Hon. Members, I have a communication regarding the election of two Members of Kenyan Parliament to the bureaus of two standing committees of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). Hon. Members, as you are aware, Kenya is a member of the IPU; the international organization of parliaments which is also the focal point for worldwide parliamentary dialogue, and which works for peace and co-operation amongst people and for the firm establishment of representative democracy. The IPU Assembly is the principal statutory body that expresses the views of the IPU on political issues. It brings together parliamentarians to study international problems and make recommendations for their action. Hon. Members, the 130th Assembly of the IPU and related meetings was held in Geneva, Switzerland from Sunday 16th to Thursday 20th March, 2014. The Assembly was a particularly significant one as it provided an opportunity for all members of parliaments to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the IPU. During the Assembly, a new Secretary General of the IPU, Martin Chungong was elected to take over from Anders Johnsson, who officially retires at the end of his fourth mandate on 30th June, 2014. Hon. Members, the elections to the bureaus of the four plenary standing committees of IPU were also held at the first sitting of each of the four committees, namely:-

(i) Committee on Peace and International Security;

(ii) Committee on Sustainable Development Finance and Trade;

(iii) Committee on Democracy and Human Rights; and

(iv) Committee on United Nations Affairs. Hon. Members, during these elections, two hon. Members of the Kenyan Parliament namely; Hon. David Losiakou Pkosing, Member of National Assembly and Senator Catherine Mukite, were elected to the Bureaus of the Committee on Democracy and Human Rights and the Committee on United Nations Affairs, respectively. The hon. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

David Losiakou Pkosing is a Member of Parliament for Pokot South Constituency and a Member of the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations. Senator Catherine Mukite is a nominated Senator and she is a Member of the Departmental Committee on Finance, Commerce and Budget and the Committee on Health as well, in the Senate. Hon. Members, I am just about to conclude. The role of these bureaus which comprise hon. Members from different regions of the world is to, among other things, guide the work of the IPU Standing Committees, discuss proposals for agenda items and develop work plans for the respective committees. In addition to the standing committees, there are other working groups and ad hoc bodies of the Union established by the Governing Council. Hon. Members, on behalf of the National Assembly, I wish to congratulate the two hon. Members for their nomination to the African Geopolitical Group and their subsequent election to the respective bureaus. I wish them well in their new roles in this very important bureau, as they represent Kenya and Africa. It is important to note that hon. Kabando wa Kabando was the leader of that delegation and did a lot of work in lobbying for those positions that we got.

Hon. Members, we have several Papers to be laid on the Table.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the House:- The Speech by His Excellency the President during the State of the Nation Address pursuant to Standing Order 24(5). The Report on the measures taken and progress achieved in the realization of the national values and principles of governance pursuant to Article 132 (1)(c) of the Constitution. The Report on the progress made in the fulfillment of the international obligation of the Republic of Kenya pursuant to Article 132(1)(c) of the Constitution. The Annual Report of Parliament on the state of national security pursuant to Article 240(7) of the Constitution of Kenya and Section 16 of the National Security Council Act.

Hon. Paul Wanga, I notice that your petition came in late. So, we will allow you to present it in tomorrow’s sitting. It came in when we had already prepared the Order Paper. Yes, hon. Chepkong’a!

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the House:- Report of the Mediation Committee on the County Governments (Amendment) Bill, 2013. Hon. Deputy Speaker, this is not an April fool’s day prank, it is a reality. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Members, you are being reminded that even April fool’s day pranks end by midday. Next Order!

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to give notices of the following Motions:-

Hon. Mbadi, what is your point of order?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I have just listened to the Leader of Majority Party give notices of Motions. I will restrict myself to the first two notices of Motions. I am aware that Standing Order No.24 has been uplifted from the old Standing Orders. The Standing Order used to ask us to always record our thanks regarding Presidential Address to the House every time he opened a new Session of Parliament, which is not there anymore. What I want the Leader of Majority Party to clarify is whether this House is going to debate two Motions – the one on the Address of the President delivered on Thursday and the one in line with Article 132(c) (iii), which is the only one that the Constitution mandates this House to take a resolution on.

Hon. Mbadi, I will shortly be giving a Communication on how we are going to prosecute the matter on the Presidential Address. Yes, hon. Duale! The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I have, in fact, given three notices of Motions. The first one is pursuant to Article 240(7). The second one is pursuant to Section 16 of the National Security Act, on a Report that I have just tabled. The other one is based on Standing Order No.24 (6) on thanks of the House to be recorded for exposition of public policy on the Address of the Head of State. The third notice of Motion is pursuant to Article 132(1)(c)(iii) of the Constitution on our international obligations, as a country, submitted to this House by His Excellency the President. So, I have given three notices of Motions.

Hon. Chepkong’a, you have a notice of Motion.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:- THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Article 113 of the Constitution and Standing Order No.149, this House approves the Report of the Mediation Committee on the County Governments (Amendment) Bill of 2013, laid on the Table of the House today, Tuesday, 1st April, 2014. Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Hon. Members, we will use the order in which the Statements appear on the Order Paper, beginning with hon. Benson Mutura.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order No.44(2)(c), I request for a Statement from the Leader of Majority Party regarding a directive of the Ministry of Finance issued in 2009 by the then Minister, hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, ordering State officers to use vehicles with engine capacities of below 1,800 cc.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, it has come to my attention that some State officers are currently using vehicles whose engine capacities surpass the 1,800 cc limit. The Leader of Majority Party should clarify the following:-

(a) whether this directive is still in force; and,

(b) if so, why State officers are still using cars with engine capacities above 1,800 cc.

Leader of Majority Party, you need to indicate when the Statement will be ready.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I will consult the National Treasury to furnish me with the Statement sought by hon. Benson Mutura and deliver it to the House in two weeks’ time.

Yes, hon. John Waiganjo! The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I initially made a request for a Statement to the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade in May last year. He had made an undertaking in this House that he would bring a report but to- date he has not done so. I do not know whether the Leader of Majority Party will liaise with him over the same.

Yes, hon. Duale!

Hon. Deputy Speaker, if the hon. Member sought the Statement from the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade, he should have demanded for a response from that Committee. Now that he has re-directed the request to me, I will respond in two weeks’ time. I do not go through Chairpersons of Departmental Committee. I will bring the response, as sought, directly to this House.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order No.44(2)(c), I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security regarding the murder of a former senior General Service Unit (GSU) officer, Erastus Chemorei.

Order! Order, hon. Members! The levels of consultations are getting high. Please, find a suitable place to consult. Continue, hon. Waiganjo.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, one Erastus Chemorei was, on 19th February, 2005, shot dead at his home in Kitale by 40 to 50 of his colleagues in the National Police Service. Mr. Chemorei, together with Mr. Lawrence Mwadime, were personally in charge of the key to the store where the infamous Kshs.6 billion cocaine haul was kept. The Chairman should inquire into and report on the following:- (i) findings of the inquest and investigations into the murder of Mr. Erastus Chemorei; (ii) action taken on the directions of the Director of Public Prosecutions to the National Police Commission (NPC) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to act against those suspected to have been involved in the murder; (iii) whether the two G3 Rifles, Serial Nos.96927730 and 97085599, assigned to Police Constable P. Kibor and Capt. J. Cheruiyot on the day Erastus Chemorei was murdered, which had been reported missing, were ever found or not; and, (iv) how the officers, who allegedly went to arrest Mr. Erastus Chemorei on the fateful day expended their assigned ammunition for the day.

Yes, Departmental Committee Chair!

Hon. Deputy Speaker, this is a very weighty issue. I know that even the wife of the late Chemorei has been looking for justice all this time. We need two weeks to come up with a comprehensive answer.

Is two weeks fine, hon. Waiganjo? The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I also sought the Statement last year before the First Session of this Parliament lapsed. The able Chair of the Committee had promised to give the Statement within two weeks’ time. He is now seeking two more weeks. The reason as to why we want the mystery surrounding the murder of Erastus Chemorei sorted out once and for all is because the widow of the late Chemorei and his seven children have been waiting for justice for the last nine years. It would appear that the wheels of justice in Chemorei’s murder case are ever grinding slowly, causing a lot of pain to his family. We would, therefore, want the Statement brought to the House within the two weeks’ period that the Chairman has promised, so that later this year, we may mention Erastus Chemorei as one of the heroes of this nation. The only sin that the late Chemorei had committed was to be very loyal to the service---

Order! Order, hon. Member! This is not the point when you ask supplementary questions. Let us just get it from the Departmental Committee Chairman that this time round, he will bring the report in two weeks’ time. You will seek your clarifications once the Statement has been brought.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, two weeks it is!

Yes, hon. Kabando wa Kabando!

Hon. Deputy Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order No.44(2)(c), I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade on the monies amounting to over US$6 billion illegally stashed abroad by way of cash in banks, land, ranches, shares in companies, et cetera. A report by Kroll Associates (UK) Limited, which was commissioned by the Government to investigate the matter, shows that the accumulated illicit capital flight from Kenya, hidden in over 40 tax heavens around the world, amounted to a staggering figure of Kshs.566 billion, which is approximately US$6.369 billion as in 2010. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Chairperson should inquire into and report on the following:- (i) the status of the report of Kroll Associates (UK) Limited; (ii) the amount of money paid to Kroll Associates (UK) Limited;

(iii) how much of the money detailed in the report has been recovered to-date; and,

(iv) measures the Government is taking to ensure compliance and prevent misappropriation and illicit transfers of public finances to tax heavens.

Yes, Committee Chair!

Hon. Deputy Speaker, since this is a very elaborate request, if you give the Committee two weeks we will be able to get in touch with the National Treasury and communicate back to the House within that period.

Two weeks it shall be.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, while two weeks is quite satisfactory, I want to make the House note that I initially submitted this request on 13th November, 2012. Therefore, with a lot of respect to the Committee, it would be expected The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

that they have already obtained and processed the necessary materials ready for submission to the House. Therefore, except for procedural purposes, given that they may not be physically present in the anticipated next two weeks, they should tell this House that they are ready to submit the Report. Otherwise, the Committee should account as to what they have been doing for the last four months, since I initially requested the Statement.

Hon. Kabando wa Kabando, did you say that you requested for the Statement in 2012 or 2013? If I heard you right, you talked of 2012. We are in 2014. Are you talking of the last Parliament or the current Parliament?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, on 13th November, last year. It was during the other Session. The Committee that is in place is the same Committee that was in place then. It does not matter that the Statement could have lapsed because the Session lapsed. The Committee would be expected to account to Parliament that the required material is ready with them, and that they only have to retrieve it from their archives and submit it to the House. Otherwise, two weeks would start sounding like an issue in this House. Two weeks is like a chorus.

Departmental Committee, we do not want two weeks to be a chorus. We want it to be real. Vice-Chair of Committee, is it going to be two weeks? Please, note the four months that have already lapsed.

Yes, hon. Deputy Speaker, but if you heard hon. Kabando very well, he said that he wants to know exactly how much money has been recovered to-date. So, we cannot rely on information that we got four months ago. We have to ask the National Treasury to give us an updated Statement. That is why I requested for two weeks. Maybe, they have since recovered more money.

Hon. Kabando, allow them to update their information. Hon. Omondi Anyanga is next. If hon. Anyanga is not here, let us have hon. Isaac Nderitu Ndirangu.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order No.44(2)(c), I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology regarding the status of education in Nairobi County, with special attention to staffing matters. Nairobi County is densely populated and cosmopolitan in nature yet it is amongst the areas that are most understaffed by teachers and other Ministry officials. Education in Nairobi has been compromised for a long time, and there is need to relook at the issue. Hon. Deputy Speaker, in the Statement I request the Chairperson to inquire and report on the following pressing issues:- (a) transition statistics of pupils from Nairobi County primary schools to Nairobi public secondary schools for the last five years;

(b) the gender parities in Nairobi County as regards the teachers of both genders and how it is intended to be corrected; and,

(c) what plans the Government has to recruit and post more teachers in public secondary schools especially in Nairobi County. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Yes, Chair of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. Looking at the nature of the question that hon. Ndirangu has raised, I request that he gives us two weeks so that we can thoroughly look at the issue. Actually, I think looking at the issues of gender, recruitment and transition, I think three weeks will be okay.

Three weeks it shall be. Hon. Ndirangu, are you satisfied with three weeks?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, it is all right.

The hon. Abdullahi Diriye.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order No.44(2)(c), I hereby request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security concerning discrimination and difficulties experienced in acquiring national identity cards and passports by Kenyans of Somali origin. Hon. Deputy Speaker, Kenyans of Somali origin are faced with a lot of challenges while applying for national identity cards and passports. There is an ongoing vetting process that is discriminatory and unconstitutional since these Kenyans are tested for their knowledge in Swahili and checked for the BCG vaccination mark on their left arms. This is said to be proof of Kenyan citizenship. Noting that literacy levels are low in these areas and vaccination coverage, including the BCG is less than 60 per cent, the Chairperson should inquire into and report on:-

(a) why the vetting process is discriminatory and the measures the Government is taking to ensure these citizens acquire national identity cards and passports;

(b) the fate of those Kenyans who are now stateless due to the fact that they registered as refugees so that they could get relief food due to poverty and drought; and, (c) why knowledge of Kiswahili and BCG vaccination mark on the arm are made conditions of proof of citizenship.

Chair of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, this is a fairly complex issue raised by my good friend, the Member of Parliament for Wajir South. You know, even in the 1980s the former regime introduced what were called screening cards because it is normally difficult to differentiate the locals in that area. So, it is fairly complex. I would advise my brother that I really need close to even ten days, but in the meantime he should assist. Actually, he should be involved in the formation of those vetting committees so that we can avoid a situation where we have a whole population from the other side coming to this side of the country. Hon. Deputy Speaker, so, I will give it in ten days. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

So, are you now changing from the two weeks to ten days which amounts to almost the same thing? Anyway, it shall be two weeks.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, ten days is okay. The Chairman, having confirmed that it is a complex issue, and I agree since there were a lot of Statements that were requested before which took a lot of time, is it not possible--- Honestly I would not mind more time provided that a comprehensive solution is found for this.

Leader of Majority Party. In other words, he is willing to receive his answer even later because it is complex.

