it will be for our country because some people are suffering due to lack of representation. Hon. Speaker, I will remind you that the people of Banissa Constituency have sued you as the Speaker of the National Assembly because they lack representation in the House. The people of Magarini and Kasipul constituencies, and many wards across the country also lack representation simply because we do not have an IEBC.

Any leader in this House or outside there who is not in support of this Motion and the establishment of a new IEBC is an enemy of our republic and the people of Kenya. That person does not wish our country well. I dare say that any person in the Judiciary who imagines that they will stop us from having an IEBC will not be acting in the best interests of the republic and the people of Kenya. Therefore, I take this opportunity to plead with our judges and the Judiciary to take judicial notice of the circumstances that we are in as a country. Several elections are pending and electoral boundary delimitation needs to be done ahead of the elections.

I would also like to remind Members that the Kriegler Commission recommended that we should have a commission ready at least two years before every election. We are slightly above that two-year threshold. It is time we had a commission in place so that they can conduct electoral boundary delimitation and register new voters if they need to. They should remove deceased voters from the register of voters and clean it up in good time so that when we defeat these hate-mongers in the next elections, they will have no excuse.

As the Leader of the Minority Party mentioned in the Motion for Adjournment, those who imagined…

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

There is a point of order from Hon. Chepkonga. What is your point of order?

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I have been listening very carefully to the Leader of the Majority Party. I do not intend to interrupt him because he is saying very palatable things.

You have already interrupted him, just go ahead.

He is saying very good things. The only thing that he has said is that these nominees must be approved as soon as possible. Standing Order 97 allows us to approve as soon as possible. Would I be in order, Hon. Speaker, to request you to call the Mover to reply, so that we approve as soon as possible?

Hon. Chepkonga, I had already said at what time I will call the Mover to reply. Wind up, Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Speaker, Hon. Chepkonga was simply prompting me to close this so that we can approve these names as soon as possible, as he says. Now I have even lost what I was saying. Allow me, however, to say that we need this Commission as soon as we can to allow it to get down to work.

In closing, I was saying that in two years, we will have a general election. That is time- bound, and we must have a general election. Therefore, we must work within the timeline that

is given to ensure that the Commission we put in place has adequate time to put all the measures necessary to have an election in 2027 that will be beyond reproach. We shame the hate mongers, who have been threatening us that in 2027, there will be more bloodshed than in

transforming lives across the country as they move around the country spreading hatred, inciting Kenyans, showing a lot of bitterness and imagining that Kenya will go into the abyss because of their anger and hatred for other Kenyans.

With that, I beg to support.

Members, I had said I would call the Mover to reply at 4.30 p.m. It is now 4.32 p.m. Hon. Murugara.

Members, you are all saying the same thing. Those who have not spoken, those who have spoken, have spoken for all of you. Go on, Hon. Murugara.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I join you in acknowledging all the Members who have spoken and thanking them for their very valuable contributions. I know many of them would have also loved to say something about either all the nominated Commissioners or a few of them. Hon. Farah was raring to say something, but we had spoken for him. My Vice-Chairman here, Hon. Mwengi Mutuse, was gearing to make a valuable contribution, and everybody else. Thank you so much for this.

To the IEBC Commissioners, we will approve your nominations this afternoon, but Kenyans are watching. They are saying if you do not have the spine to conduct elections, start growing one now. We have to have a fair, just, credible, verifiable election that every Kenyan is going to be satisfied with. Those of us who may differ with those who are supporting, please, do not make any threats to the country. We have our Constitution. We have our laws and we have institutions which we must have faith in. I know for sure there are trust issues with the IEBC. It is high time these seven commissioners now grew the trust so that Kenyans can believe in this institution, which is very important for the country, known as the IEBC.

Thank you so much. With those remarks, I beg to reply.

Members on your feet, take your seats. Hon. Members, I now put the Question at Order 10.

Next Order.

Hon. Bowen, before you move, allow me to acknowledge in the Speaker's Gallery, Arnesens Boys High School from Ainabkoi in Uasin Gishu County.

On behalf of myself and the House and the Member for Ainabkoi…

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for your very kind and generous generosity in allowing me to recognise, on behalf of the House, the students from Arnesens High School in Ainabkoi Constituency.

This is a boys' school, which has many students. It is the biggest boys' school in Ainabkoi Constituency. When I see these students, it reminds me of what the late President of South Africa said: That education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change your world. Their visit to this House will, indeed, change their world. It is an educational tour, and what they have seen will change their world. I encourage them to continue to study and to excel in their exams. I wish them well when they sit for their exams.

I thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Thank you. I join you in welcoming the students, the teachers and those accompanying them to the House of Parliament. Hon. Bowen, proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I beg to move the following Motion:

THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation on its consideration of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the law of the sea on the Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Biological Diversity of areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) , laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 4th June 2025, and pursuant to the provisions of Section 8 (4) of the Treaty Making and Ratification Act, 2012, approves the Ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the law of the sea on the Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Biological Diversity of areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) . Hon. Speaker, the BBNJ Agreement was tabled in the National Assembly on Tuesday, 29th April 2025, and subsequently referred to the Committee pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 178.

The Committee was mandated to facilitate public participation and make an appropriate recommendation on whether the House should approve with reservations or reject the ratification of the Agreement. The Agreement provides a comprehensive framework to address the critical gaps in the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The Agreement was adopted on 19th June 2023 in New York, USA, by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond the National Jurisdiction under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly, and it addresses quite a number of issues.

Some of those areas addressed by this Treaty are marine genetic resources, including a fair and equitable benefit sharing, the area-based management tools, which are used by the marines and those who are doing business in the marine environment and the environmental impact assessment.

Committee is established with the defined terms, the institution architecture - including the secretariat seat, membership and tenure - remains a part of this Treaty.

Kenya should advocate for hosting opportunities, representation and employment within the institutions established under the Agreement to ensure equitable benefits for developing nations. There is need for evidence-based research in the treaty ratification process to optimise a national benefit, as envisaged under the Treaty Making and Ratification Act, Cap. 4D. The Agreement provides that no reservations or exceptions may be made.

The Committee, having deliberated and conducted public participation, in line with the Constitution, the Treaty Making and Ratification Act and our Standing Orders recommends that:

shall not undermine existing international treaties, agreements

of Mining, the Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, and other

Hon. Deputy Speaker, that is what this Treaty is all about. At the coastal regions, we have coastal lines. We have a boundary of about 200 nautical miles in Kenya. Beyond that is what we call ABNJ. This Treaty was crafted to ensure that there are procedures and rules for utilising resources in ABNJ to benefit member States. It also provides some regulations for access into ABNJ. For instance, if you want to conduct mining, you have to carry out environmental impact analysis. You must be approved to ensure what you do will not harm the marine life.

If Kenya signs this Treaty, there are a lot of benefits. We will benefit from technology transfer because there are other member States like the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom which are more advanced in marine issues. We do not have that kind of technology. Being a member of the treaty, we are going to benefit in that technology transfer. We stand to benefit as a country if we adopt it. I ask all my colleagues that we approve it to be part of our laws and we will benefit from our natural resources, especially in marine areas.

I move and ask a Member of the Committee who is the Member for Matuga Constituency, Eng. Kassim Sawa Tandaza, to second.

Give him the microphone.

Thank you. Hon. Members, as the Chairman has clearly stated, the country is bound to benefit immensely if this House assents to the treaty by passing this Motion.

If I am to stand at Zote Beach or Diani Beach that most of us know along the shores of the Indian Ocean in my constituency and we face east, we will be looking at 12 nautical miles that are supposed to be part of Kenya’s territory; 12 nautical miles. We have 200 nautical miles beyond the 12 nautical miles. They are part of Kenya in terms of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) . The 12 miles is territorial. It is part of Kenya. The remaining 200 miles is for purposes of economic exclusivity to Kenya. This is an area where we can license other countries if they are to do any economic activities within the 200 nautical miles. However, the Treaty is looking

beyond the 200 nautical miles commonly referred to ‘high seas’ or the area beyond national jurisdiction whereby each country or nation can exploit that area without referring to Kenya although it is part of the Indian Ocean.

With the level of development that we have, we are not able to monitor that area. As it stands, we are not even able to monitor the 200 nautical miles’ EEZ effectively. It is the only from the treaty we are going to get an opportunity to know what is happening at the high seas or the area beyond the national jurisdiction. Since we do not have the economic power and technology, it is only by assenting to treaty that we will benefit the knowledge and the natural resources being harvested there.

Oceans are for prosperity. We will know how much fish and biodiversity is in that area when the time we can also exploit that area comes and, therefore, benefit from it.

Without belabouring much and now that we have a whole Ministry of Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs, this is the right time for us to ratify the Treaty, so that the country can benefit. Once we are signatories to the Treaty, there will even be a fund whereby we as a country can apply to and tap.

With those few remarks, I second.

Hon. Members, it has been exciting listening to this because my degree was in maritime law. I studied law of the sea. One of the subjects was memorising the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is wonderful to see that it has been expanded after so many years of having it being signed in the first place. With that, Members, it is my pleasure to propose the Question.

Members who want to contribute may just press the intervention button. Hon. Peter Kaluma, I know we were running the law of the sea programme together.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you very much. Of the many things you taught me at the University of Nairobi was Public International Law, more so, Law of the Sea. Therefore, I understand the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. You taught us that it was ratified in 1982.

The sea territories are delimited in a particular way. Twenty nautical miles from the shoreline is territorial sea. That part of the sea called the territorial sea is treated as part of the State from which the sea moves. The contiguous zone is after that, 24 nautical miles from the territorial sea. It is called so because it is a zone to which a territorial State is entitled for its exclusive war engagements if there was war. Two hundred nautical miles from the shoreline of a territorial State into the sea is the EEZ.

The EEZ means much for economic exploitation. I am emphasising this because we just came from the Blue Economy Madaraka Day celebration where you get people largely talking about fish and fish stock. The EEZ is the entitlement of a territorial State bordering a sea for purposes of exclusive economic exploitation. Whether it is fish stock or marine life, whether it is minerals prospected and discovered under those waters, they exclusively belong to the State.

I am emphasising that to make a point. When you go deep into 200 nautical miles and if you put together that water area, I can tell you it means nearly a third of the territorial boundary of Kenya is within the sea. That is for purposes of the EEZ.

The continental shelf is under the EEZ. The continental shelf entitlement of a territorial State also goes up to 200 nautical miles. However, it can extend up to 350 nautical miles with the agreement of the world bodies. For purposes of the continental shelf, let me confirm to the House that we have got the permission of the relevant committee and international body. Now we stretch up to 350 nautical miles. That means anything falling within the continental shelf

from across the Indian Ocean can be exploited again exclusively by Kenya, following the agreement of the international community up to that level.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, beyond the EEZ and the continental shelf is the high seas. You know we say res communis in that area. It falls within the right of the entire global community. The Treaty we are seeking to ratify is concerned about that area. There have been cases where highly industrialised nations like China and Japan and the countries that manufacture or own big ships trawl in the res communis or the high seas area. They trawl in the res communis, the industrial commercial zones or those areas that do not fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the territorial State. What has been happening is that when they go trawling, they search for a specific fish species, but catch everything the nets will go with and essentially, they throw away what they do not need. Out of those practices, we are killing a lot of marine life. There is res communis areas to be protected by this Convention whose ratification our agreement as Parliament is needed.

I end by emphasising the point that for a State like Kenya even going up to 50 nautical miles is still a problem because of the sizes of the ships we have and the level of technologies. We need to up our ability as a nation by investing in proper ships in our navies and at other levels so that we can protect marine life within those areas.

We must protect areas beyond our territorial water boundaries under Agreements such as this which can restrict States with the power from finishing the marine life and ensure that we have waters which are sustainably used, used for people today, available for our children tomorrow, and available for our children’s children in the future.

With those few remarks, I thank you very much. I request the approval of my colleagues for this Convention, whose being here confirms that, indeed, nothing can have the force of law in this country unless it is a provision coming from this House. May we signify our approval so that this Convention is ratified and becomes part of our law and the protection of those areas falling under the remit of res communis is guaranteed under this Agreement.

Thank you. Hon. Millie Odhiambo- Mabona.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I also want to thank Hon. Ali Hassan Joho, the Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs, for bringing this Agreement before this House. This is an Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) .

I am a Member of the Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) where I have served in the Executive Council. Currently, I am a Member of the Council and also the current Chairperson of the Kenyan Chapter. We have worked very strongly around this Convention and on the issues of conservation of the oceans and the high seas in general. Therefore, the bringing of this Convention to be ratified by the House is very welcome.

The Agreement addresses four main issues. It addresses the marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits in the areas that Hon. Kaluma calls res communis. Because of the limited resources, there has always been a perception that the resources in the waters are limitless or infinite. Time has shown that they actually can be misused and can be exhausted. Therefore, it is very important that they not only be conserved, but also there is equitable sharing. There has been an imbalance in sharing with developed

countries having more advantage than the developing countries. We know that the high seas still have a lot of resources.

It also talks about measures such as area-based management tools including marine protected areas for ensuring that we conserve and expand what we already have. It also talks about environmental impact assessments and capacity building and the transfer of marine technology that the Mover mentioned when he was talking about the Agreement. It also talks about cross-cutting issues such as establishing a funding mechanism and setting up institutional arrangement including the Conference of Parties and various subsidiary bodies, a clearinghouse, and a secretariat. Indeed, this is a very good Convention and I support it, but I am concerned about one thing. If we look at this Convention, and a lot of the things that are in it, the focus is very strongly on the high seas and the oceans. Sometimes we forget our internal waters.

The Mover or the seconder commented that it is important that we domesticate by providing laws, once we ratify, that will speak to the same issues as what is contained here. I encourage the Committee that when they will be looking at those laws, nothing stops them from expanding into our internal waters specifically Lake Victoria.

Yesterday, as a Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, we had an engagement with an agency that works with our international boundaries. They talked about boundary demarcations. A lot of the conflicts that happen, whether in internal waters or the high seas, are generally about resources. Two of our islands, Remba and Ringiti, were mentioned because they are actually very critical in terms of demarcating our boundaries. Those are some of the islands where we always have a lot of conflicts with Tanzania and Uganda on fisheries. It is not a conflict because of political issues, but it is a conflict on fishing and resources.

We should replicate in our internal waters a convention that is similar to this one. We can even propose amendments to the Fisheries Act to bring something of this sort. The only reason why the Act is limiting is because it talks only to Kenya. If we provide a treaty, it will actually deal with our neighbours as well and so, I encourage the Committee to look at that.

