Mr. Shakeel Shabir!

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Hon. Shakeel is out of the country on Parliamentary duties and because this Question by Private Notice cannot be delegated, he has kindly asked that it be deferred to either Tuesday or Wednesday, next week, at 2.30 p.m., if that will suit the Chair.

It is so ordered! The Question is deferred to Wednesday, next week, at 2.30 p.m.

to ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance:- (a) Why are motor vehicle cycle owners, including boda boda operators, being arrested and detained in Kisumu and Mombasa for not having the new generation number plates? (b) Could he confirm whether the Government will provide the plates in time, and whether a grace period will be given within which motorists should comply to avoid harassment and arrest of the operators?

asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance:-

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) I am not aware that computers at the Treasury were accessed and information regarding discrepancies in the Supplementary Estimates obtained by the Mars Group. (b) The Government has put in place a number of measures aimed at protecting the Government computer network against unauthorized access. These include implementation of high speed Metro-Ethernet fibre optic network that provides a common network for Government offices and the ongoing establishment of a data centre that will store Government information, and provide a single common internet access facility for Government. These facilities will enhance the security of the entire Government computer network by ensuring that Government information is only accessible by authorized users running Government applications. (c) The Government has instituted investigations, following the reported discrepancies in the Supplementary Estimates. Any action to be taken will be determined by the results of these investigations. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, looking at the Printed Estimates and counting the lines from top to bottom, you will see that you have 26,000 line items. Looking at the entries in that particular document, you will see that you have three columns. You need to be a supernatural being for you to go through that kind of thing and comprehend it in less than three days. Even if you read the document none stop, you cannot do that. The only way we think that the Mars Group were able to get to what they came to was because they had access to either the software or somebody gave them the soft copy of those Printed Estimates. Whichever the case, the Assistant Minister has admitted in his answer to part (b) of the Question, in the last sentence, where he says “--- ensuring that Government information is only accessible---“ This means that currently Government information is accessible by authorized users. Read that sentence and understand that you are answering informatively.

Mr. Mututho, what is your supplementary question?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, have they already taken people to court because of accessing crucial Government information?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have said that there is an investigation that has been instituted by the Ministry to find out exactly who might have been the culprit in this issue. As soon as that report is out, we shall decide whether there are people who can be taken to court or not.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. While answering the Question, Mr. Assistant Minister said that he is not aware that there was unauthorized access to the Government computer system. He is now telling us that he has instituted

Mr. Assistant Minister, there is a contradiction there!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is no contradiction. What we are saying is that we are not aware that there was unauthorized access to our computer system. The information that these people might have had was public knowledge, because there were already the Printed Estimates. These people could have compared the Minister’s figures with those in the Supplementary Estimates and come to their conclusion, because there were discrepancies. It is, therefore, not clear whether these people actually had access to the Government computer network. That is why we have instituted investigations into this matter.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, at the height of the crisis of the computer error and the discrepancy of Kshs10 billion during the Supplementary Estimates, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance called in the police. That was three months ago. One of the suspicions was that it was some staff who had committed this error. Is the Assistant Minister telling us that three months down the line, the investigators have not found out who was responsible? If they have not found out, three months down the line, then the culprits are still there!

Order, Mr. Ngugi! You have asked your question. In any case, the Assistant Minister has told you that matter was public knowledge. They did not have to hack the computers. It was in the Printed Estimates. Maybe what you are talking about is different from the contents of the Question.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister says the Government is investigating.

Mr. Assistant Minister, would you like to respond?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are trying to investigate and find out any loopholes in our computer system which might lead to leakages. I have told you that we are instituting new measures which include making the system fool-proof. The investigations are not only looking at the criminal aspect which the hon. Member is interested in, but we are looking at all the issues surrounding that discrepancy. The police are also doing their job. I cannot give the police the time limit as to when they should conclude their investigations.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister says he cannot give the police the timeframe within which to complete their investigation. Does he have to wait until the next Budget for them to conclude their investigations or will the investigations be concluded within the two or three months, so that we can prepare ourselves for more discrepancies involving billions?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the replacement of systems to make our computer systems fool-proof is ongoing. The investigations we are instituting are to deal with sealing any loopholes which might affect us in the future. That investigation will be concluded very soon.

asked the Minister for Lands:- (a) what compensation if any, was given to the Kapterik and Shaban clans in Kapsowar for the developments they had made in their original homes following their relocation in 2004; and, (b) when they will be given land titles for their current homes as well as the requisite compensation.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am not able to answer this Question. I have talked to the hon. Member about it. The answer I have is totally unsatisfactory. This matter involves several Ministries. I want to give him a comprehensive answer and not pass the buck.

When will you be in a position to give a comprehensive answer?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on Thursday, next week.

Mr. Kaino, are you comfortable with that?

I agree with that, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

The Question is deferred to Thursday, next week.

asked the Minister for Co-operative Development and Marketing:- (a) why the Kirinyaga Co-operative Union Bank section closed its doors to customers in February, 2009, making it impossible for farmers to access their funds; and, (b) what he is doing to ensure that the affected farmers/customers access their savings.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (b) Kirinyaga District Co-operative Union closed its doors to customers in February, 2009, making it impossible for farmers to access their funds due to panic withdrawal of deposits from its union banking section facilities in its seven branches namely; Kerugoya, Kagumo, Kiangai, Kibirigwi, Kianyaga, Karumandi and Kiamatugu. The panic withdrawal was triggered by a fraud of Kshs1.3 million on a customer’s account. (b)The Ministry has advised and recommended to the union to carry out an investigative audit, restructure itself and shed off the loss making activities to make it economically viable.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you will notice that this union bank closed its doors in February which is six months ago. Could the Assistant Minister tell the House whether the actions she is taking were taken when this Question was asked and also why the Government has not thought of bailing out the bank similar to how they bailed out Uchumi and the National Bank? We are talking of small coffee farmers whose children are now out of school since February. Could she also tell us how much money is owed to the small-scale banks?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, an inspection was done before this Question was asked. Our Ministry did inspection on 12th May, 2008. After the inspection, there was an inquiry in January, 2009. An inspection is normally done to find out how co-operative societies are operating. During that time, they noticed that there was some malpractice and Kirinyaga Co-operative Union Bank was closed. Our Ministry advised our members to do investigations privately, so that we could confirm the findings of the auditors. On the issue of bailing out the bank, the management had a meeting in January this year. They agreed to suspend all bank’s activities until investigations are concluded. As I speak now, this bank has got about Kshs101,856,481.85 in non-performing loans. There was so much mismanagement of the funds. The board has not yet come to ask whether they can be bailed out or not because the investigation has not been concluded. In 2006, the Government did bail out the same co-operative society with Kshs72,596,413.25. The Government wrote off those loans. At the moment, we are waiting for investigation report, so that we can advise them on what to do. This is one co-operative society that carried out operations out of its mandate. They started investing in other things like growing coffee. That was not their mandate. This was a banking co-operative society. They also put up a plant in Kirinyaga for animal feeds which was not within their mandate.

Mr. Thuo.

Order, Mr. Thuo! You are not a Minister. You cannot ask a Question from the Dispatch Box. Please, move back and ask your question. The Dispatch Box is exclusively reserved for Members of the Government. Proceed.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if the Government did bail out this particular society earlier and accepting that they were receiving deposits from the public, clearly they failed the same public when it allowed them to operate outside their mandate. Could the Government, therefore, consider bailing them out for a second and final time and even consider closing it down after the small depositors have been paid?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, co-operative societies operate independently. I cannot stand here and say we will bail them out if they have not made a request for us to do so. That will be up to the board at that time to write to us. It will also be the discretion of the Government to decide what to do after perusing the investigation report. Co-operative societies also operate independently. It is up to them to diversify. It is only when there is a mistake that the Government is brought on board to see what has happened. In this case, I cannot say the Government will do anything until we get this in data. We will only advise them.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I do not know whether you have heard what the Assistant Minister has said that co-operative societies operate independently which is totally misleading the House. Co-operatives are under the Ministry. That is why the Assistant Minister has a job. Is she in order to mislead the House that co-operatives operate independently?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am not misleading this House. Our Ministry gives guidelines, policies, plays the oversight role and trains people on what to do. However, for people to come together to form a cooperative, it is up to the individuals. It is up to the populace of this country to decide that they want to pool resources and do an activity. We then train them on how to do it.

