Okay. Ring the Division Bell.

Yes Members, we can now transact business.

Division! Division!

Order, Members! Please Members allow the officers to count.

Order, Members! You are only 18 of you standing and so we cannot have a Division. We continue with business. You are only 18 standing. That Motion has been lost. Next Order!

Hon. Members, this next Motion has a balance of one hour and 21 minutes. Who was the last one speaking? Did she have any balance of time? Hon. Eusilah Ngeny was the one on the Floor and she had a balanceof eight minutes. Does hon. Eusilah want to use her eight minutes? If not, any other hon. Member beginning with hon. Susan Musyoka can take the Floor. Susan, you are the first on my list?

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I would like to contribute on the Motion on air fares. I thank hon. Omar Mwinyi for that Motion. It is really a timely Motion on the liberalisation of air fares in Kenya. As we travel round the country, we find that it is only in Africa where we have problems moving from one African country to another. It is really necessary for air fares to be liberalised and for 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.

more players to be in the air travel business. When you travel in the United States of America from one state to another, you find that it is just like hopping from one matatu to another one. In Kenya, it is very difficult to move from Nairobi to Kigali or Uganda because of the cost of air fares. Some of the things that increase air fares---

Hon. Members, we are done with the Motion before. That one has been lost. Can we now concentrate on the one that we have before us to see if we can help it to pass? Please let us concentrate. Proceed, hon. Musyoka.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. In East Africa for instance, if we have a regulatory body to ensure checks on excesses of airlines and air fares, it would really open up the economy and allow professionals to move from one country to another and do business especially in today’s world where everything is fast. We are having fast food, M-Pesa and e-mails. So, we also need to travel in a fast manner and when the air fares and the travelling are prohibitive, it makes life quite difficult.

So, I stand to support this Motion and I hope that travelling in Africa from one place to another will resemble travel in other parts of the world where when you get into an airplane you do not have to get food and other goodies. You go in and travel from one place to another and if you need to eat, you buy the food. So, if we put measures such as those, they will make air fares reasonable and affordable and people will be able to travel. There should be a regulatory body to ensure that the excesses that are there on air travel are minimised.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I support the Motion.

Hon. Phillip Rotino.

Thank you very much, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to support this very important Motion. This country has turned into a middle economy and we need the air fares to be fair so that many people can use air transport. If you book a 540 flight to Mombasa, you will find that it is cheaper than the one of Kenya Airways because of the monopoly the latter is proud of.

So, hon. Deputy Speaker, I really want to support this Motion that we must have a regulatory authority to be able to regulate the fares. Some of us who travel upcountry many times do so by air travel because our roads are not safe. If you look at Jambo Jet that goes to Eldoret and Kisumu, their fares vis-à-vis those of Kenya Airways and Fly 540, you will find that those of Kenya Airways are very expensive because of the monopoly that they are proud of.

So, hon. Deputy Speaker, I want to support this Motion and say that we want to encourage other airlines to come in. However, getting licences in this country is so tedious. The bureaucracy that is there is limiting people to open up the air fares. So, I want to say that this Motion must be approved and everybody should support it so that we encourage our people to travel by air. We should not put conditions that limit people from going into this business.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, with those few remarks, I support it.

Hon. Abdikadir Omar. 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. Deputy Speaker. I also wish to join my colleagues in congratulating hon. Omar Mwinyi for introducing this very good Motion. Indeed, air travel is becoming more necessary now than ever before as our economy continues to grow and expand. Africa as a whole is suffering from a serious challenge because of the inability of people living in it to have an easy mode of travel between its countries.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, there are some African countries like in West Africa where you only have the option of travelling with Kenya Airways which might not be able to take you to all destinations in West Africa. Alternatively, you will have to travel to France to connect back to some African countries. You have to go to Europe to connect back to travel to an African country, which I think is something that we should not have in this day and age.