As I complete, Hon. Kaluma and the speaker before you were really boasting how they have done international law and dealt with ISIS. I can also boast that Hon. Caroli and I were students of environmental law at our Master's level. We studied environmental law at our Master's level, but do I say. I am surprised that Hon. Caroli is not keen on speaking, but we are students of environmental law.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order, Hon. Kaluma?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I did not just study public international law. I am the first lawyer in this country to specialise in law of the sea. In fact, I assisted our navy in delimiting our sea boundaries when Aboud Rafrouf was still the navy commandant. So, Hon. Millie should confine herself to environmental issues within the sea areas. She does not know that I am a specialist in that area.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Member for Homa Bay Town is actually misleading the House. The premier mind on law of the sea was the late Akich Okola, former Deputy Solicitor General, who attended all the negotiations until the law of the sea was signed in 1982. And the one speaking is the author of the National Environmental Management and Coordination Act. He should stop misleading the House.

Hon. Kaluma.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, Okola participated in coming up with the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, but at the very heart of that Convention was Dr Andronico Oduogo Adede from Kobwae, Ndhiwa Constituency, Homa Bay County. That is something for which he is credited. Dr Andronico Oduogo Adede was my Master's lecturer when I was studying the law of the sea. I think that is a point Hon. Caroli is forgetting.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I had the Floor and I want to educate Hon. Kaluma and tell him that there is a reason I am a senior lawyer. Hon. Dr Andronico Oduogo Adede, who he is so proudly talking about was my boss in L’Etwal International so, he should not even try. We have been there, done that, and got a tee shirt. He should not even try.

Leader of the Majority Party. Give the microphone to the Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I just want to inform the House that Hon. Kaluma is from Homa Bay County. Hon. Millie Odhiambo is from Homa Bay County. Hon. Caroli Omondi is from Homa Bay County. And the debate is about the law of the sea, environmental law and a battle of wits among the great scholars from Homa Bay County. We were in Homa Bay over the weekend and I can affirm that the people of Homa Bay are great. Let me also assert that Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona, being a student of law and having studied environmental law, which is closely linked to the subject matter of this Treaty, brings valuable insight. The issues in this Treaty touch on marine environment, so environmental law and the law of the sea converge. Whether they converge in Homa Bay or in the National Assembly, there is convergence and we move together, happily.

Hon. KJ.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I had a different opinion. In an afternoon when we have very serious business to transact, I wanted you to find this debate totally out of order. The display we are witnessing here is well-known in this country; the tyranny of brains from Nyanza. We do not need to belabour the point. We know there are fine brains from that region in the House. We also know that their forefathers and forbearers had fine brains.

Order, Hon. KJ. I assume that some of the brilliant and intellectual minds might permeate to Members in the House through osmosis.

Order, Hon. KJ. You will get time to conclude, Hon. Millie. We are learning a lot from the fine minds from Homa Bay. I also studied public international law and the law of the sea, but nowhere near your level of specialisation. Proceed, Hon. Millie Odhiambo.

Then we can allow you to stay in our circles. I am also currently pursuing my Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at Daystar University, focusing on development, leadership and governance. One of the things I am studying is whether there is something unique about Homa Bay. The late General Ogolla came from Siaya, but grew up in Homa Bay. The current Cabinet Secretary for Education attended the same primary school as myself, Homa Bay Primary School. Principal Secretary Omollo is

from Homa Bay. Tom Mboya was from Homa Bay. I can go on and on, but do I say. We are serious people.

I have a girlfriend from Homa Bay.

The Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee now purports to have a girlfriend from Homa Bay Town. Hon. Kaluma can be proud as the Member for Homa Bay Town. We are serious people.

That aside, it is true, as Hon. Ichung’wah said, that we are dealing with the high seas but sometimes, we forget inland waters, the same waters that have produced great men and women like myself. When you are growing up, you are told that if you eat fish, you become brilliant. I encourage the relevant Committee to consider bilateral agreements with Uganda and Tanzania. The agents we met yesterday agreed that they are willing to work with us. Their cooperation is limited to boundaries. We must look at the issue of shared resources. We need to have a similar agreement for inland waters. Our fishermen should not be taken to Uganda and forced to eat raw fish, with all our intelligence, and made to pay fines because of a fight over resources in Lake Victoria.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Member for Ndhiwa.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Learned friends have talked about the anatomy and physiology of the sea and its boundaries. I just want to say that in a global village, some households are bigger than others. This Treaty is trying to bring order to the global village. You cannot conduct business if there is no legal framework that protects the small ones and guides the greatest. The Treaty also addresses capacity building, technology transfer and knowledge sharing. We will benefit from this Treaty.

Together, we can address the challenges of the sea. Without regulation, those with advanced technologies and big machines will scoop everything from our waters. If uncontrolled, they will take away all our marine resources and we will not be able to do anything. Environmental sensitivity has been well spoken about. We have a share on this. This Treaty will bring everybody to order so that we can protect our environment. Who wants to be exploited or caught in conflict with big powers? One vital aspect of this Treaty is that it allows us to tap into funds that can help us as a small nation. I support the Treaty in full.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

The Leader of the Majority Party.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support ratification of this Agreement. As the Mover said, this Agreement was adopted in June 2023 in New York. So far, almost 123 countries have signed onto it and about 26 have ratified it. Therefore, we should not delay. As was noted by the Committee, Kenya stands to benefit a lot. With the signing and ratification of this Treaty, we will be bound to pay certain fees towards the running of the secretariat. But we stand to benefit as a country that borders the seas and as a developing country. The Agreement has a compendium of issues, including environmental impact assessments, marine genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits.

As the Mover and the Chairman of the Committee noted, this Agreement covers the area beyond 200 nautical miles from the coastline. This is an area that would naturally be construed as no-man’s land. If there is no treaty to govern such an area, it is bound to be abused by many people. This Treaty establishes a framework to ensure equitable sharing of benefits of marine resources including fishing and minerals.

Upon ratification, it will be critical that we align all our laws, regulations and administrative procedures to match the obligations of this Agreement. That is a challenge for the Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation and the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs. That includes legislation on environmental protection, ocean governance and biodiversity in the sea. As we said, it is also possible for anyone to argue

that beyond the 200 nautical miles, people can come from anywhere and dump things that will pollute the sea and the environment since it is no man’s land. Therefore, we must align our laws accordingly to ensure that they cover those areas and seek concurrence with our neighbours who we share the sea and other boundaries.

With those few remarks, I beg to support. A lot has been said about this Bill. I do not want to say the obvious. I am sure somebody else will say it. I can tell the Member for Alego Usonga is uneasy on his seat. He is very eager to move the Budget Estimates Report.

Thank you.

Put the Question.

Members, let us allow Hon. Raso to have one minute then we put the Question.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I will take less than two minutes to contribute to this very important Motion. This Agreement is profound. It is about addressing the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) that stretches 250 nautical miles outside our territorial waters. The future of resources on earth will be in the high seas. It is not just about an agreement. It is about how we are likely to exploit marine resources by not only using our resources, but also using resources of our partners. There will be exploitation of minerals such as oil and whatever else that will be found in the deep sea which will be highly beneficial to Kenya.

This is also about the freedom of the sea. Major world operators of ships and major navies are likely to use our EEZ and they will cooperate with us to do that. There must be also cooperation in the Indian Ocean realm where we occupy a sizeable part of the horn of Africa coast line.

Finally, it is said that the next frontier of conflict will be in the sea. After nations exploit exhaustively what is on their land, they will move to the high seas. For that reason, this Agreement is very important. Kenya must be prepared in terms of resources and military power to protect what rightfully belongs to this country.

With those remarks, I support.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Pukose, what is your point of order?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Considering that the blue economy is also in the Budget Estimates Report, and knowing that Members who want to contribute on this can still contribute on the blue economy that is part of the Budget Estimates Report, will I be in order to ask that the Mover be now called upon to reply? We will continue to debate this issue in the Budget Estimates Report after it has been moved by the Chair of Budget and Appropriation Bill because blue economy is part of it.

Hon. Members, I will then call upon the Mover to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to thank all my colleagues who contributed to this Motion on the ratification of the BBN Agreement. I want to take note of what Hon. Millie said that as we ratify international treaties,

there is need to have our own East Africa treaty on fisheries. Lake Victoria is a shared resource that we have, but we have cases of many of our fishermen being arrested on the Ugandan side. There are also outstanding issues about the Migingo Island. We should have an agreement between Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and other nations that use Lake Victoria water. That is something that we will take up as a Committee with the relevant State department. I do not want to repeat myself. I beg to reply.

Thank you. We shall put the Question later.

Next Order!

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to move:

THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Budget and Appropriations Committee on its consideration of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure and the Medium-Term for the Financial Year 2025/2026, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 4th June 2025, and pursuant to the provisions of Article 221 of the Constitution, Section 39 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 and Standing Order 239-

As I move, I want to first begin by thanking the Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee for their diligence in processing the Estimates that were brought before us. Budget making is the sole mandate of this House. All Members of this House participate in the budget making process through their various departmental committees.

In reviewing of the Budget Estimates, the Committee listened to the departmental committees represented by their chairpersons who I want to thank. The departmental committees brought to us very progressive highlights of the programmes that the Government is implementing in various departments. In the course of processing the Estimates, we listened to departmental committees’ proposals. Some proposed changes while others wanted the Estimates stayed. It is not in the DNA of the Budget and Appropriations Committee to refuse to adopt changes brought by Members through their committees. As we processed the Estimates, there were some changes that the Committee did not carry, but 99 per cent of the proposed changes were allowed. One of the proposals that was not allowed by the Committee was the reallocation of funds that are meant for fertilizer subsidy. Agriculture is one of the corner stones of this country. It remains to be one of the anchors of our economy. I will talk later on some of the programmes that have been funded. The Committee did not believe that reallocating resources from the fertilizer subsidy was necessary. The other thing that the Committee did not adopt was the reallocation dealing with the Coffee Cherry Fund. Coffee is becoming one of the most strategic cash crops of our country leading in foreign exchange and also its income to farmers is substantial. As a matter of fact, as I will be discussing some of the strategic allocations, you will notice that in one of the allocations, coffee development is one of the areas that we are putting more resources.

As I go to the content of the Report, I would like to thank the National Treasury. For the first time, we have revenue projections from the National Treasury that are less than what has been projected by our own Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). Our PBO is a premier think tank. In this region, it is the leading PBO. In fact, regional parliaments are coming to us for benchmarking within that space and it has been leading in helping them to develop some of their ways of running budgets.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I want to thank our PBO and the National Treasury because for the first time we are aligning in our thinking. The thinking within PBO is that higher revenue projections has not been tenable. Even as we speak, we have not been able to meet our revenue projections because we over project. However, for the first time, the revenue projection given to us by the National Treasury is less than what our own PBO has projected. It means, therefore, that we are making a more realistic budget because revenue collection projected is what will determine the kind of programmes we want to implement.

I want to thank the new Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning because it is a more realistic budget and we are seeking to live within the confines of our means. Going forward, public debt is not going to be a solution for our problems. In the past, we have been running very huge budgets without factoring in our limited revenue sources, and we end up running a very huge fiscal deficit. In this Budget, the fiscal deficit that we are applying is 4.5 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Remember that when we did Supplementary II here, our fiscal deficit was 5.2 per cent. We have moved downwards by over

been able to put more resources, agriculture remains the most important corner stone for this economy. In these Estimates, we have continued as usual to appropriate resources for fertiliser subsidy. The fertiliser subsidy is the reason we have been able to increase food production in the country. As we talk, we have been able to produce more food and that is the reason the cost

of living has come down and inflation has been managed. This Budget appropriates Ksh8 billion for various subsidies.

You have recently seen the reforms that have been imitated in the sugar sector. To support those reforms, this Budget allocates Ksh2 billion so that the sugar sector becomes profitable. For a long time, the sugar sector has been a loss-making endeavor where farmers deliver their cane to the millers, but in the end, it is the Government that ends up paying them. Those reforms that have initiated are being funded to the tune of Ksh2 billion so that the sector becomes self-reliant.

I mentioned the CCF. Coffee has become a strategic cash crop. In fact, when went round to engage in public participation, in the areas of Nyanza, Rift valley and Western, most farmers are abandoning their traditional cash crops and they want to move into the coffee sector. As I said, the coffee sector is giving more returns and is also a foreign exchange earner. Foreign exchange is going to be important for our economy going forward. Therefore, most farmers are moving into coffee. The CCF is an investment which has been done by this Parliament in the past. It is in the wisdom of this Parliament again that we continue to fund CCF and we have allocated Ksh2 billion towards that.

I also mentioned that most farmers in those regions are trying to move away from other cash crops. They are engaging in what the Budget Report calls crop diversification. In order to achieve that, we have allocated Ksh2 billion, to help farmers in those regions who want to move away from their traditional cash crops like maize into coffee. We want to give them support so that they can fully engage through our support. We need about 2.7 metric tonnes of coffee for export and for this market. Therefore, we want to urge more farmers to go into coffee farming. Livestock insurance is also an important sector that we believe we need to fund substantially. In this Budget, we have allocated Ksh200 million for livestock insurance.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, on the area of education, capitation still remains one of the biggest items in this Budget. This Budget has allocated Ksh90 billion for school capitation - Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), secondary and primary education. You heard about the uproar that the National Treasury did not allocate resources for examination. In this Budget, we have allocated 5.9 billion for examinations. Examination is a process and it starts with procuring exam materials. It goes into logistics later on and lastly into payment of examiners. The total vote for all that programme is Ksh12 billion, but for the start, we have allocated Ksh5.9 billion so that this process goes on. In the course of time, this Parliament will appropriate the other resources to support it fully. We have resources for recruitment of 20,000 more JSS interns in this Budget at Ksh7.5 billion.

In the area of health, we have appropriated resources for procurement of vaccines. As you know, vaccines are very important and this country must be self-reliant in that area. We appropriated Ksh4.6 billion for that. We are building a cancer center at Kisii Level 5 Referral Hospital that is going to cost Ksh1 billion from this Budget. We have Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers that have been demonstrating across the country for the last one year. It is the determination of this House that those workers be converted into permanent and pensionable terms. In this Budget, we have allocated Ksh6.1 billion towards that.

This will be only done after a thorough audit of the number of workers that exist because when these workers were hired, the number was 8,500. We have since established that some of them left the service while some counties have hired them into permanent and pensionable terms causing the numbers to come down substantially. The first thing we have said we are going to do about it, is that the Ministry of Health must first engage in thorough audit to be able to tell us how many of these workers are in their service before their contract is turned into permanent and pensionable terms.

For a long time, this country is benefiting from rainfed agriculture. This has done so well especially in the recent past when we have been favoured by too much rainfall. However,

this is not reliable all the time. We have allocated Ksh15 billion to support irrigation programmes across the country. We would like various parts of the country to engage in small time irrigation projects that can continue to help the economy even when we are suffering from lack of rainfall. In the area of industry, the County Aggregation Industrial Parks (CAIPS) which is a partnership between the national Government and the counties is a critical programme that is intended to help regions harness and develop products that they produce. In this Budget, we have continued to allocate more resources towards this programme; Ksh4.6 billion is allocated towards that so that those projects in the counties can be concluded for our people to benefit.