Last question, Ms. Karua!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister has not answered my earlier question on how much money is owed to the small savers. I also want her to tell the House--- She said that the Ministry only interferes when there is a mistake. Is it not a mistake for the cooperative to mismanage itself to the extent where it has to close its doors before paying members? Secondly, the Assistant Minister talked of an earlier bail out, could she confirm to this House that this cooperative had been transformed into Kirinyaga Farmers SACCO in 1997 and tell us under what circumstances it opened its banking section, only to collapse with the farmers’ money?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I can confirm that Kshs72 million was paid to small farmers in 2006. Another mandate of the Ministry which could be mistaken is that we do an oversight role. Cooperative societies elect their own managers. Indeed, they recruit their own members of staff. That is where mismanagement comes in. when you look at this cooperative society, it went down because they employed incompetent unqualified staff who could not tell them what was happening. They gave out loans to members who did not have savings. They suffered a lot of problems. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the union had a non-performing loan of Kshs101, 856,481.85 as at 28th January 2009 with 7,707 farmers. There is also Kshs1, 994,000 which was given out as petty cash to members of staff. There is Kshs1.5 million which is overpaid salary as a result of mismanagement by the people who were running the cooperative. However, as to when they changed from banking to coffee growing the Questioner should ask that specific Question so that I can come with those details. I do not have the correct dates.

Next Question by Mr. Chachu Ganya!

asked the Minister for Livestock Development:- (a) why the Drought Emergency Livestock Off-take Project being implemented through Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) has not commenced in the districts in Upper Eastern Province; and (b) what immediate action he is taking to ensure this project takes off, realizing the exacerbating drought conditions in North Eastern Kenya.

Assistant Minister, be precise because you know at 3.00 p.m. we have to go to another Order!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will be precise. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a)The Drought Emergency Livestock Off-take Project is an intervention by the Government against drought and famine for the pastoralists in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) in this country. In this programme, the Government has released Kshs500 million to KMC to enable the commission to purchase and salvage the livestock that is on the verge of death due to starvation. In view of the prolonged drought in the country which has adversely affected the pastoralists, the Government has launched the second off-take programme. To this effect, the Government has further – under this programme - released an additional Kshs500 million loan and Kshs200 million grants to KMC which will cover the entire country. In the second off-take, KMC will purchase each animal irrespective of the size at Kshs8, 000. To cushion the pastoralists further, my Ministry will transport the purchased livestock to KMC free of charge from the producer point in the whole country. So far, in the first off-take, KMC through the Drought Emergency Livestock off-take has purchased 32,260 herds of cattle from 55 districts in the ASAL including Marsabit, Moyale, Chalbi, Laisamis and Isiolo where they bought 3,420 herds. (b)This programme took off in April this year and is still in progress. Under this programme KMC was paying Kshs100 per kilogramme of hot carcass dress weight. Reports from some of these districts indicated complaints that the indication of the livestock body condition was very good and livestock owners were unwilling to sell their animals to KMC by then. Unfortunately the failure of the expected rains in the month of April and May this year and subsequent scarcity of water and pasture has jolted the pastoralists to the need to destock their livestock. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, yesterday in Marsabit, Sololo, Moyale and Laisamis, the programme of buying animals from the pastoralists took off under the launch organized and supervised by the Government through the Head of State. Finally, in mitigation of the prolonged drought, the Government, as a long term measure, has established the Livestock Emergency Fund (LEF) with an initial capital of Kshs265 million. The money will enable the big ranchers through Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), to access credit at concessionary rates to purchase livestock for fattening. This credit facility will be processed through AFC.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Assistant Minister for the response and thank the Government for initiating this project which is going to save livestock in the ASAL worth Kshs5 billion. However, this programme only targets cattle. Some of districts are endowed with goats and sheep more than cows. Could the Ministry include goats and sheep in this programme otherwise this major resource will go to waste?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it was said yesterday at the launch and I want to assure the Member that cattle, sheep and goats will be bought. If the worst comes to worst, we will even buy the camels.

Hon. Members, today we have another business to go to! Could Mr. Chachu ask the last question on this?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, KMC is the institution that is supposed to implement this programme. However, it lacks the capacity and necessary mechanism to reach all our districts and purchase the animals. What will the Ministry do to ensure that animals will be bought from all the districts in ASAL?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I agree with the Member that KMC does not have the capacity in terms of personnel. However, I want to assure this House that for this particular programme, our District Veterinary Officers (DVOs), District Livestock Veterinary Officers (DLVOs) and staff on the ground will work and support KMC to make sure that we buy animals from every corner of this country.

Hon. Mr. Bahari, you will have only one point of order. The Chair will not entertain any more points of order on this issue because we have another business to start at 3.00 o’clock. Today is Wednesday and it is the Prime Minister’s day. At the same time, it is a Committee of Supply day.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. This question is very important and the Government has already recognized that. That is why the Government is going out of its way to ensure that---

What is your point of order? What is not in order?

Would I be in order to ask the Assistant Minister, due to limited time, to come up with a detailed Ministerial Statement on how that plan will be rolled out?

Hon. Member, you have to seek a Ministerial Statement yourself. The Assistant Minister cannot bring a Ministerial Statement. You sit down!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are ready at any given time – even as early as next week - to bring a detailed Ministerial Statement on the whole programme as rolled out by the Prime Minister and the President yesterday.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. On 23rd July, 2009, the hon. Member for Juja sought a Ministerial Statement on road carnage. He raised the same matter on 15th August, 2009. While I consider this issue to be very important, it remains my considered opinion that the matter is within the mandate of the line Ministry concerned. Nonetheless, and without prejudice to the Minister for Transport, I have decided to deal with it myself. The hon. Member for Juja wanted to know whether there is a national policy and plan to reduce road carnage and improve on the reinforcement of the existing legislation, whether there are motor vehicle safety standards and if there exists a facility and standards for training of passenger service vehicles (PSV) drivers, whether road safety is a condition for road construction contracts, safety standards for tankers and if the Government would convene a national stakeholders conference on road safety. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me paint the national picture on road carnage using some of the statistical data. Kenya experiences approximately 12,000 traffic accidents annually. They involve about 26,000 motor vehicles. Approximately 3,000 fatalities and 9,000 serious injury cases result from those accidents. In other words, we experience approximately 33 accidents and life fatalities daily. Public sector transport vehicles, which are matatus and buses, account for 40 per cent of the accidents, and are four times more likely to be involved in a road accident than other vehicles. About 60,000 matatus and buses are registered in Kenya with 14,000 in Nairobi alone. The motor vehicle to human being ratio in Kenya is 1:35. That is approximately 1 million registered vehicles against the population of 35 million people. The number of imported vehicles in the country grew by 38 per cent in 2007, 42 per cent in 2008 and by a staggering 214 per cent by June 2009, over the 2008 reported figures. In the absence of clear interventions, one can expect the increase in the number of motor vehicles to translate into increased accidents. The risk factor for road carnage include poor road conditions, lack of proper signage, use of unroadworthy and defective motor vehicles, human error and, most importantly, indiscipline. Laxity in adjudication of traffic offences and weak enforcement of traffic law, speeding, overloading, obstruction, unattended motor vehicles, drunk driving, corruption, poor attitude of drivers and other road users all contribute to the high rate of road carnage in Kenya. The situation is compounded by lack of adequate and modern trauma care facilities for road accidents victims. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Grand Coalition Government is actively engaged in initiatives aimed at drastically reducing accidents on our roads. To this end, the Cabinet approved in July this year the Integrated National Transport Policy. A Sessional Paper is being prepared to be laid on the Table of this House by October this year. The Government has further developed a National Road Safety Action Plan and a National Road Safety Council has been established and was launched yesterday. Issues addressed by both the policy and the action plan include road safety coordination among various institutions, funding for road safety campaigns, establishment of a road crush data system, vehicle safety standards, training, testing and licensing of PSV drivers, emergency trauma care, road safety research, among others. Both the policy and the plan were developed through regular stakeholder consultative processes. The Grand Coalition Government is in the process of reviewing the Traffic Act to bring it in line with modern approaches to road safety and international best practices. In

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, a few years ago, the Government introduced the famous “Michuki rules”. When they were being enforced, road carnage had gone down. These rules have since been relaxed. What is the Grand Coalition Government doing to make sure that these rules are reintroduced and enforced?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the Integrated National Transport Policy on the measures to reduce road carnage referred to by the Prime Minister, there is no reference as to what they will do to deal with corruption in the police force, which contributes largely to the accidents.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I must start by thanking the Prime Minister for his fairly elaborate answer. To me, the answer amounts to a statement of intent. We have been here before. I have a copy of the Road Safety Action Plan that was launched yesterday. It remains exactly that; a statement of intent and desire to achieve. What makes it different this time? What assurance can he give that this time there will be implementation? Does he genuinely believe that a council constituting 25 members is not too large and unwilling to perform at all?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government operates very old vehicles. The other day, there was a vehicle in one of my polling stations which was 19

