Hon. Members, it is my pleasure to introduce to you our colleagues from the Great Lakes Region seated in the Speaker’s Gallery. They are Members of Parliament under the auspices of the Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum for Peace – the AMANI Forum. They are holding their General Assembly meeting in our City. The theme of the Assembly this year is: “Interrogating the Lessons Learned fromInternal Displacement in the Great Lakes Region : Are we Achieving Sustainable Peace?” Hon. Members, the Members who are with us today are Members of the Regional Executive Committee. They are as follows:- Hon. Raphael Chegeni, MP from Tanzania and Vice-Chairperson. Hon. Julianna Kantegwa, MP from Rwanda - Secretary General. Hon. Charles Kakoma, MP from Zambia – Treasurer of the Forum. Hon. Bapolisi Bahuga Polepole Paulin, MP from Burundi. Hon. Adia Leti Mawa Bauduoin, MP from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Hon. Dr. Ordette Nyamirimo, MP from the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). Hon. Evaliste Kalisa, MP from Rwanda. Hon. Uwacu Julienne, MP from Rwanda. Hon. Mathias Kasamba, MP from Uganda. Hon. Jalia Bintu, MP from Uganda. Hon. Norbert Mao- Chair Emeritus of the Forum. There are also Members of Parliament from the different countries of the Forum. They are as follows:- From Burundi, we have hon. Salvator Ntahomenyere; hon. Nigane Marie; hon. Mbazumutima Martin and hon. Kabura François. From the DRC, we have hon. Sekimonyo Wa Magango; hon. Madame Bashomberwa Lalia Marthe and hon. Kumaluta Shangu Michel. From the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), we have hon. (Dr). Aman Kabourou; hon. Lydia Wanyoto and hon. Sabine Ntakarutimana. From

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to give notice of the following Procedural Motion:-

THAT, notwithstanding the provision of Standing Order No.20(2), this House orders that the sitting time for the House today be extended from 6.30 p.m. until the conclusion of the business appearing in the Supplementary Order Paper.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister for Energy the following Question by Private Notice. (a ) What has caused the frequent power black outs in Marsabit Town, with electricity being rationed to 60 per cent of the town residents? (b) What urgent and immediate action will the Minister take to mitigate the severe power crisis in the town?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a ) The frequent power black-outs in Marsabit have been caused by a breakdown of one of the generators. The same is undergoing repairs and is expected to be functional by the end of this week. (b) To provide a permanent solution, arrangements are underway to enhance the installed capacity through procurement of a 400KW diesel generator, which has been procured and it is in Mombasa. In addition, a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is also being negotiated with an independent power producer for installation of a 500KW wind turbine.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank the Assistant Minister for that response. That problem has persisted for two months. Our hospitals have ceased to operate and our students are not studying due to lack of power in Marsabit Town for the last two months. When will the new generator be delivered to the town so that we can have electricity?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I acknowledge the problem in Marsabit. Instead of waiting for a new generator to be procured for the town, we are

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister is very much aware that Marsabit is endowed with winds. What is the Ministry doing to harness the wind that is there instead of always relying on diesel-run generators? The rest of the world is moving away from generators to renewable energies.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my colleague is aware that the first major wind energy station is being built at Loyangalani in Marsabit. Once that station is in place, which is being done by private power producers, then we can see how to distribute the power to the region.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, two months of black-outs is such a long time and it interferes with the businesses of the people in Marsabit. That is bad management. What will the Ministry do to ensure that a similar situation does not occur in future?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I agree with the hon. Member that two months is too long for any place to get electricity black-outs. However, I sincerely apologize to the people of Marsabit. I will ensure that by the end of this week, the old generator will be repaired and, in the next one week or so, we will have the new generator in place.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in his response, the Assistant Minister mentioned that the Ministry is working with a private contractor to set up a wind energy station. Marsabit is the only town where wind energy was piloted almost ten years ago and the station ceased to operate. What will the Ministry do differently this time to see to it that, that particular scheme will work?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have said that the independent power producer is now in the process of getting funding for the station. Of course, that will include many things. The station is served by power lines and sub-stations, but this is in progress. We have agreed with the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) on the tariff management. That is a project that the hon. Member has been waiting for, for a long time. I want to assure him that the project is on course and we will proceed in due course.

asked the Minister of State for Public Service:- (a) whether he could provide the list of officers who have held the post of Controller and Auditor-General since 1963, indicating their respective qualifications and periods of service;

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) The names of the persons who have held the post of Controller and Auditor-General since 1963 and their respective qualifications, as well as periods of service are as follows:- i. Mr. David Njoroge held the position from 4th July, 1968, to 8th April 2004 and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) from London, United Kingdom. ii. Mr. Evan N. Mwai held the position from 9th April, 2004, to 16th July, 2006. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) London, United Kingdom. iii. Mrs. Priscilla N. Komora held the position from 17th July, 2006 to 27th January, 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) East Africa. iv. Mr. Anthony M. Gatumbu has been holding the position from 28th January, 2009 to date. He holds a Bachelor of Education (Hons.) in Mathematics and Business from the University of Nairobi. He also holds a Diploma in Public Sector Audit and Accounting, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), London, United Kingdom. He also has a certificate in Public Administration from Pennsylvania State University, USA. (b) The Senior employees in the organization; the Deputy Auditors-General in the Controller and Auditor General’s Office are as follows:- (i) Mr. Winston O. Orege has worked from 17th December, 1973, to date in the Kenya National Audit Office (KNAO). He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) from the University of Dar er Salaam. He was taken through competitive selection by the Public Service Commission. (ii) Mr. Edward H. Gikonyo has worked for various Ministries and the KNAO from 5th July, 1973 to date. He is holds a certificate of a Certified Public Accountants (Kenya). He was taken through competitive selection through the KNAO Commission interview. (iii) Mr. John K. Kagondu has worked in the private sector since January 1977 to 28th February, 2005. From 1st March, 2005, to date, he has been working for the KNAO. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Business Administration (USIU), Master of Business Administration (USIU) and a Certified Public Accountant (Kenya) certificate. He was taken through a competitive selection interview by the Kenya National Audit Office Commission. (iv) Mr. Stanley M. Muriuki has worked for the KNAO since 11th July, 1977, to date. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in Public Sector Audit and Accounting, Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) London, United Kingdom. He also went through a competitive selection interview by the Kenya National Audit Office Commission (c) The appointment of the Controller and Auditor-General is a prerogative of His Excellency the President as contained in the Constitution of Kenya. The current Controller and Auditor-General was appointed to that position on 28th January, 2009, by

