to ask the Minister for Lands:- (a) Could the Minister state why L.R. MBNI/14710 (measuring 9.084 hectares) is being register in the name of Mombasa Technical Training Institute (MTTI) instead of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance? (b) Is he aware that the MTTI is just about to dispose of the land in favour of a third party even before the grant is registered? (c) Could he consider revoking the said allocation and instead re- allocate the land to squatters already in occupation of the land?

Mr. Joho is not here! Hon. Members, given that this is a Question by Private Notice, we will give indulgence and revisit it a little later on.

Next Question, Mr. Mungatana!

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

(a) How much did the Government spend in preparing, organizing and catering for delegates in the just concluded African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Conference?

(b) Were the above expenses catered for in the Budget and if not, how was it financed?

(c) Could he indicate the concrete benefit that accrued to the country from the Conference?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply.

(a) The Conference has just been concluded and the Ministry is in the process of compiling and reconciling the records on the expenses incurred in preparing, organizing and catering for the delegates. I will be able to provide comprehensive details of expenditure on 10th September, 2009. Having said, that, I want to thank the hon. Members for also getting involved and supporting the cause of the Conference that was extremely successful.

(b) There was a budget provision of Kshs90 million to cater for the hosting of the AGOA Conference. This can easily be found in our Budget Estimates under the hospitality item. That can be found in our records.

(c) The AGOA Forum, also known as the Annual US Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Co-operation, is held alternately in Africa and the US. This was the third time it was being held in Africa and the first time in East Africa. Kenya was favoured to host it. The benefits accruing as a result of AGOA are as follows:-

One, the country’s exporters to the US market were made aware of the conditions and standards they need to meet in order to access the US market. Two, the publicity of the Conference in Nairobi brought home to Kenyans the need to diversify the range of products to be exported to the US. Three, the Conference also brought together investors from the US in Kenya and, therefore, provided a chance for negotiations for joint ventures. Four, the positive publicity brought about by the Conference in Nairobi, especially in the international Press, portrayed the country as a good investment destination as opposed to what we see in the media, of war and turmoil. Five, the country also gained from the conference tourism and publicized Kenya as a tourist destination, particularly the event which was held in our Animal Orphanage in Nairobi where the guests were treated to an open campsite. Six, Kenyan Ministers for Trade and Agriculture got an opportunity to hold bilateral consultations with their counterparts to sort out barriers in Kenya’s export to the US. Seven, the choice of Kenya to host the Forum enhanced appropriation of Kenya as a key nation in Sub-Saharan Africa, both in the US Congress and within the American Presidency. Political goodwill towards Kenya was, therefore, a major victory. Finally, it is expected that the full benefits of the AGOA Conference in Nairobi, like many other trade initiatives, will accrue in the future. The Conference was good for Kenya and the amounts of money spent to organize it should be viewed as an investment rather than a cost.

Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we all know that AGOA is an agreement that allows Africa non-reciprocal duty and quota-free access to the US market. In particular, there are 6,500 products that are supposed to be able to access the US market in favourable conditions. This is supposed to last until 2015. The question that arises and what I was expecting the Assistant Minister to talk about it is: What is it that we have been able to secure? The AGOA is about America and Africa. What is it that Kenya was able to secure? For example, did we get the extension to beyond 2015? Have we been able to negotiate that to go beyond that? Have we been assured of fresh new markets? What we have seen is that the exports to the US have dropped from Kshs270 million to Kshs246 million. After the Government of Kenya has put in so much money for this Conference and for the catering of those delegates - he is telling us they have spent about Kshs90 million - what is it that we have gained or was it just another talk shop?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to inform my colleague here that we exposed Kenyans to that kind of forum and, perhaps, if you want to know the details of what we are benefiting from so far, we are taking advantage of only 20 items as opposed to precisely 6,900 items. Those are the items that we are supposed to benefit from America. That is the more reason why we took the advantage to publicize and let Kenyans know what they did not know. Sometimes, it is true that we have the information. But the consumption of the information is the issue. So, I thought that, that was one of the ways to publicize and make Kenyans understand where we are coming from. With that, I believe there was serious interest generated from Kenyans and a lot of networking and interactions took place. I believe that we need to grow beyond 100 items by the end of next year. That is when we will engage the USA to review where we are.

Thirdly, Mr. Speaker, Sir, the reason why we have delayed in getting the full benefits is due to non-availability of information. We wait for a whole year to review what we have done so far. But in our bilateral and consultative meetings, the Ministers from Africa agreed to form a peer review mechanism where we are going to meet bi- annually so that, by the end of the year during the final meeting, we can know where we have come from, where we are and where we intend to go. I believe that, by the end of next year, the product range will increase up to 100, if not more.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is certainly a very useful agreement that we have with USA. Could the Ministry extend that kind of initiative to the emerging giants such as China, so that we can have a range of products also going to Asia?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that is a wonderful proposal. We do agree that, that was an initiative by the American Government during President Clinton’s time. It was inherited by the former President, Bush, and now, our own son Barack Obama, has taken it up. That is why we saw the Secretary of State visiting here. It is okay for any other Governments to enter into bilateral agreements with us. I think we are not restricted to only that market. Again, you know we are now living in a free market economy. I think yours is a good proposal and we can engage other markets which have got easier access and cheaper ways of doing business. That is because there are some limitations. For example, in America, transportation cost is a bit of a hindrance in terms of accessing that market. I think it is a good proposal and we are thinking East as well.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, could the Assistant Minister explain to the House how much the rural business community knows about AGOA? What was their rate of participation in the just concluded conference?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, indeed, most of the people who have benefited from that kind of arrangement, other than the major vegetable and fruit exporters, are the small artifacts manufacturers or producers. In fact, if the hon. Member came to that forum, he would have seen that most of the exhibitors were small scale producers. There are challenges that they face in terms of volumes and cost of economies of scale and, as a Ministry, we are trying to put them together so that they can export in bulk. In fact, it was interesting to learn that small scale artifact manufacturers make nice leather shoes from fish skin. That is done by our local people. In fact, they are more involved. The only problem with our small scale entrepreneurs is volume, access and availability of information. But we will provide an opportunity to them.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you do remember, there was a lady who was in charge of small scale entrepreneurs in America. She spent a lot of time discussing and engaging small entrepreneurs and advising them on what to do, together with the Ministry. I think that is the way to go. As I said here yesterday, the only way to grow this economy is by targeting small scale entrepreneurs. They are very many.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, small African economies like Lesotho and Malawi enjoy a far much bigger share of the American market than a large economy like ours. During that trade fair, could the Assistant Minister tell us what he learnt about those two countries – as small as they are - that is making them have a better share than ours, so that we can learn and build on it?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that is a fairly different and specific question and, if he does not mind, I can come back with detailed information about our bilateral agreements. We divided ourselves into small groups of African countries to share our experiences. I did not come with that information but I can tell you that we learnt quite a lot in terms of small groupings that we got into during the AGOA forum. I do not have the exact deliberations that took place in the sectoral meetings and, if the hon. Member will indulge me on 10th September, I will be up to speed with the information he has asked me to give.