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the reason we have had so many fires when tankers overturn, including the one that killed so many people in Kenya, is because the tankers in Kenya are never sealed. You will never hear of an accident of a tanker in a German or European road where fuel pours and people are burnt. When will the Prime Minister and the Government come up with standards to ensure that we have sealable fuel tankers moving across our roads?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, yesterday, when the Minister for Transport was unveiling the Road Policy, he came out clearly that he is planning to do away with speed governors. He went ahead and said that the speed governors are not used in any country in the world. What is the position of the Government or Prime Minister on this statement?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Gunda suggested that the “Michuki rules” have been relaxed and asked what action the Government is taking to ensure that they are enforced. That was the purpose of the meeting yesterday. If the hon. Member heard the Minister speak, he gave an assurance that they will enforce all those rules very vigorously.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, what happened here is what I have already stated. Indiscipline is one of them. Corruption and poor roads are other factors. All those factors that I have mentioned as contributory to the high rate of accidents on the roads will be attended to. We will ensure that there is safety on our roads.

Mr. Kigen asked what action the Government intends to take regarding corruption in the police force. We have said that we do not want to live in denial. This morning, when I was speaking at the launch of the Strategic Plan for the Office of the Prime Minister, I did admit there is corruption. This corruption needs to be dealt with, not just in the police force, but across board within the Government. I also said that there some institutions which have been formed to help fight corruption, which are condoning it. We did accept that there is a problem with the police force. That is why we have set up a task force to come up with recommendations on how to reform the police force. We have already received an interim report from that task force, which we are in the process of analyzing and implementing. So, we will deal with issues of corruption on our roads. There are so many roadblocks on the highways which are doing nothing. They are nothing, but toll stations used by the police to extort money. In some parts of the country, they are so permanent that the grass has grown underneath them, yet they do nothing. So, I admit and want to assure the hon. Members that we will do something about it as soon as possible.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, hon. Thuo said that there is a statement of intent. You must begin by making a statement of intent; that this is what I want to do and then you move from there to do it. So, I do not see what is wrong with a statement of intent. We are telling you: “This is what we are intending to do to rectify the situation.” Regarding the size of the council, I do not think that size is the issue. It is the effectiveness. Sometimes it can be very small, but very effective. Waswahili husema: “Usionewembamba wa reli, gari la moshi hupita.” But it can also be very small and very ineffective. So, basically this is a very broad sector and there was need to involve all the

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The Rt. Hon. Prime Minister is answering very well but he is not getting the point. The issue here is that when we have accidents like the one we had recently, these tankers in Kenya will always burst open and fuel will pour out. The point that I am raising and I am praying that he will address is the standard. In the European standards and on United States of America (USA) roads, even when you hear that tankers have overturned, you do not see them bursting out in flames. That is a fact; there is a problem with the standards. The question that I want the Prime Minister to address is when he is going to, as an engineer, enforce the standards that will ensure that there is proper security for our people so that in the event of accident there will not be sippage.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I fully understand the point that the hon. Member is trying to make. The hon. Member needs to understand that these tankers are like pressure vessels. There is what we call the pressure release valve. When pressure inside the container exceeds a certain level, the pressure release valve automatically opens for the content within the pressure vessel to come out to avoid explosion. That is what happens. When a vehicle is involved in an accident, due to impact, the pressure inside far exceeds the allowable pressure limit and hence the pressure valve will give in and allow the content to spill out. That is the reason.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Mr. Were said that the Minister did suggest that we are going to do away with speed governors. I do not think that the Minister said that. He said that the speed governors have been abused and have been tampered with. There are

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. While I appreciate the management of the Prime Minister’s time, along the same line, we have been receiving letters from his office. In one of the rulings by the Chair, it was indicated that Parliament receives communication from the Permanent Secretaries. But we have been receiving letters from one person titled “Chief of Staff”. Is this an office in the Public Service of Kenya equivalent to that of a Permanent Secretary? The same officer has been writing letters to hon. Members to extort money from us by asking us to contribute.

Order, Mr. Ruto! How does that relate to the matter of road carnage?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is Prime Minister’s Time and I am talking about the management of that time. We have been receiving letters from one, Mr. Karoli Omondi, styling himself as Chief of Staff. You had ruled that it is only Permanent Secretaries who can communicate to Parliament. Could a stranger communicate to this House? Is this an office in the Public Service of the Republic of Kenya or is he a personal aide? We need direction from the Chair.

Order, Mr. Ruto! You are out of order.

Let us get the last clarification from Mr. Thuo!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Prime Minister mentioned that 40 per cent of the road accidents in Kenya are caused by Public Service vehicles. First, I seek a clarification as to whether he is aware that for one to drive to a Passenger Service Vehicle (PSV), you only require to have a stamp of BCE and on attainment of 24 years and without any specific training you can drive a PSV. Does that not pose a risk to Kenyan road users and the public travelling? Secondly---

Order, Mr. Thuo! You must forgive me because I am Chairing this for the first time. I am made to understand that the rules are that you do not seek clarifications on this. Nonetheless, I am going to allow that as the last one.

Could you allow me the last one, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir?

You have made your point.

I have not! Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, part of the problem for this time not being exciting is too much control from the Chair. Unless we are allowed the time and the opportunity to engage, we cannot have the excitement we were hoping to get from this session.

I also wanted to ask about the police officers who are tasked with the responsibility of checking PSV on the road, if we do not have a single PSV training facility of the Government standards, who trains them and where have they acquired that knowledge and therefore, what standards do they attempt to maintain?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member is suggesting that it is too easy to get a PSV driving licence. I may agree with him. That is one of the reasons why we have set up a council to look into all those areas so that people

Next Question, Mr. Mungatana!

asked the Prime Minister the following:- (a) what the salary and allowances paid to an Assistant Minister in the current Government per month is; (b) why the Government has failed to give specific duties to the office of an Assistant Minister in Kenya and indicate when the Government will assign specific duties and responsibilities to the office; and (c) considering that in the absence of the Minister in Parliament, an Assistant Minister attends to all parliamentary duties, why an Assistant Minister is restricted from doing so in the Cabinet.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Question was transmitted to my office around midday today when we were launching the Prime Minister’s Strategic Plan. So I saw this Question on the Order Paper as I was coming here. I appreciate that it is a very important Question that requires me to consult several literature and also other experts so that I can give a substantive answer. I would also want to consult other jurisdictions from other countries with similar systems like ours. I would request Mr. Mungatana that the Question be deferred, so that I can give a substantive answer next week.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I agree entirely with the PM.

On a point of! Order!

On the same! What is the point of order?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, when I rose on a point of order the last time, I thought the PM had finished answering the Question. I thought it is the appropriate time to raise this matter before you once again because we need a ruling, a direction from you as to who can give us communication on issues before the Floor from the Office of the PM. Is it one styling himself as Chief of Staff or is the Permanent Secretary from that office? Is that office exempt from other rules that normally govern other Ministries? Further, I wanted to lay on the Table a letter from that office asking us to contribute money. I thought this is extortion and misuse of a public office, because the Public Officer Ethics Act does not allow any officer to use his office to collect money, or possibly even in this case, extort money from Members of Parliament. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Would you allow me to table this!

Read it!

May I read the letter!

Order, Mr. Ruto! Order! Table the letter.

Indeed, I have a letter here which is addressed to Members of Parliament from one political party. The Chair is going to study this letter and give direction on the same next week on Thursday afternoon. The Chair has directed that the PM’s Question No. 17 does appear on the Order Paper next week on Wednesday, at the same time.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, if the hon. Member has laid a letter on the Table coming from my office, I think it is fair I look at it before you make any ruling.

Indeed, yes!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this letter is addressed to the hon. Member as a member of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party.

