Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Could the Minister explain the circumstances surrounding the brutal assault on a taxi driver, Mr. Nicholas Muriithi, by police in Imenti North on 14th August, 2009 and the subsequent blocking of Meru/Maua/Nanyuki Road at Makutano Shopping Centre by demonstrators on 22nd August, 2009? (b) What justified the use of excessive force by the Police on Mr. Muriithi, who was unarmed? (c) What disciplinary action will the Minister take against the traffic officers concerned?

Is the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security not here?

Next Question!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister is on the way coming and if he is not, then I undertake to inform him to answer this Question, maybe, tomorrow.

Order, Mr. Assistant Minister!

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Last week this Question was scheduled to be on the Order Paper yesterday but the Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security requested that it be put on the Order Paper today when he would be in the House. I am surprised that he is not in. Is it in order for us to defer the Question again to tomorrow?

Let us go to the next Question, we will come back to it later. By the time we come back to this Question by Private Notice and the Minister is not in, the Chair will give direction.

Is Mr. Kaino not here? We will leave his Question until the end. Let us move on to the next Question.

asked the Minister for Lands:- (a) whether he could confirm that residents of Teldet and Kiboroa in Trans Nzoia West bought land but the same was subsequently reclaimed by the Government; and, (b) when the Government will either return the land, provide alternative land or compensate the residents.

Is the Minister for Lands not here? We shall come back to that Question at the end. Let us go to the next Question.

asked the Minister for Roads:- (a)whether he could confirm that part of Orinie-Kapsetek- Nakurtakwei road runs on private property; and, (b) what plans he has to compensate the affected farmers, considering that the road has now been blocked by the farmers.

Is the Minister for Roads not here? Let us move to the next Question.

asked the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security:- (a) why the Government has not filled the ten vacant positions at the Administrative units (locations and sub-locations) in Samburu East district, thus creating a huge gap in the delivery of services to the people; and, (b) when the vacancies will be filled.

Is the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security not here?

Is Mr. Chachu not here? Let us move to the next Question.

Is Dr. Kones not here. We will leave this Question until the end.

Is Mr. Washiali not here? We will come back to that Question at the end.

Mr. Ombui not here! Let us move on to the next Question. We shall come back to that one at the end.

Mr. Namwamba is not here! We shall come back to that Question at the end.

asked the Minister of State for National Heritage:-

Is the Minister of State for National Heritage not here? Let us move to the next Question. We shall come back to this one at the end.

asked the Minister for Housing:- (a) whether the Government has plans of decentralizing National Housing Corporation (NHC) projects to towns like Migori in an effort to address the housing deficit which currently stands at 420,000 houses in both urban and rural areas; (b) what plans the Government has for densely populated low income areas such as Apida, Oruba and Shauri Yako in Migori Municipality; and, (c) whether the National Housing Corporation has plans of putting up modern high-rise houses in Migori to alleviate the housing problems.

Is Mr. Pesa not here? We shall come back to this question. Next question!

Is Mr. Were not here?

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. It is clear that hon. Members have come here early to ask Questions and in the Front Bench, there is the Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Defence and the Minister for Public Works. What other demonstration can be given to show that the Government is not taking the business of this House seriously? Under the new Standing Orders, which are very clear, we seek your direction on what should be done when the entire Cabinet decides to boycott the House. Is it because of Mr. Ringera or have they been instructed from high offices not to appear here?

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. It is also true that while the Ministers are not available and I am not defending my colleagues for not being here, 60 per cent of the Questioners are also not here. Out of 222 hon. Members, only 80 are in the Cabinet. The remaining 140 are in the Backbench, but only eight Members are in this House. I want to challenge the Backbench because they are the ones to put the Government on its toes to be here. Of course, we have bypassed some of the Questions which were supposed to be asked by hon. Members because they are not here. Maybe, there are some negotiations

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I really cherish this Assistant Minister for taking seriously his work in this House. We have asked several Questions this morning, but none of them have been responded to. So, the question of Backbenchers not being present should not arise when Questions have been asked and nobody has responded even to a single Question. Is he in order to mislead this House, that the House is failing because of the Backbench?

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The Assistant Minister for Defence should not have blamed the Backbench when several Questions have been asked and no Minister has responded to any of the Questions. Again, it is not right to have only two Ministers out of 80 to transact Government business in the House. It shows that they have absconded their duties. They are not interested in the affairs of Parliament. It is time they resigned and went home.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is very disappointing because, although the Assistant Minister responded that the Backbench is not there, we have many Backbenchers and we have raised these Questions. It is the responsibility of the specific Ministers who are supposed to answer the Question on the Order Paper to make efforts to be in the House. So, shall I be in order to ask that if these Ministers are not competent enough to come to the House at the right time, they should resign and we have another Cabinet in place to be able to transact the business of this House?

Order, hon. Lessonet, we are going to take the Questions again.

Mr. Ruteere, could you ask your Question by Private Notice again?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security the following Question by Private Notice:-

(a) Could the Minister explain the circumstances surrounding the brutal assault on a taxi driver, Mr. Nicholas Muriithi, by Police in Imenti North on 14th August 2009 and the subsequent blocking of Meru/Maua/ Nanyuki road at Makutano Shopping Centre by demonstrators on 22nd August 2009?

(b) What justified the use of excessive force by the Police on Mr. Muriithi, who was unarmed?

(c) What disciplinary action will the Minister take against the traffic officers concerned?

Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security is not here. Fair enough! Under the circumstances, the Chair will take a firm action and invoke provisions of the Standing Orders. Standing Order No.46 says:-

“It shall be disorderly conduct for a Member to fail to ask or for a Minister to fail to answer a Question listed on the Order Paper without the leave of the Speaker” The word “fail as used here means absence, failing to be available to answer the Question and also failing to answer the Question when the Minister is actually in the House. It is a disorderly conduct and the Chair directs that the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security will not transact any business in the House until such time that he is able to give a satisfactory explanation to the Speaker and the House.