Hon. Mungatana?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is a trend amongst Ministries to hold conferences every time. A lot of money is going towards conference facilitation and yet, the Assistant Minister himself has told us that, out of the Kshs6,500 possible products that we should export to the USA, we are only utilizing 20 products and he hopes that, by the end of the year, we should be utilizing 100 products.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, he also said that it is the small scale traders who are supposed to reach that market. The question that begs an answer is: What is the Ministry doing to build capacity among those small scale traders? That is because the Ministry of Trade is not giving them loans. The Ministry of Trade is not training them. The Ministry of Trade, in fact, charges them to exhibit in such conferences. The Ministry of Trade is not helping them in any practical manner. But they have millions for holding conferences to entertain those big guys who come to Kenya. I think that is repeated in other Ministries.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thought my brother, hon. Mungatana, would be a little kind to me because I thought he knew how I have been from the very beginning.

Next Question, Mr. Warugongo!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister for Forestry and Wildlife the following Question by Private Notice.

(a) Why did the electric fencing around Mt. Kenya stall even though construction materials are available at the site?

(b) When will the construction commence?

(c) Could the Minister indicate the measures he is taking to keep away wildlife, especially monkeys, from farmlands around the Aberdares?

Is the Minister for Forestry and Wildlife in? We will leave that Question in abeyance for a little while.

asked the Minister for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030:- (a) to table a list of all banks with which Constituency Development Fund Committees (CDFC’s) are authorised to operate accounts; and, (b) the criteria that was used to select the banks.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank the Minister for that answer. In his answer, he has said that Equity Bank is one of the banks where we are authorised to operate accounts. On 28th August, last year, Kitui West Constituency partnered with Equity Bank so that it could sponsor upcoming businesses which the CDFC had given contracts. We wrote to this Ministry and also the Ministry of Finance. Indeed, the CDF Board wrote to this Ministry requesting for the account to be opened. To date, the account has not been opened with Equity Bank. What should we do in order for this account for Kitui West Constituency to be opened at Equity Bank?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, there was a confusion because in accordance with the CDF (Amendment) Act, 2007, the CDF was moved from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Planning, National Development and Vision 2030. Unfortunately, up to now, the custodians of the CDF are the District Accountants who fall under the Ministry of Finance. Because of this confusion, I have engaged officials of the Ministry of Finance. We are in agreement that any transfer of funds shall be done by the Ministry of Planning, National Development and Vision 2030. That is the position now.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. The CDF is a big public fund. Has the Minister considered involving banks by negotiating with them so that when we open accounts, they should not be charged ledger fees like normal accounts? That way, most of the money will go to public use.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, unfortunately, I have not done that. We have assigned that responsibility to the various CDFC. They are supposed to discuss banking requirements with the local branches.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister has not understood my question. The banks will listen to the Minister if he calls and tells them that this is the money that he has. This is because it makes business sense. However, if a particular committee that handles Kshs10 million approaches the banks, it may not be offered the same rebate that could be offered to the Minister.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the big Fund is with the Central Bank of Kenya and not with the local banks. I can assure the hon. Member that.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like the Minister to clarify what, in the opinion of his Ministry, is considered to be “local banks”.

Mr. Speaker Sir, local banks usually--- Engineer Gumbo should know this. “A local bank” is a bank that is owned by locals.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. The Minister is trying to mislead the House by deliberately being vague. To the best of my knowledge virtually, all banks in Kenya are owned by Kenyans. Could the Minister answer the question? There has to be a criterion for a bank to qualify to be called “a local bank.”

Mr. Speaker, Sir, a local bank should have majority shareholders being locals. There are some Kenyans who own shares in the Standard Chartered Bank but their shareholding is only 30 per cent. So, if locals own 50 per cent or more shares in a bank, then it becomes a local bank.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, considering the fact that this Fund is constituency based, and from the list that the Minister has laid on the Table there are some districts that do not have those funds, could he consider approving some SACCOs to provide banking facilities to the CDFCs?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the answer is: “No”. According to the CDF Act, banking facilities can only be provided by a commercial bank. SACCOs are not commercial banks.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, what steps or measures has the Minister taken to make sure that all constituencies have the CDF managers? My constituency has not had a CDF manager for the last six months.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not know whether the hon. Member is talking about the Fund Manager or the Constituency Manager. He should be specific. Which manager is he talking about? Is he talking about the Fund Manager?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am talking about the Account Manager from the CDF Headquarters.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. That is the Funds Manager. I am not aware of that. I will have to check that with the Secretariat and establish why a Funds Manager has not been posted to his constituency. However, I know we advertised for eight vacancies, people applied for the jobs and interviews were conducted. Maybe, they are in the process of posting a Funds Manager in the hon. Member’s constituency. However, I will have to confirm that.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, could the Minister clarify to us whether it concerns him that the funds which he plans for, whether they are the CDF, Women Enterprise Development Fund (WEDF) or the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) are banked in commercial banks that charge Kenyans commercial rates as opposed to the one or two per cent rates proposed by his Ministry?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the various banks have boards that are supposed to take care of the funds. The boards have authority to discuss and agree with the various banks which interest rates they are supposed to charge. So, it is important that I take up the matter with the respective Ministries because the WEDF and the YEDF do

Mr. Speaker, Sir, since these are not the only local banks in this country, could the Minister consider expanding the bracket of the banks that can service the CDF? What is the criterion or procedure for application for the banks that wish to join this lot?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, these are the banks that requested to be considered for the CDF activities. I am open. If other banks apply, we will consider their applications. However, the banks are not offered that opportunity. They must request for it! So, the banks the hon. Member has in mind have not applied.

Yes, Mr. Kigen!

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This is a huge amount of money that keeps going to the banks. It does not attract any interest. Why can we not charge interest yet the banks are trading with it for a long time?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Mr. Kigen knows that CDF money is not supposed to be disbursed to the constituencies and lie in a bank account. There are proposals that they give us. So, they are given that money so that they can apply it. If they have absorption problems, I am ready to offer them free services so that as funds come to their accounts, they are able to use that money immediately.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, according to Section 45 of the CDF Act, the Minister is only allowed to select the commercial banks. He is not authorized to choose which of the banks a constituency fund should open an account. Could he clarify how he comes in to decide to which bank CDF money should go among the ones he has listed here?

Mr. Speaker Sir, we do not dictate to constituencies on which banks they should operate in, but we give a general blanket. We have given five banks; Co-operative Bank of Kenya, National Bank of Kenya, Consolidated Bank, K-Rep and Equity. As a constituency, they are free to operate within the five banks because these are the ones that applied to be considered. However, we have received one or two other applications that we are looking at. Members can only go out of these five bank accounts if these particular banks do not operate within their constituency. If they want to operate outside these banks, they are free but they have to get permission from the Minister.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. When I asked what we need to do in Kitui West to transfer our account from National Bank to Equity Bank, the Minister indicated that there is a letter which is supposed to come from their office. Now he is saying that they do not restrict yet I asked him what we need to do in my constituency to move our account to another bank. He is contradicting himself.