This letter is not addressed to all other Members of Parliament---

Order, Mr. Prime Minister! Order! With all due respect to you, the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister, the Chair has given a ruling on this. The Chair is privy to the contents of the letter and will give direction at the appropriate moment. I think that matter has been disposed of.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member also raised the question about the title “Chief of Staff”. The title “Prime Minister” was never in our Constitution, it is now there and we have a Prime Minister. There is a Chief of Staff in the PM’s office who is also a Permanent Secretary (PS). There is nothing wrong with that because we must be more innovative in our nation. We should not be too conservative. I feel that is very unfair to try to drag party matters into the House.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I think it would be very unfair for the Chair to give a ruling on a matter that deals with a rogue member of a political party. This will create a wrong impression. We want that letter. If it has to do with a political party, the Chair has ruled many times in the past that the Chair has no jurisdiction over party matters and they should not be dragged into the House.

Order, Mr. Midiwo! I believe if we have to protect the dignity of this House and the tradition of democracy that we intend to enshrine in this country, we must respect institutions. We need to respect the institution of the Chair than anything else. Once the Chair has given a ruling or direction on an issue, allow the Chair to exercise its or her wisdom for the matter itself to be addressed. Any Member of Parliament has a right to rise up and raise an issue that he or she feels needs to be addressed by the Chair. The Chair has given a direction on that; let the matter rest at that for the time being. The Chair also further directs that Questions No. 174 by Mr. Kioni and No. 320 by Mr. Gaichuhie appear on the Order Paper next week on Tuesday.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. On 23rd July, I sought a Ministerial Statement from the Office of the Prime Minster with regard to livestock migration from Isiolo to Igembe South Constituency and its effect and especially related to the destruction of crops. For the last three weeks, that Statement has not been issued. So I want to know when the PM will issue this Statement. Next Order!

CHIEF JUSTICE’S FAILURE TO ISSUE DELEGATED LEGISLATION

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to seek a Ministerial Statement from the Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs ---

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

Order! Order! You are out of order, Mr. Linturi! Proceed, Mr. Olago!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to seek a Statement from the Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs on the capacity or lack of capacity of the Chief Justice to issue a delegated legislation under Acts that fall under his jurisdiction. I asked him about a matter that is very critical now. Kenya is facing two by- elections in two Parliamentary constituencies and as of now, the Chief Justice has not acted in accordance with Section V of the Political Parties Act. He has not appointed members to the Political Parties Tribunal to be approved by the House. In the event that a dispute arises in any of these by-elections, what will the country do? Secondly, again, the failure of the Chief Justice to issue delegated legislation under his jurisdiction, his failure to issue rules under Section 47(A) of the Sexual Offences Act which have resulted in disparities in sentencing by magistrates in the country. For nearly a year now, the Chief Justice has failed to issue rules. Why has he failed to act as the law requires in these two matters? This is very urgent!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we undertake to give the Statement on Wednesday, next week.

It is so directed!

Order, Mr. Linturi! Today is a Supply Day! Next Order!

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The consultations are too loud and too many Members are standing up while the Minister is moving his Vote.

Indeed, you are right, Prof. Olweny! The Minister has to be heard.

Proceed!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to second this Motion; I also take the opportunity to re-visit an area that is very familiar to myself. First, I want to congratulate the Minister for his very elaborate explanation: An introduction of the services that his Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security has arranged to render, hence to form the basis of a request to this House to vote the amount of money that he requires to accomplish that mission. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister has mentioned the institutions that are going to be used in order to achieve the objectives of his Ministry. He has talked about the Provincial Administration, which, as he correctly states in his speech, does, in effect, co-ordinate all Government services in the field. In fact, the Ministry provides the immediate presence of the Government at the grassroot level through the chain of Provincial Commissioners (PCs), District Commissioners (DCs, District Officers (DOs), chiefs and down to the ordinary person.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first and foremost, I wish to thank the Minister for the very eloquent manner in which he has moved this Motion. I wish to say that the Committee did meet the Minister and his team on 10th July, 2009 and we were able to examine the Ministry’s Estimates in detail. The Committee looked at the following areas, as of interest:- the total net amount of money requested from the Exchequer by the Ministry, comparison of the previous year’s allocations, allocations to new projects or programmes, the Ministry’s absorption capacity, projects left out of the Estimates, proposed allocations vis-a-vis the achievements of the Ministry’s Strategic Plan, disaggregated district budgets and other issues related to the subject matter. On comparison of allocations for the Financial Years 2008/09 and 2009/10 Financial Year, the Committee noted with a lot of concern that the allocation for the first time reduced from 7.47 per cent to 6.1 per cent. This is happening at a time when the crime levels in this country are on the rise. Urban crime is increasing. Cattle rustling in pastoral areas is increasing. We noted with a lot of concern that instead of the Ministry’s allocation going up, it is coming down which will more or less, undermine the progress and development in this country.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to begin by agreeing that the police are essential to give us security. In the same breath, I would like to condemn the Ministry for failing to institute credible police reforms. This Ministry does not need a task force to change the training of the police from the colonial police to a people-friendly police. This Ministry does not need a task force or a commission to tell it that they should respect human rights. This is a force that has since 2006 been killing young men especially of Mt. Kenya origin giving them a tag name. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, a police officer is supposed to arrest and take before a court of law, except where their lives are threatened. Wanton killing does not reduce crime. If it did, in the last two years where it is reported over 2,000 young men have been killed, crime ought to have vanished. I am saying that this is a Ministry that is totally unwilling to reform. However, I want to salute the many officers who work hard and honestly while condemning the rogues this Ministry has failed to tame. It is necessary that this Ministry adopts a policy of holding each officer from the lowest rank to the highest, accountable. When you are on duty at point A, you must account for that area and whatever happens. It is not enough to pay a spokesperson to be denying everything even where they have not checked. Two weeks ago, we had an embarrassing incident when four men were gunned down in Nakuru and the spokesman, as usual denied only for the police later to apprehend suspects. We have had such many cases. We should not have the Minister or his team denying obvious crimes by the police. The very least he could promise is investigations. This Ministry should not be a source of creating insecurity but a source of security. Unless he weeds out the rogue officers, they will contaminate the good ones. I admit there are good and hard working police officers. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the same goes for the Provincial Administration. A majority in the Provincial Administration are working well. However, the Ministry must stop using provincial administrators to do their political work. Let us not have political administrators. This reminds me of the incident in Kirinyaga where there was a District Commissioner (DC), police officers and intelligence services, if a total of 43 or, in my view, 73 people are killed, then it means there is absence of the Government and security

Thank you Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to support this Motion. The core function of this Ministry is to ensure that there is peace and security in this country. Indeed, the fundamental function of any Government is to protect the lives and property of its citizens. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, allow me to congratulate my colleague Prof. George Saitoti and his team at the Office of the President for protecting the lives and property of Kenyans although they have faced very difficult challenges. I have read both in the local and international media, people talking about Kenya as a failed state. I do not think these people have done an analysis of what constitutes a failed State. A failed state is not constituted by a strong Government. The cause of a failed state is a weak Government which is not able to control militias and other armed gangs within its own territory. If you look at Somalia as an example of a failed state, it is a failed state because there are warlords. Various clans are competing for the control of arms. The moment you hear the Kenyan Army has disintegrated and that we have no unified police force is when Kenya will be a failed state. For now, Kenya is, by no means, a failed state. We faced tremendous challenges as a result of the post election violence. However, we are slowly coming out of that. One of the challenges we face is that the per capita ratio of our security officers at the Rift Valley at that particular moment was too low. The ratio was five police officers per 1,000 youths. Where would one start? Therefore, allow me to support the Government for its programme to expand the police force and the Administrative Police because we need more security officers in this country. Allow me to congratulate His Excellency the President and my colleague here for converting every constituency in this country into a district. When we were in the Opposition, we used to say that the Provincial Administration was going to bring oppression closer to the people. There has been the retraining of chiefs and these days, the Provincial Administration is bringing peace, security and development closer to the people.

