Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister of State for Special Programmes the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Could the Minister provide a detailed account of the history of all droughts and floods experienced in Kenya in the last ten years and particulars of the victims thereof? (b) What interventions, if any, have been made by the Government in addressing the above cases and what policy or remedial measures have been put in place to address present and future similar occurrences, threats and challenges? (c) What steps is the Government taking to ensure that no Kenyan dies of hunger and that all Kenyans have adequate food as provided in Article 43(1) (c) of the Constitution?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) The droughts and floods experienced in Kenya in the last ten years, including the victims affected thereof are as follows: In the year 2002, too much floods were experienced in Nyanza and Tana River. In 2003, floods were experienced in Nyando and Nzoia. Between 2004 and 2006, there was drought in Arid and Semi- Arid parts of the country. In 2009, again, there was drought and 29 districts were affected severely. In 2009/2010 there was drought and floods due to El Nino rains. Currently, 2011, drought is affecting severely the northern parts of the country and parts of North Rift and Coast. (b) To mitigate against the adverse effects of drought and floods, the Government established a National Drought Response Steering Committee chaired by the Prime Minister and co-ordinated by my Ministry. The committee co-ordinates mitigation measures undertaken by various Ministries The perennial problem of flooding has been adequately addressed. Through funding from the World Bank, the Ministry has initiated the Western Kenya Community Driven Development and Floods and Management Project which has the mandate to deal with the floods in Budalangi and Nyando districts. It has taken the following measures: Catchment management, planting of seedlings, construction of check dams, use of early warning systems, river draining, establishing of community

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is shocking that this country has experienced floods in different areas such as Nyando in Nyanza, Namanjalala in Trans Nzoia and Budalangi in Busia. We have had drought in the northern parts of this country and Ukambani for a long time. In the last ten years, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Some have died. Crops have been destroyed. Livestock has been lost. However, it has taken this Government over ten years to develop a policy to deal with this situation. Could the Assistant Minister confirm to the House when the Government intends to come up with a comprehensive policy that will deal with this matter on a sustainable and long term basis?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank the hon. Member. Indeed, it is a genuine concern and it is true that the Government has taken long to develop a policy. However, I want to assure the hon. Member that the policy is being reviewed. In fact, it has been finalized and is waiting submission to the relevant sub-committee. I have the draft document here with me. Let me assure the House, and the public in

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, last week, the Prime Minister went round parts of northern Kenya and distributed food to several areas. However, Isiolo was not part of the areas that he visited. Ten days down the line, no food has been delivered to Isiolo. Could the Assistant Minister explain why Isiolo was discriminated against, not on the visit, but on emergency food delivery?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am afraid that delivery of food to affected Kenyans is not pegged on the tour of the Prime Minister to any given area. He may have had an opportunity to distribute food which was already in the district. In the process of his assessment of the drought situation, he may have wanted to take part in the ongoing process. However, the ratio for Isiolo, like all the affected districts, is safely in place. It has, probably, not reached the people.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Is the Assistant Minister in order to say that the ratio for Isiolo is safely in place and yet, our people are suffering from hunger?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, food has already been disbursed to all affected parts of the country, including Isiolo District.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I was in the constituency the whole of last week and part of this week. In fact, I came back on Monday evening. I toured the entire constituency. There is no food that has been distributed out of the current emergency policy in the entire Isiolo District. It is only the normal small ratios which are not anywhere near being sufficient. In fact, they are part of the food-for-work programme. I even inspected one of the projects. Why is he misleading the House?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to confirm food has been distributed to all affected districts. If it has not been distributed for some reason in Isiolo, I will find out from the DC concerned. Otherwise, we have distributed food to all districts.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is a sad issue for all of us who come from dry areas. When the Prime Minister was touring northern parts of Kenya, he talked about Kshs5 million being given out for water per constituency. In a constituencies like North Horr or Moyale where the Assistant Minister comes from, Kshs5 million is not enough to take water to our people. What plans do they have to increase this amount, so that areas like Moyale and Pokot can access clean water?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank the hon. Member and accept that the amount of money that was pronounced is not sufficient to handle those serious situations. However, we, as the Ministry coordinating the disaster, have had a sitting with the relevant Ministry of Water and Irrigation and impressed upon them that they need to put in place more serious measures. As such, they have come up with a programme to address each and every area. They have mobilized water boozers to several districts. They have also mobilized a team that will attend to all boreholes that experience breakdown. In fact, I want also to confirm that I know the situation is very serious because I come from that area. We went round with six Permanent Secretaries and saw how the situation is getting out of hand. The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is giving this issue due attention. I can confirm that water boozers have already been mobilized. Vehicles for transportation of food to all the parts have also been mobilized.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the perennial flooding in Budalangi, Nyando and lower parts of Nyakach is caused by flooding of Budalangi River,

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I said, under the Western Kenya Community driven projects, with funding from the World Bank, a lot of progress has been made. However, that programme went into a hitch when some audit queries were raised. Those queries have since been addressed. It has now received due attention and we are only awaiting a word from the World Bank, so that the programme can get back on track. However, a lot of progress has been made.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Is the Assistant Minister in order to keep on harping on the World Bank sponsored programme which has been suspended for more than two years now? It seems as if it is not about to be restarted and yet it seems to be the mainstay of his argument.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am talking about these projects because I know what is happening. I know the progress which has been made. These are funds which have already been availed and put into good use. We have made enough consultations and the World Bank is ready to give us a green light to restart those projects. That is not the only course of action the Government will take. We have also set up a team to come up with an alternative measure we will take as a Government, so that the Disaster Response Centre comes up with a proper document as far as the western Kenya project is concerned, to supplement what the World Bank funded project is doing.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, looking at the answer the Assistant Minister has provided on the current drought, he has indicated that over three million people are currently affected. If the drought persists, he says this number could increase up to five million people. He has indicated nowhere that a Kenyan has died. We have heard one or two cases of people who have died because of this drought in the north. How come he has not indicated cases of deaths apart from those who are affected by the drought? Could he also indicate how much money the Government has set aside to deal with this situation that is affecting close to five million Kenyans?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it saddens me to tackle this bit of the Question, especially when it touches on the lives of Kenyans. It also affects my people. Where I come from, we are equally severely hit alongside several other districts in the country. I want to confirm to the Members that, indeed, this is a serious situation. As to the number of deaths, I want to be sincere with you that it has been reported that two people have died elsewhere in the country. We could not confirm, as a Government, that those two deaths were related to hunger. That is why we could not, with confidence, put on paper that people have died from hunger. However, with regard to the way forward, we have made sure that all the parts that are affected by the drought get relief food and no Kenyan will starve.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Is the Assistant Minister in order to say that they could not establish whether the deaths were related to hunger while it is public knowledge that the two cases were reported in Garissa, which is in the region he comes from? How long does it take for the Government to establish that these two Kenyans died from starvation?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you must have read some reports sometimes even touching on my area, but I can confirm that nobody died from hunger in Moyale. People rely on newspapers which sometimes are not accurate. I want to confirm that the situation is serious.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Is the Assistant Minister in order to avoid the issues raised by hon. Mututho? He is a Member of the Government and does not rely on newspapers. The Government has structures to know what is happening on the ground. There are allegations that two people died from hunger. It is the responsibility of the Government to go and find out and not to read The Daily Nation or The Standard Newspapers to find out what happened.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are not relying on newspapers. The Members should not rely on newspaper reports. Those deaths are not hunger related, but from other causes. That is why we could not put it on paper. In response to the other part of the Question which asks how much money has been set aside by the Government, we have put aside Kshs5.5 billion to address the current drought.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister of State for Special Programmes the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Could the Minister state the source and quantity of the contaminated maize recently distributed to IDPs in Mawingo and Naivasha camps? (b) Could the Minister confirm whether uncontaminated food has now been distributed to the IDPs and what action has the Government taken against the supplier? (c) What is the total loss of grain incurred so far by ex- MV Aquila, MV Siam