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we know that this is a very important office. This office oversees how Government funds have been spent. I would expect that whoever holds that office should be qualified in that line. I would like to know from the Assistant Minister, looking at all the four the four names that have been indicated here, none of them is a certified public accountant who is able to audit. Why have the holders of this office not had any qualifications of a required auditor?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the position of Controller and Auditor- General is a managerial or leadership position. Any Kenyan who has managerial skills can lead such an organization. There are professionals that do the work that is required to be done. That is one. Secondly, this position is filled by the President in his own wisdom and under the current Constitution. So, if the President feels that there is someone who can manage the job and has the necessary managerial skills to run it, then he has the prerogative under the Constitution to appoint that person.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Is the Assistant Minister in order to mislead this House that there are no prescribed requirements for the position of the Controller and Auditor-General?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, according to my understanding, Section 110(1) of the Constitution says that the Controller and Auditor-General shall be appointed by the President. That is the understanding I have. As far as I know, it is also a top managerial leadership position of that organization. Today, if you say that all politicians who are providing leadership in multi-sectoral situations must have a Bachelors degree or a Masters degree in political science, then you will be putting it in the same way.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. While commending the Controller and Auditor-General for a good job since Independence and rightly serving Parliament, why does the Assistant Minister continue to have this office as part of the Executive instead of transferring the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General in its entirety to be a parliamentary office? When will he do so to ensure the independence of the Controller and Auditor-General?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, those are some of the constitutional reforms which have been suggested in this particular office.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, acknowledging that, indeed, the Constitution gives the President the power to appoint the Controller and Auditor-General, we live in times of power sharing under the spirit of the National Reconciliation and Peace Accord. Could the Assistant Minister tell us whether the President did any consultations with the other principal before appointing the current holder of the office?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that can best be answered by one of the Principals who has an hour during the week.

On a point or order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The President does not appear in this House to answer Questions. That is why we have the Front Bench. Is it

Order, hon. Assistant Minister! There is collective responsibility in the Government. According to the Standing Orders of this House, a Minister is defined as the President, the Vice-President and the Prime Minister, all the way to Assistant Ministers. So, there is collective responsibility.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I said that there is collective responsibility. However, consultations are done at a high level of the two individual principals. That is what I am saying. That is the information I have given. That is why one of the principals has a particular time in this House to---

Order! Order, Mr. Assistant Minister! Do you understand the meaning of collective responsibility? Under the Standing Orders, you are responsible to this House as an Assistant Minister. You cannot shift this to anybody else. You are responsible as an Assistant Minister. Proceed and answer the question!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Controller and Auditor-General has been appointed according to the Coalition Government which is in place.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I asked the Assistant Minister to tell us whether there were any consultations in the spirit of the National Reconciliation and Peace Accord which is anchored in the very same Constitution which gives the President the powers to appoint. Have there been any consultations or not?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not have any information to the contrary.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at the Companies Act, it is a requirement that, for you to sign any audited account, you must be a certified Public Accountant or hold such equivalent qualification. The Controller and Auditor-General is the one legally mandated to sign all the accounts of state corporations and Government accounts. Why has the Government allowed someone who is not a qualified accountant to sign the accounts, take responsibility and hide under the Constitution? Why can the Ministry not advise the President to appoint a qualified auditor who can be legally and professionally allowed to sign audited accounts?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Controller and Auditor-General is not an individual but an institution. Being an institution, it is provided for under the Constitution which supersedes any Act that exists as of now.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The Assistant Minister has referred to Section 110 of the Constitution as overriding the provisions of the Act that Mr. Mbadi has referred to. Is it in order for the Assistant Minister to mislead the House when he knows very well that the requirement of the position of the Controller and Auditor-General is a person and not an institution?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, clearly, this is an institution and what is required under the Constitution is leadership. He leads an institution where there are professionals working under him.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Controller and Auditor-General is the supreme auditor of the Republic. Could the Assistant Minister tell us who audits the accounts of the Kenya National Audit Office?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that is a different Question altogether. If the hon. Member asks the Question, I will bring the answer accordingly.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister continues to mislead this House. According to the Companies Act, the person certifying accounts must be a qualified auditor. Could the Assistant Minister clarify whether the books that have been signed by the Controller and Auditor-General, who is not a qualified accountant, are valid?

Hon. Members, there is a constitutional provision that overrides the Companies Act in this case. The Constitution is a supreme document. It does not indicate whether one should be an accountant or not. So, there is inconsistency between the Constitution and the statutes involved. Mr. Assistant Minister, I know that it is not an easy thing. However, proceed and answer the question!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you go through the list of officers who have been appointed since 1968, you will realise that some have accountancy qualifications while others do not. Therefore, this is something that has been there for quite a while. Of course, I understand the requirement for a review of the law to make sure that they conform to modern standards. All this will come under the Constitutional Review Process which will also cover this office.

Ask the last Question, Mr. Were!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister has indicated that this is a managerial position and it requires somebody with management qualifications. However, when I look at the three gentlemen and one lady, I do not see if they had any other qualifications apart from their first degrees. Was there any other qualification apart from management which was considered to appoint these people to this position?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, most of the members who have been appointed to the position have been working in the public sector. They were also known to the leadership of this country. I think experience and skills to run an institution may be included in the individual file of the officers concerned.

Let us move on to the next Question!

asked the Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology:- (a) why the Bachelor of Science (Biology and Biotechnology) students at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology have been out of session for over six months; (b) what she is doing to address the causes of the long break; and, (c) when the students will resume classes.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I thank the Assistant Minister for the answer he has given to address the problems of students in Masinde Muliro University who have been out there for over six months. However, he has not told us why the students have to wait for over six months for whatever preferred disciplinary action to be effected. If laboratory equipment is not in place, are we suggesting that our students should undergo substandard training in our institutions of higher learning?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I just want to confirm to my friend, the hon. Member for Nyaribari Chache that Masinde Muliro University---

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

I am sorry, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. He is the Member for Nyaribari Chache.

The hon. Assistant Minister has corrected himself!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have corrected myself. Masinde Muliro University became a fully-fledged university in 2007. We were in the process of making sure that this university has all the laboratory equipment and whatever is necessary for the students to learn. At the moment, we are addressing that problem. That is why we have students out of campus. I assure this House that by October this year, all the equipment will be in place.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate the answer given by the Assistant Minister. However, he says the Government is in the process of acquiring science equipment. These students are already in second year. How can they acquire equipment after the students are in session learning? I would have accepted the university to acquire equipment before admitting students for training. Is the answer not contradictory and confusing?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the answer is not contradictory. I just want to confirm that all the development in that university is actually gradual. As we all know, Western Province is highly populous. The demand for vacancies in the university is high. So, we tried to make sure that, at least, students were admitted. Developments will be gradual. I want to assure the hon. Member that everything is happening at that university. By October this year, we will admit the students. There will be no further problems.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we know that most of our institutions which were not intended to be universities have now been turned into universities. What plan does the Assistant Minister have to ensure that before he authorises any institution to take over students at the university level, there is proper inspection to ascertain that facilities are there to sustain studies for these universities?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have a thorough system of inspecting any college that is supposed to be converted into a full university. So, we have a fully fledged department in our Ministry that takes care of that. That is what we have been doing and we will continue doing so.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, is the Assistant Minister telling the House that all universities have been inspected and, therefore, meet the conditions of training? Do all those institutions have facilities and that there is no over-admission? I think there is overstraining of the available infrastructure which leads to substandard training in our universities.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, once again, I want to confirm to the hon. Member that we have a department that deals with inspection. Each and every university has its own Act, except for the fact that at the moment we are trying to consolidate all universities, so that they can operate under one Act. So, each and every university has one Act. The university council and the senate is the one that runs universities. So, we always try to make sure that each and every university has at least the basic requirement for a university to take off.