I am not contradicting myself. The Constituency Development Fund Committee has to apply to the Minister to allow the movement from one branch or from one bank to the other or from one branch to the other, even if it is the same bank. There are financial regulations that have to be adhered to when you are moving your account. So, the mistake he has done is that he gave himself the authority of moving the account without coming via the Ministry.

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

Order! Order, Mr. Nyamai! This is not a market place!

Let us go back to Mr. Joho’s Question for the second time.

to ask the Minister for Lands:- (a) Could the Minister state why L.R. MBN/14710 (measuring 9.084 hectares) is being registered in the name of Mombasa Technical Training Institute (MTTI) instead of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance? (b) Is he aware that the MTTI is just about to dispose of the land in favour of a third party even before the grant is registered? (c) Could he consider revoking the said allocation and instead re- allocate the land to squatters already in occupation of the land?

Mr. Joho still not here? The Question is dropped.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. When Ministers are absent to answer Questions, you invoke Standing Order No. 46. Am I in order then to request that when Members are absent to ask their Questions, that the same Standing Order applies?

Mr. Lesrima, that is a legitimate concern but note that our Standing Orders permit the Chair to exercise discretion as to the magnitude of sanctions to mete out punishment depending on the circumstances of the antecedent. That prerogative is exclusive to the Chair. I do not see that there is a greater punishment to a member than dropping a Question which concerns his constituency and which pertains to a matter of national interest such as this one and disallowing its return for a period of six months. If we exercise the same sanction against Ministers, then we would be saying that you do not answer any further Questions for the next six months. That would be equal punishment. So let us be careful about this. Next Question, Mr. Warugongo!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, although I do not have a written answer, I beg to ask the Minister for Forestry and Wildlife the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Why did the electric fencing around the Mt. Kenya stall even though construction materials are available at the site? (b) When will the construction commence?

Where is the Minister for Forest and Wildlife? In Mr. Lesrima’s sentiments, then the Speaker must pronounce that he is dropping the Minister!

Hon. Members, this Question will be deferred to Wednesday next week but I will be covering this matter in my communication coming later on this afternoon.

Asked the Minister for Lands- (a) why the occupants of Kesses-Kelchin Farm (measuring 2,00 acres) have not been issued with title deeds despite having paid the required fees; and (b) when the Minister will issue the documents.

Mr. Speaker, Sir. I attach a lot of importance to this House. That is why I cancelled my flight to Mombasa because I had two Questions to answer. I beg to reply. (a) Individual titles to individual shareholders have not been issued because the company farm has neither submitted a subdivision scheme for approval nor paid any fees. The approval for subdivision scheme will facilitate survey and subsequent issuance of title deeds. Wrangling and rivalry among shareholders could have occasioned the delay in submitting the subdivision scheme for approval. (b) The Ministry will issue title deeds to the shareholders upon the finalization of the subdivision and survey of the farm. This has to be undertaken under the initiative of the company.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am disappointed by the answer given by the Assistant Minister. Is it fair for him to subject my farmers to harassment? The farmers have been visiting land offices in Nairobi, Nakuru and Eldoret, without any assistance. What is he doing about this?

This farm has a title deed. They bought the farm as a company and we issued the title deed to the company. So there is no way the Ministry can subdivide a farm that belongs to a company. It is upon the shareholders to decide.

Indeed, it is not the Ministry which is supposed to subdivide the farm but the Assistant Minister should be aware that these farmers have never been issued with title deeds. Whether the problem is with the lands office in Eldoret, he should

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the title deed was given to the company. It is the prerogative of the company to initiate the sub-division of the farm to the shareholders. That is not within our mandate now. We issued the title deed in the name of the company. So, it is for the shareholders to initiate the sub-division, and not us.

Fair enough, Mr. Assistant Minister! You have done very well!

Next Question, Mr. Ruteere!

asked the Minister for Roads when he intends to construct road bumps and rehabilitate the Nanyuki-Timau Road, which was cut off by residents at Mia Moja section ostensibly to slow down traffic.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. My Ministry spent Kshs90 million in February, 2008, accruing from the savings realised from the Meru-Lora Road to carry out repairs on the Nanyuki-Lewa Road. Regrettably, the improvement of the road’s condition has encouraged motorists to over- speed without due regard to the set speed limits. This has led to a drastic increase in the number of road accidents. It is unfortunate that members of the public took the law into their hands and cut off the road at Mia Moja with the aim of slowing down speeding motorists. However, the destroyed section is still motorable. Wananchi should be encouraged not to vent out their anger against reckless motorists on the roads, which we are rehabilitating at a great cost to the taxpayer. My Ministry has set aside Kshs11 million this financial year to ensure that that section is repaired. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank the assistant Minister for attempting to answer the Question. However, I think he is misleading the House that, that section of the road is motorable; so many accidents are happening almost every month on that section. At the same time, the section between Lewa and Nanyuki is almost impossible to pass through. When will the Ministry start repairing that section of the road?

Mr. Speaker, sir, we appreciate that the Kshs11 million set aside for starting the rehabilitation is not sufficient. However, my Ministry is in the process of getting funds to ensure that the road gets proper funding for the repair work to be done to be able to reduce the number of road accidents on that section. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, first of all, I doubt whether the Assistant Minister is answering the Question. The Question is talking about construction of bumps. Nevertheless, I would like him to tell this House the policy that the Ministry has for

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of road bumps has been a big problem in almost the whole country. Whenever a road is done and it is smooth, motorists tend to overspeed. It has happened in Mombasa, in sections of Malindi and other places, including Nakuru. However, if the Ministry resorted to putting bumps whenever we have such issues, then we would not be serving the public. So, what we have done is to ensure that before road bumps are put up, we have a thorough survey to ensure that, that is the best way forward. However, we have embarked on a massive campaign to ensure that we sensitize the public, especially on the black spots and also ensure that we have in place road markings to sensitize the public on areas that are considered to be black spots. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, while we commend the Ministry for a job well done in some parts of this country, could the Assistant Minister tell us why the contractor started repairing part of the Murang’a-Kenol Road and then removed the machinery?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, while appreciating the case of the hon. Member, it is clearly a different Question. However, the term period of the contractor is still on. It has not expired. I think it is a matter that we would like to follow up if, indeed, he has abandoned the site. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, there are many roads in the country, where members of the public have taken to erecting bumps, including one of the roads in my constituency, namely the Nyamira-Kisii Road. What is the Ministry doing to ensure that bumps are erected on most of the roads where accidents happen?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, once again, I want to say that we resort to erecting bumps as a last resort, because we believe that it is probably not the best way to go about saving lives and avoiding accidents. We really try and liaise with the people involved, but when the design for a road is being done, all care is taken to ensure that when the speed limits recommended are actually adhered to, then accidents are not as many as they are. As we look at, for instance, urban centres, where the speed limit is 40 kilometres per hour, motorists going through such towns want to move at 100 kilometres per hour. So, it is inevitable that accidents will occur. So, once again, I would like to say that it is not the Ministry’s policy to put road bumps. We only do that as a last resort. There are other measures that we are taking, including putting road signs. We hope that members of the public and motorists will obey them.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, while I appreciate that it is not possible to put road bumps all over, why is it that they put road bumps on road sections going through forests, where there are no people, and they do not put road bumps in sections running through market places, where there are people? An example is the section of the road going through Ruiri Forest.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I appreciate the concern raised by the hon. Member, but clearly two wrongs do not make a right; if the said bumps have been put in the wrong place--- I do not think the Ministry would do that. We are also aware that members of the public have occasionally erected bumps illegally. This is a matter that we would like to take up. I hope we will be able to solve that matter. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Next Question, Mr. Olago Aluoch!

