{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=148374","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=148372","results":[{"id":1501922,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501922/?format=json","text_counter":124,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Oketch Gicheru","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"the Government of the day continues to lose from the people should corrected for once and for all? The same applies to the issue of femicide. These are largely the issues of human rights violations that we have seen in the country. We were talking with the Senate Majority Leader today. One of the issues that bothered our heads was that of the opposition leader of Uganda Dr. Besigye who was arrested within our borders and driven by road to Malaba Border. We asked ourselves in which country we are, where somebody such as Dr. Besigye can be arrested that way. These are continued incidences of violation of human rights. If they will not be responded to with the magnitude that is needed from the Government, then there is erosion of requirements of Article 73 of the Constitution, that public trust is given to the President as well as to us the elected leaders. Our responsibility that needs to be done according to public trust gets eroded. This is the biggest problem that this administration must deal with. I am trying to rush because I only have about four or five minutes. I think I was impressed by the idea that the President talked about the impact on the cost of farming because of the subsidies that were put in place. However, I have a problem because we do not see the corresponding change in prices that can help farmers. For instance, if you go to Eldoret and the larger Uasin Gishu today, farmers have a bumper harvest of maize, but the prices for those commodities are not commensurate with what they want to see from their farm inputs. While I agree that there has been a bumper harvest in several places, there is still no proper correspondence of that bumper harvest with regards to price stabilities on both imported and exported goods in the economy. We also see it reflecting on what I would call the Central Bank rate that was reviewed to 12 per cent in October. However, banks’ lending does not correspond to this. Therefore it shows that the monetary policy of this country has not responded to what the President is talking about on the stability of our finances and prices in the country. So there is a lot to be desired from that. Lastly, I want to talk very strongly about other forms of farming that I do not think the President, in his Address indicated what will be the proper response in terms of policy going forward. The President talked about the impact we have had in the sugarcane, maize and rice industries. However, what happens to somebody such as Sen. Seki who comes from a pastoralist community where the livestock is not subsidized? There is no proper investment in subsidies on livestock in Narok, Kajiado, and other pastoralist communities that are also part of production units in the economy. What happens to somebody such as Sen. M. Kajwang’? I saw him here. I think maybe he is in the Senator’s Lounge. He comes from a place where people are rearing fish in cages, in ponds, and they also have to go and fish deep in the lake. What happens to those production units that are not necessarily the tillage of land? I think that there needs to be an investment of subsidies that goes to those different modes of production as well, to supplement and as well as complement the bumper harvest that we are seeing. You cannot empower one area and leave other areas of production. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on average, it was a good Address, but there are still gaps that leave a lot to be desired in the area of transparency between the Government The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1501923,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501923/?format=json","text_counter":125,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Oketch Gicheru","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"and the people. Most importantly, the Government of the day must work hard to communicate to the people through the Ministerial Departments and Agencies to restore public confidence, trust, and faith in the institutions of governance."},{"id":1501924,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501924/?format=json","text_counter":126,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Abdul Haji","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Senator. Sen. Karen Nyamu, you have the Floor."},{"id":1501925,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501925/?format=json","text_counter":127,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Nyamu","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to discuss or give pointers on the President’s Address that he delivered during the Joint Sitting. The President noted that the Government has learnt through the hard way to listen to its citizens on issues they raise from time to time. He also acknowledged the mistake that we made. For example, when we attempted to pass the Finance Bill, 2024, we did not carry the whole country with us. We did not take time to communicate and let them know gainful steps that we were going to achieve through that Bill. That was the mood of his Address. He wanted the whole country to know the steps that we are taking. The steps that we are making in the health sector are revolutionary. For the first time, I heard the President refer to it as Taifa Care. I was seated next to the Senator for Nakuru, Sen. Tabitha Keroche. I told her that if it were a selfish leader, they would have called it Ruto Care. The changes that are going to be effected by laws that we passed in this House are revolutionary. They will be a game changer when finally implemented. We, politicians, are called upon from time to time to help our people whenever they have family members going through health issues. It has been very expensive to treat our people in the past. I remember when we were campaigning and going to the people to give them promises of what we were going to do, the President, time and again, referred to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and how it was going to work. He said that it would be pegged on what one is earning. Today, we are charged 2.75 per cent of gross income. In October, I was deducted Kshs32,000 up from the Kshs1,700 that I used to pay before. We have those who earn less. The least contribution is Kshs300 down from Kshs500. That means that when all Kenyans are covered comprehensively, we will have fewer harambees to attend to. We should not complain about Kshs32,000 that we are being deducted because that is just a drop in the ocean compared to what we give every day through M-Pesa, harambees, or assisting other people to sort their health issues. I do not know if Kenyans know that previously if you found somebody stabbed by the roadside, you could not dare take that person to hospital because you would have to cover their costs. Under the