Next ordinary Question No.99

Hon. Boaz Kaino is still not here. Hon. Members, this sword cuts both ways. That is what the Standing Orders say. It says failure to ask and failure to answer. So, it is as punitive to the Minister’s failure to answer as it is to the Backbenchers failure to ask. Under the circumstances hon. Kaino will not be able to transact any business in this House until he is able to give a satisfactory explanation to the Chair.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, did you notice that the Minister is already available to answer that particular Question?

Indeed, the hon. Minister came late. Hon. Minister you came late. You will get away with a slap on the wrist for this.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I apologize, but you know our Ministry has no vehicles. We are sharing one car with Mr. Rai.

It is not the responsibility of the Chair to make a vehicle available for you. In any case, you absence is only noticed when the Question is asked. So, you can get away with this. The Question was not asked because the questioner was not here. You are getting away with this.

Hon. Kapondi, Question No.140.

asked the Minister for Lands:- (a) whether he could confirm that residents of Teldet and Kiboroa in Trans Nzoia West bought land, but the same was subsequently reclaimed by the Government; and, (b) When the Government will return the land, provide alternative land or compensate the residents.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first, I want to apologize for coming late.

Why? Is it the question of the vehicle?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is not the question of the vehicle, but I have just come late because when you are travelling anything can just happen to you on the way. I want to plead with the Chair that I have come late, but I am in the House at this particular time.

Hon. Minister, take note. The Chair notes that this is the final warning to you as a Ministry that you come late. Next time you come late, the Chair will take a firm action against you as a Ministry.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have consulted with the hon. Questioner. There are certain issues we need to put in place before answering this Question. So, I just want to request for the Question to be deferred to a further date, so that I can consult further with the hon. Questioner for a suitable answer to be given.

Hon. Assistant Minister, I notice that this Question is No.140; that means it is a very old Question. It is not sufficient for you to come here now and say that you do not have an answer that is satisfactory when the Question was asked months ago.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have been consulting with the questioner. What is important is for me to give him a comprehensive answer. If he is prepared for us to proceed, then there you are.

What do you have to say, hon. Questioner?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, last week, this Question came and the answer that he had provided was completely insufficient. I had further information which I supplied to him. This rendered the answer he had completely off the mark and irrelevant. So, he had requested that he goes to the bottom of the matter because we want an answer that is useful to the people who are affected. So, similarly today, he has consulted me and I agree because I want a truthful answer not just an answer for the sake of it.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to seek your guidance on the practice of the House. When a Question is asked, does it become the property of this House or it is the business of a Minister and one Member of Parliament to discuss and agree? Members of Parliament could be having other questions which they also want to ask. So, I want to seek your guidance whether it is in order for Ministers and questioners to settle matters privately, then the matter is withdrawn, or it is for the House to dispose of such business.

Basically, the Questioner has the first charge on that Question. That is why an hon. Member can withdraw a Question if he or she wishes to do so. Under the circumstances, it is both the property of the House as well as the very

(Mr. Rai)

But you had a whole week to do that! Why was the Question withdrawn last time? Is it not for the same reasons that you are indicating now?

(Mr. Rai)

Fair enough! The Question will appear on the Order Paper tomorrow in the afternoon. Is that okay with you, Mr. Assistant Minister?

(Mr. Rai)

asked the Minister for Roads

The Minister for Roads is not here? Under the circumstances, I am invoking the provisions of the relevant Standing Orders; the Minister for Roads is not going to transact any business in this House until such a time that he gives a satisfactory explanation as to his absence today from the House to answer this Question.

Next Question by Mr. Letimalo!

Order, Mr. Letimalo! You came late!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was here on time. In fact, I asked this Question but the Minister was not here!

Fair enough! Can you ask the Question again?

asked the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security:- (a) why the Government has not filled the ten (10) vacant positions at the Administrative units (locations and sub-locations) in Samburu East District thus creating a huge gap in the delivery of services to the people; and (b) when the vacancies will be filled.

The Minister is not here? Already, a directive has been given by the Chair as to the fate of this Minister. He will not be able to transact any business in this House pending a satisfactory explanation as to his absence.

Next Question, Mr. Chachu!

Mr. Chachu is not here? Therefore, the Question is dropped! In the same light and breadth, Mr. Chachu will not be allowed to transact any business in the House until he gives a satisfactory explanation as to his absence from the House today to ask his Question.

Is Mr. Chachu or Dr. Kones by any chance out on parliamentary business? Dr. Kones is not here. He will not be allowed to transact any business in the House until he gives a satisfactory explanation as to his absence.

Next Question, Mr. Washiali!

I agree, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to apologize for coming late. I was held up in a breakfast meeting on climate change.

asked the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security:- (a) whether he could explain the circumstances under which Police Corporal Richard Ombwayo Nerima (Force No.53135) was dismissed from the service; and,

(b) whether due procedure was followed in his dismissal.

The Minister is already sanctioned!

Mr. Ombui is not here? He will not be allowed to transact any business in the House until and unless he gives a satisfactory explanation as to his absence from the House this morning to ask this Question.

Mr. Namwamba not here? Fair enough! He will equally not be allowed to transact any business in the House until he gives a satisfactory answer as to his absence from the House this morning to ask this Question.

asked the Minister of State for National Heritage:-

The Minister of State for National Heritage is not here? He will not be allowed to transact any business in the House pending a satisfactory explanation as to his absence from the House this morning to answer this Question.

asked the Minister for Housing:-

(a) if the Government has plans of decentralizing National Housing Corporation projects to towns like Migori in an effort to address the housing deficit, which currently stands at 420,000 houses in both urban and rural areas;

(b) what plans the Government has for such densely populated low income areas as Apida, Oruba and Shauri Yako in Migori Municipality; and (c) whether the National Housing Corporation has plans of putting up modern highrise houses in Migori to alleviate the housing problems.

Mr. Minister, you came in late!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I apologize for coming in late to answer this Question. I was held up in a traffic jam from Community to this place.

Much as being held up in the traffic jam is not an explanation that the Chair is prepared to accept, you have a responsibility to be here on time. Nonetheless, you will get away with that today because you are here. Proceed!