Thank you.

Next Question, hon. Chepkitony!

asked the Minister for Education:- (a) if he could indicate the current status on promotion of P1 teachers who have completed university education degrees in Bachelor of Education or other relevant degree in education, detailing the number of those promoted since 2008 and those due for promotion; and, (b) if he has come up with curriculum development for P1 teachers and other non post-graduate teachers who are interested in furthering their education to university degree level and whether there are incentives to encourage such teachers.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) Since 1st January, 2008, a total of 257 P1 teachers completed university degree and were promoted. Teachers undertake degree courses privately. After graduation, they forward their degree certificates to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for salary adjustment. Thus, it is not practical to determine promotion levels and trends. (b) There is no established post-graduate degree curriculum for P1 teachers and other non post-graduate teachers. The curriculums are developed by the respective

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank the Assistant Minister for the answer. He says there are no incentives. Sometimes ago, teachers used to be given study leave with pay. Is the Ministry considering reintroducing this incentive to allow those who pursue degree courses in the universities to get study leave with pay?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member is aware that resources are so limited for us that we cannot even hire teachers who are trained. So, if we are to do so, we would even have a more serious shortage of teachers. So, as of now, those who want to train pay their own fees. Once they are through with their training, they get promotion and salary adjustment.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am glad that the Assistant Minister is considering to promote P1 teachers who pursue university degrees. I just want him to confirm that some ten years ago, the Ministry of Education removed all non-graduate Turkana teachers from positions of responsibility in terms of management to the classroom due to lack of university education. This necessitated a big number of those teachers to pursue university degrees. Could he assure the House that now that those teachers have acquired university degrees, he will appoint those teachers who are qualified to positions of AEOs, tutors and, indeed, District Education Officers (DEO) because we do not have a single one from Turkana District?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, once they forward their certificates they will be considered for promotion. Some of them will be put in the position of quality assessment officers and all other senior offices that will be available.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, some of the teachers that we have in this Republic work in areas that are in actual fact hardship areas, but are not so classified. It becomes difficult for them to attend classes to further their careers. Under those circumstances, what is the Ministry doing to ensure that teachers who are in far flung areas have access to further education?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if I got the hon. Member well, he wants me to tell him what we will do for those teachers who are in hardship in areas to access further education. It has to be their initiative. We do not take universities to those areas. But otherwise, when it comes to hardship allowance, they benefit from that.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The Assistant Minister cannot get away with this. Which employer can state that he does not care about his employees and their progress? What is he doing to provide incentives for his employees, so that they pursue their careers further? That is the question as asked by hon. Olago.

The Ministry’s incentive is that once those teachers upgrade their education, they will be promoted accordingly.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, considering that getting education is not a very easy process, why does it take the Ministry so long to upgrade teachers to the next level once the education qualifications have been presented?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, since last year we have upgraded over 2,000 teachers who graduated. That tells you that we are doing it. Any teacher who presents his or her certificates will get a promotion and salary adjustment. So, it is up to

Last question, Mr. Chepkittony!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want the Assistant Minister to confirm or deny whether the teachers who attained the grade of C-(minus), went to a teachers college, graduated with a P1 and then they undertook a degree programme qualify to be promoted. The minimum qualification for a university degree is a C+ (plus) but the P1teachers got C-(minus) previously and went for P1 course are eligible for promotion after attaining a university degree.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you know very well that the Ministry of Education does not admit teachers for degree programmes. It is up to the university to decide whether the grade of C-(minus) or C+ (plus) can be admissible for a degree programme. The Ministry deals with certificates when they are presented. That is the policy as per today.

asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government:- (a) if he could invite the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) to investigate the fraud by the Mara Conservancy and the Directors of Oloolo Game Ranch who have prevented the County Council of Transmara from conducting any business for over a year now; (b) whether he could also order an independent audit of the books of accounts for the Mara Conservancy, while ensuring that the Transmara county Council has a competent Clerk; and, (c) whether he could undertake to the House to prosecute those found to have taken part in fraudulent activities and recover all monies due to the Council.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg the indulgence of the House. I have asked the indulgence of the hon. Member if I could answer this Question tomorrow afternoon.

Is it because you are not happy with the answer you have?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have been advised by my Minister to consult with him first before I give it.

Hon. Member, are you happy with the Assistant Minister coming with a better answer than he has now?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the House is aware of the problem that has been bedevilling the County Council of Transmara and the Question is about the auditing of the books of the Mara conservancy. It is about the fraud that has been going on for the last one year and the recovery of the money.

Mr. Assistant Minister, when will you have an appropriate answer ready?

Tomorrow afternoon, Sir.

It is so directed! The Question will appear on the Order Paper tomorrow afternoon, Next Question by Mr. ole Lankas!

asked the Minister for Roads the plans the Government has to tarmac the remaining part of Narok-Nakuru Road.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. My Ministry is in the process of procuring a consultant for the design and review of the remaining 37 kilometres of Road C57 from Narok to Mau Narok. The process is anticipated to be completed before the end of August, 2009. The Ministry shortlisted consultants for the design review of the roads and the following six qualified: Apex Consortium Limited, East African Engineering Consultants, Gibb Africa Limited, Howard Humphrey, Abdul Mulik Associates Limited and Cars Consultants. The evaluation of the tender is ongoing and is expected to be completed by August after which the contract would be given within the last six months and, thereafter, we shall award the contract for construction.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank the Assistant Minister for the answer but I would like to say that this is a road with a very long history. The tarmacking of this road started way back in 1968 and up to date, it has never been completed. Could he clarify how many times the Government has attempted to tarmac this road and the amount of money involved?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate that there have been several attempts to have the road tarmacked previously but I may not be able to give the exact figures because the Question did not entail that. I want to assure the hon. Member that we are committed to ensuring that the road is done because it connects Nakuru to Narok which is part of the tourism circuit. The Ministry has started work from Elementaita and we shall ensure that it is completed this Financial Year.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the problem of the Mau Forest is because of this road. There is no access to Mau, especially from Narok to Nakuru because the road is impassable. Indeed, if you look at the records in the Government, it shows that this road is tarmacked. So, somebody “ate money” and nobody accounted for the money. Today, if this road had been tarmacked, the police and the council askaris would arrest people who are invading and destroying the Mau Forest. Could the Assistant Minister assure this House that money can now be provided not only to enable the road to be done, but to enable the Mau Forest to be protected?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate that the role of this road is indeed important in ensuring that conservation efforts go on. I want to assure the hon. Member and the House in general that we are committed to ensuring that the road is done. Currently, tourists who come to Nakuru have to go through Naivasha while going to Narok and Maasai Mara. This is over 100 kilometres in excess. So, we have prioritized this road and we shall ensure that it is done once and for all.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was expecting the Assistant Minister to tell the House the amount of money so far used on this road but it is not in his answer. However, I wish the Assistant Minister could confirm to this House that this time round, the remaining section of 37 kilometres is going to be tarmacked.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to once again repeat that we are committed to ensuring that the road is done and we are not evading the Question regarding how much money has been used. It is only that the Question did not specifically ask for that. If the hon. Member feels that it is important to get that information, then we will endeavor to ensure that it is done.

