Order, hon. Members! Could those Members at the Bar, please, step in? Hon. Members, I have the following Communication to make. It is, once again, with profound grief and shock, that I learnt of the sudden and untimely death of hon. Charles Lilechi Lugano, Member of Parliament for Shinyalu Constituency, which occurred on Monday, 4th May, 2009, while undergoing treatment at the Nairobi Hospital. It is particularly saddening to note that hon. Lugano becomes the fifth Member of this House to pass on in such a short span of the Tenth Parliament.

Hon. Charles Lugano was born in 1953 in the then larger Kakamega District. He was elected to Parliament during the General Election of December, 2007, on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party ticket. During his short parliamentary career, he served in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Committee, of which he was an active and committed Member. Hon. Lugano will be remembered for his humility, dedication to service, not only to his constituents, but also to the country as a whole. Before being elected to Parliament, the late Member served as the General Manager of Turkana Fisheries Co-operative Society and as a Chief Accountant with the Kenya Red Cross Society before venturing into and curving a distinguished career in business. Many of us who interacted and worked with hon. Lugano will acknowledge that he was a humble, gentle and amiable personality and we will all miss him. On behalf of the House and, indeed, on my own behalf, I send out our heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives, friends, constituents and the people of Kenya during this difficult moment of loss and grieve. May the Almighty God grant solace and comfort to the bereaved family and give them strength to bear the great loss. May God place his soul in eternal peace. Amen. Hon. Members, in honour of our departed colleague, and in our established tradition, I will request that we all stand up and observe a minute of silence in his honour.

Order, hon. Members! We will begin with Question No.2 on the Order Paper. That is because on Question No.1, there are still consultations between the Questioner and the responding Ministry. So, we will start with Hon. Shakila Abdalla’s Question.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister for Labour the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Could he confirm that, following the designation of Lamu as the “6thWorld Heritage Site” in 2003 and the proposed development of Lamu Port, many indigenous people have lost their ancestral land to grabbers, settlement schemes and Marine Game Reserves? (b) What steps will the Government take to address the issue, which has rendered many into permanent squatters?

(Mr. Ojaamong

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Hon. Ngonzi Rai is on his way coming! He is stuck in the jam!

Order, hon. Members! Will the Front Bench, please, note that we have new Standing Orders and that, it is out of order to fail to answer a Question. To fail to answer a Question includes failure to do so timeously! The Front Bench, please, note! We will come back to the Question later. Mr. Mututho!

) to ask the Minister for Labour:- (a) Why did M/S Console Base (agents of Kenya Ports Authority) sack the only lady employee, Ms. Lucy Wambui Maguru from the motor vehicle section and paid her only Kshs15,000 in lieu of notice after working for two years with the firm? (b) Could he order her reinstatement or payment of her terminal dues?

Order, hon. Members! Now that we have had to bend backwards to wait for the Assistant Minister, maybe, we should grant the same indulgence to the Member. Mr. Lekuton!

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

Mr. Affey, please, let us transact business!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister for Livestock Development the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Why is livestock from northern Kenya not considered “disease free”? (b) Why does livestock quarantine line, which requires that livestock can only be sold for direct slaughter in the Nairobi market and not other markets, still exist in northern Kenya districts? (c) What concrete plans does the Government have to provide regular vaccinations against common livestock diseases in those districts? (d) When will the quarantine line be lifted to enable the people of northern Kenya sell their livestock in markets of their choice?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) First, I would like to clarify that the term “disease free” is in reference to a specified geographical area and time for a specified disease or diseases and not livestock

The concept of “disease free” refers to a situation where the veterinary authority demonstrates that a free status, as defined by World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) for a specified disease, has been achieved either in a country, a zone or a compartment. Provisional “disease free” status is awarded by the veterinary authority while the WOAH verifies that claim and confirms it by issuing a freedom certificate for