In order to be able to make Kenya a true hub for investors and for people travelling from either the rest of the world or Africa to be able to come to Kenya and connect from here to the rest of Africa and the rest of the world, one of the very important things that must be in place and efficiently working is a very good and reliable air travel system.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, this Motion seeks that we introduce a regulatory body that will do two things. First, allow players to easily come into the market. We are living in a free economy market, but I think we are a model for many African countries. For us to be able to make truly our economy a model and a free economy for the rest of Africa, air travel is one of the areas that we need to liberalise. It is only recently that we have seen Jambo Jet coming in to offer low cost air fares. If only we can put up an efficient regulatory body that can reduce the bureaucracy around the issuing of licences for investors, it would be good. It is only now we are enjoying low fares that are offered by Jambo Jet. You can get fares as low as Kshs5,000 at times and I can tell you that if we allow more players to come in, we will definitely be bringing competition and when competition comes in usually it is the customer who benefits because he or she will be able to get reduced fares.

For that reason, hon. Deputy Speaker, I really think that we should liberalise this market. We should open it up and reduce this process of getting these licences so that Kenyans can enjoy travelling in an easier mode and at a much lower cost. Monopoly is unacceptable in our economy today. It will create inefficiencies in our economy. That is why you will go to some of our major airlines including Kenya Airways and you find such inefficiencies, travels and bureaucracies.

It was terrible to see that, indeed, even the staff on the ground at times goes to the extent of humiliating very dignified personalities like what happened to hon. Senator Moses Wetangula. I think it was a regrettable and very unfortunate situation for a person living in Kenya today to fail to know Senator Moses Wetangula. We do not have many options when it comes to travel. It is one of the reasons why we have to continue to queue behind the counters. We receive poor services because we do not alternatives. By bringing in or enforcing the recommendations of this particular Motion, we will indeed open up our market. We will get better services for travels, both local and international.

With those few remarks, I support this Motion. Thank you.

The hon. Korei ole Lemein. 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 to thank hon. Omar Mwinyi for coming up with this Motion. I concur with my colleagues that this Motion is, indeed, very important for this country. It is also very important for the economy of this nation as well. There is an increased awareness of air transport in Kenya now, unlike in the past. The population of this country has equally increased. Therefore, most people are actually looking at air transport as a major means of transportation. The current status of the country, as a middle income economy, speaks volumes as far as air transport is concerned. Our current system of governance provides for the national Government and the county governments. We are probably headed to a situation of creating major airstrips in all the counties in this Republic. This calls for better air transport in the entire Republic and therefore monopoly of the same by Kenya Airways will be a very dangerous trend. I also concur with the Mover that a regulatory body is very important in terms of supervising the sector and ensuring fair opportunity for competition in the sector. It is also very important for us to check the excesses of airlines. With those remarks, I beg to support the Motion.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, on the outset, I would like to say that liberalization must happen today because, looking at international air travel, we realize that Amsterdam and Paris have empowered themselves to become the hubs of Europe. All African couriers have to pass through there. It is high time that we, Africans, looked into how we can have our own hub. Kenya is trying but if you look at our national carrier, Kenya Airways, you will appreciate that they are not only enjoying a monopoly but they are also exploiting Kenyans. Kenya Airways is no longer the “pride of Africa” but the ‘fraud of Africa”. The air fare of Kshs35,000 that they charge a passenger for a flight from Nairobi to Mombasa is equivalent to about US$500. A flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town costs only US$200, which is about Kshs17,000. It is roughly a two-hour flight. In Kenya, flying from Nairobi to Mombasa, a 45-minute flight, costs Kshs35, 000 per passenger. Therefore, there is need for the Government to regulate this sector. Jetlink came in and left. Regional Air and Fly 540 are not doing very well. I suspect foul play in all these developments. The Director of Aviation must tell Kenyans why Kenya Airways is enjoying a monopoly. The Kenya Airways have become so proud that they mistreat Members of Parliament and other leaders of this country. When we support a national carrier like Kenya Airways, they should extend a hand of friendship to us. As much as we want to support our national carrier, a time has come for them to respect Kenyans by lowering their air fares. When Jetlink was around, going to Mombasa would cost about Kshs6,000. After killing those other carriers, the Kenya Airways became the controllers of our airspace. The Cabinet Secretary responsible for transport should tell us why other players in the industry are not coming on board. It is time we liberalized air travel in this country and ensured that the Government issued licences to other carriers to operate in our airspace to foster a healthy competition, so that Kenyans can afford to move from one place to another. Very few airstrips are operational in Kenya today. We only talk about Eldoret, Kisumu and Nairobi. As we work hard towards realization of Vision 2030, the Government should open more airstrips and ensure that flying to, say, the North Eastern region becomes cheaper. It is only flights operated by the United Nations that land in 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.

