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Hon John Mbadi was on the Floor. He has a balance of eight minutes. Is he in the House? I am told he is not. Therefore, he loses his chance. Hon. Iringo Cyprian!

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this chance to contribute to this Motion. I rise to support this Motion by hon. Florence Kajuju. I congratulate her for bringing this Motion before the House. It will be the benchmark and also the foundation of solving the saga of miraa in Meru and other areas.

has been unfairly judged and put in the category of stuff that is referred to as drugs. The people who have categorized it so have not taken time to evaluate or conduct research about it. In fact, most people do not know the background of miraa . Having been brought up in Meru, I can authoritatively attest to the fact that miraa is not a drug. Personally, I chew miraa . Every weekend, when I go to my constituency, I chew

and I have never felt any effects as a result of that. That is in the domain of my people. When we look for votes and travel at night, we carry some in our pockets to give us energy to keep on moving during the campaign period. If miraa is categorized as a drug, I do not see why we should leave behind beer, tobacco and tambuu, which is taken by Asians and others. That is because miraa is milder than all those. There is nobody who chews miraa and get confused like those people who take beer and tobacco. We know tobacco users are vulnerable to lung diseases and even cancer. Hon. Deputy Speaker, miraa in Meru has been regarded as a sacred crop. In our culture, you cannot marry somebody’s daughter without taking miraa to her father’s homestead. Even if you are not from Meru--- My own daughter is married in Funyula. But I had to ask the young man to go and look for miraa so that I can accept him to marry my daughter. Once you bring miraa and you do not give out anything else, you will be given the girl. So, it is a sacred crop. If it is demonized in Kenya, then that means we are demonizing Merus and their culture.

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Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion by hon. Kajuju, which basically seeks to establish an ad hoc Committee to come up with legislation to regulate the miraa industry. From the onset, I want to say that quite a number of people have demonized

or khat, but in Mbeere North, Mbeere South and Meru in general, miraa is grown

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Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this matter. I stand to support this Motion. The issue of miraa has three components and we need to look at those components carefully to get the proper outcome. The first one is the socio-economic component of miraa . That has been discussed quite adequately in this House. Its social importance amongst the Ameru people cannot be doubted. All the Members who have supported the Motion have adequately illustrated that, and we all know it. Its economic importance in the same area--- The amount of cash that gets into the area, again, that has been well documented and adequately demonstrated here. The other component of that is the medical aspect. The truth is that miraa has active ingredients that are related to substances that are classified as drugs. It has vitamins like compounds that have effects on people. What is important is how it is used. That goes for anything including water. If today I force you to take adequate amount of water, you can start convulsing because it will have toxic effects. That goes for anything. So, the fact that miraa has active ingredients that can cause psychological addiction, euphoria and hallucinations, that alone should not make it be classified as a drug in a manner that prohibits its use by many people. That is an extremely important point that we should take into account. That is, basically, the reason why there have been arguments that miraa should be classified as a drug in some countries. But even in those countries, the technical experts have indicated that the amount of the ingredients in miraa, if adequately used, is not sufficient to make it be classified as such. The latest argument came from Britain where the Minister classified miraa as a drug in the context in which we are discussing. However, information that is available, at least, in the Press, indicates that experts have advised the Minister that it was not necessary to do that. The components that are active and cause the effects that we know are in minimal amount. They change very quickly

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Thank you. Hon. Nyikal. You can see we have expertise even within ourselves. I want now to give a chance to hon. Francis Waweru Nderitu.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I rise to support the Motion. First of all, I would like to thank the Mover of the Motion, hon. Florence Kajuju, for bringing it at this time. I remember sometimes when I was reading the papers about a young man who travelled to Tanzania with a bunch of miraa. To him, having coming from Kajiado, he thought that, that was a normal business like the one he was doing in Kenya, only to find that it is not the case in Tanzania. So, as this Committee tries to give us a report, we should also look at the regional markets and see where the trend of classifying miraa as a drug started. I am a valuer and I have done a lot of work in Meru. Every time I am called to do work there, the first question the caller asks me is: “Do you know the value of miraa ?” So, to me, I know very well that the economic value of miraa in that region has such a large impact on the people of Meru and, without that plant there - as one of the speakers has called it the “green gold” of Meru - the impact and the economic situation of that area would be very much affected. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I would like the Committee to consider very well all the areas that miraa is used extensively so that, in the list of the Committee members, they try to include all the people - even the users - including those ones in Namanga. I usually travel there and the fear of people being caught with miraa on the Tanzania border has such a big impact. I come from Ndaragwa Constituency and due to its climate, people have been considering extensively the idea of growing miraa as a cash crop. That is because it is a dry region and looking at the level of unemployment in the area, everybody is considering every option that is there to make sure that we create more employment opportunities. The Government is fighting to create employment and if that ban is enforced, one of the things that we will have to lose tremendously will be employment opportunities. So, I support this Motion and I know very well that with the kind of expertise that we have received from the likes of Dr. Nyikal, we will be able to get a better informed opinion for some of us who do not know about miraa very well. So, when we are in our communities that we go every day, we are able to tackle the issue of

and protect it as the people who come from miraa areas do. With those few remarks, I beg to support the Motion.

Hon. Benson Makali Mulu.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise also to support this Motion and, to me, this Motion is very important. It proposes thorough investigations on all matters relating to miraa . We are all aware that there is a lot of misinformation relating to

and this Motion will help us get the right information. I only hope that the procedure they are going to use or the methodology is going to be scientific enough so

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The hon. Mwinga Gunga Chea.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I must confess that, probably, before last weekend, I had a different opinion about miraa . But I had a very good opportunity with my friend, hon. Kubai, over the weekend, when we had a retreat. He gave me a lecture on miraa and almost handed over a few leaves to me. But I told him I need time to look into it.

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The hon. Kathuri Murungi. Now, this is the habit of switching on the microphone and not being in the room. Hon. Christine Ombaka

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I want to thank hon. Kajuju for bringing it. That

is a drug or not a drug is something that we need to know more about. It is something that we have been saying, but we are not aware what it does or what it is; whether it is medicinal or whether it is a drug like beer or cigarettes. It is not very clear. But what I have learnt as a person is from documentaries that have emerged, or that have highlighted what miraa does to people. I remember seeing one on television last year. I think it was a long documentary on miraa . It was a very negative one in the sense that they depicted the drivers taking miraa getting drunk and causing accidents. They demonstrated that miraa is actually harmful to human health and, as a result, it was being condemned. So, from that, one sees that miraa has been criminalized. It has been discriminated against and it has been seen to be wasting peoples’ lives. That is what we know about miraa . When you see people chewing it, you just believe this is a hopeless person; you tend to have a negative image or feelings about such people. I believe that research should be conducted based on this and whatever will come out will give us the real story or the truth about miraa. Where does it belong? Is it something we can accept

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On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. I have just seen hon. Kazungu - I believe the Member for Malindi - walk from the right side of the House to the left side without bowing to the Chair.