and MV Fonarun Naree and who will compensate the Government and consumers of the contaminated grains?

(Mr. M.M. Ali

Hon. Mututho, are you comfortable with the Question appearing on the Order Paper tomorrow in the afternoon?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am comfortable. However, I would seek further indulgence that when the Assistant Minister rises to answer the Question, if he could say exactly how much extra money he has to avert the current drought?

Order! We cannot deliberate on the content of the Question. The matter is not before us. The Chair directs that this matter appears on the Order Paper tomorrow in the afternoon.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to ask the Minister for Agriculture the following Question by Private Notice. (a) Is the Minister aware that food production is threatened by the rapidly escalating prices of fertilizer?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to seek the indulgence of the House to answer this Question tomorrow in the afternoon. I have not received an adequate answer to satisfy this House on this matter.

Dr. Khalwale, the Assistant Minister is seeking the indulgence of the House.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have had a hide and seek relationship with this Ministry in connection with my Questions. I am hoping that this is not yet another occasion where we are going to start chasing each other, knowing that this is a very urgent matter. Farmers have now moved into the phase of buying fertilizer. Tomorrow will come and I hope the Assistant Minister is not running away.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I heard Dr. Khalwale talking about a hide and seek game. Are we playing any games here? I thought we deal with serious business in this House.

Hon. Assistant Minister, are you giving a firm undertaking that you will be available with the answer tomorrow?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to assure the hon. Member that I will come here very prepared tomorrow. I have just received the answer this moment, but I have not had an opportunity to go through it and see the amendments which have been done. I am willing to face hon. Khalwale and the House tomorrow to assure the farmers that the country will have the fertilizer as soon as possible.

Very well. The Chair directs that the Question appears on the Order Paper tomorrow afternoon.

to ask the Attorney General:- (a) Is the Government aware that the African Inland Church (AIC), one of the leading Christian denominational organizations in the country, is facing imminent collapse due to wrangles in the leadership? (b) Could the Attorney-General explain to the House how the Registrar of Societies allowed the two varying registration numbers of 1152 & 113, and the circulation of two varying Constitutions for the same AIC, and could he table the genuine Constitution and state the registered officials? (c) Could the Attorney-General state what action he will take against persons who printed and circulated a fake Constitution after the original revised copy was registered by the Registrar-General in the year 2008 and could he further assure the House that the Government will declare as illegal, the sale at Kshs200, of the fake Constitution?

Is hon. Murgor by any chance out of the Chambers or out of Nairobi for any parliamentary business? The Question is dropped!

It has been communicated to the Chair that, indeed, Dr. Nuh is sick and in hospital and will not be in a position to ask this Question. Under the circumstances, the Chair directs that Question No.400 appears on the Order Paper at the time when Dr. Nuh is in a position to ask it.

Hon. Kioni! He is not here. We will come back to the Question!

asked the Minister for Roads:- (a) whether he is aware that poor road design has been the cause of road accidents at the “black spot” at Salgaa/Sachangwan on the Nakuru-Eldoret road leading to loss of lives over the years; and, (b) what the Government is doing to improve the design of the road along this stretch in order to guarantee the safety of road users.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) I am not aware that poor design has been the cause of accidents at Salgaa/Sachangwan on the Nakuru-Eldoret Road. Indeed, majority of the accidents on our roads are being attributed to human error. (b) Previously, there was a concern that a tight curve on the above mentioned spot was the cause of the accidents. During the reconstruction of the Njoro Turn-Off to Timboroa section, my Ministry realigned the section of the road and removed the tight curve. We have also significantly widened the road to enhance safety of the motorists. I have a list of the accidents that have occurred there in the last one year, which was supplied to the Ministry by Rongai Police Station. Indeed, as I have already indicated, over 95 per cent of the accidents on this section of the road are caused by human error.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I concur with the Assistant Minister’s answer, but considering the section from Salgaa all the way to Kifunja, I do not really agree with him that the accidents are not caused by poor design. Those people who have been using that road will agree with me that the stretch between Salgaa and Kifunja needs to be re-designed, even if it means erecting some bumps so that vehicles can reduce the speed at which they move on that stretch. Currently, when heavy trucks drive down from Kifunja to Salgaa, they tend to over-speed. So, could the Assistant Minister consider erecting some bumps on that stretch of the road?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, while I appreciate the concerns raised by the hon. Member in respect of the accidents that have been experienced on this section of the road and in the country at large, I wish to say that it is not the Ministry’s policy to erect bumps at every place. The section of the road we are talking about is, indeed, steep. If you introduce bumps, trucks moving uphill will have to slow down and, will have challenges in terms of being able to ensure continuity and, therefore, probably result in even more accidents.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also wish to state that my Ministry has embarked on a serious road awareness campaign. We will be targeting road users, especially regular road users like truck drivers, matatu drivers and bus drivers to ensure that they use the road in a manner that does not endanger their lives or the lives of other road users.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Assistant Minister has made reference to human error, but he has not specified the aspects of human error involved. The design is also not good, because the road should be a bit wider. Also, because of the trucks that park there, there is obstruction. Why can the Assistant Minister not consider providing some kind of space where the trucks can park, so that they can leave the road clear?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, indeed, the concern by the hon. Member is correct. We have been able to note that on sections of the road where the trucks park by the road side, especially in the area of Kikopey, Salgaa, and in many other parts in the country, there is obstruction. Therefore, through the Kenya National Highways Authority, we are in the process of acquiring parking space in Salgaa and other areas to ensure that we get the trucks off the road and ensure that there is no obstruction, especially at night.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, while we would take the Assistant Minister’s word on the design of the road, we need to know that most of the accidents that occurred, especially in the last part of the year, were due to poor maintenance of the road. Could he tell the House whether they have enough allocation for repair and maintenance of the roads in this country, especially for the Kenol-Maragua-Muranga road, where we lost over 10 people over the Christmas period due to poor maintenance? What is the Ministry doing? Has it been allocated enough funds for maintenance of the roads that were tarmacked many years ago?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to state that there is no evidence to show that the state of the roads is the cause of the accidents, especially on the section that the hon. Member has mentioned. I also wish to state that my Ministry would probably do more with more funds. Therefore, I would agree with him to the extent that if we would be able to get more funds, our roads would be much better than they are today.