Lodwar and Lokichoggio. We want to open all these airstrips so that Kenyans can enjoy. So far air travel is the safest. If we can improve our airstrips and liberalize the industry, air travel will become very cheap and Kenyans will save money and time. The sector will promote economic growth. Therefore, in supporting this Motion, I would like to urge the Government to liberalize local air travel as fast as possible and issue licences to other players in the sector. The Kenya Airways should be stopped from enjoying a monopoly. Thank you.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I stand to support the Motion on liberalization of air travel. Air transport remains the safest, most convenient and fastest means of travel anywhere in the world. In order for Kenya to grow its economy and catch up with the rest of the world, the Government should fully liberalize air transport. Lack of regulatory regimes has a tendency of giving room to monopolies. Monopolistic regimes have their negative attributes, including arbitrary fixing of air fares, market distortion and inefficiencies, among others. The early 1990s Bretton woods institutions-backed Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs), most governments in the developing world had room to liberalize most of their State corporations. Kenya Airways has remained one of the State corporations in this country. Being the only State corporation that offers air services and enjoys Government protection, it is now clear that Kenya Airways is not doing well in service delivery. Therefore, there is need to introduce and issue other airlines with operating licences, so that Kenyans and other Africans can travel safely, conveniently and cheaply. It is also clear that road transport in Kenya and other parts of Africa is not well developed. Therefore, there is need for us to tap on the safest mode of transport that can facilitate movement of labour and commodities. In order for Kenya to grow its economy and catch up with the rest of the world, it must liberalize its industries. Liberalisation of air transport will create sufficient employment opportunities and promote faster movement of commodities and people in this region. In so doing, we will expand our economy, leading to growth in our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and an increase in the per capita income for every Kenyan. With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I rise to support the Motion. Let me start by congratulating the Mover. I believe that hon. Mwinyi brought this Motion to the House because he is a frequent flier from Nairobi to Mombasa and, therefore, it came up because of that experience. From the outset, I would say that monopoly is a bad game enterprise in any given endeavour. I believe that what we are talking about here, and what most of my colleagues have been expressing; is due to the fact that there is a monopoly somewhere in this industry, and especially in Kenya; where we have the Kenya Airways, Fly 540 and other small capacity operators. This is the reason why there is unprofessional behavior being portrayed, especially by our national flier. If at all there were other competitors, they would be more courteous. They would also cover some of the things highlighted by the media, or that 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.

which comes to public domain, for example, a certain dignitary has been mishandled and so on. These things could be covered, but because they know we will always go with their planes, they end up giving the travellers a raw deal. Hon. Deputy Speaker, to change flight with Kenya Airways is a nightmare. It is a big problem. The agents will throw you left, right and center and at the end of the day you are told to cough more money which at times is almost equal to the fare of the flight. If we had other competitors in the field, I believe they could check on this and air travel would be cheaper. Travelling by air is no longer a luxury, but a necessity these days. This is because of diversification of people’s operation. People would like to do business in one town and sleep in another town or vice versa. With liberalization of air travel, it will be easy to travel and transact business. When you look at our airstrips, they are very few. There will come a time when if you travel, you have to take a vehicle to the next town. I will propose, on the same token, that we have as many airstrips as possible. We have an airstrip in Isiolo which was constructed way back, that is, 10 years ago. The runaway was done, but nothing else has been done since then. Somebody somewhere is sleeping on the project yet the project was initiated to alleviate the problems of people travelling to Mt. Kenya region, especially Meru and Isiolo. When we travel to our constituencies, we have to budget for three or four hours to get there yet if we had these facilities, it would take us 20 minutes to 30 minutes to land there, do business and even come back to Nairobi. This airstrip was also done so that transportation of miraa could be made possible and faster. It would also save us from road accidents and the hustle of driving on the roads at terrific speeds. However, nobody has taken it seriously. This is because somebody wants to remain relevant by reaping money from Kenyans through a monopoly. If there were other players in that field, then it would be easy for this business to flourish. If we have other players in the air field industry, this will create employment. Many of our youths have gone to school and are learned, but they are still tarmacking. If we had other players in this air travel industry, I believe we would be employing more people, thereby alleviating the problem of unemployment in this country. This will also make the fares go down. With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Hon. Joseph Limo!