Hon. Members, we really cannot continue like this. Hon. Muzee, may it be your very last time because we will have to throw Members out of the House for crossing the Floor without bowing to the Chair. You have seen every other person going to the Bar and bowing to the Chair. You have two options. If you are around here, use the back side but, if you are on the Floor, you have to go to the Bar and bow to the Chair before you can cross to the other side of the Floor. You are a new Member but let it really be your last time.

It is okay. Hon. Ombaka, you can continue.

I was just about to finish, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to say that research will give us a lot of information about miraa . I am very keen on the effect of education. As an educationist, I feel that this needs to be highlighted in the study so that we see whether it is true that boys and girls are dropping out of school to get into the miraa business; that they are dropping out too early before they complete their

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Hon. Shebesh, you have an amendment you want to move on the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I beg to move:-

THAT, the Motion be amended by expanding the membership of the ad hoc Committee to include the following Members:- 1. Hon. George Wanjohi, MP. 2. Hon. Kathuri Murungi, MP. 3. Hon. Wanjiku Muhia, MP. 4. Hon. Philip Rotino, MP. 5. Hon. Alice Ng’ang’a, MP. 6. Hon. Mpuru Aburi, MP. Hon. Deputy Speaker, my reasons for moving the amendment are very basic. One is that we have a right as Members of this House to sit in Committees. When a Select Committee is formed, it should go in terms of numbers. The numbers should be as closely as possible to the other Committees that exists. All our Committees have a membership of 29 while this Committee has a membership of 23. To me, that just reduces the opportunity for Members to take part in some vital work of this House, which I believe this Motion is part of. That is because if you listen and looked at this Motion, you will realize that it needs to have membership from the areas that grow miraa, areas that consume miraa and areas that look at miraa as a phenomenon; they do not understand. For us to effectively conclude the Motion that has been brought before us by Hon. (Ms) Florence Kajuju--- I really want to congratulate her for taking the bull by the horns and bringing to the Floor what has been a controversial issue to be decided once and for all. We would like to have a Committee that is not biased. I have said that I would not like this Select Committee to appear as if it is just for those who grow miraa for economic benefit. That is because there are those who consume miraa and majority are in Nairobi and other urban areas. The effect of growing and consuming miraa is totally different and divergent. Therefore, we must get views from both sides. Again, I thank hon. (Ms.) Kajuju for bringing out the social aspects of miraa . Some of the Members who have spoken have already enumerated them. That is why many women county Members of Parliament have been included in this Motion. I have also included one or two simply because I also know the social effects of miraa . That is probably the reason why NACADA would go out and ask that it be classified as a drug. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I do not want to start debating on this issue contrary to what my colleagues have said. I would rather have inclusivity in this Committee so that issues of pros and cons are discussed at the Committee level. I also believe that they will invite experts – they should really start with NACADA – to explain how miraa is a drug. Does it continue to be grown in Meru without arresting the farmers because if you grow anything that is a drug like bhang, then you should be arrested for growing it? However, I do not see any attempt to arrest miraa farmers. Definitely there is a disconnect between NACADA calling miraa a drug and what is on the ground.

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Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to second the amendment to this Motion. It is important, as my colleague has said, to increase the membership of the Committee. As you know, people call West Pokot a dry zone but we grow a lot of miraa . There is a lot of miraa that come from Mount Kadam. It is even brought to Nairobi. So, it is important for our communities to know the effects of miraa . Many people think that miraa is not good for consumption. However, many of our children consume

So, this Committee should investigate and come up with information so that when we speak, we do so from a point of information. We should be informed about the effects of that commodity.

Many children from my community have dropped out of school because of miraa . They also drop out of school because of gold mining. Many children do not go to school because they consume miraa . They have taken miraa as an occupation.

Hon. Rotino, I want to cut you short because we want to address ourselves to the amendment. We should dispose it of so that we can debate the amended Motion.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, with those few remarks, I second the Motion.

We need only two hon. Members on the amendment before we put the Question. There are many hon. Members. I can see Joe. Hon. Omagwa, are you addressing yourself on the amendment?

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to support this amendment. As you know, I come from Kisii region which does not grow miraa. I want to agree with the amendment so that we have membership from regions that do not actually grow or even consume miraa and regions. That is where people look at miraa as

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Hon. Omagwa, you are now moving---

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I support the amendment.

Thank you. Hon. Kathuri Murungi, the Floor is yours. But you are only allowed to speak on the amendment. You had already lost your chance to contribute on the debate.

Thank you hon. Deputy Speaker. It is my wish to actively contribute to this Motion. With your indulgence, I would like to ask if you could give me even five minutes after this to contribute to this important Motion, which affects my constituents. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to support the amendment as moved by hon. Shebesh because we have an opportunity to put the record straight pertaining the use of miraa . The allegations that have been labeled against miraa will be put on record because, as far as men’s libido is concerned, it depends on the user and I can attest to that. In Meru, especially where this crop is grown extensively, the classrooms are over-flowing with children who are joining Standard I. In some regions in this country where alcoholism or alcohol is abused, women are moving up and down the streets complaining about men who are no longer able to give them children. So, it shows that

does not have any negative effect on the performance of men. Therefore, with this amendment, we will be able to come up with thorough research with hon. Kajuju as the Chair, to make sure that things are put on record. You will get to know the depth of the miraa effects. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to support the amendment and also remind you again to give me five minutes later to give a thorough contribution. Thank you.

That request will not be given my brother because you have already used up your time and lost the chance. So, next time, do not switch on your microphone and go out. It will be a lesson.

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Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. First of all, let me thank hon. Kajuju for bringing this Motion and, of course, by the objectiveness of her request that thorough research - through the ad hoc committee - be done so that the pros and cons of the usage and chewing of miraa can come out very clearly.

First and foremost, I want to say that the economic value of the production and sale of miraa cannot go unnoticed. I think Meru families have benefited from miraa . They have been able to develop their areas from miraa f arming.

Secondly, it is on the job creation. I came from Nakuru Town East, Nakuru County, where so many people have been engaged in this business. It has really employed so many people, not only the youth, but also the elderly. It cuts across the ages. The involvement of miraa goes beyond the selling and usage because there so many other sectors that grow in-between the selling of miraa . I would want to admit that it has really helped in job creation and also the youth. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I am saying that from some information that I got in my area. Yes, it does have some effect on the libido of men. But, at the same time – and I stand to be corrected – women – I do not know and let me not use that because it might bring many issues. The more the game goes on, the people appreciate unlike when it is only for two minutes---

I withdraw and apologize.

Hon. Shebesh, what your point of order?

She is on a point of information!

She is on a point of information? Does he wish to be informed? Hon. Gikaria, can you say that you want to be informed?