Mr. ole Metito

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I want to begin by congratulating the Minister and Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security for a job well done. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the stability of any country depends on how best the internal security mechanism is secured. Therefore, this Ministry requires all the support, not only political, but also financial. I would like to say the very critical department that is in charge, particularly with the maintenance of law and order in this country, is our police force. I was surprised to hear from the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security that we give our police officers eight litres of fuel per day to fight crime. Some of this information is never known to the country. That is a scandal. It is very difficult for the job of the magnitude we expect from the police force to be done with a minimum of eight litres of fuel. There is need, therefore, for the Minister – even though I know that he is quite aware of this fact and has worked very hard – to see how best he can provide funding to this very important sector of the security of this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Minister because a few weeks ago we had a consultative meeting as Members of Parliament from North Eastern Province, in order to see how best to confront the security challenges in that region. One of the problems we have, of course, in North Eastern Province now is the spillover effect of the security crisis in Somalia. We have suggested to the Minister that this matter is not only a foreign policy engagement. It requires the efforts of the entire Government, particularly the Office of the President. You never leave a matter this critical to be treated as a Ministry of Foreign Affairs matter. Therefore, there is need to see whether we can, in fact, go the way the Ethiopians have done. We can, for instance, create a buffer zone between the areas that connect Kenya to Kismaiyu. The communities there can be spoken to and we see how best the Kenya Government can empower them. This is because if we empower them, then the effects of Al Shabab or any other threat that can be coming to

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Let me take this opportunity to thank the Minister for his speech this afternoon and the provisions he has made for our internal security. However, there are a few issues that I feel are not properly addressed by the budget. First, there was a requirement to increase the number of police officers and Administration Police officers, so that at least we move nearer to the United Nations (UN) ratio. It is important also to realize that it is not just increasing the number that will help move nearer the requirement of the UN ratio, but we need to disarm the irregular forces that are in this country. We have a lot of irregular forces in this country, which

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I want to quickly join my colleagues in congratulating the Minister for the manner in which he moved the Motion. I want to join my colleagues in thanking this Ministry in the area of Provincial Administration for the attempted reforms that they have undertaken in the area of customer service, the structure in the provincial administration and the new sub-provinces that they have created.

The eight provinces were created at Independence and we cannot remain the same. The structure of our country has changed and I fully support it because any organization must be responsive to its environment. This is exactly what this Ministry has done and I want to fully support them. In the area of customer service, the chiefs have radically changed. I believe that with a further push, we can get to where we would want to be in terms of service delivery. I have looked at this budget and I am particularly perturbed with the allocation of fuel in the vast districts. I think something extra needs to be done by the Ministry to ensure that adequate fuel for security purposes is provided. During the Supplementary Estimates, it needs to be raised, given what we have in the books right now.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to add my voice to the issue of response to insecurity situations. I think we need to improve in that area. I have a case in point. Very recently in Isiolo, six people were killed, only six kilometres from Isiolo Town where the police headquarters is. The response came too little too late. It is a bit embarrassing. The Isiolo-Modogashe Road is impassable. There have been uncountable numbers of raids. There are police stations all over but they do not deter anybody. We cannot continue like that. These are things which will force people to start defending themselves. We have brought that issue to the attention of the Ministry and I am hopeful that the Minister is going to move with speed and make sure that the road is cleared of bandits so that people can go about their business without any interference.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we should not only be criticizing but also adding value to the process of change. As a Government, now that constituencies are being used as centres of focus of administration and development, the Government needs to relook at how it is restructured. Maybe we can combine a number of activities with a view to reducing costs to ensure effectiveness of service delivery. The Minister has given us the figures on the new offices. I think they need more money because for any department to effectively carry out its functions, it must have a proper environment like an office from where they can operate. I have looked at the books and I know that these figures are not sufficient. But I can see serious attempts have been made. I request that they look at it from the equity point of view without succumbing to too much lobbying and ensure that this is equitably distributed.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need some radical operational changes in the police force. I want to appeal to the Minister to talk to his Commissioner so that the

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to also support this very important Motion and to congratulate the team from the Office of the President, the Ministry of Provincial Administration and Internal Security for a good job that they have been doing under very difficult circumstances. I will just touch on one main issue. That is the recruitment of police officers. This applies to all forces: the Administration Police, the military and also the administrators. I want to talk about this because there are many questions. It may have nothing to do with the headquarters but there are questions about what is happening at the recruitment stations, in terms of who gets recruited. There are many allegations about people paying money to be recruited and so on. We have to deal with this matter and we have to be honest about it because it is a big problem. I would like to recommend the example of the Ministry of Education on the recruitment of teachers. I have spoken about this to Maj- Gen. Ali and Prof. Saitoti because it is a big headache and makes people laugh at the whole exercise. My proposal is that we involve the local communities in the recruitment of the police officers and other forces. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to make a proposal. In education, they send criteria that you have to short-list so many candidates and they should have the following qualifications. In that committee, there will be respected members of the community, the provincial administration, maybe a police officer representing a division or a police station to ensure that the people that are recruited meet the criteria that has been set out by the recruiting officers. Among other factors, they should look at the character of a person. Who could better tell about the character of a person than the people who know him or her? With regard to qualifications like grade, age and year of graduation--- because we should give people priority on the basis of when they left school, gender, location within particular constituencies so that you do not recruit police officers from just one location and not another and with regard to socio- economic ability. If we continue at this rate, the poor will never be recruited in the police force. I am sure if it was the case during the time Maj-Gen. Ali and many others were being recruited, probably, they would not be the generals that we are seeing today. That merit is ours. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to propose that we give orphans the first priority when we do the short-listing, then partial orphans. That is how we do it in education. We should also look at the socio-economic conditions of the people that we recruit. If it is true that some people pay Kshs200,000 to be recruited to the police force, if you have Kshs200,000 - for God’s sake - why can you not start some business

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me a chance to contribute and support the Vote of this Ministry.

I want to agree with a few contributions that have made by my colleagues. But, first, I want to say that it is my view that the Ministry is creating new districts so that services can be brought to the people. Why have they refused to issue guidelines for the headquarters? Why is this responsibility being referred to the people themselves, many of whom never even asked for the districts? Why is it becoming a problem for politicians? We thank the Ministry for bringing services closer to the people but they must take the responsibility of issuing guidelines so that the country can be at peace. It is a simple matter and I think this Minister is equal to that task. I know his Permanent Secretary is also equal to that task. They should take the services to a central place. In some places, they are arguing like in my constituency, in one part of the constituency there is infrastructure. I think the DCs are supposed to be followed by services. They are not meant for buildings. These things are the people and not buildings. He needs to help us, as hon. Members, so that we can use our time talking about other things and not wasting time doing things the Government can do for us.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to this Motion on Vote 01. First of all, I must say that one of the positive things that I have noticed or witnessed is that this is one Ministry that is really accessible. This is a Ministry where one can walk even to the Office of the PS without appointment and be granted an appointment. I think that is a plus to the Ministry because I have tried accessing various Ministries, it is very hard to access some senior officers in those Ministries. I think that is something to commend the Ministry for.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I also rise to support the Vote for this very important Ministry. This Ministry plays a very important role. It is time we touched on the issues that concern this Ministry, and more so, the Republic of Kenya.

I would like to congratulate the Minister, his personnel and the President for creating many districts. I urge the Minister to ensure that he has posted the right personnel to the newly created districts. I have two districts namely Kangundo and Matungulu but up to now I am seeking to have an OCPD at least in one of the districts. This does not only affect my area, but the whole country.

We have failed as leaders---

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Is it in order for the hon. Member to speak from the Dispatch Box when he is not a Minister?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I inform Mr. Letimalo that I am the Deputy Chief Whip of the Government of Kenya.

Kenyans should learn to obey the laws of the land. We have talked about reforms but we have failed to support and encourage the security personnel in this country. Many police officers have been killed and others injured in the line of duty, but not a single person, including the human rights groups, has stood up to say that our officers are being killed. We are only good at accusing the police when they defend themselves. This is totally unacceptable. As leaders, we must weigh the situation. We should tell the people we lead to obey the laws of the land.

It is important to note that the reforms we are talking about here are crucial. We must be sensible leaders. It is unacceptable for leaders to start saying sack So-and-So. We will sack Abdi today and appoint Abdalla who is still a Kenyan. In another six months, we will demand the sacking of the same person. I do not think criticising our officers in public will change anything in this country. In the case of your children, if you cane and abuse them instead of counseling and showing them the way, they will never change or reform. I am saying that the Task Force on Police Reforms should not single out one or two people for accusation. The police force is composed of the Commissioner of Police down to the constable on the ground. So, if you want to reform the whole force, then you should sack everybody. Let us talk about the reforms that are geared towards equipping our police properly.

The security personnel in this country, including the APs, should be equipped properly so that they can deal with difficult cases. There is no country in the world where security personnel are accused left, right and centre. Even if the police did anything good, it is never appreciated. I come from a constituency that borders Nairobi and criminals roam all over. When road blocks are erected on our roads, the same people use leaders to complain about them. They complain that the roadblocks are too many and should be reduced. These people claim that the police are bothering them and that officers should impound matatus because they kill people day and night. These people also ask the Minister to tell them why matatus kill people on our roads. Surely, should the Minister drive a matatu ? It is important for people to obey the laws of the land. Those who defy the law should be taken to jail. By so doing, we will mould a society that will be an example to other African countries.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support the Motion.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I would like to thank the Minister for a well thought out presentation that seeks for the approval of the Ministry’s Vote.