asked the Minister for Labour:- (a) whether he could confirm that when M/s Swan Industries Limited in Kisumu was placed under receivership, the Receiver entered into a written agreement with the Bakery, Confectionery, Food Manufacturing and Allied Workers Union, under which redundant workers would be paid all their dues on or before 30th June, 2009; (b) why the Receivers have not fully complied with all the terms of the agreement; and, (c) what action he will take to ensure that the Receivers honour the agreement and pay the former workers.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we received this Question yesterday and we are in the process of getting a proper answer for the hon. Member, whom I have already talked to. So, I seek your permission, so that I can answer it on Tuesday, next week.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is true that the Assistant Minister has consulted with me, but the appointment of receivers for M/s Swan Industries Limited in Kisumu has got a lot of problems. So, I would request that the Assistant Minister does very thorough research and presents the report on Tuesday, next week, at 2.30 p.m.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I did not know the magnitude of the problem. Since the hon. Member has said that the problem looks very big, you could give us up to Wednesday.

Fair enough! The Question is deferred to Wednesday, at 9.00 a.m.

Next Question, Mr. Danson Mungatana!

RATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH FINANCE MINSTER’S DIRECTIVE ON OFFICIAL CARS

asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether, following the directive that Ministers and top Government officials use one official car with an engine capacity of not more than 1800cc, he could:- (a) state the rate of compliance with the directive and confirm how much savings are expected from the initiative;

Is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance not here!

The Question will be deferred to Tuesday, next week.

What is it, Mr. Mungatana?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, may the record read that this is the fourth time this Question is on the Order Paper? It has been before this House during Prime Minister’s Time twice. It is before the House today. It was brought before the House last time. An Assistant Minister requested that it be brought up today, and that they would have an answer but they are not even present today. So, they are either dodging this matter, or the Government is not serious about its directive to cut costs. If they do not answer this Question, you should take the necessary disciplinary measures against them.

Mr. Mungatana, what is the number of times this Question has come to the House, inclusive of today?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is the fourth time the Question has been on the Order Paper.

The fourth time?

Yes, Mr. Speaker, Sir. That is why we are thinking that the Government is not taking this matter seriously.

Fair enough! I just wanted that to go on record. Next Order!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to issue a Ministerial Statement on the Ministry’s position on herbal medical practice.

Over the last few weeks, several reports have appeared in our media of cases where wananchi seeking medical care in certain herbal clinics have been duped. We have had incidents where women have been given herbal birth control pills---

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I hate to interrupt the hon. Minister, but Mr. Mohammed is improperly dressed and he has just walked out.

Fair enough. If he is not in the House any more, we cannot deal with that matter.

Proceed, Mr. Minister.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member is, perhaps, going to some herbal medical practice outside.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have had incidents where women have been given herbal birth control pills which have eventually ruined their health as well as that of the children they eventually give birth to. It is also true that we have bona fide herbal clinics which are doing commendable work and which need to be shielded from the quacks that spoil the name of this alternative health care delivery system.

As Akinyi Okulo, a writer in the Daily Nation Newspaper observed yesterday, we need to establish professional guidelines on herbal medicine and to ensure that both the practitioners and consumers of herbal medicine operate within the bounds of order, proper ethical standards and scientifically proven preventive and curative remedies.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, although the Pharmacy and Poisons Board performs this task for conventional medical care, there is no similar institution that covers herbal medicine or traditional medicine. The term traditional medicine describes medical knowledge systems which developed over the centuries within various societies before the era of modern medicines and these include herbal medicines, aryuvedic medicines, hunani medicine, acupuncture, spinal manipulation, South African Muti, Yoruba Ifa, Miti Shamba of Kenya as well as other medical knowledge and practices all over the globe.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines traditional medicine as the health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being.

Alternative or complementary medicine refers to a medicinal product derived from natural sources such as plants, animals, soils, minerals, vitamins and so on, in their processed form, finished and labeled. They are intended to be used in treating or preventing a disease, alleviating symptoms of a disease, diagnosing a disease, ascertaining the existence, degree or extent of a physiological condition and preventing or interfering with the normal operation or a physiological function whether permanently or temporarily and whether by way of terminating, reducing, postponing, increasing or accelerating the operation of that function in human beings as well as animals.

These may be products in the form of chromulated powders, extracts or stinctures. They may also be oils or plants derived from processes of extraction, fractionation, purification, concentration or other physical or biological processes.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Medical Services is reviewing the existing legal instruments and drafting new laws to deal with overlaps, clarify responsibilities and make provisions for regulatory activities not covered in the present laws to ensure effective regulation in traditional or complementary and alternative medicines.

We note that inappropriate use of traditional medicines or practices can have negative or dangerous effects, and further research is needed to ascertain the efficacy and safety of several of the practices and medicinal plans used by traditional medicine systems.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, at the moment, all herbalists are licensed by the Ministry of Culture, but the products are not under any control. However, Sections 37, 38, 39 and 40 of the Pharmacy and Poisons Act is clear regarding misleading advertisements for medicines and also cures for certain diseases, and a schedule of the diseases and

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is good news to hear that there is a draft Bill on herbal medicine and a Sessional Paper that is supposed to come before this House. Many Kenyans are suffering. When will this draft Bill and Sessional Paper be brought before this House, so that we can pass them and solve this problem, once and for all?

Mr. Minister, I think that is the only clarification sought.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am grateful to Mr. Mungatana. We shall do our best to bring the Bill as well as the Sessional Paper to the House, as soon as the Attorney-General can clear it and the process of taking the Paper to the Cabinet is complete. The bottom line is that, Kenyans are going to seek help from herbalists and alternative medicine because they cannot afford healthcare in the formal sector. Even with cost-sharing, where in dispensaries people pay Kshs10 and Kshs20 in health centres and so on, once they enter, there is still some fee that they have to pay for certain services. This fee acts as a gatekeeper; keeping Kenyans away from accessing health care in the public sector. It is, therefore, very important that we deal with the issue of healthcare financing. The Bill we have drafted, which is currently at the Ministry of Finance for approval because it has financial implications, is a Social Health Insurance

Fair enough!

What is it, Mr. Jirongo?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I just need clarification from the Minister. I did not quite get what the hon. Minister said about spiritual therapy and whether it is classified as traditional medicine. This would help us know where to draw the line between religion and traditional medicine.