Yes!

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I assume that is what is happening, but maybe, she can inform me on the contrary, or she can maybe, re-emphasize what I know.

Where is the user?

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to give the hon. Member some information on the side of women when you have taken miraa . I want to inform him that because miraa is a stimulant, you can imagine that it stimulates. In fact, most women who take miraa will enjoy sex better. I think that is a parliamentary term. I do not think it is un-parliamentary to use it. I think going round the issue is not helping; it is not a game. I can tell you that it is another effect when it is taken by women. They become more active. It opens up the brains; it is a stimulant. It is like taking a lot of coffee. That is the information I want to give the hon. Member.

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Thank you, hon. Shebesh. She is a very good friend of mine---

Hon. Members let the debate not have too many details. I believe the Committee will go into the details. Here on the Floor, we only want the general statements or information that does not contain too much graphic details.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I used to live in an area where some sections were used by commercial sex workers. I think the chewing of miraa encourages the raping of women. I am saying that because where I come from, if somebody wants to go and engage the commercial sex worker and going by the time that it takes for somebody to be there, the commercial sex workers will not want to engage themselves with any miraa- chewing persons. That is because they think a miraa- chewing person will be there forever and the time---

This is from the point of view of the commercial sex workers. So, if that person does not get an opportunity---

This matter is becoming too controversial. Please, let him finish!

Lastly, hon. Deputy Speaker, research that will be done and it will give us the pros and cons with regard to the consumption of miraa . In 2006, we had a Kenyan boxer who represented this country in the Commonwealth Games. When the young boxer went for doping tests, he was sent away from the games. It was alleged that he was taking khat. He was told that he could not participate in the games because of consuming khat. He had a bright future in the sport, but it was brought down. I hope the Report by this Committee will come up with conclusions that will help us legalize miraa production or usage. With regard to the dental issue, if you look at the teeth of those who chew miraa, you will realize that they have a medical problem. I beg to support this Motion.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Motion as amended by the hon. Member. I want to thank hon. (Ms.) Kajuju for bringing this very important Motion. We have had this controversial discussion in this country where economic crops are banned haphazardly and people are left to suffer the consequences. I come from Malindi which is known for coconut production. We have been having run-ins with the Government because of Mnazi (Palm Wine). Before we cast aspersions on our economic mainstay, especially products that should be helping our community, it is important that we get to the bottom of these things. We need to get scientific reports. We need to delve deep and get to know what the story is before we take

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Hon. Deputy Speaker I stand to support this Motion as amended. My first reaction to the expansion of this Committee was to oppose it until when hon. Rotino spoke. The contribution by hon. Rotino convinced me that the persons in this Committee would have a diverse opinion on the matter that includes those persons who support the fact that NACADA has declared miraa as a drug and believe that stand should remain so. I appreciate that miraa growing is an economic mainstay of the people of Meru. We need to look at that economic opportunity. I am happy that hon. Kajuju has taken a very objective and wide approach to this subject so that we can see how to give alternatives to the persons involved in this trade. Those alternatives need to take root before the banning. I, therefore, support the provision of a window period for the producers and exporters so that they are able to replace. On the issue raised by hon. Shebesh about why the miraa growers are not being arrested, the same situation is true for tobacco growers. NACADA and the whole world have identified tobacco as being harmful to health and that it is a drug. As we expand this Committee to look at the problems related to miraa, I request that the House gives attention to the tobacco growing areas in the country, so that we can address the issue of tobacco and tobacco products now that smoking is banned in public places and production is dwindling. So, farmers in these areas need to be given alternative crops. I hope hon. Kajuju’s report will address the issue of alternative crops, so that we can address the economic aspect of this. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I want to support and congratulate hon. Kajuju. I look forward to having a solution to this problem. Miraa and a variety of it called Muguka, is giving us a lot of headache in the eastern side of this town. We need to address it and

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Hon. Members, we barely have half an hour before we end the three hours debate on this Motion. I have a very long list before me. I would like, therefore, to reduce the speaking time to three minutes, with your concurrence. So, we will take three minutes each. Do not get excited, hon. Linturi. I have not stopped debate, but I am just informing Members that we have half an hour.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I rise to support the Motion as amended. First, the issue of miraa on the economy and the cultural values have been well enumerated. I would like to talk about one or two items that I would wish the Committee would look into thoroughly. When we talk of the economy, we are talking about over Kshs1 billion from a very small area. So, this is very high income. For us to just wake up one day and ban miraa, this is a very drastic decision to take. We know the effects that tobacco has on people. We know all the bad things like cancer and other destructive effects of tobacco, but we have never thought of uprooting tobacco and telling the Kuria people or other places where it is grown that they must stop growing it. The Committee should look into the possibility of controlling the use of miraa . In tobacco, we write a very big warning on the packets that its consumption is harmful to one’s health. That is the awareness that needs to be created and the Committee should come up with the methods to do this with the advice of NACADA. Declaring miraa a drug does not mean declaring it illegal. When we look at the global impact, thanks to the Somalis and their diaspora nature, they have taken the market of Khat to the world. Talking about Somali, it has been the greatest exit point for miraa and the market outlet. We know the connection that has been put between Somali and Al Qaeda . The Committee should look into the possibility of the West wanting to fight Al Qaeda through the miraa business. That would have a very devastating effect. The Meru County is looking at the miraa trade as one of the methods of raising revenue. They should look at the marketers of miraa, who benefit more than the growers. The Committee should also advise the county on how to make more money through going back to the growers rather than the marketers. This is a big phenomenon in all the farming areas in the country.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Motion as amended because that will help us to clearly get the views of all the concerned parties. We need to include people who are engaged in miraa as their major activity. We need to take the views of the consumers and the businessmen, so that when we make a decision, we will have got all the views of the people concerned. With that, I want to talk about the effects of miraa in my constituency. Miraa has affected many people in my constituency. We have high percentage of school dropouts

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Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Motion as amended. I am a Member of that Committee and for the first time, this is the most gender balanced Committee I have seen in this House. I support the Motion because miraa has a history with the Ameru people. It has an economic importance to the Ameru people. From the Members’ contributions, we all have myths surrounding miraa . This timely Committee is going to look at the myths, facts and fiction, so that we can differentiate the truth from the myths. The Ameru people have educated their children. From research, 80 per cent of what is produced in Egembe and Imenti and all the hills of Meru is exported. These people make a lot of money. I am in this Committee because I also want to see how this money can also be distributed to where I come from.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, maybe, from this research, my county can also focus on

so that my county is also able to make money. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK) ARE countries where the crop is exported. Miraa is as important to the Meru as tobacco is to the Kuria people where I come from; or to the Luhya people where tobacco is grown.

So, I want to support this Motion so that we are able to come up with recommendations. If this is a drug then how is this supposed to be regulated? I fully support.

