Hon. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:- THAT, pursuant to provisions of Standing Order 204, this House approves the appointment of the following Members to the Committee on Appointments:- 1. The Hon. Justin B. Muturi, MP - Speaker of National Assembly 2. The Hon. (Dr) Joyce Laboso, MP - Deputy Speaker 3. The Hon. Aden Duale, MP - Leader of the Majority Party 4. The Hon. Francis Nyenze, MP - Leader of the Minority Party 5. The Hon. Naomi Shaban, MP - Deputy Leader of the Majority Party 6. The Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo, MP - Deputy Leader of the Minority Party 7. The Hon. Jackson Kiptanui, MP 8. The Hon. Issac Ali Shaban, MP 9. The Hon. Roselinda Soipan, MP 10. The Hon. Katoo ole Metito, MP 11. The Hon. Jamleck Kamau, MP 12. The Hon. Amina Abdallah, MP 13. The Hon. Gideon Konchellah, MP 14. The Hon. Cecily Mbarire, MP 15. The Hon. Moses Cheboi, MP 16. The Hon. Nelson Gaichuhie, MP 17. The Hon. Boniface Gatobu, MP 18. The Hon. David Wafula, MP 19. The Hon. Esther Murugi, MP 20. The Hon. Ibrahim Sane, MP 21. The Hon. Mishi Juma Khamis, MP

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Hon. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:- THAT, pursuant to provisions of Standing Order 16, this House approves the appointment of the following Members as members of the Chairpersons Panel:- 1.The Hon. Moses Cheboi, MP - First Chairperson of Committees 2.The Hon. Rachael Shebesh, MP - Second Chairperson of Committees 3.The Hon. Tom J. Kajwang’. MP - Third Chairperson of Committees 4.The Hon. Jessica Mbalu, MP - Fourth Chairperson of Committees Thank you, Hon. Speaker, Sir.

Hon. Paul Koinange!

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:- THAT, aware that health facilities in the country invariably decline to attend to patients who are in critical emergency conditions without admission deposit of payment leading to worsening of patients’ conditions and sometimes leading to loss of life; concerned that most Kenyans are poor and lack medical insurance; noting that Article 43(2) of the Constitution of Kenya states that “a person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment”, this House urges the Government to ensure that all health facilities provide emergency medical care to victims of accidents and those in emergency medical condition without denying them admission on grounds that they are not able to pay deposits.

The hon. Gitari to give notice of his two Motions. I am told that he is absent. Next is hon. Abdulaziz Farah! He is also not present. It looks like hon. Members are not present to give notices of their Motions. Next Order!

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion:-

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Yes, Dr. Eseli.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Motion because from the people’s perception, this Committee should have been in place much earlier. It is good that we now have the names of the membership to the Committee. I urge the House that we approve those names since they were picked by consensus from the party leadership of this House. However, I do not agree with the Leader of the Majority Party, who has just said that the Committee will only be vetting Cabinet Secretaries. My understanding is that the Committee is supposed to be vetting all State appointments that require parliamentary approval. If we are going to have appointments of Principal Secretaries, ambassadors, et cetera, I would expect that this Committee would still be required to do some vetting. So, I do not know whether the perception that the Leader of the Majority Party has given to the House, that this House will only vet and approve nominees for appointment as Cabinet Secretaries alone, is really valid. Therefore, I hope that when he stands up to reply, he will clarify that matter. Finally, I urge that once this Committee is in place, they try very much, as we follow the constitutional provisions on regional and gender balance, among others, to ensure that we have people of integrity and people with track records, so that we can be sure that they will deliver the services that all Kenyans require. This should apply to all of them, and not just a section of them. It should be an approval of people in whom the rest of Kenyans will have confidence. The problem that is ailing Kenya right now is lack of confidence. We need to build that confidence through this Committee, which should ensure that the Report they bring to this House does not lead to further debate, which may then tarnish the value of those appointments. I hope that this Committee will be equal to the task and do a proper job, so that when we get these names, we do not have a situation like it happened once in a while in the last Parliament; when names would be brought to Parliament and then hon. Members

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Yes, hon. Harrison Kombe.

Mhe

On a point of order, hon. Speaker, Sir. I hate to interrupt the business of the House, but this being a House of rules and procedures, even as we debate this Motion that has been brought to the House by the Majority Party Leader, I rise on a point of order under Standing Order No.83. Hon. Speaker, Sir, Standing Order 204(2) states: “The Committee on Appointments shall be appointed within seven days on assembly of a new House---” That is the operating paragraph that I rely on. It would appear, therefore, that by the rules of the House, the Leader of the Majority Party should have brought this Motion much earlier – seven days after the assembly of the House. Although it sounds very procedural, it touches on the ability and the capacity of the Majority Leader. Is it in order, therefore, that this Motion was brought here in direct violation of the Standing Order? Are we competent to debate it, and should the Majority Leader come and apologise before the House since he has neglected his duty to do that which he should have done within time?

Leader of Majority Party, do you want to speak to that point of order raised by hon. Kajwang?

Yes, hon. Speaker, Sir. With due respect to my colleague, hon. Kajwang, the seven days period is counted from the State Opening of Parliament, which was last Tuesday; the constitutional provision states that we do not count the first day. If I do not count the last Tuesday, today is my last day. I want to tell my colleague, the renowned lawyer that the capacity of the Majority Leader and the capacity of the Jubilee Coalition are above reproach. I will ask my colleague to read the Constitution and the Standing Orders well, in view of the induction that he went through.

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Let me dispose of the point of order raised by hon. Kajwang. Indeed, hon. Kajwang, if you look at Article 259 of the Constitution on how to construe a provision of the Constitution, you will notice that Clause 5 says: “In calculating time between two events for any purpose under this Constitution, if the time is expressed – (a) as days, the day on which the first event occurs shall be excluded, and the day by which the last event may occur shall be included;---” Therefore, the Leader of Majority Party is in order. Hon. Chidzuga.

Shukrani sana mhe. Spika. Nasimama kuunga mkono Hoja hii, lakini kabla sijaunga mkono, ningependa kuhimiza kwamba Hoja hii--- Katika Kamati hii ambayo itawachunguza Mawaziri, tungetaka tuwe na watu ambao hawakukataliwa na wananchi. Wale waliokataliwa na wananchi ni wazi kwamba hawataweza kutekeleza matakwa ya Wakenya. Kwa hivyo, mtakapokuwa mnatuletea majina hapa, na maoni haya pia yamfikie Mhe Rais wetu, tunahitaji wale ambao hawakukataliwa na wananchi; tunataka wapewe nyadhifa za kuweza kutufanyia kazi katika Kenya na sio kuwa Mawaziri peke yake. Tunataka hata katika ubalozi na tume zote tupate watu ambao ni wapya na tuanze nao kazi.

Asante sana mhe. Spika. Naunga mkono.

Well, the hon. Member does not have to apologise. The House has the opportunity to correct her in making the appointments or the approvals.

Also, to guide the House in the light of the point raised by hon. Dr. Eseli, the Committee on Appointments vets appointments of Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries. The others will be approved by departmental committees established under the Standing Orders; that is provided for under Standing Order 216(5)(f) which states: “To vet and report on all appointments where the Constitution or any law requires the National Assembly to approve, except those under Standing Order No.204 (Committee onAppointments ).” Therefore, hon. Dr. Eseli was right that the Committee on Appointments will deal with Cabinet Secretaries and also Principal Secretaries. The Member for Kikuyu or Kikuyus?

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Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I am, indeed, very proud to be representing the great Kikuyu people in this House, and I rise to support the Motion on the Committee of Appointments. However, as we talk about regional balance, I think we will be asking the Committee and, indeed, His Excellency the President, when it comes to appointments not just of Cabinet Secretaries but to all other positions to not only consider regional balance but also meritocracy and integrity of the people who will be appointed to these offices. Hon. Speaker, Sir, we will be asking those of us from Kiambu County--- There has been a tendency in the past of relegating the area where the Head of State comes from to a second position on the basis that the people of that area are holding the presidency. We will be asking the Committee on Appointments and His Excellency the President during the appointments to kindly also consider the people of Kiambu for all the departments. We should not be relegated to a second position on the basis that we hold the presidency, because the President is the President of the Republic of Kenya and not of the President of Kiambu. Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir.

On a point of order, hon. Speaker, Sir. Is it in order for the hon. Member to pre-empt what the President intends to do?

He may merely be expressing an opinion. That cannot pre-empt what the President intends to do.

Yes, hon. Linturi.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I would really seek your indulgence so that I have an opportunity to thank the people of Igembe South for giving me an opportunity to serve for a second term in this august House. Hon. Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Motion before this House and tell the House that we are the defenders of the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya. I would really urge the House that we move with speed and approve the list of the names of the members of the Committee on Appointments, considering that this House, in its own calendar, is behind schedule. This list is required like yesterday. It has a duty to vet the Cabinet Secretaries and look at the provisions of Article 221 of the Constitution. The preparation of the budgetary Estimates is crucial; we have a deadline and the Cabinet Secretary is required to bring to this House the Budget Statement 60 days before the end of every financial year his. I, therefore, say that it is very important that we move with speed--- At least we need a Cabinet Secretary who will be able to bring here the Budget Statement for consideration by this House before we run out of time. I believe we must work within the constitutional confines provided because we must adhere to the rule of law.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I support.