Yes, hon. Deputy Speaker, but you know as I sit as the Member for Garissa Town, there is a very serious statement the Chair made and I want him to expunge it from the HANSARD. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security talked about screening cards. That was the worst thing that happened to the people of northern Kenya. You cannot even mention “screening cards” in this House. Of the Somalis who refused them is the current Supreme Court Judge, Mohammed Ibrahim, whom I want to thank when he said that there are Luhyas who live in Busia and Uganda; that there are Pokots who live in Kenya and also in Uganda; that there are Maasais who live in Kenya and also in Tanzania and that there are Somalis who live in Kenya and also in Somalia. It is not complex; it is about prejudice, discrimination and marginalising a community. I want to beg the Chair to expunge the element of screening cards. When you talk of screening cards, some of us feel like vomiting. We do not want to hear that. We do not want our children to hear that. It was the most discriminatory card brought by the Kenya Government under the leadership of Moi.

Leader of the Majority Party, maybe you will need to wait for this Statement to come so that you can prosecute it or give supplementary information on it. Okay. Two weeks then.

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Diriye, this is not the point where you raise a point of order. You had already agreed that the matter comes up in two weeks. You will prosecute it further then.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, just one more clarification please. Since this issue keeps on coming up, I thought the issue of a task force being formed would have served my request better than just a Statement that will be answered after ten or 15 days. This is because as we speak right now there are vetting processes going on.

Order! Why do you not bring it as a Motion so that it is properly discussed? Prepare a Motion and bring it for approval.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I have brought that Motion several times already and it has been approved. I do not know why it has not come on the Floor of the House. This issue of insecurity which is affecting the country---

I do not want you to discuss the matter now, I want you to do it under a Motion or you wait for the Statement to be brought back.

I am requesting whether we can have a task force constituted for the purpose of this matter only. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

But hon. Diriye, do we prepare a task force on the Floor of the House?

You can order the Chair to form one.

Order, Diriye! The next Statement to be sought is by hon. Francis Njenga. Next and last is by hon. Huka.

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order No. 44(2)(c), I wish to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security regarding the closure of Administration Police camps at Borehole 11 and Kalankalesa, opening of a new Administration Police camp at Burmayu, welfare of police officers based at Wargadud Police Station and deployment of Kenya Police Reservists popularly known as Homeguards to Mandera Central District. The National Government is responsible for the provision of security, however, there have been security lapses in the region. The deployment of the police reservists is done discriminatively and hence compromising security of those regions without officers. In the Statement, the Chairperson should inquire into and report on:- (i) reasons for the closure of the above mentioned camps and when they will be opened---

Order! Hon. Members we can hardly hear the hon. Member requesting for the Statement. Please lower the levels of consultations.

I will go on. (ii) when the Government will establish an Administration Police camp in Burmayu, in view of the fact that it is a hot spot, taking into consideration that the facilities have already been provided and also upgrade the Kutulo police patrol base to police station; (iii) reasons for the delay in the issuance of guns to the persons vetted to the position of Kenya Police Reservist and when they will be issued with the same; and (iv) the measure the Government is taking to provide decent housing and offices for the police officers based at Wargadud Police Station and provision of vehicles to Elwak Police Division. This Statement has been pending for one month but there are new occurrences. In the same security issue, I request the Chairperson to also include the town called Yado in the same district---

Order! Hon. Huka, was this bit that you are adding now approved when you sought for the Statement? The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I sought your indulgence, hon. Deputy Speaker. This Statement was prepared a month ago. It has been pending but there is a new thing that has come up.

No, you will only address what was approved. If anything, you will be able to ask supplementary questions or wait until the Minister is there and then you can ask those other ones.

I stand guided, hon. Deputy Speaker.

The hon. Chair of security.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, actually this matter was brought to this House in the last Session. I think hon. Shill and one other Member raised this issue of shortages of ---

Order! Order, hon. Members!

They raised the issue of shortage of police along the border points. I remember my Committee actually visited Mandera and they found that this problem was real. The answer that was given by the police then is that there was shortage of officers and lack of transport facilities. Now that the police have actually been distributing vehicles and we will be having ---

Hon. Kamama, are you answering or providing the Statement now?

Hon. Deputy Speaker in the next ten days.

Okay and I can see hon. Bare Shill is also on a point of order

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. I think this 11th Parliament is very frustrating. At the beginning of this Session, the hon. Speaker said that there is an attempt to make changes in our Standing Orders, whereby Cabinet Secretaries will be available to answer questions. I can see many questions are asked on the issue of internal security. I really sympathize with hon. Kamama because he cannot answer all those questions. These are teething problems. Are we going to change the Standing Orders, or how soon is that going to take so that at least we meet face to face with the Cabinet Secretaries as they answer our questions? As we speak, this Constitution has really fragmented the security docket because even the County Commissioners are not in touch with the security issues around them. The Administration Police are having their own command orders and the police are also having their own command orders. There is a problem with security in this country. Can we have direction on how we, as representatives of the people, can get answers to these questions? Thank you.

I think the Speaker gave information that there is something being worked on to make sure that it is constitutional for Cabinet Secretaries to come to this House. But that document is work under progress and soon we hope and know that we will have them come to answer. In the meantime, we have to go by what is in our Standing Orders and request because we know issues of security are sensitive. They are getting more each day and the Chair and his Committee tried to see how to assist hon. Members because they are frustrated, as you can all see. Everyday there are more and more incidences of insecurity across the country. Your Committee is really The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

being called upon to be faster with your answers and to try and address the issues as raised by hon. Members. So, we do not want to belabour the point. Since he is a colleague like you, he is not the Minister; he can only get the responses from the Minister.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, these issues are real because each and every hon. Member here has one or two issues about the police or chiefs. I was even told the other day by hon. K.K. Kinyanjui that two District Commissioners in South Kinangop do not have vehicles. This is strange and so I want to promise that I will do my best. We will expedite whatever is possible, but let us expedite that report so that we can have Ministers being taken to task here anytime.

Hon. Members, let us allow him to bring that Statement from the Minister and then we can interrogate it further at that time instead of us doing it now and yet again repeating or asking different questions when the Statement comes.

What is it hon. Shakeel; is it on this matter? We have just said we should not go on with this matter of insecurity because if we start asking questions on security matters, I can assure you each and every hon. Member in this House has issues with security. Each hon. Member will tell you about an incident in their constituency or town concerning security. So, hon. Members, allow work in the House to continue and we will prosecute and get supplementary clarifications when the Statement has been brought. Allow us to continue to proceed in that direction.

Hon. Members, I would like to give a Communication on the debate relating to the next Order. Before we proceed to Order No.8, I wish to guide the House on several matters relating to the Papers that were laid by the Leader of Majority Party today. As you are aware, Article 132(1)(b) and (c) of the Constitution provides that the President shall address a special sitting of Parliament once every year as well as make an Address to the nation. In this regard, the President addressed a Joint Sitting of the Houses of Parliament on Thursday, 27th March, 2014. Article 132(1)(c) of the Constitution requires the President as he gives his Address, to report on the measures taken and the progress achieved in the realization of the national values. Sub-paragraph (iii) of the same Article also requires the President to submit a report for debate in the House on progress made in fulfilling international obligations of the Republic. In addition, Article 240(7) requires the National Security Council to report annually to Parliament on the state of the security of Kenya. This report was also given to the President as the Chair of the National Security Council. These are the reports that the Leader of Majority Party has since tabled. Hon. Members, the Constitution contemplates that the three reports may be provided at different times. However, the first report relating to the realization of national The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

values and principles of governance is tied to the State of the Nation Address. In this regard, you are advised that the House Business Committee will slot different days for debate on the report of the progress made in the fulfillment of international obligations of the Republic and the annual report to Parliament on the state of national security. In this case, therefore, please be guided that as you contribute on the Address of the President this week, you may wish to focus mainly on the substance of the Address and the report on the realization of national values and the principles of governance as the other two reports will have their own substantive days for you to give it in depth discussions. Hon. Members who may not have opportunity to speak on the Address of the President may also get another opportunity when the House debates the other reports.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move this Motion in an amended form:- THAT, pursuant to the Provisions of Standing Order No.24(6), the thanks of the House be recorded for the exposition of public policy contained in the Address of the President delivered on Thursday, 27th March, 2014, laid on the Table of the House today, 1st April, 2014.

This State of the Nation Address is a constitutional obligation and we want to thank the President at the outset for leading the way in making sure that the rule of law and the Constitution are followed from the President down to Wanjiku. His Speech and the documents that we tabled today are in fulfillment of Article 132(b), (c) and Article 240(7) of our Constitution. The common theme of the President’s Speech was that of “one nation one people”. The heart and core of His Excellency’s Speech to Parliament was based on national cohesion which is the bedrock of his Government and that of the Jubilee administration. The Jubilee administration that President Uhuru Kenyatta leads was borne out of an ideal to bring national cohesion, national integration and cohesiveness following the division in the 2007/2008 General Elections. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the hallmark of President Uhuru’s leadership; the picture you see is that of Kenya’s first Defence Minister from the old Nyanza region. The picture you see in the Jubilee Administration is that, for the first time, our foreign policy is being headed by a Muslim and, more so, by a lady Muslim. Those are the pictures you see when you look at the Jubilee Administration. The picture you see in the Cabinet of President Uhuru Kenyatta is that of the young people; of expertise from the private sector. When you look at Adan Mohamed of the Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development, he had a career in the private sector. He was in charge of Barclays Bank International for three quarters of Africa. That is the picture of the administration that hon. Uhuru Kenyatta leads. Hon. Deputy Speaker, we want to thank the President for walking the talk on devolution. Today, devolution is a reality in Kenya. Despite Article 203(2) that talks about 15 per cent minimum, the Jubilee Administration under President Uhuru Kenyatta has allocated more than double of that percentage - 32 per cent. More so, despite Article The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

203(3) that talks about division of revenue--- Hon. Deputy Speaker, if you allow me, I will read Article 203(3). It says:- “The amount referred to in Clause (2) shall be calculated on the basis of the most recent audited accounts of revenue received, as approved by the National Assembly.” Hon. Deputy Speaker, the accounts of 2010/2011 which we are using are yet to be approved by Parliament. Devolution is a reality. The Constitution anticipates functions to be devolved over three years. In the first year under the administration of His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta, all functions and resources have been devolved. Hon. Deputy Speaker, today, I want to speak for the Members of County Assemblies (MCAs). We are talking about national values. National values mean equity and justice. I want to tell Ms. Sarah Serem that under Article 10 of the new Constitution, she cannot give a grant to Members of Parliament and deny the same to the MCAs. She must give it. She has no choice. MCAs are the legislators at the county assemblies. If hon. Duale got Kshs.5,000,000 grant, for them to do oversight and go round their wards, they need a similar amount. Either all of us should not get it or Ms. Sarah Serem must give a similar amount, equivalent to their level of governance. MCAs must be given a car grant. They should not be at the mercy of the county governments and always ask for lifts from the county executive. They must drive their cars. They can be given Kshs.2 million or Kshs.1.5 million. That is for Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to decide. But I want to urge my colleagues that, if we want to walk the talk as far as Article 10 on national values is concerned, the hallmark is equity. Equity must be across the board. Equity must come from the National Assembly to the MCAs. From today, I will fight for the MCAs to get a car grant. Those Members who will be with me, let us make sure that the MCAs across the country can drive and get a grant, the way hon. Duale got it. Hon. Deputy Speaker, look at the IDPs, it was the biggest headache for the grand coalition Government, in which I served for two years; very unfortunately. If I knew that was the kind of Government I was to serve, I would not have served in it. But I served in it for two years. They could not solve the burning question of IDPs. What did Uhuru Kenyatta’s Government do in the first year? From the remaining 942 households, 777 households got a cash payment of Kshs.400,000. That was the biggest problem in the last Government – especially in the Ministry of Lands and Ministry of Special Programmes. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the biggest challenge we are facing - and this is the reality – is that, despite the Jubilee Government under His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta investing heavily in security, there are still problems. This House allocated a budget to the security sector. For the first time in the history of Kenya, our men and women in uniform have an insurance cover from July. Our men and women in uniform have a housing policy. Houses are being built. Our men and women have now new technology. They have equipment. We have given them 1,200 vehicles but still security is a challenge. We will ask the President about that. If we feel that there is one or two heads of the security sector that are sleeping on their jobs, he must crack the whip. That is because he has sworn by the Constitution to protect the lives and property of our people. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Nyumba Kumi initiative is a good strategy that can fight terrorism. You must know your neighbour. That is a good initiative that came under the leadership of hon. Uhuru Kenyatta. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, with regard to the health sector, when hon. Uhuru Kenyatta became the President, he said he will introduce free maternal health care and he walked the talk. Today, 67 per cent of the Kenyan women are delivering in our hospitals. That is from the 44 per cent when he was taking over. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), under AMISOM are in Somalia. We are not there for a birthday party; we are there to make sure that we deal with the infrastructure of terror. We must make northern Kenya safe; we must make Nairobi safe and Kenya in general safe. It is an international obligation that, as a country, we host huge numbers of refugees. I want to urge my colleagues in the Defence and Foreign Relations Department that, in as much as we might agree, closing refugee camps is not a one day affair. Kenya is respected internationally. It has signed international treaties. You cannot do that. It is the obligation of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UHNCR) and the Kenya Government to remove the bad elements from the many innocent refugees. You cannot victimize refugees just because there are few elements. It is our obligation. Hon. Deputy Speaker, with regard to food security and irrigation, today, 1,000,000 acres in Galana are under irrigation. The idea was conceived by the grand coalition Government then, which I had the pleasure to serve before I was kicked out for reasons known to those who gave me the job and those who sacked me. Hon. Deputy Speaker, with regard to the land reform sector--- One day, I will join Mr. Miguna Miguna and write a book. That, maybe, will give the history of why I joined the grand coalition Government and why I was sacked. On land reforms, it is the biggest issue in Kenya. The reason why people from Coast were agitated was because of land issue. For the first year, over 660 title deeds were issued to the region that had burning questions with regard to land reforms. In conclusion, every governor will do an address of the state of his county. Every political party must have its own state of the nation address. I want to ask political parties to set a day when they will tell the country the state of their political parties in conformity with the Constitution and in conformity with the Political Parties Act and the Elections Act. Each political party must follow the President. We must start with ODM. When I saw hon. Anyang’-Nyong’o criticizing the President’s Speech on the State of the Nation Address - He is a good friend of mine and I am sure he is watching me - I called him and told him: “Before you do that, first give us the state of the ODM nation.”

Nation?

Yes, ODM nation! It is a nation in terms of a political party. We want to know the history of the “men in black”. We want to know what happened at Kasarani.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move and ask hon. Katoo ole Metito--- I know I have touched a live wire but that is a debate.