Hon. Roba Duba.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. From the outset, I want to thank hon. Shebesh for introducing the amendment. It is so critical. I was going to question the composition of the ad hoc Committee because it is important that it is properly representative of consumers, producers and other interested parties in terms of consumption or production. As far back as the first President of the Republic, people have said miraa has a lot of disruptive activity on the family, and the social fabric of the community and the feeling has been that there is favouritism and that is why a serious objective analysis of the effect of miraa has not been done. This favour is considered to

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Hon. Esther Nyambura Gathogo.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I rise to support the Motion as amended because one, all of us are talking about miraa in the negative side but we have so many other things---

Hon. Tiya Galgallo, I see you want to intervene. Do you have a point of order?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I am just waiting to support.

It is only because she has just entered. So, I would like to say that yes, we are going to find out and investigate as the Committee that is allowed to do this so that we know whether miraa really is a drug and whether its negative sides as we are being told in this House are true. This is because we cannot rule that out. This is because there are those people who see the positive side of miraa . I would say that I support but I still request the Committee to do it thoroughly so that we know the truth about miraa.

Thank you and I support.

Hon. Franklin Mithika Linturi.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. From the outset, I want to seek your indulgence and the indulgence of the House to understand that miraa is the livelihood of my people. Because of the passion with which I hold miraa, I kindly and humbly request you or my sister, hon. Kajuju, to cede some extra minutes. Do not disconnect after three minutes, I really plead with you.

Let me thank the Members of Parliament who have really come up to support this Motion. I believe it is very important because from their contributions, I have been able to capture the fact that they would want to have the mystery surrounding miraa unraveled. Let me shed some light or tell people exactly what miraa is because most of the people, including NACADA, have been spreading rumours about miraa. In my view, it has been operating on misinformation and it is an institution that continues forever to provide a situation whereby people from Nyambene and the miraa growing areas are continually marginalised.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, Sir, why do I say this? God had a reason why he created this country in the form in which it is. That is why he decided that miraa must only be grown in Nyambene, tea in Kericho, bananas in Kisii and tobacco in Kuria and other

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We had agreed hon. Linturi to keep---

Hon. Deputy Speaker, from this report, the professor continued and said that when you look at the effects of miraa and the effects of tobacco and beer, they are incomparable. He who pays the piper calls the tune. Why is miraa being demonised? It is because it is grown by very poor farmers. There is no multi-national company that has found any potential in terms of economy in miraa to come and invest in it. But you find tobacco that kills thousands and that is directly associated with lung cancer, is one of the highest earners of revenue to the Government. That is why they cannot touch tobacco and beer. Beer directly causes liver cirrhosis.

I want to plead with this House, and I am happy that every speaker who has spoken would want to find a situation where the Government can also be in a position to invest and come up with the right report on this mainstay of the economy of the people of Nyambene so that in future we get away from this situation whereby every Government that comes fights miraa and that kind of thing.

Thirdly, let me also say that the advisers of the President are also working in cahoots with others so that there is a conflict between the Office of the President and the people of Nyambene. This is because there is a sticker that reads: “The President and the Cabinet Office, Miraa causes spermatorrhoe

and infertility”. We have said that, that is

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I have given you time because I know the passion with which you hold this plant. However, we hope that you will get a chance as you get more information after the research.

Yes, hon. Dido.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to support this Motion. I would like to say that I like the passion with which the Member for Igembe has contributed to this Motion.

I come from Saku Constituency in Marsabit County. Recently, we discovered the benefit of miraa . People have moved from charcoal and firewood trade or brewing

to growing miraa . Those people have been able to send their children to school. Before they started growing miraa, they depended on handouts, relief food and missionaries who have been supporting many families.

When we talk about miraa, some of us who come from those areas talk with passion because the Government of Siad Barre was brought down because he attempted to ban miraa . If you go to the streets of Djibouti or Yemen and you attempt to say that miraa is a drug that can be banned, you will face a revolution. This is because whenever something has a benefit to the low families--- For example, the Member for Igembe has said that miraa farmers are the poorest of the poor. There is no single cent of Government investment towards miraa . Therefore, even those who grow the crop or are involved in

marketing do not get any benefit from the Central Government in terms of finance.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, there should be discipline within the society and we should also follow our culture. This is because alcohol has always been there but not at any one time has it been banned or the negative---

Your time is up. Yes, the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Health.

Thank you very much, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I rise to support this Motion as amended. I would like to thank the selection team for proposing me to be one of this Committee Members. This shows that they have a commitment to also identifying health matters that will come out of the deliberations that we will have.

I would like to assure the House that I, together with other Members of the Committee, will be committed, will be objective and will do as much as possible to know exactly what is in this substance called “ miraa” or the “khat ” that could be harmful to health.

Although miraa is not planted or does not grow in my constituency, you will find that it is sold in all towns including the most remote towns next to Tsavo National Park. I

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On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. I am very concerned because the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Health who has been proposed to be in this Committee is already supporting miraa . I thought the Chair should take a neutral stand and give us a balanced view when she is in the Committee on what the effects of miraa are. This is very serious. This is something that can be harmful but has not yet been proved. I am very much concerned and I would like the Chair of the Departmental Committee to clarify whether she will support the already preconceived Motion or not. Some of us believe very passionately that miraa has a huge health effect and it is causing many health problems. How can the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Health support that?

All of us have our views on this matter.

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to know whether the Member is insinuating that the other Member does not have an opinion even if she is the Chairlady of the Departmental Committee on Health.

I gave you the chance as the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Health. You are being challenged that you already have an opinion even before you begin the investigation. This is the case and yet you are the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Health. Could you clarify your position?

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I would like to thank the hon. Member for pointing that out. However, I support the Motion that I am very happy as the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Health to be included in this Committee. This tells us clearly that the Committee will not try to hide health matters behind this investigation.

I have not said that I support chewing of miraa but I have said that I give my commitment to making use of participatory and non-participatory manner of research in order for us to know the truth about miraa.

Having said that, I am concerned as other Members of Parliament that miraa, although it does not grow in my constituency, it is taken up to the most remote areas. I also know that there is one distributor who has hired almost 1,000 youths in my constituency. I think I also have a right to inform and acknowledge that miraa is taken to the most remote areas. I hope that I have responded to the Hon. Member’s point of order.

I would also like to assure the House that we will bring health matters in this Committee by informing doctors, pharmacists and whichever kind of experts who may give us the best information on this Motion. I am so proud to be in this Committee.