One last one by Bishop Mutua.

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Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. First of all, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you and also to thank the Wiper Democratic Party for nominating me into this House.

I want to raise an issue of great concern, and that is the issue of leaving out people with physical challenges from the committee membership. They were left out of the first and second committees. They are also not represented in this Committee on Appointments. This is a dangerous trend because even in the appointments, there is a likelihood that the people who are physically challenged will also be left out.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I want to make a proposal because this is quite serious. The way we are standing up to catch the Speaker’s eye is a challenge to Members who are physically challenged. So, we plead with you that your eye sees them even when they are seated down; it is quite a challenge for them to stand and they cannot compete with us. Even the President omitted these people and it is very serious. It means they are being omitted inside and outside the House. Could the Mover affirm that he will bring them on board?

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

This being a Procedural Motion really, I do not think we need to continue. Hon. S.S. Ahmed, I assume you know the Standing Orders. You cannot claim to rise on a point of order when the Speaker is also on his feet. I want to put the Question.

Next Order!

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion:- THAT, pursuant to provisions of Standing Order 16, this House approves the appointment of the following Members as Members of the Chairpersons Panel:- 1.The Hon. Moses Cheboi, MP - First Chairperson of Committees 2.The Hon. Rachael Shebesh, MP - Second Chairperson of Committees 3.The Hon. Tom J. Kajwang’ MP - Third Chairperson of Committees 4.The Hon. Jessica Mbalu, MP - Fourth Chairperson of Committees

This is also a very important group people in the running of the House for the next five years. They comprise of four Members in the order in which I have read out their names. All the powers are vested in the Chairpersons of the Committee unlike in the Tenth Parliament where the Chairpersons main mandate in the House was to chair the Committee of the whole House.

A serious consultation was done, first, between the Speaker and the political parties’ leadership in Parliament. The same was again submitted to the House Business Committee which you chair and serious consultation was done this morning which came up with the submission of the four said Members. Because of their importance in helping the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker to manage the affairs of the House, I urge my

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Hon. Speaker, Sir, I rise to second the Motion.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion. This, as the Leader of the Majority Party has said, is an important Committee and it is incumbent upon the House to approve it. One observation that I would like to make is that this is about the fourth Committee that we are approving since we started our business. I have noted, and it is disturbing me that a trend is emerging where some names keep appearing in successive committees.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, this is a House of 349 very competent and capable men and women. I urge those in the House Business Committee and the Selection Committee to take note of that. Only four Committees have been presented to this House and clearly, there are Committees where more than one name has appeared more than twice. That, to me, is a tendency towards discrimination and the House must say “no” to such tendencies.

Hoping that this will be observed and implemented in the successive Committees, I beg to reluctantly support the Motion.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion. First of all, I would like to congratulate you for having been elected the Speaker. I would also like to congratulate the Leader of the Majority Party for taking up the seat.

I rise to support this Motion and also congratulate your leadership because this is the first Committee that we have had the gender rule being applied. While I also make my reservations on what is happening in the House, one of them has been mentioned about particular names being repeated in various Committees while we have a House of almost 350 Members.

There is also the issue of gender rule even in the last Committee that we have discussed. It is good to note that in the last Committee that we have just discussed in Motion No.8, one side of the House - and that is the Jubilee side - had nominated almost 40 per cent of women to the Committee while our side of the CORD coalition has constantly been nominating 10 per cent of women to the Committees. This is very worrying. However, I understand the problem that they could be having because it is in public domain that they are trying to look for people to get into the House through the backdoor. Well, we will not concentrate on that. It is good for this House to know that we do not have losers; we have either the first, second or third winner when it comes to elections.

On a point of order, hon. Speaker, Sir. Is the hon. Member contributing in order to impute improper motive on the CORD coalition that we are trying to get members into the House through the backdoor and yet we do not have a backdoor as an entrance to these Chambers?

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I think the Member may continue.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I did not mean the backdoor because there is only one main door to the House. However, you know the procedures that are being use. Some people are going to the media every time saying that the CORD coalition cannot perform without particular people in this House. It is good for Members to know that we are all equal when we come to this House. It is only particular people who are in various positions like the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, with those few words, I beg to support the Motion.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I also want to support this Motion. While supporting this Motion, I urge that since we have an additional four Members to act in the Speaker’s Panel, we will strictly follow the Standing Orders, especially Standing Order No.18, which requires that only the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the four Members of the Speaker’s Panel are allowed to preside in the House. A trend developed in the last Parliament where this rule was violated.

Recently, I saw a case where a Member just went and started presiding over the House contrary to rules and regulations, and contrary to our Standing Orders. I urge that this is not repeated now that we have officially and formally constituted this Committee.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I would also like to say that I can see scrambling for Committees but what is important is one’s ability to perform. I can see a trend where Members scramble to be in very many Committees but they will not be able to deliver. Some of us who have been here for a while will attest to you that being in more than two Committees will be more than doing justice even to yourself. Even though you would like to appear “big” by your name appearing in almost every important Committee in the House, it is also important to worry about performance because by the end of the day we will realise that quorums are never realised in those Committees. This will affect the Committees. So, I urge my brothers, especially those who are in the Selection Committee, because I can see a trend where most of the Members we approved to serve in the Selection Committee have started putting their names in some of these Committees again--- That is not why we approved your names in those Committees, but we approved your names in those Committees to balance. This is a House of 349 Members and it is a record in itself. I am told that we are struggling even to get enough Committees for each one of us. So, if you will be in the Selection Committee and then you want to put your name in all the Committees, you will do injustice to yourself, injustice to this House and injustice to Kenyans at large.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, with those very few remarks, I would like to support the Motion. Thank you.

Let me clarify that Standing Order No.18 is actually directly picked out of Article 107 of the Constitution, that the presiding of the House shall be by the Speaker but in absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker shall preside, and in absence of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, a member elected by the House for that purpose pursuant to Article 107 of the Constitution shall preside. So in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, an hon. Member must be elected for the purpose of chairing.

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Hon. Speaker, Sir, you are right but if you read Article 107, how do you do that election? If you go to Article 107, it talks of the Members of the Speaker’s Panel, the four of them. That is why in the absence of those four-- In the unlikely event that all the six, the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and the four are absent, then this House must carry out an election first; I wonder who would conduct that election. Basically, this House should not sit if the six of you are not present.

I think it is a good point to think through but you will realize the appointment of the four Members is an approval and not an election. The House approves the four names; it does not elect them, for the purpose of chairing. They are the people to chair. In fact, the Chairperson of Committees is the Deputy Speaker and the four are elected to assist the Deputy Speaker in chairing the Committees.

Hon. Speaker Sir, although I was not on time when hon. Ng’ongo was speaking, I just wanted to correct him that it is not a select committee that has chosen these people; it is the House Business Committee (HBC). That correction should be made. I also stand up to support those four people that have been mentioned. I think they have been selected properly and I am sure they are going to execute their duties properly. I support!

Hon. Members, let me see whether there was anybody who may have been interrupted. Hon. Ichung’wah, you have a balance of two minutes if you are---

Hon. Speaker, Sir, would I be in order to ask whether - since it was my maiden speech that was interrupted - I would be in order to ask for your sympathy to have my five minutes?

You are eating into your two minutes!

Much, obliged Hon. Speaker, Sir. Since I had thanked the great people of Kikuyu whom I represent I will just go straight to commenting on the Presidential Address. I had mentioned that the people of Kikuyu and, indeed, the entire country is eagerly waiting for the framework of the consolidated women and youth fund; many of our women and youth are eagerly waiting for this fund to embark on business and create job opportunities in this country.

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Your time is up!

Hon. Speaker, Sir, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to contribute on the Presidential Address. First let me congratulate you for being elected the Speaker of this House, the Deputy Speaker and my colleagues for successfully competing and getting elected. I want to thank the great people of Kajiado Central for giving me a third consecutive term in this House. I would like to comment the President for his great inaugural Address, which inspired hope for this country. Despite all those comments the President made, there are certain areas I want to comment on. The area of security is very important to this country. Without security, there is no development and, therefore, we must take care of our security organs. We must empower them. I would like to commend my friend, hon. A.B. Duale, who in 2011--- This is where all of us, as elected leaders, must come from. We must win the hearts and minds of Kenyans. The elected people of North Eastern Kenya must tell their people that it is important to be your own policemen. It is important that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) do not operate within the country. We should be supporting countries like Somalia. Our people should be taking care of ourselves. Therefore, to win the minds and hearts of Kenya, the leaders must go and preach peace and security. The President talked about a lean Government, and I am so happy that I am a member of the Committee on Appointments. Let the President make no mistakes of recycling “used goods”.

We want a fresh start and people who will take this country to the next level. With that I do not need to comment further. On the issue of land, the starting point should be Article 67(2)(e); let us address historical injustices. Let the President come up with a policy on how we can address that. With regard to economic development, he said by the end of his term he will want to see double digit growth. We must target the economic mainstay of every region and its infrastructure, so that we can improve on the economy of this country.

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The lady in red at that corner. Please state your name.

She does not want to speak!

(Hon. (Ms.) Machira): Shukrani, Mhe. Spikar. Ni pongezi kwako kwa kuchaguliwa kama Spika wetu. Nikiongezea, ningependa kusema kwamba nilikuwa afisa wa uhusiano mwema na ndio sababu hakukuwa na fujo yoyote wakati ulichaguliwa. Nasema ahsante pia kwa wabunge wenzangu.

