Caroli Omondi

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, I have the pleasure to second. Thank you very much. (Question proposed) (Question put and agreed to) (The Bill was accordingly read 29th July 2025 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATES 16 Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM)A certified version of this Reporta Third...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I thank you for that information, Hon. Sabina Chege. That would be the right 23rd July 2025 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATES 38 Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM)approach, but it would not be right to make it mandatory....

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to contribute to this Motion. I am not fully in support of it. I have carefully looked at it and picked three issues that require debate. One concern is that public healthcare services lack sufficient...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Yes, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, I am Member for Suba South.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Constitution clearly recognises that we have ethnic groups or nationalities in this country. We may argue about who they are or what their names are, but that recognition exists. We all understand what ethnic grouping is, whether we use local...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of information, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) I have read more than 46, but this is an official Government document. So, the Hon. Chairman is quite right to group the ethnicities as either Kalenjin or Luhya without going into the sub-ethnicities.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) They can be described in one nomenclature. Even the Somalis are broken down into different ethnicities.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you very much, Hon. Gideon Mulyungi. It is true that we worked very well. It is also true that I am his lawyer and he also consults me on other matters as well. I want to inform the Hon. Chairman that last week,...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Where else will you find them?

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of information, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) The Constitution does not list them. The only agency that has done a census that speaks to them is the KNBS. There is no other document.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, could the expert in the House quickly get us the KNBS census reports of 2009 and 2019 so that we see what ethnic groups are captured. This is because we know for sure that Kalenjin, as a group, did not exist...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I just want to raise a few issues on the accuracy of some of the statements in this Report. I also invite the Committee to inform the House as to why they cannot report on additional matters...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) There is no definition of what qualifies for political party funding in the PPA. We are for the first time introducing an amendment that describes political party funding. It captures the exclusions of what cannot be funded and will apply to both independents and...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Having two dominant political parties, as we are now experiencing in Europe and our Continent, is a problem. It is a problem because it leaves no alternatives. It allows fascists and far-right parties to thrive. That is what is happening in the UK and...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Exactly. Everybody who runs in an election incurs expenses. The Political Parties Fund is for the articulation of your ideas at an election.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) So, you are saying Article 4…

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) We should also remove the barriers that have been established by dominant political parties for the establishment of new political parties that will compete with them and in particular, the requirement that a new political party must be present in 24 counties. This is...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. My friend, Hon. Toroitich, and I have really waited for this opportunity to get to this Order. This is another Bill from the Senate. I rise to express my reservations about certain provisions on it, and also acknowledge the...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) It will be paid to the individual to cover their political affairs.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) I am sure there could be more, because the last time I checked, there was a political party called Make Politicians History Political Party.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Looking at that criteria, it is not the party that was on the ballot; it is the individual. I gave an example of Hon. Toroitich, who is in this Parliament.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, in Australia, a Commonwealth Country, both political parties and independent candidates are funded by the State. 11th June 2025 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATES 86

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Correct. There are three criteria: The number of votes a party gets is factored in the funding. The number of seats a party gets is factored into the 15 per cent allocation. Special Interests Groups such as women, persons with disabilities (PWD) or youths...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) The Reform UK.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) I just wanted to use it as an example.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) There is a lot. Let me explain.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) You are spot on. There is mischief in our Political Parties Act (PPA) . The description of political party funding is not there while it is there in Australia. We have already captured that in the proposed amendments. We are describing political party funding...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Four?

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) 91.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) No, there is no difference. That is the first explanation I gave because individuals go to the ballot. So, those who choose to associate with parties donate their votes to their party. The votes of elected Independent Members of Parliament should also count. That...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) It states that: “The Republic of Kenya shall be a multi-party democratic state, founded on the national values and principles of governance referred to in Article 10.”