Finally, I would like to say that miraa is being misused like any other substance in the market. My concern is our approach to this issue. We need to approach it with soberness, we need to know and identify very participatory approaches so that we can

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Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I stand to support the Motion. I know miraa is widely used in this country and outside the country as well. This crop has created a lot of employment opportunities. I come from Isiolo and I know that, if

is not brought in Isiolo many of the women, youth and men who sell miraa will not have employment. I know miraa is an economic booster; it is a cash crop like coffee and the rest that is generating income for this country. I also know that any substance that is taken in excess will create health problems and miraa is not an exceptional. I would want to really thank hon. Kajuju for thinking about this committee. This is because the findings of this committee will really help the whole country in demystifying what miraa is and what it is not. Miraa has been labeled as one of the drugs that should not be used in this country. So, I stand to support this Motion. I am sure when we will go out there, we will have equal representation across the regions. I think there is no region that is not represented in this team. I am sure it will be very exhaustive and very important. I am sure the finding will really help this country to put to rest what miraa is and what it is not. I stand to support the Motion.

Let us have Ferdinand Wanyonyi.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I come from Trans-Nzoia, where we plant maize. Having listened to my friend Linturi from Meru, I am inclined to support the Motion because now I understand. Miraa is the mainstay for the Meru region as maize is to me in Kitale because we plant maize. Secondly, when I was watching television recently, I saw members of a certain church presenting miraa as offertory instead of money. This meant to me that m iraa is a well accepted product in that particular area. I also find that this Select Committee that is quite representative, will give us a guideline and be able to come out with scientific results. Of late, I have heard Europeans banning the exportation of m iraa t o Europe; particularly to Holland and United Kingdom. I think with the findings which this committee will come up with, we will be able to have them change their mind and allow

to be exported to Europe. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the other thing that has made me accept and actually support this Motion is the fact that, I see young men driving very fast from Meru, all the way to Wilson Airport. I see quite a good number of them. I am told that thousands of them gain meaningful employment out of this business of miraa . Hon. Deputy Speaker, this House should support this Motion as amended, in order to be able to give our brothers in Meru the opportunity to use this product as an economic empowerment of that region. With those remarks, I beg to support the Motion.

I call upon the Mover. But you have a long list of hon. Members who would really want to contribute. You have ten minutes and I do not know whether you want to share your ten minutes with a whole list of hon. Members, like Ms.

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Thank you hon. Deputy Speaker. Before I respond, I have been requested by hon. Nyasuna, hon. Tuya, and hon. Waititu, I donate a minute of my time to each and every one of them. Thank you.

Thank you hon. Deputy Speaker. I take this opportunity to thank hon. Kajuju for donating one minute to me. I maybe one of the hon. Members who may not have a clue of how miraa or khat tree looks like but I have seen on television and I have heard about it. I can only imagine what it is, but to a Kenyan Meru, khat is like a cow to a Kenyan Maasai because of its economic mainstay nature. It is a livelihood issue. I am also in support of the very pragmatic approach that the Motion has taken where we are going to look at the pros and cons of what khat is and what it is not, as well as its positive and negative effect. For that reason, we will be able as a nation to come up with a very informed regulatory way of using and classifying khat. For that reason, I support the Motion as amended. Thank you.

Thank you hon. Deputy Speaker and hon. Kajuju for donating one minute to me to express my support for this Motion.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, putting money in the pockets of our people is a pledge that almost all of us made as we sought to come to Parliament. The bans on the export of khat are likely to remove money from the pockets of our people rather than add money. Therefore, it is something we must quickly and swiftly respond to.

Secondly, the composition of this committee appreciates the fact that this is a national issue. While khat is mainly grown in Nyambene and Meru, the economic impact of khat affects the entire nation. Because the time is very short, I am happy to be part of this committee that will review the issues. We hope to put a comprehensive report on the Floor of this House.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I also rise to support this Motion and thank hon. Ms. Kajuju whom I supported one day when there was a conflict in this House. I thank her for giving me part of her time. Hon. Deputy Speaker, we know miraa cannot only be grown in Meru. I would like to advise the committee, as led by hon. Kajuju to do a research and do soil analysis in this country. I think most parts of this country can grow miraa. I would also like to advise my friend, hon. Simba, to do some soil analysis in his constituency and see whether he can grow miraa and create money for the youth that really like him.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, Thika Super Highway and Nairobi City provide access to miraa market. I think it is in order for us to think much about the miraa crop. I would like to advise hon. Kajuju to advise the miraa transporters when they are driving on the Super Highway---

Your time is up. Hon. Kajuju, proceed to reply to the Motion.

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Hon. Deputy Speaker, I take this opportunity to thank each and every speaker who has spoken to this Motion.

Hon. Arati, what is your intervention all about?

Hon. Deputy Speaker I wanted to inform her, if she does not mind, that, one---

Order, hon. Arati! If it is a point of information she must want to be informed.

Are you willing that I inform you?

She is not willing that you inform her.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I have not sought information from Mr. Arati. Could I proceed with my response?

There is also a point of order by hon. Maison.

Mhe. Naibu Spika wakati mwingine uangalie watu wengine ili waweze kusema neno hata moja. Tangu tuingie hapa wengine wetu hatujapata nafasi. Haya mambo ya miraa yanadhuru kila mahali.

It is up to hon. Kajuju because she is responding. Mpatie one minute if you are willing to do so, hon. Kajuju. You have to agree to that before I give the go ahead.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, hon. Leshoomo had spoken to me earlier, but she was not present when I looked around the Chamber. Now that she has come, I will give her a minute.

Ahsante mhe. Naibu Spika. Naunga mkono haya mambo ya miraa . Hii kamati sharti ichunguze miraa ina sections ngapi. Hii ni kwa sababu kuna ile inaitwa kangeta, muguka, giza na kadhalika. Hii ambayo inaitwa kata ndiyo inakata wanaume.

Tungependa tujue gani kati ya hizo ndiyo mbaya. Miraa ni kama ng’ombe kwa Wameru kwa sababu wanaitumia kusomesha watoto wao. Sharti tujue gani mbaya na gani nzuri. Miraa sasa inatumika na Wakenya wote. Watoto wote wanakula hii miraa . Kamati itupatie habari kamili.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I thank all those who contributed to this Motion. We are telling Kenyans that if there is no committee of this nature to make a decision on miraa the Meru people will be more sinned than seen as William Shakespeare said, “Every person must have an opportunity to be heard.” Natural justice demands that people must be given an opportunity to be heard. Let the people who consume miraa speak to the issue so that we come up with a proper decision. The decision this committee makes will determine whether miraa is a blessing or a curse to the people of Kenya. If you look at the economic aspects, people have been exporting over 60 tonnes of miraa to the United Kingdom. They have been making over Kshs41 billion per week. This is the right time for us to make a decision about miraa. The Constitution promotes the culture of the people. Miraa is part of the culture of the Meru people. The committee will seek the views of the Meru people and the consumers. It will also seek views of the people who think that miraa is not consumed

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Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I rise to support the Motion that the Government liberalizes power distribution and thereby breaks the monopoly of Kenya