This Ministry is very crucial in the provision of security. The Minister has outlined several areas in his presentation. He needs funds in order to continue recruiting more security personnel. It is by doing this that various areas can be covered by regular police and the APs.

If you look at the money that has been allocated to this Ministry vis-Ă -vis what has been allocated to the Ministry of State for Defence, and yet our army has never gone to war at any time, you will realize that we do not provide security to our people. For example, we only have one police station in my constituency that covers three districts at the moment. This has largely contributed to insecurity in the area. The police in that station do not have a good vehicle because the one they have is not serviceable. In order to provide better services to the people we should ensure that the security personnel, be they APs or regular police, can move around when called upon to attend to situations that arise from time to time. There are police stations and posts that have officers and yet they cannot respond to cases when they arise. This is because of lack of facilities. Even as we think about recruitment, we should think about making those who have already been recruited and posted to various stations, able to discharge their duties. That should be a primary concern. It should be an area we should look at with a lot of keenness.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, one other area that has largely contributed to insecurity across the country is the proliferation of small arms. So many arms are in the wrong hands. You hear of people being carjacked. You look at the people possessing these weapons and wonder. There are very young boys who have AK47 rifles here in town. One of the people who were shot dead in my constituency about three weeks ago was found with an AK47 rifle. This is very serious. We should find out how these firearms get into the hands of these people.

They are all over the place now. Even here in Nairobi, Members of Parliament have been bundled into vehicles, and were mesmerised by the kind of weapons they have seen in the hands of very young people. These young people are very well educated, but we are not making any arrangements to provide them with employment. This tells us a lot. The Minister was talking about Vision 2030, when there shall not be any more fear as there shall be security, yet day in, day out, when you look at the security situation, you realise that it is worsening as we go along.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in every financial year, like the current one, we talk of increasing resources and making it possible for the Government to curb the problems that we have. I want to suggest to the people who decide how much money goes where--- I have in mind the Ministry of Finance. This Ministry asked for Kshs1.7 billion to, perhaps, recruit up to 3,500 regular police officers, and about 6,000 Administration Police officers but it was given nothing. What do they see happening every day? We do not really understand the criteria on which financing is based.

We propose that in the coming Supplementary Budget, we should request the Ministry concerned to critically look into the possibility of giving additional monies to this Ministry, so that we can recruit more officers. We have created so many districts. I

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Vote of the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security.

The security of any nation is a cardinal issue for any Government. I am sure that the stability of any country will be much appreciated if the people plus their property can be protected. I am saying so because, if there is any issue that is nagging Kenyans today, it is that of insecurity.

If we take the Police Force, in as much as they have done a good job and they are, in fact very much appreciated, there seems to be no control, especially at the police stations; officers have actually forgotten their roles. I have a case in point from my own district and constituency, where I have complained about police officers being used by criminals to harass innocent people. They arrest people for the offence of robbery with violence when there is no case of robbery with violence at all.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have a case in point where a police officer is engaged in burning of charcoal, thus degrading the environment. When cases of cattle theft are reported, the police are not there to follow up the issue. This is an issue I have even brought to the attention of the Police Commissioner himself. So, we cannot take security for granted. I know that they require physical facilities, including buildings and vehicles. In particular, I have a case where we have two police stations that have no vehicles at all. So, even when there are cattle raids, the police are not able to move. They cannot move on foot. They are also human beings. These are issues I brought to the attention of the Commissioner of Police. Lare Police Station and another one called Dumuru are located in hubs of cattle rustling, yet there is nothing happening there at all. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, security roads are very important. My constituency bears the brunt of cattle rustling from various surrounding communities. I have talked about a road leading from Isiolo to a place called “Gachuru” in Garbatula, and another road from Lare to Dumuru, but nothing has happened to them. When cattle have been stolen, police have to move using these roads, but they cannot because of the bad terrain. I am so much concerned, in particular, about the issue of cattle rustling, which the Provincial Administration and the police are unable to curb as of now. We used to get stories such as “the hand of the Government is long”, but it is like the hand of the police is now shorter, because they are not pursuing the issues that they are supposed to pursue. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there was an incident when cattle from my community were stolen. They were followed. They reached a place called “Shaba”. They said: “We cannot pass through here because that gang is better armed than the police.” What are we doing here if there can be gangs that can defeat the security forces of this

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I rise to support the Vote.

Mr. Chachu, you have only two minutes due to time constraints, and then we go to the next stage. Proceed!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the Vote of the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security. I congratulate the Minister, the Permanent Secretary (PS) and many other hardworking civil servants in that Ministry. The PS, in particular, is a very devoted and committed officer, who is accessible. I have seen him serve Kenyans past 10.00 p.m. on many occasions. This Ministry is a leader in terms of devolving power to the grass roots. The new districts that we have and the Deputy Provincial Commissioners (DPCs) who were posted recently are evidence of this reality. I want to take this opportunity to thank the President in particular for creating two new districts yesterday, one in North Horr and another one in Laisamis. I also want to thank the Government, and particularly, the police, for patrolling the Kenya/Ethiopia border. I have the largest stretch of the border with Ethiopia. For the most part, security has been restored to that region mainly because of the security officers who have been posted to that region. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I urge the Government to consider supporting the home guards and increasing the number of police reservists in some of these remote arid areas. These communities are very mobile and the road networks are not that good. If we have committed home guards who are well remunerated, I think we can solve the security problems of those regions very well. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I congratulate the Minister for saying that he will bring the Organized Crimes Bill to this House. I call upon the Minister and his officers to consider cattle rustlers as part of organized crime. Cattle rustlers get organized for a while. They regroup, get ammunition and go ahead to cause havoc to many Kenyans. While the Minister is working on that Bill which I will be more than happy to

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to seek the indulgence of the Chair.

Order, hon. Member. Is it a real point of order?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I seek your indulgence that since most of us have got our peculiar problems in regard to security issues and considering that there is no time for us to contribute now, I want to request that the Minister for Provincial Administration and Internal Security organizes for an informal meeting, so that we can share with him the problems that we are experiencing.

Thank you, hon. Member. I think the Minister will have many forums in form of Kamukunjis whereby he can bring the issue and we can talk about it. The time is up. It is now 5.33 p.m. and I will now call upon the Minister to reply.

Hon. Members we will move to the next Ministry, Vote 48. The House will then go to the Committee Stage later. Next Order!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move:- THAT, Mr. Speaker Do Now Leave the Chair. This will enable me move Vote 48 – Office of the Prime Minister, for the financial year 2009/2010. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is my pleasure to present to this august House the estimates of Recurrent and Development Expenditures for 2009/2010 financial year for the Office of the Prime Minister which falls under the public administration sector. Before I proceed, may I remind hon. Members the mandate of the Ministry. The office is constituted under the National Accord and Reconciliation Act (2008). The mandate as per Presidential circular No.1 of 2008 includes but is not limited to the following; coordination and supervision of the execution of the functions and affairs of the Government of Kenya including those of Ministries, chairing of Cabinet committees, Public Service reforms and performance contracting, efficiency monitoring unit, Inspectorate of State Corporations and performance of any other duties as may be assigned to the Prime Minister by the President or under any written law. It will be recognized that the departments with a supervisory function are under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister. Likewise, to enhance the coordination function, the following Ministries are under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister; Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030---

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Is the Assistant Minister in order to proceed with moving the Motion when there is no representative from the Ministry in the House?

(Prof. Kaloki) Hold on, Assistant Minister!

Assistant Minister, you can now proceed! They are here!

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I need clarification from the Chair. The Vote that is being moved is for the Office of the Prime Minister. The Constitution is very clear as to who the Prime Minister, is assisted by the Deputy Prime Ministers. The hon. Member moving this vote is an Assistant Minister, Office of the Prime Minister. Can he really move the Vote for the Office of the Prime Minister when he is neither the Prime Minister nor the Deputy Prime Ministers?

