Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to give notice of the following Motion:- THAT, this House adopts the report of the Committee on Administration, National Security and Local Authorities on the number of persons killed by vigilante groups in the months of April and May, 2009.

asked the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security:- (a) what urgent steps he will take to repair or replace the unserviceable vehicles at Garba Tulla and Sericho Police Stations; and, (b) when he will undertake repairs at the Garba Tulla Police lines and ensure officers are provided with habitable accommodation facilities.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Are we first going through Ordinary Questions or Questions by Private Notice?

Mr. Assistant Minister, there is really nothing in our rules which says that we must deal with the Questions by Private Notice first. So, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply.

(a) A GK A907 Land Rover, 110, stationed at Garba Tulla Police Station was repaired and has been operating until last week when it broke down. It is now in the workshop. A GK A920G, Land Cruiser, stationed at Sericho Police Station was repaired and it is now operational.

(b) Garba Tulla Police line is a semi-permanent structure built with timber and due to age, the houses are no longer viable for repairs. We have plans to build 24 modern housing units for the police as per the department’s work plan for 2009/2010, which is awaiting funding.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank the Assistant Minister for that answer. However, he is not serious. GK A920G stationed at Sericho Police Station has not been operational for the last one year. Sericho Police Station is over 200 kilometres away from the Divisional Police Headquarters. As at Monday this week, that vehicle was not operational. I do not know when it started operating.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, GK A907, which is stationed at Garba Tulla Police Station, is 19 years old. Does the Assistant Minister expect the police officers to use that kind of a vehicle, which is 19 years old? What is the Ministry’s policy on motor vehicles? This is a shame!

Order, Mr. Bahari! Much as we have accommodated you, you should note that this is Question Time and you are allowed to ask one supplementary question at a time. You do not go on and begin to debate. Mr. Ojode, you may respond!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Bahari knows very well that we have injected some funds to repair those two vehicles. I agree with him that those vehicles are old, but they are still serviceable. The police officers will have to use those vehicles until we get funds to buy new vehicles. Once Parliament passes our budget, we might consider the two police stations along with others whose vehicles need replacement. As I speak, we do not have funds to buy new vehicles and take them to hon. Bahari’s constituency.

However, I want to assure this House that those vehicles are still serviceable and I will put in some little money for their repairs. I understand that one of the vehicles is not working now. But I will find out what is happening and the vehicles will be in use. As of now, hon. Bahari, should bear with us.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, with the state of insecurity in northern Kenya, the police need serviceable vehicles. In Wajir North Constituency, which is also a District, the police cars do not even have tyres, leave alone any other thing. How are the

Mr. Speaker, Sir, all police serviceable vehicles have new tyres. I want to challenge the hon. Member. Which GK vehicle does not have new tyres? It is better for us to come up with something tangible. He is alleging that the police vehicles in his constituency do not have tyres. Could he tell me the registration number of the GK vehicle which does not have tyres so that I can have it fitted with new tyres next week?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in Part (b) of the answer, the Assistant Minister has said that there are plans to construct 24 modern housing units for the police in the area. Those houses were constructed in 1964 and nothing has been done on them to date. They have all fallen apart. Could the Assistant Minister tell us how much has been earmarked for the construction?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is because of the duration of the houses that we have earmarked to construct 24 modern housing units. That will not only be done in Garba Tulla Police line, but in various stations also. At the moment, we have some money in lump sum and we will definitely allocate that money to areas which require some modern housing units.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Is the Assistant Minister in order to decline to answer my question? I asked him specifically about Garba Tulla. I know that there could be beautiful plans for the whole country, but Garba Tulla has been forgotten since 1964. How much has been set aside for Garba Tulla? I represent those people!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are not just talking about Garba Tulla. We have a lump sum amount of money for the construction of police housing units. Once we get the bills of quantities for each and every station, we will apportion the money according to the bills of quantities. At the moment, we have not even received the bills of quantities for Garba Tulla. But for the lump sum which we have for purposes of constructing new housing units for the police, we will allocate as per the bills of quantities.

Order, Assistant Minister! Will you confirm whether or not you are going to consider Garba Tulla when you allocate that money?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to undertake here that it is not only Garba Tulla that we will consider, but many other stations.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This Assistant Minister is refusing to answer this question. I beg you to compel him to answer the question. A work plan that he has referred to includes, among other things, bills of quantities. A work plan is not done in a vacuum.

Mr. Assistant Minister, before you respond, you have said in your immediate answer that you are going to, among others, consider Garba Tulla. Will you, therefore, confirm unequivocally that you will consider Garba Tulla?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thought I agreed that we are going to consider Garba Tulla, among others---

Order, Assistant Minister! Your answer must be yes, so that it is unequivocal!

Yes, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Chepkitony! He is not here. Question dropped!

asked the Minister for Education:- (a what he is doing to abolish quota system in student admission to public secondary schools, considering the system is out-dated and promotes tribalism; and, (b) what further action he is taking to ensure that all Kenyan students irrespective of their districts of birth, can obtain admission in any public school in the country.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply.

(a) The Ministry is in the process of reviewing the Form I secondary schools selection criteria to enhance efficiency, transparency and national cohesion. However, the current quota system will continue until the new system is operational. The current quota system does not promote tribalism since it is based on merit and candidates’ choice of schools.

(b) The Ministry does not restrict admission of students into any category of secondary schools, thus any student is free to join any secondary school as long as there is a vacancy and the student’s marks are within the range of the marks considered for admission into such a school.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank the Assistant Minister for attempting to answer my Question. He is well aware that the quota system is basically not helping. The country is in a situation where we need the students to mix much more, so that they feel like they belong to this country, and not to an ethnic group. These days, students are born in a village and go to primary and secondary school in the same village. The universities are also opening up campuses in the villages.

Therefore, when such students complete education, for them, it appears like Kenya begins and ends in the village. So, my question is: What deliberate steps is the Ministry taking to make sure that our students grow up feeling as nationalist and not small sections of the little holes we come from?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the growing up of Kenyan children as nationalists is not the role of the Ministry of Education alone. It is the role of everybody

Mr. Speaker, Sir, could the Assistant Minister tell the House the basis for the quota system and if, indeed, the revision they are doing is intended to do away with that system because it is restricting students to certain districts where they were born?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, may I tell the hon. Member that this quota system was a product of a commission that was appointed by a previous Government and it was established according to recommendations. However, in the quota system, our schools are categorized as national, provincial and district schools. The formula for taking students into the national schools is the number of candidates in a particular district where that student did his examination, divided by the number of candidates nationally and then multiplied by the number of vacancies available in that particular school. So that will give a particular candidate a chance. For provincial schools, 60 per cent of the students are drawn from within the district where the school is located and 35 per cent are selected from the districts within the province in which the school is located, and the remaining 5 per cent is drawn from other provinces. Then for district schools, all the students are selected from within the district where that particular school is situated.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, could the Assistant Minister clarify why the Ministry is hesitant to respond to the plight of the people of this nation? I recall when we had a crisis in our schools and the students spoke against the quota system. All the stakeholders came forward and resisted the whole thing. Even the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology recommended that a review must be made on this one. Why is the Ministry unwilling to hear the grievances of the Kenyan people? If the situation continues, we are likely to have a recurrence of the problem.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, if the hon. Member heard me well, I said that the Ministry is in the process of reviewing the present system of Form I selection. As a matter of fact, a committee has already been proposed that is going to undertake this exercise. The hon. Member should also appreciate that the previous system that was replaced by the quota system was so many years old. It had been used for several years. We are not going to change a system just because a few people said it. We must put out a committee and go and collect actual information from Kenyans, then with good information and data, we shall develop a system that is likeable by Kenya. As of now, Kenyans must tell us which system will work better. If they threw away the former one and they now want to throw away this one, then all of us must come up with a way forward for the Ministry because after all, the Ministry is for everybody in this country. It is not for the people working in the Ministry headquarters.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister has said that they are reviewing the system and as far as we understand, the quota system has not favoured quite a number of students in this country. So, can he confirm when they will abolish the quota system?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is just a matter of repeating what I have said. I have said that we have proposed a committee for reviewing the system and then come up with a way forward for the Ministry. It will be in place as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology went round the country and part of their proposal was the

Mr. Speaker, Sir, his Committee does not belong to the Ministry of Education; it belongs to Parliament.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister ought to tell this House exactly how much time he needs to ensure that they get rid of this failed quota system that is outdated and not helping this country at all. The fact that we are now trying to do away with ethnicity is strong enough to have the Ministry do away with the system. When does he think they will be able to give us a system that will promote national cohesion in this country?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, immediately the report of that committee is submitted to us, we shall go according to the recommendations. But let me also tell the hon. Member that we, in the Ministry, appreciate the challenges and the problems posed by the quota system.

asked the Minister for Fisheries Development:-

(a) Whether he could indicate what became of the cold house or ice plant in Faza (in Lamu) which was to commence operation in December 2008 and clarify the stage of the tendering process; and,

(b) What plans he has to provide alternative source of power for the cold house considering that the generator at the plant cannot provide sufficient power.

The Minister for Fisheries Development? Is anybody holding brief for his colleague?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I undertake to inform the Minister accordingly.

Well, we will leave that Question in abeyance and revisit it if we have some time towards the end. Next Question, Mr. Abdirahman!

asked the Minister of State for Special Programmes:-

(a) Whether she could indicate the per constituency monthly relief food allocations to the greater Wajir District (West, East, South and North) during the months of March to July 2009;

The Minister of State for Special Programmes?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as it stands now, it seems like I am in charge here. I will undertake to inform the Minister.

We will leave it in abeyance and revisit it also at the end.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister for Regional Development Authorities the following Question by Private Notice.

(a) What is the name, qualifications, as well as the procedure he used in the recruitment of the current Managing Director of Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority (TARDA)?