Hon. Members, I direct that Question 290 by Mr. Washiali appears on the Order Paper tomorrow and takes priority over all other Ordinary Questions.

Hon. Members, there is a Ministerial Statement which was sought by Mr. Mungatana. However, there is a procedural matter that we need to go back to. Mr. Midiwo, you did not give notice of the Substantive Motion. You only gave notice of the Procedural Motion. Proceed now and give notice of the Substantive Motion.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:- THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No.159, the following Membership of Select Committees be approved:-

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I expected my Question to be on the Order Paper for this afternoon but when the Order Paper came, it had disappeared. Rules of natural justice would dictate--- because when an hon. Member is absent from the House, the Question is dropped. When a Minister is allegedly absent, we are not even notified. Is it not only fair that both parties are consulted? I am not questioning why the Question should not be answered now but I have the right to know because I had to mobilize myself to come all the way from Lodwar for a Question that has disappeared from the Order Paper.

Mr. Ethuro, under the circumstances, since Mr. Mungatana is not in, I think the Minister appreciates your sentiments and the House at large. Nonetheless, I have directed that we are going to have Ministerial Statements.

Hon. Members, I had directed that, initially, Ministerial Statements by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government which was sought by Mr. Mbugua; another one for Mr. Namwamba from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; one for Mr. Mungatana from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry for Local Government and finally, for Mr. Kazungu from the Ministry of Information and Communications were supposed to be delivered today. But under the circumstances today being a day of Committee of Ways and Means, the Chair directs that all these Ministerial Statements be deferred to next week on Tuesday. Next Order!

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I sought a Ministerial Statement from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. It was rescheduled to this week.

When this week? Today?

Yes, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Can you now confirm with the HANSARD and approach the Chair? Hon. Members, you all are in possession of a Supplementary Order Paper and we are now moving to it. Next Order!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion:- THAT, notwithstanding the provision of Standing Order No.20(2), this House orders that the sitting time of the House today be extended from 6.30 p.m. until the conclusion of the business appearing in the Supplementary Order Paper.

Who is seconding the Motion?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to second.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, from this side of the House, we want to support the Motion the Leader of Government Business has moved in this House for the simple reason that we need to form these Committees today so that we get Parliament moving and we decide on the things that need to be decided on. The House has already referred several matters and Questions to Departmental Committees. We need to have these things sorted out. So, we would like to pass this Motion without much debate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to support the sentiments expressed by Mr. Mungatana and the Leader of Government Business. I just want to add one thing; that the lack of planning on their part should not be automatic emergency on ours by extending time. This is something they should have done ages ago and we are only allowing him only one more time: In future, they should get their act together! I beg to support.

Next Order!

Who was on the Floor? Mr. Mwadeghu, do you want to finish your time or had you concluded your contribution?

Bw. Naibu Spika, sikuwa nimemaliza. Nilipewa dakika mbili tu. Kwa hivyo, naomba nichukue dakika zangu kumi. Kama hapo awali nilipokuwa nimesema, tunamshukuru Naibu wa Waziri Mkuu na Waziri wa Fedha kwa mchango wake ambao ametoa wakati wa kutoa ratiba ya fedha za Serikali. Nilizungumza kwa kirefu na nikajazia kuwa mna mambo kadha wa kadha ambayo tungependa yafafanuliwe na yaelezwe vile yatakvyokuwa yakitekelezwa. Kama tulivyosomewa Makadirio ya Fedha za Serikali, ilibainika wazi kuwa fedha nyingi zinapelekwa kwa Wizara na haifafanuliwa waziwazi jinsi Wizara hizo zitatumia fedha hizo. Tukiangalia shughuli ambazo ziko za Wizara, tuna wasiwasi huenda Wizara zikawa ni chanzo cha kushikilia fedha hizo ili zisiende katika shughuli ambazo zinatakiwa. Tunaomba wakati huu, Wizara zisiwe ni pingamizi za kuzuia fedha zisiingie katika shughuli za utekelezaji wa kazi. Shughuli zingine ni za barabara. Tumeona kuwa mwaka huu Makadirio ya Fedha yameonyesha wazi nia ya Serikali ya kuhakikisha kuwa muundo msingi nchini umetekelezwa Lakini wasiwasi wetu ni kuwa huenda fedha hizi pia zikaenda sehemu fulani na zingine zikaachwa. Tungeweka mkazo kuwa wakati huu, kwa sababu tumejua katika visa vya 2007 moja ya matatizo tuliokuwa nayo ni kuwa wananchi walikuwa

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I want to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for a very brave and people-focused Budget. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to lend the same voice with the Minister in noting and acknowledging the effects of the international financial crisis in developing countries. It is, indeed, important that the Minister has acknowledged the need to plan for the effects that it will have in our country because failure to plan is planning to fail.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, from what the Minister presented, there is a projected decelerated growth rate from 5.5 per cent in 2008 to 1.7 per cent in 2009, which is extremely alarming. I want to urge the Minister that, over and above what he has

Order, Dr. Khalwale and hon. Olago!