Order, Mr. Ethuro! Assistant Ministers, Ministers, including the Prime Minister are Ministers. Therefore, the Assistant Minister is in order to move the Vote! Please, proceed!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the delay by the staff from the Ministry was due to the little space we have. So, some space was being created for them. The benches were being occupied by staff from the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security. However, they are now here. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it will be recognized that the departments with supervisory function are under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister. Likewise, to enhance the coordination function, the following Ministries are under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister; Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, the Ministry of State for Public Service and the Ministry of State for the Development of Northern Kenya and other Arid Lands. In discharging these functions, the Ministry and its agencies deliver through policy and strategy alignment, information sharing and collaboration through human resource management and development. The focus is on enhanced Public Service performance through entrenchment of performance based management while ensuring transparency, accountability and value for money in service delivery to citizens. Indeed, the estimates I am about to present go a long way in addressing the vision, mission and mandate of this Ministry. The vision of this Ministry is: “A goal driven and responsive Government trusted by its citizens”. Its mission is: “To lead a transformative Government for prosperity, unity and fairness”. The core functions of the Ministry are as follows: Guided by its mandate, the Ministry undertakes the following functions: Providing policy and strategy direction and effective leadership in all Ministerial matters relating to programmes and projects, it ensures linked up policy development and implementation, ensures linked up service delivery, integration of reforms, modernization of public services, budget decisions are linked to national priorities, it undertakes supervision in directing delivery

Order! Your time is up! Can you give us your concluding remarks?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to move and request hon. Ojaamong to second.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to second the Vote on the Office of the Prime Minister. First, I want to wish the Prime Minister well because the job he is engaged in is a very difficult and intricate job. At one time, he even said here in Parliament that he was prepared to pay a political price. With regard to whatever he is doing in Mau Forest, which is part of his mandate, he will not mind even if it will cost him his political future. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is the issue of the Kazi Kwa Vijana programme which falls under the Office of the Prime Minister. Indeed, it had a false start and was too bad for some of us in our constituencies. This money was meant to assist the jobless youth, but it ended up benefiting the District Commissioners (DCs), District Officers (DOs), the chiefs and the well to do people. There are places; especially in my constituency and others where you will find that millions were brought for the Kazi kwaVijana Programme. Youth worked for two days, but in the returns, they were falsified to appear as if they had worked for more than 20 days. This is not the picture that we want the Office of the Prime Minister to portray. I know that he is a very serious man. He is thorough and always believes in efficiency and value for whatever money that comes in his hands. I appeal that now that he has his officers here, they should go and re-assess how this programme is being implemented. Who is benefitting from it, so that we have corrective measures from the start before we go to the next financial year? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, also under the Prime Minister’s Office is the Public Service transformation. For a very long time, the public has not been getting value for the taxes they pay. If you went to any office, up to now, as the Assistant Minister, at times I become ashamed when I call another Minister’s office and get the reception so unconcerned and casual. So, you will find that most of our civil servants to date need a lot of retraining. I am very happy that the Minister of State for Public Service, hon. Otieno, who is also a very thorough man, is here. He promised to embark on serious work to ensure that we have civil servants who deliver. We do not want people who just malinger in offices, hang coats there and do nothing. One night, I fell sick in Busia and I was taken to a district hospital. It was very difficult to find nurses and doctors despite my position in this Government. It took me around 12 hours to be treated. Now, take a case of an ordinary Kenyan. We need to enhance efficiency in the Civil Service.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on this matter, I know that the Prime Minister has the capacity to implement. Unfortunately what he requested for or his planned activities have been cut down by almost 60 per cent. We appeal that depending on how he will perform with the little money that we have given him now, when the Supplementary Budget comes, we shall push so that he gets more money. He should then be able to track down these civil servants so that they deliver services to people. The issue of the Mau Forest falls under the Office of the Prime Minister. I want to join the rest of Kenyans in saying that water catchment areas have thoroughly been affected. I want the Prime Minister to extend his conservation efforts to places like Mt. Elgon where my friend Mr. Kapondi comes from. The forest has been cleared in Mt. Elgon and we need the replanting of trees there. My area is totally affected because the whenever there is any rain, it flows at a very fast speed and comes to destroy bridges, buildings and roads in Teso land. I am appealing that the Prime Minister takes this as a

Mr. Kioni!

The Chair of the Departmental Committee!

Then proceed!

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, first of all, before I delve into the Report of the Committee on Administration and National Security where the office of the Prime Minister falls, I wish to correct my brother, Mr. Ojaamong, that Mt. Elgon is not like Mau. Two weeks ago the Minister for Forestry and Wildlife, Dr. Wekesa, and I overflew Mt. Elgon and we did a thorough inspection on the conservation and we saw that the forest in Mt. Elgon is intact.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Committee on Administration and National Security held a meeting with the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday, 13th July, 2009 to scrutinize this Vote. The Committee was able to examine the 2009/2010 Estimates of the Ministry and raised pertinent issues arising from the proceedings of the meeting. The Committee looked at the following areas of interest: Total net requested from the Exchequer by the Ministry, comparison of the previous allocation, allocations to new projects, Ministry’s absorption capacity, areas left out of the Estimates, proposed allocation vi-a-vis the achievement of the Ministry’s strategic plan and other areas related to the subject matter.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on comparison of the allocation for the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 Financial Years, the Committee noted that there is an overall increment allocation for the Vote this Financial Year as compared to the Supplementary Estimates of 2008/2009, and the increment went up from 0.23 per cent to 0.28 per cent. Regarding the previous year’s allocation, the comparison with the current year is as follows: 2009/2010 was Kshs1.8 billion and 2008/2009 was Kshs1.3 billion. On allocation to new projects and programmes, the Committee noted that the Mau Forest Task Force was allocated Kshs30 million and the Kenya We Want Conference which covered the KICC bill was allocated Kshs16 million. The absorption capacity for the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) based on 2008/2009 budget is 97 per cent for the Recurrent Expenditure and 94.3 per cent for the Development Expenditure. There were projects left out in the allocations: The following projects were noted by the Committee:- 1. Cascading the Kenya We Want to district and provincial level, Kshs100 million. 2. The infrastructure sector, Kshs180 million. 3. OPM delivery unit, Kshs290 million 4. Mau Task Force, Kshs146,297,000 The total amount not funded that was requested by OPM was Kshs717, 657,110. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Committee noted a few areas of concern, bearing in mind that this is a relatively new Ministry. One area of concern was the allocation of Kshs33,400,000 in this financial year to rehabilitate the OPM official residence. The Committee noted that instead of allocating this kind of money for refurbishment, the Government should consider putting up official residences not only for

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to start by supporting this Vote and say that I am happy today that the Prime Minister launched a strategic plan. The introduction of the Prime Minister’s Office in this country came with some misconceptions which were cleared today and we hope will continue to be cleared in the minds of Kenyans. We must appreciate this office as an institution that is bringing a new way of governing Kenya. Kenyans are now realizing the importance of having a Prime Minister. I do not think that it is any longer going to be personalized because after the strategic plan today and after the introduction that the Assistant Minister has given, it is clear that the role of this Office is paramount to the success of a Government. I am saying this because I know that there is still debate with the new Constitution on which system of Government this country should follow. I am suggesting that by looking at the kind of work that the Office of the Prime Minister is doing and is capable of doing, that we see this office as a way that Kenya can help itself to govern and to allow people to be involved in governing themselves and also to allow for devolution to take place.

I want to speak about the Ministries that fall under the Office of the Prime Minister and I want to start with the Ministry of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030. I am glad the Minister is here. On this I would just like to say one thing that unfortunately Vision 2030 has not been a buy-in. It is a beautiful and brilliant written document which Kenyans do not understand. I am asking the Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office to re-think launching this document at the grassroots. Kenyans need to understand what Vision 2030 is because we keep referring to it. It will be unfortunate for us to keep pegging everything to Vision 2030 which even I dare to say some of us also do not really understand. We must buy into this vision so that we can progress and succeed. So, I am asking that Ministry to re-look at re-launching the Vision 2030 at the grassroots level.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in my view, the Ministry for Northern Eastern and Other Arid Lands is still lip service. As long as it is under the Office of the Prime Minister, it is going to be a black mark for that office. If this Ministry is not funded properly, the people of North Eastern Province will see it as lip service of this Government. Since it is under the Office of the Prime Minister, they must take full responsibility to ensure that this Ministry is well funded and executes what it was brought in place to execute.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute, once again to this very important Vote. First, I will take the opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for the able manner he has handled this Office. I also congratulate the two Deputy Prime Ministers in the same office for the manner they have been able to represent the Prime Minister in this Office. I also take this chance to reflect on the Mau issue. We need to thank the Prime Minister for the strong interest and enthusiasm he has shown in the settlement on this issue. We would like the issue to be given a human face because we have children and the aged in that area. As a solution is being found, those people should be handled in a responsible manner. There are areas where some people were evicted in order to restore the water catchment areas. For instance, we have people who were evicted from Crater Forest in Lari Constituency. I propose that these people be re-settled too.