SHIF, you can freely take such a person to hospital for emergency care because they are covered. Chronic illnesses are also covered. We are going to improve our facilities, so that we do not have to travel out of the country to get vital treatment after conducting harambees. For me, if this Government does not do anything else, if we fully implement the SHIF, we will have done enough for our people. We will have done God’s work. As leaders, that is what we are called to do. The President also took time to reassure Kenyans that the housing programme, apart from employing many youth, is going to ensure houses are available for each citizen equitably and that there will be no favouritism. He encouraged as many Kenyans The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1501926,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501926/?format=json","text_counter":128,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Nyamu","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"as possible to apply for these houses in an open platform. It is not a physical kind of application and therefore there is no favouritism. Therefore, it is a fair platform. The President also noted the steps we have made by having young Kenyans get gainful and meaningful employment abroad. Previously, we used to export a lot of unskilled labour mainly to Arabian countries. However, due to the involvement of the Government, we are having bilateral negotiations and we have now brought on board new countries that we have never had relations with before like Jordan and others. Kenyans should take advantage of this to export skilled labour out of the country. I am glad that the President talked about the issue of abductions. It has been a cry in the country. He clarified that what is being referred to as abductions are normal arrests. He was very clear that he was not making excuses for illegal arrests. The President also talked about femicide. It has been an issue in this country. At the same time, as a society, we have to be very careful so that the fight against femicide does not turn out to be lynching of the boy child. We have to look at it wholesomely. We have to protect our boy child because I do not think we are raising murderers. It is a complex issue that needs to be looked at wholesomely. I also noted that most Government services have been digitised. A total of 20,800 Government services have been digitised and can be accessed on the e-Citizen platform. That is up from 300 services in 2022. This has raised revenue significantly, from the year ended June, 2023, where we raised Kshs5.3 billion to the year ended June 2024, where we raised Kshs7.6 billion, marking a 43 per cent increment. On corruption, the President had a lot to say. What I remember is that he threw the ball to both Houses. Particularly, he told us to hasten the passing of the Conflict of Interest Bill, which is squarely in our hands. I hope we will heed that call by dealing with the contentious clauses before passing that Bill, so that we serve Kenyans through that law."},{"id":1501927,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501927/?format=json","text_counter":129,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Abdul Haji","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Sen. Sifuna, you have the Floor."},{"id":1501928,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501928/?format=json","text_counter":130,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Sifuna","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13599,"legal_name":"Sifuna Edwin Watenya","slug":"sifuna-edwin-watenya"},"content":"Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you know my position on the State of the Nation Address. I have always held the position that the State of the Nation Address is the state of the people and that I do not trust the current President to paint the true picture of the state of the people. Again, this year, because of that doubt in my mind, I chose to not attend the State of the Nation Address. There is usually a disconnect when you listen to the President; that is between his words and actions of his Government. Some of us have come to doubt whether he believes in the things that he says. Let me start by something that would sound like sweet music to the ears of somebody like me who believes in democracy. At Paragraph 53 of the President’s Address, he said, and I want to read this verbatim- “We are a democracy, and a democracy is a hard-won, non-negotiable right and guarantees freedom that we are proud of and must always defend. That our national democratic culture expresses itself energetically through robust discourse, boldly speaking truth to power and holding leadership to account. It is a tradition of fearless expression and vigorous public participation. This is who we are and there is nothing anyone can do about it.” The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1501929,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501929/?format=json","text_counter":131,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Sifuna","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13599,"legal_name":"Sifuna Edwin Watenya","slug":"sifuna-edwin-watenya"},"content":"That is where I want to begin. The President could as well have been describing me. We are who we are. We believe in this democracy, we will fight for it and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The question in my mind is whether the President believes in the words that he spoke. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, another thing that he said that sounded like music to ears of the people who believe in democracy and participation of the people is that he had learned through the hard as well as customary ways that listening is a full-time occupation of leadership, and that all questions asked by the people must be answered thoroughly and in full. The question we ask ourselves is whether he actually believes the words that came out of his mouth; that he is a listening President and that all questions asked by the people have been answered by his administration thoroughly and in full. I want to make the quickest example here. Over the past year, following the protests that we have seen in this country, there are families still asking questions of this Government. They are asking questions about what happened to their loved ones and people who have been missing for a long time, and even in this Address, the President never provided any answers. Hon. Speaker, on paragraph six, he says he desired to respond to the most pressing concerns that have been raised by Kenyans of all walks of life. He went ahead and framed what in his opinion, were the most pressing concerns that have been raised by Kenyans. Again, the question becomes, after framing those things and elaborating them very clearly, did he even, in his own Address, respond to the things that he had said were the most pressing concerns of Kenyans from all walks of life? In paragraph seven of his Address, His Excellency the President asked whether leaders understand the pain and struggles of the people. I do not know