Order! Order, hon. Ken! You know he was saying it with a light touch. There is no nation called ODM.

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Can we have the Motion seconded by the Whip?

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to second the Motion. First of all, I would like to thank and commend the President for the elaborate way he has enumerated his public exposition policy for his Government in one year’s time.

Let me just point out two or three things. One, the first international or regional assignment that was bestowed on President Uhuru Kenyatta once he got elected was to chair the East African Community (EAC). In that capacity, he had to ensure that there is security and peace in our neighbouring countries, especially Somalia and South Sudan. What we have seen his administration do in those two countries is a very good sign of good neighbourliness. We know that if your neighbour is not at peace, definitely, he will affect you directly or indirectly. We are seeing some of the spill-over of insecurity because of unstable region. I want to thank the President as the Chair of the EAC for the good peace initiative he has initiated in Somalia and South Sudan.

Secondly, also aligned to that is the security situation in our country. We know a lot has to be done to contain these threats we are seeing here and there. The most recent was the one that occurred yesterday in Eastleigh. This is very unfortunate. However, in his Public Address, the President said that his administration has tried to reduce the police ratio to the citizens in terms of service. That is from one police officer to 750 citizens to the current one police officer to 535 citizens. We know it is a big step done in one year though we are still below the UN recommended ratio of one police officer to 450 citizens.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, that reduction is commendable in one year. We know this Friday 7,000 police officers will be graduating from Kiganjo Police Training College. If that is injected to the current police force, it will increase the force by 10 per cent.

Having said that, I want to agree with the Mover of the Motion that for the first time in the history of this country, we will have police insurance and housing scheme. This is beginning July this year. It is also very good to consider the welfare of our police officers as they strive to protect Kenyans and their property.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, the 1,200 cars that have been given to the police in one financial year is a big boost that this Government has achieved within one year of its administration.

On the issue of orphans, disabled, elderly and the urban poor where cash transfers of about Kshs.1 billion has been injected, it is estimated that half a million households will benefit. This is very commendable because it is cushioning the poor from the high cost of living. Let me also say that the infrastructure that is being put in place by this Government within one year, if you take for instance the Lamu-Lokichar and Lamu- Moyale Road, you will find that it is very commendable and I want to thank the President for that.

I beg to support.

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Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance to contribute to this important Motion. I was surprised on Sunday when the pastor of my local church challenged me. He asked why we spend so much time talking about non- issues instead of things that affect them. I asked him what the non-issues are and he told me that we spend a lot of time talking about national flags, emblems and names. He told me that they do not want that because there are issues that affect them.

I had a discussion with few people and I got what Kenyans want. Our question should be why there is rampant insecurity in Kenya. I know the President promised that he will give more cars and insurance scheme for policemen and this is good. However, it falls short. Why is there a lot of insecurity in Kenya more than any other place? In fact, Kenya is ranked lowly because of insecurity. One reason is poverty. The gap between the rich and the poor in Kenya has widened very much. It is very worrying that only less than 10 per cent control 90 per cent of the resources and wealth of this country. The majority or over 95 per cent cannot put food on the table and they cannot take their children to school. They need to eat and get other basic things. However, the cost of living went up the time Jubilee came to power. This is because of the VAT Act and taxing most of the basic goods that ordinary Kenyans consume, like bread, milk and petrol.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I also want to say that the police force and those people who are charged with ensuring that we are secure are not motivated. Look at their salaries and housing, it is sad. Even the cars that they are given, if you go to police stations, you will find that they have no fuel. Someone is robbed, they report and call but the police cannot move. You will find even electricity has been disconnected in many police stations, like those in my constituency because of not paying bills. The police force is demoralized. Let this Government find a way of improving the welfare and the working conditions of the police force wholesale and not in bits.

I support the Nyumba Kumi initiative because if you know your neighbours, you can come together in case of an attack. If you read the Quran or the Bible, you will find that when Jericho was to be attacked by the Israelites, they sent spies but because people were united, they said that there were two men who had come in and so they looked for them. If we do not have that kind of cohesiveness, we will not know when thugs come.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, two men were killed in the village where I was born and brought up. One was drinking in a bar that was open less than 600 metres from a girls’ school. This is the case, yet the law says that you cannot open a bar next to a school. Police raid the bar but after some time, it is opened. You do not know whether it is money that is changing hands. However, there is rampant insecurity. Once the police are paid, they look for money elsewhere.

The President talked about national cohesion and integration. We can only be cohesive if we see that there is fair play. For example, tribalism is rampant because of lack of cohesion. If you look at employment, you will find that 60 per cent of all Government jobs are given to only two big tribes that won the elections. So, the other 60 per cent have been left without jobs. This has made the people on the other side feel bad.

If we have to be cohesive, let us distribute resources, jobs and contracts fairly. It does not have to be that it is only people born in a certain place who should always benefit while the rest of the country, which is larger and has a bigger population, is left without anything. In the hospitals that our relatives go to, there are no medicines. They The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

are told to buy everything. When you devolve health care and you do not devolve funds-- -

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. I would like the Leader of the Minority Party, whom I respect very much, to clarify something. I have heard him say that 60 per cent has been given to the other side and 60 per cent has been given to the other side. According to my mathematics, 60 and 40 make 100 per cent. The 60 and 60 is 120. So, could he, please, clarify what he meant by that?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I hope my minutes will not be consumed. I respect the legislator very much. I said that over 60 per cent of the jobs were given, but the other larger part, which has a population of more than 60 per cent, never got appointments.

The Leader of the Minority Party, you have another point of order.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, please, you should protect me because we never interrupted them.

Hon. Members, please, let us reduce our points of order because the Members also end up losing time and everybody wants to speak.

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. The Leader of Minority Party, a man I respect, has claimed that jobs have been allocated to the two main groups in the country. We have had many appointments coming through this House and we know that the jobs have been given to people, regardless of where they come from depending on their qualification. I would request him to substantiate his claim or withdraw it all together.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, you should protect me from those points of order from my colleagues.

I will protect you from points of order, but I will not protect you from the content of what you are saying.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I will talk about that. It was in the Nation Daily Newspaper where it showed that all the appointments to big jobs, after the election, went to areas that voted for the Jubilee Government. You do not have to substantiate that. It is very true.

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Order, Members! Allow the Leader of Minority Party to continue!

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, even the governors who are congregating at the---

Hon. Cecily Mbarire, who is a seasoned politician, can you allow her to give you a point of order?

She is my friend.

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. It is not right to let the Leader of Minority Party mislead this House and the Republic of Kenya at large. We know that the Cabinet that was formed got people from other regions that were even ODM(K) and CORD. Could the Leader of Minority Party, who in Kiswahili is called

, tell this House how many Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

came from other regions other than the so-called Jubilee regions? Could he apologize for misleading this House?

No!

Order! Members, we should not be shouting in the House!

Hon. Deputy Speaker, it is good to be accurate with the remarks we make on the Floor of this House. It is wrong to mislead the public. We believe in unity.

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Order, Members! I will not entertain any more points of order. The Leader of Minority Party, please, proceed. The Leader of Minority Party has 20 minutes, like the Leader of Majority Party.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, tell them. Thank you and that is why we respect you very much. It is on record and even the 60 that I am talking about is way below the Cabinet appointments that were made. Those were token appointments---

Order! What is the source of your information? The Leader of Minority Party, you can see you are raising the temperatures in the House. What source are you using? What is the source of your information, the Leader of Minority Party? Please, stop making sweeping statements.

On a point of information, hon. Deputy Speaker.

You want to be informed?

Yes, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Hon. Mbadi!

No, it was Ken Obura.

It was not. It was hon. Mbadi.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, we both wanted to inform the Leader of Minority Party who will soon be the Leader of Majority Party. A research was conducted through the Public Service Commission. Another research was conducted through the National Integration and Cohesion Commission and another one was just conducted recently by Synovate and it was found that two communities, one which is number one in terms of population, but is only 16 per cent of this country, and another community which is number three in terms of population, combined controlled almost 30 per cent of the jobs. If you add to the tribe which is number two, you have 40 per cent. This is on record and we do not need to deny the obvious. Since this Government came to power, even though hon. Mbarire is talking about the Cabinet, even that Cabinet is skewed. One community has produced six Cabinet Secretaries. Even Embu and Meru are suffering in this Government and apart from voting---

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Order, hon. Members! I do not see where this line of discussion and argument is really taking us in this House. It is not helping the nation. It is The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

not helping us in this House. Can we, please, the Leader of Minority Party, stick to the President’s Address. Make your contribution and stick to the President’s Address.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I was discussing about Article 10, which talks about equity and for us to have cohesion and integration as stated by the President, there has to be some kind of fairness. Whatever you do, people should see some sense of fairness. We have been talking about the Prime Minister and the former Vice-President’s dues, which were not paid and the former President, hon. Kibaki, was paid. They were in a coalition Government. When it comes to people in CORD, they are not paid. What do you expect the people on the other side to think? You want us to be united? When you treat our leaders like trash, we will not be cohesive. You do these small things and you see us working together, but when you mistreat our leaders, do you want them to beg for what is right? Even if you go to any court, it was right for them to be paid because that was a coalition Government. The Jubilee Government has been taking them for a ride and demanding that they should resign from politics for them to be paid what is rightfully theirs. When we say the truth, do not get jittery. We do not want Somalis or any other people living near our borders being discriminated. We do not want anybody to be discriminated when it comes to the issuance of national identity cards. These are Kenyans. The Kenyan Somalis are mistreated by their neighbours as much as by the other Kenyans. So, when you lump them and say that they are Somalis and they cause insecurity in the country, you are doing the wrong thing to them. Kenyan Somalis are as patriotic as any other Kenyan. Whenever you issue identity cards, do not discriminate. Give them because this is their birth place. Where do you want them to go?

The President talked about the wage bill and he led by example. He said that wages will be deducted, although they have not been deducted. That may not be a solution, but a gesture. We should stop the wastage in Government. We should also stop corruption. If we do that, this country will go far. There will be even bigger salaries for everybody else, instead of opting for salary cuts and sending people home. When the Jubilee Government came to power, they said they will employ youth, but when the time for employing came, they went for the old folks; their friends. In fact, this is the truth, do not be cheated. I only talk the truth as a Christian.

The youth in this country are very disillusioned because the digital Government had promised them jobs and they had a lot of expectation, but what they got was the opposite. Let the Jubilee Government see what they can do about the youth, instead of making their life difficult as is the case today. The state of the current economy is so bad. We have reached the extreme end of US$2.2 trillion and we cannot borrow beyond this.

The Deputy Speaker said I should not be interrupted, the way we did not interrupt hon. Aden Duale.

( Laughter )

You are now putting words in my mouth, hon. Nyenze. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

The state of Kenya’s economy is so dire that something has to be done. The Jubilee Government promised the economy will grow by double digits.

By when?

By the end of the first year in office. Today, the economy is not growing. In fact, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have given a warning---

( Loud consultations )

Order! Order! Order!

They have given a warning that we cannot borrow because we have reached the limit.

Yes.

We should not keep borrowing or live on borrowed money. We should generate our own resources, instead of borrowing to undertake major projects. My time is up, and it is unfortunate. I hope the Jubilee Government will do better next year, but this time they have fallen flat.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Hon. Member for Endebess.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to contribute to this very important speech by His Excellency the President. Allow me first to send my condolences to those who lost their lives in Eastleigh yesterday. I wish quick recovery to those who are at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). I also want to take this opportunity to thank the neurosurgeons in KNH for successfully removing the bullet from baby Osinya’s head, this morning.

( Applause )

This also goes to Ahmed Nassir for the rhetoric that this country does not have qualified doctors to remove the bullet from the child’s head. He has been disapproved today and he needs to think again about his comments.

( Applause )

The issue of security in this country is everybody’s and more so, this House has a critical role to play. When we enacted the laws that govern security operations, one of the areas that we weakened and this was done by the 10th Parliament, was the role of National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) in this country. In his Speech, the President captured very clearly that this is one area that needs to be reformed properly. This is because when our intelligence unit only gathers information and they cannot prevent the terrorists from carrying out their missions, we will be failing in this country and that is for both sides of the House. Security must be addressed by both sides equally. Over the weekend, two Members of this House were confronted by thugs. Hon. Nassir from Mombasa and hon. Lentimalo were confronted. When they come for you next, you will know that it is everybody’s worry. The Jubilee Government inherited a The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

system which has been in place for the last 50 years or so. Within the first year they have been in power, they have tried their best and credit should be given where it is due. We are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, but it is our responsibility to point out mistakes as responsible leaders, without necessarily pointing fingers. You point one finger at the Jubilee Government and the remaining four or three fingers are pointing at you. We saw what happened the other day at the Kasarani International Stadium; those are signs of bad things that are happening and we want to blame them on other people.

( Loud consultations )

Order! Order, Members! Stop shouting, you know that everybody has a right to debate. It is the time for the hon. Member of Endebess. You will have your turn and say your bit. So, let us respect each other.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you for saving me from hon. Simba Arati and the “men in black”.

( Applause )

One of the issues that we have seen the Jubilee Government doing is the resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and it is very important that we read the report and the speech by the President. We have seen that the IDPs’ issue has been resolved and it is on its way out. Other areas that we think the Government needs to put more effort and the President talked about it, is the area of electricity. Once we have electricity in all the primary schools in this country, other issues will follow. Citizens will access power and insecurity will be addressed because once we have light within those areas, we will tackle this issue.

With those few remarks, since my time is gone, I want to thank you for allowing me to make my contribution.