Kulingana na ile Hotuba ya Rais, nasema hongera. Ilikuwa Hotuba nzuri sana lakini nataka tupige hatua katika mambo ya ulinzi na usalama katika sehemu ambayo nimetoka. Kabla zijasema hivyo, ningependa kutoa hongera kwa watu wa Laikipia kwa kuchagua huyu mama ambaye anaitwa Jane Machira. Niliapa mbele ya Bunge hili kwamba nitawatumikia wote. Tukiangazia ulinzi na usalama, Kenya ilifanya vizuri sana wakati ilielekea Somalia na kuhakikisha amani katika nchi hiyo. Lakini sisi wenyewe tunaweza kuwa tunakunywa maji, ili hali majirani wetu wanakunywa pombe za kifahari. Katika sehemu ya Laikipia, majirani wetu wamekuwa wakipigwa na kukipigana wenyewe kwa wenyewe na hata kuuana kwa ajili ya mifugo. Juzi tu, katika sehemu ya Kamwenje huko Laikipia, baba mmoja na mtoto walipoteza maisha yao. Pia katika Kaunti ya Baringo, ambayo ni jirani yetu, ilipoteza mtu mmoja na kijana wa shule. Pole kwa hayo yote. Mungu aweke roho zao mapahali pema peponi. Nataja tupige hatua ambayo Rais alizungumzia kuhusu ulinzi. Hatua ya kwanza inahusu watu ambao wameuliwa. Itakuwaje ikiwa jamii zao hawatapatiwa ridhaa? Tunataka watu hao wawe wakipatiwa ridhaa kwa sababu ikiwa mama amewachwa bila mzee wake na watoto bado wanasoma, anapata shida kubwa sana katika maisha yake. Kwa hivyo, katika Bunge hili, tungetenga kiazi fulani cha fedha za kuwalipa ridhaa waliofiwa na kuwa wajane. Tukiwa bado katika masuala ya ulinzi na usalama, kuna wazee ambao wanafanya kazi ya uhusiano mwema na kulinda usalama katika sehemu Fulani fulani. Tunawaamini sana. Lingekuwa ni jambo la busara kuwatengea fedha kidogo za malipo. Tunawaita wazee wa mitaani, na wanasaidia jamii zinazoishi Laikipia. Jambo la tatu, ni kuwa kuna tatizo la wanyama wa pori kuzurura huko Laikipia. Hao wanyama wa pori wemawatatiza wananchi wa Laikipia. Watoto wetu siyo kama

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Nafasi sasa ni ya Dr. Nyikal.

(Hon. (Prof.) Nyikal): Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to make my first statement in this House. I take this opportunity to congratulate you for being elected as the Speaker. I also congratulate my colleagues for being elected too. I know how hard it was. May I take this opportunity to comment on His Excellency’s Address. It was an Address that covered issues that are of great importance to Kenyans, and that are at the hearts of most Kenyans and, therefore, very popular. That exactly is the challenge that we, as leaders here have, particularly the Jubilee Coalition. The issues in the Address must be addressed. Otherwise, it will be a great disappointment, if we cannot handle them. Let me just make a few comments. One is on corruption. I commend the Address because it talks about the strengthening of the Judiciary and other institutions. That is because corruption is a menace in this country. I think other than ethnicity corruption is probably the greatest impediment to the development of this country. Let me also say that there has been a one-sided approach to the issue of corruption. I have watched keenly and all efforts seem to show that corruption is basically in, and perhaps only, the public service. I want to say in this House that corruption is equally big in the private sector.

I have not seen any efforts to address corruption in the private sector. It can be implied in the laws, but I think we should now look at it specifically. I am in a position to tell this House that corruption is actually instigated many times from the private sector. It is like a tango; it takes two to dance the tango! The giver must be blamed as much as the taker! We have concentrated too much on the taker and left the giver free!

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I also think that we have not fought corruption adequately. Many times, in major corruption, people who are involved go to court and succeed. They then proceed to enjoy the fruits of corruption; to live lavishly and become heroes to our children. I think we must be more strict. We must, as a country, start thinking of capital punishment - I mean death sentence - for some forms of corruption. I think we must put this into the law; this house makes laws. In some cases, people who are involved in certain types of corruption - like the economic type - should actually be executed. I do not know whether silence means fear, but I think we must go in that direction. Secondly, I would like to touch on the issue of health. I am most happy about His Excellency’s Address on the provision of free healthcare to people who deserve it, like maternity cases, the old, children and so on. That is how it should be, but there have been very many short-term measures to address the issues. Sometimes they are--- You can see what is happening in the newspapers. What this country really needs is a comprehensive healthcare system. We need a comprehensive health Bill that will ensure that no person

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The Member for GatunduNorth.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I am Francis Kigo Njenga, the hon. Member for Gatundu North. I take this opportunity to congratulate, first, His Excellency the President and his Deputy, yourself and your Deputy, all the hon. Members here and those in the other House. I also want to thank the people of Gatundu North for having given me this opportunity to serve them in this House. As I follow this debate which I support and like; I say that it is marvelous; we have spoken about public spending and capital spending in our constituencies and counties. However, it is high time we also addressed ourselves to the issue of revenue. You can never spend without earning. When President Kibaki came to power, this country could raise Kshs100 billion in taxes. By the time he left we were at over Kshs800 billion from taxes. I urge this House to ensure that by the time President Uhuru leaves, probably, most likely in ten years time, we should be at Kshs2 trillion from taxes, so that we achieve what we are promising the people of Kenya. Hon. Speaker, Sir, we need to review the Income Tax Act, Cap.470 of the laws of Kenya and the Value Added Tax Act. These are taxes that touch on revenue. They create windows and opportunities for corruption. This House should look at these two Acts and ensure that they are tight to ensure that no theft of public money takes place via taxes. Hon. Speaker, Sir, when you get money, the other thing is to protect the money. The biggest problem, other than the twin brothers of corruption and tribalism, has actually been spending our hard earned money in a way that allows the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This House must address the issue of corruption. In any case, we are the people who have been given the mandate of oversight of our Government. Tribalism has made the Governments in the past actually favour their communities. President Kibaki did not do it. I do not want to say that other Governments did it, but I think it can be seen. We must curb tribalism, so that communities can work together, and this country can go far. With regard to equity, it is our constitutional right to be equal. The social justice that is provided for in the Constitution gives every Kenya dignity. It gives equality and equity. However, it is very sad to see that some areas in the country are marginalized when it comes to the distribution of resources. I think the President will look at that. I am saying so because in my constituency if you want to get a policeman you have to go to the neighbouring constituency. In order to get medical services you have to do the same. Even for one to get justice they have to go to the neighbouring constituency. If you go to Mahiane Hospital you will just find a building there; there is nothing much. We need resources to be equitably distributed in this country to all districts because there is no Kenyan who is not equal to the other. I want this House to look at its role in Budget-making and appropriation. When I look at our state today, we are where the county governments are not a story; rather they are a reality. We now must do the

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The hon. Member from Migori County; the lady in green. You people talked of equity and so we must practise it.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, Sir, for seeing me. My name is Dennitah Ghati, hon. Member for Migori County. I wish to congratulate you for being elected the Speaker; I also congratulate the Deputy Speaker. I also wish to thank the people of Migori County for having trust in me to represent them in this prestigious House. Hon. Speaker, Sir, I want to very quickly comment on the Address by His Excellency the President, and especially on maternal healthcare. That is one area that I am very passionate about. The issue of free maternity healthcare is very important and I felt that the President touched on an area that is really touches on grassroots women. What I am left to wonder about - I am here to basically talk about how sustainable it is - is the whole issue of how we are going to move in terms of maternity healthcare; this is about ante-natal and post-natal healthcare. Also, how do we sustain the programme to enable our women have free access to drugs? For women in the rural areas, it is one thing to have free maternal healthcare and another thing to enable them access the services. I just came from the county the other day and I can tell you that expectant women are still being subjected to paying a fee at the public hospitals. I am left to wonder how soon this will be implemented. For me it is a positive move, but we need to move forward very quickly and see how it works. Lastly, Hon. Speaker, Sir, is the issue of food security. As you know, this is very critical to poverty alleviation. It is unfortunate that at this time and era in this country, and especially where I come from, people still depend on food aid and natural rain; when it does not rain, therefore, the county, or constituency, lacks water even for irrigation. I am very keen to see how issues to do with irrigation, natural rain, and water generally are going to help in agriculture. This is because most of our counties depend on rain water.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for your very sharp eye and for recognising me despite the competition from my neighbours here. I would like to take this very early opportunity to congratulate you for your deserved election as the Speaker of this House. I rise to support the Motion. First and foremost, without being verbose, I would like to say that the President’s Address was not only cogent but was also lucid and vivid; it initiated the 21-point agenda for the Jubilee Government. If you look at what the President stated in his Address,

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Sorry, hon. Member. Your time is up. Let me have the lady seated next to hon. Nyiva Mwendwa.