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance to contribute to this important Motion. From the outset, this is a very important Motion because it will actually contribute to development of this nation. This nation has greatly developed because it is now a middle level income economy and it will still grow. Transport is very important and if we do not plan well, it will be difficult to operate in the coming years. I wish to thank the hon. Member for Changamwe, hon. Mwinyi, for bringing this Motion. I wish he could have gone further to amend it to say that it is liberalization of air transport. This will cover many challenges which are in this field. It is worrying that there have been so many airlines which have been trying to come up, for example, the East African Airlines and Jetlink which were doing very well, especially on the route of Kisumu. All of them faced challenges which ended up making them collapse. In fact Flight 540 has really tried. If we do not take care, it will be a full 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.

monopoly for Kenya Airways. They have enjoyed a lot of monopoly and have been charging exorbitant fares due to lack of competition. Controlling fares is not a solution. A long term solution in economic terms is to ensure that there is a proper balance between the demand and supply of air transport. The reason fare is very high is that when you reach the airport, it is either Kenya Airways or you remain in Nairobi. Many other challenges which we need to look at in the air transport include the issue of ensuring that the airports are all over the country. If you provide a route like Thika Road with only one bus and you say that it must move from Nairobi to Thika without stopping in between, many people will be willing to go by that bus, but because it does not stop on the way, say in Githurai, Kahawa and Ruiru, it will be difficult for the bus to get enough passengers. Imagine Nakuru does not have an airport yet so many businesses are going on there. You cannot use air transport to Nakuru. You cannot use air transport to a very important town in this country which produces the largest quantity of tea, that is, Kericho. We had an airstrip, but it is no longer working. If we come up with airports and airstrips which are properly managed, then this country can really get good air transport. It will be economical because you will get many passengers. We also have to look at the inefficiencies which are in this country, especially with regard to reaching the airports. If you travel by air to Kisumu, you will end up using two hours on the road to Jomo Kenyatta Airport. By that time somebody who left Westlands by road will be past Nakuru. We also need to look at the challenges which are facing the airlines which include traffic jams. We need to provide proper roads that link to the airports. We also need to ensure that the airport is efficient so that when you reach the airport, you take less time to connect. We also need to look at the way the staff who are working for the airlines handle their passengers. Many times you can be delayed at the airport and the only thing you get is a word of sorry for the delay. There is the issue of identification. We were very surprised when Senator Wetangula was tossed round to the extent that it delayed the departure time by almost three hours. It does not make sense, especially when the two hon. Speakers were there to say that hon. Wetangula is a Member of this House. We need to look at the retraining of these staff. It is worrying that if Members of Parliament are handled like this, then, it is going to work in a negative way for the well being of the passengers. Finally, we also need to make sure that our airlines are safe. Regulations should be put in place to ensure that the servicing and renewal of aircraft are undertaken. I wish to support the Motion. I wish the hon. Member could amend it to read “Liberalization of the air transport.|”

hon. Alice Chae.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to put my voice to this noble Motion that I support greatly. This House should deliberate on this issue and ensure that there is a regulatory body in place and many players are licensed to participate in the air transport. We will make great progress, if we do this. At the moment, the monopoly that Kenya Airways is enjoying needs to be broken. It takes us back to the ages of the Kenya Co-operative Creameries and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, which we no longer see. We should work hard to ensure that the Kenya 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.

Airways does not continue being the only player in the air transport. Due to the monopoly, the fares are very high. The common man cannot afford the air fare. This is the fastest mode of transport and enables you to do what you want to do at the right time. As we grow socially, politically and economically, the air transport should be liberalized to ensure that there are other players. We have major challenges in this sector such as traffic jams in our airports. I look forward to a time when I will fly from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Suneka in Kisii and not through the three airports, namely, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nairobi. The fares should also be reduced, so that everybody can use air transport. Air transport is now the preserve of the rich and beyond the reach of the common man who is also supposed to enjoy the fruits and benefits of our prosperity. I urge this House to ensure that there is a regulatory body that will ensure that more domestic flights are approved. This House should ensure that this is done, so that we can make it easier for everyone of us to enjoy air transport. I support.