Last question, hon. Kiuna!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I remember putting a request to the Minister sometime back about the road from Narok to Pipeline, and he promised me that it would be gravelled but so far, nothing has been done on it. Therefore, I request the Assistant Minister to assure this House once more that that road has not been forgotten.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is indeed true that the section of the road that the hon. Member has cited was in deplorable condition. My Ministry is in the process of disbursing funds to ensure that we restore that section of the road to motorable condition.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Concerning the Salgaa stretch of this particular road, the Assistant Minister mentioned that they are in the process of acquiring land for parking. They have already passed that stage. Is it in order for him to say that there are now acquiring the land when they have already started the process, and they are at the stage of starting to build the parking?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, what has been said by the hon. Member is true, but he is also aware that there were concerns from the community and objections were raised. Therefore, my Ministry is reviewing the whole process of acquisition to ensure that all interests are taken care of, including the neighbourhood and the requirements set out by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA).

Next Question, hon. Luka Kigen!

asked the Minister for Lands:- (a) whether he is aware that Banita Settlement Scheme in Rongai was bought by the Government to settle squatters living in Makongeni location and, if so, what the value of the 16,000-acre land is. (b) why the Government cancelled the first survey works and commissioned another using the same government surveyors, and why the allotments done in 2002 were cancelled, leaving out some of the previous beneficiaries; and, (c) whether he could also provide a list of the beneficiaries of the first and second allotments, explain why a number of deserving persons were replaced in the second allocation and state what the Ministry is doing to ensure the replaced persons are among the beneficiaries.

Hon. Kigen, it is fair to note that there is an understanding between you and the Ministry on this Question to be asked at a much later date. Is that the case?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I seek your indulgence to have this Question pushed forward to a later date to enable the Minister to be present, so that we can have a concurrence over the same. It looks like the Minister is not in the House at the moment.

Fair enough! Under the circumstances, the Chair directs that this Question appears on the Order Paper three weeks from today. Is that okay with you, hon. Kigen?

I am comfortable, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Next Question, Mr. C. Kilonzo!

asked the Minister for Labour what action he will take to ensure that all the former employees of Landmark Hotel, Nairobi, are paid their terminal dues, which have been pending since 1st October, 2003.

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

I intend to take no action on the issue of dues payable to the former employees of Landmark Hotel, Nairobi, because there is an ongoing case at the High Court – Case No.147/2004 – through their representative union, namely, Kenya Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers Union.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was hoping that the Minister, who signed this Question, would be around to answer it. The wording of the answer shows that the Ministry has no interest in the workers of this country. The answer should have read “I would have taken action were it not for the court case.” Nevertheless, I do not blame the Assistant Minister. I blame his boss. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that being the case, I have no further questions.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member says that he does not have any question but the fact of the matter is that this case was filed in the High Court in 2004 but it has not been heard since that time. Towards the end of last year, those people could have applied for the case to be moved to the Industrial Court which falls under the Ministry of Labour. So, it will be tackled by the Industrial Court appropriately and these employees will be paid.

Mr. C. Kilonzo, could you ask the last supplementary question on the same?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the matter is already in court and there is very little that we can do. I hope the case will be handled very fast.

asked the Minister for Labour:- (a) why M/S Eastern Industrial Works Ltd have not paid salaries to their employees for six months; and,

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

(a) The employees of Eastern Industrial Works Limited have been paid their salaries to date.

(b) My Ministry will continue with regular inspection to ensure compliance with the labour laws.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the House can remember that last week the Assistant Minister had requested to be given more time to bring a comprehensive answer to the House.. He told us that he had been informed that only four employees had been paid but today he is telling us that all the employees have been paid. I have a list of employees who have not been paid and I would like to table it.

I would like the Assistant Minister to read out the names and confirm whether they are the same employees he was told had been paid their full dues.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have the payroll which I was given by the company. I think it would be better if the hon. Member can cross-check to find out whether the employees he is talking about are the ones who have been paid. I would like to table the payroll.

What happened is that by September, there were some employees who had not been paid their arrears but when my officers went to inspect the company, they discovered the anomaly and those employees were paid their arrears in full. The current position is that all the employees had collected their salaries and even advances for January when this answer was being prepared.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am willing to go through the payroll the Assistant Minister has laid on the Table. However, I would like to inform him that Article No.41(1) of our Constitution says that every person has a right to fair labour practices. So, I hope that the Assistant Minister is fully aware that all the dues have been paid. However, I am willing to go through the payroll that he has just tabled.

That is fair enough! Before we proceed on to the next Question, Mr. Yakub has tabled a list of employees in this House but it is not signed. Therefore, it is not admissible under our rules. You should give a list that is signed.

Let us move on to Mr. Mbau’s Question!

asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance:- (a) whether he could update the House on the achievements and/or implementation status of the Economic Stimulus Programme, considering that Kshs22 billion had been spent in the 2009/2010 Fiscal Year; and,

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to seek the indulgence of the House that we answer this Question in two weeks’ time. This is because the Question is very important to the House since it is about the Economic Stimulus Programme. As a Ministry, we are not the implementing agency. The Programme is being implemented by other Ministries. There is some information we are still gathering and compiling a comprehensive report for the House. I have discussed with the hon. Member and we request that this Question be put on the Order Paper in two weeks’ time. That will be on the Wednesday after next week.