(Hon. (Ms) Musyoka: Hon. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for noticing me. My names are Hon. Susan Musyoka, the Member for Machakos County. I want to add my voice to congratulating you as our Speaker and also thank the people of Machakos County for electing me. The Presidential Address was very impressive and very appealing to Kenyans. I look forward to seeing county women empowerment programmes coming into place, and

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On a point of information, Hon. Speaker, Sir.

You are out of order! Who are you informing?

Hon. Speaker, Sir, first and foremost, just like my colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely congratulate all hon. Members of Parliament, yourself and your Deputy for your successful election.

I rise here, first, to give my maiden speech and secondly, to make a few comments on the President’s Address. Many Members of this honourable House have made positive comments about what our President said in his Address. I would like to add to that voice by saying that, indeed, the Speech captured the mood of the country at the time that he delivered it.

However, what is important is not so much how glossy, beautiful or how much - like hon. Chepkonga said - the Speech was well elucidated, but what commitment the President will have in the five years he will be the Head of this country to deliver on that Speech.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I would like to say that although the Speech addressed almost all the sectors of the economy, there are certain sectors that I feel we need to have given a

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Yes, the lady in whitish attire! Kindly introduce yourself.

(Hon. (Dr.) Chebet: Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you and your Deputy for your election. I also want to congratulate President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy, William Ruto for their election. My names are Dr. Susan Chebet from Elgeyo/Marakwet County. I am the County Women Representative.

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Let us have one of the hon. Members with disability. I have recognized hon. Rose Museo because she cannot be seen from her place.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mumo)

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Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir, for seeing me at last. First of all, I want to thank you for being elected as the Speaker of this august House and your Deputy. I also wish to thank the people of Mandera East for electing me to be in this august House. I will comment on the Presidential Speech that was very good and marvelous. It said what we expected of him but to be very specific, when the President talked about a lean Government, I was also touched. He made that promise by reducing his ministries to 18. He also promised to cut on agencies and departments in his Government. I suspect he is on the road to doing that. That was very good of him and I hope he is going to implement it. I will remind the President of the areas that probably he might cut on in his efforts to fight wastage. My first shot goes to the so many commissions that we have in this country. I do not propose eradicating them but let us reduce the number of commissioners who serve in those commissions. By the way, they earn more than hon. Members. I also wish the President would slash the so many departments that exist in some Ministries. Of particular interest to me is the Minister of Water and Irrigation that overlaps severally. The President was very particular about improving the economy of this country. Specifically, he said he wants the economy of this country to grow at a double digit. That was very good of him but I was a little bit confused. I do not know whether it is because I do not know English but when he said he will do that in a generation, I do not know the meaning of a “generation.” Is it 15 years? Is it ten years? I wanted the President to be specific when he said “within a generation”. Is it the five years that he is in office now? I want a clarification on that. But generally, the President touched on so many sectors where he can revamp and improve the economy. He specifically spoke about the tourism sector where he intends to raise the number of tourist arrivals to three million. He also talked about modernizing our agriculture, fighting corruption, creating skilled manpower in this country and so on. He also talked about job creation. But what touched my heart is where he targeted to improve

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Your time is up!

Please do not raise your hand; you are tall enough to catch my eye.

Mhe. Spika, mimi ni Mheshimiwa aliyeshindwa mara saba na ya nane akachaguliwa kuja hapa ndani. Natoa shukrani kubwa sana kwa wewe kupata hicho kiti. Najua wewe ni kiongozi ambaye atatuongoza tukiwa pamoja. Natoa pia shukrani kwa Mwenyezi Mungu kunileta hapa na watu wa Tigania Mashariki. Pia nimekutana na ndugu yangu Mhe. Kabando wa Kabando tuliyekuwa naye 1992 na Mhe. Chris Bichage ambaye pia tulikuwa naye tukipigania haki. Kutoka wakati huo, sijawahi kupumzika hadi sasa niko Bunge. Kwa hivyo, nasema ahsante kwa Mwenyezi Mungu na kwa watu wa Tigania Mashariki kwa kunileta Bungeni. Hotuba ya Rais ilikuwa nzuri sana. Sisi watu wa Upinzani wa chama cha ODM hatufai kuwa tunapingana na kila kitu. Saa zingine tuseme kingine ni kizuri. Hotuba ya Rais aliyoisoma katika Bunge hili ilikuwa nzuri sana. Ukiingia Tigania Mashariki, kuna mahali panaitwa Amgaa, Ngutu na Kunati. Ukiingia zaidi magharibi sehemu ya Ndia, barabara imekatika na hakuna daraja. Zile shule ambazo zitapelekewa laptops, mahali pengine watoto wanasomea chini ya miti. Hivi sasa, ukimpelekea mtoto laptop akiwa chini ya mti na mvua inyeshe, laptop hiyo itaharibika. Kwanza, tunataka shule zijengwe halafu laptops zifuate. Katika sehemu ya Tigania Mashariki, hakuna hospitali ilihali inapakana na Igembe ya Kati na Igembe Kusini. Watu wa Tigania Kusini wa kutoka upande wa Ngutu na wale wanaotoka Kunati wana hospitali. Lakini sisi hatuna chochote. Inaonekana ni mahali hapawezi kupata uhuru lakini kwa sababu Mhe. Kenyatta amepata Serikali na watu wa Tigania Mashariki walimpigia kura na kunipigia mimi, ni lazima afike kule aone wale ni wazalendo Waafrika awapiganie. Hawa ni wazalendo wa Afrika ambao walipigania uhuru na wakapata. Ningependa kuzungumzia masuala yanayohusu kahawa. Eneo letu la Tigania Mashariki lilikuwa nambari moja katika kilimo cha kahawa. Lakini kahawa iliharibiwa na ikachafuka. Wakulima wa eneo la Tigania Mashariki waling’oa kahawa wakapanda

. Naomba Serikali inayoongozwa na Rais Uhuru Kenyatta na Bw. Ruto - kwa sababu wako pamoja - waunganishe watu wa Tigania Mashariki ili waweze kupanda kahawa. Kahawa ilisaidia sana kuimarisha elimu katika eneo la Tigania Mashariki. Mhe. Spika, Jumapili, nilitembea katika Mkoa wa Kati na rafiki yangu mmoja hapa ambaye sitaki kumtaja. Tulienda kanisani na yeye na akaniuliza: “Mhe. Aburi, nitatoa nini?” Na mimi nikamuuliza: “Kwa nini unaniuliza hivyo?” Akajibu: “Mshahara

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Nafasi sasa ni ya mhe. Gideon Mung’aro. Tusikie sauti ya Pwani.

Asante sana mhe. Spika. Nataka pia nichukue nafasi hii nikupongeze kwa kuchaguliwa kama Spika wa Bunge hili. Vile vile, ningependa kuchukua nafasi hii kuwashukuru watu wa Kilifi Kaskazini kwa kunipatia nafasi kuwa mbunge wao wa kwanza katika eneo hilo jipya la Bunge. Mhe. Spika, katika kuchangia Hotuba ya Rais, ningependa kutilia mkazo jambo ambalo ndugu yangu Aburi amelizungumzia; hasa upeanaji wa tarakirishi kwa watoto wa darasa la kwanza katika shule zetu za msingi. Nafikiri ijapokuwa Rais ana maono mema katika kuanzisha mradi huu wa tarakirishi kwa watoto wetu wa darasa la kwanza, ingekuwa vyema ikiwa Rais, badala ya kuwapatia wanafunzi wa darasa la kwanza tarakirishi hizo ambazo zinaweza kuhatarisha usalama wa watoto wetu wadogo badaye--- Kwa sababu watu watajaribu kuwapokonya. Hata zinaweza kuibiwa zikiwa nyumbani. Watu wanafikiria ni vifaa ambavyo vinaweza kuwasaidia kwa njia nyingi. Serikali ingejenga mahabara katika shule zetu zote za msingi ile watoto wetu wa kutoka darasa la kwanza hadi la nane waweze kufaidika kutokana na mradi huu wa tarakirishi. Vile vile, mhe. Spika ningetaka kuzungumzia kuhusu Hotuba ya Rais, hasa kuhusu swala la ardhi. Sisi watu wa Pwani, swala la ardhi ni swala nyeti sana. Watu wa Pwani wamekuwa maskwota tangu wakati wa uhuru wa nchi hii. Swala la ardhi katika

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Sasa nafasi hii ni ya mhe. Nuru Angwenyi.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, first, I want to congratulate you for your election to be our Speaker. I would like to congratulate our Deputy Speaker, my sister Dr. Laboso, and the House leadership from both sides, who have been elected to serve this House. Secondly, since this is my maiden speech after a spell of five years. I would like to thank the people of Kitutu Chache North who voted for me overwhelmingly, after they had taken me through an induction course to digitize me so that I can serve them well in this House. Thirdly, I would like to thank the President for giving us a very serious and deep Speech, which brought out the programmes of the Jubilee Government. I am sure he has spoken. In Jubilee we say: “We believe. Ni kusema na kutenda .” Amesema na sasatunangojea kutenda ! I urge the House to support the Government so that it can dispose of its “ kutenda ” side of its motto. If we do that, I am sure that by the end of ten years’ reign of Jubilee Government, Uhuru Kenyatta will be called the silver of Kenya. It will be like the silver of Brazil, who pulled out of poverty 46 million people in a period of ten years. I am sure we will pull out of poverty more than 15 million people if we undertake to implement the Jubilee Manifesto. Hon. Speaker, I cannot continue talking about the Speech without touching on pertinent issues that affect us. I want to give a warning to this House. This House is under