Order! I am afraid Mr. Jirongo, you are out of order. We have come to the end of that matter and indeed, I did indicate that after Mr. Mungatana stood as the only Member seeking clarification, that there was only one. So, I am afraid we came to the end of that issue. Are there any requests for Ministerial Statements?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, last week I was promised by the Minister for Industrialization that he would issue a Statement on the prolonged delay in the re-opening of Pan African Paper Mills. This Statement was expected yesterday but we did not get it. I would be grateful if you gave guidance on this issue.

Which Ministry is it?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is the Ministry of Industrialization.

Mr. Kosgey is here!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I actually met the hon. Member yesterday and told him that I will issue the Statement next week. I knew he would do exactly what he has done. I, however, warned him.

Order, Mr. Kosgey! When will you deliver that Statement?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, next week on Wednesday.

Mr. Sambu, I think you should be accommodating enough to accept that.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the morning or in the afternoon?

Mr. Kosgey, it has to be Wednesday morning because the afternoon is Prime Minister’s Time.

That is okay, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Fair enough! It is so ordered! Mr. Letimalo, please proceed!

CATTLE RUSTLING AT KOMKALA/LOWANG’U RIVERS

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to seek a Ministerial Statement from the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security regarding raids on 30th June, 2009 and 9th August this year at Komkala River and Lowang’u respectively, in which a total of five persons were killed, seven were seriously injured and over 1,466 head of cattle stolen and driven towards Merti in Isiolo North. In the Statement, I would like the Minister to address the following issues:- (i) Why the Government has not to date not responded in both incidences by visiting the scene, collecting the dead bodies, taking the injured to hospital or pursuing the raiders. (ii) Explain the apparent bias by the Government against some communities considering that the handling of cattle rustling at the border of Isiolo North and Samburu East Districts has been discriminative. (iii) The steps the Government is taking to ensure that the stolen cattle from Samburu East and Laisamis Districts are returned in order to avoid revenge attacks from the affected communities. (iv) Whether the Government could consider allowing pastoralists to graze their livestock in the parks in view of the severe drought currently being experienced in the country.

Hon. Members, before we move to the next order, I have this communication to make. Hon. Members, this communication has been necessitated by recent events that have taken place in the House. Numerous points of order have been raised pertaining to, firstly, failure by Ministers to attend the sittings of the House to answer Questions asked by hon. Members. Secondly, failure by Ministers to answer Questions even when they are present in the House when the Questions are asked. Thirdly, unsatisfactory answers to Questions and, in some cases, apparent lack of seriousness by Ministers in answering Questions asked by Members or transacting other business of the House. Similarly, this House has witnessed on a number of occasions failure by Ministers to deliver Ministerial Statements on the date they fall due. Hon. Members, an illustration of the concerns I have expressed above is in the Question by Mr. Mungatana which appeared on the Order Paper on Tuesday 11th August 2009 and has appeared on the Order Paper this afternoon and Members witnessed what

Mr. Speaker, Sir, you will realize that I am not about to start challenging your ruling. I thank you for that guidance. However, you will realize as you pronounced your drastic action to be taken against us, without necessarily taking you back to the issue of coordinating the Executive functions which ordinarily is done by the Leader of Government Business, now that you are acting as the Leader of Government Business, would you, kindly, guide us in the direction as to how we can have someone responsible in the absence of the Leader of Government Business? We need to have someone accountable to this House as to the coordination of these functions so that we do not leave hon. Members and Ministers suffering if sometimes you are indisposed. We need to know where to direct these issues for ease of coordination, smooth law and easy running of this House.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Minister has not indicated when he will issue the statement that I sought.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, today being Thursday, we will issue the Statement on Wednesday, next week.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this very critical and urgent matter. As I speak now, the Government has already dispatched 500 police officers to flush out livestock from Shaba National Reserve. These animals are weak and certainly they will die. This issue requires an urgent response from the Government. I think the latest he can issue the Statement on Tuesday, if it cannot be done today because the Minister is not here.

Prof. Anyang’ Nyongo, that matter actually appears fairly urgent.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I agree it is urgent. But I am also taking cognisant of the fact that there is a Show in Mombasa and people are down there. There is also a seminar in Mombasa tomorrow where all hon. Members are required. So, we are having two very busy days; today and tomorrow and usually MPs are in their constituencies on Mondays. Monday is also a day when Committees of Parliament are held. So, I think to be realistic, the earliest opportunity, when all senses are taken into account, is Wednesday.

Order, Mr. Letimalo. That appears reasonable, Wednesday next week at 2.30 p.m. It is so ordered!

Hon. Members with respect to the point of order raised by the hon. Omingo as to the need for a co-ordinating point in the absence of the Leader of Government Business, first, it is the opinion of the Chair that there is no vacuum in that regard. In the communication that I made pertaining to the position of Leader of Government Business,

Mr. Speaker, Sir, now that you have implied that the office of the Prime Minister Co-ordinates Government business in terms of Ministries, why ----

Order, Mr. Konchella! The Chair has not implied anything. The Chair has been clear and explicit on what the position is both by Constitution, practice and otherwise. So, let us not have doubts.

Next Order!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the Speaker do now leave the Chair.

Minister for Trade, as you proceed and I appreciate that you have always taken your duties in this House very seriously, I want to give you credit for that. This House will continue to sit until 9.55 p.m. Mr. Minister, please, proceed!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is an honour to stand before this august House to present the 2009/2010 Estimates for the Ministry of Trade, Vote 16.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as envisaged in Kenya’s Vision 2030, trade is one of the key sectors in economic development of our country. The sector has been

Mr. Minister, your time is up!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I had the impression that I had to continue until 10.00 p.m. but I believe that we are agreeing with some of the things that we want to do.

I beg to move that the House listens to us and we get to the debate of this matter. I ask Mr. Onyonka to second.

Hayuko!

It seems I had the same assumption. So, my able Assistant Minister is ready and willing.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it shows the spirit of teamwork. So, I stand to second the Motion on Vote 16 on the Estimates in my Ministry.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are now globally moving away from Cold War to diplomacy and trade. That is the more important reason why some of these Ministries will take the central role of having to build the economy in terms of attaining our Vision 2030 and creating employment and wealth. I will start from a point of agonizing with the background that we could not get what we were supposed to get as a Ministry. The critical thing is that we need to lay emphasis on the key Ministries that are going to jumpstart the economy and push us to the next level of an industrialized country by 2030.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also take this opportunity to request and plead with hon. Members to also take a central role in actually appreciating the fact that we collectively have a responsibility of creating an environment for business to thrive. To the extent that I also plead and request my colleague Ministers to desist from making statements publicly, privately or otherwise that compromise the state of security in our country and erodes confidence either in potential investors or potential tourists who want to visit our country. I said here yesterday that trade and industry are key to jumpstart any economy to grow to whichever level. I want to repeat that the economies of the East only started by embracing trade and industry or investment in a small way. If we started that way, we would grow. I want to report here that we need to take advantage of what we have. With the little money we have in the Ministry, we also endeavour to have collective responsibility and that of giving value for money for the Kenyan taxpayers. I also want to ask our leadership to embrace and access the information we have, particularly from the Export Promotion Council (EPC), where small-scale entrepreneurs are given market opportunities to export. That information is available. Whatever market you want to sell to your constituents through small and micro-enterprises they can access the market through the EPC. Let us utilize our facilities and the institutions that we have for purposes of benefiting our people.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, regarding AGOA as it was said here earlier, we have the opportunity to explore that market. But out of 6,900 items, we do not take advantage of more than 20 items. It is time that we also woke up and showed leadership by directing our people to take advantage so that they can create wealth. More often than not, let us also encourage people to move out there and start investing in a small way. Let us put them together in groups like women groups to be able to get artifacts and fill a container to export to the European and United States of America (USA) markets. It is time that we, in the East African region forced that kind of interactive ability to be able to do intra-African trade. We heard the Secretary of State of USA mentioning that we deal within ourselves in a very small way. It is true that in an African context, an export is not an export until you export to Europe. You are not exporting unless you are paid in Euros or Dollars. I think we must change our mindset. Today, the African foreign exchange cumulative staff in every other respective jurisdiction is a total of US$650 billion. If we were starting small, from EAC, for example, grow to COMESA, then have an African Union where we have a single bank