(b) Was due diligence carried out in establishing his qualifications and, suitability for the job and was the appointment in conformity with Government regulations or guidelines regarding the appointment of such officers?

(c) Could the Minister confirm that the Managing Director is the subject of corruption related investigations arising from his conduct during his tenure in the diplomatic service?

The Minister for regional Development Authorities?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I undertake to inform the Minister in order for him to answer this Question by Wednesday next week.

Order! Hon. Members, let us leave that matter for the moment! We will come to it just now! Next Question, Mr. Chanzu!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security, the following Question by Private Notice. (a) What informed the recent appointment of Provincial Commissioners and Senior Deputy Provincial Commissioners? (b) Could the Minister provide brief resumes of each of the appointees? (c) Whether merit, length of service and regional balance were taken into account in the respective appointments?

Mr. Ojode!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg the indulgence of the Chair to defer this Question to next week because it had been replied to by my colleague but

Which is this other function that takes precedence over Parliament?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, he was supposed to be here by 2.30 p.m. He told me that he had an urgent function to attend to and I never asked him the details of the function.

Which function and where?

I do not want to lie or mislead the Chair. I would request that, if he does not come on time, you defer the Question until Wednesday next week.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. You will realize that Ministers are not available in the House to answer Questions that are scheduled on the Order Paper. On that particular instance, this Question was deferred from last week and the Minister knew. So, how could his colleague come and tell us that he told him he is going on an urgent mission, but he did not give him the answer? Is he in order to mislead the House?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, he had started answering this Question. But he did not divulge the information on what was required about the Question, the answers and everything else. That is why I am pleading with the Chair to defer this Question until Wednesday. That is if he does not come on time.

Order, Mr. Assistant Minister! You may resume your seat. With respect to Question No.289, the reasons advanced by hon. Ojode on behalf of his colleague are not satisfactory in any manner whatsoever. So, please, hon. Ojode, go and notify your colleague that his conduct amounts to disorder and he will be liable to suffer the consequences which will include punishment as the Chair will find appropriate in terms of established practice both in Kenya and elsewhere.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will.

We want to go back to---

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. The nature of this Question is such that it is very urgent. I plead that you make a ruling that it be answered on Tuesday, latest.

The Question is deferred to Tuesday in addition to the sentiments that I have asked be conveyed to the Assistant Minister. Whether or not he answers the Question on Tuesday, he will be liable to take the consequences of disorderly conduct!

No! It is not the Assistant Minister!

Yes! I stand corrected that it will be the substantive Minister; hon. Prof. Saitoti, I believe.

Yes!

It is Question by Private Notice number two, as I understand it. The Assistant Minister has undertaken to convey those sentiments to the Minister.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will.

Proceed, Mr. Linturi!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister for Regional Development Authorities the following Question by Private Notice.

(a) What is the name, qualifications as well as the procedure he used in the recruitment of the current Managing Director of Tana and Athi River Development Authority (TARDA)?

(b) Was due diligence carried out in establishing his qualifications and suitability for the job and, was the appointment in conformity with Government regulations or guidelines regarding the appointment of such officers?

(c) Could the Minister confirm whether the Managing Director is a subject of corruption related investigations arising from his conduct during his tenure in the diplomatic service?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as you are aware, there is a Cabinet meeting today. Maybe, that is why Ministers have not reported. But I beg the indulgence of the Chair, again, that this Question be answered at a later date, say by Tuesday. I undertake to inform the Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This Parliament does not function at the whims of the Executive!

Again, Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Question was deferred last week and the Minister knew that he was supposed to come and answer it today. Further to that, the Ministry has an Assistant Minister! So, in my view, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I think Ministers are taking Parliament for a ride. Time has come when something has to be done so that, at least, this Parliament can move.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

What is it, Mr. Isaac Ruto?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, further to what Mr. Linturi has said, maybe, the Government side is now lethargic because of the absence of the Leader of Government Business. Under Standing Order No.1, could you consider allowing us to elect one for them, since they are unable to do so?

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

What is it, Mr. Ethuro? Please, be brief. We are running out of time.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Yesterday, you made a considered ruling from the Chair where the Minister, who is purporting to be the Leader of Government Business for now, made a commitment to deliver such a report to the House. We have established since then that the law could not even allow him to do so and yesterday, you were magnanimous to him. Do you wish to continue taking his promises that will make the House to act in vain again?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I subscribe to what hon. Ruto has said; it might be time we got a proper Leader of Government Business. Look at the three of them; they cannot purport to be representing the Government! They do not even know!

What is it, Mr. Ojode?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is true that it is a sad case because we do not have Ministers and Assistant Ministers to answer this Question. That is why I was pleading with you that some of these Questions which cannot be answered today, be on the Order Paper for next week on Tuesday.

On behalf of the Government side, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to apologize for what has happened. I do not think something like this will ever happen again. I am submitting to you to accept my prayers that, next time, we will not have something like this happening.

Proceed, Mr. K. Kilonzo! You can speak from where you are.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I just want to add my voice because Ministers are not taking the business of this House very seriously, as clearly demonstrated by the kind of excuses they are giving us. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, Sir, a Minister of the Government stood here to give an excuse that he was held up because there were some very important persons who stopped him from coming here on time to do his work. I want to agree with my colleagues on this side that it is about time that we got a Leader of Government Business who can give directives on how Government business will be conducted.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Hon. Members, I have noted the concerns which have been expressed variously by a number of you. I wish to communicate to the Government side that they must understand the law and structure of Government as it stands today. In our Constitution, and all relevant laws, it is clearly laid out in black and white that Parliament is the supreme organ of governance. Indeed, in any other reasonable system of jurisprudence world over, that is the position. So, Members of the Cabinet will have to take Parliamentary business seriously. Parliamentary business will take precedence over all other Government business.

From now henceforth the Chair will not take any flimsy excuses kindly. I will start with the Minister for Regional Development Authorities. I want to urge Members of the Speaker’s Panel to note this directive, which has to be enforced; that neither the Minister for Regional Development Authorities, nor his Assistant Minister, nor his representative or anybody purporting to be authorized by him shall be allowed to transact any business in this House, including moving of the Vote in respect of their Budget, until an acceptable and plausible explanation is offered by the Minister. That will be the position whether the Speaker or any other Member of the Speaker’s Panel is on the Chair.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Does that not also apply to the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security?

It does not, because I have already given directions on that matter. In the meantime, all those Questions that have been deferred will be on the Order Paper on Tuesday. We expect that the necessary explanation will be forthcoming then.

On a point of order

What is it Mr. Ojode? Do you want to read a Ministerial Statement?

Yes, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

We have not reached that Order yet. Is the Minister for Agriculture present? Do you have an immediate reaction to the point of order raised by Dr. Eseli? Where is the Minister for Agriculuture?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I undertake to inform the Minister for Agriculture to go through the HANSARD and come to this House to give his observations and report on what has been raised by Dr. Eseli.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. We can understand the absence of the Ministers as has been explained by one of the Assistant Ministers. However, many at times, we have seen some of the Assistant Ministers respond to Ministerial Statements. Is this in order? I believe that if that be the case, then the business of the House will come to a standstill.

Order, Mr. Abdirahman! You are actually belabouring the point, because we addressed this matter a little earlier on. It is quite obvious to the House that the Front Bench, or the Cabinet, is rather casual in its approach to Parliamentary business. The attitude is certainly callous. You are not awake to the job! This House, let alone Kenyans, cannot take this kindly!

Where are the Government Chief Whips?

They are not here!

What is this indicative of? Cabinet Ministers and Assistant Ministers are absent. Those who are present---

Order, hon. Members! Those Assistant Ministers who are present are unable to discharge their duties as is expected of them.

It is not just physical presence that counts !

It is the output, or the delivery. If we apply the doctrine of collective responsibility, you have no business saying you are unable to do what you have been appointed by the Executive to do. So, much as you want to protest, I am afraid that the sentiments I have expressed, I have done so on behalf of the House.

Order! I will not take those points of order, because this position speaks for itself!

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

What is it, Maj-Gen. Nkaissery? It had better be a matter that is tenable!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would just like to say that we, as Assistant Minisers, are not here merely for presence. We are here, representing our Ministries. If we had known that a situation like this one was going to arise, we would have responded appropriately. We were never informed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, what is holding back the Minister is, maybe, an issue of national importance. We cannot allow the Back-Benchers to accuse the Cabinet. Maybe, the Cabinet is dealing with national security issues.

Aah!

(Maj-Gen. Nkaisserry: Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Cabinet could be dealing with the Mau issue or a health issue. These

Order! Order, hon. Members!

Maj-Gen. Nkaisserry, I want you to clarify something here. Are you by any chance saying that the business of Parliament is not of national importance?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that the business of this House is very important to this nation, but we have issues that this House was unable to dispense with. One of them is the issue of Mau Forest, and which the Cabinet could be discussing today.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like my colleagues to give me the opportunity to explain myself.

Order! Order, hon. Members!

Point of order! Point of order!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is unfortunate that they cannot listen.

Order! Order, hon. Members! This matter must come to a rest!

Maj-Gen. Nkaisserry, what you have said has not improved the situation in any manner whatsoever.

Were it not for the humility with which you normally carry yourself around, I would have ordered you out of this House; you have not added any value whatsoever.

Assistant Ministers, applying the doctrine of collective responsibility, if you are not merely present here this afternoon, you ought to have been able to respond to these issues. If you say that you have not been informed – you did not receive information – certainly, it cannot be the fault of the hon. Members on the opposite side. That fault still lies with the Executive. So, that explanation does not help. Let us leave it to rest there. Any further points of order, which are not going to add value, particularly from the Front Bench, will not be taken kindly.

I am much obliged, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

That rests the matter, Mr. K. Kilonzo. This is an Allotted Day. We must be able to get to the Budget not later than 3.30 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is an important point of order.