I would like to support the HIV/AIDS programme that the Prime Minister’s Office co-ordinates. The Ministry ought to have been allocated slightly more money in order to cover the whole nation. The Prime Minister should not forget the aged because we have many of them and they should be supported financially.

Matters of relief food are also being co-ordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office, and yet there are some areas in this country which have been given a “blackout”. For example, Central Province has been ignored. I urge the Prime Minister to pay more attention to the starving and the suffering in Central Province.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to support this very important Vote. First of all, the Office of the Prime Minister has been bestowed by the Constitution the function of co-ordinating Government Ministries. We will request the Prime Minister with his officials to appear before our Departmental Committee on Equal Opportunities. The Committee would like to know from the Prime Minister whether the resources, both human and financial, have been distributed equally in this country. I am just alerting him so that he can prepare the data that is required.

This Office was established in this country under very difficult circumstances. The initial intention was to see whether we could restore political stability in Kenya. That has been achieved and Government functions are running well. Now that the Office of the Prime Minster has become a permanent feature in our Constitution and the Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs is here, could this Office continue being entrenched and established in our Constitution? The President and the Prime Minister have served us well. This is the system we require in this country - hybrid system. If this is done, the power of the President, the Prime Minister and Parliament will be checked. We should fast-track the reform now because this Office has worked. Initially, there was a lot of pessimism about establishing the Premiership in this country. However, we can see that it is working. The earlier the Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs and the Office of the Prime Minister fast-track constitutional reforms, the better. Before we go into the next election we should re-affirm that this Office is in our Constitution.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Office of the Prime Minister is now in charge of the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Areas. This will be the biggest test. We do not want this Ministry to also behave as if it is in charge of co-ordination. The person who is doing that on behalf of the Government is the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister’s Office should allocate the Ministry of Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Areas functional duties. So, there is need for him to re- define the role of this new Ministry. It should be given status and allocated funds. If the Prime Minister fails to do this, we will confirm that this is what he told us during the campaigns. This will be a big test for the Prime Minister who is aspiring to be President of this country one day. We shall monitor seriously value addition to the people of Kenya.

The Office of the Prime Minister has established several task forces. I want him to consider establishing a task force on Somalia. It looks like the Prime Minister has perfected the art of establishing task forces. Every time there is a crisis, he comes up with a task force. This is good provided the reports are implemented. The situation in Somalia is serious and it requires a lot of attention. This country’s stability is threatened by the crisis in Somalia. We should think outside the Government and see whether we can add value.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to make a short contribution.

We have been told that the Prime Minister had requested for Kshs3 billion to run his Office which is relatively new. When you are dealing with a new office, you need space and staff. You will also incur other expenditure. The Kshs1.6 billion that the Prime Minister’s Office has been allocated is peanuts. This Parliament should consider allocating the Office the Kshs3 billion that it sought.

I have been in the Civil Service where we carried out co-ordination and supervision exercises. I can assure you that co-ordination and supervision is a very expensive exercise, particularly when one is dealing with 42 or more Ministries. One cannot perform those roles without monitoring and carrying out evaluation. This means that this Office requires more money. The Prime Minister has requested for a very small amount of money. Parliament should ensure that this is a functional office. In addition, we should realise that the Prime Minister is co-ordinating the Mau activities. We have seen how the Mau Forest has been messed up. This Office needs more money to make it functional. We, therefore, need more money in this Office to make it function.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I stand here to support the debate on the Vote of the Office of the Prime Minister.

I want to dwell on the new Office of the Prime Minister. I want the Prime Minister to re-look at the following key areas that fall under his docket. One of them is the Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands. We have said many times on the Floor of this House that the Government felt that the creation of the Ministry of State for the Development of Northern Kenya and Other Arid Lands was significant to the people of Northern Kenya in their economic and social activities and for infrastructure. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry has been formed to bring the people of northern Kenya at par with the rest of this country but, as the duly elected representatives of northern Kenya, we are saying that, that has not been achieved in the

I now call upon the Minister to respond.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to take this opportunity to thank Members of Parliament for their contributions and the very useful suggestions they have made.

I want to state here that the Office of the Prime Minister is a very new office. There is a lot that can be done to make it a better office from an operational and functional point of view. The comments that have been put forward are the ones that we will incorporate in our decision making process as we try to transform it, so that it can meet its mandate.

I would like to say that the Kazi kwa Vijana programme is a very noble idea because it is intended to put something on the table for the young people. If we do not do so, worse things could happen. Most of these unemployed youth are engaging in criminal activities. This initiative is one way of fighting crime and other social ills.

I would like to agree with hon. Members that unfortunately we have not determined a very efficient manner of making sure that whatever money is intended to benefit the youth, does benefit them. It is true that in some districts and offices,

Hon. Members, we will start with the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security.

Vote 01 – Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security

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

THAT, a sum not exceeding Kshs833,816,466 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 48 – Office of the Prime Minister

VOTE R48 – RECURRENT EXPENDITURE

SUB-VOTE 480 – GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING

SUB-VOTE 481 – INSPECTORATE AND MONITORING SERVICES

SUB-VOTE 482 – CO-ORDINATION AND SUPERVISORY SERVICES

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I notice that under Item 3110300, this Sub-Head is talking about refurbishing of buildings. I am suggesting that this is something that the Prime Minister’s Office and the Government should rethink in view of the hunger which is causing our people to feed on pigs’ food, and in view of the problems experienced by the Internally Displaced People (IDPs).

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am directed to report that the Committee of Supply has considered a Resolution that a sum not exceeding Kshs21,763,754,500 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 01 – Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security and has approved the same without amendment.

(Mr. Khang’ati) seconded.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we agree with the Resolution, I would urge that the money be put to the use of ensuring that the public are secure and safe-guarded and that their human rights are protected and upheld.

I beg to support.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do agree totally when the Minister says that cattle rustling can be a cause of insecurity. I want to assure him that for those of us who come from pastoral areas, we are going to support him. I really want to appreciate the effort being made by the Minister and his entire staff to combat and eradicate cattle rustling. However, I wish to bring to the attention of the Minister the fact that I am particularly disturbed about the bias and brutality meted out against the Samburu community where they send their security personnel to recover stolen animals. I think it is important that they also involve the community. We have peace committee members who are ready to assist and make sure that peace is there. Also, there is traditional governance. The elders who are there must be used. My concern is that the Government deployed 600 security personnel who were armed and backed by military choppers to round up animals while they were grazing. About 4,115 cattle were taken from Samburu East, driven to Isiolo and given to other communities. That is one matter that I do not want you to wish away. The Government must either bring back the forcefully taken livestock or compensate the affected families for peaceful co-existence of the neighbouring communities.

Secondly, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are vacant administrative units and I am particularly concerned because in my district, Samburu East, we have ten-- -

Order, Mr. Letimalo! It is not time to debate! We have already done that.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I just want to say that when you have ten vacant administrative units in one area where, there is no chief or assistant chief, you can imagine the kind of administration in that area. I just want to appeal to the Minister that these ten vacant administrative units be filled.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Vote 48 – Office of the Prime Minister

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am directed to report that the Committee of Supply has considered the resolution that a sum not exceeding Kshs833,816,466 be issued from the Consolidated Fund to meet expenditure during the year ending 30th June, 2010 in respect of Vote 48 – Office of the Prime Minister and has approved the same without amendments.

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

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we approve this amount, we hope that the Office of the Prime Minister will actually carry out the expected duties, that is, co-ordinating and supervising Government activities. We should not be having runaway corruption when there is an office to co-ordinate and supervise. We should not have violation of human rights. Also, we should not have the general mismanagement that is going on in the Government. We expect the taxpayers’ money to be put to good use.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, mine is very brief. I only want to urge the Prime Minister to make sure that those people who are now destroying or cutting trees in Mau area are stopped immediately for the interest of this nation.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Minister of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 for sitting here and I also want to thank Assistant Ministers for always being here. We will support you!

They are paid!

I know they are paid but many others are also paid but they are never here. So, we want to thank you very much.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I only wanted to request his office that the matter which Kenyans are complaining about is the issue of recruitment to the National Youth Service (NYS). People are saying that it is biased and they should, kindly, correct it for us.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Hon. Members, there being no other business, the House is, therefore, adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, 20th August, 2009, at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 7.15 p.m.