Dr. Oburu Odinga

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 1411 to 1420 of 1641.

• 29 Jul 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, an hon. Member had asked a Question about the Mau Forest Complex and I decided that I use the time today to brief hon. Members about this particular subject because it is a matter of national importance. view
• 29 Jul 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I stand here to declare that the restoration and conservation of our forests in general and Mau Forest Complex, in particular, is the most critical challenge that confronts the nation today. We must and can address this challenge urgently and decisively. I appeal to each and every hon. Members of this august House to rise to this challenge and, together, find a lasting solution. view
• 29 Jul 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Mau catastrophe is a national issue that, long after we have gone, will continue to affect all Kenyans, if not addressed now. All of us, citizens of the nation, wish to bequeath to our children and grandchildren a Kenya that is at peace with nature. President Kibaki and I have pledged that the Government will implement required remedies within the spirit of nationalism, patriotism and love for our country. view
• 29 Jul 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, Kenya has five water towers; namely, Mt. Kenya, Aberdares, Cherangany Hills, Mt. Elgon and the Mau Forest Complex. I stated recently that much of the country has no water, no food and limited power. Nearly two-thirds of our population live in absolute poverty and about one-quarter face hunger and even starvation. I state view
• 23 Jun 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) There is no requirement for retirement benefits schemes to report to the Government on members who have deferred their benefits after leaving service prior to retirement age. There is, therefore, no comprehensive data on the number of workers with deferred benefits. (b) Deferred retirement benefits are invested together with other assets of retirement benefit schemes. Those assets are invested by registered fund managers in different asset classes in accordance with the investment guidelines and other provisions of the Retirement Benefits Act. The diversified investment portfolio results in different interest rates being earned ... view
• 23 Jun 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is a survey that was done by the Government on 472 schemes involving about 25,680 Kenyans. That survey has given us some indications as to how much money is in the investment schemes and where it has been invested. But the exact number of Kenyans is not available. There is no requirement for those schemes to report to the Government on those who have deferred their retirement benefits. view
• 23 Jun 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, the delay in processing pension benefits is as a result of several reasons. It does not necessarily depend on the Director of Pensions himself. There could be delays in parent Ministries and organizations in forwarding the required documents to the Director of Pensions. There could be many other reasons why there are delays. However, the Director of Pensions is bound by the law to process the retirement benefits promptly and there is no need to issue any further instructions. Instructions have also been given to him to allow retirees to access their retained pensions to acquire mortgages ... view
• 23 Jun 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is no requirement for all the benefit schemes to invest in Government long-term bonds. That is only with regard to statutory retirement benefits schemes. The Government bonds are very competitive because, apart from the interest rates, investors look at security. The Government bonds are more secure than investments made in the private market. There is no risk and, therefore, the schemes are very competitive. view
• 23 Jun 2009 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, the amendments are going to be done immediately. They will be brought before this House for consideration. I hope the House is going to make it possible for those who retire before their retirement age to access their benefits before they reach their retirement age. view
• 3 Jun 2009 in National Assembly: Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. On 5th--- view