Order, Mr. K. Kilonzo! Order! Order, Mr. Kilonzo! This matter must rest, and for good reasons. Next Order!

Mr. Linturi!

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise to seek a Ministerial Statement from the Prime Minister regarding the invasion of Igembe South by herders from Isiolo. In the Ministerial Statement, I would like the Prime Minister to address the following issues:- (1) possible spread of diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease, which is threatening livestock in Igembe South Constituency; (2) possible conflict due to rising tension between the Borana and Igembe communities because of the livestock migration since the Borana cows have completely destroyed the food crops in the lower Igembe South Constituency.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, before livestock is moved from one district to another, communities sit down and agree on the movement; the Veterinary Department has to provide permits. Apart from the fact that this livestock destroy crops in Igembe South Constituency, the herders are heavily armed. I would want him to explain how many of these adults are carrying legally registered firearms; I would also want him to tell us the immediate plans that the Government is putting in place to cater for the food needs of the communities, whose crops have been destroyed by the immigration, for the next three or four months; (3) what measures the Government is taking to ensure that the herders are evicted from the farmlands and relocated back to their homes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Assistant Minister, do you want to indicate when that Ministerial Statement will be available?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, again, I undertake to inform the Prime Minister in order for him to respond to this issue by Wednesday, next week.

Fair enough! It is so ordered! Wednesday, next week!

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. On Tuesday, last week, I did request a Ministerial Statement from the Minister for Lands regarding Mount Elgon Hospital in Kitale District, which is public property that has been seized by individuals. The directive was that the Ministerial Statement would be issued today. This is a matter of urgency, because some individuals are in the process of disposing of this public property.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I undertake to remind the Minister for

Tuesday, next week! A further direction could be given then.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on 23rd July, 2009, hon. Ekwe Ethuro, Member of Parliament for Turkana Central, rose on a point of order to seek a Ministerial Statement concerning frequent attacks of civilians by policemen. I wish to state as follows.

On 5th July, 2009, at about 3.30 am, within Lodwar Town, at Green Leaf Motel, Mr. Gabriel Lokalimoi Ekalale, the Headmaster of Nakuu Primary School in Kenam Kemer Location, was walking out of the disco hall when a quarrel ensued between him and two other revellers within the motel precincts over a woman. During the quarrel, Gabriel Lokalimoi was stabbed with a penknife on the left shoulder. The assailant allegedly escaped through the disco hall, while the victim was escorted by friends to Lodwar District Hospital for treatment.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the same day at 4.50 a.m. a., watchman at Greenleaf Motel reported the incident at Lodwar Police Station vide Occurrence Book No.5/5/7/09. The report referred to two unknown assailants. The incident was also confirmed to the OCS, Lodwar, by Deputy Mayor Councilor Isaiah Lokoen of Lodwar.

The victim, Gabriel Lokalimoi, was referred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital since the local hospital could not handle the nature of his injuries. The victim was airlifted to Eldoret the same day at around 9.00 a.m. At Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, he was operated on and the knife was removed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, investigations into the incident commenced immediately. On the same day, 5th July at around noon, two suspects namely; Innocent Babu PC No.92221 and APC Simon Mwangi No.220523, both of Lodwar Police Station and Lodwar District Commissioner’s office, respectively were arrested and placed in custody vide Lodwar Police Station No. OB 19/5/7/9. A police case file No.CR822/168/2009 was opened. On the same day, at around 2.00 p.m. members of the Turkana community within Lodwar Town went on the rampage within the town looting and destroying property belonging to members of other communities living within the town. That is the Merus, Kikuyus, Luos, Kambas, Luhyias and Somalis. Both regular and Administration Police officers were deployed to beef up security within the town. The rowdy mobs that appeared to have been incited looted and destroyed 15 business premises before police could contain the situation. Property worth more than Kshs2.5 million was either looted or destroyed between 5th and 6th July, 2009 during the rowdy demonstration by members of the Turkana community. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on 8th July, the OCS Lodwar instructed PC Osano Kiema to travel to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital to check on the condition of the complainant and record his statement to enable the police to complete their investigations. When the complainant was requested to record his statement from the

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is the second incident involving police officers and civilians. The Assistant Minister has claimed that the watchman reported the incident at 4.30 a.m. about some suspects that were not known. He said that later, the two; one regular policeman and one Administration Policeman were arrested and later released. We can understand when a policeman goes to a hospital at 6.00 a.m. The other day we read about the incident in Makindu District Hospital where gunmen went and killed a person who had already been hospitalized. The victim could not make the statement. When the statement was made, he confirmed that the people released were re- arrested. This means that from the very beginning those were the same people who were responsible for this crime. It is unfortunate that the community overreacted leading to massive losses. They did so, because the perception was that the police were protecting their colleagues. That is the basis of this statement. What assurances can he give to this House that a crime committed by fellow policemen will be investigated quickly and the suspects arrested immediately, so that this kind of reaction by the community does not take place again? We have information that the OCS got the information at 3.00 a.m.---

Order, Mr. Ethuro. You are supposed to ask for a clarification. Not to ask for a clarification and then begin to explain why you are asking for it.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is common knowledge that if there is no complaint lodged, it becomes very difficult for us to arrest a suspect. As I speak, the Administration Policeman and the regular police officer have been arrested. We said last week that they must be arrested because the complainant has already recorded the statement and the law covers all of us, irrespective of where you come from, your position and what you believe in. So, we have arrested those two police officers and they will be arraigned in court. That is why we have a case file number. If those people have not been taken to court, I challenge the hon. Member to come back to me. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise under Standing Order No.76 to make a Personal Statement. Thank you for allowing me to give the correct position on the list of beneficiaries of Mau Complex by way of land allocation. In the list, which was tabled by the Right hon. Prime Minister yesterday the allotee of parcel of land in Narok referred to as Osupuko, Olulunga, Nkaroni parcel No.9122 is one Z.P. Cheruiyot. In the same list an attempt has been made to amend the name to read Zakayo Cheruiyot. I wish to categorically state that I am not the said Z.P. Cheruiyot, the allotee of the parcel No.9122. Further, I have no land in Nkaroni area. Following this misleading information, the issue has been given prominence in both the print and electronic media. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I take great exception to an attempt to derail my consistent demand for the rights of settlers in Kiptororo, Tinet, Bararget and Mauche area and other Kenyans affected by a similar problem. Together with other leaders, I shall continue to champion for their rights and welfare without fear or favour in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Kenya. Should there be any land in the same area, I am willing to donate it freely to the Member for Langata to give to squatters in his constituency. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the 23rd of July, 2009, Dr. Khalwale requested for a Ministerial Statement on the events surrounding the closure of Kenyatta University. I wish to give an appropriate response because this matter is extremely weighty. You all know that property worth Kshs112 million was burnt and the level of impunity displayed by students on that day is of much interest to our Ministry. I wanted to give an appropriate response to this matter.

Fair enough, Mr. Kamama, except that we have run out of time! This matter will have to be deferred to Tuesday next week.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise on a matter about a Paper Laid before the House---

Order, Mr. Ruto! You cannot do that because it has been overtaken by events, given that the Personal Statement by Mr. Cheruiyot was under Standing Order No.76. The point of order that you are about to raise from the beginning relates or pertains to the same matter. So, I am afraid you will have to do this on another day. Under Standing Order No.76, when a Member gives a Personal Statement on a matter, it is not subject to debate or any further questions or interrogations. I am afraid, it falls in that category.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to seek your guidance on whether the list was admissible.

Order, Mr. Ruto! My direction stands because of the Standing Orders as they are. So you will have to do that sometime next week.

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

What is out of order, Mr. Ethuro?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you recall, last week I had sought a Statement on the polio outbreak. It was deferred to Tuesday, the Minister was not available. It was then moved to Thursday, which is today, and the Minister is not available again. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of polio outbreak is a very grave matter that requires immediate attention.

Order! Your point is made but unfortunately the Minister is not here. I have given directions on the matter of the Cabinet exercising diligence and I expect that the sentiments expressed by the Chair will be conveyed to the Minister for Public Health and Sanitation.

Hon. Members, this communication concerns the matter of pyramid schemes which has arisen in this House on several occasions. Hon. Members, you will recall that on 4th June, 2009, the hon. Minister for Co-operative Development and Marketing made a Ministerial Statement on the matter. The Minister, in the course of his Statement, informed the House that he had appointed a task force to interrogate the matter of pyramid schemes. The Minister then undertook to Table the Report of the Task Force in the House once the Task Force had completed its work. On Thursday 23rd July, 2009, the hon. Dr. Bonny Khalwale rose on a point of order seeking that the Minister honours his undertaking and Tables the Report of the Task Force. In response, the Minister stated that although the Report was complete, there had been some developments in the intervening period in the form of a court case. The Kenya Business Community Co-operative Savings and Credit Society Ltd. had filed suit against the Attorney-General, the Minister and members of the Task Force in Judicial Review Miscellaneous Application No.399 of 2009 lodged in the High Court. The Minister Tabled before this House, documentation relating to the suit. The Notice of the Motion filed on behalf of the Society indicates that the Society seeks an order of certiorari that would in effect prevent the Minister from acting on the recommendations of the Task Force and an order of prohibition to bar the release or implementation of the decisions of the Task Force. The matter has yet to be concluded by the court. In the interim, the High Court, on the 13th July, 2009, issued interim orders in the following terms:- 1. That requirements of prior services of notice on the registrar be dispensed with.

On a point or order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I would like to thank you for that ruling. With your indulgence, allow me to mention that the attention of the whole world has shifted from the US where such a scheme was and the proponent Bernard Madoff was jailed for 150 years. That attention has now shifted to Africa and to Kenya in particular. I want to thank you and hope that you will allow us to exercise Standing Order No.209 that allows us to seek for further clarification when the Minister lays the Report on the Table. Thank you.