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Hon. Speaker, Sir, I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. It is because I have been struggling to catch your eye since I came. Thank you because you have given me a chance at long last. First of all I want to thank the people of Kwanza for giving me the opportunity to serve them. Secondly, I want to talk about the Presidential Address. I support it because it touched very many areas that are very dear to my heart. The first one is on agriculture. You know that Trans Nzoia is the granary of this country in terms of food production. I want to draw the attention of hon. Members here that if things go the way they are now, we are likely to have famine this year. Last month people had not cultivated or planted. They had not even done top dressing. This is because the Ministry of Agriculture had not imported fertilizer on time. I would like to ask the President to take his time so that he can get the right people at the right places. If you can have somebody of the caliber of the Deputy President in the Ministry of Agriculture, this country will not have a problem with regard to food production. Let the President take his time to look for somebody who will help us have enough production of food. The Ministry of Agriculture needs an overhaul. I am a farmer. By last month we had not even planted because there was no fertilizer. I, therefore, ask the President to give us somebody credible to head that Ministry. The President mentioned something to do with perennial droughts and floods. That is a very good idea. We see rain water causing havoc. I am particularly hurt because

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Hon. Speaker, Sir, as you can see apart from being new, I do not know how to use these buttons. My names are hon. Sunjeev Kour Birdi. I am honored to be a nominated Member of Parliament from the United Republican Party (URP). Hon. Speaker, Sir, I would like to bring a few things into perspective. There are two things that are very close to my heart. One is corruption and the other one is health. I mention corruption because apparently corruption has become a tradition in our country. A colleague mentioned something about the private sector. The reason the private sector is used to giving bribery is because you find it easier to get a job done quickly. It comes down to red tape. We need to know how to round the system so that doing business in our country can be easier and thus increase the revenue. If you go to Eastleigh on a Friday afternoon or Lunga Lunga Road in Makadara, you will see the City Council workers there manhandling the employees of Makadara over kitu kidogo so that they can get their businesses going. I wish we could address this matter. Hon. Speaker, Sir, the other thing I would like to mention is clean water. There are very many boreholes that were drilled irregularly within Nairobi City, and they are not capped properly. Do not be surprised to learn that cancer is increasing in our country because of the chemicals that go into the boreholes of the water that people drink. I will bring up the remaining two issues at some other time. I would like to, lastly, congratulate you, hon. Speaker, for being elected to this House; and President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto for their election. Thank you very much.

Yes, hon. Kamama.

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I will have the hon. Member at that corner.

Mhe. Spika, jina langu ni Onesmas Kimani Ngunjiri kutoka sehemu ya uwakilishi ya Bahati. Kwanza, ningependa kuwashukuru wakazi wa Bahati kwa kunichagua na kuweka rekodi. Kutoka mwaka wa 1963, Mbunge aliyechaguliwa kwa kura nyingi zaidi katika eneo Bunge hilo ni mimi, Kimani Ngunjiri. Kwa hivyo, ninawashukuru sana watu wa Bahati. Pia ningependa kukupongeza, mhe. Spika, kwa kuteuliwa kuwa Spika wetu. Pili, ningependa kuichangia Hoja tunayoizungumzia leo kuhusu Hotuba ya Rais wetu. Mara nyingi, ndoto humsumbua mwenye kuota lakini siyo mwenye kutafsiriwa. Rais wetu anajua anachozungumzia. Sidhani kama kuna rais aliyechaguliwa na kura

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Yes, the hon. Ole Kenta!

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I should, first of all, start by stating that my name is Moitalel ole Kenta, the Member for Narok North. I would also like to congratulate, across the board, everybody. I also want to thank the people who elected me to Parliament.

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Yes, the Member for Rangwe!

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your election and that of the Deputy Speaker. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Rangwe, Kegano, Kochia and Gem for finding it wise to elect me to this House. I would also like to pay tribute to my late mother, Mama Philegona Onyango who passed away shortly before I was elected.

On the Speech of the President, I would like to support it. The Speech was very good and for the people of Rangwe, it is good because he touched on four main things that we find dear to our people.

The first one is education management. The president said that he would like his Government to ensure that no pupil or Kenyan leaves school before the age of 18. Coupled with that, I would like to request this House to ensure that under our Budget and Appropriations Committee, staffing levels in all schools improve and that our teachers are motivated to teach in our schools.

I would like this House to go into round two of school infrastructure programme to improve school infrastructure throughout the country. I would also like to request this House to ensure that the teachers and the District Education officers do not levy ad hoc fees. When I was at home during the sports day, I heard students were sent away from school because they had not paid sports levies. If sports are part of the curriculum, they should be covered under free primary education. If they are not, this has to end.

If sports are not part of the curriculum, we must remove them from there. As long as sports are part of the curriculum, free primary education must be used to pay for sports. Schools should not levy ad hoc fees.

I also request this House to ensure immediate abolition of examination fees. It is gross violation of human rights to ask somebody to go to school and then force him to confirm that he has learnt. I think that is grossly unfair and if the education department does not want to examine schools, let them remove the examination and not levy fees unnecessarily.

Hon. Speaker, the other topic the President talked about which is important to us, the people of Rangwe is infrastructure. We would like to see equitable distribution of infrastructural projects. We would also like to see roads being built all over the country in an equitable manner. We, the people of Rangwe would like to see Rodi Kopany-Oyugis

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Your time is up!

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir, for knowing my county today. Before I comment on the Presidential Speech, I wish to congratulate you too for being elected to be the leader of this House as the Speaker. I see this House as very able but I am wondering about this system you are using. During induction, we were told that this is a House of order. I am wondering whether this system is the one to be used for the next five years. I was asking whether it is not possible to do in batches, so that I know, for example, that I will be between numbers one to 20 and that, that batch will present in a particular day until the end. However, that is just a by the way and food for thought. With regard to the Presidential Speech, I am a young mother and so I would like to speak about the laptops. I see the laptop idea as a great one to this nation because the children will get exposure and it is interesting in learning. Our children will have a feel of technology at an early stage, unlike us who saw computers at the college level. I thought that a computer was something that could eat me up. So, the children will see the computers, play with them and after all, we are moving to a paperless era. In some banks you just go and deposit your money without filling any deposit slips. We deposit money today using the ATMs without any paperwork. So, it is cheaper to use a laptop in the long run. On Members who are speaking of children who learn under trees, I am imaging a child holding a laptop and a book to write on, which is more convenient? I think it is the laptop. In addition, maybe some hon. Members do not have goodwill for our President. If today I promise my child a cake, I cannot go and do my mathematics and say: “I found it wise to pay your school fees.” I must bring that cake because the child will not understand. This promise was made and it has to be fulfilled. A good example is my six year old daughter who was able to improve on her position from No.7 to No.3 because

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Your time is up! Please realize that the people seated next to the Speaker are likely not to catch the Speaker’s eye. I think it is a problem because the gadget is not working.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity. After staying here for so long, I was about to give up but lucky enough you saw me and I thank you. First, I want to congratulate you for being elected the Speaker. I also want to thank the people of Kiminini for giving me this opportunity to serve in this House. On the Presidential Speech, it was wonderful but all wonders have room for improvement and just like Winston Churchill once said, a great thing has room for improvement. Indeed, the President’s Speech has room for improvement. First on education matters, when you look at the value supply chain of the education system starting from the early childhood up to university level, you realize that the President’s focus was mostly at the primary level but when you go to higher learning, it was overlooked. At Independence, countries like Korea and Malaysia were at the same level as Kenya but at the moment these countries are way beyond. They are way beyond because they have invested heavily in higher learning. They have invested heavily in research and development. As a former scholar, we expect His Excellency the President to have gone further to improve the higher learning of this country. Maybe more allocation should be given to the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) to give more opportunities for those people to advance in learning. Many lecturers have been up and down to advance their studies but unfortunately we have had lack of funds. So, we expect His Excellency the President to have gone further to give a commitment on how universities are going to be given money so that the professors or whoever is there can advance. Secondly, on healthcare, it is indeed very important what the President said when it comes to maternity cases. Research has shown that we have very high rates of morbidity and mortality among pregnant women and children under the age of five. As much as a lot of focus has been given to maternity cases, we expect His Excellency the

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Your time is up! The lady who is at the last row. Hon. Members, you will appreciate that I must keep changing and recognize people who have been here throughout.

Hon. (Ms.) Ngeny) Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I am Eusilah Ngeny from Uasin Gishu County. I want to congratulate you and your Deputy for being elected as our national Speakers. I would like to congratulate all hon. Members for being elected to the Eleventh Parliament. I also want to thank the people of Uasin Gishu County for electing me as the Women County Representative. I want to appreciate the Speech of His Excellency the President because, one, it talked about fighting corruption. He mentioned all the on-going projects within the country and promised that they will be completed. One thing that I would like to say is that the projects are on-going. I have one project in Uasin Gishu County, that is the highway from Timboroa to Eldoret. I think the contractor is corrupt because he has excluded the climbing lanes. He has also failed to complete the road construction. For sure, as Members of Parliament, we want to fight corruption as much as we can so that our work can be seen on the ground. With regard to education, our young sons and daughters are really waiting for those laptops. Let us all join hands and, together with Mr. President, ensure that the laptops reach their destination. We all know that the foundation of good leadership and education starts from day one, that is Class One. We will really appreciate as young parents.