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to laud the Budget for not only realizing the effects of the global crisis, but also the internal crisis that has actually taken us back. As a country, we must work towards reclaiming our lost glory even as we are dealing with the effects of the exogenous shocks. That is why I want to commend the Minister for Finance for saying: “We must now gather courage, adopt a positive spirit and commit ourselves to moving forward.” I hope those are not empty words and that, as a country, we shall be committed to moving forward. Being committed to moving forward will need every single hon. Member of goodwill. It will not require the passing of the buck on the Principals, a common language that we have adopted in this House. Every time there is a problem we say: “The Principals!” We are failing to acknowledge where we, as hon. Members, are failing. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to laud the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance especially for noting that in the years 2002 to 2007, we had laid a foundation that was shaken. But because it is intact, we can now build on it. I want to laud, specifically, the core issues mentioned that would spiral us back on the right path. One of the most important things that I have noted is the issue of regional inequalities that the Budget has sought to address. Unless this country deals with issues of marginalization and regional inequalities, we shall still face the problems that we faced in 2007. Therefore, this is, indeed, a bold step towards bringing peace back into this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to address the issue of youth and unemployment. I do not think that the youth is an issue in itself, because it is a transitory stage. But the issue that affects the youth is unemployment. That this Budget addresses the issue of unemployment is, indeed, important. But the challenge is that if you actually look at the stimulus plan and other strategies that have been put in place, we must give it a gender face. That is because when you look at some of the strategies that we are putting in place, they exclude women and we would, therefore, be calling on the Minister, perhaps, to work closer with gender experts to help in terms of ways that women can be more involved.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also laudable that the vulnerable, poor and marginalized people have been included. The issue of governance is a challenge and it is, actually, laudable that we have acknowledged, as a House, that it is a problem and that, unless we deal with issues of governance, the country will continually regress.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I also want to state from the outset that the Minister for Finance, who is also a Deputy Prime Minister, has done this country a great service. He has looked at the times and decided, wisely, that it is time to have the fundamentals now for a better tomorrow. Under such economic times, the normal words being branded around would be “economic meltdown and financial issues”, and the Minister for Finance would react. The knee-jerk reaction would be to increase taxes, which would not have helped us much. But this time, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, having looked at the situation, has seen it fit that he should engage more in consumption, encourage more investments and have more disposable income, so that Kenyans can be able to enjoy some quality life without necessarily suffering. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, having said that, of course, the greatest room is room for improvement. In his eloquence, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance gave Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) Kshs12,329,000,000. The law requires that CDF allocation is based on a minimum of 2.5 per cent of the Budget. Knowing that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance has been grappling with issues of so many errors to the extent that others refer to him as the “era of errors”, again, the mathematics could not add up.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also like to join my colleagues in congratulating the Minister for Finance, Mr. Kenyatta, for a Budget that is almost entirely positive. Most ordinary Kenyans understand that the Government has made pragmatic decisions that will keep this economy on the right track. Even in the face of the global financial crisis, the Minister made sure that he had allocated some serious Government expenditure to keep the economy going and to make sure that people have the money to spend. That is what responsible governments do in times of recession. President Obama did the same by allocating billions of dollars to stimulate or jumpstart a sluggish economy through Government expenditure on various infrastructures. For too long, previous Budgets did isolate rural areas. They mostly concentrated on urban areas. The 2009 Budget focused on the rural areas mainly in protecting jobs and massive spending on national infrastructure and delivering new community health and education facilities for various constituencies. This translates to economic empowerment and uplifting the livelihood of the common people in the rural areas through economic empowerment. In economics, it is called the trickle-down effect. The more you have, the more you spend. The more you spend the more the economy gets stronger. In other words, spending is the backbone of economic growth. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the 2006 /2007 fiscal Budget, when Mr. Kenyatta was the Official Leader of Opposition, cited that the Budget that was put aside for the youth and arid areas was timely. I quote what he said: “This is the first time issues about the youth are being addressed and I urge the Government to exercise transparency in administrating the fund.” Mr. Kenyatta has done that ten times or more to make sure that the needy in our societies have got more. This Budget supports jobs in a number of ways. First, it supports them through the significant spending programme that the Government has undertaken such as infrastructure. This will clearly go a long way in supporting creation of jobs, infrastructure like buildings, upgrading schools, roads, houses and schools. The other positive aspect of this Budget is the fact that the Minister introduced a new railway line from Mombasa to Uganda. This is a clear indication that this Government and the Minister himself is trying to diversify our mode of transportation. Kudos to him! He did not also forget the disabled. While most Budgets have not in the past taken care of the disabled in our society, this one has. We appreciate that. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister also allocated some money for solar power and other forms of energy. While I do appreciate that, but as Mr. Ethuro put it very clearly, we have the dam in River Omo. River Omo puts 90 per cent of fresh water into Lake Turkana. The main aim is for the Ethiopian Government to produce electricity that the Kenya Government is planning to buy. We have areas around Lake Turkana that are rich in wind. They are capable of producing 30 per cent of the current energy in this country. Why would we destroy our lake? Why would we not exploit our power like wind power and solar in this day and era whereas in 2030 China will produce 25 per cent of its power based on renewable energies like wind power and solar? Those are the things we need to look at. We need to put more money in our environment. Our rivers have stopped flowing. Our forests are disappearing. In this day and age where the rains are not enough, we are

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this debate. From the outset, I would like to dedicate my remarks to the very rich and encouraging comments that I received from the people of Mukurweini, my constituents, on the day that the hon. Minister for Finance read the Budget. It was very inspiring. I can sum it that it was sort of welfare-ist. It gave a lot of encouragement to our people. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, one of my constituents sent me a message that carried a very good biblical quote, Romans Chapter 5 verse 5. It says: “when you invest in hope, that hope will never disappoint you.” Realizing that the devolution of resources is happening and is now being entrenched in the Budget as presented by the Minister, the call and expectation by many people is that there will be a systematic devolution of bureaucracy, so that we reduce the bureaucratic fat heads at the top. This will ensure that the focus and advice is put on the ground. A lot of commentators have asked how this money will be managed. There is a misconception that this is money for the MPs. In fact, it is a bit ridiculous that when devolution of resources is happening, many people tend to trivialize the very important milestone as captured in the Minister’s Budget Speech. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is need for a Constituency Resource Management committee that will synergize money from the central Government, money devolved as the CDF, money devolved as the Local Authorities Transfer Fund (LATF), money from donors and money or resources mobilized by the community, so that projects that are

Thank you Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to also contribute to the Budget. I stand here to support the Budget proposals that were presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. One of the most important things that came out of the Budget was devolution. This means that the Budget has given power to the people

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to join my colleagues in congratulating the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for a

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I rise here to make my contribution in respect to the Budget that was read by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance a few days ago. I would like to say that this was a mwananchi’s Budget. It was intended to take resources from a centralized point to the people at the grassroots. It is money that will bring a lot of development to the beneficiaries. For a long time, money has been administered without necessarily taking into account the interests of the people at the grassroots level. This means that the projects that are initiated may not necessarily be influenced by the need on the ground. The Minister has devolved resources down to the people. If what we have observed through the usage of the CDF and the transformation it has brought to the lives of the people, is anything to go by, then it is definitely going to be very useful in the development of this country. It will bring revolution in the countryside. It will also bring equity in this country. For a long time, the inequity has contributed to conflict that we have had. I can assure you equity is one way of bringing about harmony in the country. There will be less conflict now because the major cause of problem in this country has been because of distribution of resources. The struggle for leadership has been over management of the resources of this country. Now that the resources are going to every part of this country, there will be equitable distribution of resources. There is need to have a new Constitution. The new Constitution has envisaged that with devolved power and resources, people of this country will be in charge of their own affairs. They will decide what needs to be done for them. So, the Budget is good for the people of this country. I want to thank the Minister for allowing the people to participate in decision making as concerns the usage of resources in this country.

The other thing that is important is that as we devolve these funds to the constituencies, proper management of this money is very crucial. Those MPs who have applied their CDF well, have faced challenges here and there. This was just a small amount of money but looking at the kind of money that will be in the hands of MPs from now on and assuming that all the monies that have been budgeted will be released on time, there will be even more challenges. We need to put in place measures to ensure that this money is properly managed. I believe the role of officials in Treasury will be to formulate policies and train managers who will manage this money, so that it is properly used to achieve the objectives that wananchi want.

In this Budget, there are also sensitive areas that needed greater emphasis and attention. The agricultural sector got a raw deal. We keep talking about the agricultural sector being the backbone of the economy of this country. This is an area that needs a lot of funding, so that we diversify from the traditional farming methods where we have for a long time relied on rainfall to provide food for this country. In future, the Minster should put more money into this sector, so that we do not only rely on rain-fed agriculture, but we do irrigation. If we do so, I can assure you that this country will not only provide food for its own citizens, but will also be a net exporter. If you look at all

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to add my voice in support of this Budget. For the first time, this Budget can be called a grassroots budget. I want to support it. This is a serious attempt at devolution. We know that all of us have been agitating for devolution of power and funds. This Budget has made a very serious attempt at devolution of funds and is going to facilitate equitable distribution of resources that we have been calling for as Kenyans.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with devolution comes a lot of positives and I want to support it fully because the funds that have been devolved to the grassroots are

Order, hon. Members!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if hon. Members implement the policy of engaging contractors from the local communities, this is going to encourage more people to become self-employed by way of encouraging business entrepreneurs. Skilled labour, which is currently lying dormant at the grassroots, is also going to be absorbed and engaged actively.