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am responding on behalf of the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade. At the outset, I would like to say that as a Committee, we had fruitful discussions with the Minister and his team. We were satisfied that Parliament should grant them their request.

In fact, at one stage, we were worried for the Minister that he was not being given enough because trade, as the Minister has said, is the key thing for us as a country if we are going to achieve Vision 2030 or even if we are going to do something about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). I think, for us, it must be trade, trade and trade. As we move on, we should urge the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance to spend more money in Ministries like this one. Sometimes we put a lot of money in the Ministry of State for Defence but quite honestly our interest must be in trade if we are going to move forward. So, as a Committee, we looked at what the mandate of the Ministry which is to promote trade, domestically, regional and internationally. Then we asked ourselves how they will promote trade. We were told that the Export Promotion Council (EPC) will be the body that will be used and then you look at the money given to the EPC and you ask yourself: How on earth are they going to promote trade around the world? Those were our main concerns. So, we are on the side of the Ministry that in future they should ask for more money. I was very glad this afternoon listening to the Minister outlining the most important countries that we do trade with and Uganda was ranked as No.1. Then sometimes you look at our politics in the region and more recently the hullaballoo and the quarrel over Migingo Island. It could easily have derailed our trade with Uganda. Sometimes when we are quarrelling internally, we actually block the railway line that will take goods to Uganda. These are issues, as a country and as a people, that we must start appreciating all the time, that if we have a neighbour as big as Uganda in terms of trade, we should nurture that neighbor and ensure that our relationship with Uganda is absolutely on top. That is the only way we can deal with situations. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we also looked at the Ministry’s budget and what they were given. They have a number of contractual obligations with COMESA. Again, the Minister was talking about COMESA today. Then you find that they owe

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support this Vote. In supporting, I would like to indicate that, if we actually looked at global trends, especially with the global recession, we must, as a country, start thinking outside the box. We must be able to expand our horizon. If you look at the challenge that is before us in relation to the sectors that we have traditionally relied on such as agriculture and even tourism, the outlook is not good. Therefore, I wish to encourage the Ministry to take a leading role in pushing an expansion agenda for the country in relation to trade. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we must not only think of the areas that we have traditionally traded in, but we must look for new areas. We must find our niche and excel in it. Looking at the example of Uganda which has been shown as our leading partner--- But the fact that Uganda is our partner is actually a showcase for expanding our partners. With the example that has been given of Migingo, Uganda was and still remains the aggressor in relation to Migingo. If, indeed, it is our leading partner in trade then, as a country, we may need to look at the possibility of trading with Guadalajara in Mexico, for instance, if we have not started doing that. That is because if they continue with the same sort of aggression, then actually we are putting the country at jeopardy. If you actually look at some of the problems or challenges that we are facing in relation to Migingo, it is not actually about the rock. It is actually about the fish products. Perhaps, this is the time for us to stop looking at getting the fish directly from the lake, but going into fish farming, for instance. That is, basically, a showcase for the country to think outside the box. With those few remarks, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support.

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to support this Vote. Trade is, fundamentally, the agenda of today’s world order. We have not handled trade very professionally in this country. We have not invested a lot in making it a priority for our economy. I know trade, industry and tourism play an important role in our economy. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are three fundamental issues that need to be addressed in trade. One, the environment has to be friendly and able to facilitate for trade to flourish in any economy and any Government. Two, it is infrastructure. If you have no infrastructure to bring your goods and services to the market then, unfortunately, there will be a problem. Third, is security. Perceived and real security is very key to ensure that the security of investors and their investment is safeguarded. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, what is happening here is that we have a very interesting and flourishing tea trade. That tea is auctioned in Mombasa. It is the largest tea auction in the world in terms of exports. I know that India produces more tea, but majority of its tea is for local consumption. But the tea auction in Mombasa, which is very important worldwide, is an exchange for tea auctions in the entire continent. Why do we not create another exchange for flowers and another exchange for commodities? If we are first people who are advanced in flowers, then we should have a flower exchange down here in Kenya, rather than allowing the European or the Dutch auctions to dominate over the pricing of our products. Finally, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to talk about those who represent the private sector in liaison with the Government. Worldwide, there is a famous chamber of commerce and industry. Here in Kenya, we have a political chamber of

If there is no one else to contribute, you can reply, Mr. Minister.

There is, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir.

He is not standing, so I---

I am sorry, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I came in late and I apologize. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to also add my voice by supporting the Vote of this very important Ministry. As we all know, the Ministry of Trade is very key in any economy. In fact, if you look at countries like Japan, the Ministry of Trade plays a very key role. It is one that is seen and recognized by all, as the driver of the economy. Without a strong Ministry of Trade and its allied Ministry of Industry and so on, any economy of any country would not survive. It is for that reason that I fully support the Vote of this Ministry. In fact, if it was me at the Treasury, I would add it more funds because of the key role that it plays.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Vote for the Ministry of Trade.

We really need to do a lot in this country to promote trade. The USA Secretary of State talked about trading within ourselves when she visited this country recently. She meant trading among ourselves in Africa. To what extent has the Ministry supported the idea of trading amongst ourselves in East Africa, Africa and Kenya?

It is now time for the Minister to reply because there is no hon. Member who wants to contribute to the Motion.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to start by thanking the hon. Members who have made very good contributions. I will start with Mr. Kombo, who spoke on behalf of the relevant Departmental Committee. We discussed useful issues with the Committee and he has raised them here. I wish to assure the House that, indeed, the feedback we have received from the Committee is receiving attention from us, including the dissemination of issues on EPAS, the Joint Loans Board, and what is happening on the ground.

In terms of business centres, we want to get to the grassroot. We have already got three. At the regional level, we have the centres. Funds allowing, it will be our pleasure to have a business solution centre in every constituency, especially as we hope to convert our youth into people who can trade and get the value that you can obtain from whatever output that is produced within a given area.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to confirm to this House that the negotiations that are ongoing between Kenya and the EU, between Kenya and the USA, and between Kenya and other trading blocks, including within the COMESA region, are driven primarily by the interests of Kenya and East Africa.