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to reply. (a) The current national housing policy was adopted by the Government in June 2004. It is intended to address deteriorating housing conditions countrywide by facilitating annual production by, at least, 150,000 housing units in urban areas that include Migori Municipality and quality improvement of, at least, 300,000 units in rural areas. The combined annual housing delivery is, therefore, 450,000 for the entire country. The role of the Government will be to facilitate stakeholders, especially the private sector, to construct houses in urban areas. In this regard, the Government has developed housing incentives with a view to attracting investment in the housing sector.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Minister for giving that elaborate plan the Ministry has to ensure that we get houses, not only in Migori, but we are asking about what he intends to do all over Kenya. I would like to know the programme because this is what he is telling me in paper. Has he contacted Migori Municipality and asked them to avail the land he is talking about?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the NHC has approached all the councils of the 90 towns where they intend to carry out this programme, including Migori. We are just awaiting communication from Migori Municipal Council before we can move to the next stage; that is after they have availed land for the development of housing.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister is talking of 90 towns. Could he lay on the Table the list of those towns? Could he also tell us where he expects the local authorities to get land, especially in cases where there is no available land under trusteeship of the local authority?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not have the list of the 90 towns where we intend to carry out this programme. On the issue of availability of land in various councils, this has been the trend and any council that has intended to benefit from NHC programmes avails land. So, if there is no land, it might be a problem for the National Housing Corporation (NHC) because it does not have any land in any council. If a council is able to avail land, we are able to construct housing units in those councils.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, now that many new districts have been created and will require district headquarters, of the 90 towns that the Minister has told the House, how many will be new district headquarters? What is the Minister planning for the other district headquarters that are not included among the 90?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, currently, we have more than 200 districts. It is true that those districts are facing a lot of problems in terms of housing. My ministry is drafting a proposal to discuss with the Minister for Finance to see how we can address the problem of housing in the new districts. But as we do that through the NHC 90-Towns Program, funds have been a major problem. But we are trying, with the little that we have, to see if we can start housing programs in some of the towns. I do not have the list of the towns but I know that Kimilili is one of those towns that have been earmarked under the NHC 90-Towns Program.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The Minister has said that he does not have the list of the towns. Who has the list of towns if the Minister does not have?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not have the list here, but I have it in my office. If the Chair rules, I can avail it.

Ask the last question on this issue, Mr. Pesa!

Thank you, Mr. Minister, for giving me that answer. In fact, I want to undertake and assure you that, within one month, we shall write that letter to NHC. Can

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, once we get an undertaking from Migori that they are able to avail land, my Ministry will take action.

Next Question by Mr. Were!

I am made to understand that Mr. Were is attending a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting. He will get away with it, much as it is parliamentary business. But it is not a good enough reason for an hon. Member to fail to ask a Question in the House. Questions are in possession of hon. Members from the beginning of the week. So, every hon. Member understands when he has a Question to ask and when a Minister has a Question to answer. It is upon hon. Members and Ministers to make sure that they are available at the time, Session or Sitting when they are supposed to ask or answer Questions.

So, Mr. Were will get away with this now because he has communicated to the Speaker’s Office. Therefore, Question No.210 is deferred until tomorrow afternoon.

Next Order!

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Considering that we have got so many Questions that are pending, and now that the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security has come, I beg your indulgence that these Questions be answered because some of them are really old and have taken time to be disposed.

The Chair has given direction on that already. That direction is known to hon. Members as well as Members of the Government. Until such a time that the Minister is able to give us a satisfactory explanation as to his absence or his reason for coming late, he will not transact any business in this House! It is incumbent upon the Government and the Back Benchers to take the business of the House seriously. Next Order!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to seek a Ministerial Statement from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance on the state of affairs at Post Bank Ltd. The Minister should be able to explain to us the reason why the bank has not been able to prepare its books of accounts for the last three years and, if it has done so, what is the position of the balance sheet for those three years? When is it converting into

That is fair enough! Is the Minister for Finance here? In the absence of the Minister for Finance, could another Minister give an undertaking on when the Ministerial Statement will be available?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I undertake to inform the Minister for Finance about the Statement.

Indeed. When? You have to give an undertaking on the Ministry’s behalf on when you will have the Ministerial Statement ready. It is in the collective responsibility that you all share.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, maybe, next week on Tuesday.

That is fair enough! It is so directed. Is there any Minister who wants to give a Ministerial Statement? Next Order!

Dr. Esseli, you were moving this Motion. You have 17 minutes to conclude moving this Motion.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is a Motion to urge the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to increase its scope of coverage, so that it can issue students in tertiary institutions with loans. As I had said earlier, the Ministry of Higher Education has really put in a lot of effort in trying to improve tertiary education. That is exemplified by the fact that they have stopped the idea of universities taking over middle level colleges. Indeed, the Minister has actually said that she is intending to put up about 16 new tertiary institutions or middle level colleges in the country. I think that is a very good effort. Despite the fact that the Ministry gives bursaries to students who attend middle-level colleges like polytechnics and technical training institutions, most hon. Members

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to second this Motion. I would like to first of all thank the Mover of this Motion for a well-thought out Motion which is timely. Before I even go to the details as to why this Motion should be supported

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to support the Motion. I must thank Dr. Eseli for moving the Motion eloquently.

This Motion is going to address so many issues we are currently faced with. Very many middle-level college students will be admitted to various institutions in a week’s time, starting from 5th September onwards. Currently, as Members of Parliament, we are receiving so many applications for assistance from these students. The applications are quite overwhelming.