There are many Kenyans who are still landless since the Government is not able to give them land to live in. In this Budget, we have allocated about Ksh4 billion towards the resettlement of landless Kenyans. In the area of the blue economy, the six counties in the Coast region and four along Lake Victoria have also benefited. Allocation of Ksh5 billion to help those fisher folks around the areas at Lake Victoria – that is Siaya, Homabay, Kisumu and Migori – and the other six counties in the Coast, namely, Kwale and Kilifi…

Busia.

Yes, Busia also, thank you, Mheshimiwa. This Ksh5 billion allocation will support blue economy projects along Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean.

We have allocated resources for the Transformative Affordable Housing programme, which aims to ensure that low-income Kenyans can afford decent housing. This is one of the major programmes of the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) . This programme is successful, as you saw last week when the President visited Mukuru kwa Njenga to launch the programme. It was beautiful. We believe that this programme needs to continue. This House has allocated about Ksh95 billion towards that.

As I conclude, I would like to say that we have a Broad-Based, inclusive Government. If you go through the Budget Estimates, you will see that we have distributed programmes across the country. There is no part of the country that has been left behind. Even when you look at the infrastructure from the North Eastern region, especially in Garissa and Mandera counties, we have at least a programme in those areas. This is the promise that the President gave, and we, as proponents of the Broad-Based Government, want to say that we are living up to that promise. This Budget is the first of many that will restore hope to Kenyans and ensure they feel part of this country.

I urge Members of this House to study the Report and support it. The Report is huge. It has many other programs that I am unable to highlight here in this opportunity. Let Members support this Budget proposal, which is before us, so that in the end we will be able to have a more progressive country.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank you.

It will be seconded by whom? I would like to ask the Leader of the Majority Party to second.

Leader of the Majority Party, proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to, first, thank our new Chairman and all the Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, together with our Chairpersons of the Departmental Committees and the entire membership of the Departmental Committees, especially the very diligent ones like Hon. Nyikal, who is still here, to ensure that whatever he took before the Budget and Appropriations Committee has been considered. It is worth noting...

I can hear some Members complaining, specifically Hon. KJ, who is in charge of the Departmental Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation, which is supposed to ensure that the digital economy is also well catered for.

I was congratulating and thanking these Members because, when we usually break for the long recess in May, the Members who sit on the Departmental Committees and those who sit on the Budget and Appropriations Committee have no recess. They put in a lot of their time, away from their families and their constituents, to sit and deliberate on these Budget Estimates.

As the Chairman has ably put it, these Budget Estimates, as they came to us, come in the backdrop of a time that is both promising and one where we are coming from a very difficult period economically. You can see that from the revenue projections compared to what we had last year. With the challenges we faced this last Financial Year, which is ending this June, you may recall that it was a year marked by a very false start at the beginning, following the collapse of the Finance Bill. Eventually, when we rescued the revenue-raising measures that were in the Finance Bill of 2024, at the beginning of December last year, we only had about five months to realise the revenue projections that had been envisaged as we prepared the Budget Estimates for the last Budget of the 2024/2025 Financial Year.

We are fortunate that this year we are starting at a time when our economy is not doing as badly as it was before, and there are fewer disruptions to our economy. The rains have done us a little bit of justice. Therefore, food production, in the backdrop of the subsidised fertiliser programme, which has been provided with adequate resources in these Budget Estimates, has augmented our productivity in terms of food production. When a nation is food secure, the economy is naturally bound to do better.

We have always prided ourselves on being an agro-based economy, which means that when agriculture is doing well, the entire economy naturally will do well. This has not only been reflected in reduced food prices for consumers but also in better returns for farmers, including those in the dairy sector who, through Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC), now enjoy a minimum of Ksh50 per litre of their milk delivered to KCC.

Additionally, farmers in Embu are happy since they are benefiting from a very good coffee price, if not the best in the last 10 years. I can see Hon. Mukunji smiling because he knows farmers in Manyatta are happy. This has been a result of the progressive and well- focused economic policies that this Government chose to embark on in 2022.

Away from the populist things that people say out there in funerals, weddings and other political rallies, the policies implemented under the BETA are bearing good fruit for the people of Kenya. Some, of course, as we said earlier, may not have been very popular with the people, but it is not always true that what is popular is correct and what is right is popular. I am glad that this administration chose to do what is right and not necessarily what is popular. The popularity of these policies is now evident, as evidenced by the significant investment made in the housing sector following the implementation of the Housing Agenda in this country. Many people doubted whether this would be a reality, but the continuous handover of the completed 1,200 units in Mukuru caused huge frenzy in the country.

Many people were led to believe by naysayers that the housing agenda would never materialise, and they would never see those houses. People believed that those houses were being built for a select few. Probably, it was expected that the Members of Parliament, governors, and Cabinet Secretaries would be the owners of those houses. Today, we have seen Mama Samakis in Homabay, Mama Mboga in Kisumu, bodaboda riders and hawkers in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, Nairobi, being proud homeowners. There is no greater dignity we can give to our people than providing them with the opportunity to become homeowners and achieve economic stability.

These Budget Estimates come with revenue projections, including Appropriations-In- Aid (AIA), totalling Ksh3.3 billion. That constitutes about 17.2 per cent of our Gross Domestic

Product (GDP). On the other side, we have expenditure estimates of Ksh4,239.9 billion. That indicates that, ahead of anything else, you are already in a deficit of close to Ksh876 billion, which constitutes a fiscal deficit of approximately 4.5 per cent of our GDP in the next Financial Year.

I am mentioning these figures because they are important, even as we embark on what the Speaker has read out to us in his Communication this afternoon regarding a mediation process with our colleagues in the Senate on the Division of Revenue Bill, which we will mediate. I want to take this opportunity to implore on the part of our governors and senators, that even as we go into that mediation process, we bear in mind the kind of figures we are talking about. It is very easy to throw around figures of Ksh480 or Ksh500 billion and say this is what should go to the counties. I mentioned this afternoon during an interview with one of our media houses. We all support devolution, and we would like to see allocations reaching Ksh600 billion or Ksh700 billion at some point. However, it is essential to emphasise accountability regarding how that money is utilised. A lot of this money is being looted in the counties. We must hold our county governors accountable for the funds allocated to them. It is one thing to demand funds and an entirely different matter to ensure accountability.

Some counties have benefited from huge amounts since the inception of devolution. Yet, their people continue to languish in poverty with no health coverage, water or better roads, despite electing governors year after year. Some governors become wealthier with each passing day. We have observed this, especially in cases where certain individuals have been arrested and have protested by damaging the vehicles of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) officials, as they do not wish to be held accountable.

The EACC, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and all other agencies must know that individuals must be held accountable. If Members of Parliament are held accountable for the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), which they do not implement, the same standards should apply to governors. Members of Parliament do not implement the NG-CDF, yet when issues arise in any constituency, it is always the Member of Parliament who faces scrutiny. What then should we say about county governors, who are executive Members of the Government responsible for implementing projects?

We must recognise that we have a budget deficit of Ksh876 billion, which is close to Ksh900 billion, equivalent to 4.5 per cent of our gross domestic product. This indicates that we must be careful about what we commit to as we enter mediation. If we propose raising an additional Ksh60 billion to increase the revenue of Ksh465 billion for our county governments, this would mean the budget deficit would rise from Ksh876 billion to Ksh940 billion. Consequently, we would need to borrow more, and this borrowing incurs costs not only to the government but also to the business community, which must compete with the government for loans from our commercial banks. The government borrows from commercial banks, just as businesses do. This becomes counterproductive. If we have to manage our public debt, we must rationalise our expenditure even as we enhance our revenue-raising measures. I know we will discuss the revenue-raising measure in the Finance Bill later this month.

Allow me to present the overall figures regarding our revenue projections and expenditures. For our county governments, the revenue estimates included in the Division of Revenue Bill that we submitted to the Senate have been amended to Ksh465 billion. Initially, we had proposed a figure of Ksh405.1 billion. However, there is often a misconception that only the money distributed through the shareable revenue formula, known as the Vertical Division of Revenue Bill, is allocated to our counties. In actual sense, the total amount allocated to our counties is Ksh 405.1 billion, plus additional allocations of nearly Ksh 70 billion, specifically Ksh 69.8 billion. Therefore, when we aggregate these two figures, Ksh405.1 billion and Ksh69.8 billion, we are discussing approximately Ksh474 billion being allocated to our counties.

As we talk about the figure of Ksh465 billion, let us also consider the total amount of Ksh474 billion that is going to our county governments. This includes the shareable revenue through the Division of Revenue, as well as additional county allocations and grants, totalling Ksh 69.8 billion. Even as we mediate these matters, we should do so with a sense of balance and rationalisation, so that we do not sink our country into further debt.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, in support of our Judiciary, the Budget and Appropriations Committee has been very magnanimous in its support for the other arms of government. A significant amount of funding is being allocated to the Executive, the Judiciary and Parliament. The Budget and Appropriations Committee has made rational decisions to ensure that the Judiciary is adequately resourced to fulfil its role of delivering justice to Kenyans. They have allocated approximately Ksh 27 billion to the Judiciary, of which about Ksh 0.8 billion is designated for the Judicial Service Commission. The allocation comprises Ksh23.8 billion for recurrent expenditure and an additional Ksh2 billion for development purposes. The development funding aims to ensure the completion of all the Court buildings that have stalled across the country.

Since I mentioned Honourable Doctor Nyikal, who is among the most diligent Members of this House and serves as the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Health, I would like to highlight some of the challenges that have hindered the Social Health Authority and the implementation of Taifa Care. Hon. (Dr) Nyikal will tell you that these challenges have primarily stemmed from inadequate resources allocated to the primary healthcare fund. I am happy to see that in these estimates, Ksh13 billion has now been earmarked for the primary health care fund. Furthermore, Ksh10 billion is allocated to the Emergency Chronic and Critical Illnesses Fund, Ksh23 billion for global funds related to HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, Ksh16.6 billion for the coordination of universal health coverage, and Ksh10 billion to support national immunisation efforts.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I mention these figures because of the situation in the United States of America and the global funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We have ensured that we are adequately resourcing our Ministry of Health to guarantee that our programmes addressing HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and the coordination of national immunisation efforts do not falter due to a lack of funding from our donor community. These amounts have been set aside to cushion the health sector.

In closing, I would like to confirm that universal health coverage under Taifa Care is functioning effectively. I am so happy that today, Kenyans do not need to be told by politicians if SHA is working; they are testifying in their villages about how their neighbours and relatives have had their bills catered for. I want to tell Kenyans that with an additional Ksh13 billion allocated to the primary healthcare fund, all they need to do is visit their primary healthcare facility, provided that their governor has enrolled that facility under the Social Health Authority.

Kindly add him a minute.

Any county governor who has enlisted a primary healthcare facility, be it a Level 1, 2 or 3 hospital under the Social Health Authority, allows any Kenyan within that locality to walk into that dispensary, receive treatment and go home without paying a single coin. This Ksh13 billion is available to provide free treatment at any healthcare facility. Additionally, if someone is involved in an accident, there is another Ksh10 billion allocated to the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illnesses Fund. If I am registered under the SHA, I will now receive free treatment for emergencies or chronic illnesses

in dispensaries or health centres up to Level 4 facilities. All of this is outlined under the SHA platform.

With that, I beg to support and urge members to support these Budget Estimates, even as we look forward to considering the revenue estimates when the Finance Bill is eventually tabled before us by the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning. I would also like to congratulate our Budget and Appropriations Committee for the good work and the huge effort that they put into rationalising our expenditures with our revenue estimates to give us a product that will be good for the economy, even as we continue to grow our economy from the bottom up through the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

With those remarks, I beg to second.

Hon. Aseka.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Let me join my colleagues and my Chairman in supporting the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2025/2026. This Budget provides for approximately Ksh4.3 trillion, with Ksh405 billion allocated to our counties, Ksh1.3 trillion allocated to Consolidated Fund Services (CFS) , and approximately Ksh10 billion allocated to the Equalisation Fund. So, if you look at this Budget, key programmes that support the development of this country have been captured.

The Budget provides funds for the subsidised fertiliser, which will go a long way in addressing food insecurity. This Budget also provides funds for the recruitment of approximately 20,000 intern teachers who will assist us in our Junior Secondary School (JSS) centres. This Budget provides approximately Ksh6 billion in funds to help employ our Universal Health Care (UHC) nurses on a permanent and pensionable basis.

As we consider this Budget, we must also ask ourselves some serious questions about its implementation. It is not about figures. A good budget must be implementable. It is not about passing a Budget that cannot be implemented. With a deficit of Ksh 786 billion, we need to ask ourselves how we will raise these funds and ensure that this Budget is implemented.

On the county allocations, it is important to note that accountability is key, as the Leader of the Majority Party has said. I come from Kakamega County. Over the last three years, I have not seen any projects undertaken by the county government, not even a one-door toilet. We must call our governors to order and tell them to stop stealing, to stop taking Kenyans for a ride, and to stop pursuing their own interests and the appetite for looting government resources.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I call upon the National Treasury to ensure that it provides resources and funds for the payment of pending bills. It is very discouraging that many of our suppliers and contractors are languishing in the streets because of non-payment of pending bills. If these bills are not paid, they hinder the growth of the economy of this country. I urge all Members to support this and ensure that we have a robust implementation matrix to ensure that this Budget is implemented to the letter.

Thank you, and I support.

Hon. Pukose.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. At the outset, I support these Budget Estimates for Financial Year 2025/2026. I am the Vice- Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, and I thank my Chairman and colleagues from the Committee for the time and effort they put into analysing this Budget and listening to the various Chairpersons of the other committees. Some of the Chairpersons are here, including Hon. Murugara, Hon. Bowen, Hon. Tongoyo, and Hon. KJ of the Departmental

Committee on Communication, Information, and Innovation, as well as Hon. Nyikal,

is happy that the price of ugali has gone down. I think the government has recently subsidised unga, and now people are happy. We shall keep it that way. We, the farmers, will continue to produce more maize, wheat, coffee, and tea, ensuring that we have enough for our own consumption and even have a surplus to export.

In this Budget, we have provided Ksh2 billion for the recruitment of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). We have also provided money for the recruitment of 10,000 police officers. This will go a long way in enhancing security within our country. The KDF has not managed to recruit for the last two or three years. Therefore, we need to beef up our security. We are facing new security threats. Many of our neighbours are unstable, and we must equip our armed forces to make sure that our country is well protected. In operations, we have provided Ksh6 billion. This is a very progressive Budget, and it will take us to the next level.

With those few remarks, I support.

Hon. Beatrice Elachi, followed by Hon. Lesuuda, and then Hon. Makali, in that order. Then we come back to the next round.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to thank the Committee, the Chairman, and the Cabinet Secretary for Treasury for bringing in a Budget that we can interrogate. I appreciate how they have tried to bring an inclusive Budget that takes care of the whole country.