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank the Minister for his answer. For many years, the people of northern Kenya have been restricted to bringing their livestock to Nairobi only, when the markets are better in Embu and Meru. The people of Laisamis bring their cows straight to Nairobi. This is a free market economy. By the Government not ensuring that nomads are given the right of accessing the market freely--- It has continued to restrain us from operating freely in a free market! My question to the Minister is this: You have said that the Rinderpest disease has been eliminated, and we greatly appreciate that. When are you going to make sure that the other three diseases are taken care of in northern Kenya, so that people in that region can absolutely and efficiently access the markets?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, coming from the same region as the hon. Member, I fully understand his concern. There are two methods of addressing the other three diseases in order for our livestock to access markets in the so-called “highlands”. As I said earlier, one of these methods is to carry out regular vaccinations. Vaccination is a preventive measure and, therefore, the animals will be free from diseases. The other very key method, which has fallen apart because of the policy changes of the 1980s, following the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs), which literally sidelined the livestock sector--- The Government at that time could not afford to take care of livestock services and most of the services were privatized. Mr. Speaker, Sir, therefore, the second method is to revive the holding grounds. During that time, when northern Kenya was classified as a disease-prone region, there were also holding grounds at the quarantine lines, where animals would be kept for four weeks and vaccinated. Therefore, they could access the highlands and, thus, access the markets that the hon. Member has referred to. The second method is, therefore, to revive the holding grounds, most of which have been grabbed. Others like the Isiolo livestock holding ground, which is 124,000 acres in size, is still in use. The main challenges are inadequate staffing budgetary provision and unavailability of holding grounds in most areas outside Isiolo.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would want to thank the Minister for his response although I feel that a lot more is being done only at the national level. The revival of the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) alone is not enough to meet the needs of people who keep livestock. An isolated project like de-silting of a pan in one particular area will not be able to address the marketing problems of livestock in our area. I know that the Government is about to conclude the Budget-making process now, but I do know what the Ministry’s focus has been. So, could he tell us what they intend to do in terms of critical and long lasting impact projects? The Ministry talked about setting up of abattoirs in Financial Years 2006/2007 and 2008/2009, yet nothing has taken off. What is he going to do this time round to help the people in northern Kenyan?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of abattoirs, including the KMC one, is key to improving the livestock market. I was in this House earlier, and I spoke about the satellite abattoirs. We changed the principle on which it was based earlier, when I became

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank the Minister for the elaborate answer he has given the House. From my experience, one of the factors that make vaccination ineffective is the inadequate number of veterinary officers and livestock personnel. What arrangements has the Minister made to deploy enough veterinary officers and livestock personnel to pastoral areas where people depend on livestock for their livelihood?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I fully agree with the hon. Member for Samburu East that shortage of staff is a major crunch in the Ministry. Currently, we are operating at 37 per cent less the number of staff this Ministry is supposed to have. Even that percentage was improved after we hired 100 veterinary officers and 800 support staff. Because of the current economic situation, there is a ban on employment. However, I am pursuing this matter so that we can be allowed to employ more officers.

The problem of staffing in hardship areas, especially the northern part of Kenya is that most staff do not like staying there unless they are from those areas. Unfortunately, we had very few veterinary surgeons in those areas. We are trying our level best to ensure that the newly recruited officers are posted to hardship areas and other parts of the country that require them.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to follow up on the question of shortage of staff in the Ministry of Livestock Development. There is a Ministry known as the “Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands”. We voted about Kshs2 billion for its functions. Since the economy of the northern part of Kenya is dependent on livestock and the Ministry of Livestock Development is already in place, is it not true that, indeed, there is replication? Is it not possible for that money to be transferred to Dr. Kuti’s Ministry so that he can hire the staff he requires? If it is a matter of appointing Ministers, could we not have that Minister without a portfolio?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, while appreciating the hon. Member’s question, you will realise that it is not related to disease control, animal keeping, quarantine or anything to do with livestock. Having said that---

Order, Mr. Minister! The question is straightforward. I think it is a legitimate follow-up question. Is there duplication or no duplication of duties between your Ministry and that of Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am not qualified to answer that question because I do not create Ministries!

Very well! Otherwise it is a genuine question and you had better draw it to the attention of whoever should answer it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Genuine as the question may be, it is outside my jurisdiction.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. You have heard the Minister say that, that question is outside his area of jurisdiction and yet we know there is collective responsibility under the Constitution. Should you not direct the Minister to go and establish who is supposed to answer that question so that he can come and tell us? As far as we are concerned in this House, there is collective responsibility on the part of the Government.