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Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion. First, I want to congratulate hon. Bowen for bringing such an important Motion. It is long overdue. When you study business monopoly, it is very dangerous in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. The KP has been taking consumers for granted. We cannot achieve our Vision 2030 without electricity. Electricity is very important as far as industrialization is concerned. We know the Jubilee Government is planning to roll out the laptop project, but this will only succeed when we have electricity. The Jubilee Government has talked about the one million acres of land to be irrigated. This can only happen if electricity is available. Unfortunately, this parastatal is sleeping on the job because the aspects of inefficiencies and ineffectiveness are alarming. In my constituency, people have applied for electricity and six months down the line, they have not been connected. I am told cases of corruption are very rampant at the KP. Unless you bribe them, they will not connect you with electricity. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is a case in my county particularly in Kiminini Constituency whereby a corporate and individuals came together. They paid money to the Kenya Power and they were conned. We have conmen outside there colluding with the staff of KP and they have been conning poor Kenyans of their money in the name of coming to connect electricity. So, this is the high time that we must have another body to provide competition. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at the telecommunication industry, sometimes back before the mobile phones came in, we had Kenya Telkom where we had the fixed land lines. There was a lot of laziness. They could not connect people with telephones. Thank God when the mobile phones came in they woke up. So, if we are going to have another body that is going to compete with KP, then consumers are going to be assured of effectiveness and efficiency. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, look at the banking industry. Before the banking industry was liberalised, the big players were taking consumers for granted. Thank God when Equity Bank and Family Bank came in other giant banks had to wake up. You see people moving all over asking for people to get loans. These were the people from the major banks who were taking consumers for granted and I am very sure if we bring another body that is going to compete with KP, it is going to wake up. Kenyans are going to have electricity. With competition you cannot be taken for granted. We know very well that when it comes to connection of electricity people have been paying

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Thank you Chris for that passionate approach. The next one is hon. Dennis Waweru.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I am very happy today that I will have an opportunity to contribute to a Motion on a subject that I am very passionate about and I know most of the Members will agree with me that it is very important. I will start by saying that His Excellency the President during our campaigns had promised that we need to create one million jobs. We have been talking about Vision 2030, Konza ICT City, Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport

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Thank you. Hon. Peter Kinyua, I am informed that you have misplaced your card. Hon. Members, we urge you to keep these cards, so that you are able to contribute from your seats. Anyway proceed.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for your indulgence. I will make sure that I come with my card. I want to start by thanking Hon. David Bowen for bringing this Motion to this House. This Motion has come at a time when we, in the Jubilee Government, are finalizing our formative stages, so that we can get started. It is commonly said that you cannot do the same thing all the time and expect different results. It is high time we came up with different ways of doing things in the power sector, so that we can realize different results. If I may start with a bit of statistics, 15 per cent penetration has been converted to about 30 per cent, and is recorded by Kenya Power and other power sectors. This means that 70 per cent of this country is in need of power. This is the case, yet we want to get industrialized by 2030. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry in charge of energy, Kenya Power and all the other companies that do connections like REA, should connect 300,000 people annually. We have said that we want to have 100 per cent connectivity by 2030. If we do 300,000 connections per year, that is a mere 3.5 per cent connection annually. With the current population growth of 3 per cent, the marginal increment of our power connectivity is only 0.75 per cent. Therefore, it will take us 93 years to get to 100 per cent connectivity. In fact, Vision 2030 will in essence become 2106. We need to do, at least, 7.11 per cent, so that we can achieve full connectivity in the 17 years that we have remaining. This calls for a different approach. To start with, we want to see Kenya Power develop a strategic plan that shows where and what is where. We also want to see Kenya Power develop a geospatial information system that clearly documents the distribution lines as they are, and the substations, so that we can determine the requirements that we need in terms of infrastructure for a 100 per cent penetration to be achieved. We can go to the second level and liberalize some of the areas once we have the strategic plan. These areas have to do with renewable energy, namely solar and wind power. With this, the liberalized areas will fall well within the strategic plan of the 100 per cent penetration by Kenya Power and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. What are the gains that will be achieved by liberalization? One, we will free Kenya Power, which seems to be a groping in the dark, with no clear way of dealing with issues of maintenance and operation. We will also have a benchmark. With no competition today against Kenya Power, it is their word against yours. They act as they are the benchmark while we act as their monitoring parameter.

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Thank you, Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Motion. Unfortunately, Kenya Power is monopolistic. As a developing country, we cannot afford to have a monopolistic supplier of power; monopoly has led to a high cost of production in this country as a result of the high cost of electricity. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, this country is now headed to industrialization and for us to get industrialized we need to have more supply of power and more companies to supply power. For us to achieve our vision 2030, we also need to have more supply of power. We cannot expect to achieve our vision under the current circumstances. As a result of power surges, many households’ accessories get destroyed and houses are burnt, yet there is no compensation from Kenya Power. I think that is because of its monopolistic nature. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this country has a dream of going digital. For us to achieve our dream, we need to have reliable power supply. Electricity is not luxury but a necessity in this country. As a result of Kenya Power not being able to meet the demand for power supply in this country, there is need for other suppliers of power. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, this country is endowed with a lot of green energy. We have a lot of rain and solar energy. With the liberalization of the supply of power, we will be able to harness green energy in order to have more supply of power, especially in the rural areas. With those few remarks, I support the Motion.

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I wish everyone was like that hon. Member. Within three minutes, he has covered the subject.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity. Let me, first of all, take this chance to thank the hon. Bowen for bringing this very timely Motion. First, the issue that he has raised is whether we can bring in new players into power distribution by liberalizing the power industry, and at the same time look into ways of compensation for damage and loss property; for example, at times there is damage electrical items and burning of business premises as a result of problems in power supply. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to say that as Mover has already amplified in moving his Motion, we see that Kenya Power, since inception--- Of course capital injection for one to start this industry is quite high, and the Government had to come in and make Kenya Power a monopoly. But 50 years after Independence is time for us to start exploring new ways of bringing down the cost of power. Most of the damage is as a result of perennial blackouts that are occasioned by the inefficiency of the Kenya power. I want to support this Motion by saying that yes, it is time we did away with monopolistic power supply. Recently, when we had an opportunity to approve nominees for both Cabinet and Principal Secretaries positions, I noted some of the issues that Eng. Njoroge came up with. Of course, at some point in this House, the Chairman of the Energy, Communications and Information Committee was taken to task to explain why it had taken long to bring down the cost of power; during the period when Eng. Njoroge has been in office, the cost of it has kept on escalating. Recently, we saw a case where the Deputy President had to intervene to stop Kenya Power from increasing the tariffs that were, again, to affect the common mwananchi. I want to say that time has come for us to bring in other players, so that we can be effective, efficient and reduce the costs. In my area, most industries went down; they are no longer in operation. One of the factors was because of very high cost of production because of high electricity bills. Secondly, most water within my constituency is pumped from Subukia. The water company pays very high bills to bring water down the highlands; that has in turn affected the cost of water to an extent where light industries within my constituency have been forced to shut down; this has been because of either the high power cost, or the high water charges arising from the cost of pumping water using electricity. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to agree that despite the heavy injection of money that is required into the energy sector to produce adequate electricity--- I want to agree that recently we had an opportunity of visiting a geothermal power project. They are actually thinking of liberalizing by allowing the independent power producers to join the industry. We are asking the Government to assist the medium enterprises of people who want some money to buy the heads at the steam wells, so that they are able to generate power and distribute it the local areas. I want to agree that the effect of geothermal power itself will bring in new players. They are actually asking most of the counties to join in; In my county of Nakuru, they have been in touch with the Governor trying to discuss how best the county