This Budget is going to stimulate rural economies that have been neglected by other budgets over the years. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance gave us a Budget that has a bold spending on infrastructure development. We all know that this is the bedrock of every development. With that kind of spending on infrastructure, I believe that we are going to see enhanced development at the grassroots level and this, again, is going to give us a broad-based margin for returns because it is going to facilitate investment at the grassroots level.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Budget gave us an affirmative action by facilitating the aged and the physically challenged for the first time in the history of this nation. While I congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for making provisions for those two categories of citizens, a very critical category was left out; the vulnerable children, especially those who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Almost in every constituency, you will find that little girls, as young as nine years old, getting married or being raped because there is no one to take care of them. If we could make provision in our budgetary allocation to construct enough boarding schools, especially for the girls and other children who have been orphaned, then we would give them a very good opportunity to learn in a conducive environment and create better leaders for this country.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to laud the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for putting a moratorium and a ceiling on the spending by Ministries. It is known that hard times call for hard decisions and I want all legislators not to object or resist any such move that has been put in place by the Minister. All of us must support him because as leaders, we must lead by example. However, there is no such thing as a perfect Budget. I believe that the Ministry of Agriculture should have been given more allocation. It is a shame that a country as old as Kenya still suffers from lack of food as we have experienced in the recent past. For the first time, we should have asked them what the need so that they do not have any excuse as to why they cannot feed this nation. That should be looked into next time.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will take a very short time because I can see the level of interest is high and we do not have much time. I just want to say that once again, let me congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. For well-deserved and well-earned congratulations, give him a pat on the back. For once, everybody in this House agrees that this is the best Budget this country has ever had. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance said that it was a pro- poor Budget but I would add that it was a pro-equity Budget. The question being raised by the ordinary wananchi is whether this will actually happen. It has happened on paper. It is a pro-equity and pro-poor Budget on paper but will it be the same when it comes to implementation? I want to assure the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance that we will go a long way in supporting him to the last point as long as the implementation of this Budget happens as he presented it in this House. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Budget has addressed what many Kenyans have been fighting for. It carries the fears and the aspirations of many Kenyans. Kenyans were forced to butcher one another because of inequity in development. There has been skewed resource allocation in this country where some parts of the country are developed while others are forgotten. The Budget has addressed equity regionally and the social classes in the society. For the first time, every constituency is assured of having a centre of excellence for a budgeted allocation of Kshs30 million; Kshs20 million for health, some Kshs3.5 million for Jua Kali sheds and many other things.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, long gone are the days when Ministers would sit in some cocoons and allocate resources in a skewed manner that would make hon. Members to go and beg in the Ministries to be considered for a health centre in their constituencies. Ministries have been given specific directions that every constituency has to taste apart of the cake this country has. This will address most of our fears and cries for a very long time.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Bura Irrigation Scheme was one of the projects that were mentioned by name in the Budget. I want to thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and the whole team from Treasury for considering that constituency and the irrigation scheme that collapsed in the early 1980s. This has deprived the people of Bura Constituency their economic livelihood. So, to come and develop and revive that scheme, will make many Kenyans have food on the table. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to the many fish ponds which will be constructed in over 140 constituencies, I assume Bura Constituency will be one of them. I think this is part of the Budget that has addressed the regional inequities that

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. We all wish to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. It is well known that some of us have spoken and said that we would like a qualified accountant or somebody well known in finance to head the Ministry of Finance. We have been shown that, that is not true. What we needed was an outsider who was not blinkered by the finance and other

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to comment on the Budget Speech.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to rise---

Order, Mr. Ogindo! Are you contributing just as an hon. Member or as the Chair?

I am contributing as the Chair.

Then hold on a bit. Proceed, hon. Wathika!

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support the Motion. I want, on the outset, to congratulate the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for a Budget which was well thought-out and well articulated.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the fact that resources are now devolved to the constituencies will give us no reason for animosity as a country. So, the Minister, by the very fact that he has devolved resources, has opened up Kenyans to start loving one another. That is because Kenyans have always complained that certain areas are favoured by the Government and that is why, unless one of them is a President, they will not see any development. So, congratulations, Mr. Minister! Now that funds have been devolved to the constituencies and the authority given to the constituencies, that must help to spur

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise here to support the Motion. The Budget that was read by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance was both inspiring and visionary. The Budget has put emphasis on the constituencies which are focal points for development. Therefore, the constituencies have a lot more in play with regard to the current proposed Budget. To me, this Budget is a reflection of devolution which is something we have been crying for, for many years. Devolution comes with a lot of responsibilities in terms of management. I do not want to take long on this matter now that many hon. Members have talked about it. I only want to raise one or two issues about the Budget. When all of us were campaigning to come to Parliament, we were singing a lot about the youth of this country. When I look at the youth of this country, I realise that they represent a time bomb. This is in the sense that they are people who expect a lot from us, but they are not getting it. I am glad that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance has addressed this issue through the Kazi kwa Vijana Programme. However, there are other areas where these issues can be addressed but the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance seems to have forgotten. The main issue is to revive some of the major industries that have collapsed and would otherwise employ many people, including the youth. I have in mind the Pan African Paper Mills in Webuye. This factory can employ not less than 3,000 youth directly. It can support not less than100,000 people indirectly. This is the case and yet this factory has collapsed. Papers have been written by experts indicating that the factory is highly profitable, revivable and can be run by Kenyans if only the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance can inject about Kshs1.6 billion as working capital. I have not seen this money in the Budget, but I hope that there is a reflection of it in one way or another. I urge the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance to confirm in his reply that, indeed, Pan African Paper Mills is taken care of. Could he assure us that the factory will be revived as promised before the end of this month?

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion.

I would also like to commend the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for coming up with a very ambitious, forward-looking and visionary Budget that we have never witnessed in this country before. It is ambitious in the sense that, if you looked at the predictions that were being given before Budget Day, he was expected to tax us more because we needed money to jump-start the economy because of the global recession. However, he confounded all those critics by doing the opposite of what they were expecting him to do. He did not increase taxes. He decided to use what was there, spend what we will be able to raise and even spend what we cannot raise, by borrowing from what is available in the local market. This is a very good and ambitious Budget that makes every Kenyan, from Nairobi to the villages to smile because their pockets are not being squeezed any further. They have already been squeezed to the limit. This is very commendable, the idea being that once this money is pumped into the villages, projects and infrastructure, it is likely to jump-start the economy, spur growth, create more wealth and enable us to have space for taxation in future.