Mr. Minister, can you give an appropriate undertaking to the House and indicate which Minister will answer that question tomorrow?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, having considered the question and accepted the issue of collective responsibility, I think I can go ahead and answer it. Definitely, in their wisdom, the President and the Prime Minister, in their Coalition Government felt the need to have a Ministry that should address in toto the challenges facing the northern part of Kenya. That is not only livestock but also education and health. This Ministry will address marginalisation. “Livestock” is just a small component of the general picture. While I recognize the hon. Member’s comment that livestock is the livelihood for the people who live in the northern part of Kenya and other Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), there are many challenges that the Ministry of Livestock Development cannot address alone. Therefore, the creation of the Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands is a step in the right direction. I am sure with time, it will address in totality the challenges facing northern Kenya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Now that there is an outbreak of the Swine Flu in some parts of the world, what plans does he have for our pig farmers? What plans does he have to vaccinate the pigs?

Mr. Speaker, Sir that is a very good question. The Ministry of Livestock Development, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, is on high alert on the issue of Swine Flu. My technical team and that from the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation have already put in place the necessary arrangements to counter the disease. I am sure advertisements are already out in the public domain. This is done as a preventive measure through an Inter-Ministerial Committee that is already in operation. The country has been put on high alert in terms of resources, surveillance and all that appertains to Swine Flu.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I am not absolutely satisfied with the explanation the Minister has given us in respect of the Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands and the Ministry of Livestock Development. We have heard the Minister complain loudly that the money he has been allocated is only enough to pay salaries and cannot be used to carry out a programme.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is also the question of the former Ministry of Health which was split into the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation and the Ministry of Medical Services.

Order, Mr. Mungatana!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, if I could be heard---

Order, Mr. Mungatana! If you begin to talk about the former Ministry of Health, then you will be going into an area different from the question you had earlier asked. Your point of order must relate to the answer given by the Minister to your question.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, could the Government clarify the roles these Ministries play? We need facts and figures. When a Minister says that he cannot carry out a programme and that he is only paying salaries, then that money needs to go to a Ministry which can carry out programmes. I beg that you direct that a proper answer be brought by the Prime Minister so that this country can be satisfied that the money we are voting here is utilized for programmes and it is not utilized to pay salaries and maintain bureaucrats.

Order, Mr. Mungatana! Once it is put in that manner, that becomes a different Question. The Minister, for purposes of the Question before the House, has adequately dealt with the matter in as much as he has said to the House that the two Ministries cover different portfolios.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the quarantine line was put in place during the colonial era, in 1940, and for all those years, about 70 years, the people of northern Kenya still suffer. It looks like the bottleneck here is the World Organization for Animal Health. Could the Minister clarify whether we have a local office of this body in Nairobi? If we have one, they should adequately address that issue.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to say that the World Organization for Animal Health is the one that verifies whether a country, zone or compartment is disease- free and it gives out certificates. While I would like to answer the issue of the OIE, I would like to point out that the issue of the border makes it almost impossible to get a disease-free status in the northern Kenya, especially in the border districts because of the cross-border movement of the pastoralists. Most of those pastoralists are just separated by a line but they are just one community. The Maasai in Tanzania and the ones in Kenya, the Borana in Ethiopia and those in Kenya and the Somalis in Somalia and those in Kenya. So, control of animal movement is a key thing in starting to think of a disease- free zone in northern Kenya. That is one area I would like to clarify.

But on the OIE issue, we have fought very hard as a country because the OIE has regional offices, that is, the Eastern and Central Africa Regional Office. We just won that petition and I am now taking a Cabinet memo so that the Government can house the OIE offices at the African Union International Bureau for Animal Resources (AUIBAR), which is a very small token. We hope very soon to have the OIE regional office based here in Nairobi.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister for Lands the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Could he confirm that following the designation of Lamu as the Sixth Word Heritage Site” in 2003 and the proposed development of Lamu Port, many indigenous people have lost their ancestral land to grabbers, settlement schemes and Marine/Game Reserve?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have just received the answer.

Are you prepared to give it?