Whereas we appreciate that HELB has done its best in assisting university students, we feel that there is a very big gap, because majority of high school dropouts need to join middle-level colleges. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, personally, I support the Motion. I feel that the Ministry should move with speed to request more funds from the Ministry of Finance, so that these students can benefit. As much as we appreciate the work that is being done by HELB, I also want to add my voice and say that HELB should be proactive. Personally, I have paid my HELB loan. I urge other people who may not have paid to do so. There are so many NGOs that tend to operate in secrecy. They solicit a lot of money in the name of assisting most of our students, right from nursery school to middle- level colleges and university. Unfortunately, this money does not reach the intended beneficiaries. If HELB went round the country, and the East African region and beyond, they would be able to solicit a substantial amount of money that will enable them to assist our needy students. So, I want to add my voice and say that HELB should not just be seated at Anniversary Towers. They should go out and start soliciting for funds. They should solicit for cheaper loans, which I am told are found elsewhere in the developed countries, so that our people can borrow this money and pay it back later on. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, HELB has been living in an ivory tower – just at the Anniversary Towers. There is no single time I have heard that these people have gone down to the constituencies to talk to stakeholders, including the students themselves, on the problems they face. It is necessary that HELB moves out of the ivory tower they are living in and talks to people, so that some of us and other stakeholders can be give them ideas on how best to improve the Board. I know that this is a very important Motion. I will not even waste time, but just request my fellow legislators that we move with speed and, if necessary, amend the Higher Education Loans Board Act, so that majority of the students, who leave high school, can benefit. I am appealing to the Ministry of Finance to ensure that during the Supplementary Budget, we give HELB more money than even the Office of the

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to first thank the Mover of this Motion. Dr Eseli is one of the most prolific Movers of Motions. As usual, he has brought a Motion that is not only relevant, but is critical to anybody who supports education in this country.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion could not have come at a better time. It is unfortunate that it will require a Motion of this House to get the HELB to do what it is actually supposed to do. As Dr. Eseli said in his contribution, if you look at the law that set up HELB, you will find that they have great scope and facilities for raising money, but they have continued to rely heavily on the Government.

We need to think outside the box and become more relevant. I know that the current Chief Executive Officer of that organization is very hardworking, but the board needs to sit down and find ways of raising more money. I would go to the extent of suggesting that the Government thinks seriously about opening an office of HELB at every district headquarters in the country.

A nation without educated people is a nation in decline. This country is famous for sending students overseas for learning. If the Government were to open a HELB office in every district headquarters as department of Government within the Ministry of Education, then we will be expanding opportunities. This will ensure that we do not have to conduct harambees every single week to support our constituents to go overseas for studies.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there are so many institutions in this country that are providing first class education facilities, but we have this fixation with international education. People spend huge sums of money sending their children outside this country that cannot provide as good education as is provided in this country.

Part of the reason for this is because the HELB is not taking its mandate seriously. I would suggest that for every student who goes out of this country, the HELB should require that the money that is being paid to foreign universities be channeled to the HELB, so that we can reduce the number of students going overseas and also ensure that the money that we are raising locally is used to educate our children locally rather than sending money out of the country then these children change courses. You raise huge sums of money here and send it abroad! A child goes to India to study and when he reaches there, there is no control. We do not know whether the education that they are pursuing there is relevant to what we raised money to send them there to study. If the HELB can be streamlined to participate fully in pursuing higher education in whatever form, then we would be able to trace and bring back a lot of these children

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me time to support this important Motion. Education in this country is a pillar to the development of this country. The idea of HELB was actually implemented way back in the year 1975/76 Academic Year in our universities in Kenya. At that time, there was need to ensure that education was funded not only by the parents, but by other agencies like the Government and other supporters. In that respect the Government decided that they form this board which has supported a lot of students in this country. We have the 8-4-4 System of Education. If the HELB had not been in existence, one wonders how these students would have completed their studies at the university level. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, apart from university studies, we have majority of our students in the middle-level colleges. I think the Mover must have left out something which I want to bring an amendment to, so that we encompass the entire segment of the middle-level colleges. There are these Medical Training Colleges and teacher training colleges. The way this statement is put here, these are not covered. Therefore, I would like to move an amendment to this Motion so that in those areas which are very important, where the majority of our students do not qualify to go to the universities, they are assisted. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the Motion be amended by deleting the words “especially those offering technician certificates” in the last line and insert in place thereof the words “offering diplomas and certificates”. That leaves out the diploma colleges that I am talking about. In that respect, we would, therefore, have this Motion to read as follows: THAT, acknowledging the good work performed by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) in providing loans to students in both public and private universities from poor background in order to access education; noting that higher education financing is a problem in most countries, including the industrialized; appreciating that middle level technicians are key to industrial development; this House urges the Government to enhance funding to HELB and further to widen the scope of its funding to include middle level colleges offering diplomas and certificates. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that amendment.

Who will second the amendment?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I ask Mr. Chanzu to second the amendment.

Seconded.

Thank you Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving this opportunity. I stand here to support the amendment. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have always been an admirer of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) because of the good work it has been doing in assisting students complete their university education. Recently, the HELB has gone to the extent of extending this facility to students in private universities. This is welcome. This motion seeks to get these loans further down to colleges. This is supported because at the moment the only bursaries that are available now are those from the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). Everybody seems to think that the CDF has monies that cannot be exhausted. Therefore, I think it is high time the HELB came down to providing loans to colleges. These institutions are equally important. Before I move to that, I want to also put a case for the amount of money that the HELB is advancing to students. It is not just important to say that they are extending loans to college and private university students but at the same time continue reducing the amounts that they advance. I would like this extension to private universities and colleges to be enhanced by increased amounts. At the moment, the HELB gives up to Kshs35,000 per year for university education. This is too small an amount to expect a student to cover most of the important expenses at the university. Therefore, I would like first of all, to urge the HELB administration to increase the amount that is advanced to students. At the moment, a maximum of Kshs50,000 is given and sometimes a minimum of Kshs35, 000. I think this should be doubled to Kshs100, 000 per student. This is because university education is very expensive. It would be meaningless if this is not done. I believe Dr. Eseli agrees with me. It would be meaningless to say that we are extending loans to students in private colleges and universities or lower colleges and reduce the amount. It would not make any sense at all. Therefore, I want the HELB administration to seek more funds to increase the funding so that the monies advanced to students is increased accordingly. Now, where does this money come from? I know that there are many students studying overseas who get Government funding. Some of this money is given to students who are not even in school. I know this because during the Eighth Parliament, we went to visit certain embassies to investigate how the money that is sent by the Ministry of Education to students who study overseas is given out. We were shocked. For example, in Germany, we found monies collected by students who are even married there and are not studying. They probably went to study five years or ten years ago. The money still keeps on going to them. There is no proper administration of these funds by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we made certain recommendations that every year, for a student receiving funding from the Government, there must be a letter from the academic registrar to confirm and certify that the student is in school. Even as I speak, I know there are students overseas who are not studying but are receiving Government funds. Therefore, these are monies that can be channeled to the HELB instead of being kept in Jogoo House to favour students of certain well to do families.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. It may be a point of information but anyway, Jogoo House houses various Ministries. Is it in order for the Member to refer to Jogoo House instead of referring specifically to the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you know Mr. Chanzu has even said he is not sure whether his is a point of information or a point of order. I think that is a point of information. It is not a point of order because I have not contravened any Standing Order of this House.