Is that okay with you, Mr. Mbau?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that is okay to the extent that we shall get “completeness” in the manner of continuity and sustainability. My interest in this Question is to ensure that this programme is revisited and not implemented in a manner that leaves funds hanging. So, I agree to the Assistant Minister’s request.

Fair enough! The Chair directs that this Question appears on the Order Paper in two weeks’ time.

Let us move on to the next Question by Mr. Pesa!

asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government:- (a) why the construction of Migori Municipal Bus Park stalled; and, (b) when the Ministry will complete the construction and how much money has been budgeted for the same.

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

(a) I am aware that the project for the construction of Migori Bus Park stalled and was subsequently terminated by the Ministry after the contractor failed to honour his obligation in the contract.

(b) The Ministry has repackaged the outstanding works and tenders have been floated and evaluated. Upon award, the project will commence during this financial year and will be completed in the next financial year. The Ministry has set aside a budget of Kshs77 million for the completion of both Awendo and Migori Bus Parks. Kindly note that due to the proximity of the two towns the Ministry has combined the works between the two bus parks into one contract to be implemented by one successful bidder.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to acknowledge the good answer given by the Assistant Minister with regard to this Question. However, the last answer to part “b” of the Question is not satisfactory because I am interested in knowing the amount earmarked for Migori Bus Park and not the two bus parks. I think the Assistant Minister should have given me that answer clearly so that the people of Migori can know how much they expect to come from the Ministry to complete that bus park which has stalled for a very long time.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I stated, we are only doing one bus park in Migori because the bus parks have been combined into one because of proximity. The bus park will be implemented by one successful bidder.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is a problem in this Ministry when it comes to the construction of bus parks. As we speak now, Kitui Bus Park has stalled for one-and-half years. Could the Assistant Minister tell us how many of these bus parks have been completed and what he is doing about the ones that have stalled?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think that is a substantially different question and I do not have the answer right now. What I know is that the Question at hand basically refers to the Migori Bus Park.

Ask the last supplementary question on the same, Mr. Pesa!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is very unfortunate. We have two bus parks in question. One is at Awendo and the one I am concerned about is at Migori. I wanted to know how much money has been earmarked for the bus park in Migori which has stalled. Actually the progress at the bus park in Awendo is good and I am not concerned. I want the Assistant Minister to tell me how much money has been earmarked for the completion of the Migori Bus Park.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the total amount of money allocated for the Migori Bus Park is Kshs66 million.

Fair enough. Next Question, by Mr. K. Kilonzo!

asked the Minister for Trade:- (a) why local business people in Mutito constituency are persistently denied loans by the Ministry and what steps the Minister will take to ensure that deserving applicants are given loans; (b) if he is also aware that there are no Trade Officers in both Nzambani and Mutito Districts and, if so, when they will be posted; and (c) if the Minister could consider making arrangements for the business community to be served at Chuluni and Zombe District Headquarters.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) Subject to availability of funds, the Ministry ensures that deserving applicants for business loans from Mutito and elsewhere in the Republic are not denied loans by the Ministry. All loan applications, including those from Mutito Constituency are subjected to vetting to determine viability of funding the respective businesses through the Trade Development Joint Loans Board Scheme. (b) I am aware that both Nzambani and Mutito districts are served by a trade officer housed in Kitui Municipality. In consideration of our Constitution which organizes Government functions through counties, my Ministry will ensure that business people from Chuluni and Zombe created under the previous Constitution will be served appropriately. The Ministry of Trade is in the process of establishing new field stations, an exercise which will be completed by the beginning of the next

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the good Minister for his answer. However, I want to inform him that whereas there is an officer in Kitui District, which is the county’s headquarter, services which are provided by his Ministry are actually obtained in a different county. For instance, the people of Kitui have to travel all the way to Machakos when they need licences from the Transport Licencing Board (TLB). They have to travel to Mwingi when they need services concerning weights and measures and also to attend the Trade Development Loans Board meetings. What is the Minister doing to ensure that those services are consolidated in Kitui to ensure accessibility of these services?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am aware that Zombe is in Mutito District while Chuluni is in Nzambani - both districts are in Mutito Constituency. In 2000, during the right-sizing of the civil service work force, the Kitui District Trade Development Office was closed down alongside other offices in the Republic as the Ministry went through the zoning process. All the Field Trade Development Officers were zoned into 20 zones and nine sub-zones. In the case of Kitui and Mwingi districts, it was decided that their Trade Development Officer would be based in Mwingi. This serves as the operation zone and we are aware of the inconvenience that the people of Zombe and Chuluni are experiencing. As I said, we are reorganizing the services and we have confidence that appropriate services will be offered at a central point in the next financial year.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. The Minister has not answered my Question which is very clear. The people of Kitui County have to travel to Machakos to access these services. Could the Minister consolidate these services so that the people of Kitui County can access these services in Kitui County? Is the Minister in order not to answer that Question?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I said that we are consolidating the centre of operation for the next financial year. It all depends on the finances allocated to the Ministry and we are not able to do that now. However, we are confident that we will do it in the next financial year. The operational base for the Kitui Trade Development Joint Loans Board which served the two original districts was moved from Kitui District to Mwingi District. That was an exercise that was conducted and concluded. I would like to give the hon. Member full assurance that we shall consolidate and reorganize the services. I am not aware that the people of Kitui go to Machakos. The consolidation was done so that the people from the two districts could be served in Mwingi. We are reorganizing so that they get services within their own districts.

Mr. K. Kilonzo, ask your last supplementary question!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in his answer to part (a) of the Question, the Minister said that the people of Mutito access loans like any other Kenyans. Could he, please, table a list of names of the people of Mutito who have been able to access these loans?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member wants me to table a list of names. However, before I do that, may I mention that there are very few people from Mutito District who have applied for these loans. In 2009, for example, a total of 91 loan applications were presented to the Kitui Trade Development Loans

Is Mr. Mwiru present? Is he out of the Chamber today because of Parliamentary business? Hon. Members, let us go back to Question No.530 by Mr. Jeremiah Kioni!

Mr. Kioni is not in. The Question is, therefore, dropped!

Fair enough! Next Question by Mr. Mwiru!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am glad the Minister of State for Special Programmes is here. I am requesting a Statement from her with regard to the Government policy regarding people affected by HIV/AIDS, and specifically whether the comments that she has been making, including the one she made yesterday, that she is pursuing a policy of isolation of these people, are representative of the

Order, hon. Members! Shall we have low consultations? Minister, please, proceed!

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was actually going to request to make a Statement next week, so that what I said in Mombasa can come out clearly and also state the Government policy. I will, therefore, give a Statement next week, if that is okay with the hon. Member.