The hon. James Nyikal.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to support this Motion and to congratulate hon. Mwinyi for bringing it up. This Motion addresses very important issues in the air travel, air trade and trade in general. This addresses the need to increase demand for air transport in this country. Those of us who travel locally by air know how big the demand is between Nairobi and Kisumu and between Nairobi and Mombasa. It reaches a point that most of us get stranded at the airport because there are not enough spaces and the prices are still high. Therefore, this demand must be met. The only way to do so is to liberalize air transport so that more players come in and increase the business. This country has moved on. We are now touted as a middle income country. We cannot have a high speed cyber space communication while on the ground, we cannot communicate as fast as we need to. We do not even take advantage when we have conventions and events where people would like to move across the country fast and participate. It is important that we move now and liberalize air transport as a whole and air fare in particular. This Motion also addresses the issue of competition. We need to encourage competition in the air travel industry. Without competition, services cannot be good. All of us have been complaining of the bad services that we have been receiving. That is expected when there is monopoly or large companies that are de facto monopolies. Because of that and the demands, the air fares go up instead of reducing because more people need the services but they are not there. It is interesting that between Nairobi and Kisumu, which is about a 30 minutes flight, you pay about $200. This is the same fare that I once paid to travel between Washington and San-Francisco, which is a five hours flight. You pay that for a 30 minutes flight. This is time to liberalize this market. The disrespect people talk about, personally, I will not complain about the Kenya Airways because I know that they work very well so long as things are normal and there is no problem. The moment there is a problem, a delay or there is a large crowd, you suddenly feel like somebody in a bus park. We need to liberalize this sector, so that we can get the competition that will ensure efficient and respectable service. 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.

Liberalization is important. We cannot have services running or business growing if there is monopoly. In some countries, there are laws that force big companies that are

monopolies to be broken up, so that competition can be increased. That is where we must be going. We have realized that the big companies or monopolies complain a lot. In this country, some years back, we were forced to liberalize. If I take the example of the oil industry, there was a big guy that liberalized the oil industry, but what do the monopolies and big companies do? They go and form cartels. The oil industry has been a good example for us. We had to go back and reintroduce price control because the big companies and monopolies were literally sitting down in the evening and in the morning all the prices at all the pumps had gone up. They have continued to do that. Because of the pump price control, the big oil companies kill the small businesses that are running independent petrol stations. They connive and give these companies very high purchase rates which are equivalent to what is their pump prices. Hon. Deputy Speaker, how do these small businesses make profit, if they are being forced to buy at pump prices by big companies? So, this country is ripe for more liberalisation particularly in the air industry. We are aware that many airlines have tried to run services that would improve the situation; we have Jetlink Express, the East African Airways and the East African Aviation. All of them have not performed well because they have just been pushed out by monopolies or big companies that do not take the interest of the people at heart. Therefore, I support this Motion because the need for a regulatory authority is long overdue. We should not just talk about liberalisation of fares, but liberalisation of the industry as a whole. Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Hon. Onesmus Njuki, you have the Floor.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I want to thank hon. Omar Mwinyi for coming up with this very important Motion. This Motion is informed by the fact that hon. Omar Mwinyi comes from Mombasa and he flies home every weekend. Maybe, it is a bit hard on his pocket.

Can you adjust the volume, hon. Njuki? We are not hearing you.