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) I am right on this one. I can read the law. Let us get the Political Parties Act and read the law. The law clearly states that 70 per cent of the Political Parties Fund will be distributed according to the number of votes...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) There is nothing superior about political parties compared to independent candidates.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) I did not bring my Constitution today.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) There are other small ones.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) I do not know the exact number, but there is a problem today...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) The association he is referring to has not been reduced to writing and recognized within the framework of the Political Parties Act by the Registrar of Political Parties. It is something that is only known to him. That is what I mean when I...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Yes, but those votes belong to individuals.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) The distinguished Member of Homa Bay Town is forgetting that they were holding rallies against me when I extended a hand of friendship to the President. They are doing the same thing a year later.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you. To summarise, I would urge Members that we objectively, look at this Bill. Creating a three-member commission to run the Political Parties Fund (PPF) is an overkill. Actually, this is presenting ourselves as a very special class of people in Kenya, that...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Okay. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. What I am trying to clarify is that multipartism does not only simply the number of parties. It is about the multiplicity of pathways to elective office. That is multipartism. It is not about how many parties exist....

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, I just want to support what Hon. Toroitich is saying. In the House of Commons or Parliament of Canada or Parliament of Australia, there is somewhere called Crossbench. Their sitting arrangement is 11th June 2025 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATES 82 Hon. Caroli...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Okay. 11th June 2025 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATES 73

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, I am not misinterpreting the law.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) The Speaker is omnipresent.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Political Parties Act states that 70 per cent of the Political Parties Fund should be distributed according to the number of votes that the candidates of a political party received in various electoral positions such as a Member of a...

The Social Democrats. Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Yes.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) There are two dominant ones, but that is the problem.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Policies. That is why he or she runs in an election and gets elected.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of information, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you. The interpretation of that particular clause, is what I have given: That there are two pathways to elective office in the Republic of Kenya. Multipartyism does not mean multiplicity of political parties, it means multiplicity of options to contest for elections and...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Is the Member in order to mislead the House that a person who runs as an independent candidate does not have an ideology, yet the Constitution contemplates even having a president elected in this country as an independent candidate, who will come with his...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Speaker, the distinguished gentleman from Homa Bay Town is forgetting…

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) That is the problem that we are having in the UK, the United States of America (USA) , and where a few dominant political parties exist. 11th June 2025 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATES 76

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Yes.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Exactly, so he should recognise that I opened the way for them. (Laughter)

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Only.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Chairman, my question was… The Temporary Chairman (Hon. David Ochieng’) : Hon. Wanyonyi, I thought… Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Last week… The Temporary Chairman (Hon. David Ochieng’) : A minute, Hon. Caroli. I thought you were answering the question by...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you very much, Hon. Chairlady. I am quite interested in being updated or apprised on whether we have made provision for issuance of ID cards to students while still in school free of charge in the ensuing Financial Year. I would like to...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Chairman, thank you very much. I just want to put it on record and, maybe, seek your guidance. The earlier estimates that were submitted to this House last week, under this particular Vote Item, under the Third Schedule… I cannot see the...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) I am not belabouring it. I just want to put it on record that there is no concomitant increment as of now. The Temporary Chairman (Hon. David Ochieng’) : He said that he wants to check that. Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Temporary Chairman, I note with very serious concern that there is a reduction in the Vote for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. From what was presented last week, there is a reduction, but it is being termed as an increment. It says:...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) I am not satisfied. It would have been better if the Chairperson told us how much provision they have made for the issuance of ID cards to students in school, and what the shortfall is so that we can prepare ourselves other than having...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba North, ODM) Hon. Temporary Chairman, you gave us time to consult with the Hon. Chairperson for the Departmental Committee on the Blue Economy and Irrigation, together with the Hon. Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee on the question I had asked about the reduction of...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Speaker, my question relates to the nucleus estate of Miwani Sugar, which has not been...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Okay. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I would like to joyride on Hon. K’Oyoo's question. pursuant to Articles 35 and 201 of the Constitution, Section 23 of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act and our Standing Orders, I ask the Chairman of the Departmental...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) Hon. Speaker, it is important that he confirms to the House that, being an elder of Njuri Ncheke, his apology is accepted everywhere and by all. Thank you.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) 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...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) 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...

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Caroli Omondi (Suba South, ODM) 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...