Hon. Members, we shall go into Committee on this Vote after we vote on the Question of the Vote of the Ministry of Tourism.

Minister for Tourism!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that The. Speaker do now leave the Chair.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is my pleasure to present to this august House the Estimates for Recurrent and Development Expenditure for 2009/2010 Financial Year for the Ministry of Tourism, which falls under the productive sector of trade, industry and tourism services.

In arriving at the Estimates, my Ministry considered the important economic growth role played by the tourism sector and towards the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and achievement of Vision 2030. The mandate of my Ministry is to formulate, co-ordinate and administer policy with respect to tourism. My Ministry intends to execute this mandate to realise our vision of making Kenya the destination of choice and global leader in tourism. It is our mission to facilitate sustainable tourism for national development and posterity. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the core functions of my Ministry is to provide policy direction and legal framework for the development of the tourism sector, develop new tourism products and diversify the source markets, increase earnings from tourism, maintain internationally acceptable standards in the tourism industry, liaise with the development Government organs to enhance safety and security for tourists, mobilisation of financial resources for the sector; liaise with other Government organs to reduce tourism resource use conflicts and, finally, development of tourism information management system and building research capacity. In order to realize our vision and mission, my Ministry has developed a new National Tourism Policy and consolidated Tourism Bill which will soon be tabled in the House for deliberation and enactment. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, currently, my Ministry is working with the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB), the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation (KTDC), the Kenya Utalii College, the Catering and Tourism Development Levy Trustees (CTDLT), Bomas of Kenya, Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), the Tourism Trust Fund (TFT) and all other stakeholders in the sector. The Ministry has embarked on a concise programme for development and promoting and marketing in the country both in domestic and foreign markets as the destinations of choice. In this regard, my Ministry will continue to diversify tourism products and services and will work with all stakeholders to improve tourism attractions and facilities and upgrading tourism infrastructure. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the tourism industry worldwide has become highly competitive and it is a very powerful economy worldwide. Kenya has over the

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand here to second this Motion. Let me start by congratulating the Minister for Tourism for the work that he has done to put our tourism sector in the world map. He just told us about the awards that the various bodies of the Ministry have won, including himself. No wonder that even before hon. Balala became the Minister for Tourism, when he was Mayor for Mombasa, he had distinguished himself as an ambassador of tourism. I think this was really a right decision for His Excellency the President to appoint him as the Minister for Tourism. Having said that, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to decry the little amount of money that this Ministry has continued to be allocated by the Treasury over the years. Most of the countries where tourism is an income earner, governments give priority to those Ministries in terms of resource allocation. The Ministry of Tourism is one of the important sectors in our economy. It creates employment directly and indirectly in unprecedented numbers. I, therefore, call upon the Government, in future, to look at the Ministry of Tourism positively and give them sufficient funds for promotion of development. You heard the Minister say that he was allocated only 40 per cent of the money that he had requested. Having said that, I want to say that it is very important that the Ministry continues to diversify the tourism products. The Minister has enumerated the various areas but I think there is still work to be done as far as certain areas are concerned. For example, in terms of sports, Kenya is a world known country in sporting and I do not think this has been properly exploited. Golf Tourism is one of the most important sports where the high paying tourists can come and play golf here. I know of some golfers who have come to Kenya. However, if this country was promoted as a golfing destination, we would get more tourists. On conference tourism, Kenya is losing out to neighbouring countries as far as conference tourism is concerned. We have been let down very badly by the management of Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC). This monumental development for conferences has been run down for many years. I think it is high time that the Government invested more funds to put KICC into a world standard facility. As far as I am concerned, it is nowhere near an international conference center.

Order!

With those few remarks, I beg to second and reserve my right to know what happened to my 10 minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support the Vote of the Ministry of Tourism. It has been said and it is true that this is one of the core Ministries. This Ministry is key to the attainment of Vision 2030. When we looked at the budget allocations of this Ministry, we noted that there was a reduction in the allocation, especially in the area of tourism promotion and marketing. This is an issue which I feel should be addressed in the Supplementary Budget to enable this Ministry carry out its core functions of promotion and marketing of this country as a tourist destination. It was also noted that the Ministry, in its estimates, did not disclose its Appropriations-in-Aid, especially from the fees and the rents which accrue from the KICC which is under the Ministry, and the Kenya Utalii Hotel and College. The Ministry needs to address this issue because it was not reflected in the estimates. The other issue which I think is an omission is the branding of the “Kenya Initiative” which is now under the Ministry of Information and Communications. I think this should have been the other way round. It should be rightly under the Ministry of Tourism. I think this is an issue that needs to be taken up, so that the branding of Kenya is under this Ministry. Right now, I believe that it is not under the right Ministry. It is true that there are overlaps of the functions of this Ministry in other Ministries. We are asking that certain Institutions under this Ministry have their roles overlapping. For example, the Kenya Tourist Board is one of them. The Domestic Tourism Services is another one. The roles of these institutions seem to overlap and yet they are all under this Ministry. I think there is need to review their roles so that those

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support this very important Vote of the Ministry of Tourism.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Minister and his staff for a job well done. They have done their bit. Unfortunately, we, as a country, seem to like killing the goose that lays the golden egg. There are very critical Ministries that are very

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Vote and congratulate the Minister for the well-put message to this House on how the money applied for was not gotten. In actual fact, it is a pity that we expect a lot from this Ministry. This is the Ministry that is supposed to give us a chunk of revenue but we have denied it a lot of money. I will support the Minister’s proposals in the Supplementary Budget, if at all they will be brought here in order to get the required funding.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, having said that, allow me to request the Minister to revisit the issue of travel advisories. I do not know why a Government would give travel advisories and yet, when we visit the same countries, we find that all the citizens there talk about Kenya being the destination to be in. They come privately although they are still given the negative travel advisories. There needs to be an image

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Motion. First of all, I want to thank the Minister for trying in the last one-and-a-half years, to re- invigorate the tourism sector. It is unfortunate though that this should be a co-ordinating Ministry to many other Ministries, which my colleagues have alluded to, particularly wildlife and others that have got to do with natural resources. Tourism is said to be our biggest foreign exchange earner. I do not think we have exploited that full potential. I want to beseech the Minister and his officers that the issue of villas which are all over the country, for example, in Laikipia, South Coast, North Coast, Malindi, Lamu and Naivasha--- The new thing about tourism is that we have tourists who come to this country and go straight to stay in villas, thus making the

Your time is up!