Hon. Patrick Musimba, Member for Kibwezi West.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for this opportunity. I want to congratulate His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta, on his Address. I want to amplify one particular element which was about recognition of the youth, women and persons living with disability. These people were allocated Kshs.200 billion and His Excellency called for this House to oversee and ensure that this money gets to these people. On quick computation in terms of overseeing, you will recognize that this translates to Kshs.690 million per constituency. I call on this House to have this money directly apportioned to the Constituencies, so that we have reversed procurement. This is where the onus is on the Government agencies to actually come to the constituency and seek services of our women, youth and persons living with disabilities. This will, indeed, lead to the fulfillment of the principles as envisioned in Article 201 of the Constitution. These are the guiding principles of public finance. They state that expenditure shall promote equitable development of the country, including special provision for marginalized groups and area. In so doing, we will be furthering the entrepreneurial activities of over 10 million youths in this nation who are currently waiting for a door or window to open for them. This was momentous on the part of the President by recognizing this. As The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

leaders in this House, this is what we are faced with as an ongoing concern and I believe it is the thinking behind the Uwezo Fund. The President admits that it has actually been delayed. This House spent considerable time in debating and coming up with the relevant regulations. This House needs to expand that so that it ceases to be a one-time event. We recognize in the same principles of 2002 that a special fund be created or enhanced to be able to encompass and assist people. This opportunity is in the constituencies at a level of Kshs.690 million per year. This will do much to improve the opportunities, money circulation, development, and reduce the socio-economic impacts associated with security. I want to thank the President on this account. With regard to devolution, the biggest argument which has been going back and forth is about the percentage being increased to around 45 per cent. The current allocation is 32 per cent of Kshs.210 billion. It shows that if we allocate a further Kshs.2 billion, the money will go a long way in assisting. This is because we shall have even surpassed the 45 per cent threshold being called upon. We will get this nation to work so that we grow this economy in double digits. I thank you for that time, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Nashukuru sana Bi. Naibu wa Spika kwa kunipatia hii nafasi. Ningependa kuanza kwa kumpongeza Rais Kenyatta kwa Hotuba yake. Namshukuru kwa kuweza kufika hapa ili kulitangazia taifa yale mambo Serikali ya Jubilee imekuwa ikifanya kwa muda wa mwaka mmoja ambao umepita na yale ambayo Serikali inapanga kufanya kwa kipindi kijacho. Kuhusu maadili ya kitaifa na misingi ya utawala, lile ambalo litafanya hii nchi iweze kuendelea ni sisi kuanza kutilia maanani maadili. Kwanza kabisa inatupasa kushikilia uzalendo. Isiwe kwamba kila mtu anajitakia mambo yake binafsi na kusahau mambo ya taifa. Ukienda kwenye barabara, kila mmoja anataka kuruka laini ili aweze kufika mbele ya watu wengine na hali wanavunja sheria. Ukienda kwenye biashara hasa na Serikali kila mmoja anajaribu kutoa hongo ili aweze kupitishwa mbele ya wengine ambao wangefaulu zaidi. Kuhusu umoja katika nchi, nafikiri kwamba ni muhimu sisi Wabunge tuepuke mizozo. Isiwe kwamba tukija hapa kila wakati tunazozana tukijaribu kuonyesha jinsi sisi tuko upande huu na wale wengine upande ule mwingine. Sisi ni viongozi wa taifa na tunastahili kuiweka hii nchi pamoja pasi na kuleta utengano hasa tukitumia ukabila. Ni muhimu pia tuanze kuwakumbuka na kuwaheshimu mashujaa wetu. Tuna mashujaa wengi sana ambao wamepigania hili taifa tangu enzi za uhuru. Kufikia sasa tunaongea tu wala hatufanyi jambo kuwakumbuka mashujaa wetu. Jambo ambalo ningekumbuka na ninafurahi kwamba Serikali ya Jubilee imelifanya ni kuwakumbuka wanyonge katika jamii. Hili jambo la kuwapatia wazee kiinua mgongo ni bora. Tumewakumbuka mayatima. Tumeongeza zile pesa ambazo huwa wanapatiwa. Wale ambao ni walemavu katika jamii tumeweza kuwaongezea pesa. Haya ni mambo muhimu katika nchi. Serikali ya Kibaki iliwakumbuka wanafunzi wa shule za msingi. Itakuwa muhimu sana basi Serikali hii yetu ya Jubilee iwakumbuke wanafunzi wa shule za upili ili wanafunzi wote, kama ambavyo Katiba imenena, masomo ya msingi yasikomee Darasa la Nane, bali yafike Kidato cha Nne. Hivyo, nchi hii itaendelea zaidi. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Ni muhimu tuwakumbuke wale ambao hawana kazi. Hata tukiendelea kuajiri polisi wengi katika nchi, haitawezekana kuajiri polisi wa kutosha. Ni muhimu tukumbuke wale ambao hawana kazi. Tusipowatafutia kazi hawa vijana na kupeleka raslimali kule mashinani ukweli ni kuwa wakikosa kazi, usalama hautakuweko. Tuwakumbuke polisi vile vile ili wasije kulalamika kila wakati juu ya mishahara yao. Namshukuru Rais kwa Hotuba yake.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for this opportunity to speak on this Speech. You know, even the President must have realized that this Speech fell below par. You realize that this week he has released his Cabinet Secretaries to try and salvage the situation. When you speak about the values as enshrined under Article 10 of the Constitution, we have already spoken about the appointments that have been made. This Speech really got me thinking. I am not a mathematician, but I got down to do some arithmetic and I literally counted and made divisions. What the Leader of Minority Party was speaking about 60 per cent of appointments in this Government being from two communities, is a reality. I can say here that 59.7 per cent of appointments are from just two communities. The other arithmetic I did is about the average age of appointees whose names have passed through this House. That average age is 50 years. We talk about inclusiveness. There was hope among the youth that, probably, this is the Government that will bring in youthful leaders. We have got to a point where the average age of people we are passing in this House is 50 years. This is completely out of turn. When we come to the issue of security in this country, it cannot be talked about enough. Every day in this House we are sending condolences. Last night six people died out of an explosion. I was reflecting on it. When you hear that it is six people it might seem far away, but the day it hits you that among the six people it is your mother, father, brother, sister and so on--- These are fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and bread winners who are dying on a daily basis. The President said that we are going to buy vehicles. Is that the best we can do? Heads must roll in the security sector of this country.

Where is the intelligence? What are they doing? Even out of their own conscience, some of these people who sit within our security ranks should resign so that they give way to a fresh lot that can give hope to Kenyans. This is what I thought I would have heard the President talking about. That he will do anything it takes to give Kenyans their right to security as enshrined in Article 29 of the Constitution. Hon. Deputy Speaker, you saw it on television and somebody said that the problem with our President is that he gives suggestions. It is true. The Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces cannot give suggestions; he must give orders and must direct. He must sit down with these people in charge and tell them: “Look, you have security of tenure, but I am sorry it is time to turn things around.” Hon. Deputy Speaker, there was a small part of the Speech which touched on corruption and the wage bill. The Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) is making this country believe that it is the Legislature and the representation that is causing the problem of the wage bill. I want to submit on record that it is not. There are ghost The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

workers and even the President admitted that about Kshs.150 million per month goes to ghost workers; people who are not known where they are or what they do. The Legislature; the Parliamentary Service Commission only consumes 1 per cent of the national expenditure, that is Kshs.19 billion out of Kshs.1.6 trillion. Even if Parliament disappeared, the problem of the expenditure in this country will not be resolved. With regard to food security, the President said that we want to do a million acres, but we have started with 10,000 acres. Ten thousand acres times five years or four years is only 40,000 acres. Surely, how do we get to a million with 10,000 acres every year?

Then we say that we want 5000 megawatts when our grid is only 1500 megawatts. How are we going to get to 5000 megawatts? Even the projections speak about us getting to 5000 megawatts by geothermal, by the year 2030. I hope the speech writer has been fired by now.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important debate on the Speech by our President. First, I wish to congratulate the President for obeying the Constitution by appearing in this House and addressing the nation. I also thank the President for thanking - you know it is always good to appreciate what people have done - this House. The whole membership of this House was thanked for supporting the Government for the last one year. I think that is very important. Hon. Deputy Speaker, one notable and very clear achievement of this Government is on the side of devolution. Devolution has been handled in this country in a way that many people could not believe. The Government has transferred all the functions of the national Government to the counties within the first year. The drafters of the Constitution had actually indicated that the functions could be transferred in phases over a period of three years. If you look at the counties, all the functions as stipulated in the Constitution have already been transferred. We are talking about the counties being able to perform functions they have been given efficiently as indicated in the Constitution. Fifteen per cent is the minimum and the Jubilee Government managed to give 32 per cent. It is actually important that we appreciate what the Government has done and we play our oversight role to ensure that this money works for the people. Hon. Deputy Speaker, we want also to support what the Leader of Majority Party mentioned, that we need to empower the Members of County Assemblies (MCA); our counterparts in the counties on the oversight role. If people are not empowered, they will be vulnerable to misuse and being compromised. Therefore, we need to empower them. It is a pity that the current crop of members who are doing oversight in our counties are actually earning less than 20 per cent of what the executive officers are earning in those counties. We need to really defend our colleagues down there so that devolution can succeed. But our worry is when devolution is politicized and the President was very clear when he said it should not be politicized. The President clearly indicated that he is going to defend devolution and, therefore, no one in this country should doubt the commitment from the President. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I want also to speak about the IDPs. When the Jubilee Government took over, there were still many IDPs. The Government got committed and they have resettled quite a number. I want also to say that, there is commitment to resettle more. I want to appreciate that the President indicated that the process is ongoing. I want also to indicate to the Government that it is also important to look at the historical issues of squatters in this country. Other than the IDPs, there are people who are suffering in silence. There are people who are squatters after the white settlers left this country. There are many people who were left in the settlement schemes and they are staying without land. I want to urge the Government to take them into this programme. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I want to say that one of the biggest achievements of this Government is on the side of empowerment. People who are not empowered are a real threat to security in this country. I want to urge all hon. Members to support the empowerment programmes by the Government, for example, Uwezo Fund; the 30 per cent initiative of giving tenders to women and the youth and people living with disability. As I conclude, I want to say this Government has actually initiated many programmes without looking at regions. I want to comment on what hon. (Ms.) Nyasuna said. She happened to have learned mathematics from one of the teachers at the university---

Your time is up, hon. Limo. Let us hear from the hon. Member for Kajiado North; hon. Manje

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this chance to contribute to this Motion. I want to underscore and say that this is a Speech from a great man and it is in alignment with Vision 2030 of our country and the Jubilee Manifesto.

I want to say that the Speech articulates what the Government has done, especially on devolution. In the Constitution, it was to start at 15 per cent, but we have found the Jubilee Government has given up to 32 per cent. That is a very good start and that is why devolution is taking place on the ground. I have also realized that the Government has also devolved functions of the county government without hesitation; otherwise, there could have been a blame game that some functions have not been devolved.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to talk about the security situation in our country, especially what happened last night in our country. We should be asking ourselves whether we have sold our country to Al Shabaab . Have we sold the whole of Eastleigh region? Are these people planning without the Government knowing what is going on?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it happened just the other day in Mombasa, it happened in Westgate Mall, it is happening right at the centre of our town. We should come out strongly as leaders of this country and ask ourselves where we are headed to. We should also be preparing as a country and start benchmarking with other countries. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

We should study what is happening in Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Northern Nigeria; the BokoHaram issue. The Government should be prepared for hard times because what is happening is just the tip of the iceberg. It has started and it will continue. So, we should start sending our forces to Iraq and Israel to see how they respond to such situations. We should start investing heavily in security in our country.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am saying this because one of our Members was shot by thugs in my constituency. Hon. Letimalo lives in my constituency although he is the Member of Parliament for Samburu West. All of us should wake up and see how we can salvage this situation.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I like the way the President articulated the issue of one million acres of land for food security. We should also use this as an opportunity for employing our youths because they are getting frustrated. We have so many youths who are not employed and they are getting frustrated in their houses. If we do not engage them at this particular time, we will have problems later on. This is the time when every one of us should wake up. I am happy with the way he has dealt with affirmative action because in that way, through the Uwezo Fund and the Youth Fund, we can create employment opportunities.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, lastly because I can see my time is over, I want us to make corruption in this country very expensive and maybe punish it with death. This is because people are misbehaving with resources belonging to poor people. People have been given positions but regardless of their senior positions in Government, they still continue with corruption. This is the time we should wake up as leaders and say this is our country and we should punish corruption with death.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Very well. Let us have the young person from Kasipul Kabondo.

Kabondo Kasipul.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I think you have given me the Floor.

No, I am giving it to Osele but I realise you are number 16 here. I will sort it ought when it comes to where it is supposed to have been.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the President’s Speech. Personally, I see a President of the Republic who is determined, willing, ready and who has the energy to take Kenyans where he wants them to go, but has lacked the capacity and goodwill of the people around him.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I say so because we have heard several times the President complaining about cartels within the Government that are not ready to let go. As such, we should only be thinking of what we can then do as a country to ensure that the President and the Deputy President move this country forward. I agree that their failures are very important to us as the Opposition but again when you come to a point where Kenyans can go without food and are not secure within their territorial boundaries, then something needs to be done. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the runaway insecurity in this country is not about more vehicles or lack of personnel. I believe our security personnel are capable of handling crimes within our borders. The problem is lack of clear command structures. We have a system where in the morning a County Commissioner gives orders that are contradicted by the County Commandant. Then the Inspector-General (IG) comes in and then the Cabinet Secretary makes another statement and everybody thinks what they say is right. We are confusing the personnel that are ready to handle crime in this country. We are in a country where everybody is now fighting for power in the security agencies – power that we do not know where they want to take it. They have not used the little that they have already been given.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have misplaced priorities in this country and this House must help to bring order. When you wake up in the morning, you see a woman carrying a child on her back and luggage on her head trying to move and make ends meet with sincerity and honesty, and then we come to a point where in our system we do not give her any support. We want to take more to the upper class and make the lower class suffer more.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I see the President has given opportunities to the youth, that is the 30 per cent and all that but again you see these loans that are given to the youth have certain regulations that are quite discouraging. At the end of the day, these loans end up in the banks where rich men use them for their own benefit. So, they are not beneficial to the youth. We would like to see the Government coming up with mechanisms of ensuring that the conditions attached to these loans are easy and the youth can access them.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have the system of Nyumba Kumi that is being celebrated. This system cannot work because in Kenya we have a civilian Government but we want to run security through a military system. There is already inherent mistrust between the police and the citizens of the Republic of Kenya. We cannot sort out that overnight, but when you put the citizens to be reporting directly to the police we are bringing problems. These people trust their village elders who in turn trust their chiefs and who in turn trust the District Officer (DO). Nowadays, if a DO reports to the police or the County Commandant they are asked by people why they did not report to them. So, the problem is not about our people not being capable of handling security but about the system.

I would also like to see the Government owning up and telling the United States of America (USA): “You aided us when we were going to Somalia to chase away terrorists, they are now in Kenya, assist us.” The international communities must also come and assist us. Terrorism is an international thing and we cannot leave Kenya to deal with it solely because we would have protected our borders instead of chasing them away.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, going to Migingo, I believe Museveni is a friend of our President. Ugandans steal fish from us daily. I do not know whether there is connivance, but why would we have security agencies from outside coming to interfere with our people?