Let me try, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Proceed!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) I am aware that Lamu was designated as the “Sixth World Heritage Site” and that a new port is to be developed in the area. The local people have not been dispossessed of their land and the establishment of a new port is in line with Vision 2030. That is expected to empower the locals as a result of the economic activities that will be generated by the project. (b) The Ministry has a deliberate programme for the Coast Province and Lamu in particular, whereby a land profile is being done to identify committed and uncommitted land and also land occupied by the indigenous people. This is meant to ensure that the rights of the locals are secured. Indeed, a number of communities are going to be issued with block title deeds for the land they occupy while several settlement schemes have also been established. In the past, it was perceived that the beneficiaries of the allocations were outsiders but efforts are geared to change this perception.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I appreciate that the Assistant Minister has tried to answer the Question. Could he tell us when the Ministry intends to issue the block title deeds to the locals?

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. It looks like some hon. Members have a tendency of making unnecessary noise in the House!

Mr. Onyonka, hon. Members do not make noise! They only consult!

I stand corrected, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Very well! It is noted! Proceed, Ms. S. Abdalla!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, could the Assistant Minister tell us when they intend to issue the block title deeds to the community?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have a programme of issuing title deeds to the Coast next week.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the same issue of local people in Lamu, 61 villages were earmarked for the programme of sponsored utilization since 2007. By 2009,

Order, Mr. Yakub! You have already asked the question. Mr. Assistant Minister, can you tell the House when?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, issuing block title deeds to villages is a very tedious job. Therefore, we must issue title deeds to legal identities and those villages must have directors. There is a lot that goes along with issuing title deeds to villages. However, we are in the process of issuing some block title deeds to the villages.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I just want to make a follow-up on the Question asked by Ms. S. Abdalla, particularly on the block title deeds. The Assistant Minister was not quite clear on when he was going to issue block title deeds to the people of Lamu. He referred only to the Coast. Because of the specific nature of that issue, I will request that the Assistant Minister clarifies when he is going to issue the block title deeds to the people of Lamu.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have said that we are in the process of giving block title deeds and you can only do so when you have identified a particular village or block which has come out as a legal identity.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the problem of squatters is not only confined to the Coast Province, or Lamu specifically, but it affects the whole of this country. I wanted to know whether the Ministry has any plans to ward off the problem of squatters who have become professional and are ahead of the Ministry.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to agree that Kenya has some genuine squatters but we also have some professional squatters. It is true that we have come out with a proper list. If the Government can give us money to purchase land, we can settle the genuine squatters.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, land grabbing has become a very serious issue in this country. What steps is the Assistant Minister taking to combat land grabbing? In Nairobi, all the fire stations have been grabbed. What steps is the Ministry taking to ensure that land grabbing is not rampant in the cities?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, land grabbing is like corruption. It takes two people---

It is corruption!

It is corruption, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This Government is in the process of putting in place laws to curb corruption vis-a-vis land grabbing.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, for the record, could the Assistant Minister confirm that the land around the port which is being constructed in Lamu has not been grabbed?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, grabbing of land is illegal. If it has been grabbed, I am sure it is not within our knowledge. I am, however, sure that the land has not been grabbed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, development of the second port in this nation is a very important undertaking. Could the Assistant Minister assure this House that adequate arrangements have been made to make sure that land owners in Lamu will be satisfactorily compensated?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I said from the outset that people who will be affected will definitely be compensated. If they are not compensated, they will be allocated new sites.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the late 1980s, Dr. Robert Ouko stood in this House and asked the then Minister for Lands this same question. He asked what they were going to do with the people around Kisumu Airport who had been displaced to pave way for the development of the airport. The answer he got was exactly the same as the one this Assistant Minister is giving. Mr. Speaker, Sir, today, as we ask this Question, the Assistant Minister knows that the adjudication of the land in Lamu is not yet complete. If he really respects this House, how can he cheat us that he will come here next week and give the people what they deserve? He knows very well that even adjudication is not complete. Is the Assistant Minister in order to mislead the House?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to start by correcting my hon. brother that I am not cheating. The word “cheating” is unparliamentary.

Order! Now that the Assistant Minister has expressed concern, I thought he would take it lying down. The word “cheat” is unparliamentary and Dr. Khalwale, you will have to withdraw that.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I withdraw this word but the pain of the people waiting---

Order, Dr. Khalwale! Mr. Assistant Minister, can you now respond as to whether or not you are misleading the House?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am not misleading the House. The truth of the matter is that this is what we are trying to do. We shall compensate the people who will be affected.