That will very well be so. If we have added a chip to fairness and justice, so be it. Kenyans ought to commend us for it.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also want to echo the words of Dr. Khalwale in commending you for such a ruling. At the same time, allow me to make one comment and lay on the Table one document that I have which is related to the ruling that you have made. The issue of pyramid schemes is so complex that unless we look at the report of the taskforce, many Kenyans may not understand how complex this matter is. Today, the Kenya Business Co-operative Society through its registered treasurer by the name Elias Kathurima Ruteere has given me a copy of a document to lay on the Table of this House that explains how his name has been used in conning Kenyans by the person behind this society. This person has been mutating like the HIV/AIDs virus so that today, he is in the Kenya Business Co-operative Society and tomorrow he is in Savco, the other day he is in the Kenya Multi-Purpose and on the other day, he is in another company. This is a document that I want to lay on the Table which explains that position. It is also trying to explain that he is not a member and has never been elected anywhere as the treasurer of this society. At the same time, I would like to lay on the Table a search from the Ministry of Co-operative Development indicating that clearly, in their records, Kathurima Ruteere is the bona fide treasurer and the matter that is before court that he is mentioned to be the treasurer, there is a letter of an affidavit that has been signed by him.

I lay the document on the Table.

Fair enough! I will look at the documents as it has been laid on the Table and decide on its admissibility as at Tuesday next week. Next Order!

Order, hon. Members! Please, note that as at where we are starting, we will have to extend the sitting of the House by an extra 20 minutes. Therefore, we will continue with business until 9.50 p.m. Proceed, Mr. Minister!

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I beg to move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair. Before presenting the Financial Budget of 2009/2010, I would like to make some brief comments on the challenges we are facing in the energy sector. The theme of this year’s Budget was; “Overcoming Today’s Challenges for a Better Kenya Tomorrow”. The entire world is facing a crisis as we are talking. In fact, they are calling it “the F3 crisis”; that is, food, fuel and finance crisis. In the energy sector, we are in the midst of a serious crisis largely caused by the crisis in the water sector. The electricity sub- sector has continued to experience frequent prolonged power blackouts in some parts of the country due to extremely limited generation capacity. Kenyans are receiving inadequate and low quality power due to massive vandalism of transformers, weak transmission and distribution systems, high power losses and extreme voltage fluctuations. There has been chronic under-investment in power generation, transmission and distribution projects for quite a number of years now.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, our current installed capacity is 1291 megawatts of which 146 megawatts is very expensive emergency power. Seven hundred and nineteen megawatts is hydro power. Due to the current drought, our combined hydro-electricity supply has been reduced by 46 per cent from 719 megawatts to 330 megawatts. To avoid countrywide blackouts that this country experienced in the year 2000, we have decided to introduce 140 megawatts of additional emergency power by October, 2009. It goes without saying that this will result in higher electricity costs. As we have said in the Ministry, the final solution to recurrent energy sector crisis lies in intensive and massive investment in the exploitation of our enormous geo-thermal reserves in the Rift Valley, which we estimate to be around 7,000 megawatts.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, my Ministry has continued to allocate increasing amounts of financial resources annually for power systems expansion and also to accelerate the exploitation of geo-thermal energy. My Ministry intends to deliver additional 2,000 megawatts of new power generation by the year 2012 under the accelerated Green Energy Development Programme. Under this initiative, 61 per cent of the new capacity will consist of non-hydro and non-oil-based thermal capacity with wind and geothermal accounting for 600 megawatts, coal 619 megawatts. There will be about 3 per cent from hydro and small-hydro; oil-based thermal generation will account for 36 per cent. In addition to these projects, we believe that we will be able to provide a robust entry into the second medium term plan of Vision 2030. A comprehensive development

Minister, you time is up!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, allow me to conclude by requesting my colleagues in Parliament for approval of a gross Ministerial expenditure of Kshs31,012,762,047 comprising of Kshs30,640,645,790 for Development Vote and Kshs372,116,257 for the Recurrent Vote for this fiscal year.

With those few remarks, I beg to move. Our Assistant Minster, Eng. Mahamud will second this Motion.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to second.

As hon. Members are aware, Kenya has a very limited access to electricity, less than 20 per cent because of our limited generation capacity. Over the years, we have been able to invest in plant power generation projects, transmission or distribution projects. We have also not been able to invest in geothermal resource which we have enough potential. In this Budget, we are proposing to invest in geothermal exploration and drilling some ten wells to generate about 140 megawatts by the year 2012.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in terms of transmission, Members are aware that the Government recently formed the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETC) which will basically deal with only transmission which was hitherto being done by the Kenya Power and lighting Company (KPLC), which was really overburdened. As I said about geothermal exploration, we have enough potential and I think we will be able to move fast with the help of this Parliament, so that we generate more capacities. I do not have to repeat the areas that have been mentioned by hon. Minister. We are determined to accelerate coverage of electricity in this country. Given the funds, we will be able to move very fast.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the petroleum subsector, Members are aware of the limitation on capacity of the pipeline from Mombasa to Nairobi and also the pipeline from Nairobi to Eldoret. There are plans by the Ministry to duplicate the pipeline from Nairobi to Eldoret and also enhance the capacity of the pipeline from Nairobi. Of course, the current problems we have at Kipevu and the limit in capacity will also need to be enhanced.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on oil exploration, we expect the first exploration borehole to be drilled by third quarter of this year. This will actually tell us whether we have oil in this country. That will actually help us not to depend too much on oil imports from other parts of the world and have our own source of oil.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding the alternative energy, that is, renewable energy we have intensified our activities in trying to explore the possibility of enhancing wind energy. There are programmes of getting wind energy. We have identified projects somewhere in Marsabit and therefore we shall be able to enhance the capacity of electricity generation from other sources.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, energy is actually a basic need for now. We cannot develop this country without accessing energy. Our capacity of 1,200 megawatts is nothing. It is time we invested in electricity generation. We should also invest in transmission and expand other sources of energy.

With those few remarks, I beg to second.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to support the Motion. The Committee on Energy, Communication and Information constitutes the following Members:

Hon. Eng. James Rege – Chairman

Hon. J. M. Kamau – Vice Chairman

Hon. Danson Mwakulegwa , MP

Hon. M.H. Ali, MP

Hon. Eng. Gumbo, MP

Hon. Wilfred Ombui, MP

Hon. Edwin Yinda, MP

Hon. Emilio Kathuri, MP

Hon. Ekwee Ethuro, MP

Hon. Prof. Phillip Kaloki, MP and,

Hon. Cyprian Omollo, MP

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Committee is mandated to consider the following:- Development, production, maintenance and regulation of energy and communications, information and broadcasting. The Committee executes this mandate in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order Nos.198 (iii) and 152. Pursuant to Standing Order No.152, the Committee undertook the scrutiny of Printed Estimates of the Ministries of Energy and Information and Communications. The Committee held meetings with Ministries of Energy and Information and Communications. The Ministers were accompanied by their Assistant Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, senior officials from the Ministry and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of corporations under their respective Ministries. The Committee also met with the staff of the Budget Office of the National Assembly.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Energy is essential in achieving the development agenda of the country since several other sectors such as transport, manufacturing and tourism depend on energy. It is mandated to address the energy requirements of the country in line with Vision 2030 by ensuring access to affordable reliable and safe supply of energy to Kenyans. Kenya’s current demand for electricity is just marched by the supply although in the event of insufficient rainfall, more output is needed from fuel generation which, while it is crucial to abate energy insufficiency, results in pollution from the gases ensuing from combustion of fossil fuels. Thus a delicate balance is necessary between provision of affordable, and reliable energy on the one hand and protection of the environment on the other. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance in his 2009 Budget Speech emphasized the development of renewable energy, such as geothermal, wind, bio-fuel, biomass and use of solid waste. However, 33 per cent of Kenya’s total installed capacity of electricity comes from thermal oil which depends on crude oil prices. That means that the cost of energy in the country is erratic and subject to global forces that are beyond the

Order, Eng. Rege! Your time is up; are you supporting the Motion?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I conclude and support. Lastly, I would like to commend the Ministry for coming up with proposals to replace energy efficient light bulbs with those of low consumption but of the same power consumption. The exercise will save Kenyans more than 50 megawatts of power.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to support the Motion. I also wish to thank the Ministry and the Minister for trying very hard to include all their need for more money to run the Ministry, although I am aware that the Ministry did not receive all the amount of money that they asked for.

Before I proceed, I wish to sympathize with the Minister because this Ministry is very important. It is actually the engine of the economy and, therefore, a lot of strain in trying to operate it. I know that with the amount of money received during the Budget, the Minister and the Ministry is not able to fulfill all they would have wanted to fulfill. I would like to encourage the Ministry to explore the usage of solar energy because I think it is not used as much as it should be in this country. I would like to see a law put in place where all new buildings should have solar panels and that includes also the street lighting which at the moment is using expensive power whereas we have a lot of power from the sun and if harnessed properly, could lower cost in electricity bills.

I would also like see the cost of electricity go down. At the moment, the manufacturing firms and even household users find it almost impossible to afford electric power. It is too expensive and sometimes I wonder if the country is moving with speed to extend power to our rural areas but very soon, even the rural folks will not be able to afford the cost of power. I would like the Ministry to look at ways of coming up with affordable power because at the moment, having electricity is more or less a luxury because many people are finding it impossible to pay their bills at the end of the month.