Finally, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to see a system where these big tenders that we give to the--- The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Your time is over. Hon. Birdi.

Thank you very much hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to add my comments to this Speech that was delivered by His Excellency the President. I would like at the outset to say that throughout last week, I watched and heard on television on many occasions Members of Parliament saying that the President was talking in future tense. Reading his Speech, I have noticed that he has picked up issues that have taken place in the last one year.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank the President for gracing the occasion and giving us his views on what has happened in the last year and in particular the insecurity which has not only hit Nairobi but the whole of Kenya. I would like to say that I dialled the number 999 this morning and at 12.30 p.m. and it did not go through, but when I dialled the number 112, it went through. So, I would like Members to know that some systems are working to a certain extent.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is commendable that through the efforts of the President, the levels of accidents have decreased in the last one year due to the introduction of Alcoblow. However, it is a pity that some of our hon. Members of Parliament are caught in the evening drunk and driving. I think that is an issue that as honourable leaders of this country, we should look into. In as much as we talk and point fingers at each other, I think we need to look into that.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would also like to say that I commend the President for noting that there should be more synergy amongst Senators, Members of Parliament and Members of the County Assemblies so that instead of apportioning blame to each other, we need to work together as a country.

I would also like to mention something about the Nyumba Kumi initiative. This is because I have realised that in as much as some communities work together, there are many citizens of this country who feel very scared and vulnerable to report insecurity incidences either to the police, immigration officials or any authority. So, I would like to see this initiative of Nyumba Kumi working better.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would also like to mention something about the initiative of food and soil mapping that they have done in the last one year. Today, a farmer knows what type of fertiliser he is supposed to use in order to grow what he wants to grow. I think that is a good initiative. I would also like to say that I appreciate the initiative of giving farmers the opportunity to have more dams and water pans which increases the level of water stability in our country.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, apart from that, I would also like to conclude by saying that some people say that the 46 minutes were a lot of nothing but in my opinion, that was 46 minutes of integrity in our country.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to say something about the President’s Speech. Going through Article 10 of the Constitution that talks about national values and principles of governance, you find that there is the element of inclusiveness. Right now, transport has come to a standstill in the matatu industry. We wonder whether the decision that was made was inclusive because this is bringing many problems to commuters. Again, when you look at Article 10, you realize there is the issue of good governance and sustainable development. His Excellency the President had indicated that corruption is in his own office. We expected The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

the President on that very day to have mentioned the issue of corruption. Corruption is a monster in this country. We are talking of a wage bill but the big problem that we have in this country is--- We have issues with the wage bill but that is not the issue. The issue is that there is a lot of wastage in this Government. There are many loopholes in this Government and corruption is the main thing. There are critical projects that the President had mentioned, for instance, the issue of the laptops. I expected the President to have mentioned the progress report on the issue of laptops but in a clever way, that issue was avoided. It was not mentioned at all and we were told that the project had stalled because of corruption. The President should have come out clearly and committed that he was going to fight corruption. We must strengthen the institutions in this country that fight corruption. For instance, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) should be strengthened through the Budget. Again the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is a very critical office and so is the Office of the Auditor-General. All these issues were not mentioned anywhere in the President’s Speech and these are the critical institutions as far as fighting corruption is concerned.

The lifestyle and process of doing business in this country has gone up. If you look at the VAT, it is on electricity. If you look at countries like Malaysia, they were at the same level at Independence with Kenya. You can only improve on the economy of a country when you subsidize on the issue of production but you do not subsidize on the consumption side. So, the issue of the social net that we are going to have 500,000 people and get 2,000 to cushion against poverty, when you look at the principles of improving the economy, you need to subsidize in production but not consumption. The President mentioned the issue of irrigation. But as you irrigate, the critical thing is fertilizer. It contributes to about 50 per cent of the farm inputs. There is no way you can do irrigation without addressing the issue of fertilizer. Farm inputs are very critical. I know there is an issue of subsidized fertilizer going on but it is a drop in the ocean. So, on the issue of production in this country to contribute towards food security, we must address the issue of fertilizer. For instance, the Bill that was passed, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority Act of putting all parastatals together will make us lose out.

The sugar industry has been doing very well and they are now being lumped together with the Pyrethrum Board of Kenya, the Coffee Board and those that had gone down. This is going to be a disadvantage, especially to the farmers who grow sugar. It is important that these issues must be looked at to see how we are going to address this issue. So, the element of corruption is very critical. For the railway gauge, I had expected the President to mention something because we need a railway line. But where is the railway now? It is because of the issues that the public has raised as far as corruption is concerned. We need to know! The report that is going to come out, is the President committed to it when it comes out or is it just an issue of encouraging impunity and saying that the issue of the railway has to go on? Kenyans have been asking. They are raising these questions and this is the element of wastage that we have been talking about in this country.

On the issue of security, it is wanting in this country. In fact, when you go to church, very soon we are going to look for policemen to take us to church. You cannot worship with peace of mind. Look at what happened in Likoni, the poor child; the mother The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

died because she was using herself as a shield. Look at the operation that has happened in the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), we thank God that it has gone on successfully.

Your time is up! Unfortunately, it is only five minutes each.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I was here but I had just gone out, so do not think I was away. I want to take this opportunity to commend the President for a Speech well delivered and touching on various issues which are key to our lives and the common man. More so, on the idea of devolution, that the Jubilee Government supports it and it has ensured that the functions which would have taken three years to devolve have already been devolved. What I would simply urge is that we encourage a better way of working between the national Government and the county governments because currently there is unhealthy competition between the two. For example, where I come from, every day the county government and the national Government try to outshine each other. Like today in Bomet, some offices are locked, like the Ministry of Public Works simply because the county government wants to kick them out. They are saying that the issue of county roads is a devolved function. They mean that the offices must be vacated and occupied by the county government. So, I am urging that there should be harmonization so that nobody is kicked out of their offices. No one should be seen to be irrelevant at whatever level even if they belong to the national Government. In fact, I urge those concerned to continue occupying those offices without any intimidation.

On the issue of wages, I know that the President and the Deputy President announced that they were taking salary cuts. However, according to media briefs, I think they are yet to officially write for their salaries to be deducted. I do not know if this was a preventive measure such that those who are currently underpaid in terms of salaries and allowances do not raise any issue because we are approaching the Budget making process. I know there are certain categories of public servants who are underpaid, especially the teachers. I know they were planning to bring up the issue of harmonization of commuter allowances which has not been done properly; there was the leave allowances and responsibility allowances. I do not know whether this was a gimmick to ensure that those fellows do not demand for what is rightfully due to them. However, I believe in the Budget making process, we will take care of that.

I also expected, because this Jubilee Government has achieved a lot, an itemized breakdown of what this Government has achieved, one of which I can easily mention is free maternity services. I think that has been rolled out. We are still waiting for the laptops and I believe they are on the way. I expected an itemized breakdown of the achievements of the Government. I hope in other forums this will be mentioned.

There is also the other critical sector which was not mentioned; the agriculture sector. It was mentioned but I expected more. For example, where I come from, we depend on tea farming. For the first time in the last, I believe, five to six years, our farmers are going to miss the May bonus. There is usually a May bonus. They will not get it. I expected a suggestion on how that will be contained. Tea farmers are experiencing a lot of frustrations due to the current high taxes. What are we going to do on VAT? I believe this House will agree to remove VAT on tea. There is a proposal on the Floor of this House to ensure that tea farmers are not subjected to VAT, since tea is a basic food item. There is also another discrimination which is facing tea farmers - the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Tax. I believe that tax should be removed because it is only in Kenya where it is applied. That tax should be removed so that our farmers can enjoy tea farming

Your time is over. We will have hon. Member for Ugunja. In the meantime, hon. Member for Kisumu will press the intervention slot.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Speaker for giving me this chance to contribute to this debate. I must admit from the outset that, really, when I listened to the President’s Speech on the Floor of this House, I was left wondering whether he lives amongst us or he had dropped from some planet on that day. What came out clearly is that the President has lost touch with the reality on the ground. The Jubilee Government has got it wrong on almost every front. Indeed, everything that could go wrong with this Government has gone wrong, starting with insecurity, corruption, you name it. But dwelling on insecurity alone, the President made no mention whatsoever about the police reforms that were meant to bring sanity to the security sector in this country. The President inherited the reforms which were initiated by the old regime. Now, the President and his Government have given lip service to the matter of police reforms at the expense of Kenyan’s welfare. The Police Service Commission was supposed to be given the authority to manage police affairs. Now, this Government has systematically emasculated that important constitutional commission for obvious reasons. The reason is that they want to control the police with ulterior motives. Look at what happened at Westgate. We talked about this thing last week on the Floor of this House. The President himself gave a commitment. The President made a commitment that he was going to institute a judicial commission of inquiry. Once you are a leader, you must be able to deliver on what you promise.

Order! Order, hon. Wandayi! I am sure now, hon. Members, you know the motions when you have to cross the Floor. You will have to go back to where you came from.

I hope my time will be compensated.

It is not going to be a subject of debate. You do exactly what I have told you. Hon. Wandayi, proceed.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, what we have currently is a situation where Kenyans are living in a state of perpetual fear. Kenyans are fearful because the state of insecurity has grown to alarming levels. Look at Agriculture, the President talked of irrigating one million acres. It was in their Manifesto when they took over. But now, the President comes before this august House and says that they have done 10,000 acres. Then, mischievously, he includes the Mwea and Bura irrigation schemes which were not the original intention. This Government is committed to irrigate one million acres over and above the existing irrigation schemes. To come back and tell the country that the irrigation schemes were part of the project,is very unfortunate. You can go on and on. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I would like to touch on the matter of youth unemployment. This is a Government which has presided over one of the worst unemployment rates in the history of our country. If we go on like this, youth unemployment will be a catastrophe. Unless something is done, this is going to be one of the issues that will bring down this Government. On the matter of education, the Government inherited a free primary education scheme, which was started by the old regime. The regime was comprised of hon. Kibaki and hon. Raila Odinga. This Government has gone ahead and killed the free primary education scheme. Indeed, as we speak, that scheme is as good as dead. We are challenging this Government. That is because in their Manifesto, the Jubilee administration had indicated that they will expand that education scheme to include secondary education. What has happened is the reverse. We are talking about a Government that is actually working in reverse on all fronts. Such a Government has got no business governing. The primary responsibility of any Government on the surface of the earth is to protect---

Order, hon. Member! Hon. Dido, you have a point of order.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I think the hon. Member has been giving facts and he should be prepared to substantiate when he says that the Jubilee Government is actually working to kill free primary education and yet, there are so many things that this Government is doing to enhance that position.

Unfortunately, he might not even have enough time to substantiate because his time is over. But I will give you some ten seconds probably to substantiate that bit. Put it at the intervention slot.

I think that just like the President, the hon. Member is not living in this country. So, I will not dwell much on that.

Are you suggesting that hon. Dido is not living here?

Apparently, it looks like he does not live in this country because to claim that he does not know that education---

That is the worst allegation that you can make. That is really worth substantiating.

Let me just conclude.

Let us debate with some respect to one another. There are statements which are totally sweeping, hon. Wandayi. You cannot say your colleague is not living in this country.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, what I meant is--- The way I said it must have been offensive but then, what I meant is that, if anyone can claim that free primary education is happening in this country, then they are not really alive to the reality on the ground. That is because that free primary education scheme has collapsed. Today, parents are forced to fork out money from their pockets.

That marks the end of your time, hon. Wandayi. It is a point of argument and I think we should allow him to give his opinion. Hon. (Ms) Mbarire. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I want to begin from the outset by congratulating the President who has only been in office for one year and yet, he has been able to do quite a lot. While people’s expectations may have been much higher, we all agree that some work has truly been done. I want to begin by really looking at devolution and the fact that many people did not think that devolution was going to work. Many people even accused the Jubilee Government of not being committed to devolution but, within one year, we can see that we are not only funding devolution with the required 15 per cent as per the Constitution, but we have even doubled that to 32 per cent. That is the reason why everybody is looking at county governments and how that money is being used. I think it is important that even as this money is being increased, we continue as a Parliament to demand accountability on the part of those responsible for those funds, just like the national Government is accountable to that which they are left with. There is no doubt there has been teething problems with devolution and I think it is important that, even as the Government continues or has devolved most of these responsibilities, we start to ask ourselves whether devolution or roles per se is, in itself, what we need. Do we also want to devolve at a point where we know that the county governments have the capacity to manage those roles or to play those roles? In particular, I want to touch on health. I think part of the reason why the Government moved very first to devolve functions that were according to the Constitution supposed to be devolved within three years was because of the noise that was there, that Jubilee is not committed to devolution. As a result, we have an important sector of health that was devolved to some counties, many of them that were not prepared and did not have the capacity to manage this very important sector that touched on the lives of Kenyans.

I hope that even as we devolve these functions, we must insist that county governments continue to play their role and national role that was originally done by the national Government in a way that is efficient and that helps the people of Kenya.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I think I need to just mention something about insecurity. I have heard many people say here that they do not think that this Government is committed to fighting insecurity. First of all, I do not know what they expected the President to say. He came up very clearly and said what the Government is doing with regard to insecurity.

One, we have been able to increase the number of police officers. We had one police officer to 750 Kenyans but it is now one police officer to 535 Kenyans. He promised that more were going to be recruited. We are improving the housing and the welfare of police officers----

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Is it in order for the Member to mislead this House because we know that since the Jubilee Government took over, there has been no additional police officer? All of them are in training. I do not know whether they have finished their training so that they can cheat the country that they have added police officers.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I think the hon. Member did not read or listen to the President’s Speech. Clearly, I have said that the Jubilee Government recruited police officers last year and they are working. So, anybody who The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

reports on the contrary is misleading this country. We are also modernizing equipment for police. The more crime---

Your time is up, hon. Mbarire.

Let us have hon. S.S. Ahmed.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. From the outset, I want to acknowledge the President’s Speech. He has actually met the constitutional guidelines. It is better that we acknowledge that he has done a good thing and reported not only to this House but to the nation.

No nation can develop beyond the vision of its leaders and the capacity of their thoughts. The President’s Speech must inspire us with faith in what is happening now and with confidence in what will happen in future.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, His Excellency the President is but a man. We must give him the opportunity to err where he does. We can criticize but we must do so constructively.