Last question, Ms. S. Abdalla!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, could the Assistant Minister tell us what the Government is doing to make sure that those who were evicted from their ancestral land get back to their land?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have not evicted people. However, if we shall encroach on anybody’s land, at least we shall show him or her where to go.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. With a lot of respect to the Assistant Minister, he failed to address the question of Lamu being a world heritage site. We are aware that in 2003, Lamu was declared a world heritage site. From what we know, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee allocates funds for development of world heritage sites. How much of those funds have been applied to the people of Lamu? How much was received and how much is being utilised for purposes of settling those people? A lot of money is being wasted and misused by this Ministry.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that is a very different Question that I need to investigate.

Order, Assistant Minister! You can deal with this easily. The Question, as originally framed, does assert certain things. It says: “Following the

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not know anything about the issue of money. I like calling a spade, a spade. I would like to be honest that I have no idea about the money.

Very well! The Assistant Minister does not know and that is an answer that he is entitled to. Next Question by Mr. Mututho!

to ask the Minister for Labour the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Why M/s Console Base (agents of Kenya Ports Authority) sacked the only lady employee, Ms. Lucy Wambui Maguru from the motor vehicle section and paid her only Kshs15,000 in lieu of notice after working for two years with the firm? (b) Could he order her reinstatement or payment of her terminal dues?

Hon. Members, the Chair has received information that Mr. Mututho has traveled to Israel to attend to parliamentary business. He has not assigned this Question to any other Member to ask on his behalf. Therefore, this Question is deferred for ten days henceforth!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to request for two Statements. One is from the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security on the circumstances under which a Member of this House; the hon. Benjamin Washiali, was assaulted while consulting his constituents in Mumias Town on the 31st March, 2009.

He was assaulted by an unknown police officer who caused him grievous bodily harm, including fracturing his right arm.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we will provide the Ministerial Statement on Tuesday, next week.

Very well. The Minister for Public Health and Sanitation on the break out of Swine Flu!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the spirit of collective responsibility, I will definitely inform the Minister for Public Health and Sanitation to issue a Ministerial Statement on Wednesday, next week.

Order, Mr. Minister! This is a matter of life and death. It has to be on Thursday!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it suffices to say that the hon. Member should not be unduly worried. This is neither the Swine Flu nor any other flu. I will be able to inform the Minister for Public Health and Sanitation.

Thursday, this week! It is so ordered!

Yes, Mr. Imanyara!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to seek a Ministerial Statement from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in relation to what appears to be a monstrous fraud committed, not only to this House, but also the country. Through you, I

Order! Order! Prof. Ongeri, I would want to urge you to hold brief for the Minister.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am seeking your guidance. Once Supplementary Estimates have been tabled before this House, after they have been scrutinised by the Finance, Planning and Trade Committee, whether this House can again be treated to ad hoc information coming much later when this issue should have been substantively dealt with by the relevant Committee to its finality.

Order, Prof. Ongeri! On the face of it, the matters narrated by the hon. Gitobu Imanyara are very grave. The Chair would want the Minister to respond to those matters. If they are factual, then they must be dealt with and clarified. So, Prof. Ongeri, please, hold the Minister’s brief and carry this information to him, including the document which has been tabled, so that he can come with a suitable response by Thursday, this week.

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

Not on the same matter! I have already directed!

Dr. Khalwale, do you have a request for a Ministerial Statement?

Mr. Speaker, Sir---

Order, Dr. Khalwale! This matter must rest, Dr. Khalwale! The hon. Imanyara has sought a Ministerial Statement. When that Statement is brought, Dr. Khalwale and all other hon. Members, will be at liberty to interrogate the matter further. So, please, reserve your concern until the Minister comes with a response.