Mine will be very brief. Number one, I appreciate the docket that I always say carries Kenya, the education docket. I appreciate that you have given them Ksh168.2 billion for transformative education initiatives. However, the most important thing is that we have returned the money for the examinations. Kenyans will appreciate that the Ksh5.9 billion has come back for examinations. This had brought about heated debate, but we thank you for that allocation.

We also appreciate the allocation of Ksh17.2 billion in support of the New Higher Education Funding Model, which will ensure that we have a Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to enable students from all backgrounds to access funding for tertiary education. More importantly, the Ministry of Education should assign a National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) number to every child. The day all our children will have NEMIS numbers will be the day we get the correct capitation and budget for the Ministry of Education. We shall know exactly how much we spend. In my constituency, I am still pushing to get resources for our children because those without birth certificates do not receive capitation. That is why some schools only got Ksh84 or Ksh400. The problem is not this House. It is the Ministry which has not given NEMIS numbers to our children.

I also appreciate that we shall now move forward with the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) project. We were unable to implement this project because we did not have the money to support it. The World Bank wanted a matching programme supported by both the Government and the World Bank. Going forward, 100 youth from our constituencies who believe in small businesses will tap into this. With Ksh50,000, you can start a small business.

I also appreciate the allocation to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) . Many of them were worried and sent messages urging us to ensure that it is there. I am glad that the money is now in the Budget and will support the employment of staff on permanent and pensionable terms.

The funding of the Linda Mama scheme, which is critical in the health docket, is also included. We thank the Committee for going beyond that and looking at Gender-Based Violence (GBV) , emphasising that the Government must fund the technical teams that work on GBV. That is one thing we appreciate even as we move forward.

Another very worrying issue – I plead with the governors on this one – is that, while we look at mediation, why can we not agree as both Houses that we pay pending bills with the

little money we get? Kenyan suppliers, whether at the county or national level, provided products that were used. Most of these suppliers have been auctioned by banks. The best we could do in this Budget is to set aside some funds, rather than focusing on the Ksh460 billion allocated to the counties, to pay our fellow Kenyans who supply goods and services and visit our offices daily due to their pending bills. That is the saddest part of the whole process.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, even as we look at everything we have done, if we do not come up with a solution for pending bills, it will be very sad for Kenyans who work for the Government, who knew there was a need to supply an item, supplied it, but have not be paid. We are now setting up a committee to look into whether these claims are true. Why are we looking at this now? It means that we are all part of the problem, which is why we are devising ways to evaluate and determine how these payments will be made.

Finally, I want to talk about the Ministry of Defence. The Committee observed that in 1992, 1997, 1998 and 2000, the Ministry of Defence did not recruit any new soldiers, resulting in significant deficiencies in the posture of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). To remedy this situation, they have requested Ksh2 billion to support recruitment efforts in this fiscal year, which I support because their reasons are valid.

We are not being fair to our disciplined forces because they previously enjoyed certain exemptions due to the nature of their work. We used to ensure that they were provided for because they were serving the country. You will find the wives and children of those who died in the line of duty suffering because we did not put in place measures to protect them. The Government should ensure that veterans who have served our country are taken care of. Most of their privileges may have been taken away because of misuse. However, those in the camps in Somalia need to be protected, and we need to come up with favourable ways of doing so.

Our police officers also have worn-out uniforms and shoes, yet we expect them to perform their duties. It is very unfortunate. We need to protect them because they serve us. They were trained, qualified and are now on the job. We need to dignify them in terms of housing. I appreciate the Central Bank of Kenya and other institutions which have established affordable housing programmes for their employees. We must remember that the police are the image of our country. They should have dignified uniforms.

We created institutions to deal with corruption, which helps. The Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission (EACC) was not formed to take you to Court, but to ensure that you do not mismanage funds. It helps institutions prevent the mismanagement of resources. The Office of the Auditor-General audits state corporations and assists them in avoiding similar mistakes in subsequent audits. The purpose of auditing is to clean up the books. The Office of the Auditor-General helps to reduce mismanagement of resources. I plead with those institutions not to bring bad reports, but also to help the counties, constituencies, and various sectors improve their public financial management. We will then appreciate the purpose of spending public resources.

With those few remarks, I support the Motion.

Hon. Lesuuda.

You take precedence over her.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I had discussed with my sister, Hon. Lesuuda, and she agreed that I take the slot.

Hon. Temporary Speaker…

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Mutuse, what is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I did not mean to interrupt Hon. Makali Mulu, but I kindly request your indulgence. Since the Budget is a very important affair, I request that Members take only five minutes to contribute so that most of us can speak today and tomorrow.

Indeed.

Order, Hon. Members! Order, Hon. Oluoch! The Temporary Speaker has heard and trusts it is in your wisdom to take as little time as possible so that many Members can partake in this debate.

Order, Hon. Lesuuda. You will have your time. The time is spelt out, and the Temporary Speaker has no authority to limit you. That should have been done at the beginning of the debate. However, as colleagues, I urge you to take less time so that we can all contribute. Let us observe that, gentlewoman and gentleman.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. We understand that Hon. Mutuse is a first-term Member, but these things are usually done at the start of the Motion. I will try to be brief to save time, although this will depend on individual Members. I will be brief.

I would like to appreciate the Departmental Committees for their presentations and the Budget and Appropriations Committee for their good work. Preparing this Budget was not easy due to the very restrictive fiscal space. On that basis, we are ready to see what can be prioritised in this Budget. As I debate this Budget, I want to focus on what must be done for it to make sense to Kenyans. And unless this is done, Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is likely to have minimal impact on the lives of Kenyans.

The first thing that must be done is to ensure that Exchequer releases are done in time. As long as we have a Budget that is not supported by timely Exchequer releases, it will be a waste of time. Over time, we have been implementing Budgets at very low percentages due to a challenging environment in terms of exchequer releases.

The second thing that must be done for this Budget to make sense is for this House, where we all sit, to ensure that recommendations from the Office of the Auditor-General are implemented. Through the Public Accounts Committee, we have many recommendations that have been adopted by this House, but have never been implemented. As a result, Accounting Officers continue to take this House for a ride because, as long as those recommendations are not enforced, they will continue doing the same funny things every day.

The third thing that must be implemented or enforced is the issue of public debt. During this year’s Budget discussions, it was reported that the country had paid Ksh6.7 billion over the last three years in commitment fees. The country pays commitment fees for undrawn loans. That means we have signed for loans, but we have not drawn them. As a result, we have spent Ksh6.7 billion. You can imagine what this amount would do in terms of project

implementation. For examinations that were not factored in, we provided Ksh5.9 million, and that matter is now settled. However, if we consider the Ksh6.7 billion, we would still have a change.

Another crucial aspect that must be addressed for this budget to make sense to Kenyans is land compensation. The Budget and Appropriations Committee has provided Ksh4 billion for land compensation. Many Kenyans have donated their land for public goods and services and have not been compensated. For this Budget to make sense to these Kenyans, we must ensure that we provide enough resources to compensate them for their lands.

I totally agree with what Hon. Elachi said regarding the issue of corruption in this country. During the debate on this budget, the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives indicated that the accounting officer in charge of the Hustler Fund had informed them that they could not recover Ksh5 billion that had been disbursed to Kenyans. How dare you add resources to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) where resources have not been accounted for? If this budget is to make sense, we must ensure that the issue of misappropriation is resolved.

The other thing that must be done, if this budget is to make sense, is the issue of the Equalisation Fund. Since 2010, this Fund has been budgeted for year in and year out, but these resources are never released to the implementing departments in the rural areas. Therefore, the essence of the Equalisation Fund is being compromised because the funds are not being disbursed as expected.

Another crucial aspect that must be addressed for this budget to make sense is the issue of public participation. The members of this Committee went out to Kenyans and received a list of projects that the various counties expect to be done in the Financial Year. However, in the 2024/2025 financial year, the allocation for public participation was reallocated through a supplementary budget. This budget cannot make sense if we continue entertaining such situations. Kenyans proposed the allocation towards public participation, and therefore, it must be respected. The National Treasury has no authority to touch that money.

Another thing that must be addressed for this budget to make sense is the issue of pending bills. As Hon. Elachi said, unless we clear the pending bills, Kenyans will continue lamenting. These pending bills belong to Kenyans who have provided goods and services to the Government. It is high time we cleared them. There is also the issue of the verification committees, which, in my opinion, is a deliberate move to delay the clearing of pending bills. These verification committees must move with speed to ensure that we clear the pending bills.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I would also like to focus on the issue of privatisation. From where I sit, there is still room for improvement on the projects and programmes that have gone into this budget. We might do better if we take slightly more time so that we get our prioritisation right. In my opinion, we are not yet at 100 per cent, there is still room of about 30 per cent. If we improve that 30 per cent, we can easily do with minimal borrowing. I remember the Leader of the Majority Party said that we borrow about Ksh878 billion which is

amounts to approximately a trillion, cannot be accounted for. We are borrowing Ksh900 billion, but a trillion cannot be accounted for. You can do the mathematics and get answers. If we achieve zero wastage, we will have approximately Ksh100 billion to spare without borrowing.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, thank you, I submit and support.

We will now proceed with Hon. Lesuuda, followed by Hon. Muchira, then Hon. Bowen, and finally Hon. Tongoyo. Hon. Lesuuda, proceed. Take minimal time so that everybody gets a chance.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity. I will do my best to take the shortest time possible by not repeating what my colleagues have said. I sit on the Budget and Appropriations Committee.

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate our Chairman, Hon. Samuel Atandi, who chaired the sessions for this Budget. I also congratulate the former Chairperson, Hon. Ndindi, who chaired the Committee during a very difficult time, when the country inherited empty coffers as well as the collapsed Finance Bill, 2024. I congratulate him and thank him for his work as the Chairperson. I also thank Hon. Atandi for his good stewardship during this Budget process.

I want to speak about a number of issues. First, Kenyans had a number of fears regarding this Budget, one of them being the issue of examination fees. A Kenyan in one of the areas we visited asked me if we would support examination fees in the Budget or if they should transfer their child to a private school. We assured them that there will be money to support examinations this year.

I would like to inform policymakers that when they change policies, they should do so thoughtfully, so that this House does not reinstate previous policies because the new ones are not viable. When Kenyans make noise about examination costs, you should not tell them to take their children to private schools. Before you create a policy, conduct public participation before we come up with the budget. Such policy changes cause anxiety even for the current government.

Policies are accompanied by resources. A person should not just wake up one morning and introduce examination fees. Kenyans then make noise, and the person removes the examination fees and tells parents to take their children to private schools if they can afford it. We should carefully consider the policies we make so that they do not make Kenyans anxious.

Kenyans should note that the budget now stands at Ksh4.2 trillion, with key sectors factored in. One of the key sectors that has been factored is the cash programme for elderly persons. We always get messages as Members when the cash for elderly persons is released. A total of Ksh25.7 billion has been set aside for the elderly in this financial year. Around Ksh1.5 billion has been set aside for persons living with disabilities. A total of Ksh9.1 billion has also been set aside for orphans and vulnerable children. It is noteworthy that we are taking care of the most vulnerable in our society and communities.

About Ksh6.1 billion has been set aside for medical personnel working under the Universal Health Cover (UHC) programme, especially those who worked very hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. That money has been set aside to employ them under permanent and pensionable terms. I hope that they will all be onboarded by the end of the year.

We have also set aside Ksh 2.3 billion for livestock insurance and Ksh 1.57 billion for the Kenya Livestock Commercialisation Programme.

My colleague, Hon. Makali, talked about the Equalisation Fund, which we must have an honest conversation about as a House. We will soon be dealing with a third policy. We must agree that delocalising the Equalisation Fund to the ward level is not working. There was a reason why certain counties were listed in the Constitution. I know that in a few years, many of us will be asking why the Equalisation Fund is not working. It is not working because we

moved from the 13 counties and went further to wards. A ward gets about Ksh7 million. The Equalisation Fund was to move us from where we were to where the rest of the country was.

Now, if we continue with the policy that we have – I know there is another policy coming up – we have to give the money to the counties, which the Constitution speaks about, so that the Equalisation Fund can make sense. Those counties can also move from where we were to where we are. Every time we request the allocation of additional funds in the Budget as counties that are beneficiaries of the Equalisation Fund, we are told we already have it. It is this same House that raided the counties that were to be beneficiaries of the Equalisation Fund. We must discuss it.

I am happy that in this budget, we have addressed the issue of the last mile. In some of our counties where I come from, some money would be taken in, and it would cater for long lines of electricity. We all know and understand that electricity is a game-changer, just as water. There are counties or constituencies that no longer require any transformers. They have electricity up to nowhere. But some counties need electricity. In my county, we are less than 20 per cent. I am sure that Marakwet and Marsabit are the same. When using the funds allocated to the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), those concerned should focus on the counties and constituencies with minimal electricity coverage.

As I get to the end, there is also the issue of water, which is key. It is important that we ensure that those areas where we have issues with water are also taken care of. In this Budget, we looked at it. I thank the departmental committees for their work. There is also the issue of Community Health Promoters. There is Ksh3.2 billion.

On the issue of pending bills and corruption, we cannot continue to politicise those two issues. We have to either do it or not do it as a country. We also have to consider why we commit to what we do not have as a country, because that is why it becomes a pending bill. If a ministry or a department does not have the money, why are you engaging a contractor without the money? Without the Exchequer? We can romanticise and make it look good because we are defending contractors whose pending bills have not been paid. They should learn from the NG-CDF. The NG-CDF has received the highest bashing, but it is one of the best examples that people have to look at. You can never commit to what you do not have. If it is not in your code list, if you pay before, it will not be paid. We have to rethink as a country. Until you have the money, you cannot engage. But also, the issue of the Exchequer cannot be left to the National Treasury to decide who gets the money and who does not.

Finally, I have seen the light has been put on. On the issue of corruption, the day we stop politicising corruption as a country is when it will work. It does not matter that you have shifted camps in the government today. It is almost becoming ridiculous, as Kenyans can see through the politics of corruption. If we are going for any Member of Parliament who is engaged in corruption, as a nation...

Hon. Temporary Speaker, give me one minute to conclude this issue of corruption.

Add Hon. Lesuuda one minute.

Just one minute. This country and this House must be serious. We cannot continue to talk about corruption. It is obvious that you were being arrested the last time you were in UDA. Currently, you are not being arrested as a governor or a Member of Parliament. You are then arrested after going to Hon. Wamunyoro. If you are engaged in corruption, you are engaged in corruption. It should not matter on which side of the political divide you are. As a country, we must either take the issue of corruption seriously or stop discussing it. You just have to be on the right side of the government. I was with one governor who told me, “I am on a certain side of the political divide, but I have to be good so that they do not come after me.” This country has to be realistic; otherwise, we should stop discussing the issue of corruption every time.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Next is the Member for Ol Jorok, Hon. Michael Muchira.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I stand to support the Motion as moved by the Chairman for the Budget and Appropriations Committee.