I heard today one of our colleagues say that the President is making suggestions instead of giving orders. We came from an era of orders sometimes given on the roadside and we fought that. We said that we want a President who can be part and parcel of the people to give his views. We must give him his due respect. Consultation is necessary. The last thing I would not like the President to do and I hope that he does not is give those orders. He should not give orders because he has a system which should work.

The current President has taken over from the previous regime. There cannot be such drastic change just overnight. We should give them a bit of time. One year may not be sufficient period to see certain actions. We might give him more time and find that he has succeeded or failed. I think one of our job as the Opposition is to be constructive and point out what we think may have failed.

It was reported in the newspapers all over the world that the President gave the State of Nation Speech. I think it is the first one that we have ever had and that is not a bad start. We need to see how we can help instead of criticizing him. If we keep on criticizing a person, the fellow thinks that he is doing something wrong. So, when you criticize somebody too much, he or she thinks that you are engaging in a spat The problem in this country is poverty, corruption and lack of certain facilities. Poverty and corruption will not be handled overnight. Food security will also not be solved overnight. The issue of whether it is one million acres or 10,000 acres is word of perception. It was a political statement if they said one million acres. At least, we have got 10,000 acres. Let us now make it 50,000 acres next year and 150,000 the year after and 500,000 acres the year after so that we come up to the one million acres. I think that is the way we should start. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have poverty in this country. What do we do? We roll our windows when we see the poor or street boys. That is wrong. It was a very good start with the Cabinet. We had the Cabinet from all over the country. We had young men and women. However, I was disappointed when I saw one or two political appointees. One political appointee has let the country down and we must look at that. Devolution is an evolutionary process. We cannot throw the baby immediately and expect devolution. It is evolution. If you do not have devolution, you will have a revolution. I think we need to take time on the devolution process. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Finally, I would like to say that His Excellency the President must work on the sovereignty of Migingo Island. His father said that not one inch---

Your time is up. Let us have the Member for Butula.

Thank you very much, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute on the President’s Address. I also join the other Members who have expressed their happiness with the President for coming to address us as expected. It actually means that he has respect for the Constitution and this House. I was also happy with the easy manner in which he carried himself around and interacted with people. I wish that next time he comes maybe those who surround and put tight cordon around him will allow him to walk around freely and interact with Members of Parliament, even in an informal manner. This is because there are many things he might learn in the process.

There are certain things that were mentioned that one might say were good to hear. The President gave a lot of promises, said a lot of right things and good things to hear, but the challenge will be in accomplishing those things. I commend him for his ambitious project of irrigating one million acres of land for food sufficiency. However, in doing that, we should not forget the high potential areas as well. We might be over- investing or rushing to invest in sort of marginalized areas and then forget the high potential areas, which we could also invest in, perhaps even using fewer resources, and get double or even triple production.

My Busia County, for example, is a fairly high potential area, but one of our problems when it comes to agriculture and production is the cost of inputs and even their availability. There has been talk about subsidized inputs, fertilizers and seeds, but getting these inputs is a big problem. It is a whole mess. You go round and round, too much bureaucracy and no proper policy and systems as to how to get the inputs. So, much as we irrigate these areas, let us not forget the high potential areas as well.

The issue of energy was also nice to hear about. We heard that we are working towards the production of 5000 megawatts and ensuring that 80 per cent of our households get electricity, and also ensuring that all our primary schools get electricity. These are good targets and objectives and the challenge will be in their implementation. It is also not very clear what kind of timeframe we are talking about. These are the some of the things that---

Hon. Onyura, you have 20 seconds to finalize.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, on energy, other than a brief mention of the pipeline from Lamu, I did not hear anything about oil in Turkana. I thought that this was really a major resource for this country and we need to be appraised all the time of where we are and what we are doing. Finally, on the issue of security, we still have a lot to do. You can promise us all these things, we shall wait.

Your time is over. Let us have hon. Iringo. I realize that it is mostly the left side of the Speaker which is contributing; unfortunately, I have to follow the list; but I will try and tamper with it now. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to comment on the Address of His Excellency the President last week when he addressed the nation from the Floor of this House. From the outset, the President had good intentions for this country. Maybe his intentions are what he said; unfortunately, it appears that the people who are supposed to put what he says into action, or his team players, are not reading from the same script as the President. Many things have been said and the President has addressed this nation severally and spelt out benchmarks that he has put in place and his intentions for this country. But when you go to the practicability of what is happening--- When you go to the ground, the same things are not happening. For instance, in terms of security, he talks very strongly--- Even when he was going to Arusha and emphatically said what the Government was going to do--- Unfortunately, a series of insecurity incidents have followed, some of which have affected the Members of this House; this is making everybody worried. Are we just paying lip service or doing things practically? Maybe the organs which are supposed to maintain security are demoralized. If you look at the vetting of police officers, which is taking place--- Today there was a very long list of those who will be vetted in the course of this month. Maybe once they see their names in the Press, they panic, and stop working because they do not know if they will be there tomorrow. The way we are approaching issues of security in this country should be looked into seriously. If you look at poaching, we are losing wildlife left, right and centre every day. Some of the wildlife is in very secure sanctuaries, where we do not expect even a rat or a snail to be killed. You find that rhinos and elephants are just dying at the doorsteps of the game rangers and wardens. Maybe, if I may use the Kiswahili words, kikulacho ki nguonimwako, is exactly what is happening. We cannot expect animals to be killed; we are looking forward to attracting visitors to this country in terms of tourism, yet we cannot even trace the people who are killing our wildlife. The President has good intentions for this country, but some things make even us leaders to get lost in terms of how to handle them. We have been talking of the Uwezo Fund and he mentioned it. Whoever is supposed to disburse this money, or see to its implementation, has not done their work. At the grassroots, we already have forms; they have been filled in, are lying in our constituency offices, but we do not know what to do with them. Please, let us walk the talk; when the President talks, there should be foot soldiers down there to act as per his intentions. This is the high time our President got tough on public officers and those who are not doing their work should be told to back off. The police officers who have been deployed to look at the welfare of the citizens should be people of integrity. They should be people who are ready to work to secure the country and not to run when people have already died. Last night, I almost lost three constituents who were in Eastleigh. Some of them were injured. It is a pity that we go to secure places when the damage has already been done. Our security forces should go back to the drawing board. They should not embarrass the President whenever he talks in public or whenever he addresses the nation, and talks of things which are not done practically. The President has good intentions, but his foot soldiers are sleeping on the job. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to the debate on President’s Address. First of all, I want to take this opportunity to thank the President for performing his constitutional mandate. This is a new era where the Constitution mandates the President to come to this House and tell us exactly what the Government has done for the one year it has been in power. I must thank the President because of the poaching menace that he talked about. I am one of those Members of Parliament who have been affected by this menace. This is because 75 per cent of my constituency is a national park. The President mentioned that the Government is going to deal with cartels that are killing our wildlife. I wished that the President would come out very clearly on an independent commission that can address this issue of wildlife. This is a natural resource which we, if we are not careful, as a country, can easily lose. It is because people are coming from outside this country and are using our youth to kill this wildlife. I am a little bit disappointed that the President did not tell us exactly what the Government is intending to do. I was really very happy when I saw the Cabinet Secretary saying that the Government has recognized that there is a problem within Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

The KWS is mandated by the Constitution and relevant Acts of this House to take care of our wildlife, but indeed, they are not doing their job. The President must take charge of this Government institution. When we talked of the crisis in the country, the directors and those who were in charge came out and casually said nothing had happened, when every day we are losing elephants and rhinos. This is very precious wildlife and when we lose it, we lose our economy; there is economic sabotage in this issue. If the Government does not come out clearly to tell us who are killing our wildlife, I will be disappointed as a Member of Parliament in this House.

On the issue of agriculture, the President mentioned about soil mapping and sampling. Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of this country. Indeed, ever since Independence, we have been using DAP as our fertilizer. I must thank the Government because they have done research and now they can advise our farmers, so that they can know what kind of fertilizers they should use in their farms instead of continuing to use the same DAP.

I must also mention the issue of insecurity in this county, which cannot be handled by one person. The Nyumba Kumi initiative could have worked very well in this country, but we are always ready to say that the Government should do something. We must help our constituents to use the Nyumba Kumi initiative because it is going to help us know what is happening.

Former President Moi used to invest a lot of money in intelligence. If you go to the constituencies everybody knows who a National Intelligence officer is.

Your time is up.

Let us have the hon. Member for Suna East.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for granting me this opportunity. On the outset, I would like to congratulate the President for performing his constitutional duty of coming and addressing the nation, and also for presenting to Parliament what his Government has achieved in the last one year. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

The President addressed many things but what I know is that he needed to tell Kenyans what his Government has achieved in the last one year of his governance. He was not supposed to deliver here his statement of what he intends to do in the coming years. This was meant to be a statement giving details of what the Government has achieved in the last one year. At the moment, we are addressing the issue of Article 10 on Values and Principles as enshrined in the Constitution. Among those values are social justice, equity and inclusiveness. I dare say that this is one of the most exclusive Governments this country has ever had since Independence. This country is gradually and slowly converting itself into an exclusive club of two communities. That is a very dangerous trend; we need to have a more inclusive country.

I may address some of the issues that the President raised among them being security. He said he would do many things about it. I expected him to declare security---

Order! Order! Hon. Lessonet, do you have a point of order?

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Is it in order for the hon. Member for Suna to mislead the House that the President has made this country a club for two communities, when we know very well that all communities are represented in the Government of Jubilee? All the communities you find on the CORD side are also found in the Jubilee Government. So, is it in order for the hon. Member to make such a serious allegation against our good Jubilee Government?

Hon. Junet.

That is my opinion and gospel according to me because facts are facts. Surveys have been done by the Public Service Commission and Synovate; we are not discussing here people who were brought to Government on loan after the elections. We are discussing people who participated in elections and have ownership of the Government.

To continue on insecurity, I expected the President to declare it a national disaster. It is getting out of hand and if something is not done urgently--- Rhetoric is not enough, we want to have serious action taken by the President. Heads must roll. We expected the President to fire those people who are in charge of the national security of this country because of non-performance. Starting with the top up to the bottom, he needs to do an overhaul of the security system of this country.

If you go to the health sector, which the President spoke about, the issue in this sector is not only about maternity or the number of women or mothers who have given birth in hospitals. It is about the quality of health care that is being provided by the Jubilee Government, which is zero according to me. Look at lands, Kenyans fought over land and the reforms that are required in the land sector have stalled, just because of squabbles on who is more powerful than the other. We have the National Land Commission, which has a constitutional mandate to reform this country on matters of land. Land is one of the most emotive issues that this country has ever witnessed. This country went to war because of land, and if we are not going to give the commission mandate to reform land matters---

For purposes of gender, I am going to give hon. Shukran.

(off record) The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I take those sentiments kindly, I actually did not think that some of the Members I see here are quite old, but proceed hon. Shukran.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the President’s Address. When the President came here, I was expecting that he would tell us what the Government has done in the past one year. What I find in his speech are promises. About the security, we are facing a disaster. We have a big problem in security. However, I have not seen that captured in the President’s Address. All that the President focused on was the issue of ensuring that there is peace at our borders with other countries. In our country, we have burning issues. Members of Parliament get robbed and there are other issues happening in the counties. The President said that the allocation to county governments increased from 15 per cent to 32 per cent. He, however, did not talk about the consequences such as the high wage bill we are faced with currently. There is also the issue of the laptops project which is totally dismantling our budget and economy. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, if you look at the railway project, there is no procedure that the Government followed. I am sure we will face another problem as a result of that. Former President Kabaki’s Government was so tough on KRA. The oversight was tough, but now we are facing a lot of corruption and that is why the wage bill is going up. I have not seen in the President’s Address where he has said that we should tighten oversight. He has not mentioned anything about oversight, yet he said that people should get car grants, loans and so on. This is even when we still have problems with our wage bill. In the health sector, we are witnessing doctors resigning from their jobs. We have dispensaries with no medicines and staff. I know that health has been devolved, but did the President talk about the logical things that we needed to hear? We did not want to hear false promises. For a whole year we have been talking of promises. This was the right time for him to tell Kenyans what the Government had done for a whole year. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is food insecurity. The VAT---

Hon. Kombe, you have a point of order.

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would like to ask the hon. Member if she is in order to say that the President came here only to give false promises. I would want to hear from her which promise the President made that was false.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, you know the problem with this House is that when we talk about the Government--- I am not talking about an individual who is seated in this House and we do not have to become very protective.

Hon. Nyamweya, I am giving you some 12 seconds to give us information, which I do not know if it is useful.

On a point of information, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to inform the House that when you look at the Budget which we approved in this National Assembly, expenditure for internal security has been reduced. It, therefore, means that there are no funds available to improve security. Secondly, the President said that he was going to increase allocation for the agricultural sector. Now, money which The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

was to be allocated for development of small dams and pans has been removed from the Budget. When you look at what the President said in his Address and what is in the Budget, actually what he said looks like a campaign manifesto item.

Unfortunately, you took all the remaining time of the Member of Parliament for Garissa. So, I am going to give this chance to hon. Barre Shill.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I really support the President’s Address. I want to speak on security and I would like Members of Parliament and other Kenyans to take security as their own initiative. This is because security is our concern. When the Government has rolled out the Nyumba Kumi initiative we are all laughing at it. Surely, how many Members of Parliament know their citizens? I can say none. The other day when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded on the fellow who was preparing it, a police officer said that there was some activity going on in House No.6 and House No.9. This was after the thing had happened. We never heard him say who the owner of the house was. Why did they give tenancy to such a tenant? Was there any record? Were there any neighbours who knew something about this? These are some of things that are failing Kenyans. We cannot just sit back to wait for the Government to help us instead of helping ourselves. Look at the Governments that existed before we promulgated the new Constitution, the District Security Committee used to work perfectly. These days we have the Administration Police (AP), the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the CID. These people do not work together. They are really fragmented. Who caused that? It was the Tenth Parliament that caused that. We started making laws that were civil-society orientated to a point where the DCs or the County Commissioners have no say. Even recently, in this Eleventh Parliament, we passed an amendment to the Traffic Act stating that any police officer can do the job. Look at what is happening on our roads, when you drive from Kisumu to Nairobi you will see so many APs on the road because that is where they can eat. Corruption is what has “killed” us. Corruption does not only exist in the Government; it starts with an individual. Look at our neighboring country, Ethiopia. Ethiopians are more patriotic than Kenyans. In that country you will see a police officer who is underpaid, but he does not compromise the security of his country. This is because he has patriotism at heart. Here in Kenya we care about what is for us and not patriotism. That is a fact and we must redeem ourselves. We are blaming the police and the Government. I am sure that many of us, when we wake up, we think of how we will make money. It is a fact. This is something that is in the blood of Kenyans. We are not taking our security very seriously. The cost of living has gone up. We know that our people are faced with this problem and still insecurity has put them in fear. Even the poor guy cannot work for his day to day to living. This is because he fears he will be killed any time. There is fear because of insecurity. People cannot even go to mosques or churches today. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Please, let us not try to blame the Government of the President. Let us start this initiative ourselves, so that we keep Kenya safer. We know poaching has got serious results and our tourism industry is at stake. With regard to tribalism, even in this House we are always perpetuating tribalism. We need to tone down on some of our sentiments. When we talk about tribes and people, we are actually telling others that certain tribes are taken more seriously than others. By doing that we promote tribalism in this country. We must stand out and be patriots. We should not talk about tribalism day in, day out. Even the way we create our political parties, they are enshrined in some sort of tribalism. This country needs me, you and everybody else. We must change our attitude. We must show that we are patriots, so that we steer this country to a better future. With those few remarks, I support.