Mr. Mungatana!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am rising on a point of order to seek a Ministerial Statement from the Office of the President on the question of failure to hold Cabinet meetings for four weeks consecutively.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the response that the Minister will give, I want to seek the following clarifications: I want to know whether there is an attempt to change the tradition of this Republic from Thursday morning Cabinet meetings to once a month Cabinet meetings or a new tradition of once-in-a-while Cabinet meetings. I want to know whether there is legitimate exercise of the delegated responsibilities that the Ministers exercise on behalf of the President. It has been very clear that there have been no meetings; therefore, there is no delegation practically of those responsibilities. The third clarification is that under Section 17 of the Constitution, the function of the Cabinet shall be to aid and advise the President in the governing of the Republic. I want to know whether there has been any discussion on the policy direction such as proposed legislation that is supposed to come to this House and whether there is, in fact, the seriousness that we require from the Executive and its answerability to this House. The fourth clarification is on whether the lack of Cabinet meetings is not one of the contributing factors to the instability within the Coalition Government and whether the lack of structured consultation is not a cause to the delay in naming of the Leader of Government Business; which cause, I am beginning to understand that, that has caused a credit crunch within the economy. This forced the Government, through the CBK, to pump in at least, Kshs32 billion to stabilise interest rates. We also want to know whether the President is too busy. He can allow his Principal Assistant to chair the Cabinet meetings on a restricted agenda so that the Presidency can move with the country.

Order! Order, Mr. Mungatana! You are seeking clarifications and not making suggestions.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, yes, I beg to seek that clarification on whether that can be done. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Members have received a copy of the Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2009---

Order, Dr. Khalwale! If that matter is with respect to the issues that were raised by Mr. Imanyara to do with the Supplementary Estimates, then I am afraid that you have to comply with my direction that, that matter must rest until Thursday when the Minister will come up with the Ministerial Statement. It is so ordered. If you wish to persist, you may do so. However, I am afraid I have already given direction. Do not be irksome! Try and avoid that. That matter must rest.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. The Chair has not directed when the Office of the President will come up with that clarification I sought.

Prof. Ongeri, once again, hold brief for that office!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg your indulgence. Hon. Mungatana enumerated a couple of issues. If he would be kind enough to put them down in an eligible order, I would be glad to---

Order, Prof. Ongeri! You have been a Member of Parliament for a long time. All this is recorded in the HANSARD. We can all access it. So, bring the statement on Wednesday next week.

Hon. Members, who was on the Floor? Mr. Yakub was the last contributor to this and so we will take the next person. The next person is the hon. Kenneth.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to the Presidential Speech which was read on the State Opening Day. I would first like to congratulate you for the decision that you took last week to ensure that the business of the House continues uninterrupted. Listening to His Excellency the President, one of the points that he spoke about was on the way forward on the agenda for this country. However, that agenda will only succeed if we avoid grandstanding, political posturing and on realization that this country belongs to all Kenyans and that all Kenyans are stakeholders. I recall when we were discussing the issue of the Leader of the House Business Committee, Mr. Mutava Musyimi said that

Mr. ole Ntimama, do you want to contribute?

No, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I join others in commending you for the ruling that you made last week. I found it to be sound in logic, in law and policy. I also cannot help, on a more philosophical note, appreciate that it is true that power is indivisible. But we must also remember that we chose to split the atom and when that happens, there are consequences. I am reminded that maybe, it is Hiroshima which ended the Second World War II. As we think about Hiroshima, we should also remember that the United States of America (USA) and Japan are two very friendly countries today. When we come to discuss the Constitution and the Executive in particular, there will be lessons to learn from the current crisis that we are going through with regard to the sharing of power, particularly in the Executive.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me now go to the President’s Speech. I also commend it. I think it is very worthy. However, one finds that it has a rather ambitious menu. I took note of the fact that there are 16 proposed Bills and 24 proposed policies. You cannot find enough said with regard to the judicial, security sector reforms and corruption. One fears that the pace of the reform agenda is not convincing. There seems to be a lax in the collective will to deal with the current crisis within the Coalition. I think that that is the burden of this House and this Parliament as we think of reforms, which are our primary responsibility within the next couple of years. Like many other Kenyans, when we see that the Principals are not consulting enough and the Cabinet is not meeting, it is sends all the wrong messages to the Kenyan people. As I commend this Speech, we must again, plead with the Principals to lead from the front and to help us move forward on the reform agenda.