I would like to thank the Chairman and Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, where I serve. Through constant engagement with the National Treasury, we have reduced the fiscal deficit in these Estimates from 5.1 per cent in the last financial year to 4.5 per cent in the coming 2025/2026 fiscal year. This has been achieved by ensuring that we have realistic revenue projections. Previously, we over-projected our revenue. In the tabled Budget Estimates, we have ensured that the projected revenue is as realistic as possible.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we have also achieved this through the rationalisation of the expenditure by ensuring that we have included only the essential expenditure estimates. Speaking of fiscal deficit, we also realised that we have been focusing a lot on the revenue side through taxation measures and similar initiatives. We recommend in this Report that we also focus on the expenditure side by ensuring that we eliminate wasteful expenditure in government.

Rental expenditure is one of the sectors that we picked. We realised that we pay billions of shillings every year in rent for government departments and Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) . Some of the lease agreements were entered in US Dollars. We were paying big amounts of money in rent when our Shilling was volatile. One of the recommendations we have made is that we should ensure we reform our rent policy and, optimally, use our revenue space.

Secondly, we should conduct a cost-benefit analysis by comparing the amount of rent we are paying with the cost of buying a building to serve as office space for our officers.

We also took note of our Appropriations-in-Aid (A-in-A) and found that the projected A-in-A for the next fiscal year is Ksh560 billion. As a Committee, we recommend that we reassess the overall framework governing our Appropriations-in-Aid. In these Estimates, we have allocated funds towards the full operationalisation of the Treasury Single Account to ensure that the collection of A-in-A is transparent, accountable, and efficient.

Secondly, let me go to the education sector. As many other speakers have mentioned, we have allocated funds to recruit 20,000 interns in the upcoming fiscal year. We have also provided resources for the promotion of teachers. However, as we do this, we also recommend that the promotion of teachers needs to be transparent and fair. In our constituencies, many teachers complain that they attend interviews but are never promoted. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) needs to revise its policy to ensure that promotions are conducted fairly and transparently.

We have also allocated funds for the medical scheme for teachers. Again, this is another area that TSC needs to look at. We have many complaints out there from our teachers. For instance, in the medical scheme that they have, if a teacher has two sick beneficiaries, they are told to choose one to be treated. This is unfair.

As many other speakers have mentioned, we have provided funding for examinations, including the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) , the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) , and the Grade Nine exams. So, our students need to rest easy and work hard because their exams will be catered for.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I finalise, I need to mention an issue I also raised in the last financial year. This is the issue of the Senate Oversight Fund. It is important for Hon. Members to know that in this budget, there is Ksh500 million for the Senate Oversight Fund. This is not money for development. It is important for the public to know that some Senators take home as much as Ksh29 million, not for development but for oversight. How do they get

extra money for oversight, yet they are paid? They have salaries to use for oversight. County Women Representatives get Ksh6 million a year, and we see what they are doing. This is Ksh29 million for one Senator, Ksh25 million for another Senator and money for fuel and oversight. There is no legal framework for the Senate Oversight Fund. It is, therefore, time for the National Assembly, which has the sole mandate of budgeting and appropriating funds, to take a firm stance and make the right decision regarding the appropriation of this money. If the Ksh500 million is taken to the NG-CDF, every constituency will get enough money to construct classrooms. We still have issues with the adequacy of classrooms in our constituencies.

With those remarks, I support.

Hon. Kangogo Bowen, there are Members whom the previous Speaker had designated.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to support the Budget Estimate 2025/2026.

Allow me to start by congratulating my good friend, the Member for Alego Usonga Constituency and Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, Hon. Atandi, on a very good report.

As Chairpersons of committees, we had an engagement with the Budget and Appropriations Committee, led by the Hon. Atandi. They were very interactive sessions, where all of us presented the reports that the MDAs under our watch submitted to us. What the Chair has said is what we presented. On one or two previous occasions, we have had issues with the Budget and Appropriations Committee, where reports submitted by Chairpersons of departmental committees were mutilated, and we ended up with a different document on the Floor. I want to confirm that this time round, what we presented to the Committee is what has been brought to this plenary. I congratulate the Chair.

Secondly, I thank the Committee and the National Treasury for the good job they have done. This is a very balanced Budget in terms of provision for regional projects and in cutting across departments. I have seen allocations to the Executive, Judiciary and Parliament. I ask the Chair and the Committee to see how to increase the allocation to the Judiciary next time to complete the projects they have started. There are so many court buildings whose construction has stalled at various stages in many counties. Some of us have to travel for almost 200 kilometres to access the nearest magistrate’s court. There is a need to take judicial services closer to the people. I support increasing the budgetary allocation to the Judiciary.

The Chair of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs is obviously taking note of that, including the stalled construction of the High Court in Homa Bay.

Not only that, Hon. Temporary Speaker. There are many stalled Court buildings across the country. Going forward, as we appropriate money, we need to start with pending bills. The second charge must be for ongoing projects. Before we start new projects, there is a need to complete ongoing projects. There are so many stalled projects, such as roads, water supply and electricity connection.

The allocation to agriculture is very encouraging. When farmers were given subsidised fertilisers, the production of maize tripled across the country. Farmers have been encouraged to produce, but the market prices are very low. There is a need to allocate more resources to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) to purchase a 90-kilogramme bag of maize at Ksh5,000.

I have also seen the allocation to the Ministry of Health. Three months ago, there were many complaints from Kenyans about SHA. The volume of complaints has now decreased. With the additional allocation to SHA for primary healthcare, our people will benefit. If the people register in large numbers, they will benefit from the primary healthcare system. As the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation, I wish to

state that the budgetary allocation to the water sector is very low despite water provision being a constitutional right under Article 43 of the Constitution. I had earlier proposed to this House that there should be water allocation per constituency. As a starting point, I recommend allocating Ksh50 million per constituency to support a water access program for the people, including the sinking of boreholes or the excavation of water pans. We often see donor-funded projects worth billions of shillings concentrated in one corner of the country. As for Government of Kenya projects, you may find a dam worth Ksh20 billion, Ksh30 billion, or Ksh50 billion under construction for twenty years, and yet people still do not have access to water.

If the funds that are allocated to dam projects were allocated to the NG-CDF and each constituency gets, say, Ksh100 million, totalling Ksh28 billion, the impact on water provision would be bigger. We need to avoid the big dam projects. Let us complete the stalled projects and invest in small projects that can ensure people access water within a month or two of implementation.

Regarding last-mile electricity connectivity, I support what Hon. Naisula said. Some constituencies, particularly in Nairobi, are oversupplied and may not require additional funding. However, in areas like Northern Kenya or Kerio Valley, including my constituency, we have less than 10 per cent connectivity, whereas others have 100 per cent. The ministry should prioritise regions with the lowest coverage when allocating funds for last-mile connectivity. As a House, we also need to take this seriously so that every Kenyan can benefit.

Lastly, I would like to comment on the issue of pending bills, which is very important. There are so many contractors in this country whose properties have been auctioned. Some sold their properties to raise money to service government projects, but they have not been paid. Payment of pending bills has a trickle-down effect on everyone, from the driver in the contract to the mama pima, who cooks githeri for construction workers.

With those remarks, I support.

Next is the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to add my voice to what my colleagues have already said.

I commend the Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC) , led by its very able Chairman, Hon. Samuel Atandi, for a job well done. This is Hon. Atandi’s first assignment as the Chairperson of the BAC, and he has managed it with precision and expertise. Congratulations to the entire Committee. All Departmental Committees have also made effort and added value to these Budget Estimates. They took a lot of their time burning the midnight oil listening and interrogating State Departments to make the Report what it is today. It was not an easy task, and I want to really commend my colleagues. It took dedication.

I will not take much time. I just want to highlight a few critical areas that have been factored in the Budget Estimates. I will start with agriculture. We all know that agriculture is the backbone of our economy. Since the inception of the Kenya Kwanza Government, the agricultural sector has continuously taken the forefront in the budget allocation. It should not be lost on us that when William Ruto and Kenya Kwanza took over the Government, they had a robust policy of investing in production and not consumption. That is why the issue of fertiliser subsidy took centre stage. We can attest to the fact that it has given us good results in food production in the country. There is a steady increase in food, and the price of food has gone down. The inflation rate in the country has also gone down, which is very commendable. It is also notable that the subsidy has been considered in the Budget Estimates allocation.

We appreciate that in the provision of sugar reforms, including the operationalisation of the Sugar Act 2024, there is an allocation of about Ksh370million in the budget estimates.

It is also good to note that some money has been allocated for the provision of cotton revitalisation. More importantly, the Ksh2.3billion that has been allocated for derisking will go a long way in cushioning the pastoral communities in terms of mitigating the impact of the drought they experience year after year. As a member from a pastoralist community, I know that this will be a game changer. It is something that was not there before. I know that the issue of milk will also help the pastoral communities.

On water, I will not belabour. The Chair of the Departmental Committee on Water, Sanitation and Irrigation mentioned it. Some money has been allocated to it, but we still need to do more. Being that we are an agricultural economy, water is crucial for the realisation of its goals. We need to give more emphasis to the issue of water.

On roads, we need to appreciate where we are as a country. Initially, there was a lot of debt on the roads. The policy on sectorisation of our roads has opened up more parts of the country that were previously neglected. These areas can now realise their development.

On education, the government has continued to allocate a big chunk of our budget to the education sector. We all appreciate the importance of an educated society in realising industrialisation and modernisation.

The other critical area is the State Departments that I oversee as Chair of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs – the National Police Service and the National Police Service Commission. A sum of Ksh2.8 billion has been allocated to the Police Service Commission for the recruitment of about 10,000 police constables and officer cadets. Since you sit in that committee, you know that the Commission envisioned recruiting 10,000 officers. You appreciate that, for the last three years, we have not had any recruitment, and we are approaching a general election while already experiencing natural attrition of approximately Ksh4,500. The money is not enough, and discussions are still underway to see how to close the gap, but we cannot fail to appreciate that it is a positive step. Although Kenyans are eager, we had also promised them that we would conduct the recruitment above board – in a more transparent manner, devoid of corruption, when the time comes.

As a way to continuously equip our security officers who are doing their best to keep this country safe, the modernisation programme that has been envisioned has been allocated about Ksh3.4 billion. This is to continue equipping our security agents, especially those in the National Police Service, with the necessary equipment and tools to enable them to perform their duties and mandate more effectively to protect the country that they so love as patriots. You are well aware that it is a long-term programme estimated to cost approximately Ksh30 billion. We have done slightly above Ksh10 billion, and moving forward, it is likely to receive continuous budget allocation.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, still in the immigration sector, it is worth appreciating that the passport, National Identification Cards (IDs), Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and the issue of Visas has been allocated a fairly good budget so that, as a country, we continue to handle at least the crisis that was there before. We recall a year or so ago, the big problem of long queues at Nyayo House, as Kenyans waited for weeks or even months to collect their passports. Others even missed travelling for medical care and other reasons, simply because we could not process the passports and provide them in real time.

With these allocations and the prospect of continuously providing more resources to the State Department, Kenyans will receive their passports promptly. That is the spirit. Of course, this House recommended withholding A-in-A so that the Ministry can execute its mandate with less problems, without relying on Exchequer releases. That has been a game changer in this sector. Regarding the issuance of IDs, we are all aware that His Excellency the President has abolished vetting. Our brothers in the North Eastern region, the pastoralist communities who have been victims of unnecessary vetting, have truly appreciated this. It has

gone a long way to help them because all along, they had been treated as second-class citizens. With the budgetary support of this programme, I am confident that we will reap significant benefits, and Kenyans in areas that have previously been affected will appreciate this.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I also want to talk about the issue of…

Yes. The point that he is making about the operationalisation of the newly gazetted administration units is critical. Do you need two or three minutes? Add him two minutes.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for your consideration.

Colleagues, I was saying that we have many gazetted units running from sub-counties, divisions and locations. It is an issue that has attracted constant requests for statements in this House. In this Budget, we have managed to allocate Ksh600 million to at least address the most crucial units. I still implore this House through the Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairman to continue looking for more resources to put into this programme, so that Kenyans can enjoy the success of having government offices next to them.

With those remarks, I support.

What did you say about the village elders you have been talking about? Is there a provision for them?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, thank you for your indulgence. We are all aware that a Bill addressing the issue of village elders is already before this House. It was sponsored by the late Hon. Malulu, but I took it over. We want to legislate to recognise village elders in law, so that we can budget for them. It is a work in progress. I promise the country and this House that, sooner or later, we will have the Bill. We almost have a policy in place from the Ministry. The regulations are undergoing validation. We have a bit of budget for that. However, we can only realise this once the Bill is in place. That is what I have to say, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Thank you so much. I support

I see Hon. Murugara, the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Health, and the Leadership. I wanted to make an exception to allow Hon. Dido Raso to contribute for the reasons you know—people of his faith are currently fasting, and he wishes to leave. He is fasting.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for indulging me. I would like to ask my colleagues to bear with me. Indeed, I am fasting, and I wanted to contribute and leave.

At the outset, I would like to thank and congratulate the Committee, headed by the Hon. Atandi. I am reviewing the Budget 2025/2026 document, and there are a few areas that I wish to address following comments by my Chairman, Hon. Gabriel Tongoyo.

Firstly, it is about the Government Printer, where they have given them an additional allocation of Ksh124 million. The Government Printer is at the heart of printing all Government documents, whether they are pamphlets, gazette notices, doctrinal, or policy documents. The question I keep asking myself is, in the absence of an efficient, effective and time-bound Government Printer, where would classified and important government documents be printed?

Hon. Atandi, going forward, it is important we put our resources where our mouth is. That places like the Government Printer should be well-funded so that instead of the Exchequer opposing the funding of the Government Printer, the Government Printer ploughs resources back into the Exchequer.

The State Department for Performance and Delivery Management is a key department in the Government. It oversights, reports, monitors and ensures that there is no wastage in government, and that government projects are delivered on time. For the first time, I can see they have been remembered in this Budget. Going forward, if we truly want to combat vices

like corruption or white elephant projects, then we must examine how to hold the State Department for Performance and Delivery accountable.

Regarding policing services, I can see that Ksh1.645 billion and Ksh156 million, respectively, have been set aside for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Administration Police Service (APS). If we really want an effective DCI to prevent crime and arrest those breaking the law, including killing and doing all sorts of anti-social evil, then the DCI must be well equipped. The DCI forensic lab has been useful and available to the Kenyan public. The Budget and Appropriations Committee will, in its wisdom, find the need to allocate resources to DCI.

Second is this issue of the APS, the frontline troops. The Service has the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), the Border Policing Unit (BPU), and the Response Operating Group (ROG). These frontline groups keep Kenyans safe. That is why we can sit in this Chamber and discuss what is important to Kenyans. If we allocate money for their mobility, firepower, and force protection, then they will ensure our safety.