Let us have the Member of Parliament for Tongaren.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to this very important Motion, which reads “THAT, the thanks of the House be recorded---”That means we either support or oppose it, but we cannot do that. I had to look very keenly at everything to find out what I can thank him for. It has been very difficult because right from the outset, I looked at the Order Paper of that day. The business was supposed to start at 2.30 p.m. but the President came in at 3.00 p.m., some 30 minutes late. That already tells you something. There is a free resource that God gave us. It is called “time”. How you manage your time while respecting other people’s time is very important. If you fail to manage that God-given free resource of time, this will raise other questions as to how you manage other things. I looked very carefully at the President’s Speech to find something to thank him for and found one – about the fertilizers. I looked at the Address again and realised that perhaps, we should also thank the Deputy President. At one time, he was the Minister for Agriculture. We had a big problem of food security in the country. We talked about fertilizers, and he brought free fertilizers. We took him again to task. We told him: “You have brought DAP, who told you that we only need DAP? Bring the results of the soil tests, where did you test it?” He has got good memory. When he became the Deputy President, he influenced the President and they have tested the soil. So, I found something for which to thank them at last. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, listening to the President’s Address, its grammar, syntax and pronunciation were perfect. In all those areas, I have given him grade “A”. I am, however, afraid that in the area of content I give him grade C-(Minus). Look at devolution! Whoever misled his Excellency the President to thump his chest and say that he devolved functions earlier than he was expected to and, therefore, he deserves a credit was not right. We know very well that he devolved certain functions because he was under pressure from the governors to do so, yet he is the President of the Republic of Kenya. He is supposed to stand firm. He should not be coerced by any governor, Member of Parliament or anybody else to do anything. Devolution should be effected in the course of three years for obvious reasons. You look at a county to see if it is ready for a function and devolve it. If they are not ready, you help them to get ready and devolve the function. We devolved precipitately all The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

the functions one afternoon, including flags and “His Excellency” title and their world went upside down. Look at the health sector; His Excellency the President mentioned that there are some professionals who are against devolution. The health professionals have never been against devolution. They have been for devolution. They are just concerned that the manner in which devolution is being implemented is dangerous to provision of health care services in this country. Health services were devolved too fast. People did not know where they stood. Health care service delivery was breaking down because the function was devolved precipitately, yet the Constitution gives the process three years. I dare say that, that is a dangerous sign of impunity. When the law gives you three years to devolve a function but you precipitately do it and thump your chest and say “I did it faster than the law said I should”, you have broken the law because the law provides for three years. So, that is a sign of impunity, and it should be resisted at all costs. Devolution is very important and, therefore, nobody should mess up with it. The first President elected under the new Constitution will not be judged by how much he has implemented the Constitution, he will be judged by how much he has not implemented the Constitution.

Order, Member for Tongeren! What is out of order, hon. Injendi?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like the hon. Member on the Floor to clarify. When it comes to devolution of the health functions, is it supposed to be done within a period of one year to three years or does the Constitution say specifically that it should be done in three years?

Hon. Injendi, are you asking a question or raising a point of order?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am seeking clarification from him.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the whole matter of devolution is supposed to be given three years, during which you check the county governments and see if they are ready for any function before you devolve it. That bit was not followed.

It was followed!

It was not! Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, finally---

The law states---

This is not a shouting match!

Order, hon. Injendi! Hon. Eseli, I will add you a few more seconds to complete your contribution.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, now I do not have much time left. I would like to tell whoever interrupted me that next time he puts his mouth on gear, he should make sure that his brain is engaged.

Let us have hon. Rose Nyamunga. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would also like to appreciate the Address by the President. I would say that, look at it on the surface; I would give the President some very good marks. I have to say that it is also very important for the Kenyan public to appreciate the way in which the President has tried to demystify the presidency by being very easy with the people, except for a few people who have shown themselves to be protecting the President even in Parliament, where nobody can harm the President. The President should be left alone to interact freely with Kenyans. That is the first point that I must put forward.

I want to say that the Address was generally good, but there are some issues that do not make a lot of sense to me. If you look at floods, we are at it again. It is now April, in another year. During this time last year, the President had the opportunity to be in Kisumu. He promised to do something about flooding. Here we are again, in April. If you look at the newspapers of today, you will learn that in my own constituency, in a village called “Kakola”, people are already in transit. They do not know where else to go because of perpetual flooding. I do not know what is so difficult in controlling flooding. Were the Budalang’i floods controlled because the then Vice- President came from that area? Do I need to be Deputy President or President for floods in Nyando to be controlled? I do not think that is the way forward. On the issue of fertilizers, we need not import the input for the benefit of a few people who are engaged in its importation. Fertilizers can be developed within our country. We have the very important National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) in this country. We had an opportunity to interact with NACOSTI. They can invent a lot, including fertilizer but you realise that some people must do business with fertilizer and increase VAT on it, so that our people do not access the input easily to improve their agricultural yields. How can we have food security, if we cannot talk about cheap fertilizers; if fertilizers are not easily accessible? Many people cannot afford expensive fertilizers. As we talk of improving the economy and food security in this country, we increase our VAT. Our taxation rate is too high. Our local pharmaceutical industry cannot compete with imported drugs because of imposition of taxation on all the ingredients that are required for production of drugs locally. We cannot compete with medicines imported from India or Egypt. Those are the major competitors we have in this country. So, something should be done about taxation. You cannot say that you will reduce the cost of a drug and go ahead to levy tax on all the ingredients that are required for manufacturing that drug. The Government should do much more, if we are to have food security and help our people in the area of agriculture. Above all, the issue of floods must be sorted out once and for all in Nyanza, Baringo, Coast and North Eastern regions. That is when we will forget about the issue of food security, and deal with other matters of development. Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Yes, Member for Igembe North.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I rise to thank the President for his Address. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

First, it is good to appreciate. If something is good, at least, acknowledge it instead of denying it. I thank the President for respecting the Constitution by coming here to deliver an address to the nation. He also acknowledged the challenges that the country is facing at the moment and one way of solving the problem is to acknowledge that the problem exists, and that there are strategies for addressing challenges. With regard to national values and the challenges therein, I would like to say something about devolution. There are people who are politicizing the whole idea of devolution.

Really?

They want to say that they are the defenders of devolution and we know very well that we gave ourselves this idea of devolution and nobody should be against it. Somebody cannot dispute the fact that the Constitution provides that, at least, 15 per cent of our revenue should go to the counties. In the first year, the Government gave 32 per cent; this no one can dispute because there are facts. Even the money given at the county level is not being absorbed. That is a fact and that money should be spent so that the country can move on. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is also the question of security, which is a serious matter. As I speak here, I am sad because yesterday I lost two of my constituents through cattle rustling. The day before yesterday we had another incident. There is something terribly wrong with this country as far as security is concerned. We need proper co-ordination of security agencies; the way they are now, they are not working. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, even as we embrace the idea of devolution, police officers or the security agents in Mutuati have to go to Meru Town, which is about 60 kilometres away; get 16 litres of diesel per day and then spend 30 litres of diesel on the way. Of what help is it? We need to address the issue of security in a more serious way and then co-ordinate how things are to be done. Things will not be done for the sake of it. Even if we have the vehicles, are the officers and all those who are involved in provision of security facilitated? What about the people who are involved in the security because we have different agencies in security? Sometimes we may blame people who are involved in gathering intelligence, but how about if they gather intelligence information and then they give it to those who are supposed to act, and then they do not act? We need those who are supposed to take steps to take responsibility. The other issue that the President talked about in his Address, and which he is working on right now, is concentrating in the area of agricultural improvement. There should be improvement through provision of inputs like fertilizers; also there is the plan to have irrigated agriculture instead of relying on rain-fed agriculture. Some hon. Members have said here that 10,000 acres is not enough. But even a journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step. When you start a programme, there is the process of also planning and laying down strategies and then implementation. We have to appreciate when things are moving and when we are working. We need to expand agriculture, not in some specific areas, but in all areas. All in all, as a country, we need to think outside the box. We should come up with strategies to expand the economy in order to expand our income base, so that by the end of the day, we do not talk about salary cuts. What is it that we have done as a nation and what do we need to do? What are some of the sectors The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

of the economy that have not been considered and what are the traditional ways of raising income? In the President’s Address, he touched on expanding the energy sector, so that we can have more power connected to people---

Your time is over. Let us hear from hon. Dawanol.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. My name is hon. Leonard Sang, and not Dawanol. I do not know how the Chair came up with that name. I want to commend the President for the elaborate Address we listened to last week when he presented it to Parliament. I want to say that the Address was so elaborate. It touched on some few areas that will help improve a good number of things in this country. On security, he actually discussed about security within the country and outside. Working on police to citizen ratio might improve our security. I know we have some pockets of insecurity almost everywhere in the country, starting from the Coast to Eastleigh; I saw some of it in Kapsabet. I am told that there is an athlete and a pastor who were kidnapped a few hours ago. I know when we improve police to citizen ratio, we will improve our security. I want to commend the President for investing so much in issues of security; our improved security will make us improve our day-to-day lives. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also want to commend him for ensuring that police officers wherever they are and other disciplined forces are covered by insurance. I know insurance will improve their morale. When morale is improved, they will work extra-hard to ensure that security of our people is improved. I also want to thank him so much because of ensuring that our police officers reside in good houses and have vehicles. I know this will improve our security, including CCTV coverage and so on. On the cash transfer, I also want to commend the President for ensuring that we have at least Kshs.1 billion for transfer to cushion the poor, especially the orphans, the severely disabled and the elderly. Whenever we go home, these are some of the people who give us challenges. I want to thank the President for ensuring that these people are actually cushioned against poverty. With regard to infrastructure, I also want to commend him. In addition to other things, he talked about infrastructure and I want to commend him for the improvement or upgrading, of our roads to bitumen standard. When the President talked about over 100,000 kilometres of road improved to bitumen standard in this country, I knew I would also benefit in the process. In my constituency, there are some roads which have stalled. I know that in a short while, the Sotik-Cheborgei–Roret Road will be improved; also the road from Litein to Cheborgei and Kimulot will be improved. On the issue of hospitals, I want to commend the doctors who are helping the child who was shot in a Likoni church attack. I know the consultants, nurses and the rest have done a very good job. On the issue of hospitals, Dr. Eseli discussed them so well. With regard to devolution, I know devolution of health services was supposed to take about three years to allow us improve on hospitals structures and management. Unfortunately, healthcare services were precipitately devolved, and we have a lot of issues in hospitals. I know that in a few years to come, we are going to come up with structures that will ensure that our hospitals are managed well, and we will have our specialized officers everywhere helping our people access healthcare. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

On the issue of information, communication and technology (ICT), I know this will revolutionize this country. Our young men and women are going to get first hand information. I want to commend the President because he ensured that, at least, we had these things done early. With regard to Uwezo Fund, I know we are going to improve it. Lastly, because my time is almost over, I want to urge my colleagues from the Opposition that we help this Government by working as a team. We were told that choices have consequences. I know some of us decided to follow two wise men and, probably, that is why we had Cabinet Secretaries appointments. I know that next time when we come with other appointments, some of you will be there. Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to make my comments on this Address and I want to quote from the book of Proverbs 15:23 that says- --

What is your point of order, hon. Angwenyi?

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Could I be advised whether the hon. Member is properly dressed?

He is actually properly dressed in black. I think there can be no quarrel about.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for even giving thumbs up to African dress.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker the book of Proverbs 15:23 says: “A word well- spoken in due season, how good it is!” I think the President gave a very good Address. Indeed, he enumerated his primary concerns to the nation, and this is in keeping with expectations of Article 10(2), which is about values and principles; it is about how we are supposed to interpret and implement public policy with regard to the specific provisions.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is also the role of the left side of the political divide to give alternatives and suggestions on the way forward because we are paid to do so. On the question of devolution, I think there have been allegations that devolution is frustrated. Just recently we saw the pronouncement of the Transitional Authority (TA) boss. Currently, if you look at our newspapers governors are saying that their own forum seems to be frustrated. We must remain---

Order. Hon. Onyancha, do you have a point of order?

Sorry, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I do not wish to, and I would never want to challenge the ruling of the Chair; but is the Chair in any way suggesting that if hon. Onyancha came dressed like Mr. Mwaura, it would be quite in order or there would be no issue? If all Members of Parliament dress like hon. Mwaura, will they be okay?

That matter is settled; I said hon. Mwaura is properly dressed. Now, you do not have to tell me how you want to come here dressed yourself. We will deal with you when you come in the particular manner you will be dressed.