Mr. Musila, please, proceed!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, be that as it may, it is well known that Jogoo House houses the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology. If you want me to be specific, it is the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology.

Hon. Assistant Minister, the worry that the Chair has is that you are criticising the functions of a Government which you are part of. You are in the Cabinet and basically, what you are discussing right now---

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not think that I am appointed by the Government for my views to be muzzled. If I cannot express my views here for the people I represent, then I would rather be the Member for Mwingi South.

Order, Mr. Musila! You have forums in the Government to address the issues that you are addressing on the Floor of the House. The Chair is cognizant of the cardinal doctrine of separation of powers. You are part of the Executive and the Chair will not entertain a situation in which Ministers are criticising either the actions or the functions of the Government they belong to. So, please, contribute on the merits of the debate itself without---

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to appreciate your ruling but I have problems with it. This is because the Legislative arm of the Government is now doing the work of the Executive. If the Executive, who is my employer, is dissatisfied with my performance and utterance in the House, then the Executive can take action. I do not think it is fair for the Legislature to muzzle the views of Members of Parliament who were elected. Having said that, with respect, I wish to continue. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I finally want to talk about the stipend that is given to students who study overseas. Last week, I had the honour to meet Kenyan students who study in China. It is very appropriate that I convey the message I was given by these

Bw. Naibu Spika, nasimama kuunga mkono Hoja hii. Ningependa kumpongeza aliye wasilisha Hoja hii na yule aliyeifanyia mabadiliko machache kwa sababu wakati umefika ambao tunafaa kujitambua na kuyajua matatizo yanayoikabili nchi hii. Tatizo la vijana kufikia wakati huu ni ukosefu wa ajira ambalo limechangiwa sana na watoto kukosa kwenda kuchukua kosi ndogo ndogo kama vile zile zinazotolewa katika vyuo vya waalimu na kusomea katika medical colleges kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa pesa. Nchi hii imekumbwa na umaskini na nilazima tukubali. Umaskini ni kilema na umefika wakati ambapo tunapoona Hoja kama hii, ni jukumu letu kama watunga sheria kuangalia ni njia gani mwafaka inayoweza kutumika ili kuokoa vijana hawa ambao kwa muda mrefu wamekuwa mara kwa mara wakiitwa katika medical colleges na vyuo vya waalimu lakini hawawezi kwenda kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa pesa. Kwa kuwahusisha katika mpango huu wa mkopo, watoto hawa watasaidika ipasavyo. Nina imani ya kwamba jambo hili litapunguza idadi ya vijana ambao mara nyingi hawabahatiki kuwa na masomo kama haya. Ni maombi yangu kwamba tunapoendelea kufanya mambo kama haya ama kuhamasisha sheria ya bodi ya mikopo--- Serikali ilitoa elimu bila malipo. Kumekuwa na ongezeko la watoto wanaomaliza masomo. Ili kuongeza na kuokoa vijana hawa ambao ni taifa la baadaye, nadhani umefika wakati ambapo hata vyuo vya ufundi vitawajibika kutoa masomo yasiyo na malipo kwasababu kama watoto hawa wote wangepata taaluma yao katika vyuo vya ufundi, naamini matatizo mengi ya ukosefu wa ajira yangepungua na watoto wengi hawangebaki manyumbani kwasababu ya hali hii ya umaskini ambayo imekita katika nchi yetu. Ningetaka kumuunga mkono Bw. Imanyara kwa kusema kwamba ofisi za bodi ya mikopo zafaa kupelekwa katika wilaya kule tunakotoka. Tatizo moja kati ya matatizo yanayokumba watoto wetu ni kwamba wanapopewa fomu hizi na kuziwasilisha Nairobi, jambo hili huwa kama mgonjwa anayeenda hospitalini na kuandikiwa dawa na badala ya kupewa dawa hizo, anaambiwa aende anunue dawa. Mgonjwa huyo analazimika kwenda nyumbani bila dawa. Ni lazima tupate njia ya kuyaangalia mambo haya ili tuwasaidie vijana wetu. Ni lazima tuseme ya kwamba CDF imejaribu kusaidia katika mambo mengi. Asilimia 50 ya pesa za CDF huenda kwa mipango ya elimu lakini hazitoshi. Tumekuwa

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion. I want to say from the outset that the Government’s policy on education is wrong. Education is a basic right and the policy should aim at making education accessible and affordable to all. Even though we have a free primary education policy - and now secondary education is being subsidized - we have not seen a spirited effort by the Government to streamline even the issue of accessibility for secondary schools, where fees charged in spite of the Government directive, end up being beyond the reach of the ordinary person. On university education, Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) currently funds only university students. Even that funding is totally inadequate. There are three components that must be funded so that students can undertake their studies and give equal access to both poor and rich families. Those components are tuition, accommodation and meals. The loans given must cover the three. But the way the accommodation and meals are currently structured, even where accommodation is available in public universities, the loans given are not adequate to cover the three. The universities halls of residence have been turned into slums. The students are sub-letting the halls and are cooking in there. Life is pretty difficult for students from poor families who are struggling on a daily basis to get a meal on the table and to complete paying fees.

Mr. Kaino, do you want to stand or sit down?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to stand.