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Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this Motion with a lot of passion. Liberalization of production and distribution of electricity in this country is long overdue. This is because Kenya Power has totally taken its customers for granted. Its service to customers is very unsatisfactory. I want to believe that the attitude of the staff at Kenya Power is totally wrong. particularly in this era. I think that Kenya Power has not learnt from what happened to Telkom Kenya. In the days when Telkom Kenya was a monopoly in this country its services were very poor, and you could only get a line after bribing the staff. In this situation, if supply of electricity is liberalized by allowing other players to supply it, customers will get value for their money. Therefore, I want to encourage the hon. Member who brought this Motion not to stop here. Let us bring a Bill to this House and actually liberalize electricity supply, so that we can also achieve Vision 2030. Without electricity, we will not achieve it. Even though services by Kenya Power are unsatisfactory, they continue to be expensive and supply of power is frequently disrupted, especially where I come from. Our hospitals use electricity, but blackouts are rampant. Therefore, services that require electricity are never rendered. In the process, patients lose lives. It is important that we go another route. Let us give other players a chance to come in. That is the only time Kenya Power will wake up. I beg to support this Motion.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to thank the Mover of this Motion. I come from an area that is arid. Turkana County has 77,000 square kilometres. You can imagine that out of the whole of this area only five per cent of its area has electricity, yet the people living in this region are Kenyans who deserve services. When will these Kenyans get the same privileges that other Kenyans get? This Motion has come at the right time. We require this liberalization of power distribution immediately. Oil has been discovered in Turkana County. There are big machines that have been moved there. Do you know that all these machines are run by generators that use diesel? These machines are supposed to use electricity! We are not even fair to our own children. Out of 100 schools which have registered students for examinations, only two schools have electricity. Do you really expect the students there to compete with others in the country? It is really unfair.

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Hon. Kajwang’): Hon. Members, before you rise to speak, what is your wish? I have more than 12 requests and we have about 40 minutes to debate this Motion in this morning, unless you want to debate it in the afternoon. So, what is your wish?

Three minutes.

Hon. Kajwang’): I do not think three minutes is good enough. Five minutes looks like it. What do you think? Let me put the question that hon. Members take five minutes each.

Hon. Aden, five minutes; we will start with you.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity. I also wish to thank the Member who brought this Motion before the House. Liberalization of power generation and supply is long overdue in this country. Like my

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Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this crucial Motion by hon. Bowen. Many colleagues have expressed their concerns about the Kenya Power. I take this great opportunity to express my concern because since the onset of the short rains in October last year, my constituency and the Meru County at large, has suffered a lot of power blackouts, which even the regional management of the Kenya Poer could not prevent. Sometimes they were saying that trees were falling on the lines and at other times they could not explain the blackouts. It is high time some of these services were liberalized, so that we can break monopoly in the supply of these services in the country. The Youth Fund will be distributed in the next one month or so, and most of the projects that the youth engage in need power. These are projects like kinyozis, salons and

work. If we continue experiencing the same problems from Kenya Power, then there is no logic in starting these projects; the youth will continue to shiwm in poverty. The Government should look into this. Besides issuing children with laptops under the laptops project, the project will bring about connection of power to all the primary schools. If all the primary schools will be connected to power, then the Jubilee Government has a noble idea because even dispensaries, which hon. Wakhungu has talked about, will be connected to power. Villages will also get connected to power. This

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Hon. Vincent Musau

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the Motion that we, indeed, need to liberalise the power distribution market; at the same time we should also hold Kenya Power (KP) accountable for carelessness in doing their business. Some of these issues are not new to us. In addition to the catastrophes that are caused by power failures and outages, there is also the cost of doing business. There are also the inconveniences that are caused to users of electricity by this body. In the name of some clauses in its documents it can actually shut down power. It can deny you access to power for a whole day. We need to look at this issue holistically. I think this Motion raises so many fundamental issues that it cannot actually be amended to tackle all the pertinent issues without really changing its initial goal. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me tell you that I sit on the Departmental Committee on Energy, Communications and Information, and this Motion really seeks to liberalise power distribution. The causes of the high cost of electricity are many. There is generation, transmission and distribution. As things are right now, we can say that power generation is not really a preserve of KP, because there are so many players in the market. On transmission of power, we have Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) and the KP. I think we should think about liberalising this market fully in generation, transmission and distribution as opposed to just distribution. For achievement of Vision 2030 we are talking of 5,000 megawatts. Right now we are only generating 1.7 gigawatts; some of these estimates keep on actually being revised because demand goes on rising. The truth is that we need more than 15 gigawatts of power to meet our goals. With the kind of steps and lack of commitment that we have been able to see, it is not going to be easy for us to hit 6 megawatts leave alone this 6 gigawatts we are talking about.

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I wish I had more time to give you. You are very technical. Hon. Sakwa Bunyasi.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion. I have sentiments which are very similar to those of the hon. Member who has just spoken; this is a well intended Motion. It is targeting things in the right areas of concern. Energy production is crucial to overall development and achievement of our Vision 2030 goals. However, the way it is crafted it will leave out a lot else that can contribute to the lowering of costs finally. However, I would like to say that, indeed, if we take it bit by bit, anything that will be done to enable KP, or similar end of the spectrum entity to operate more cheaply, will be very welcome. Breaking the monopoly of KP is one way of lowering cost; we realise that KP is one of many other bodies that require very significant reforms. The last speaker touched on the issue of cartels and this is a major area. As you know, what has happened to Kipevu I and Kipevu II has been in the Press and it has been as a result of misgovernance. There were huge costs attached to those projects that we are still paying today, but that we did not need to have paid. I think that the Mover will infuse into his proposal the point that he mentioned in his deliberations with the Departmental Committee on Energy, Communications and Information, of which he is a member. This is so that we can begin to deal very forthrightly and decisively with the power sector. The power sector is like banking in a nation. It is a lot more important than other sectors. It is extremely crucial. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, secondly, much as we might wish to compare similar things, I think that power supply can be a motivation for digitalisation of equipment, including our laptops but not the other way round. I expect to see the Government come out with a much more comprehensive power sector reform strategy that is going to be able to guide us towards achieving Vision 2030. Some of the advantages of the offshoots of successful power supply would be the digitalisation that we are talking about. If you look at the quantum of costs, you cannot start with the little benefit and think that it will attack the bigger one. This is not a sector where public sector

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Yes, Hon. Lentoimaga!