Order, Minister! Next week has four sittings, which one are you comfortable with?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I can do it on Wednesday morning.

Fair enough; it is directed that this Ministerial Statement be made Wednesday morning.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to seek a Ministerial Statement from the Minister for Foreign Affairs regarding the unfolding events in Egypt. I would like the Minister to offer the following clarifications:- The number of Kenyans living in Egypt and confirm whether, indeed any of them has been affected by the crisis there, and if so how many? I want him to tell the nation and Parliament what contingency measures the Government has put in place in order to evacuate the Kenyans who are there in case the situation deteriorates. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as you might have seen or heard, over the last one week the situation in Egypt has been deteriorating. Countries have put in place elaborate measures to ensure their citizens are safe. We, however, have not heard of any from our Government. We do not know how the situation is going to be in the next few days. So, it is high time we heard from the Government on the measures already put in place.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, a comprehensive Statement will come next week, but in the meantime I would like to assure this House that adequate measures have always been put in place in all our embassies for the safety of Kenyans in various countries. The formal Statement will come on Wednesday, next week in the afternoon.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. What is happening in Egypt is not something which can wait until next week. We would have expected a Statement this afternoon, or latest tomorrow afternoon.

Mr. Kimunya, you realize the urgency of this matter is such that you do not have the luxury of time.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I realize that. I have given the assurance that adequate measures have been put in place. I think that should suffice for now in terms of safety of Kenyans in Egypt, or in any of the countries that may be facing some turbulence. The Statement in terms of all the other things he has raised will be given next week.

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. It seems as if the Minister is aware of the contingency measures they have put in place in Egypt. Can he elaborate on a few of them, so that we are sure that our people are safe?

Minister, you seem to be confident that measures have been put in place. Why would you want to have until next week if you, indeed, have the information that you need?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member has requested some specific details which need to be collected and put together. However, from a comfort point of view, Kenyans need to know that our embassies have standard measures that are in place not just because of this crisis; at any one time whenever there is a crisis our embassies know what to do for the purpose of evacuation and safety of Kenyans in a country. That should be understood as a standard practice that is applicable in every country where Kenya has representation. Where Kenya has no representation, there are adequate measures in place in terms of what happens to Kenyans. However, in terms of the specific measure the hon. Members is asking for, I would like to ask that we give the Minister for Foreign Affairs adequate time to prepare the comprehensive Statement. If the House would be agreeable, I can push backwards from Wednesday to tomorrow afternoon.

Mr. Keynan, are you comfortable with tomorrow afternoon?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, before I asked for this Statement I consulted the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Onyonka and he assured me that he was going to be ready this morning to give this Statement. Secondly, as of last night, I got calls from more than ten Kenyan student leaders in Egypt. As much as I appreciate the Minister’s position, the information we are asking for is not for our comfort. The Minister needs to appreciate that this is not for the sake of our comfort, it is a reality. Nobody is seeking comfort in seeking that Statement. We want elaborate measures. I am familiar with what happens in all our missions. It is not the way he is putting it. In fact, I can tell him the elaborate measures put in place by different governments; they already have standby planes in Egypt. Some have already started evacuating their people. We want this Statement given this afternoon because the situation is not as simple as he might think. It is not the way it was yesterday. As of this morning, the circumstances were different. In the afternoon the circumstances may be different. Therefore, can he deliver the Statement this afternoon since the Assistant Minister was ready?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it does appear that the hon. Member is seeking a Statement to a matter that he has answers to, which is contrary to the Standing Orders. However, the Government will respond tomorrow afternoon. It is a matter that needs to be collated. We need to get you the facts as they are in terms of all the measures. I want to reassure Kenyans that adequate measures are in place to ensure the safety of Kenyans. If the students call him again, let him ask them to call the embassy and they will be briefed on what to do.

Fair enough! The Chair directs that this Ministerial Statement be delivered tomorrow afternoon.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on 19th January this year I requested a Ministerial Statement from the Minister for Forestry and Wildlife regarding the recruitment of wildlife rangers at the county level. I have not received any reply to that. I therefore, seek your indulgence to direct the Ministry to provide that Statement.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will contact the Minister for Forestry and Wildlife and ask for the Ministerial Statement to be delivered tomorrow afternoon.

Fair enough, the Statement will be delivered tomorrow afternoon. It is so directed!

Hon. Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs is it, indeed, true that you are ready to give a Ministerial Statement on the matter that was sought by hon. Keynan?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have to seek some information. We would be able to do it this afternoon.

It is so directed. Next Order!

Hon. Mungatana was on the Floor and had eight minutes to conclude his contributions.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was on the Floor.

I remember that the last time I was on the Floor, I mentioned the fact that this Motion goes deep into questioning the functions of diplomats and their duties in general. We cannot only discuss the conduct of the American Ambassador without holistically looking at the whole of the duties that diplomats are supposed to execute in Kenya.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to oppose this Motio both as a lawyer and a lawmaker. As a student of international law, I do know that there are procedures in which a nation can show displeasure with a representative of another nation, whether it is the Ambassador or the High Commissioner of that particular nation.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, these are normal channels in international relations and there are channels that any dignified nation should follow. That should start with the Government sending a protest note, which can be done through the Head of State or through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressing reservations or grounds on which the displeasure is expressed. That can be done in the normal diplomatic channels, without necessarily resorting to an open and embarrassing confrontation that can strain relations between nations. I do say so, because today we live in a global village. What we do and say in this House today, because of advancement in technology echoes not only across this nation, but across the globe. Those nations that have sent their representatives follow and hear what we say in this House. For this nation, through its elective representatives, to humiliate another representative of another nation will not be taken kindly by any nation. For a nation to appoint and send a representative here, they have ascertained the qualification of their representatives. They send their representatives to the Head of State to actually come and present their papers. It is an elaborate ceremony that is handled at the highest level possible, because that representative is the representative of the Head of State in the other nation.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I speak, we might not like Ambassador Ranneberger. In fact, we might even call him a later day Governor of this nation, the last Governor having left this country. We look at the colour of his skin; we look at, probably, his utterances that we do not like. However, we must look beyond Ambassador Ranneberger. We must look at who sent him here. We will then realize that we are talking to Barrack Obama, the President of the United States of America. As I speak today, what we say here in expressing our displeasure could have been done in the normal diplomatic channels, without subjecting a representative of the only superpower in the world, through this rigorous process that we are taking through this House.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, looking at the Motion itself, the reasons advance why we are seeking to censure the American Ambassador. We are saying that his activities have portrayed Kenyan leaders in negative light. In the cause of debate, we have been told that there were some Wikileaks and they had said certain unkind things about our leaders. These are innuendos and rumours. We, as a nation, cannot risk straining our relationship with one of our biggest allies in the free world on the basis of rumours contained in the so-called Wikileaks. Whatever was said in those Wikileaks was communication through cables between a representative and his principal, that were not meant to be publicised, that were not meant to please us and

Prof. Saitoti, are you giving the Government’s response?