The Chairman of the Committee talked about new administrative units. If Kenya must be governed, then the footprints of governance must be visible everywhere and identifiable. For a very long time, we have only attended to a few areas. In some cases, it is the elite, along with the Executive, who decide where governance units should be located. I must thank this administration because today, we have over 400 new sub-counties, divisions, locations, and sub-locations.

Our Committee has identified that we need close to Ksh2.5 billion to operationalise the gazetted administrative units. This particular Budget provides a budget line of only Ksh100 million. It is, indeed, a drop in the ocean. Seamless administration is for our benefit as leaders. If there are incidents, there should be people to take control on our behalf. I do not know where the Budget and Appropriations Committee will find resources. In your deep pockets, please see if there is anything you can do.

Livestock contributes 9 per cent to our GDP. Both ASAL and non-ASAL areas depend on livestock for their day-to-day livelihoods. This Budget lacks funding for the National Livestock Development and Promotion Services (NLDPS). It is through NLDPS that we do the development, promotion and marketing of livestock products. We must thank the President for gazetting the Livestock Board a few months ago. Although, in this Budget, nothing has been allocated to that Board. I implore the Budget and Appropriations Committee to look into it and consider what is useful for many out there. We must consider where to plough in more resources or where we can rob Peter to pay Paul.

There is the issue of Appropriation-in-Aid (AiA) by the National Treasury and Economic Planning. There are organisations that bring money to the Exchequer, such as the Public Benefits Organisation, formerly known as the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and private security companies. If funded, these organisations can plough money back into the national coffers. It is important for us to identify such organisations and put money where there are returns. However, it is important to note that AiA can be abused. In our Committee, we have looked at certain areas and noted the potential for abuse.

Finally, there is the issue of equity. The Budget is about equity. We must consider parts of Kenya that have not been touched because we have a bird's-eye view of the Budget. We must be proficient in equity.

With those remarks, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute.

Hon. Murugara will be followed by Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Let me begin by thanking Hon. Atandi and his Committee for the work well done. I know they went deep into the night trying to cobble these figures so that we can have this

debate and start the process of appropriating money for the country. Thank you very much, Hon. Atandi and your Committee.

I am happy to hear from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding area managers whom we always speak for. I know there was public participation recently on the Government policy concerning them. Therefore, we need to move with speed and enact that Bill into law so that we have a legal framework on which area managers can base their requests for remuneration. It is nice to hear that we are also planning for the new administrative units, the sub-counties.

Interestingly, when I was young and in primary school, we had only 42 districts. They have now increased to over 410 sub-counties in the Republic of Kenya. This is commendable because it brings services closer to the people and must be encouraged, including the courts, as was alluded to. We must now move towards having a courthouse in every constituency. So that people do not have to walk long distances to seek legal or justice services.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to comment on the justice sector in the country. This falls under the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs, which oversees several agencies. Thank you, Hon. Atandi, for allocating an additional Ksh1 billion to the Judiciary. This is important because, as the Third Arm of Government, the Judiciary does significant work for this country. Without it, we cannot call ourselves a State. The Judiciary has been allocated Ksh1 billion for various purposes, and the judges, especially the Chief Justice, need to hear this.

Hon. Members, pursuant to Standing Order 237, I am alerting the House that we have just entered the Second Allotted Day for the purpose of debating this Motion. Thank you.

Proceed.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. What is the Ksh100 billion supposed to do? This is very important. Number one, we have to recruit additional judges. Pursuant to this, an advertisement has been issued to recruit 20 High Court judges and 15 Court of Appeal judges. Thank you, Hon. Atandi.

Number two, we must confirm the over 1,000 youths employed under the Ajira Digital Programme across the country in all the courts. These innocent children have worked under contract for over two years. I am 100 per cent sure that in accordance with our law and judicial pronouncements, you cannot have a casual or temporary employee for that period. The Judiciary needs to look into this matter quickly and confirm these youngsters into permanent and pensionable terms so that they can undertake their work of transcribing Court proceedings, amongst other duties.

Number three is stalled courthouses. I would like to remind the Judiciary about the stalled High Court in Homa Bay, as well as other High Courts in the country, and the Principal Magistrate Court in Marimanti. I am happy that money is now available. They should look at all stalled court projects like the courthouse in Homa Bay. They should complete them and post judges so that judicial services are brought closer to the people. This should also apply to the courthouse in Marimanti. Additionally, the construction of courthouses in the constituencies should be expedited.

I know the Judiciary is asking Members of Parliament to partner with them so that, using the NG-CDF, they can put up courthouses. Then, they will post staff. If you have any money left in NG-CDF, this is encouraged. I am using it to put up courthouses in two places in Tharaka. You can also try to put up a courthouse not only in the constituency but in every sub- county. This is important, and that is why we are emphasising NG-CDF. This is because it does almost everything in this country, especially when it comes to National Government projects.

We have had no regard for what is happening in the counties. I am happy Kenyans are now waking up to ask and demand, 'What exactly are the counties doing for the country? What

are they doing for the citizens?' We will appropriate over Ksh400 billion to these counties. Where is this money going apart from huge recurrent expenses? Then, the little that is left is pilfered by unscrupulous governors who think they are demigods in the counties. We will take them head-on. This is because we are the ones who appropriate money, and it is not meant for their consumption.

Thank you, Hon. Atandi, because the other state departments also got enhancements. The State Department of Justice, Human Rights, and Constitutional Affairs, the State Department of Correctional Services, the State Law Office, the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). All of them have received some enhancement, and I believe that the National Treasury will carry that through.

On behalf of the people of Tharaka, it is vital that I bring to the attention of the Hon. Atandi what Tharaka looks like. I am pleased that the Hon. Temporary Speaker has been there many times. Therefore, you can confirm what I say. First, there is no constituency in the country today that can proudly boast of having about 25 per cent electricity connectivity. Therefore, thank you, Hon. Atandi, for allocating money to the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. It will be my duty to remind them that Tharaka Constituency needs affirmative action in matters of electricity.

Tharaka Constituency does not have many tarmac roads. The Temporary Speaker can recollect that there was no tarmac road when he visited Marimanti. Today, there is a semblance of a disjointed tarmac road because construction stalled. I am happy that funds have been allocated to restart stalled projects, including the road from Chiakariga to Marimanti. We are also getting a new tarmac road along Miomponi-Mukothima-Katunga.

Hon. Atandi, I observed that you have set aside allocations for water development in Tharaka Constituency. However, there are also recommendations to reduce the allocations to the water pans in the constituency. I will visit the Ministry to recover any funds I can, as Tharaka Constituency is located in an arid and semi-arid land (ASAL). The budgets we make must reflect what people are experiencing in the constituencies.

I would have said a lot more, but I will wait for the Committee of Supply to see how funds will be allocated and then contribute. However, I support the Report.

Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal, Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Health.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to start by appreciating the Chairperson and Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee for how they have conducted the whole process and interacted with the Chairpersons of Departmental Committees.

I rise to support this Budget because it has considered the key areas that we need to address as a country to stabilise our healthcare system. It has looked at Primary Health Care (PHC) , where funds have been allocated to address vaccination, malaria, and tuberculosis (TB) . The Committee has allocated Ksh4.6 billion to vaccines and Ksh10 billion to promotive services, which cover many areas, including the kits required by community health promoters (CHPs) . Level 2 and 3 hospitals have been a problem and the bane of complaints about the Social Health Authority (SHA) . This will be addressed by the funds allocated to PHC and emergency and critical illnesses, which I will talk about a little later.

Other complaints in the health sector have been about human resources, and three main areas have been addressed, even if not fully, but adequately for now. One is the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) workers who have been camping out here. About Ksh6.1 billion has been allocated to cater for them. They were asking for a lot more, but if the figures are worked out and there is proper planning on how that amount will be shared between the National Government and county governments, then this money will adequately start off the process.

The issue of interns has been addressed, and funds have been set aside to cover their agreements with the Government. The same applies to the issue of registrars, which has existed for long. At least Ksh200 million has been set aside to streamline how registrars apply in all training facilities.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the other area that is quiet is financing. There is a problem with the Social Health Authority (SHA). There is no question about it. Both those who complain that it is not working and those who say it is working have a point. The issue is very straightforward because we have three funds. The Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which is a contribution, is going on. People who are admitted get services.

However, there is the issue of the Primary Healthcare Fund and the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund, which are funded by taxpayers. They have never been funded before. As we heard earlier, we have allocated Kshs 13 billion for the Primary Healthcare Fund and Kshs 10 billion for the Emergency, Chronic, and Critical Illness Fund. With this money, if the ministry coordinates with the county government, particularly for the Primary Healthcare Fund, the complaints of outpatients in Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals regarding SHA should be resolved. People should register now because it will work.

Another issue in the sector is the availability of drugs and medical equipment. Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) is supported in operations. In the previous Budget, they were allocated Ksh1.5 billion, which should help them to recover from the effects of COVID-

realised that their services have an issue of equity. There are regions which have them, and others do not. Yet, these are areas where people need services like cancer care. To that extent, in the policy aspect of the Budget, we are looking at how we can upgrade referral services.

In all the referral services that are in existence now, we have allocated Ksh43.3 billion. There are two new additions, namely Mwai Kibaki Teaching and Referral Hospital in Othaya, Nyeri, and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu, for which we have allocated Ksh 1.3 billion and Ksh 2.8 billion, respectively, in this Budget. The money will help them. Then, there are others that are in the process, and some money has been set aside so that this process can be streamlined.

I do not want to go into more details because Members have already discussed it, and we do not have time. I want to say one main thing about health matters. Public health services in this country are, to a large extent, in the domain of the county governments. We have put aside resources for the Primary Healthcare Fund and the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Fund. If we do not have proper coordination between the county governments and the National Government, these funds will not serve their purposes.

On this issue, I call upon the Health Committee of the Council of Governors to collaborate with the Ministry of Health, the State Department for Medical Services and Public Health, and the Sanitation Departments to establish a process for operationalising these funds. For example, if the Ksh13 billion allocated to the Primary Healthcare Fund is applied properly, it should support the outpatient services of Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals. If we take care of that, the complaints about SHA will go away. Once services are rendered to people at these levels, they will be encouraged to enrol in the SHA services. If there are complaints that they go to hospitals but do not get services, then they will not register.

We have the Facility Improvement Fund, which will improve Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals. That is why we have set aside Ksh13.3 billion. We do not see why KEMSA should not be paid if all the levels are properly funded and people get services. Therefore, many structural issues have to go into places money has been put in.

I want to request that the Health Committee of the Council of Governors and the Ministry of Health collaborate to develop a system for addressing Universal Health Coverage

(UHC) workers. They should sort out KEMSA and interns because funds have been made available.

With that, I support.

Let us have Hon. Anthony Oluoch, followed by Hon. Mukunji, Member for Manyatta. Then, Hon. Wilberforce Oundo, followed by Hon. Kiarie.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me also to support. I want to begin with the second part of the Committee’s Motion. The Chairman asked for the approval of a sum of Ksh2,538,293,978,440 from the Consolidated Fund. My first point is mostly about the second part. That is the policy and financial resolutions contained in the Second Schedule. A number of policy and financial recommendations were made during the last financial year, particularly in the deliberations on last year's Budget Estimates.

I hope the first is affirmative action. I have seen attempts to carry and entrench this in a number of State Departments estimates. Affirmative action is now firmly entrenched as a foundational principle under our Constitution, particularly in Article 10. Then, in a number of other Articles, including Article 204. This is only possible in some places that are unreached, like the informal settlements in Nairobi. When you look at the crafting of Article 204 of the Constitution, it excludes places like cities because the assumption is that Nairobi, Kisumu and big counties are already developed. Indeed, the position is that informal settlements like Mathare, Mukuru kwa Njenga and Kibera are marginalised. Affirmative action in the budget- making process must always extend to them.

There is also budget equity. This ensures that resource allocation employs a policy of budget equity across the country. Especially by those whom trust is given to preside over resource allocation. The people in Turkana are as much entitled to getting roads, water, electricity and other services as those in Lamu. The same applies to those in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay, Murang'a, and the constituency from which Hon. Oundo comes. The question of budget equity must be an over-arching issue that always pervades in our budget-making process.

My final point is that budget-making, policy, and financial resolutions must constantly be on a path to improve the attainment of rights. I am particularly drawn to Article 28 of the Constitution, which states that every person is entitled to their inherent dignity, which must be respected. The same is true with Article 43 of the Constitution, which states that every person is entitled to affordable and accessible housing. Therefore, it is very natural that my first point in support of this Budget would be on the State Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the State Department of Housing and Urban Development has an allocation of nearly Ksh95 billion. This will not be lost, especially for those of us in Nairobi City County. It was possible to extend Articles 28 and 43 of the Constitution on the enhancement and protection of the dignity of individuals. That a person who used to live in an informal settlement in Mukuru and soon this can be extended to areas like Mathare, Makadara, Kibra and Lang’ata can now finally live in a decent house. They can access a hot shower, clean water and electricity. Previously, it was common practice for them to obtain electricity by either making illegal connections or using other illicit methods of lighting, which are a constant cause of fire in the informal settlements.

Another area where affirmative action should have been continued is the State Department on Basic Education. I am happy that in the Supplementary Budget, His Excellency the President extended Ksh1 billion to all the 17 constituencies in Nairobi. As leaders of Nairobi, we engaged in that discussion this year and submitted a petition to His Excellency and the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee. Unfortunately, due to the limited fiscal space, we have been assured that Nairobi will receive a similar extension of Ksh1 billion

for the informal settlements to cater for basic infrastructure. You can now understand why I began by stating the policy and financial issues that must underlie the budget-making process.

Your Excellency, on the issue of education…

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Oundo, what is out of order? Prophesies like that must be taken seriously.

Indeed, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to add my voice to that prophesy. This is because I have seen the way your face has glared, and your soul has been lifted. I can see that it has truly touched the bottom of your heart. May God's wishes come to pass.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. KJ, what do you find out of order in that prophesy?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we have Standing Orders that define what constitutes a point of order. I do not think Hon. Daktari stood on a point of order, even from his submission. What the Member for Mathare said is only possible today because we have made it clear to Kenyans that anyone in this country can rise to the highest office.

This is only possible within the Broad-Based Government that has given every member of this country the opportunity to feel part of not only the country but also the Government. So, the dreams being prophesied by the Member, wakili Oluoch, are possible. They are very valid, and if that happens, then we shall have the brainpower that we were talking about - the tyranny of wakili from Homa Bay rising to a position of power. However, what Hon. (Dr) Oundo rose on was not a point of order as stipulated by our Standing Orders.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. KJ, Hon. (Dr) Oundo merely confirmed that the prophecy appeared to rest very well in my soul.