Why are you sitting and standing? You know the ruling of the Chair. You have been sanctioned by the Chair. As much as you have approached the Chair and explained yourself, you also need to explain to the House why you were not here on time this morning to ask your Question!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the outset, let me very sincerely apologise to the Chair and also to the House for being late. Last night, some people travelled from my constituency and I went to the stage to pick them around 5.30 a.m today. I also meet councillors who had come to attend a meeting here in Nairobi and sign performance contracts. I was delayed in the traffic jam by a few minutes. I apologise for coming late.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you very much for accepting my apologies. I wish to contribute to this very important Motion.

The Chair did not accept your apologies! But nonetheless, the Chair directs that you will be allowed to get away with this. However, make sure that you use your Personal Assistant and other people. Make sure that you are available in this House when you have a Question. In any case, you had known for a whole week that you had a Question on Wednesday morning.

Proceed Mr. Kaino!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have taken the point. Let me also contribute very briefly on this very important Motion. I thank the Mover of this very important Motion. Education is a very important tool in this country. If you visit different parts of the country, you will realise that the construction of buildings and roads and other jobs are being carried out by people who went to Kenya Polytechnic in Nairobi and Mombasa Polytechnic and obtained diplomas. These people are doing a fantastic job. If these people were given bursaries and loans to pursue higher education, many Kenyans could not be in the streets today. They could even be doing their jobs. So, this Motion is very important and I strongly support it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also urge the Government to increase the allocation to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). If there is anything this country exports to other countries today is the idea of the HELB. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology and the HELB should be congratulated for the good job that is being done today. Many Kenyans are in school today with the establishment of the HELB. This is despite the fact that the allocation is too small. I urge the Government to increase the allocation it makes to the HELB. This is an idea that other African countries can emulate. We can also export this idea to those countries. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance said the other day that he will sell expensive Government cars. Apart from re-settling the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) this money could finance the HELB activities. If the Deputy Prime

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to contribute to this wonderful Motion. I want to thank the Mover of the Motion for giving us a well articulated Motion. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, higher education should be a right to every Kenyan. We thank the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology for spreading loans through the HELB to private universities. We should start asking who benefited from the universities. I happened to have been a university professor and a Deputy Vice- Chancellor. More than 50 per cent of the students who managed to go through the regular programme are from private high schools. When we talk about private high schools, we are talking about students from able families. The computer will capture those students, because the Government uses the marks scored to sponsor university students. If the students who are captured in the regular programme come from private schools, it means that we are capturing students from able homes. So, the students who have been in the Parallel or Module II or in private universities are the ones who have come from public institutions. This means that they are from poor families. This has created a complication because the sponsorship of the Government is obviously to the top students. The students who meet the cut-off points and are admitted to public university under the regular programme get automatic funding. This is the case and yet the students who are left out are normally from poor families. As I support this Motion, I urge the Government, through the HELB, to consider the students who are admitted under the private sponsorship programme even more than the other students, because they are from poor families. It is very important that we identify a clear criteria for giving the loans to the students. If we are talking about a needy student, let us look for the needy student. Let us not even use the cut-off points criteria. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, currently, Uganda hosts more Kenyan students than most of our universities because the education programmes in Uganda are cheaper than those in Kenya. In fact, you will find that we have Kenyan high school students schooling in Uganda. This implies that in spite of the thirst for education in Kenya, our institutions are unable to take all the students. The only way we can enable these institutions to take Kenyan students is to enable the parents, through their children, get support. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, therefore, I recommend that the HELB loans should be spread and should not be limited to the students who are in Module II or privately sponsored students or private institutions because those are the students that we must capture. The universities use a mean grade of C+ and above as the entry point internationally. It is very important that every Kenyan who has got a C+ and above

Mr. ole Ntimama): Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to apologise from the bottom of my heart for having come late when my Question was called. It is the first time for so many years that I have been in this Parliament that I have been really late in answering a Question. I want to apologise applause. I live near Kangemi and normally, there is heavy traffic on that road. I tried my best, I woke up very early but still I was unable to reach here and answer the Question. I was listening to the radio in my car and I was shocked when I also heard the Question relating to my Ministry being called out, which is the fifteenth question. I had assumed that probably, every Question in the normal circumstances would take four to five minutes but it seems everything went so fast that Question 267 was called out before I arrived to answer it. I apologise to the hon. Questioner.

Fair enough. Given your advanced age and given the fact that you have such an impeccable record in the past, the Chair is satisfied. You can now transact business in the House.

Mr. ole Ntimama): Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

As you all know, education is a basic requirement. That is why it is important that when we talk about education, we are talking about education at all levels. The problem with Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), which we are supporting now and many institutions, which has been an upshot of the institutions from the Government, is that HELB has worked well but it has not worked in a business-like manner. Hon. Members have talked here how to raise funds; we know we are limited as a country on the amount of money available to spend. We want the HELB to be innovative enough so that they are able to raise funds from other sources so that we can cover as wide a scope as possible. There is now a new innovation about universal funding in every sector in the

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this very critical Motion. First, I wish to thank the Mover of the Motion; the Motion is long overdue. It should have come a long time ago because of the serious circumstances that we find in our universities. Secondly, I wish to thank HELB for the manner that it has been managing the little resources allocated to it. I also want to thank public and private universities for continually providing quality education in our institutions. It is important that we note that private universities have continued to provide education to our needy students. It is important that we deliberate on this

Hon. Members, it is time for the Government responder. He has kindly agreed to donate three minutes to Ms. Odhiambo, four minutes to the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology and three minutes to Mr. Ngugi. But if you can reduce it to two minutes, we may be able to save for other two hon. Members, then he will have ten minutes.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would want to thank the Government for donating its time. I also want to thank Dr. Eseli for bringing this noble Motion.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would want to say that the HELB is a key institution that has helped many students. Many of us are here courtesy of HELB. I am sure if my poor mother was given the opportunity to educate me out of her own resources, I would not be standing here today. That is why it is, indeed, important for us to have it. But I would want to say that HELB has also helped a lot of marginalized and vulnerable groupings. I know that the hon. Member who has spoken ahead of me has

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion, although the time is very short.