Thank you.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to support the Motion on the President’s Speech. In his Speech, His Excellency the President did highlight quite a number of challenges that are facing this country. Among them are insecurity, unemployment, food crisis and energy crisis among others. It is very clear that this country has many challenges. So, to face those challenges, it requires a united people to overcome them. Even as we have those challenges, we must give the people of Kenya hope that this country has a future.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the President’s Speech on the State Opening of Parliament.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do understand that quite a number of policies were spelt out in that particular Speech. But the factors that would really contribute to the implementation of those same policies are what are many Kenyans waiting to see.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you realise what happened thereafter – no consultations, no anything from the Executive. If those consultations are not there, some of these things or some of the envisaged policies of the Government may not be implemented fully. It is in this light that I feel I should contribute a little on the food security in this country.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, most of the times, and whenever people talk about food in this country, most of them think of maize. Quite a number of food crops in this country have not been given due attention, and that would have been one way of trying to alleviate hunger or payments that this country has gone through. Indeed, when you hear the cry out there, people only talk about unga from maize. But this country that God gave us has got quite a number of zones. We have arid lands, semi-arid lands and the most productive parts or zones of this country. It is only crucial that proper policies are put in place to promote those areas, which receive less rainfall to have irrigation agriculture.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, in this country, quite a number of big rivers are not utilised even for irrigation agriculture. I will give an example of a region on the eastern side of Mt. Kenya where they boast of more than 20 permanent rivers. The area has a lot of

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion. I begin by saying that the President did address several things in his Speech. However, I will concentrate on three key ones that I think are of great concern to Kenyans.

There is a great sense of hopelessness in the country, especially among the young people and women of this country. First and foremost, this sense of hopelessness is caused by the fact that we have these economic challenges that we are facing. More importantly, it is because the leadership of this country, Parliament included, does not seem to give a lot of hope in the way that we are doing business. Maybe, that is why we are seeing people resorting to very extreme measures to remind us of the challenges faced in this country. This is because they strongly believe that we, probably, do not have ears to hear or eyes to see or that we have lost our sensitivity to the challenges that the country is facing. Because of this, we see women having sex boycotts which many people have trashed, laughed about it and thought it is just a big joke. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves what it is that is making women resort to such extreme measures. I strongly believe that if we were to listen to the message behind the boycott, probably, we would begin to realize that Kenyans are becoming desperate every

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to record my appreciation and thanks for the Presidential Address to this House. There are very many issues that are very pertinent to our times that His Excellency the President mentioned. However, before I comment on those issues, I would like to narrate my experience over the weekend. I have just come from the villages, where, last Sunday, we held a very huge inter-denominational prayer meeting. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that meeting was important to us because the people at the gathering asked me to pass their appreciation regarding the decision that was made by the Speaker last week. They noted that we were not yet out of the woods. However, they were hopeful that the two principals, for whom they have a lot of respect, would sit down and resolve the remaining issues.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. May I also take this opportunity to support and welcome the President’s Address, which came at a very historic time. Indeed, the Speaker of this House eloquently captured the mood and the moment in the nation. We must congratulate the Speaker because of his wise and historic landmark ruling that has enabled the business of this House to move forward and the nation as well. He said that history is beckoning us to enter its annals as that generation of politicians that rose to the occasion when it was expected to. That generation that demonstrated extraordinary leadership in extraordinary times. I think it was just a matter of hours before the Speaker himself entered the annals of history with his landmark ruling. If we were to celebrate leadership in parliamentary democracy this side of the Sahara, I think this House and the Speaker will definitely enter the annals of history.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not know whether the Tenth Parliament or the President and the Prime Minister will rise to the occasion as the Speaker said. Sometimes, we wonder whether the Tenth Parliament will be the one that enters and finds a distinguished place in the annals of history as the Parliament that gave this nation the Constitution that they had long desired; as the Parliament that brought about reforms in our institutions, whether it is the Judiciary, the police and other institutions in this nation. Will this Parliament be the one that bickered itself into the dustbin of history; the Parliament that could not agree even on the constitution of Committees of the House or parliamentarians who refused to pay their taxes; or the Parliament that was divided as a House along tribal and partisan lines? Will we be that Parliament when history is written? I think it is something that we need to pause and think about. For the principals, we know that they have demonstrated leadership before. We know that at the beginning of last year when this nation was at its lowest ebb, indeed, the two principals rose to the occasion by signing the National Reconciliation and Accord. By stopping the post-election violence, they rose to the heights of statesmanship. In the days ahead, the same level of statesmanship they demonstrated last year will be required of them so that the national interest is put above partisan, regional and sectional interests. Only they can provide that leadership!