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also stand to support the Vote. I ask the Minister just to indulge me a little bit. I think there is a lot the Ministry can do to actually increase the volume of tourism in this country, both domestic and traditional. Just to start with what Maj. Sugow said about North Eastern Province, I think the Ministry should be asking why people do not go to North Eastern Province. The answer is that the infrastructure is bad. So, what can the Minister do to persuade his colleague to make sure that the infrastructure to North Eastern Province is right so that we can get tourists going there? There are beautiful places there. Even if you just go to Marsabit, while flying, you are in a desert and all of a sudden, you see an equatorial forest. That is a wonder of the world and those are things that should be exposed.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Vote. First, I take this opportunity to thank the Minister, the Assistant Minister and the Permanent Secretary for the total sacrifice and commitment that they have given to this Ministry which at one time was dead. The resolve and the untiring effort by the Minister and the entire staff must be maintained to realize the serious objectives needed in our country. Reclaiming lost glory in this nation is a serious matter. We all realize that we were in a crisis situation in our nation and coming out of it has not been a small achievement. The Minister has talked about athletes promoting tourism in our nation. We have people like Nyandika Mayolo, Ben Jipcho and John Oruru and Wangila. What have

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like, first of all, to congratulate the Minister; our Minister is very capable and there is no question about that and we would wish him to continue performing very well to the country’s expectation. I would only like to make a few remarks so that we can give the Minister money quickly, so that he can start implementing these things from tomorrow. As my colleagues have said, I think one key issue that we need to address is to look at tourism as a master plan in the country and you look at the whole country. As my colleague, Mr. Kombo said, Kenya is a very blessed country. We have the beaches,

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to add on to what has been said, particularly with regard to the film industry. I was, at one time, the Chairman of the Kenya Film Commission and I learnt, in just that short time that in 2006, Nigeria made US$64 billion just from the film industry. Yet Kenya, which is known worldwide for its best filming locations, was nowhere near there. But do you know why they go away? We have a problem with Immigration Department. We have a problem with Customs and we have a problem with everything else. If we were just to go out of our way and have tax exemptions for people in the film industry, they would not have gone to shoot an Obama film in South Africa. They could have done it in Kogelo itself! Now, imagine the number of people who are involved in just making one film. It is two plane loads – the equipment and everything else! If you gave them a tax exemption and waived their visa fees, the amount of money you will make in turn, surely, supercedes the little tax that you expect to collect. I believe that is one way of marketing ourselves in terms of tourism. That is because films are shown worldwide; everybody will see Nairobi and many other areas. Let us not just think about the elephants and so on. That has been done before. I have heard very wonderful contributions here about the natural features that this country has. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other day, I was somewhere in Europe and we paid an equivalent of about Kshs2,000 just to take a bus ride round the town. We were shown the town hall, museum, Parliament Buildings and State House. We paid Kshs2,000 each! It is true that the Minister does not see this. We do not have to go to Treasury always to look for this money. As my colleagues have said, let us think outside the box. The money is there because people are willing to come to Kenya. Most of the time, we spend time degrading ourselves. We talk about how much we hate each other, who is being taken to The Hague and who is doing what. We should concentrate in building this country. We do not help ourselves when we go out there to speak to ambassadors and others that we are terrible or So-and-So has done this-and-that and so, we are corrupt. How do we help ourselves? Other people do not talk about themselves that way outside their countries. Even in the normal family setting - we may have disagreements in our homes - but once we have got visitors, we will show our unity. Really, that is what the Minister should do. He should not just leave it to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. All of us are ambassadors of this country when we go out. We can market this country when we go out.

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

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Minister. His plea for more money for his Ministry is very crucial. This is because we know what the Ministry of Tourism can bring to this country.

I believe that the Ministry has a long way to go because there are issues to do with conference tourism which has not been tapped in this country. We have lost many conferences which go to Uganda on almost every quarter of a year. Uganda has facilities that can host more than 4,000 people at a go. I have been to one of them. People are

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to support the Vote of the Ministry of Tourism. I wish to recognise the efforts being made by the Ministry, despite the difficult times we are in, in terms of our image and global constraints. Like any other Member of Parliament, I would like to say that, yes; Kenya is a very beautiful country, from the Coast to the Lake, and from the beaches to the wild animals. As Kenyans, we are fortunate. Every Kenyan should actually be proud to belong to such a beautiful country and promote it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I particularly want to appeal to the House. We all make several travels across the world. Perhaps, it is time we now worked together with Kenyans in the diaspora. If we only targeted one million Kenyans in the diaspora, there are more Kenyans out there than one million. Let us use them by turning them into our billboards. I know that there is an advertisement that has been showing in London. If we only use Kenyans in the diaspora as our walking and talking billboards, and each of the one million of them just sends two friends to Kenya every year, we will actually have two million tourists coming to Kenya at no extra cost to us in terms of advertisement. We will have two million tourists coming to Kenya, courtesy of Kenyans

Mr. Minister!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. I want to appreciate the sentiments of all my colleagues. It is not only a learning experience to share in all these comments but they are also quite a challenge to the Ministry; we should not assume that we can all do everything. I note that I have been given responsibilities of being a Minister of Culture, a Minister of Sports, Minister of Security and a Minister of Wildlife and conferences. So, I take the opportunity to say: Yes, we can do it. We have the capacity, but we do not have the resources with which to implement our programmes. I want to appreciate my colleague, who is a former Director of Tourism, Mr. Musila. He knows how much funding we require at the Ministry. Indeed, diversification of products is crucial. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I agree with my colleagues that we can spread ourselves as far as North Eastern Province, but the perception of insecurity is a challenge. The issue of infrastructure is a challenge. The issue of organised local authorities to be able to offer the products themselves is a challenge. We, in the Ministry of Tourism, have a master plan of the country. We want to sensitize the entire system of Government to be able to incorporate tourism into their operations. It is important for us to expand the products, not only in the North Eastern Province but in the entire northern Kenya region, which is inclusive of Turkana and Marsabit. We have a programme in Lake Turkana, Marsabit as well as in the Mount Kenya region. Mr. Njuguna said that I have never stepped into Central Province. That is not correct. When I was appointed Minister for Tourism, my first trip was to launch a cultural activity in the Mount Kenya region. I went there personally to do the representation. I did not allow my Assistant Minister, who is from the Mount Kenya region, to do it. Yes, we are giving support all over the country. My colleague from the departmental committee, Mr. ole Lankas talked about the Appropriations-in-Aid (A-in- A). It is there. It is just that the format of the Ministry of Finance does not show it in the estimates, but the A-in-A is there. The A-in-A in the Ministry of Tourism is Kshs278 million while the A-in-A for the KICC is Kshs265 million. That is why this year, the KICC was not give a penny. They have been allowed to use the same money that they received, for their operations and expenditure.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Chairman, Sir, I beg to move:- THAT, a sum not exceeding Kshs1,139,457,590 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:-

Vote 16 – The Ministry of Trade

VOTE R16 – RECURRENT EXPENDITURE

SUB-VOTE 160 – GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING

Let us go to the Ministry of Tourism so that we may report together.

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

THAT, a sum not exceeding Kshs.1,436,626,050 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:-

Vote 46 - Ministry of Tourism

( Question proposed)

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am directed to report that the Committee of Supply has considered the Resolution that a sum not exceeding Kshs1,139,457,590 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 Vote 16 – Ministry of Trade, 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. Balala) seconded.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am directed to report that the Committee of Supply has considered the Resolution that a sum not exceeding Kshs1,436,626,050 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 Vote 46 – Ministry of Tourism 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. Kimunya) seconded.

Hon. Members, we have come to the end of today’s sitting. Therefore, the House stands adjourned until Tuesday, 18th August, 2009, at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 7.45 p.m.