The issue of emergency power providers is something that I would like the Ministry to look at again because the cost of diesel and running these emergency generators is too high. As it stands, all these costs are transferred back to the users. I think this is also one of the reasons why electricity is very high in this country. It is my hope that in the Budget, the amount of money of about Kshs3 billion, if I am not wrong, which was put there for KenGen to cushion or subsidize the emergency power will be extended to the users; to those who are using power so that their cost should go down. I would like to see that happen!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), I, again, sympathize with the Ministry. KPC is very useful to this economy, but the way it has been run leaves a lot to be desired. I would like to see a situation where companies like Triton and all the perpetrators of the losses incurred by KPC are dealt with and punished very severely because all that will go back to the Government and the taxpayers. We cannot afford to pay large sums of money so that a few individuals can swindle them and go and enjoy in the big cities outside the country.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to support this Motion. On the outset, as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry, I want to thank the Minister, the Permanent Secretary and the staff of the Ministry for the leadership which they have shown in the Ministry. Indeed, the Ministry of Energy plays a very vital role in the development of this country. Without proper leadership, I do not think we can follow the right direction.

Likewise, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Chair and the Departmental Committee on Energy, Communication and Information for their constant communication and advice. I want to thank honorable Members of Parliament for constantly raising issues and showing the way forward in the development of the energy sector. Kenya has been considered among the top in Africa, compared to Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. Kenya is the best on this side of East and Central Africa. But wherever we go out, it is, indeed, a shame that we are talking about a generation capacity of about 1,200 megawatts. Countries like South Africa are talking about 50,000 megawatts. Therefore, as a country, we need to channel our resources in the right direction. I want to reiterate what the Chair of the Committee said; that by reducing funds to this Ministry, we will impact on our development programmes. We are embarking on so many projects. For example, we are starting coal plants, the development of 600 megawatts in Mombasa, the solar projects, wind, geothermal and hydro-electric power generation. Therefore, with the reduction of the money from the Exchequer, it will negatively impact on us. But, with the little resources that we have, we will utilize them.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue that Eng. Rege raised, concerning the Kshs450 million for the development of National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK) Headquarters that it should be reduced and subsequently channeled to the Rural Electrification Authority, I want to say that, as a Ministry, we are paying rent. NOCK pays rent. The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) pays rent. Kentraco, the new company, pays rent. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) pays rent and ourselves, as a Ministry, pay rent. Therefore, we thought, as a Ministry that, if we can set aside some resources so that we can build headquarters for the Ministry of Energy and all the companies that I have mentioned, we can save a lot. Therefore, the Kshs450 million was coming from the exploration company, Winside Energy in Lamu. An addition Kshs150 million was to be raised through the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL), adding up to about Kshs600 million. We had requested for about Kshs700 million from the Exchequer, but we got nil. Therefore, we thought that with the Kshs600 million, we can start off.

Therefore, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to urge my colleagues, especially the Chair, to reconsider the amendment that he said he is going to bring, and drop it in the sense that, as a Ministry, I want to assure him that the money will be used properly. We are negotiating - although we got less funds in terms of the Rural Electrification Authority – Kshs3.8 million. Each constituency will get a minimum of about Kshs15 million, which is, maybe, less by Kshs2 million compared to what the allocation was in the last financial year. But I want to say that there are other negotiations

All right. Hon. Keter, your time is up.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to support.

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support and I want to start by congratulating the Minister, his Assistant Ministers, the Permanent Secretary and the staff of the Ministry because that is one of the Ministries that have actually become visible in the coalition Government. Some are quite invisible, but this is a visible Ministry.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to pay special commendation to the officers who are in charge of rural electrification, and I want to mention Mr. Zachary Ayieko. Why we are interested to know who that man is and what those officers are all about is because it is very exciting to go to your rural area and see yourself in the dark. This is a new phenomenon for Kenya and it must not be taken lightly or for granted. That is why I am saying that, that is one of the Ministries that is visible.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to support and give certain recommendations starting, of course, with Nairobi and other urban centres. If you look at the allocations and the remarks on the urban centres, it is assumed by the Ministry that urban centres are electrified. It is really an assumption because urban centres are not central business districts or upmarket areas. It is slums like Korogocho and Mathare. I can assure you that they are totally in the dark! I do know that we have problems because we connect electricity illegally. I speak as “we” because we are the Nairobians and we know how we do it. But we do it because we do not have access to the kind of funds that are needed to bring electricity towards the slums. I would beg this Ministry to consider a slum electrification project that covers the slum areas of Nairobi widely. I do know there is a concerted effort to look at this issue more responsibly as a Ministry. But I know that it continues to be bogged down by issues of illegal connections, which brings about the issue of insecurity because of fire. I know that if you can work with the leadership within

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I would like to support this very important Vote of the Ministry of Energy.

The Minister has given in details the most burning issues. Those are the issues that have been creating barriers in the operations of the Ministry. I want to support him; first of all, for the role he has been playing to improve the lives of Kenyans, especially the laying of infrastructure by the Ministry of Energy. I would like to support the establishment of the headquarters of the Ministry. It is extremely impossible for the Ministry to operate with scattered branches. For example, if you want to see the Ministry of Energy today, you will have to go to Nyayo House. You will find the Minister there with his two Assistant Ministers. If you want to see those who sits on the Rural Electrification Board, you will have to move to a different place. That is why Triton managed to steal the money that it stole. If the Ministry was based at one place and there were clear and easy communication channels in place, that could not have happened.

I would also like to congratulate the Minister and his staff for taking initiatives to install solar panels in remote areas of this country. They have done that in primary schools, secondary schools, dispensaries and health centres. The other day, I received a

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also stand to support the Vote of the Ministry of Energy. Let me begin by congratulating the Minister, officers of the Ministry and parastatals aligned to the Ministry for a job well done.

Today, what we are seeing from the Ministry of Energy is a programme to light Kenya. We have seen it in schools, dispensaries, market centres and so on. Actually, a good job is being done. In particular, I would like to single out Rural Electrification Programme (REP). They have done a good job. Let them continue doing so. In fact, I wish that in the Development Vote they could get more money so that they can light Kenya more than they have done at the moment.

Still on REP, I would like to request for a small clarification. On the allocations for 2009/2010, they have put all the constituencies and the amount of money. However, the amount of money is varying. We do not know what criteria was used to do that allocation. We do not know whether it is the same criterion that was used for CDF, where some constituencies get more and others less. What I saw in my constituency is that I am getting a little bit less. On the CDF side, I am also getting less. I am told that the level of

Time up, Mr. M’Mithiaru!

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

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Vote. I also rise to join my colleagues in supporting this Motion. I would want to start by thanking the Minister, who is actually one of the very few Ministers in whom this House has so much confidence. I would also want to thank the Assistant Minister, the Permanent Secretary (PS) and all their staff, including all the heads of their various parastatals. They have actually provided able leadership in this particular Ministry.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to support the Vote of the Ministry of Energy. I also want to thank and commend the Minister for Energy, Mr. Murungi, his Assistant Minister, the PS and the heads of parastatals under that Ministry. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Energy is crucial to the economic growth of this nation. When we talk of only 20 per cent of electricity cover in this country, Vision 2030 cannot be achieved. I want to look at two major areas. I have a very good reason as to why I want to discuss these two areas. First and foremost, they have a bearing on the people of Dujis Constituency and the greater northern Kenya. I want to thank the Minister, and his team, for making the Rural Electrification Programme (REP) more constituency and grassroot-based. That is where this country is heading. We want to see resources being equitably distributed, so that what we give to Othaya Constituency, where the President comes from, and what we give to Langata Constituency, where the Prime Minister comes from, will be equal what is given to North Horr, Garissa, Lamu, Emuhaya and many other places. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for the last 45 years, the REP has not had any presence in northern Kenya. I want to confirm that fact. I want the Minister to look into that aspect. It was only last year when funds were allocated to the Rural

Are you supporting the Vote?

Initially, I said that I support the Vote.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to make a contribution to this Vote of the Ministry of Energy.

I want start by congratulating the Minister for doing a splendid job at the Ministry of Energy. I have seen the strategic plan of the Ministry. I have unqualified support for the programmes they have set out to achieve. The REP is a key component of the strategic plan of the Ministry which informs my contribution this afternoon. I want to start by saying that while supporting the Ministry, I want to ask the Minister and his team to look beyond the obvious and think outside the box. We have a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. It is not the kind of level that you would expect a country like Kenya to have. I was in India the other day, one power plant in some remote place that was put up by a private sector investor was generating 4,500 megawatts for a town. It is important for the Ministry to understand that the cost of power is what is making this country very uncompetitive. We are in a world that is very competitive and the Ministry needs to think beyond the hydros and geothermals and the PPPs that are currently generating electricity. He should not limit himself. He should think as far as nuclear energy is concerned. I think it is something that we, as a country, must contemplate if we have to be competive.

In our Vision 2030, we have set ourselves to achieve certain goals. Without energy, all that will be a dream. Our agro processing industry, value addition industry and transport industry require energy that is affordable. Currently, the cost of energy is four times more in Kenya than it is in Egypt, yet we are in Common Market for Easter and Southern Africa (COMESA) and we are supposed to compete in terms of trade. Our goods and services will continue to be expensive if we do not address ourselves critically to the challenge of energy in our country. While we appreciate the steps the Minister is