Hon Deputy Speaker, I hope my microphone does not have a problem. I will move closer to it. I am sure most of us have used air transport even over the weekend. Some of us use choppers; I am sure you used one over the weekend, hon. Deputy Speaker. Normally prices charged by choppers are very inhibitive to those who want to use air transport. Before, it used to be a preserve for the rich; those who could afford to travel by air. However, today we cannot afford to go the slow but sure way because in a growing economy like ours, speed and accuracy in the transport industry is what can make our economy to grow. Therefore, it is necessary to get people who are travelling long distances off our roads to reduce traffic because we have very many cars on the roads, which means more chances of accidents and, of course, a lot of wear and tear on our roads. 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 amount of time it takes one to fly to Mombasa is one hour and the time it takes to travel by bus or car, would probably be a whole day. If one travelled by air, he would go there do business and come back. However, what has brought this is the head start that Kenya Airways was given because it has been operating for some time. The other small airlines have not been able to catch up with Kenya Airways. Maybe, it is because of taxes that the Government normally levies. If you look at the taxes that are normally levied on the spare parts and parking licences, it is very inhibitive. There is nothing that inhibits growth of a sector like monopoly. Monopoly does not bring in new ideas or innovation because you feel comfortable and only concentrate on being a predatory competitor to the small airlines. When smaller airlines start operating in Kenya like the Fly 540 and Air Kenya, Kenya Airways introduced another airline which was a sister company called Jambo Jet which had lower fares just like the Fly 540. They actually placed their offices next to Fly 540 so that you could compare the prices. This was just to make sure that they continued operating with the elites who could afford to pay high fares. Of course, at the same time they could give predatory competition to other airlines like Fly 540 which were serving the less lucrative short distances that most people could not afford. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the urbanisation problem that we are facing at the moment in Kenya is the housing and rent payment in Nairobi. If we had efficient air transport which is affordable to most Kenyans, there could be very few people who would prefer to operate from Nairobi. Personally, I would prefer to operate every morning from Chuka/Igambang'ombe constituency and use, maybe, Ksh.4,000 to come to Nairobi and go back in the evening. That is if air fares were low and competitive. However, at the moment we have that problem where it is only a preserve of the rich. This has brought about competition which has profiled the rich and the poor; even when it comes to providing basic services like education. For example, if you have a family living in a place like Lewa, your children cannot afford going to schools in Nairobi every morning. A few families have children who fly to Nairobi every morning by choppers because those are personal aircraft. If we had many airlines and therefore fares were fair, then it would be possible for children to come to school in the morning in Nairobi and go back to Mombasa in the evening. This will reduce profiling and political problems, where we have regional segregation, where people say that is our Coast, Central and Western. It would help create an interactive nation because of the free transport. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the training of pilots, airline crew and engineers in the air sector is a preserve of the rich in Kenya because it is very expensive. The other day we saw one of our Members of Parliament being victimised because his constituency, Mathioya, somehow decided to make education available to the poor. If you consider the people who dominate that sector, it is only the children of the rich. When will the children of the poor ever fly? When will they be able to service an aircraft and stop servicing the Peugeots and Toyotas only in River Road? If we had a government school like other countries; like South Africa has subsidised rates where children of the poor can afford to be admitted to such schools; just the same way we have public and private universities. This would be possible for 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.

everybody to afford to go to aviation school. That is one of the things that can make flying easier. One of the reasons why they are expensive is because they also cater for the very expensive workforce they employ both in flying and in technical support. Therefore, through this Motion, we would like to encourage the Government to set up a government school for flying so that we can have more of pilots, service crews and engineers trained there. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the predatory nature of the operations of the Kenya Airways needs to be checked. I have no problem with the Kenya Airways that I knew before, which had very good customer service. If you are in the lounge and your flight is about to be boarded, they come and call you. However, nowadays, they have become so arrogant to the extent that they tell you: “If you did not listen to the call, it is up to you.” This becomes inhibitive because they are a monopoly. Only tolerant people and desperate ones would tolerate that behaviour. Locally, we need competition. Maybe, internationally, we may need to protect our airline but locally, we need to have very many more airlines operating so that we can liberalise the market, have competition so that air fares can come down. With those few remarks, I support the Motion.

Hon. Members, can we hear somebody who was formerly in the industry, hon. Wambugu?