whether he answered that question. However, the feedback I received from the people of Nairobi that I represent is that we, as a political leadership, do not understand what Kenyans are going through. It shows in the sort of proposals that we put forward in order to solve some of the issues that have been raised by the people. The second question he framed was whether policies in the education sector are working. I also do not know whether he answered it. However, from the feedback of the people that I represent is that education is in a crisis and that no plausible solutions are being proffered by his Government. At paragraph eight, he asked whether developments in relation to democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms, rule of law, transparency and accountability is positive or negative. Again, I do not know whether he answered it because in the Address, I did not find an answer that is a true reflection of the situation on the ground. Some of the issues that Sen. Eddy has spoken to point to a direction direct opposite from the direction we should be going when it comes to issues of democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, transparency and accountability. He also asked the question whether policy and his administration is in furtherance of service delivery or just in aid of political strategy. Many people that I speak to believe that everything this administration does has nothing to do with the lives of Kenyans. They are only looking for the political outcomes, especially putting the President in a position that he can vie for re-election in 2027. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1501930,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501930/?format=json","text_counter":132,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Sifuna","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13599,"legal_name":"Sifuna Edwin Watenya","slug":"sifuna-edwin-watenya"},"content":"Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, of course, as I expected, he spent a considerable amount of time looking back to the situation that he inherited when he came into power. In my previous debate on his Address last year, we said we want to encourage this administration to be forward looking. Yes, we understand the situation that was obtaining in September, 2022. However, you are halfway through your presidency, Mr. President. You cannot still be talking about the war in Ukraine and the strictures of supply chain out of the war. We want you to move forward. At this point in time, you cannot still be talking about 2022 and telling us that you have laid firm foundations that maybe many of us do not see. There were issues with some of the figures that were being thrown around in his statement. For instance, he claimed that inflation at the point he took over in September, 2022 was at 9.6 percent. Massaging of those numbers, whether by a small margin or not, is aimed to achieve a certain end, that the perspective to be painted is that he inherited things that were so bad, but he has brought them back to life. In fact, statistics from the Kenyan National Bureau of Standards (KNBS) show that inflation was at 9.1 percent. A difference of 0.5 is not a small difference. He also made a very bold claim that the foreign exchange reserves have risen to the highest in the last 10 years. That is not true. If you look at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) report, the highest we have had in terms of foreign reserves was Kshs10.01 billion as at 30th May, 2019, which was less than five years ago. It simply is not true that the reserves are at the highest in the last 10 years. There is also a claim that the Senate Majority Leader has tried to repeat here. He made a very clear pronouncement that the Social Health Authority (SHA) will pay all October claims. In fact, he said they will be paid during this week. I heard the Senate Majority Leader saying he saw a list somewhere indicating that hospitals have been paid. I can confirm here that that money has not been paid as we talk today. There was also the issue that Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale alluded to of a standing ovation. I was embarrassed for all my colleagues who were present in the House that day. I believe that you are not supposed to expect praise for doing the right thing. This is something that Kenyans have raised objections over for the past few months. I thank my colleagues in this House, especially Sen. Onyonka, who has stayed on business on this question of the Public Private Partnership (PPPs) involving Adani. They say that where there is smoke, there is fire. There were always signs, which were all brought to the attention of the public and to the attention of the administration. There was a point at which Adani's accounts in Switzerland were frozen and we brought it up in the Standing Committee on Roads and Transportation and Housing when we were discussing the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) deal. However, nobody listened to us. As late as hours before the President's Address, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum was appearing before the Committee on Energy of this House insisted, even in light of the new information, that he had gotten of the indictment in the USA of the Adani directors, that the thing would still go on. If there is something that we have learned about the Adani debacle is that if we stick to the principles in Article 10 of the Constitution, we will never get it wrong. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."},{"id":1501931,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1501931/?format=json","text_counter":133,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Sifuna","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13599,"legal_name":"Sifuna Edwin Watenya","slug":"sifuna-edwin-watenya"},"content":"Some people have challenged those of us who were making noise about this process because they have not understood the noise we were making. We were saying that the Constitution requires that even when there are options in terms of procurement, whatever procurement method you decide to use, there has to be transparency. Those out there asking us what is the option to Adani, the Constitution already provides an option. The option after kicking out Adani is very simple. It is called transparency. I have also raised concerns about the way this Government communicates. If, for instance, you wanted to make it clear that it is a Government policy that going forward large infrastructure projects are going to be undertaken through PPPs, why not make it public, so that you can receive as many interests as possible and disclose when you receive these interests? Finally, because I can see the light is on here, the President concluded by saying that the state of the nation is resilient. I looked up synonyms for the word resilient. It means the ability to endure suffering without breaking or incurring permanent damage. So, he knows the truth that he has stretched Kenyans to the end, but we will not break because we are like the proverbial donkeys---"}]}