Go ahead!

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I wish to rise under Standing Order No.57. With your permission, I wish to read the Standing Order. It says:- “After the question has been proposed on a Motion, the Motion shall be deemed to be in the possession of the House and cannot be withdrawn without leave of the House.” Listening to what the Minister has clearly stated, I would wish to ask the hon. Member who moved the Motion to move: - THAT, the Motion be withdrawn from the House.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, having listened to what the Minister has said that there are other channels to handle this issue through diplomatic channels, I wish to withdraw the Motion.

Hon. Members, you know that leave of the House is required and I have not seen anybody in opposition. So, the Motion stands withdrawn by leave of the House.

Next Order.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion:- THAT, recalling that ten years ago, world leaders agreed to take decisive action to combat world poverty in its different dimensions using time-bound and measurable targets; further recalling that Kenya is among the 189 countries that signed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in September, 2000 and is committed to the purposes and principles of Charter of the United Nations; concerned that apart from education and possibly HIV/AIDS, Kenya has fallen behind in the race, and has not made sufficient progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals; concerned that at the current pace of development with limited resources, Kenya may not meet most of the goals by the year 2015; convinced that parliamentary engagement on the Millennium Development Goals will accelerate progress to achieving the MDGs; this House urges the Government to take concrete measures towards achieving MDGs and report its implementation status and challenges, if any, including remedies within the next six months and at such regular intervals thereafter. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kenya was among the 189 countries of the world that signed the MDGs in New York. The Millennium Development Goals are a world order to ensure that all the communities of the world live in harmony and their livelihoods will be improved. The eight goals of the Millennium Development are: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by the year 2015; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, these eight goals may sound as if they are a foreign prescription, but if we go down the memory lane, we do realize that at Independence, Kenya was out to fight poverty, hunger and diseases and ensure that all the citizens of Kenya live and have affordable dwelling houses. So, in some quarters it has been said that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a foreign prescription, like the Structural Adjustment Programmes of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of late 1970s and early 1980s. But we do realize that from a Kenyan perspective the MDGs are all about humanity. They are not a foreign prescription. They address the real life situations, whether one is in a developed world or a developing country. Hunger is the same both in developed countries and developing countries.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to second this very important Motion on the MDGs. This is a Motion which is definitely long overdue. One of the areas that we know have been an issue in this country has been that of inequalities and the division between the “haves” and the “have nots”. The MDGs clearly address the basic needs. The MDGs are about the basic human needs; basic education, reducing poverty, addressing gender inequality in our society, looking at health issues around women and children and addressing issues related to the HIV/AIDS scourge. The MDGs also address the issues of environment. These are issues that concern all of us. They are issues related to the security of this country. There is a role for us, as Parliamentarians. We have a clear role to play in ensuring that the MDGs are attained. It is not a foreign ideology. We have been told that when people talk about MDGs, it just sounds like one of those foreign abbreviations like Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs), International Monetary Fund (IMF) which sound very foreign and unreal. The MDGs are about real life situations. They are about our daily lives. What can we, as Parliamentarians, do about these goals? First of all, in our legislative responsibilities, it is very clear that Parliamentarians have a very clear role. We, as Parliamentarians, must look to see what legislation is coming to this House that can advance the MDGs. If we can look at the issue of education in this country, what kind of legislation is there? Yes, we have been told that MDG No. 2 is the one we are almost achieving because of our policy on Free Primary Education (FPE). However, we must continue to interrogate further and ask ourselves whether our children are getting quality education with regard to MDG No. 2. Whether, indeed, the issues that have been going around with regard to corruption with regard to FPE are true. If so, how are they addressed, so that we can have universal education for our children? The MDG No. 3 is on the issue of equality. We are grateful that we passed our new Constitution which will, indeed, ensure that we will have some level of representation as far as appointments are concerned. I would like to challenge our President on his nominations to consider gender equality. Recently, he nominated people to various positions, but there was not a single woman. It is a pity that out of five nominations that he made recently, there was no woman representation. Are we still under the new Constitution or are we back to business as usual? That is an MDG agenda. We are still not yet at par. The MDGs that are most off-track are No.4 and No.5, which are health-related and mainly to do with women and children. This country has continued to say that women and children play a very important role in the society. We are having problems with health issues and we want to ask the Government to address these two very important MDGs.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have talked about the legislative agenda for the Members of Parliament. On our oversight role, as Members of Parliament, we can monitor what the Ministries are doing about the MDGs, particularly the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation and the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources. As Members of Parliament,

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I want to thank the hon. Member for moving this Motion, which I fully support.

Before I came into the House, I sat in a Parliamentary Taskforce that follows the implementation of Treaty obligations of the country. This is a noble initiative and the Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs should follow and ensure that the issue of MDGs is taken up and followed up by the taskforce. If we get regular reports, as it is recommended in the Motion, then we would, in effect, be doing what we recently saw being practised in the United States of America, which is the State of the Union. As a country, we are entitled under the new Constitution to know what the Government is doing in relation to its international obligations and commitments. We do not make commitments so that we violate them, but we make commitments, so that we can keep them. There is growing trend towards making commitments and then reneging on them. As a matter of fact, I am bringing a Bill on International Treaty Ratification Process, which seeks to look at some of those issues.

I want to speak to the MDGs in specific. I want to talk on the MDG No.1 on eradicating extreme poverty. I am very happy that the Constitution now addresses the issue of inequalities. If you look at the Waki Report, you will realize that some of the underlying issues that caused the country to go into violence are issues of inequalities. Various parts of the country have developed differently as a consequence of different policies that are not very good for the country. For instance, the Sessional Paper No.10 of 1965, even though it was well intended, resulted in over-concentration of development in some parts of the country against others. Therefore, you have areas that are well developed and others that, to date, have no water, electricity and roads. We, therefore, have parts of the country that do not look like they are part of this generation even if you compare them with other countries.