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The hon. Member nearest to the Speaker’s left.

Finally, I get noticed! Thank you so much, hon. Speaker, Sir. Over the weekend, I was joking with my son that, maybe, it is about time I shaved all my hair so that this week, the hon. Speaker can notice me. So, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. My name is hon. Daniel Kazungu, Member of Parliament for Malindi. I want, first of all, to thank the people of Malindi for electing me to this august House, to be with my former college-mate and Majority Leader, hon. Aden Duale and also hon. Keynan. We were together at Moi University. So, it is a good opportunity for me to join them here. Hon. Speaker, Sir, first of all, I want to congratulate you and your deputy for the great win. It was a deserved win and I am confident that with your stewardship, we will achieve great heights in this House in terms of legislation. I am here honoured to represent the people of Malindi and I will do my best to do that. Turning to the Presidential Speech, I think it was outstanding. It is interesting that when I was leaving my employer - Higen Corporation - the largest ICT company in the world, I left all that to go and serve my people in rural Malindi and, of course, together with Malindi Town as well. I was driven by the nine-point agenda which the President talked about. For me, that was incredible. That the President can come over here and talk about the same nine-point agenda that drove me out of the big corporate world to go and serve my people. But like any great thing, we know the devil is in the details. Detail number one is the issue of land. We all know at the Coast - and especially in Malindi – that there is a big problem with land. The land issue is very serious. I know the President is keen on that because he said he wants to work with the National Land Commission (NLC). I think when he talked so much about land being looked at more like a factor of production I tend to disagree with him there because land is about heritage, peoples’ shelter and peoples’ dignity. I say that we need to look at land seriously. He should be focusing on land issues like yesterday. It is true that on the issue of food security, we all know how much water has been wasted right now. It is wasted through rivers as the water flows down to the Indian Ocean. We need to start doing the damming projects the President was talking about, as a matter of urgency as well. That way, we can do irrigation as opposed to relying on rain-fed agriculture. On the issue of water, in rural Malindi today, I know of mothers who wake up in the morning to look for water 20 kilometres away. That cannot be acceptable in the 21st Century in Kenya. Hopefully, the Jubilee Government will do its best to ensure that mothers have time to do other things so that homes are as productive as possible. On the issue of

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Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. My names are Joseph Samal Lomwa. I am the Member of Parliament for Isiolo North. Isiolo is a cosmopolitan county, more so my constituency. Yesterday I was joking with a friend and he told me that I represent the Turkana in diaspora. I am a Turkana but I was born in Isiolo and I represent the interests of a cosmopolitan nature of the people of Isiolo North Constituency. Hon. Speaker, Sir, I want to thank you and your Deputy for being elected. I join my colleagues in congratulating you. With regard to the President’s Speech, I know that with regard to the policy statements that the President gave during his inauguration some were touching on the aspect of northern Kenya. He touched on some of the projects earmarked for development in the northern part of this country; one of those projects is the LAPPSET I. The one that comes from Lamu through Isiolo, which is the central part of Kenya, then joins Ethiopia and Sudan through Turkana County. It also goes through Marsabit. This project is going to improve the livelihood of the people of Isiolo and those residing along the transport corridor. It is going to contribute a lot to the economy of Kenya. This is something which, if well implemented, will definitely improve our economy.

However, Hon. Speaker, Sir, when thinking about such projects, we need to also think about the livelihood systems of people. This project touches on land. We know that land is one thing that is important in our economy. Isiolo still falls under trust land. The same is true for most of the counties in the northern part of Kenya. Adjudication of land is a paramount issue. If we remain as trust land and there are huge projects of this nature being implemented in this region then--- We know it comes with a lot of displacement and a lot of land being taken away from the people. The President talked about protecting people when it comes to land issues. Projects such as this one will be of help to people. Adjudication of land will protect the land and it will ensure that legitimate concerns of the people are taken care of. The other thing the President talked about is insecurity. He mentioned something about sporting activities. He talked about the five stadia. I want to put a request before this House that when we start talking about how we are going to distribute the five stadia we need to have one situated between Isiolo and Samburu. In fact, we call it the Isiolo Triangle. That way we will be able to promote peace and harmonious existence of people

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Ahsante sana mhe. Spika. Ningependa kukupongeza kwa kuchaguliwa kuwa Spika wa Bunge hili. Aidha ningependa kuwapa shukrani kubwa wakaazi wa Taita Taveta kwa kunichagua kama mwakilishi wao. Natoa shukrani kubwa kwa Rais. Kuna mambo machache katika hotuba yake ambayo ningependa kuangazia ambayo aliyataja kwa uzito sana. Kwanza ni elimu. Yeye anataka kupeleka elimu yetu katika kiwango cha juu. Alitaja mambo ya laptops. Sisi tuliochaguliwa kama viongozi inatupasa tuangazie masuala ya elimu ikiwa tutataka kupeleke elimu katika ngazi ya juu. Tukiseme tutawapatia watoto laptop na walimu waendelee kugoma kwa ajili ya mambo ya mishahara basi elimu haitakuwa imepanda katika kiwango cha juu. Rais aliangazia suala la mashamba. Suala la ardhi ni nyeti katika nchi yetu yote. Mimi nikiwa mkazi wa pwani naweza kusema kwamba suala hili lilimnyima Rais kura kule pwani. Ukweli lazima tuusema. Hata kama tungeenda raundi ya pili bado tusingempa kura kwa ajili ya jambo hilo. Ni jambo ambalo limeleta utata sana pale pwani. Wakazi wa pwani wengi hawajamiliki ardhi. Hawana vyeti vya ardhi. Hii imeleta machungu kwa miaka mingi. Naiomba serikali hii pamoja na viongozi waliochaguliwa waweze kutatua suala hili ili lisitumiwe wakati watu wanatafuta kura, kwa mfano, kuzawadia watu ekari fulani za ardhi. Kitu ambacho unapeana wakati unatafuta kura hatutahesabu. Ni kama vile unaenda kuchumbia msichana mrembo. Unapomchumbia unampa zawadi hapa na pale. Wakati unapomwoa hutohesabu kwamba ulimpa hiki ama kile. Wakati umemwoa ni jukumu lako kumtunza. Kwa sababu Rais Uhuru amepata nafasi ya kuongoza nchi hii, ninayo matumaini kwamba ataliangazia suala hili la ardhi ili liwe ni historia. Amalize mambo haya wakati huu akiwa kiongozi. Masuala yote ambayo watu wa Mkoa wa Pwani wanataka kumwuliza sasa wanayo fursa kufanya hivyo. Mhe. Spika, vile vile, Rais alizungumzia utalii. Katika Kaunti ya Taita Taveta tuna shida ya ugomvi baina ya wanyamapori na binadamu. Haswa, upande wa Mwakitao, kila wakati unapata kwamba binadamu wameuawa na mimea kuharibiwa na wanyama. Ninajua kwamba tunaweza kupata suluhu ya hali hii. Wakenya wako na matumaini mengi sana kwa sababu ya huu uongozi ambao umekuja katika mfumo wa katiba mpya. Ni matumaini ya Wakenya kwamba tutaweza kuitekeleza Katiba na kuangazia masuala yanayowadhuru, ugomvi baina ya wanyamapori na binadamu likiwa mojawapo. Nimepata fursa ya kuwasikiza viongozi kutoka matabaka mbalimbali. Suala lililoibuka ni kwamba shida ya maji imeenea katika taifa nchi yetu ya Kenya. Sitasema kwamba shida hiyo iko Taita Taveta peke yake ama kwenye eneo la pwani peke yake. Kila mmoja wetu hapa ameangazia masuala ya maji na barabara. Kwa hivyo, tukishirikiana kama viongozi, tunaweza kuzitatua shida hizi, kwa sababu ukimpatia binadamu maji ni kama kwamba umempatia dawa.

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Your time is up, hon. Joyce. Yes, Member for Emurua Dikirr.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir, for noticing my presence at long last. First, I would like to congratulate you for occupying the third-most powerful office of the land. Congratulations! I would also like to thank the people of Emurua Dikirr, who took their time to make me their first Member of Parliament. Hon. Speaker, Sir, I would also like to congratulate the President for their success and for giving this House and the whole nation a Speech and policies, which we believe can enable this nation to prosper. I would like to quote what my colleague, hon. Nyiva Mwendwa said, that these policies have been there and it is the hon. Members of this House who can cause them to be implemented. It is true that this nation has been a great architect of policies, most of which have been gathering dust in shelves. We believe that the policies that the President made to this nation will be implemented. I would like to look, especially at the issue of agriculture. The President talked much about agriculture. I come from the Rift Valley region, which has been the grain basket of this nation but this time round, it has missed out because nobody in government has looked at the agriculture sector in totality. That region used to be a great producer of tea, maize, wheat and pyrethrum but the previous government failed to look into those particular sub-sectors. I believe that the current Government, especially given that the Deputy President comes from that region, will make sure that the agriculture sector is resurrected, so that we can help this nation. Secondly, I would like to touch on infrastructure, which the President talked about. This nation has lagged behind in terms of development because of poor roads. I remember in history a country called Germany, which was actually bombed and reduced to debris in the Second World War. The economy of that country resurrected because her leadership put a lot of effort in infrastructure. The leadership in Kenya should identify those areas with the potential of contributing to the growth of this country and build roads. I believe that this nation will rise to the standards of other nations. I come from an area where when people talk about tarmac roads they have to travel for more than 50 kilometres to see what it is. I would like this Government to devolve the infrastructure. Currently, most of the good roads, especially the superhighways, are concentrated in one particular area. We would wish to hear of a superhighway in my constituency, so that our people can also benefit from this Government. Hon. Speaker, Sir, I would also like to talk about health. Most Kenyans cannot access health facilities due to one reason or another. I would like to appreciate the fact that the President---

Yes, hon. Jessica Mbalu.