If we are to succeed in disposing of the heavy legislative agenda ahead of us, indeed, we will need to embrace, not just the letter but the spirit of the National Reconciliation and Accord that is the basis of the existing Grand Coalition. That spirit behind the Accord is rooted in dialogue, consultation and compromise. Unless we are able to embrace that, we will not be able to discharge our obligations that are very heavy. They are looking at us as we move forward.

My late brother, Mr. Michael Wamalwa Kijana, once said that if there is a killer disease of coalitions - it is a greater killer disease than malaria, cancer or any other - it is lack of consultation. Indeed, he said that this is what affected the last NARC Government

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the Speech by His Excellency the President. In his Speech, the President, indeed, enumerated many areas that needed to be tackled. He talked on the issues of security, reforms, economic development and employment. All these issues that the President addressed, unfortunately, during this period are hinged on a proper working of the Grand Coalition. In this area, the President, having gone through a whole year in a Coalition which was brought about by the National Accord and having realized the pitfalls and weaknesses that may exist within the Accord, did not dwell on how to deal with these issues so that they are properly fixed for us to continue. Without a proper functioning Coalition, all these issues of reforms will come to naught. The issues of insecurity will come to naught! So, it is very important that we now sit back and ask the question that this National Accord, in itself needs some

Yes, your time is up! Could you make your concluding remarks?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support.

Thank you Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to begin by saying congratulations for rescuing us last week. We were in a dilemma as a nation and as a people we faced very embarrassing situations outside. People were asking us: “What are you doing in Parliament, making noise all the time and fighting?” The decision that the Chair made restored our dignity and the glory that we had lost to the society.

Thank you Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for noticing me to be able to contribute to the Presidential Address. I wish to support it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have faced a number of challenges in this country. We have pledged ourselves to be a middle income industrialized country by the year 2030. In order to be able to achieve that, we need to do certain things. One of the things we need to do is to attract investors, both local and foreign, to put their money in this country so that we can get our young people employed. That way, the hopelessness and desperation we see in our country can be brought to order. One of the things that we need to do is to create an enabling environment for investors to come to this country and put their money here. We need to create confidence. One aspect, which we Kenyans do best, is politics. We need to do the right kind of politics and send the right messages, so that investors can know that they can come to this country to invest and their money is secure and they will get good returns. So, as we have said categorically, we need to embrace dialogue. From now onwards, we need to make sure that dialogue is the guiding principle in whatever we do. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, to this end, I wish to congratulate you for your historic ruling that saved this nation. The nation had been waiting very anxiously for your ruling. The ruling that you delivered last week gave a sigh of relief to all Kenyans. Now there is hope. We were reaching a situation where we did not have hope. You created that hope and now we can move forward. We hope that the two principals; the President and the Prime Minister, can continue from where you left in creating the right environment for investors to invest in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, one other aspect is that of security. Everybody knows that it is the duty of any Government to protect lives and property of its citizens. That is the primary purpose why a Government exists in the first place. In Kenya, we have seen a situation where there are vigilante groups; whether legal or illegal, taking the law into their own hands. We must ask ourselves why vigilante groups see the need to organize themselves and take the law into their hands like they did in Central Province. Why do wananchi have to do so? They are doing so, because the security arm of the Government has failed to provide security to them. This was wrong. They thought one way of defending themselves is to arm themselves against this “force” which is existing, which the Government cannot deal with. That is not the right way to go. We need our security forces to be alert all the time and protect our people. They must create the right environment for investors to come in. Nobody would want to invest in an insecure environment. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, one other aspect is infrastructure. I want to touch on one very important aspect of infrastructure in this country. That is energy. Energy is a very important input in industry. I am glad that the President touched on this issue. We need to explore cheaper sources of energy. At the moment, energy costs industries US cents 22 per kilowatt-hour. Other countries like South Africa and Egypt pay 5 US cents per kilowatt-hour. It, therefore, means that manufacturing in this country is very expensive. Our goods cannot be competitive in the regional or global markets. So,

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I would like to inform you that there is no quorum.

It is true that we have no quorum. Ring the Division Bell.

Hon. Members, due to lack of quorum, we have to adjourn. This House is, therefore, adjourned until tomorrow, 6th May 2009 at 9.00 a.m.

The House rose at 5.15 p.m.