Being married in Zimbabwe, I can tell you that Zimbabwe is facing a lot of problems, but I get embarrassed when I visit that country because it is very well developed infrastructurally and despite the fact that at one point, we were even buying a soda at one billion Zimbabwe Dollars, still, if you go to the rural areas, you cannot compare with the state of roads in this country. That is why I am happy that this Constitution is seeking, not just to deal with eradication of poverty, but also to ensure that Kenya is at par with other countries that it ought to be with and even surpasses them. If we are saying that we are a haven of peace and we have actually had a lot of international support, I do not understand why we are where we are as a country. I am happy that the Constitution provides for an Equalization Fund that will ensure that

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to support the Motion and congratulate the Chairperson of our Caucus, who has brought this Motion. The purpose of the formation of the Caucus was to bring to prominence the issue of the Millinium Development Goals (MDGs). My colleagues have already spoken on the MDGs relating to Vision 2030. The MDGs are goals which are prioritised. They are goals which measurable, and which have reviews. They give proper information about what they want to achieve. If the Vision 2030 Secretariat and its mother Ministry could borrow a leaf from the MDGs, we would not have a Vision 2030 that would have to become “Vision 2050”. Many of the issues that are detailed in Vision 2030 are the priorities of Kenya, but do we have in place a system of measuring how well we are doing? Do we have a measure of reviewing our progress? How much information are we giving Kenyans? That is why we have brought this Motion here. The MDGs is a bigger issue, but I believe that it should also apply to Vision 2030. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to speak specifically on MDG No.7, on environmental sustainability, because I am the United Nation’s champion for Disaster/Risk Reduction for Africa. One of the issues we have been dealing with is that of climate change and its negative effects on Africa, which brings about disasters. If we were measuring our success, we would realise that in MDG No.7, on environmental sustainability, we need to have pilot projects in this country that would allow development in Kenya without harming the environment. What do I mean? We have things like biogas, solar energy, wind energy and water harvesting. These are things which, if we were doing measurable and reviewing, we would know that MDG No.7 cannot be achieved without projects at the grassroots level to change the way Kenyans access their cooking and lighting fuel. There are different ways of doing things. We cannot have environmental sustainability and achieve MDG No.7 if we do not change the way Kenyans operate at the grassroots level in terms of sustaining their livelihood. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would, therefore, like to ask that our national climate change policy looks again into the issue of disaster/risk reduction and re-work it to ensure that we apply disaster reduction measures at the grassroots level rather than pick policies that are mentioned at the national level but do not impact at the grassroots level. Therefore, I support that we do prioritise and have a review mechanism, and that the Government talks to us not only on the MDGs but also on the progress of Vision 2030. With those remarks, I beg to support.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to support this Motion on the MDGs. Our Government became a signatory to this initiative ten years ago. Besides that, it appears to be routine for the Government to sign such treaties and commit the

Is there anybody from the Government to respond on this Motion?

Mr. M’Mithiaru, are you prepared to make your reply now because I do not see anybody wishing to make further contribution or would you like us to defer it to enable the Government to respond?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would have wished that we get a Government response on this Motion but reading from the mood of the House now, I am ready to reply.

What is the position of the Government on this Motion?

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have just come in and we have not done a follow up on these deliberations. If the Mover agrees, with your permission, the Motion can be deferred to an appropriate time when there will be somebody to respond to it.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Members of the Government including the Leader of Government Business attended the House Business Committee when this Motion was approved. It has been a very frequent occurrence that the Government is not taking seriously the House business that is on the Order Paper. I do not know whether I will be in order to request you to issue a reprimand to the Government because that Committee is largely composed of Government Ministers who do not communicate with their colleagues in order to be able to respond to such an important issue as the MDGs.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. We resumed early so that we can do urgent business. We have a heavy calendar before us this year. As the Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Implementation of the Constitution, we have 16 priority Bills that we have to deal with. This morning is Private Members’ Time and we have done our part. I do not think that it will be in order for us to allow the Government to have time to respond because next week, we need to deal with another Private Member’s issue. We are taking our House work seriously and it would be unfair to give the Government undue time. When it was the International Criminal Court (ICC), the benches were full but when it is an issue concerning Kenyans like poverty, the benches are empty. I think we need to proceed.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to support this Motion. I know my colleague is almost arriving so that he can give us the Ministry’s full report on what they are doing.

As a Member of Parliament, we started the MDGs in 1995. It is unfortunate that every year, we are talking about the MDGs and Vision 2030 and we wonder when we will reach there. However, the most unfortunate thing for some of us from the rural constituencies, and I know my sister, Mrs. Odhiambo-Mabona, is also from a rural constituency just like me, the MDGs is about town life. It is about seeing those who are in the slums forgetting that if you look at the houses of the poor in the rural constituencies, they can also be considered to be slums. The only difference is that they are not squeezed together like those in towns. I hope that as the Government makes its commitment in the next six months, it will reach every part of this country.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, apart from the MDGs affecting population as a whole, it is about women and children who suffer the brunt of every

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I also rise to support this Motion. As we speak today, 2015 is just a few years to come. It will not be possible to meet the MDGs. Next year will be 2012 and we will only have three years to go. However, among the goals and targets set, the issue of reduction of extreme poverty and hunger still remains the biggest challenge to our nation. It is a challenge that our founding fathers declared one of our greatest enemies at Independence. It still remains the biggest challenge we face today, over 40 years later. The gap between the rich and the poor has widened greatly. When J.M. Kariuki spoke of a nation of 10 millionaires and 10 million Kenyans, then Kenya was still a largely divided society in terms of the rich and the poor. However, today, that gap has widened and Kenya is one of the nations with the largest gap between the rich and the poor. Efforts at poverty eradication have not been very successful. When we compare Kenya like a country which has got millions of people out of poverty within 10 or so years, we ask ourselves why as a nation we have not been successful in closing reducing poverty and ensuring that we have sufficient food for our people.

Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Motion. Within a period of three years to 2015 when we are supposed to meet MDGs we can do wonders. We must change our attitude. The Government and the people should work hard to ensure that every Kenyan gets food, and that every Kenyan has enough money to meet his or her needs. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are not giving our people awareness. For example, today when we talk of famine, the Ministry of State for Special Programmes will go to rural areas, and give two or five kilogrammes of maize to the needy. How would one survive on five kilogrammes of maize? Kenya needs to develop the agricultural sector. To do that, the Government should change its attitude to develop farming in this country. Doing that would be giving awareness. We must buy more equipment for farming.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we should go to the rural areas and farm on a very large scale, rather than giving people five kilogrammes of maize to eat for one month. In big families, that is consumed in a day. In order to do away with poverty, I think the Government and the people of this country should look forward to doing proper farming. I have just come from the People’s Republic of China, a country which has a population of 1.3 billion people, and nobody goes hungry. This is because they have found a solution to lack of food, and give all their people food.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, first of all let me congratulate Mr. M’Mithiaru for bringing this Motion here; it is which is very important. It is over 10 years since we committed ourselves into making sure that the MDGs are realized. We now have only about four years to go, yet other than education and HIV/AIDS, there is not much to show for it. We do not have to sign any document. We do not even have to be a member of the United Nations (UN) and be forced by charters to develop our people. We understand how the environment has caused hunger to this country. We know that if we degrade the environment, Kenya can become a desert. It is upon us, even without being members of organizations or signing the MDGs--- It is the responsibility of the Government and our own responsibility to protect the environment.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the first thing I want to emphasize is that, as a nation, we will not develop unless there is political goodwill from the political leadership. The biggest asset this country requires is the political goodwill from the leadership in order to implement the Budget and follow up on what is happening in the country. At the moment, the country is experiencing drought. People in North Eastern Province are dying because there is no food. This has become a ritual every year. Right now, the Government is raising resources in order to provide water and food. These funds which are availed every year whenever there is a crisis should have been channeled early enough to development of dams and provision of grass. There is no political goodwill for this country to move forward. Corruption has crept in. Let us look at the way the Government procures goods. We all know that there is a procedure of procuring goods and services, and the Act is very clear. It details how the Government should procure goods, but if you go to the actual performance of the officers who are concerned when it comes to procurement, the prices are inflated year in, year out. If you read the reports of the Public Accounts Committee, you will realize that no action has been taken to implement its recommendations. It is just a ritual where money is wasted and we proceed to another year and another general election. The challenge is for those in Government to be sincere to the nation in leadership and to be willing to do work so that this country can develop and resources which go to waste are no longer wasted. We have local authorities which lack the right personnel to manage the funds they collect. The funds are diverted to allowances for councilors and not for development. Those in leadership should be serious so that the available resources are used for the sake of the development of this nation so that we can attain economic advancement. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is no manpower to do the roads in constituencies. There are no clear guidelines on how goods are supposed to be procured using Constituencies Development Funds (CDF). We should have the political goodwill from this Government to develop and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. I beg to support.

I now call upon the Government responder to respond.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. Let me apologize that I was not here when the Motion began. We were all as a Ministry at the KICC because today, we were getting our ISO

I now call upon the Mover to reply.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, let me also take this opportunity to thank hon. Members for supporting this very important Motion.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, by supporting this Motion, hon. Members have shown that they have the political will to support and ensure that the Government programme for implementation of the MDGs is on course.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the response from the Ministry agrees with us that it is very important to monitor, so that we do not have documents and agreements that do not have an implementation plan. This Motion clearly says that we want the Government to give the implementation status after every six months. The MDGs, the way they have been modelled, have 21 targets with 60 indicators, so as to be able to monitor on the implementation. This is really what we want the Government to do. The Assistant Minister has said that the six months could be overwhelming for them to give these figures, but we are talking of four years to go. If it is four years to go, we really wish to know the status or where we are at this particular time. Six months is really quite reasonable time for us to get a format on where we are at the particular time. But a report to the House is not a joke because we must have proper and authenticated report coming to the House that shows the real situation on the ground. I think between Parliament and the Ministry, it can always be agreed on what kind of format can be arrived at for purposes of reporting to the House.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also wish the Members to note that the issues of MDGs are worldwide issues under the auspices of the UN. In fact, lately even the Inter-Parliamentary Union has included MDG issues in their agenda. So, it shows how serious these issues are. It shows also how the legislatures of the world are now being called upon to ensure that they take on the Government and ensure that they hold the Government accountable on the commitments of the MDGs.

With those few remarks, I beg to move.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move:- THAT, being greatly concerned by the rising cases of accidents involving motor cycles popularly known as “Boda Boda”, being further aware of this fast growing sector that is providing affordable motorized and non-motorized means of transport to many Kenyans today all over the country; appreciating the role the sector is playing in contributing to our economy and in providing employment to many unemployed young Kenyans, and conscious of the problems and challenges facing this sector; this House urges the Government to urgently provide a policy and legal framework to regulate this fast growing and vital sector of our society and to set up a Boda Boda fund to provide funds to facilitate training and empowerment of these young Kenyans.

Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, when we came to Parliament in 2008, amongst the first issues that were raised before this House was a request for the Government to come up with a clear policy regulating the boda boda sector. That came through a Question before this House. At that time, the Government assured us that it was in the process of framing a policy to regulate the boda boda sector. As we speak, we have one year to go before the life of this Parliament ends, and we believe that we owe a duty--- As we speak today, very many young Kenyans have dropped out of primary or secondary schools and become unemployed. They have joined the huge army of the unemployed young people of this nation and we owe them a duty of care. We should give them care, employment and something to do to realize their dreams. We realize that as a nation we spent millions in educating these young Kenyans through primary school for eight years and secondary school for four years. Many have passed their examinations but, perhaps due to lack of fees, have not been able to join colleges to train and specialize in certain fields. They have gone back to their villages and towns. When you look at the history of the boda boda, I have been discussing with Mr. Mututho and he has been telling me that the term “ boda boda” originated in Naivasha but I have also been telling him that the boda boda originated in Busia, at the border between Kenya and Uganda. I think one day, we might conclude this debate. I believe, coming from the western region of this country, the concept of

was born in Busia, at the Kenya\Uganda border. In between, there is a no man’s land and, therefore, you would find young people with bicycles ferrying passengers from one border to the other. That is how the name “ boda boda ” came about. I do not know where borders are in Naivasha; maybe Mr. Mututho will show me one day where they are, but I believe that the term boda boda originated in Busia. Many young people lacked something to do. Many would ask their parents to give them a bicycle and they would start riding and then would make Kshs20 or Kshs50 a day; slowly and slowly it became a way of earning a living in this country. Many school dropouts decided to treat it as a way of earning a living by many people, and not just by school dropouts. Even those who have passed their examinations, they have papers but have no employment. So, they have also resorted to this occupation. Therefore, when you look at the number of young people out there, it is no longer in Western Province only. You will find them in Kondele in Kisumu, Busia, Kakamega or Kitale. You will find them in Naivasha and even in this city. I was quite surprised to see young people in this city doing the boda boda business. I was surprised when I

Mr. Wamalwa, you still have ten minutes to continue moving your Motion.

Hon. Members, it is now time for interruption of the business. This House, therefore, stands adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 12.30 p.m.