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(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Hon. Speaker, Sir, my name is Jessica Mbalu. I represent Kibwezi East Constituency. I thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Presidential Address but before I do so, I want to congratulate you and your deputy on your election. I would also like to congratulate the hon. Members who have been elected to this House. Above all, I want to thank the people of Kibwezi East for overwhelmingly electing me to represent them in this House. I want them to know that I will never let them down. Hon. Speaker, Sir, what is contained in the Presidential Address is a vision of where His Excellency wants to take this country in the next four-and-a-half years to five years – the biggest challenge, especially given the time. I want to talk about some issues that are very close to my heart, namely, street families. You can conceive an idea but the challenge is whether you are going to ensure that your idea gets to the right people. The first issue is about land. I come from a constituency where land has been an issue. His Excellency the President was very categorical on this issue when he said that it is important for this country to see that land is a factor of production. Indeed, land is a factor of production but in order for it to be truly a factor of production, some issues need to be addressed. In this country, land has been politicized and sensationalized to the level that we have not been able to get the full benefit of land. There are issues of land adjudication and issuance of title deeds and most hon. Members have talked about them. Hon. Speaker, Sir, in Kibwezi East, 99 per cent of the residents, including hon. Jessica Mbalu, do not have title deeds. We are forced to pay Government fee which is high to the land adjudication officials. In Masongaleni, my people pay Kshs50,000 and above, together with the costs, yet this was a settlement scheme set aside for the people who were moved from Chyulu Hills. How I wish the issue of land adjudication can be expedited by the President, so that the people of Kibwezi East, and other areas of this country, can have title deeds to their land. He talked about this issue in his Address very well. Without title deeds, we cannot access credit from financial institutions, nor can we access loans from other organizations which require security in terms of title deed. We can also not improve the standards of living, or create wealth, in Kibwezi East.

The second issue is about tourism. His Excellency the President stated very clearly that there is need to improve the tourism sector in this country. The number of tourists coming to this country should be increased. I agree with that because it is a critical sector. However, the problems facing the sector should be addressed.

(Hon. (Eng.) Manga): Ahsante sana Mhe. Spikar. Nilikuwa ninafikiri kwamba upande huu wetu una giza kwa sababu hukuwa unatuona; sasa ninashukuru sana kwa sababu umeniona.

Ningependa kukupongeza kwa kuchaguliwa kuwa Spika katika Bunge la Katiba mpya. Pia, ningependa kuwapongeza wenzangu waliochaguliwa kuja katika Bunge hili, ambalo ni kubwa sana.

Mhe. Spikar, kama ulivyotaja, mimi ni mhandisi Shadrack Manga, Mbunge wa Kuria Mashariki. Ningependa kusema kwamba kwa miaka mingi iliyopita, hatujapata hotuba ya kuchemsha, ya vitendo na ya kuonyesha uzalendo kama tuliyopata kutoka kwa Mhe. Rais wetu. Leo, tunauzungumzia vipengele vyake. Nilifurahi sana kwa sababu vipengele kuhusu amani, elimu na kutuinua kutoka kwa umaskini. Hizi ndizo zilikuwa ahadi zangu kwa wananchi nilipokuwa nikiwaomba kura.

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(Hon. (Mr). Wandayi): Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker, Sir. My name is Opiyo Wandayi, the Member for Ugunja. Ugunja is the newest constituency in Siaya County.

I must start by joining my colleagues in congratulating you on your election as the Speaker. I also congratulate your Deputy. I must also say that I am encouraged by the way you have steered debate in this House so far, and I look forward to better times ahead. On the Presidential Address, I would like to say that there is a lot of optimism due to the Address. It is good to be optimistic but it is even better to be realistic. Indeed, it is much better to be practical. What I mean is that the President might mean well. Indeed, he, together with his Government, might have good intentions but unless he gathers courage to dismantle the bureaucracy that he has so happily inherited, his Jubilee Government and him might not go far in so far as achieving their objectives is concerned. Why do I say this? The bureaucracy that the President has inherited is the source of impunity in this country. Indeed, it is the biggest impediment to reforms in this country. So, I urge the President to summon the courage and dismantle this bureaucracy because he does not need legislation to do so. So, I ask the President to take courage and dismantle impunity.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, on the issue of education, I want to point out that the Jubilee Government might not achieve much in so far as reforming education is concerned unless the issue of the welfare of teachers is addressed. We can give children laptops but unless we have teachers who are motivated, we shall not achieve much. The issue of motivating teachers must be given a lot of priority if this Government is to move forward in so far as their objective of addressing education is concerned. Again, we must have the courage to see the elephant in the room. The President has dwelt on decreasing the wage bill; that is fine but the biggest issues we have in the country are corruption and wastage. Part of the wastage in this country arises from commissions which are redundant. One of the most---

On a point of information!

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I am making my maiden speech!

Hon. Speaker, Sir, one of the most redundant commissions is the Commission on the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC). My take - I believe this strongly -is that the work this Commission is purporting to do what can be adequately by a relevant Committee of this House. So I would like to urge Members of this House to take it upon themselves to ensure that in the next appropriations, we do justice to this Commission, so that it stops wasting money and dwelling on irrelevant matters. It is a commission that sits idle for a whole year and only releases statements here and there; these are the so called opinions, which are ignored and then its members continue sitting and wasting our people’s money.

On the question of land, the President has talked of irrigating a million acres every year. Unless the President and the Government address the question of land ownership, no amount of irrigation will help us; the biggest issue in this country is questioned land ownership. Article 60 of the Constitution talks about equitable access to land, and sustainable and effective management of land resources. The President and the Jubilee Coalition must give us their philosophy on land ownership if we are to take them seriously on the question of land.

Old habits die very hard. Of late, we have seen tendencies that border on what I would call authoritarianism. You see---

Your time is up!

(Hon. (Ms) Otucho): Hon. Speaker, Sir, thank you for seeing me at last.

The Chair is alive to all those who have been here since 2.30 p.m.

(Hon. (Ms) Otucho): Hon. Speaker, Sir, before I get to my comments, I want to join my sister in suggesting that your Office has to come up with a formula to ensure equitable distribution of opportunity to hon. Members. We want to see equal participation according to our numbers. I now take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election as the Speaker. I also congratulate all the hon. Members who were elected and nominated to the Eleventh Parliament. I want to say that the President’s Address was very commendable, and that most importantly it touched on the very pertinent issues that affect this nation; it was very sensitive to the plight of Kenyans, especially the ordinary mwananchi. I want to go straight to the issue of security. The President said that his Government is committed to ensuring that all citizens are able to live, work and worship in peace. He also said that this Government is committed to improving security and also improving the ratio to bring it closer to the UN ratio of one policeman to 450 people. Taking into consideration the insecurity incidents that have been witnessed across the country, I want to say that I commend him for that and I look forward to seeing a transformed, corrupt free, strengthened, more revamped and motivated police force. We want to see a police force that is sensitive to human life as opposed to what we are seeing. I come from a constituency that is at a border and before I continue, I think I want to take this opportunity to appreciate the people of Teso South. They have made a

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Your time is up!

Hon. Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this chance. First, I want to congratulate you and the Deputy Speaker for being elected to lead this House for the next five years. Secondly I want to also thank the people of Daadab for giving me this opportunity to serve them as a Member of Parliament for the next five years. On the Presidential Address, I have a number of comments that I will try to go over. Generally speaking, it was a great Address.

On a point of order, hon Speaker, Sir. I rise under Standing Order No.80 to say that a Member should not read a speech---

Are you in order to interrupt a Member making a maiden speech?

I stand guided!

Hon. Speaker, Sir, thank you for protecting me. I am not reading a speech; I am only looking at the points. So I think the Address was very inspiring and great, and I want to comment on some issues. One is education and laptops. I think it is a great idea to provide laptops to school children, but in this country we have many challenges in the education sector. For example, the constituency that I represent has 16 primary schools with a total enrolment of 5,800 pupils and a total of 53 teachers. That is less than the number of teachers in some schools in urban centres in other parts of the country. I think it will be important to

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Order! Can you go back! How long do you need to be in the House to know that you cannot just walk to the other side? You are in the House; not in a farm!

Can I continue hon. Speaker?

Continue.