There is nothing out of order. Hon. Oluoch, you may continue.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to conclude this point by addressing the question of capitation. About Ksh90 billion has been allocated to capitation. Just like NG-CDF, the issue is usually half the question of allocation and half of that to the Exchequer. This issue has persisted despite the House’s constant efforts, in its oversight role, to ensure that allocations are matched with the prompt and timely disbursement of this money.

On the flip side, capitation money has gone down from Ksh22,000 per student to about Ksh17,000. I hope that this will not affect the number of students or leave out some if there is

a gap. I hope that the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee will plug it in Supplementary II. Regarding the State Department of Education, I am glad to see that approximately Ksh5.9 billion has been reinstated for the question of examinations. There is still a shortfall of Ksh6 billion. Hopefully, this will be flagged.

There is also about Ksh7.5 billion for confirmation of intern teachers. On this, we must ensure that it is done equitably. This is one of the three policy issues that underlie our budget- making process. It will ensure that the distribution of the opportunity to have teachers is extended to people in far-flung areas, and those who historically have not had similar numbers extended to them can also have proper TSC teachers. As opposed to relying on Board of Governance (BOG) teachers, as is the case in some of the constituencies, including Mathare. Also, the constituency of my good friend, Hon. TJ Kajwang'.

I want to speak on the State Department for Infrastructure. One of the key issues I have raised is related to the question of equity. Recently, I heard pronouncements being made about secularisation being an illegality. I looked at Section 6 and Section 32(a)1(c) of the Roads Act. They clearly allow the Cabinet Secretary to set aside part of the money, a 50 per cent allocation for distribution, to invest it, and then plough it back so that we can deal with two things. One is a question of pending bills, which continue to be a big impediment in the rollout, carpeting and maintenance of roads in constituencies in Nairobi. So, secularisation will deal with pending bills and, at the same time, the question of equity.

Lastly, because my time is over, I would like to comment on the question of energy. I cannot fail to thank the Committee and Hon. Atandi for, through the intervention of His Excellency, extending Ksh500 million for last-mile connectivity. In informal settlements, including my own Constituency Mathare, one Ward has 30,000 people, and they have not seen electricity for the last 7 years. They can now have a last-mile connection. I also see that the Rural Electrification and Renewal Energy Corporation (REREC) will be able to implement this. My final point is that I support Ksh670 million for the electrification of constituencies. I hope this will be divided equitably so that we can have streetlights on high masts to enhance security in our constituencies.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support the budget-making process and the Estimates by the Committee.

Hon. Mukunji.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to give my contribution. I congratulate the Chairperson and the Committee. It is never an easy job to work on the Budget of the country.

Firstly, I want to indicate that we are talking of close to a Ksh900 billion budget deficit in this year's Budget. I believe we need to change how we work on budgets. If we fell short in our collections last year, we need to take this into consideration and work within our means. Since we are talking about a budget of Ksh4.3 trillion, it tells us we have expanded our consumption as a country.

Additionally, when we discuss a deficit, many other factors are not taken into account, such as pending bills, the current issue of securitisation of fuel levies, and other levies. I would like to take note of the pending projects. I know that every Member in their constituency has projects that have stalled and are waiting for funding. I appreciate that the Committee has allocated funds for the Itabua Muthatari and New Kithimu Irrigation projects so that they can be completed. They required Ksh 20 million, but the project has been pending for close to four years. People have not had a chance to use this water.

As I speak about the irrigation projects, I want to take toll and also support the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation. This Government and the ministry should know where to put impactful projects. Water projects can change this country and ensure that it develops.

We have had many presidents and regimes making a name. His Excellency Mwai Kibaki made a name through education and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta has obviously made a name for himself in the nation's infrastructure, particularly in the railway and road systems, including the famous Expressway. This regime can establish a reputation by ensuring that everyone has access to water, either for irrigation or drinking. That is just my advice.

I take note of the Ksh 2 billion that the Coffee Cherry Fund has been allocated. There is a pending issue regarding the waiver of coffee factory debts, which was promised several years ago. I heard the Leader of the Majority Party take credit for the good prices of coffee this year. Yes, it is true that we have had good coffee prices. However, the Government can make an impact not by taking credit for good prices but by ensuring the longevity of the good prices. This can be achieved by ensuring that factories are debt-free, as is currently happening in the sugar sector.

A lot of money is being used for empowerment. I have seen leaders led by the Deputy President moving around doing empowerment programmes. I keenly checked whether there is an allocation in the Budget for that programme. To my shock, I have not seen any. I only saw Ksh4 billion allocated to the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports. This is not enough to cater for empowerment in addition to wages. I want to, actually...

Hon. Mukunji, do you need information?

No, I do not need information because of time. I will talk to my good friend, Hon. Oluoch, on the side. We need equity in the sharing of our Budget. I want to differ with many speakers who said that the Budget and Appropriations Committee allocations of previous years was skewed. I want to call upon this House to take charge of the Budget. This is because every constituency is represented except those that are awaiting by-elections. If we do that, I believe we will share our resources fairly in all areas.

On education, I spoke to several teachers over the last two days. I was shocked to hear that there is interference with the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) used to allocate money. I know you were shocked when you heard of a school that got Ksh87 through NEMIS. I am told that this is because head teachers upload student names, but within a minute, the names are removed. This has made NEMIS unfair to some areas and schools. As we allocate capitation money, it is good to audit NEMIS.

I want to discuss the new university funding model. We have allocated approximately Ksh97 billion. By the time this country fully migrates to the new funding model, we will need approximately Ksh350 billion to operate it. I call upon this House to take stock. When something is not sustainable, we need to reconsider. We should not have a funding model where students attend universities without a clear way to pay school fees.

NG-CDF has been a game changer in bridging the gap in the education sector. It is a fund that we should fight tooth and nail to protect. On housing, I have taken note of what the Member for Mathare said. We need to expand the usage of these resources. Housing can never be a major source of accolades for many Kenyans because it is a very personal development agenda. I call upon us to amend the law and allow areas to receive what they need, whether it be water, housing, or electricity. This will ensure all parts of the country feel the value of the resources they are deducted through the levy.

As I conclude, the police service has received an increment in their allocation.

On a point of order.

What is out of order, Hon. Anthony Oluoch?

I apologise because you were about to wind up. I deliberately waited for you to finish.

Is it in order, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for the Member to attempt to limit the rights and put a hierarchy that would prioritise the water needs of his constituents over the housing needs of my constituents and the constituents of Hon. KJ in informal settlements? Would it be in order when these rights are stipulated under Article 28 and Article 43 of the Constitution?

Secondly, is he in order to mislead this House that the Deputy President has been running around on empowerment projects without a budget? This is both a point of order and a point of information because I sit on the Departmental Committee on Education. The programme the Deputy President is implementing across the country is called the National Youth Opportunities towards Advancement (NYOTA) programme, with a budget under the State Department of MSMEs. It is a co-funded project between the World Bank and the Government of Kenya. Is it in order for the Member to continue misleading this House?

Thank you.

Thank you. Hon. Mukunji.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, you have to be fair.

Those are statements duly attributed to you, and you should clarify or withdraw them.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I ask for fairness because I was interrupted while I was finishing up. Of course, if it is genuine empowerment, we should clearly know how much money is going to each constituency.

As I finish up, I want to mention something regarding county governments and what they are receiving compared to what they are collecting in the A-in-A. There has been a lot of corruption in counties with their collections. That is why there is a big burden when it comes to resources from the national Government. I call upon this House to adopt more stringent measures to ensure that county A-in-A is not misused and that automation is mandatory. I rise to support. On housing, these are common user projects that touch everybody’s lives. These are roads, electricity, and water, which everybody needs.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. (Dr) Wilberforce Oundo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. This report is on the Floor of the House, pursuant to Article 221 of the Constitution. It requires the Budget and Appropriations Committee to deliberate, hold public participation and submit its report and recommendations to this House. So, it is properly in this House, and that is why we are debating it.

Let me also congratulate my neighbour for presiding over his first report in this matter. However, I must admit that there is nothing earth-shaking, innovative, or departure from the old ritual being presented here today. I know his hands are tied, just like everybody else. If our Government were under Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, our hands would be unshackled, and we would make all the major issues we needed to.

The Temporary Speaker

: Hon. Dr Wilberforce Oundo, you have invited a point of order from the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is not my intention to disrupt my brother and neighbour, Hon. (Dr) Oundo. However, is it in order for him to belittle this House by claiming that we do not have the power to make a budget? It is very clear that budget-making is the mandate and responsibility of this House. Is he in order?

Hon. (Dr) Oundo.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I did not in any way say that Parliament does not have the power to make a Budget. I just said his hands are tied because of the fiscal and economic framework we are facing. If Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga were the President, the country would not be facing the current predicament.

Hon. (Dr) Oundo, we also need to be factual. For the first time, I have seen a proposed road project in Mandera County. I have never seen this before. Additionally, Ndhiwa Constituency, which has never seen a tarmac road or a road raised to Bitumen standards, is included in the estimates. There are several other roads in regions and places that have been overlooked in past budget estimates. So, give the devil his due.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I hope the time you have taken to speak will be given back to me, because you have taken five minutes. Yes, they can celebrate, but the people of Busia, who are of a lesser God, have nothing to celebrate.

Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to pick up on two issues. Hon. Mukunji has left it off that there are some basic common user facilities that every Kenyan requires. They can sort themselves out on other things. Some things are retained by the National Government, which we budget for through this process. There is close to Ksh200 billion slated for roads and related infrastructure. As usual, I have painstakingly gone through this document. I have not seen the specific itemised roads where the Ksh200 billion is going to go. This continues the opaque nature of budget-making, which I thought our experts and the Chairman of the Committee, having suffered with him in the trenches, would have been magnanimous enough.

The Committee or the Parliamentary Budget Office would have annexed to this Report the projects for which funds totalling Ksh200 billion are allocated. Again, typical of our opaque nature, we are going back to where we were. Someone will sit somewhere and allocate that money, ignoring many other places. I say that with a heavy heart. Article 10 of the Constitution, which requires inclusiveness and equality, is continuously flouted in the budget-making process. So, for many of us, there may not be much to celebrate in this Budget.

Allow me now to highlight a few key issues. When you go to the Committee recommendations in the Third Schedule under Vote 1065 on University Education, I want students and their parents to hear this very clearly. They have reduced Ksh1.3 billion recurrent from government-sponsored students in private universities. I want to tell parents and their children that as you filled the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) this year, if you are allocated a private university, the burden of those four years or whichever number of years lies squarely in your hands. So, do not make the mistake of accepting a place at a private university. This is an open discrimination by your Government against your children. Then you wonder why they issue charters to private universities if they do not want Kenyan children to attend them.

Secondly, as I discuss the complete flouting of Article 10 of the Constitution, there is an increase of Ksh600 million for infrastructure support to public universities. Again, it is very opaque. They have not told us which universities are receiving the money and where that money is going. Let me state on record that they have said that Ksh100 million is allocated to Rongo University, Ksh125 million to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) , and, obviously, zero allocation for Alupe University in Busia County.

I also want to bring to the attention of the country that, in the same Budget, there has been a reduction of Ksh3 billion in secondary school capitation. So what does it mean? It means the parents will have to dig deeper into their pockets to supplement their expenses. Their argument is probably that there are fewer students in secondary schools. That argument cannot

hold because the clean-up from the old system affected many students who had been mark- timing to go back to school.

I have so many other cases I wanted to address, but for the sake of time, let me tackle the elephant in the room: the issue of Universal Health Care. I have been a strong proponent of registration under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and the Social Health Authority (SHA). In my constituency, everywhere I go, I sing the gospel. There have been many good cases, and I applaud that. Hon. (Dr) Nyikal is here, and we must address universal healthcare, critical illness and the relationship between the Social Health Authority (SHA) and private hospitals.

Currently, I have a case of a 19-year-old boy from my constituency admitted at Scion Hospital, Imara Daima, Nairobi. Two weeks ago, the bill was Ksh450,000. SHA paid Ksh56,000; the family has raised Ksh170,000, and he still needs approximately Ksh200,000. The patient is detained. He was hit while crossing the road during his side hustle. There has been no attempt to solve the problem. I implore you, Hon. Temporary Speaker and the Budget and Appropriations Committee, to create a social intervention system for such cases. We have nowhere to get the Ksh200,000. The longer he stays in the hospital, the bigger the problem becomes. I have a similar case of a patient detained in a private hospital in Eldoret who was not registered with SHA. That is the danger we have. We must invest in member registration.

On money allocated to county governments, it is widely agreed that there is no value for the funds. Most of the money is lost in recurrent expenditure because county governments have become de facto employment bureaus. They employ everybody, including people who go to work and those without job descriptions, on their payrolls.

The Office of the Auditor-General requested more money, and I am pleased that the Committee increased its allocation. We can save more money if they net the thieves in the county governments. It would be a travesty of justice to give them more money in the next financial year if they do not bring the thieves in the county assemblies to book.

I also heard Hon. Atandi indicate that they have reduced the fiscal deficit. I am surprised by that because we have not yet passed the Finance Bill. Therefore, we do not know how much revenue we will generate. We should explain this process to Kenyans.

Give Hon. Oundo two minutes.

I will not take two minutes. We need a logical flow to define the expenditure and then give the revenue-raising measures. Only then can we know the fiscal deficit. If the Finance Bill fails, will we need another Supplementary as we did last year? Prudent management requires that you foresee and plan adequately. Let me conclude so that Hon. KJ can speak; he was after me.

We must monitor budget performance. While we appropriate funds, the National Treasury often fails to disburse them. At the end of the year, what should have been done remains undone. Therefore, the Budget becomes a consumption budget and not a productive one. This is the reason our economy is not expanding.

Hon. Members are advised to read the Committee Report and the Budget Estimates under the Schedule, the voluminous one. Many Members often focus on the summarised Report, but the Schedule is a bit more specific.

Hon. Kiarie John.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also thank Hon. Samuel Atandi and congratulate him for preparing his maiden Budget Estimates Report. In the same breadth, I congratulate the Committee that he Chairs, which has judiciously combed through the Budget Estimates.

The Committee had time to listen to the sector proposals. I must say that this year, things have been a bit different. The Report that he has presented to this House is true to the submissions made by the different departmental committees before the Budget and

Appropriations Committee. Allow me also to appreciate the tireless work that was done by the Chair emeritus, Hon. Ndindi Nyoro, who is also a Member of this Committee. I want to believe that he was part of the team that burned the midnight oil to ensure that this Report gets to us in time.

Based on the work that has been done, it is clear that the Committee was very keen to move in the direction of austerity. The Committee did so while balancing numerous competing interests. What it has done for the Financial Year 2025/2026 will start us off on a good trajectory towards where we want Kenya to go, especially by being true to the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

I want to say this from the bottom of my heart. One day, when the generation of Members of Parliament in the 13th Parliament will look back, they will be extremely proud of being part of the team that made difficult decisions. This is especially true at a time when Kenya could no longer continue kicking the can down the road. Some of the things that Hon. Atandi and his Committee are funding in this Report are things that Kenya has always desired.