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to contribute. I stand to support this Vote. I must, first of all, begin by thanking the Minister for Energy, the Assistant Ministers and the officials in that Ministry for the wonderful job that they have done. I must singularly say that the work so far done by the REA and the KPLC has been amazing. We recently came from a tour of Nyanza where we witnessed the opening of Sondu Miriu power generation plant. I want to thank KenGen for that wonderful job that they have done. I want to also say here and now, that there is no country which will develop until and unless it has the power in terms of electricity and other forms of energy. The leadership shown by the Ministry in this area is appreciated. I want to tell the Minister for Finance that we cannot just ask the Ministry to supply us with what we want if we cannot fund that Ministry appropriately. Our Vision 2030 cannot be achieved if we do not electrify our rural areas which form the backbone of this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I come from an area which is quite disadvantaged in terms of electricity supply. This is my constituency, Kitutu Masaba. I come from a place with almost 300 schools but not even ten have electricity. It is amazing that other areas have these facilities but others do not. I would like to urge the Ministry to ensure that we all benefit almost equally in the entire country. There are a lot of disparities when it comes to the allocation of funds and such things. As I said, it is the duty of this House to ensure that we fund the Ministry appropriately to be able to deliver what we are asking. We are thinking of increasing our capacity to generate electricity through geothermal power, wind power and solar power. This cannot be done until and unless there is enough funding for the Ministry. I also want to ask the Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited (KPLC) to assist our people access electricity in rural areas. Sometimes there is electricity in an area but the poor people cannot afford this. This could be because the installation of electricity meters is too expensive. I do not know whether it is Kshs35, 000 or what. However, I would want the KPLC to look into this issue and see whether there is a possibility of reducing the cost of installation of meters so that our people can afford to install electricity in their homes.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Minister, Assistant Minister and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy. First, I would like to talk on behalf of my constituency. We are very happy with what has been happening under the Rural Electrification Programme. However, there are a few points I would like the Ministry to look into. When we look at provision of electricity for domestic use, we pay about Kshs32, 000. This electricity is not for business purposes and therefore, it becomes a bit difficult for people to have power installed in their houses. If the Ministry can look into that and at least try to lower the installation cost, that would be very good. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, business premises are required to pay Kshs17, 400 and a deposit of Kshs5, 000. Businesses generate income but those who want to use electricity domestically cannot afford to pay Kshs32,000 for installation of electricity. We would really appreciate if the Ministry looked into that area. I do not have a problem with the cost of connecting electricity to businesses because they pay Kshs5, 000 as a deposit, then Kshs17, 400 and then Kshs1, 000 every month. This makes the business people able to trade and continue paying the KPLC. We appreciate what the Ministry is doing for schools with solar energy. I, however, would request the Ministry to invest more in generating electricity using solar. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to urge Members that we should also be looking at the good things that people do. Let us not just be looking at the bad sides. One mistake should not make the Ministry look as though the whole Ministry is corrupt. Let us support whatever good work Ministries do. Continue doing what you are doing. Kenyans from the rural areas appreciate the work you are doing. Thank you very much.

Do you support or oppose?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support.

Thank you Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to contribute to this important Vote. From the outset, I would like to support this Motion. I wish to take this chance to thank the Ministry and its technocrats for creatively trying to address issues of energy in our country. When the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance read the Budget, he mentioned the theme as, “Overcoming Today’s

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank you more sincerely for giving me this chance to support this Motion. This is the only Ministry that I have seen that produces as opposed to consuming. If you look at its budget, Kshs30 billion is on Development Expenditure while Kshs335 million is for Recurrent Expenditure. What more can anybody ask for? I was agonizing at one time and said that when I grow up, I would like to be like the Ministry of Energy because this is one Ministry which is synergized, coordinated and you

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to join the others in supporting this Vote for the Ministry of Energy. As you know, energy is one of the development infrastructure items. Without energy, we cannot start industries. I have seen this in my own area. When we provided electricity to small markets, many small industries began to come up. It is for this reason that we would ask that the Minister for Finance, even in future Budgets, considers to increase the allocation for this Ministry. We also know that the cost of electricity is cheaper than paraffin. When we provide electricity to rural areas, we are not only saving on the cost but also enabling children to read more and do well in their studies. For this reason, we support this Ministry. However, I want to draw the attention of this Ministry that although it is their policy to provide electricity to schools, health centres and market places, in some constituencies like mine, we are lagging far behind. If we go at the rate of Rural Electrification Programme, this might take the next five to ten years. Therefore, equity is really necessary here so that we can catch up with the other constituencies that have developed. I want to commend the Kenya Power and Lighting Company for the innovation of teaming up with banks. This has enabled farmers and other citizens to borrow loans from the banks for connection of electricity and start repaying them as they sell their milk, potatoes and goats. We have heard about exploration of oil in this country since I was in school. I do not know what is difficult in exploring oil. For years now, we are told that oil is being explored. Is it the technology that is a problem or the areas or is it that we do not put in enough money or what is it? We would like to know this because sooner or later, Uganda will be way ahead of us. This Ministry has an authority which is known as the Electricity Regularity Authority. I am glad that the Ministry is encouraging energy saving bulbs to be used. The regulatory authority should come up with rules that machines should also be economical in the use of electricity. It is not just about being able to pay for energy, but it is also a question of denying others that commodity. It is time that we, as a country, came up with measures to use whatever resources we have very efficiently.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am also glad to see that this Ministry has considered other sources of energy than the traditional ones. The use of wind energy and mini-hydros has put other countries to a level where they are able to generate more energy. In this country we have many small rivers with falls. If you go to a country like Pakistan, you will find that they generate a lot of their electricity from these mini- hydroes. I would encourage this Ministry to also encourage small investors to go this way; to have mini-hydroes, so that small towns, schools and health centres can be provided by localized sources of energy production.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, I want to commend this Ministry for using a large chunk of its budget on development. This is a step in the right direction. We have seen other Ministries use most of the budget on Recurrent Expenditure and leave only very little for development. This is one Ministry that I think is very well focused. I want to commend the Minister and Assistant Ministers for what they are doing.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Hon. Mwathi, you will contribute for the next two minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Vote. In so doing, I want to thank the Ministry for the very good work that they are doing, particularly on the issue of Rural Electrification Programme (REP). I am one of the beneficiaries of that REP, but they took a bit of time to implement it. We have been asked to send proposals and we have done so, but there is no further communication. It becomes an exercise that keeps people hoping that they will get that connection. Since we are acting for and on behalf of our people, when they see us surveying around to find out what is happening, they ask us all sorts of questions. So, when it does not come, it really puts us in a lot of problems. However, that is a step in the right direction. You only need to mop up and make it work efficiently.

The other issue which I would like to mention is the support of cottage industries. How can the Ministry try and make the available energy cheap? We have a policy to promote and support the youth. We have Kazi kwa Vijana Programme coming through all Ministries. How will this Ministry support the youth, so that they can start their own small businesses? In my area they are asking: “How can we have lesser costs of energy, so that we can do some things at profitable margins?” I do have an area where the Ministry can harvest wind energy, but it is just going to waste. Maybe that will make it easier and cheaper for the Ministry to provide more energy. So, it is necessary for the Ministry to find out even from the leaders the areas where wind energy can be exploited.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

It is now 5.40 p.m. I will ask the Mover now to reply.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. First of all, I would like to thank all hon. Members for their contribution and encouragement that they have given us, as a Ministry. I would like also to thank the Committee on Energy, Communication and Information, under the able chairmanship of Eng. Rege, for the wonderful work they have been doing and commitment they have shown in working with us in doing leadership to this sector. I also thank them for their support and constructive criticism at all times. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we do realize that the allocation to the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) has actually gone down this year. Knowing REP is very important to Members and the country as a whole, we intend maybe to pursue again the Ministry of Finance in future, so that by the time we come to Supplementary Estimates, we ask for more allocation. However, I want to assure the hon. Members that we are committed to REP and the funds that are there are equitably distributed. In fact, we have projects in all the 210 constituencies. Despite the slow pace which has been mentioned by hon. Members here, we will endeavour to ensure that the speed that has been criticized will be improved this year. You will realize that REA is fairly new and maybe there are teething problems in the initial stages. We promise that our speed will be better this year than last time. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on geothermal development, we thank the hon. Members for their support in the formation of the GDC and also encouraging us to

Next order!

Vote 32- Ministry of Information and Communications

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair to enable me initiate debate on Vote 32 for the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the vision of my Ministry is to make Kenya a world class centre of excellence in Information, Communication and Technology (ICT). Further, the Ministry’s mission is to develop Kenya as a globally competitive and prosperous nation by creating an enabling environment that encourages and enhances

Who is seconding?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it will be Maj (Rtd) Godhana.

Then proceed!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, information and communication is one of the oldest arts and science that none of us can live without. From the outset, I want to remind hon. Members that none of them could have come to this House if they had not informed and communicated to any of their constituents to warrant them a right to this House.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, what we are talking about here today is about technology. It is about trying to modernize the way we reach out to the people of this nation. That is what informs technology. The world over, ICT has been identified as the main enabler to growing economies. Kenya, as a country, has identified ICT in Vision 2030 as the main tool to moving this economy forward. I wish to remind hon. Members in this House about how fast technology is moving. Some years back, two or three years ago, when Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) was introduced in Kenya, people were celebrating but to date, we have not moved any step in adopting it fully in this country. As we still scramble to embrace CCTV in Kenya - I want to mention here the efforts by the City Council of Nairobi to try and bring on board CCTV in improving security in Nairobi - other countries are moving very fast. In fact today, we are talking about IPTV but we are still thinking on how we can accommodate CCTV. In terms of telecommunication technology, I want to remind hon. Members that we are still talking about the first generation. In fact, I can assure you that most hon. Members here do not own third generation mobile phones. Those who have them keep on bragging every day. Other countries have moved to fourth generation and are now moving to fifth generation. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, today, we are talking about migration from analogue TV technology to digital. Most of the countries all over the world have already embraced it and we are still negotiating and wondering how soon we can migrate from analogue to digital. Those are just some of the technologies that we can talk about in ICT sector. It is very critical that if we are serious about making this country a third class economy by the year 2030, given that 2030 is a few years to come, we have little time to catch up in terms of technology. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if we want to remain relevant and catch up with others, be able to struggle, defeat them and move ahead of them, we cannot sit in this House without supporting this Motion. I want to urge hon. Members that they do not have to think twice about it. This budget is quite small. It is supposed to set the pace towards the implementation of ICT in this country. The Assistant Minister talked about us being able to be a country of excellence. I want us to look at the word “excellence”. It is not about embracing ICT only but to be excellent. Therefore, I wish to urge them to support this Motion.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Information and Communications is mandated to provide equitable and affordable quality information and

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise on a point of order on Standing Order No.72 which says that no hon. Member shall read a speech. Can you guide us?