From the onset, let me thank the Mover of this Motion for bringing it forth. Education is key to development of any nation. Any country that is serious about developing must develop the human resource. Education is a basic right. It is a basic right to every child born in Kenya. It is the duty and responsibility of the Government to ensure that every child accesses education. Therefore, there is need to relook at the policy of education today. We keep talking about accessibility and affordability. Those two key factors must be taken very seriously by the Government to ensure that every Kenyan in every part of this country access education.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, today as a country, we give a huge Budget to the education sector. We allocate about Kshs150 billion to the education sector. A farmer will always go to the farm knowing and putting resources and investing in order to reap. We, as a country, must assess how we are getting back from the investment in education in terms of the human resource that we produce. Therefore, there is need for us to address professionalism and courses that are offered in our universities. I would like to applaud the free primary education and free day secondary education. But HELB is assisting students in the universities. This is discriminatory because we are only taking care of students in primary, secondary and those who qualify to go to universities without taking care of the middle level colleges. It is the high time that we stop the discrimination and ensure that every child in this country gets access to the loan. I had a lot but thank you for the opportunity.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to thank the Government side for donating three minutes to me. I want to thank hon. Dr. Eseli most sincerely for this Motion.

Thank you very much, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion.

First of all, as the Chair of the Committee on Equal Opportunity, I want to say that this Motion is completely in line with the way we want this country to be moved in the years ahead. I want to request the Government to provide more funding to the universities, so that many Kenyan youth who are able to pursue education realise their dreams. Particularly, I want to use this opportunity to thank Moi University. Moi University is first among equals. It is a university in this country which has decided to think outside the box. For the first time, they give very limited chances to people from the so called arid and semi arid areas in this country. Quite a number of young people from this region who could never have seen the inside of a university are now able to pursue this dream, courtesy of the progressive thinking of this one university in this country. Funding must go to this kind of universities which want to imagine that this country can progress when all Kenyan population is given equal access and opportunity to education. HELB must also fast-track the recovery of the loans already given to students who are beneficiaries. The system is such that students who acquire these facilities find jobs, but some of them do not have the courtesy to repay back these loans. Therefore, I would like to request HELB to see whether they can fast-track the recovery of the loans. Finally, they should decentralise their operation in all the parts of the country, so that young people are able to access universities right from the villages.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker.

I also stand to support this Motion very strongly and thank the Mover for bringing this Motion to the Floor of the House. You realise that the cornerstone of national development is education. Therefore, this Motion has been brought at the opportune time; more so, when we look at the situation the country now finds itself. Not only are the poor affected. It is not only the poor the Government should take care of, but every child must be supported. Most importantly, the children from the pastoralist communities whose livestock is the main source of livelihood are frustrated by the current drought. So, the Mover has given this country a very good message. It is the responsibility of the Government to adopt the recommendations of this Motion.

With those few remarks, I support.

Hon. Minister, you have five minutes to respond.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, from the outset, I want to support the Motion because it is in line with Government policy. It will be recalled when this country declared itself a Republic in 1964, there was a very important document which was called African Socialism which declared the path this country was going to take to fight ignorance, poverty as well as disease. So, the Motion is really in line and in keeping with the policy of the Government I stated earlier.

As many of those who have contributed have said, I think emphasis should now be laid on the middle colleges because they are very important. They are very important in industrialization and manpower in this country. Many countries like the UK and the USA, I am told, depend so much on Kenyans who have gone there to seek employment because they have the skills and the knowledge. In that way, we will be overcoming the problem of unemployment in this country which is a very serious issue. They have also been making remittance to their families for their upkeep and enhance our foreign exchange.

Under the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), I can confirm that most of the applications that we receive for bursary, particularly in the marginalized areas of this country, are for middle colleges. Now that people in the North Eastern Province, Eastern Province, parts of Maasailand and other pastoralist areas have realized the importance of education, many children are now going to school; some are going to the universities. However, many of them do not meet the cut-off points which have been set by the universities, they go to middle level colleges and, therefore, they apply for loans. This has become a very big burden for the CDF because we have also to take care of secondary education. So, I would say that this Motion is very timely and the Government has not objection in supporting. I, therefore, wish to emphasize that we support it.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

We will now give the Floor to Dr. Eseli to reply to the Motion.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, first, I would like to thank all the Members who have contributed to this Motion for the overwhelming support it has received from the contributors. Indeed, a community’s level of civilization is judged from how well it treats the youth. This Motion is about our young people. If we ensure the future of our youth, we ensure the future of this country. I beg your indulgence to digress a bit and congratulate the two new hon. Members; Mr. Kizito for Shinyalu and Eng. Ogari for Bomachoge. I also want to mention that Eng. Ogari is a former schoolmate. So, now my school is a proud owner of, at least, 10 Members of Parliament in this House; the oldest being Mr. Nyamweya and the seniormost politically being Mr. Mudavadi. I would also like to commend the Chief Executive Officer of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) for the good work he is doing. He is an alumni of one of the premier schools in western Kenya which is in my constituency, Friends School, Kamusinga. Their motto is very simple: Use your common sense! That is the motto of the school that the boss of the HELB went through. That is why, as I moved this Motion, I brought out the HELB Act which allows them to borrow monies, secure those monies and if in case they are worried about who they are lending it

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move:-

seconded.

Is there anybody wishing to debate? Yes, Mr. Muthama?