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion and thank---

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I think your are looking at the right hand side only. Although you have the discretion, the four speakers who have spoken have come from the right hand side. We are digital and this is the holy month of Ramadhan. I wish you a holy month of Ramadhan, but please---

I hear you and wish you a holy month of Ramadhan too.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. You are looking at one side.

You want to assume the role of the Speaker, Hon. Sumra? Just enjoy your Ramadhan. Hon. Lentoimaga, you can proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion and thank its Mover. I do not know whether we are really fast- tracking the Motions which are passed by this House. I am saying this because this is a very important Motion. It will help us move this country forward if it is implemented. I also think that if a Bill is brought to this House and passed it can help in the liberalization of the power sector.

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Thank you very much. It is now time to recognise hon. John Olago Aluoch, not because the caucus around him has spoken for him, but because according to the order of requests, he is the next speaker.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. One of the reasons why the manufacturing sector in Kenya has stunted is because of the cost of power. In Kenya, power is 10 times more expensive than in the rest of the countries in the East African Community (EAC). That is because of the cartels and corrupt practices that we have been talking about in this House. These cartels and practices have made the cost of power go so high that investors avoid Kenya. As we look for ways of getting out of this mess, it is important to understand that lack of competition can bring failure just the same way if success is not managed well can also bring failure. Kenya Power has been operating for the last 50 years in a totally monopolistic atmosphere, and they do not know what change means. Recently, they spent millions of shillings rebranding themselves by changing the colour of motor vehicles, the logo and the name from Kenya Power and Lighting Company to Kenya Power. What have they gained out of that? That has not resulted in what Kenyans want, which is the reduction in the cost of power. So, as we look at how we can liberate the energy sector, we must go beyond the ordinary and look at what is available to Kenyans. What is naturally available to Kenyans

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Thank you very much. On behalf of the Muslims, I would like to wish all the hon. Members of Parliament a happy Ramadhani. This is a holy month, and you can swear if you are telling the truth. One thing that I would like draw the attention of this House to is that the tariffs of Kenya Power to the industrial sector of the economy are very high. I am involved in steel mills business and we pay a monthly electricity bill of Kshs20 million, Kshs30 million or kshs15 million. The Kenya Power tariffs are very high! So, it is high time we brought in other power suppliers by liberalizing the energy sector. Of course Kenya Power is doing a good job; let us not hit at them, but we request that if they give the power gridlines to the private sector instead everybody creating infrastructure, which may pose problems. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, my concern is the industrial sector. If we want to industrialize this country, the tariffs that Kenya Power is charging are very high. I am a scrap metal dealer, and Kenya Power just throws to us vandalism figures. The best thing to do is if they want to say that they have made a loss, they will say that scrap metal dealers have stolen the transformers and other things. When we sit down with them, they do not giving us figures. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there was a tender last year--- We do buy tenders from Kenya Power; as the secretary general, I know about Kenya Power. Thirty tons of copper scrap was stolen from Likoni Road and it was under tender. This was done by the Kenya Power people. I had exhibits at Kenya Power, which I released to them in 2008 and it has been stolen from them. So, there are vandals in Kenya Power, but when

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Hon. Kenneth Odhiambo Okoth, is there power in Kibra?

Thank you hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion. Let me begin by wishing our Muslim brothers and sisters in this august House and across the Republic of Kenya a happy Ramadhani, a Holy month, as they get into fasting. I also want to contribute to this Motion and say that without electrification and powering up all corners of our country, we will never achieve vision 2030. Electricity and access to cheap, affordable and reliable power is what is will attract direct foreign investments. That is what will make sure that even local investments are successful. When we look at direct foreign investment into our country, the cost of power and lack of reliable power in our country make our country a very low priority destination for investment, yet our human resource base is just fantastic. We have highly educated people; we are one of the top five most literate nations in Africa. We have many smart and well educated people. Who are even better than South Africans, yet we cannot bring industries and investors in Kenya because the cost of doing business is very high; that is hurting us. The direct part of that is this lack of reliable and affordable power. I think this is also killing our regional dominance and success in the East and Central Africa region. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Kenyan economy is the engine for this region. We export a lot of products to South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania, yet our industries could be doing much more and creating even many more jobs for our young people who need these jobs, if they have reliable power. I would like to support this Motion and say that, we need to take very critical steps and also look into the following direction First we should make sure that we have power that is for corporate and industrial use that is affordable and usable in a manner that attracts foreign investments to settle and create jobs here, and help us to stretch our influence in the market in this region. We are already the leaders in this region, but we must not be comfortable just because we are running in a race against dwarfs. We must really be the economic giant of this region comparable to other economic giants. A good example of this is a country like Argentina whose population size, agricultural profile, mineral resource base and everything are precisely the same as Kenya’s, yet the quality of life, per capita income and status in the world of Argentina are much higher than ours. The key ingredient and secret of the success of Argentina versus the success of Kenya is simply because the Argentinean Government has invested in cheap power production, distributed it and is accessible to all Argentineans. That really changes things. The second thing is I would like to say that we really must push for local available sources of power as has been mentioned; these are geothermal and solar power. Let us

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Thank you hon. Member from Kibra. Since the debate on this Motion began, we have not heard a female voice. So, let us have hon. Jessica Mbalu. I think you will be the last contributor this morning.

Thank you hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute on the Motion. I want to congratulate the hon. David Kangogo Bowen for bringing this Motion to this House; it is so timely. When we were discussing and brain storming on the Motion, I was very close to him. One of the counties we had in mind was Makueni County. I represent Kibwezi East Constituency which is in Makueni County; in the whole country we are number three from the bottom in the supply of electricity. We want to appreciate Kenya Power for the distribution and supply of electricity. We want to appreciate the work that was done by hon. Mwai Kibaki, the former President and the hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, the former Prime Minister. We saw a lot improvement in this sector. Just to quote statistics, in 2003, we had 686,196 connected customers, but in 2012 we had 2,112,742 connected customers. However, we need to have some improvement. I want to support this Motion for liberalization and also compensation. I want to believe that if we had competition we could not be lacking power in my own constituency; we could be in a better place. I think that is one of the reasons why I am in this House representing that constituency. I want to believe that if we bring the Bill here--- We are tired of urging the Government. I want to tell the Jubilee side that they are not in Government alone; we are here as representatives, legislators and we are here to push all the Motions that will bring

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Hon. Members, we still have about one hour to debate this Motion. But for now, we will rise to adjourn. This House, therefore, stands adjourned until this afternoon, at 2.30 p.m.

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