Indeed! Eng. Rege, are you moving a Report of a Committee---

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I need your guidance here because I need to have the exact figures---

Order, Eng. Rege! Are you moving a Committee Report to this House?

Yes, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Proceed!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member is a member of this Committee.

Order, Mr. Ethuro! But Eng. Rege, you can just refer to some key areas and just move your report.

I wanted to know the provision! The law is very clear, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Order, Mr. Ethuro! We have understood you!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the previous speaker should have been here in the first instance and he is a Member of the Committee. I wanted to say that KBC is going down simply because the equipment that was supplied by the Japanese Government was quite unacceptable. It was an indication of dumping. Today, this country is left with a big debt of over Kshs23 billion. For this industry to be vibrant, the Government needs to pump in enough resources so that all these requirements are rolled out in the rural areas as indicated by the Minister for Finance. Under Sub-Vote 200, Head 287, the Ministry provided modern computer laboratories in the 210 constituencies and allocated some Kshs600 million to buy 210 buses and equip them with furniture and computers to accommodate 24 to 30 pupils per class. A further Kshs1 million was allocated for the provision of services to the mobile buses which are going to be used for teaching pupils in classes in the constituencies. We have the opinion that this comes down to some Kshs2.9 million which was not indicated in the budget or which may not even be enough for all the 29 constituencies.

The Committee was concerned by the practicability of that project. The allocations translate to only Kshs2.9 million for each bus, plus the equipment. The cost seems to be unrealistic. The Committee is also concerned about the ownership and the control of the program.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, under Sub-vote 320, Head 287, the Ministry intends to acquire some 5,000 acres of land at Malili Ranch near Machakos for an Information, Communication Technology (ICT) park at a price of Kshs200,000 per acre. The total cost is Kshs1 billion. However, the Ministry has been allocated some Kshs800 million this year and Kshs400 million in the last financial year, 2008/2009, totaling to Kshs1.2 billion. The extra Kshs2 million is to be used to meet the cost of a transactions advisor and other consultancy services. Could the Ministry disclose the firms involved in the advisory consultancy services?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is further projected that the acquisition of land will cost the Ministry an additional Kshs3.5 billion in the next two years. It is not

Order, Eng. Rege! Order! Did you write to the Ministry to seek answers to some of the questions that you are raising here today?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we did write to the Ministry.

Did you get a response to those questions?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am told that, that answer may be forthcoming after my speech.

Proceed!

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I just want to thank the Ministry for undertaking Vision 2030 right now, by providing what is needed in the roll out of the ICT requirements in the constituencies. They have just introduced the under-sea fiber optic cable at an appropriate time when Kenya really needs investments from the international community. I want to thank the Ministry for that good job.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I also request the Ministry to hurriedly roll out the digital villages.

With those few remarks, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to---

All right. And you are supporting?

I am seconding. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir.

You cannot second, Mr. Chairman!

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to contribute to this Motion. The Ministry of Information and Communications should really play a very vital role for us, as a country, to achieve Vision 2030. We talk of Vision 2030 but, when I see the funds and what the Ministry is doing, I do not think we are going to achieve that Vision 2030! When we talk about universal access to ICT, what is it? What do we need to do? The Ministry must be very proactive. The Ministry has been taken over by the private sector in terms of mobile telephony, internet and other facilities. What is the Ministry doing? Are you only coming up with policies? What is your timeline? By the time you develop your policies, people will have moved away!

As much as we want to thank you for what you are doing at the moment, there is need for you to do a lot. I want to thank the Minister for the provision of one mobile computer laboratory for every constituency. However, I was wondering whether that is viable, for example, in Belgut Constituency which has 140 primary schools and almost 30 secondary schools. I want us to be realistic. Take the example of Mr. Ethuro’s constituency which is almost the size of Rift Valley Province. Maybe, the number of primary schools there could be less. However, I would like us to think about that. As

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I also wish to support this Vote. I want to pay glowing tribute to the Minister and the Assistant Minister, some two young hon. Members who are making a difference in this country. If there is a time some Ministries have been allocated to the most competent people, as we saw yesterday with regard to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and

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

Yes, Eng. Rege!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am the one who needs information, and not the Chair.

Order! Eng. Rege, did you say “point of order” or “point of information”?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, he said “point of information”.

Order!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Ethuro is a Member of the Departmental Committee on Energy, Communication and Information and he should be aware that registration of mobile phones is already in an Act. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that is true, except that I did not need that information. I was already aware of it. I was giving the history that this House, through a Private Member’s Motion, before we passed the media law, had already proposed registration of mobiles. I am only saying that one year down the road, the Government is behaving as if they have come up with some stroke of genius to demonstrate that this can be done. All that I am saying is that if they had listened to this House one year ago, we would have prevented the kind of scenario we are talking about. As I conclude, I would like to say that I am quite happy with the performance of the Ministry and I wish them well.

I support this Vote.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the Vote for the Ministry. This is a key Ministry. For us to realize Vision 2030, it has to play a very vital role. The budget for the Ministry does realize the need to invest in infrastructure, specifically ICT which is very important if we have to develop the ICT industry in our nation.

It is also important to mention that the activities envisioned by the Minister in this budget are very innovative. For example, ICT, digital villages, computer laboratories in each constituency in this Republic; these are all very vital and important innovations that the Ministry intends to deal with this financial year.

As a Member of Parliament from a very rural constituency in northern Kenya, I would like to urge this Ministry to invest more in the rural parts of Kenya. Where I come from in North Horr, the only thing that is known about this Ministry for the most part is KBC. Very little is known of this Ministry’s activities in that part of the country. It is very important for the Ministry to roll out its ICT digital villages in all schools as much as possible in rural areas.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, most parts of the rural areas, including my own constituency, are hardly covered by mobile telephone service delivery. I think it is very important for this Ministry to look for ways and mean, even if it means subsidizing these mobile telephone companies or giving some form of incentives to them to ensure that many poor people in rural areas and marginal areas are covered and provided by mobile service delivery.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the delivery of mobile telephone services in urban areas is very well utilized. When it comes to rural areas and marginal areas, we have done very little. In my constituency, for example, only two villages are covered by mobile telephone services. This is true for very many rural constituencies in Kenya. I do pray and hope that this Ministry will do whatever it takes, whether it is giving subsidies or providing incentives, to ensure that these mobile telephone companies come to the rural areas and provide Kenyans with this very vital service.

Welcome back Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support this Motion. I think this Ministry has the right idea, although it has a long way to go. First of all, the provision of a mobile computer laboratory is a very bad idea. Let us follow the wishes of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of, for example, creating a centre of excellence in every constituency. Do it in one place and do it right. These mobile things--- A couple of years ago, a Member of Parliament from my end of the world bought a mobile health clinic. This project failed before it was operationalized. Do you know why he spent Kshs50 million on it? You cannot tell me that you will be calling people to a market to work with computers. Let us pick a point in a constituency and do it right. If I am driving from here to Limuru, for example, I will know I am going to that centre. We can use the name of that centre to source for further funds. You can add the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) to make it look good and it becomes a true centre of excellence. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) must pull up its socks and come to reality with the modern world. The issue of issuing frequencies to people who want to invest cannot be left to individuals. We cannot have one person having 66 frequencies and the rest are on the line as beggars. We cannot have one person using gadgets, against the law, to stop Kenyans from communicating. Recently, all communication in the southern part of Nyanza was knocked off air because of this one man who is larger than life. I was a supporter of the Communications Bill and I still support every provision in the Act. I knew that the CCK and this Ministry needed power. We said: “We are giving you those powers, please, use them”. We wanted them to use the powers so that we could make this society a place where people are not angry at the Government. We must make sure that we do not have a few powerful individuals controlling the way we live. The CCK knows this. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other day, I was in a bank and I saw a naked person on television. What is the CCK doing? Is it its work just to issue frequencies to people who are powerful? Since the CCK is threatening to posses frequencies, the biggest trade in the streets now is a frequency for Kshs3.5 million.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support this Motion, however, with few remarks. The first one is, yes, we understand it is very important to communicate. The communication that comes between people and nations and between entities is that one that mostly shapes the thinking of the nation. It is the one that guides how a nation moves. I am saying this because I am aware of the fact that when we were going for the General Election in 2007, we heavily depended on what we were getting from the media. That went without saying. That is what came to shape the politics and finally the life of Kenyans by virtue of the people who were elected. Therefore, it is very critical that this Ministry is observed keenly and that the work they do and what goes to the public is vetted properly. I want to associate myself with the comments of Mr. Midiwo when he said that he was standing at 1.00 p.m., in a bank and saw a naked body and somebody was laughing about it. Where are we headed? What is their role? Is it to issue those frequencies and licences? I think this issue needs to be tamed, whether his Ministry has powers or not. That issue should be brought here and then we debate it in this House. I need to bring something to light. I have an architectural background. There is one role that the Nairobi City Council plays. They have by-laws which all developers are supposed to abide by. One of them is to ensure that for every building that comes up, there is a canopy to protect people from severe weather, either extreme sunlight or rain. I think it is time that we also got into that industry. Since we work and move around buildings, you should move in and make it a law and work with the planning authorities and make sure that in every building that is coming up, we have CCTV incorporated in that building. That will definitely improve our security. We will nab those people who are doing funny things on the streets all the time with impunity. So, it is critical. They should not just see themselves as a small Ministry. This Ministry can change the lifestyle of people, including thieves to stop stealing because they know that they are being watched.