I was talking about insecurity in Dadaab Constituency. In the last one year alone, more than 30 people have been killed by bandits in Dadaab Constituency. The security problem in Dadaab emanates from the closure of the border. That is because there is movement of goods through panya routes. The beneficiaries are security officers, bandits and a few businessmen. My appeal to the Uhuru Government is to open the border. That is because people in that part of the country depend on trade and movement. When you close the border, that contributes further to poverty and unemployment. Secondly, following the incident which happened in Garissa, the Government has actually given letters to some chiefs in my constituency. The information that we have is that the chiefs were asked to explain why they were involved in sugar smuggling. In my opinion, chiefs in those areas cannot be involved in sugar smuggling. We have many security men with vehicles and, actually, they are the ones who take bribes from the businessmen who bring in sugar. My appeal to the Government is that the border between Kenya and Somalia should be opened, because the people in the northern part of Kenya, particularly those who live along the border with Somalia, actually benefit from the trade along the common border. Thirdly, I would like to comment on the issue of health. His Excellency the President said that provision healthcare in health facilities in this country will be free. That is in dispensaries and health centres. In this country, we have about 5,000---

The hon. Member next to my right.

Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. My names are Moses Malulu Injendi, MP, Malava, Kakamega County.

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(Hon. (Ms.) Amolo): Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. My names are Rachel Ameso Amolo, Kakamega County Women Representative. Thank you so much for spotting me. I was thinking, maybe, because of my height, you were not seeing me. I am a short lady, but thank you because you have seen me. Thank you, hon. Speaker, Sir. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Kakamega for electing Rachel Amolo. As you all know, Kakamega is a big county with 12 constituencies. It was not an easy job. So, I take this opportunity to thank the people of Kakamega for electing me. Hon. Speaker, Sir, I also take this opportunity to thank you on your new appointment. I also would like to thank the Deputy Speaker who is not in the House at the moment. I stand here to support the Address of our President, hon. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. I want to look into the issue of education. To me, it is possible. All I know is that a change is a change. A change is painful to some people. So, we have to look at it and accept it. But we people in the House, have to support our President. This is because the issue of laptops has to be implemented. What we need to do is to have a pilot programme. Let us look at some schools. There are schools that were picked as centres of excellence. Let us pick them as centres for the pilot programme. Let us take the laptops there and see how the whole thing will work, so that when we come to 2014 the programme does start. It has to start in this House. Hon. Speaker, Sir, I would like to urge President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta to start with us. If you were to tell all of us to operate laptops, I believe not all of us would manage. I believe that this project should start in this House and then go out to the teachers. When I watched my President read his Address, he had papers. I expected him to have an iPad. I would like to see Mr. President give his next speech wherever he will be via an iPad, so that we can also copy what he will do. As the children wait for the laptops to come, they should see their President using an iPad. I also believe that hon. Members of Parliament need to style up and stop carrying papers here and there. We need to carry our laptops and iPads. I believe the Clerk of the National Assembly can ensure that we have laptops here, so that we do not carry these papers. They are filing up our houses, and we do not have box files for them. I come from Khwisero in Kakamega where we have tourism. We have Kakamega Forest where we have beautiful butterflies and birds. We have the most poisonous snakes in Kakamega Forest.

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Thank you, Hon. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. First and foremost I would like to congratulate you upon your election as the Speaker of this House. Secondly, I wish to thank the people of Mbeere North for giving me this chance to be their Member of Parliament for the next five years. On the Presidential Address, I would like to commend the President for the moving address that he gave this House. In particular, I would like to cite issues in land, roads, and youth and women funds. We Members of the august House went to the electorate and it was our promise to the people that we would give jobs to the youth and money to the women for their businesses. I wish to add my voice to that of the hon. Members who have so far congratulated the President for the moving and beautiful Address, which he delivered to this august House. On the issue of land, as a legal practitioner in this country, I am amazed at the slow pace at which matters of land are handled at the Lands Office. So, on matters relating to land, I would wish that the Presidential Address is actualised and land offices are regionalised. Land offices should be digitalised, so that people can get services as soon as possible. It is a big wonder that a small matter like a search certificate takes over four days to get at any lands office. This is a waste of time, money and resources.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, on the issue of roads, I come from a constituency where there is a single tarmac road of about 20 kilometres. Mbeere North District Headquarters has not been tarmacked despite the fact that it is a district headquarters, which was established way back in the 1940s. Therefore, I would wish that the President’s commitment to improve the road network in Kenya also benefits the people of Mbeere North. I believe that the people there will continue to support the President as they have done after previous elections.

On the issue of health, I would wish to commend the President for assuring women that they will not be charged any fee when they go to public health facilities to deliver babies. I know that in the next eight or so years, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will be going out to curve out other new constituencies. I know that Mbeere North Constituency is one of the endangered constituencies. So, people there should procreate, so that we can save our constituency.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, we have been talking about salaries for Members of Parliament. I would like to echo those who have spoken before me and say that we must not stop at the MPs’ salaries. We must also look at the teachers, who have been underpaid

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Thank you, Hon. Speaker, Sir. Indeed, I have been here for long and I have not been able to catch your eye. With a light touch, you may take us out for a retreat to train us on how to catch the Speaker’s eye.

I want to congratulate you, Hon. Speaker, Sir, on your election as the Speaker of this House. I also congratulate your Deputy. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Awendo Constituency for making a choice and electing me as their first Member of Parliament. As you may know, Awendo is a new constituency. I want to thank them very much for the decision that they made, and I want to promise that I will do my best to serve them in this capacity.

I wish to make a few observations in relation to the President’s Address which, indeed, as most of my other colleagues have observed, was a moving.

On the issue of laptops for our children in schools, I just want to say that as much as we want to welcome this idea, I wish we could first address pertinent issues in the education sector. For the record, before I came to this House, up to September last year, I was a principal of a school and I have first hand experience in these things.

First, we should have concentrated on the issue of teacher-pupil ratio, which is very bad in Kenya. The teacher-pupil ratio is 1 to 47, while the international standard is 1 to 40. So, we should have concentrated on improving the teacher-pupil ratio in our schools, so that all our students have teachers to help them study.

We could also have stressed more on more serious issues of enrolment, retention, completion and access. As we are speaking today, it is true that some of our schools do not have appropriate infrastructure. It is true that some of our children learn under trees, yet we want to talk about laptops. I think the best that we can do is to concentrate on issues that touch directly on the children.

Hon. Speaker, Sir, I also want to urge the President that as he thinks about introducing laptops to our schools, he should also think about the teachers in those schools. Legal Notice No.453 of 1997 came just immediately before I joined the teaching fraternity. Up to this time, successive governments have not honoured it. To improve the standards of education in this country, the Government must, first of all, look at the

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(Hon.(Ms) R.N. Wanyonyi): Hon. Speaker, Sir, I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate you for having been elected Speaker alongside the Deputy Speaker, Dr. Laboso.

To comment on the Presidential Address, I want to say that personally I am impressed. I am happy about the Address. It is very holistic in the manner it has tackled issues that affect this nation. First and foremost is the issue of education; he talked of empowerment and education is the greatest empowerment that we can talk about. So the issue as to whether we need laptops or facilities in schools to improve the learning standards, we must have the education enhanced. The laptop issue is quite welcome. Most of the schools in the rural areas have never known what a laptop is; to have rural areas with laptops is one way of making the children all the country know that they are living in an era that is digital. Therefore, they will have access technology. I commend the President for that so strongly.

Secondly, on the issue of security, we know very well that for us to live in harmony and peace, we must have security. I come from Bungoma County and I want to applaud the Presidential Address on security and peaceful existence. This must go hand in hand with issues on the ground. In Bungoma County the level of insecurity is high; people are murdered left, right and centre, homes are attacked; there is a lot of insecurity. One key thing that I have observed in Bungoma County is that the security forces in place are inadequate. They do not have capacity to combat the kind of insecurity that we are witnessing. The OCPD in Bungoma claims that there is only one vehicle to cover more than four districts. Practically speaking, it is not possible. It is important that we strengthen the security system with the necessary facilities that can make them effective and perform very well.

I was happy about the industrialization of this country. Where I come from in Bungoma County, we have Chwele, which is the third largest food market in Africa. As the third largest food market in Africa it is just prudent and wise that we develop and industrialize the county so that, indeed, it augments food security efforts in our country. So, industrialization in that particular part of the country is key. Bungoma County also has Mt. Elgon and other large constituencies. Mt. Elgon is key in tourism development and also in food security. This is because most of the food in Bungoma comes from Mt.

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Hon. Speaker, Sir, I want to take this chance to congratulate you for being elected the Speaker of the House. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Laikipia North Constituency for electing me as the first Member of Parliament since Independence.

On the Presidential Address, I want to talk about four issues. First, it is about land. In Laikipia North Constituency, where I come from, land is an issue. We have about one million hectares of land owned by settlers and the pastoral communities who live there; the Samburu and the Pokot have been squatters since Independence. We have never had even a title deed. So when I saw in the Address that His Excellency had mentioned the issue of land, I believed there was a lot to be addressed in the issue of land.

The second issue is about agriculture. I can see a very good Address that has put a lot of stress on agriculture. But as a pastoralist, I can see the issue of livestock has been forgotten. I believe that about 10 million Kenyans depend on livestock or pastoralism even in Nairobi. The nyama choma business employs more than one million people within Nairobi. I believe this is an area that is productive, especially the northern parts of the country such as Laikipia, Samburu, Isiolo and Marsabit. We also need to enhance this sector---

You will have two more minutes tomorrow when the debate resumes.

Hon. Members, we have come to the end of business of the House today. The House, therefore, stands adjourned until Wednesday, 24th April, 2013, at 9.00 a.m.

The House rose at 6.30 p.m.

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