The philosophy he is using is the philosophy that the herdsmen use. During lean times, when there is no grass and cows are very thin, if you push the cow to produce milk, when you are not feeding them, you will be a very foolish herdsman. You must, first, look for a way of feeding the cow. Look for some greener pastures elsewhere, feed the cow and then expect the cow to produce milk. That is what he did.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, he went beyond the traditional Budgets that we are used to, where money is put in the Ministry, but no direction is given as to what specific projects will benefit from it. That is what Ministers have been using over the years to influence Members of Parliament, extend their powers by giving favours to whoever they wanted and refuse to give favours to others who did not toe their lines. That is why Ministers have been extremely powerful in this country. So, Members of Parliament have to sit in their desks, from morning to evening, “borrowing” water projects, like I have been doing in Mrs. Ngilu’s office for the last one year and getting nothing.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. Let me at the outset take this opportunity to congratulate very sincerely our able Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for doing what has never been done in the history of this country. He has managed to devolve funds as we have always been advocating for, for years.

You will recall when we had a lot of confrontations during the Bomas Draft when we were talking about the constitutional review process. The position the majority of Kenyans have been advocating for is such that funds and management of the country must be devolved to the grassroots level. When he got this opportunity, he took it and utilized it perfectly. For that, we say, congratulations. Much has been said about resettlement of IDPS. As the Assistant Minister in that Ministry, I know the challenges that go with it. We were handicapped financially for the better part of last year. The remaining bit was to be tackled as soon as finances were available. Mr. Kenyatta has taken this opportunity to ensure that finances are provided so that we are able to complete this exercise. In due course, once these funds are released, then the history of IDPs chapter will be closed. Everybody will be able to go back to their own businesses. In that light, we say congratulations again. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is something that I must mention before I sit down. That is to do with the water sector. The hon. Minister has managed to provide a whopping kshs4.4 billion to the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to be channeled to various constituencies. I want to support what Mr. Kiunjuri mentioned that this idea of doing things from national level has been curtailing development at the grassroots level.

I recall that last year we were given a lot of money under the emergency sector for water. To date, we have not utilized some of those funds. We are talking of emergency provisions, yet we do not have exemptions for tendering. Once you follow that bureaucratic system of tendering, and yet people are lacking water, I think we are defeating the purpose of provision of water.

As I speak, majority of my people have crossed into Ethiopia in search of water and pasture. It will do us a lot of good if what the Minister has provided for in his Budget can be utilized by relevant Ministries urgently, so that our people can appreciate the efforts made by our able Minister.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, however, I have to mention about his provision for the Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands. When we talk about opening up northern Kenya and other arid lands in this country, we have got to be serious. The provision we were given last year was a meager

I am being told that it is time for the Chairman of the Budget Committee and then the Minister to respond.

Thank you Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I rise to support the Budget Speech but would also like to make a few comments. My commendation goes straight to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for such an unprecedented Budget. I say it is unprecedented because it is the first time that the Minister has made constituency the focal point of development. I want to take the Minister’s words because this is a step that once taken, there is no reverse gear. The rest of the country is looking forward to a better and stronger devolution than the apparent one that we have right now. I believe the Minister is intent in giving conditional grants to the line Ministries with direct instructions that these reach respective constituencies. We are looking forward to that reality. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as a Committee, we are very happy that the Minister lived up to his word that he is ready to work with Parliament and the Committee. True to his words, today I am reliably informed that we have the Fiscal Management Bill assented to. I want to congratulate the President and the Minister for having worked so hard to ensure that the Budget process is democratized. On our side, I must say the Committee is looking forward to seeing an arithmetically correct Budget. We are looking forward to seeing a fiscally and monetary sound Budget. We are looking forward to seeing an economically sensible Budget. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I must say from the outset, that it is not the intention of this Committee to frustrate the efforts of the Executive. We know the Executive has a duty to run the Government and this House has a duty to ensure that the Government runs well on behalf of the people of Kenya. We have complimentary roles. We want to do this work in the best interest of this country because the Executive belongs to this country, the House belongs to this country and Members of the Committee also belong to this country. We all have a duty to improve the welfare and living standards of the people of this country. I know the Fiscal Management Bill is coming rather belatedly for this Budget. However, I must put it on record that that is an indication of goodwill on the part of the Executive. We would now require that we dry run the Fiscal Management Bill so that in next financial year, we are able to operationalize it. On that note, I want to ask the

Order! Order! Mr. Minister, it is your time to respond and I understand that you are donating some of your time. Is it true or are you going straight on?

Yes, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am donating five minutes to the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade.

Mr. Okemo, you have five minutes of the Minister’s time.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Minister for giving me the opportunity to make very brief comments. First, I think there are many changes in this Budget as compared to others before and in a positive direction. Devolution was one thing that hon. Members received positively. There are a few challenges and I just want to bring out what they are. The total Budget is about Kshs867 billion; the total receipts from all sources put together is about Kshs672 billion. So, the actual Budget deficit is Kshs195 billion. People have been talking about Kshs109 billion, I do not know where that is coming from. But if you look at the finance statements, it is Kshs195 billion. It is also shown there how the money is going to be raised and most of it is through bonds. If it is bonds, that means it is money that is going to come from the money market and that is going to be competing with the private sector, which means that the Minister has to really balance things out very carefully to ensure that he does not crowd out the private sector or create a situation where interest rates will go up and, therefore the cost of money will be high. So, I am just bringing out these things for the benefit of the Minister that he should take note of them. Directionally, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister has done better this year than last year because last year, the Recurrent Budget was 75 per cent of the total Budget. This year, the Recurrent Budget is 70 per cent of the total Budget, which means that the Development Budget has gone up by 5 per cent from 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the total. Obviously, that is where the growth comes from. So, I think that is the direction we need to encourage the Minister to move so that as we move along, we should end up with more development than recurrent expenditure because that is what creates growth. Finally, I think the Minister will need to be careful about the borrowing vis-Ă -vis where it is going. Fortunately, I have looked at the numbers very carefully and I have seen that the total revenue excluding any borrowings, more or less covers the Recurrent Budget. So, the borrowings only go towards a part of the Development Budget and I

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. As I beg to reply, I would like to begin by thanking hon. Members for the valuable and constructive contributions that they have made on the Debate on the Budget Speech. I do believe that this shows both support and commitment by hon. Members to the policies that the Government intends to implement during the upcoming financial year. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I mentioned in my Speech, hon. Members are, indeed, aware of the circumstances under which the 2009 Budget is premised and the need to urgently overcome both the social and economic challenges that our country faces today. We need to do that in order not just to restore the confidence of the people of Kenya in their country and in their institutions, but also to restore the confidence of the international investing community in Kenya’s stable future.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is for these reasons that we chose purposely, to take bold and what we believed to be progressive steps aimed at transforming our country in an equitable manner. It is for that reason that the overriding objective of the 2009 Budget was to stimulate growth in our country, endeavoring to protect jobs while, at the same time, aiming to reduce poverty in every corner of our country and enhancing food security. We are doing everything that we can to cushion, especially the most vulnerable in our society, from the effects of the downturn in our economy.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is on that basis that my Speech revolved around the five major pillars that are largely maintaining a stable macro-economic environment; continuing to focus, as a Government and as a nation, on key infrastructure facilities and public works throughout the country; promoting equitable regional and social development for the political stability of our country while, at the same time, investing in our environment and food security. We recognize that the challenges of governance that we have as a country must be dealt with, if we are to truly improve our ability to deliver services to our people.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Members, in their debate, have raised a number of issues. First and foremost, I would like to state that, again, as I emphasized in my Speech, the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), since its inception, has made tremendous progress in promoting regional development in our country.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the main thrust, therefore, in our Budget proposals is to enhance on the good work and ensure that budgetary resources reach the people at the constituency level. Since the focus is to stimulate economic activity at the constituency level, I want to reiterate again that the resources will be channeled as conditional - and I repeat - conditional stimulus, not to be used for any other purpose through the respective Ministries Votes and will be released under the existing CDF framework.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move:- THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 159 the following Membership of Select Committees be approved:-

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, under Standing Order 48, I would like to read Membership as amended. We have been working on the list

During the course of your moving the Motion, you can introduce the minor amendments that you have indicated. You can state what they are so that you do not interrupt when moving the Motion.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have been working on the list of the Members of Select Committees but even as we came to the House we realized that, for instance, under Standing Orders, we needed to make amendments to accommodate the Speaker, the Clerk of the National Assembly as well as the Sergeant-at-Arms under the Catering Committee. Under the Standing Orders, the Library Committee is to be chaired by the Deputy Speaker, in this case Mr. Farah Maalim.