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I wish to thank you for giving me the opportunity to support this very important Motion that has been brought by hon. Kaino. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is extremely important to recognize that this country has suffered since the time we attained Independence. I do remember that when I was a young boy, immediately after Independence, Kenya was given food by the late President J.F. Kennedy. We have continued on the same pace since that time up to today. The planning by the Government has been extremely wrong. After 46 years since Independence, we are still begging and asking for food from foreign countries. This country has got what it takes to grow enough food, but the problem has been planning within Government organs. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, my friend here has talked about potatoes. I want to go beyond the potatoes. We need to have stores that can preserve our harvests. We grow sweet potatoes in this country, but when it is harvesting time, we allow our bumper harvest to go to waste because nothing is preserved. The same happens to crops like cassavas, pumpkins, maize and beans. Instead of this Government spending money to construct administrative offices, it should divert it to build stores and cooling plants that can preserve food. If that was done, the Government would have bought all the pumpkins, store them and sell them to Kenyans in future and there would be no shortage of food then. The same should apply to sweet potatoes and other harvested crops. It is a big shame to see money being spent to fuel the big cars used by Ministers. This is the

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity once again, to contribute to this very important Motion. First, I would like to thank the Mover of this Motion because it is one that cares for the health of our people. In our country, the potato crop comes second after maize. It should, therefore, be given a lot of attention. I urge the Government to allocate more funds to this sector so that the farmers are capacitated to increase the acreage in the rural areas. By so doing, the agricultural productivity in this nation will be enhanced. This will also create employment for our youth. It will create a conducive environment for the youth to access employment. In order to support the farmers, the Government should allocate more funds to this crop so that farmers can have enough seeds and fertilizer. If you look at this industry critically, you will realise that in the big towns, potatoes are consumed immensely. Potatoes are also consumed in our secondary schools and universities. It is a crop that supplements other food stuffs in our schools. It is, therefore, important that farmers are encouraged to increase the acreage under the potato crop. Consequently, storage facilities for this important crop should be constructed. Enough funds should be set aside for research. Modern research needs to be done so that farmers can get the best seeds. It is a crop which, if well maintained, cultivated and harvested in good time, can increase the revenue of this nation. We can export potatoes to countries that are faced with starvation, for example, Somalia and Ethiopia. That will enhance the Ex-chequer funds. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I propose that the cooling centres should not only be set up in the three provinces that the Mover of the Motion proposed. This is because he forgot other areas such as Central, Eastern and Coast provinces. It is important that as we give our blessings to this Motion, other areas are captured. I beg to support the Motion.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity. I would like to thank my colleague Mr. Kaino for this Motion that he has brought in respect to provision for cooling facilities for potatoes. This is a major crop that is eaten across the world and not just in Kenya. The country really ought to address this concern with a lot of attention because the only crop that this country has been relying on as food is maize. This crop has got more attention from the Government and the people of Kenya have been made to think that food is synonymous with the availability of the maize crop. We encourage that the growing of potatoes be enhanced and the produce be stored. I propose that the

Thank you very much, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand here to support the Motion with amendments. I beg to move:- THAT, the Motion be amended- (a)(i) by deleting the word “an” appearing between the words “establish” and “additional” on the sixth line; (ii) by deleting the word “and” appearing between the words “Western” and “Nyanza” on the seventh line; (iii) by deleting the word “Centre” appearing immediately after the word “Cooling” on the sixth line and substituting therefor the word “Centres”. (b) by adding the words “Nyandarua and Meru regions” immediately after the word “Provinces” at the end of the seventh line.

Is there anybody seconding the amendments?

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, l stand to second the amendments to this Motion, which we support because Western and Nyanza are not the only provinces that are not catered for. Places like Nyandarua and Meru grow even more potatoes than those provinces. That is why we are moving these amendments to include these regions, so that they can also have cooling centres. With those few remarks, I second the amendments.

Is there anybody wishing to debate the amendments?

Put the Question!

That is allowed. Is there any hon. Member who would like to support or oppose the amendments? If there is none, I will put the Question.

Is there anybody wishing to debate? Mr. M’Mithiaru!

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity. I would like to support the Motion as amended.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to support this very important Motion as amended. We, as a country, must encourage farmers. This is a Motion dealing with the food security situation in our country. We must encourage our farmers to diversify on the food production. We want to

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to support this Motion as amended. Potato is a major crop and this Motion seeks to cure the perennial food shortage in this country. As the Mover has said, potatoes are the second most popular food in this country. You only need to go to most of these schools during visiting days and see what parents carry for their sons and daughters. You will not see muthokoi or ugali although those are the popular foods. However, you will find most parents carrying chips or boiled potatoes for their sons and daughters. This enhances the importance of this food crop as a substitute to the many food crops that this country has relied on. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in supporting this Motion, we are saying that this is a high yield crop. Secondly, it is fast growing. In a country which has perennially suffered from food shortage, the Government must put in more money into doing research on producing this crop. This would help this country attain a suitable level of food production. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, as we do so, we appreciate the fact that this is a highly perishable crop. Therefore, in order to make it available to as many people as

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this Motion. This is especially based on the issue of food security, food diversity and opening up the export market for processed potatoes. This will create employment. The key area is research. Different types of potatoes grow in different areas. We need research to identify the correct material for the correct places. Further to that, if you notice in this country whenever there is a glut of potatoes, the prices come down so drastically and the farmers earn little. When there is a shortage, the prices shoot up so much and you cannot even afford a plate of chips. If we did our research properly and used appropriate technology, we can have a situation where we freeze-dry the potatoes or use dehydration to dry them so that at the times of need, we have enough. If preserved that way, we can also export. The potato industry has a very huge potential to provide not just food security but also wide employment opportunities and also satisfy the export market. With those few remarks, I beg to support.

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, now that this Motion is very popular and everybody is supporting it including myself, could we ask the Mover to respond?

Yes, it seems as if there is nobody else who wants to contribute to debate. We will allow the Government Responder to respond before the Mover of the Motion.

Thank you very much, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. Let me take this opportunity to thank my colleagues, and especially the Minister who has supported this Motion. Many Members have spoken in support of this Motion. This is a very important crop in this country and there is need to expand and improve it. There is need also to modernize the farming of potatoes. When we talk about Molo being run down, I wish to urge the Government to take it seriously and rehabilitate Molo, so that we do not come back again to talk about the issue. Molo is a very important area for the production of potatoes. If we allow the facility to be run down and probably open other facilities in Cherangany, Meru and other

Hon. Members, that concludes the business of the morning. The House is, therefore, adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 12.20 p.m.