So, if any occurrence is detected, then it is very easy to know which one it is; this is because within this area, there are so many buildings and cameras. So, if one is not working, at least, the other one is working and we should be able to get the information, which we require in order to follow those people.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it would not be right if I sat down without talking about the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). I think it reaches the most Kenyans in this country on both radio and television. But look at the support of the Government for this

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. At least, I have caught your eye. I have been here for long and thought I would not have a chance to speak in the House today.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Ministry of Information and Communications for doing a good job. I am in the relevant Committee and I know that what we went through was actually commendable. The importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) should not be overemphasized. It is very important that we go this way because the whole world has gone ICT. Whatever they are coming up with are things for whicht they need to be commended. But I do not think that the issue of introducing mobile buses is going to be workable. My colleague has just mentioned that issue. Considering the kind of places we come from, our rural areas should be attended to first. We should have tarmack roads; otherwise, they cannot work at all. I do not know what miracle they are going to perform, so that they can work.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, again, as we were going through these records, we realized that they are going to allocate to every constituency at least Kshs2.2 million per bus. When you go to General Motors and look at what you can buy with Kshs2.2 million, really I do not understand whether you are just going to buy a shell, because it can only buy a very small vehicle that cannot accommodate 24 or 34 of the people you are talking about. So, that issue should be looked into. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, at the same time, they have also said that they are going to have at least Kshs1 million to run those buses. Really, if you do a bit of arithmetic and take about two technicians and a driver, the kind of money that you are talking about is very little. It cannot do much, unless you want to tell us that you are maybe, joining another Ministry like the Ministry of Education; Kshs1 million cannot get you anywhere. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue is introducing and making ICT compulsory in primary schools. I do not think that it would be a very difficult thing to do. With the kind of budget given to the Ministry, they can introduce compulsory ICT education and computers in schools. It is not really a big deal; it can be done. This is because everywhere you go to in the world, without computer knowledge, you are a nobody. Even if you have got a Masters Degree or Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD), without ICT knowledge, then you are a nobody. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue of airwaves, a colleague has just mentioned that there is a group of people dominating this field. Also, there is something that has not been mentioned here by the Ministry; that is the issue of having foreign broadcasters in this country. Look at a broadcasting house like the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). They have enjoyed space in this country, but when you try to do a similar thing in

Asante sana, Bw. Naibu Spika, kwa kunipa nafasi hii ili nizungumze juu ya Hoja hii. Wizara hii husambaza habari kwa watu wetu.

Bw. Naibu Spika, Wizara hii imetoa leseni kwa vyombo vingi vya kutangaza habari katika lugha mbalimbali hapa nchini. Ningependa ihimishe vyombo hivo kuwa na vipindi maalum katika Lugha ya Kiswahili. Ni kupitia vyombo hivi ambapo tunaweza kuwa na umoja wa taifa na kuwaunganisha Wakenya wote.Wakati huu, vyombo hivi vinatangaza katika lugha za kiasili. Lugha hizo nyingi haziwezi kuwaunganisha watu wetu. Ni lazima vyombo hivi vitumie lugha ya taifa ambayo itawaunganisha wananchi wetu. Ikiwa vitaendelea kutumia Lugha ya Kiingereza, ni wananchi wachache ambao wataelewa ujumbe wa viongozi wao. Si vizuri kwa sisi kama viongozi kutumia Kiingereza katika mikutano yetu ya kisiasa au wakati wa mazishi. Tukifanya hivo, ni watu wachache ambao hufahamu ujumbe wetu. Lugha ya Kiswahili imewaunganisha Watanzania. Hii ndio lugha ya taifa la Tanzania. Watanzania wote ni ndugu kwa sababu ya lugha hii. Vyombo vingi vya habari hapa nchini vinamilikiwa na watu watatu. Nikiwa na mpango wa kuanzisha chombo changu cha habari ni lazima nipate leseni kutoka kwao.

Bw. Naibu Spika wa Muda, ningependa kusema kwamba kazi ya vyombo vya habari sio kutangaza tu, bali pia ni njia ya kutafutia wananchi kazi. Kwa sababu katika masafa yote yaliyolaliwa kwa kuhujumu nafasi za kazi kwa wakenya zingelikuwa

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. First, I wish to thank the Minister, the Assistant Ministers and the Permanent Secretary who have executed their mandate in the interest of our people in this country. Time and again, we have noted the Permanent Secretary articulating issues. The manner that he has presented his views has been appreciable and that spirit must be maintained.

Regarding the film industry, the Ministry should give more funds to that sector because it is a sector that could create many employment opportunities for our people. We have very active youth in this nation who are very idle. We can also produce very good actors, almost equal to those who are performing in Hollywood. But nothing has been done since Independence to pay more attention to this sector. I urge the Ministry to release more funds and make sure that the youth of this nation are engaged in that venture.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, concerning the performance of KBC, we are a bit apprehensive. For quite sometime, we have seen an exodus of presenters moving from KBC to other media houses. What is really happening? We need to rediscover that we are not giving funds and more attention to our presenters and the other staff at KBC. Our people must be retrained so that we can control that exodus. One way of controlling them and giving the necessary motivation is to review their salaries. Why can we not review their salaries like it has been done by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)?

We should also thank the Ministry for being the first one to broadcast live the proceedings of Parliament. They have taken the right direction and we support them in that regard.

Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to contribute to this Vote by congratulating the Ministry and the Permanent Secretary for a good job well done. I think since the current PS and the previous one who is now the Chairman of the Departmental Committee got into this Minister; we have seen a lot of development. I want to encourage the Ministry to continue pushing ICT as the main source of information and jobs in this country, since we are in the information technology and knowledge is the main component of this technology.

I would like to say a few things which I think are very, very important, particularly as regards to policy. I am very happy that we have articulated an ICT policy and it is now in place. With ICT, technologies have moved very fast. Now, we have geospatial technologies or satellite technologies which have fused up with ICT. So we need to come up with new polices that would see to it that satellite technologies are embraced in this country. Many countries, for example, Nigeria, already have satellite for communication and collecting information. So, this is an area where I would like to see the Ministry thinking big. We must think big and not think small. The satellite technology is the way we should go so that we do not spend more time hiring all this from ITU. So, this is an area that I would like to ask the Ministry to ask move on and see how best we can do it.

The issue of the mobile computer bus, I think most hon. Members have talked about it and I think it is not going to work. We must go back to the drawing board! How is it going to work? I do not believe it can! It cannot work! Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue of training, ICT training is very, very crucial, if this country is going to move forward. The Ministry of Education may have policies on e-learning and so on, but they do not have the capacity. The programs they

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to support the Vote for this Ministry. But it is rather disappointing to see that it is only Kshs4.5 billion compared to its importance in this country.

This is really the Ministry for the future! If we want to be at par with the rest of the world, then it is through this Ministry. Otherwise, we will always be trailing and we will never catch up with the rest of the world. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we always say that we are a global village. We are supposed to be competing with America, Europe, Asia and everywhere else. How are we going to do that? How are our youth going to do that when they are not computer literate or when they cannot access the internet? To me, ICT or computer knowledge should be made compulsory in all our schools!

In fact, it should be a requirement that for one to be a Member of Parliament, he or she should be computer literate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, because I do not want to repeat what my colleagues have said, allow me to say this: In this country we are experiencing e-waste. It is the responsibility of this Ministry to ensure that we do not become a dumping ground. A lot of computers are coming from America and Europe in the form of assistance to us, but

Under the circumstances, I will call upon the Mover to reply now.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. First, I want to appreciate the concerns by Members of Parliament which will go a long way in informing the areas that we feel are necessary so that they can be addressed. However, most of the issues that were raised here have already been covered in the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act that was passed by this House.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, allow me to talk about some of the issues that were raised here. One, Mr. Keter requested that we disclose the issue of the consultancy firm. There is nothing to hide in this. We have consulted the International Finance Corporation (IFC). We have paid around Kshs200 million for the consultancy services.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, I beg to move:-

THAT a sum not exceeding Kshs10, 508,145,370 be issued from the Consolidated Fund to complete the sum necessary to meet the expenditure during the year ending 30th June, 2010, in respect of:-

Vote30 - Ministry of Energy.

VOTE R30 – RECURRENT EXPENDITURE

SUB-VOTE 300 – GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING

SUB-VOTE 301 – RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT

Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, I had indicated earlier on that I was going to move a Motion to stop this in the absence of documentation. However, our Committee has since received documentation and we are satisfied.

Eng. Rege, you had given the notice of your intention although you did not move it. So, it is as good as well done!

Order, hon. Members! Let us now move to the next Ministry; Vote 32 - Ministry of Information and Communications.

Vote 32 – Ministry of Information and Communication

Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, I beg to move that a sum not exceeding Kshs2,200, 503, 440 be issued from the Consolidated Fund to complete the sum necessary to meet the expenditure during the year ended 30th June, 2010 in respect of:-

Vote 32 – Ministry of Information and Communications

VOTE R32 – RECURRENT EXPENDITURE

SUB-VOTE 320 – GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING

( Heads 287, 406, 464, 713 and 781 agreed to)

SUB-VOTE 322 – INFORMATION AND NEWS SERVICES

SUB-VOTE 323 – TRAINING

SUB-VOTE 325 – FILM PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT

( Heads 723 and 724 agreed to)

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am directed to report that the Committee of Supply has considered the Resolution that a sum not exceeding Kshs10,508,145,370 be issued from the Consolidated Fund to complete the sum necessary to meet expenditure during the year ending 30th June, 2010, in respect of Vote 30 – Ministry of Energy, and has approved the same without amendment.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the House doth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution.

(Mr. Godhana) seconded.

Vote 32 – Ministry of Information and Communications

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am directed to report that the Committee of Supply has considered the Resolution that a sum not exceeding Kshs2,200,503,440 be issued from the Consolidated Fund to complete the sum necessary to meet expenditure during the year ending 30th June, 2010, in respect of Vote 32 – Ministry of Information and Communications, and has approved the same without amendment.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the House doth agree with the Committee in the said Resolution.

(Eng. M.M. Mahamud) seconded.

Hon. Members, it is now time for the interruption of business. The House is, therefore, adjourned until Tuesday, 4th August, 2009, at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 7.35 p.m.