Now you can read the list and when you get the areas you have deleted or added, you indicate and point out that it has no direct effect on the substance of the Motion.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the substance of this Motion will not be altered. As I will point out later, my colleague Mr. Jakoyo Midiwo and I have tried to create the best balance possible, keeping in mind the relative majorities of the various political parties in the House or numbers. We believe we have been true to that principle and the changes proposed will not affect it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Membership is as follows:-

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to second the list as read by my co-whip. I will say very little because as you know, it has been many days as we haggled over this. When we finally agreed, there is a lot of relief. I want to ask colleagues that you may not be very happy but for me, I am happy. We had to give and take. Sometimes back, we agreed that to elevate the status of hon. Members who are chairmen of Committees, that those who will be elected will give up membership in all the other Committees so that people with more time can serve in the rest of the other Committees. We reached that conclusion after looking at the attendance roster. Sometimes, the chairpersons would get very busy. For example, I know Dr. Khalwale did a very good job as the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee but because of the amount of work, he could not attend the other Committees. He appeared once during the election of the chair. Hon. Members will have to give and take. I saw that the media was carrying it negatively but I do not think we could have done it otherwise. There are also others who insist that they want to be in very many busy committees. I want to plead with you, given that a lot of work is now going to be done by committees, as the chairpersons resign from other Committees, we would also call upon other hon. Members who are in many powerful Committees to give up some so that everybody can serve equal-strength Committees. I think hon. Members owe that to each other. Let us do that so that we can move our country forward. My colleague and I have spent a lot of time. The Standing Orders now have accommodated the position of the vice chair. So, in the spirit of give and take, it would only be fair that we use the position of the chair and the vice chair to trade off, so that the elections go smoothly. I hope hon. Members will be willing to do that, so that there is no much acrimony. Lastly, I want to plead with my colleagues who are in Committees--- We have had a bad experience. In fact, ODM was insisting that we take all the Committees because of the fear that Committees are being misused by hon. Members. Chairmen of Committees were using them for political reasons. We want to plead with you to use the Committees for what they are meant for. I say this because there is nothing in the conclusion that is in the body. In other words, you plug the conclusions away from your investigations. That, to me, is demeaning to the dignity of this House. I think hon. Members can do better for our country. We need to just accept that as elected legislators, we need not use taxpayers’ money in a way that just irritates the whole process. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to end by pointing out that the Standing Orders now say that any hon. Member who misses Committee Sittings for four consecutive times will automatically be struck off the Committee. So, we expect co- operation from hon. Members who would not want to be frequent in Committees so that when we strike you off, it is not us but the law and the rules of the House. It is very important to do that so that we have this right for posterity. With those few remarks, I beg to second.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support the Motion. However, I would like to stress that it is through these Committees that this august House retained

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute. I would like to, first of all, thank the Government Joint Whips because, having been very close to them in the House Business Committee, I know that the exercise was very difficult. With regard to the issue of the Leader of Government Business, which is now vexing, I wish the President and the Prime Minister could have the wisdom of relying on the tactics used by Messrs. Jakoyo Midiwo and George Thuo, so that we also overcome that problem. We really want to have a Leader of Government Business in this House because there are many times we have had problems of Ministers not coming to answer Questions. If we had a substantive Leader of Government Business, this would not be a problem. However, I would like to regret the delay in the naming of these Committees. Because the two Whips were guided by the spirit of the National Accord, I am hoping that, gain, as we move into the stage of electing the various Chairs of the Committees, again, the spirit of the National Accord will guide us, so that we do not have parochial interests making it difficult for elections to be smooth in the various Committees. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the election of Chairs, I have no doubt in my mind that no one is perfect. In fact, I believe all the Members of those Committees can make very good Chairs. So as to avoid acrimony, it would be very nice if the various Committees consider the option of consensus so that all the key players are seen to benefit one way or the other. It will be very important that both the ODM and PNU closed with Members who do not come from the small parties. Let me tell you the experience of a small party in this country; the Independent Party of one Kalembe Ndile. It was a very insignificant party but when the chips were down, the then Government Chief Whip, hon. Norman Nyagah, after he had ran around, the only door that he found open that would allow him to defend his seat here in Kamukunji was actually TIP TIP. So as we enjoy our elevated positions in our parties, let us remember that. When I say this, I do not have the New FORD (K) in mind. I know the New FORD (K) has got two Members and several councilors. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue of the just ended outgoing Committee, I really, personally thank the various Committees and especially the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which I had the privilege of chairing. This was an exemplary Committee of how parties can close ranks both in the elections and in the

on a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Now that we have been waiting for this list for a very long time and finally, it has been laid, would I be in order to ask the Mover to reply?

The Temporary Deputy Speaker (Mr. Imanyara): Let me allow Mr. Jamleck Kamau to contribute.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I really wanted to say something on this issue because I think it is extremely important. I think we cannot conclude without thanking both Whips for what they have done. It is important to realize that recently, they were awarded the honour of the Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH). I think the President saw something good in them because they have done a good job. In fact, if you asked me, I will say they even deserve to be called Deputy Principals because they can do a very good job on that. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are several issues which were raised--- Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think there are several issues which were raised which are extremely important. One of the issues is that it is extremely important for one to resign any other position that the chairman has in any other Committee. I think that is extremely important and I fully support it. I think Mr. Midiwo talked about politics in committees. It is extremely important for us to understand that we must at all times leave politics out of Parliamentary committee work. That is the only way we are going to be cordial in terms of ODM and PNU and we are going to be professional in whatever we do. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we move on I want to say that there are some committees, in fact, most of the committees which are going to be very instrumental in this House. One of them is the Committee that I am in. That is the Committee on Implementation. This Committee will be keeping the Ministers in this House on their toes. If a Minister comes to this House and makes a promise to any Member of Parliament, our Committee will be watching what the Minister is saying. I can tell you for sure that if they make a promise which they do not fulfil, we are going to be on their back. So it is extremely important. I had to say that because it is very nice and we want to keep them on their toes. With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Hon. Members, that brings us to the end of the business on the Order Paper. This House, is therefore, adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, 18th June, 2009 at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 7.43 p.m.