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Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. The issue of devolution is very critical to this country; if actually we were to make mistakes at the devolved units, I think we would welcome them. This is because we have made mistakes at the centre. Yes, they have cost us something, but they have also been an opportunity to learn. Yes, indeed, there have been mistakes that have been made by the person of the governor and actually devolution has been affected. I would want to urge that as a country we should not argue ad hominem against the person of the governor; rather we should look at how to improve the situations, and make all those who are supposed to be accountable to account according to the law.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, if you look at the principle of equity and discrimination, I think we must commend the fact that there have been efforts towards the empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities. However, I would have appreciated if the President had also spoken in concrete terms on how many women, youth and persons with disabilities have benefitted from preferential procurement which is now a Government policy. I think that would have been quite interesting.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, also if you look at people with disabilities, there is the pending appointment of the board of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities. This Parliament has voted over Kshs.1.3 billion to this institution, which is an implementing agency, yet this money is going to go back to Treasury unutilised because of lack of a board that would make decisions on the priorities the money is supposed to be spent on. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is also another concern about the movement of goods and services in this country. There are new regulations which hinder participation of persons with disabilities; carriers have been outlawed, yet people with mobility difficulties like the physically disabled need to move with their wheelchairs. They cannot go on long distances; this is something that really needs to be reviewed going forward, if they are to effectively participate in the development of the economy, and also in the spirit of inclusiveness, as per Article 10(2) of the Constitution. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is also the issue of integrity and accountability. The Jubilee administration is struggling with the perception and politics is about perception.

Your time is over. Let us have hon. Nyikal.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to ventilate on this matter. I must start by really appreciating that the President actually complied with the requirements of the Constitution as per Articles 132, 24 and 10. However, I think beyond that I really did not find anything much in his Address. This is because the main problems in this country that anybody who comes to the country will look at are about devolution, security and corruption.

Order, hon. Nyikal! Could hon. Mwaura step a little out of where he is sitting?

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Yes, it is important to confirm something. I think you are okay, hon. Mwaura; I thought you were not in proper shoes. I had to confirm that. Proceed hon. Nyikal.

As I said, these are the issues of security, devolution, corruption and poverty. I think those are the main issues. If you look at the President’s Address as concerns devolution, we have all said that there was precipitated devolution. In my mind, I honestly think the President should have actually apologised to the nation for doing it so precipitately that it has brought so many problems. On the issue of integrity amongst the governors, many of us do not appreciate the amount of money that was put in their hands without systems at all; that is where the governors really got themselves into problems. There was provision to look at those systems. We had a law and we had an authority.

Hon. Member for Turkana Central, is there anything out of order?

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I think the Member is misleading this House; he knows very well that the side on which he is sitting now is the one that was saying that the President was not for devolution and was not following the Constitution. In fact, they pushed the President to give all the functions to the county governments. Now they are again complaining that the President disobeyed the law. Is he in order?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I think you will add me some time because of this interruption. Really the people who pushed the President were actually the governors. It is on record everywhere--- As has been said before, it is at the summit where it was actually decided that all functions would be actually devolved. There are records on that; so, all the problems you are seeing, whether in health, law, absorption at the counties, losses of money--- I am thoroughly convinced that if we had put our systems in place gradually as the law requires, we would not have gotten here. We needed not to really muscle the Transition Authority, and actually, render ineffective the law on transition to devolved governments. I think even at this point we are in a situation where the summit and the President should look back and say: “Let us plan devolution even if we do not go back to the Transition Act.” Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, on the issue of corruption the President said that we should not devolve, or transfer some of our bad habits to the counties. Is that all he can say about devolution in a State of the Nation Address when we have admitted that the laptops project has not worked, and that the standard gauge railway project has had a problem? Really, he needed to say more on corruption and, perhaps, the law that is actually being proposed of capital punishment. We expect that it should even be a Government Bill. This is because unless we address the issue of corruption, all the other things we are looking at will not work. If Kenyans are corrupt, wherever you put them there will be corruption also. On insecurity, I want to say honestly this country is at war. We have guerilla warfare going on in this country and the reason we are not addressing it is that we are looking at it as an isolated issue. You cannot address that by just mounting closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras; you are saying you are going to increase the--- The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Well, let us have hon. Jimmy Angwenyi.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion. First, I rise to support it and thank the President for a very well prepared Statement. As my colleagues have said, we have problems. There are three or four main problems in this country. I am glad that the President alluded to some of those issues.

One is insecurity; the security situation in this country is quite bad right now. Why has this happened? This has happened because various arms of the Government have been in a sense emasculated. When the police by chance kill a person, there is hue and cry. All human rights activists - I can see one out there - go to the streets shouting. When a policeman is killed, nobody opens their mouth. When a security person is killed, nobody raises an eyebrow. So, we have intimidated them to an extent that they are inactive right now.

Secondly, we have not provided a proper environment for our security agencies to be effective. For example, look at the budget that we have allocated to our police; it is quite low. Look at the budget we have allocated for employment creation; you cannot handle insecurity unless and until we handle the issue of unemployment. How do we handle the issue of unemployment? We encourage, give incentives and promote domestic industries. Let me give you an example; you can confirm this from research I have been carrying out for the last six months. I have been asking myself how Singapore joined the First World from the Third World, yet it has no resources, not even food. How did Korea become the second largest producer of steel, yet it does not have one ounce of iron ore or an ounce of coal? How, for example, did Malaysia attract 26 million tourists in a year, yet it has only two tourist attractions, the twin towers and the palm oil plantations?

Through the methods they have used, they have created employment upon employment. How did China with 1.6 billion people become a First World? Now it is second as an industrialized state in the world in a period of 30 years. It is because they invested in domestic industries. Today, we are importing mitumba and enjoying tax exemption from Malaysia, Singapore, USA and Germany. Therefore, we are destroying the economy. We are destroying RIVATEX and whatever else we had and exporting jobs to those countries. This Parliament advocates for exemption of taxation on those imports. We are importing thousands of motorbikes, which we could have manufactured or assembled in this country, thereby exporting our jobs to the countries manufacturing those products. I would urge the Government and this Parliament in particular, because we are now involved in the budgetary process, to look at this, so that we can vote more funds to industries as well as tourism.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Address that was given by His Excellency the President.

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. With due respect to my brother, who is my Chairman, I just want to know whether my gadget is not working because I came here much earlier than any of these guys. I have sat here--- I just want to know what is happening. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

You could easily walk to the Speaker and check the position which you are in.

I think you are being very disorderly because, first, you know the position in which you are. It does not matter how long you have sat here; it matters what time you put your card in the slot, and the unfortunate bit is that you are aware of that. You were here a few minutes ago; you checked your position and you are not even in the top ten. Sometimes it is good to be courteous to your colleagues. If you want to confirm, come back and check your position.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for this opportunity. Of course, it is only unfortunate that when the President came last Thursday we found this side of the Majority full, and we had an opportunity of sitting on the Minority side, because there were a few seats left. Now I understand why. The Clerk needs to work on the speakers on the other side, because I was not hearing well what the President was saying; I went back home and had an opportunity of checking Zuku. They have a channel for Bunge .

The first thing that I want to say about the Address by the President is that he was talking to one nation. Just as it has been said, he was talking not to a particular political party, a particular ethnic group or a particular tribe. He was talking to all of us, and we should appreciate that one year down the line in his Government, he has been able to actualize--- As the Constitution stipulates, he was not addressing Parliament only but the whole nation. He was talking to his people as regards the issues that he has been able to tackle. Going by what we had in 2007, national cohesion or togetherness of Kenyans is something that is paramount.

It is a little bit sad to hear from the other side that the President was not talking about certain issues. For example, the IDP issue. It is true that this has been a thorny issue in this country and the President, within the very short period, was able to, at least, talk about the few remaining IDPs who are in camps. If you look at devolution, it is Kenyans who gave it to themselves. It is something that everybody is happy about. When you say that the President is the one who is killing devolution by saying that he effected a massive transfer of the functions, I do not trust that is exactly what happened. Through the Governors’ Summit and the advice of the Transition Authority (TA), the President did what he did; he did it on the advice that he was given by the TA, an Authority that has been bestowed the responsibility of saying whether the counties are ready to handle some of the functions that were devolved.

I want to agree with the Leader of Majority Party. It is high time we also passed some of the benefits to the members of the county assemblies. As we have said, the President has no mandate to do that, it is upon the Sarah Serem Commission. The MCAs have a responsibility just the same way we have them here. They can serve effectively their electorate by being able to mobilize them. It is not an easy thing.

With regard to food security, the President made it very clear that the Jubilee Manifesto says that we are going to do irrigation on so many thousand hectares to increase food security in this country. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, one thing that the President made very clear--- Of course, at his age his perception and the Jubilee Manifesto are about the youth. He made it very clear that this country is ready to help young people start their own enterprises through the 30 per cent allocation. He encouraged the young people to engage themselves actively to earn a living.

On insecurity, we cannot blame the police per se because there are very many other factors that contribute to that. I want to agree with my colleagues that we also play a big part in beefing up security in this country. It is very unfortunate that you will find that you do not even know what your neighbour does. Eventually---

Your time is over. Let us have the Member for Kathiani.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to add my voice to this exposition of public policy contained in the Address by the President to Parliament.

First and foremost, I want to say that the President did two things that highly impressed me. The first one was that he followed Article 132 of the Constitution in presenting the Address which he has to present to this House every year.

Secondly, when he started his Address, he said that he would uphold national values and principles of governance. That is also contained in Article 10. That is what we call very good first impression. He went to the real speech and raised several issues. The first issue I want to touch on is with regard to devolution. In my opinion, devolution has been hampered by the Jubilee Administration. Historically, we are all aware that one of the two principals strongly did not want the new Constitution in 2010. He campaigned against it in the whole country. I strongly feel that there is intention to kill devolution by the Jubilee Government.

I am saying this because we have been told that there was a very quick move to devolve all functions which could have been done in a longer period. The issue was that if you do it very first and people are not prepared then the public of this country would wake up and say that devolution has failed. Therefore, we will be able to kick out these governors and kill devolution. I think that is probably part of the intention.

The other issue is that we have all seen Government interference. The central Government has interfered with devolution because up to now we still have County Commissioners and we wonder what their work is. This is because there are governors who run counties. However, the County Commissioners sit there and read newspapers every day. They really do not have a defined role.

The Constitution said that we also devolve the Provincial Administration in three years. That is not being done as it should. I believe that majority of the functions of the central Government to devolve---

I do not know whether what we did was done properly or it was negligence. This is because when we devolve almost 80 per cent of the functions and then we come to the House and say that we are very proud because---

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. You have heard the hon. Member who is on the Floor say that there were functions which were hurriedly taken to the counties. Could he tell us these particular functions or else he The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

withdraws his remark? As far as we know, there are no functions which have been hurriedly taken to the county. Every function has been taken according to the schedule.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I will just mention one because I do not have to mention many. Health functions were devolved very first. As a result, our doctors are constantly on strike. Many of them have quit because the structures were not put in place to contain them.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I know there is a lot of stress in this House with regard to the issue of security. There is also comic relief that Members are participating but I did not expect the same from the Head of State. This is because when he talked about the risks and the terrorism that this country is under, he quickly mentioned that the solution to one of them is embracing the Nyumba Kumi initiative. I look at my Kathiani Constituency where we have known our neighbours from time immemorial and I wonder how knowing my next ten neighbours will help to improve the security situation in this country. In Machakos County, we have CCTV in markets. That is what our governor has done. Machakos County has 120 security vehicles that go around the county. They only work on the 32 per cent---

On a point of order, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. The Member on the Floor has not clearly indicated to us the functions, as stipulated in Schedule Four of the Constitution, which are supposed to be devolved. Those functions are supposed to be devolved as per the Constitution. It is not the work of the President, but it is the work of the entire Government that those function should be devolved. He should tell us the functions that are supposed to be devolved in Schedule Four of the Constitution.

We should allow the Member to wind up. He is giving his own view, which I think is perfectly in order. You have ten seconds to wind up.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to finish by saying that there is one issue that touched me and that was the issue where the Head of State talked about the reasons why we cannot develop as fast as we should. He said that the problem has gone back three decades. I thought that he is very unfair when in that office to start accusing his predecessors.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this chance to make my contribution to the President’s Speech. The Speech was good, but Kenyans were expecting a lot of things from the President which affect their daily lives. When we talk of security in this country, the President told us about the Nyumba Kumi initiative and the security vehicles. My constituency has received one vehicle, which is there without fuel. How can this vehicle contribute to improve security if it has no fuel? Kenyans were expecting to know how this devolution can be managed. When we talk of the wage bill, the whole issue is corruption and the cost of implementing devolution, which was rushed. Those are the only things. It is not the issue of the President’s salary, the salaries of Cabinet Secretaries or the Members of Parliament. This is not the issue. The issue is how corruption can be dealt with and how the cost of devolution can be managed. That is what Kenyans were expecting from the President, so that we can find ways of dealing with corruption in this country and get money to implement devolution. If you talk of my salary being cut, tomorrow I will be on the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

streets and somebody else will be on the streets the other day because of the salary cut. This is not the issue. Kenyans were expecting to hear from the President the issue of the Turkana oil discovery and how far this has reached. They also wanted to know how we are going to manage this oil and how the oil will help Kenyans. Nothing was mentioned about it. It is an issue that Kenyans were ready to hear from the President. The other issue is corruption bedeviling the laptops project and the railway project. This was not mentioned and yet Kenyans were expecting to hear from the President about these issues. It was not mentioned anywhere. The other issue was about employment of the youth. This is a matter that was covered in the Jubilee Manifesto.

What is it, hon. Lessonet?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we are here to debate the President’s Speech. Is it in order, therefore, for the hon. Member to attempt to debate his own expectations? I think he can wait for his time so that when he becomes President he comes here to tell us exactly what he wants this House to listen to. We are here to debate what the President said when he came to this House.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I think the Member is just wasting my time. When I started I talked about security which was in the President’s Speech. I have talked about employment of the youth. It was mentioned in the Speech. We have talked about Nyumba Kumi and it was also in the Speech. I do not know which Speech he is talking about other than the one that I am talking about. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the other issue is devolution being rushed to the counties. There are people who are saying that the President was forced to do this. Is the President supposed to work as per the law of this country, or to work as per what people tell him to do? People are mentioning that it was so and so who did this and that and the governor said this and that. It is not about the governors or the President; rather it is about the law that should be followed.

Your time is over. Hon. Kazungu.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the President’s Speech. I must say that sometime last year the President made his way to this House and he outlined his dream to this country. It was about transforming this great country and the region as a whole. I understand that transforming a nation is not something that you can do in one year. I appreciate that as a student of management. However, I also know that within a year you should be able to start putting structures and things that will help you drive your agenda forward. I appreciate that the task at hand is tough.

Hon. Kazungu, we will have to stop there. You will have your four minutes next time.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for that opportunity.

Order, hon. Members. It is now 6.30 p.m. The House, therefore, stands adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, 2nd April, 2014 at 9.00 a.m.

The House rose at 6.30 p.m

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