No single Presidential candidate has ever vied in this country without mentioning the issue of housing. They put that in their manifestos every time. However, when they try to implement it once in office, they shy off because of populist politics. This time around, we have a generation of leaders who have decided to take the bull by the horns, and we can see the results. In just one year of funding the affordable housing programme, we in Nairobi are seeing its benefits. Words cannot express what we saw in Mukuru when individuals who would never have dreamed of being in a stone-walled house with basic amenities, such as sinks with running water and toilets inside, received their house keys. Thanks to the decisions made by the generation of leaders this time.

In Dagoretti South Constituency, we are awaiting the Budget Estimates, as presented by Hon. Sam Atandi. We expect to see the largest infrastructural drive in the history of our constituency following the emergence of affordable housing projects in Gachui and Riruta and the groundbreaking for markets in Riruta Waithaka and Gachui. These decisions must be made by people who understand that you do not need to be popular all the time.

In leadership, sometimes you have to make very tough decisions, and history will vindicate you. We saw it with former President Mwai Kibaki when he made tough decisions, especially during the grand coalition with Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Raila Odinga. If we may remember, Kenyans were shouting down President Kibaki and Rt. Hon. Raila when they were doing infrastructural development. They said that they did not like the Kikuyus because they were demolishing their houses. However, the moment Thika Road and the bypasses came into operation, everybody started saying that Kibaki was the best President that Kenya had ever had. Building is painful, but the benefits that accrue out of it once a project is complete are for posterity.

Hon. Sam Atandi is helping us to fund the University Funding Model. When the late Hon. Mwai Kibaki attempted to introduce free primary education, some people shouted him down, saying that he is not giving us masomo ya bure but masomo bure. People said it was not possible to admit all those children into primary schools and give them quality education. We are seeing the results today. I see the work that the Budget and Appropriations Committee has done in moving us towards the realisation of dreams that Kenya has had as aspirations since the inception of our country.

I noted the Committee's observation regarding revenue mobilisation. It cannot be taken lightly when the Committee recommends that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) needs to improve its methods of mobilising revenue. In this technological age, KRA can be more innovative and creative. I have seen what is happening in Malawi, where their revenue authority invites people to enter a lottery with their Electronic Tax Register (ETR) receipts, thus promoting taxpayer compliance and improving revenue collection. KRA attempted the

same, but it went the wrong way. This is because when it comes to some of these things, you must depend on experts to get it right.

The Committee made observations on the management, mobilisation and utilisation of A-in-A within Government institutions. The Committee's observation must be followed by a recommendation because if A-in-A is streamlined within Government agencies, the Government would comfortably raise in excess of half a trillion shillings.

The Budget Estimates that have been presented by the Committee also speak to issues in the sector that I superintend. I Chair the Departmental Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation. The Budget Policy Statement (BPS) noted and identified that creative and digital economies offer great opportunities for work engagement and raising money for the youth in this country. That is why we have allocated in excess of Ksh16 billion to the State Department for ICT and Digital Economy in the Budget. We have also allocated in excess of Ksh6 billion to the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications.

We aim to use those funds to develop ICT infrastructure by rolling out over 35,000 kilometres of fibre, providing internet connectivity to more than 43,000 institutions, schools, hospitals, and Government offices. I say this at a time when it must be noted that connectivity is not just a mere utility. Connectivity today is a matter of life and death. Some systems in the civic, security and military sectors depend on connectivity for operations to take place. That connectivity speaks to the development of our country and our ability to raise revenue. We were able to raise a significant amount during the budget-making process.

Give one minute to Hon. KJ.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the final point I would like to mention is that we have noted persistent budget cuts and inadequate allocations, which have led to delays in major capital projects.

I pray that the Committee led by Hon. Samuel Atandi, a financial mind of great repute, is going to be vigilant to the extent that this Budget shall be implemented as passed by this House. So, that we do not run into the situation where, after we pass such a good Budget, we end up with exchequer problems. Even worse, wecome back to the House with a supplementary budget that negates very important things passed in the main Budget.

I have much to say about our sector. However, with those few points, allow me to support this Report on the Consideration of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Financial Year 2025/2026. I commend the new Chairman and his Committee for a job well done.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Martin Owino, Member for Ndhiwa, will now be heard.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to fully support the Budget Estimates for the year 2025/2026. I congratulate the Chairman for work well done. Reducing the fiscal deficit by 0.7 is not an easy task. I want to ask them to put their foot on the gas pedal because this is the right trajectory.

I want to pick a few items here because the majority of items have been spoken about. I do not want to repeat. The sugar sector has received Ksh2 billion. Since I come from a sugar- growing area, this is a good thing. I just ask that it be oversighted well as the leases go on. Most of this should pay the existing debts. The lessors should not take over these factories with people's debt and fail to pay. I appeal to the farmers who are boycotting to take sugarcane, because they want their pay to note that this has been factored in, so please cooperate.

The other issue is affordable housing. For us in rural settings, it is different from those in the town setting. The President has also envisioned food security. So, if a person has five children and they grow up, and he only has five acres of land, each takes one acre, and they are left with nowhere to farm. Affordable housing in rural settings will allow for more acres to be

allocated for food production, thereby achieving food security. I thank the President for that. If you fly over my area, you will see all sorts of houses spread all over. People have nowhere to farm. Having Ksh95 billion allocated, and I know Ndhiwa is included, is a great initiative. I thank the President for that.

Before I proceed, I would like to thank the President for visiting our Constituency. For the first time, we received a President with a development agenda. We have the Gor Mahia Ring road, which will connect all seven wards. This Budget is fair and equitable. That is why we are commending this Committee.

On the issue of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the President came and launched these in the rural setting. Kudos to him because he follows the vision and makes sure things are done. Skilled training is the way to go for our children. This Committee put Ksh43.2 billion so that these kids can be skilled and even self-employ themselves. The issue of white-collar jobs is gone. The Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee is telling me it is about time, but I am passionate about TVETs.

Dr Nyikal talked about the Primary Healthcare Fund and SHA. I want to speak to the public who are watching. Do not be fooled that SHA does not work. Those who spread that rumour have registered. If we pump this money into primary healthcare facilities, it will increase the availability of medicine, diagnostic equipment, and personnel. This will arrest disease progression due to poor management. Isolated cases, like the ones the Hon. Oundo mentioned, can be handled differently. The general picture is that SHA works, and we have testimonies from many people whose hospital bills have been cleared.

On education, my constituency still has a teacher-to-student ratio of 1:80. Affirmative action should be implemented in areas with huge teacher to student ratio gaps. I thank the Committee for allocating Ksh5 billion to the blue economy. Our people depend on the lake. It has been underutilised for a long time. I hope this will help in improving the livelihoods of our people. In Ndhiwa, power connection is under 6 per cent. In other areas, it is 95-100 per cent. So, out of the Ksh63.4 billion, the ministry should use affirmative action.

Lastly, the Budget cannot be beneficial to the public if the exchequer release is as low as 60-65 per cent. We appeal to the National Treasury to do better. We can allocate all this money, but if you only release a bit of it and we are implementing a programme-based itemised budget, we will not realise our goals.

On the issue of the Equalisation Fund, I do not know who oversees its use. We appropriate funds, but we do not see what it does. That should be looked into. Overall, this is a good budget. I thank Hon. Atandi and his team. Let us oversee its implementation. If we do not, there will be no good implementation. It will be like a whitewash.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I yield and support the Budget.

Hon. Members, you are notified that this Motion has three allotted days. We are on the second allotted day following the pronouncement I made about one and a half hours ago. Do not worry about replying. Being a Motion allotted three days, the mover cannot reply today. The earliest the mover will reply is on the third day, which, in all likelihood, without extending the time, will be tomorrow.

Next to be heard is Hon. Japheth Nyakundi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity to add my voice to the Budget for the 2025/2026 Financial Year. First of all, I thank the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, Hon. Samuel Equity Atandi. I call him ‘equity’ because of the good job he has done of ensuring that every part of this country gets an equal share of the Budget.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, this is a Budget of Ksh4.23 trillion. My attention has been drawn to the Ksh4.5 billion allocated to the education sector for the recruitment of intern

teachers. I am cognisant of the fact that this is the first time this country will employ over 6,000 teachers to bridge the gap between the teacher and student ratio.

The same is true in the security sector, where Ksh2 billion has been allocated to recruit young men and women to join the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). For the last three years, we have not recruited any young people into the police force. This time around, money has been allocated in the Budget for the recruitment of about 10,000 of them. This clearly shows that the administration under President William Ruto is ready and willing to ensure that young people are given job opportunities, allowing them to serve their country and earn a living.

The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a thorn in the flesh. The young men and women in the health sector operate under some weird circumstances. They strike each and every day. They demonstrate outside Parliament. I am a happy man today. As a Member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, I assure them that we have allocated Ksh6 billion to facilitate their employment on a permanent and pensionable basis. So that they can earn a good salary and contribute to this country. I appreciate the good job that the Committee has done under the Ajira Digital Programme. Money has been allocated to employ 1,000 youths on a permanent and pensionable basis. Thus, this Budget considers the young people of this country. It will move this country forward.

Another issue that brings me joy is the fertiliser subsidy. For the last two years, we have seen a lot of changes in agriculture since the subsidy on production was introduced. Currently, coffee prices have gone up from Ksh50 to Ksh150. We used to import a lot of sugar from other countries, but we have not imported even a tonne of sugar since last year. As the years go by, I assure our neighbours that they will be buying sugar from Kenya, which is a good thing. Therefore, this is a Budget with equity that will move this country forward. It will bring a lot of changes in this country.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute. I support the Motion.

Hon. Naomi Waqo. In the meantime, the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, approach Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to this important Motion on Consideration of the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2025/2026. Much has been said by Members. Before I proceed, I take this opportunity to congratulate the Chairman and Members of the Committee for their commitment and for coming up with such a good progressive Budget that gives Kenyans a lot of hope. I do not want to forget the past years that Hon. Ndindi Nyoro led this Committee, and the great work he did while serving as Chairman.

I will move very quickly because of time. I want to highlight different areas that this Budget has given attention to. Education has been given Ksh700 billion, and parents are assured that the examination fees have been catered for. This has given hope to our education system. It clearly shows that this Government cares about the future of this country and our young people.

Another critical area is the matter of identification cards and their distribution. For many years, most of us, especially those from Northern Kenya, have been marginalised due to vetting. We have some elderly people who are 80 years old and whose children have been educated. Their sons and daughters are working in Government offices, yet they have all been

denied identity cards. I appreciate the effort of our President, who has given this a lot of attention. For sure, we are happy because he has said that we should do away with the vetting.

As a result, many people are now registering for their identity cards. It is my prayer that this process will proceed smoothly due to the budget allocation of Ksh 1.4 billion. It may not be enough due to high demand, but it will help. As we do this, I pray that the issue of mobility and sufficient personnel will be considered. So that they can run this process smoothly and effectively. Right now, they do not have enough personnel.

The issue of operationalising administrative units has been allocated Ksh600 million. This is good but not enough. I pray that more administrative units will be created in areas that have been neglected in the past so that services can be brought closer to the people. Another critical area that has been considered is agriculture and health. We know that many people have suffered in the past because of health issues. With the Budget allocated, I am sure we will take care of our people.

Ksh4.5 billion allocation to the county government is a good thing, and we are progressing. Additionally, there is the equitable share from the nationally raised revenue of Ksh 405 billion. This amount excludes additional allocations, both conditional and unconditional, which amount to Ksh 69.8 billion. Yes, devolution has done a lot of good. Many people have been employed, and numerous families have been sustained. There are great opportunities, and people are securing contracts, but we face challenges due to the pending bills.

We must urge our counties to pay the pending bills and salaries on time and also ensure that they are good stewards of their resources. Many people speak of ghost workers in counties and even at the national level. We should eliminate ghost workers so that we can be accountable and make effective use of the resources God has entrusted to us.

As we talk of the contracts at the county level, we must put a lot of attention on the special groups. This is because, most of the time, they are denied the opportunity. They register, but cartels do the businesses on their behalf. If we can push the county governments to give attention to special groups, people living with disability (PWDs), youth and women, then for sure this country will progress. This Budget gives Kenyans a lot of hope. The Government has allocated Ksh8 billion for the continuation of the fertiliser program, which has enabled us to produce good maise and other crops.

Again, Ksh2 billion has been allocated to the Coffee Cherry Fund in support of coffee farmers. An additional Ksh5 billion has been allocated to support the dairy and livestock sector. I urge our Government that Ksh5 billion may not be enough. This is because we have a large number of pastoralists, and most of the time, we lose our animals during droughts. We need insurance for our animals and to develop effective ways to care for livestock and dairy products.

This is a forward-looking budget that gives a lot of hope because of the money they have placed in Primary Health Care (PHC), about Ksh10 billion, where Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) positive and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients, Tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and other sicknesses are well catered for. Ksh16.6 billion has been allocated to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) coordination, and Ksh10 billion has been set aside for support to the national immunisation effort.

A few weeks ago, as women leaders, we met and were presented with the challenge of immunisation that our babies are facing as a result of the funding that was stopped. However, this has now been catered for. We are sure that this process will continue and we will have a healthy society. My only request is that we pay attention to the people who live in the rural areas so that they also benefit as those living in urban areas and cities.

With those few remarks, I support and pray that Kenyans will grow through this.

Hon. (Dr) Naomi Wako, just before you conclude, there is the famous road His Excellency the President has been proposing for the

north. The one going through... Tell us something about it. Do not worry about time, as the Leader of the House. This is because you have been sitting for a very long time. I will allow you time to tell us how developments in your region have been catered for.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. As I said earlier, we have been marginalised and neglected for many years. We do not have enough roads, and the healthcare and education sectors have suffered because we do not have good infrastructure. As people of Northern Kenya, we are grateful to our President for considering the Isiolo-Mandera-Wajir road. Nobody cared about us before that. It is my prayer that he will consider more roads.

In fact, I want our President to continue with the same spirit. Let the naysayers continue saying what they want, but this country is progressing. The Social Health Authority (SHA) is already working, and our people are going to hospitals and giving testimonies. Some months ago, many people were condemning our Government and the President.

Many houses have been built under the affordable housing program, and people have already benefited from it. We must give a lot of attention to the slums in this country and ensure we do away with them. As we build roads, we are taking development to all areas. We are also encouraging people to invest and grow their counties. We will be criticised, but this Government is focused enough, and our President is forward-looking. By the time we finish 10 years, I am sure Kenyans will appreciate that they had a responsible Government in place.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Thank you, Hon. Members. For the Members who have stayed up to this time, please accept my appreciation. Budgeting is possibly one of the most serious roles of the National Assembly. It is very good to sit up to this late to confirm that the Budget Estimates accord with the development focus of the Broad-Based Government Administration currently in place.

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