Thank you, hon. Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion. For your information, I am still very current. It pains us to see the way the industry is moving in terms of the operating costs and more so the prices of air tickets. Though we could be talking of liberalisation, all this is just because of a few factors, which can be corrected by the Government. If those factors are corrected, this country can move in the right direction. The Kenya Airways is an operator among many others. Why are we not having enough airlines to operate locally? In order for you to operate an airline in this country, there are various procedures that you have to go through. First, you have to have a registered company in the name of an airline. After that, you have to go to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), which is the regulator; to apply for a licence we call the “Air Service Licence (ASL),” which is a very tedious process. In order to get that licence, you are required to have an aeroplane. You either buy an aeroplane or you lease one. Leasing procedures have been made so complicated in this country that very few people will ever be able to run an airline in the future. Even when somebody gets an ASL, which does not allow you to operate an airline, the Government pushes you further to acquire another licence called an “Air Operator Certificate (AOC)”. Even to get that one is hell. To be able to complete that process, you could be talking of spending many millions of shillings. Why is the Government frustrating Kenyans who want to get into this industry? Madam Speaker, we have our staff in the KCAA’s Air Worthiness Division, who are supposed to be having very high qualifications to be able to certify you. They require pilots. In Kenya, we have a big shortage of pilots. The Government has not invested or even thought of doing anything to help the industry. When will the Government start funding KCAA for it to train more people who can be doing inspections for AOC? That 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.

is where the biggest problem is. Thereafter, there are many other conditions introduced to make sure that Kenyans do not operate airlines. Hon. Members will remember when I was trying to lobby on the Floor of the House recently because of taxes which were being imposed by the Government. Even after we passed a Motion in this House, the Government continued to impose Value Added Tax (VAT) on aircraft and aircraft parts. What type of a country are we in? When are we going to support our people? That is why foreign airlines dominate this place. Take an example of training. Any operator anywhere in the world, or any business, has to factor in the operating costs of all kinds. Training a pilot in South Africa, where we take our children, costs Kshs11 million. Training a single pilot in most of the flying schools in Kenya costs almost Kshs7 million, but when, as the Member for Mathioya, I negotiated and got the cost down to about Kshs3 million, I was branded a thief. What type of country are we talking about? When are we going to even develop our human resource to make sure that we reduce some of the costs of operations in the air transport industry? Kenya is one of the countries where airlines incur the highest fuel costs. Why? What is the Government doing? I am challenging the Departmental Committee on Energy, Communication and Information to go out and check what they can do, so that at least we reduce the cost on aircraft fuel. There are so many other things, including parking fee. I do not know whether this is the only source of revenue for the Government. We are asking that the Government starts to support some of the other local operators, like African Express, which is locally operated. The airline is operating with a lot of hurdles. It has been having so many problems. We have also got other companies like the East African Safaris which cannot move because of taxes. Fly 540 also has so many problems just because the Government is not coming in to support these industries. How are we going to even achieve Vision 2030 at this pace? Hon. Deputy Speaker, there are very many ways of reducing costs and making flying cheaper for everybody. We have got the air fields which are coming in but what are their maintenance standards? Most of the airlines and the local operators that we have might not be able to go to an air field like Kakamega because of its poor state. Busia Airfield and others are in deplorable conditions. We request the Government to come up with a proper plan of developing our air fields. I have very many things to talk about in this debate. We have talked about a flying school. A long time ago, we used to have Soroti Flying School, which is in Uganda. When problems emerged, Kenyans withdrew. We no longer send any students to that flying school. Other countries are enjoying the facility as our Government just keeps quiet, watching its people suffer rather than establish a facility where we can take our people for training. We need to train flight engineers, flight dispatchers, air traffic controllers, pilots and other specialists. If we do so, even the monopoly that we are talking about will be a thing of the past. Hon. Deputy Speaker, other countries have developed their infrastructure so much, especially the air navigation infrastructure. In Kenya, we still have the old system for navigation – things we call VORs and NDBs, which most people might not understand what they are. In order to make flying cheaper, other countries have installed modern equipment for navigation. The world is going the ADS-B way, where you do not require any other facilities on the ground but you can navigate from one point to another 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.

directly. That is cutting down costs and fares, and flying would be available to Kenyans. I urge all of you, Members of Parliament; let us look at these things. We are the only ones who can help this country. Let us talk to those people who want to kill this industry. I tell you, my friends, my sisters, Members of Parliament; let us talk boldly. We have the money. You have been empowered through the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). Why can you not use that money to empower aircraft engineers, pilots, flight dispatchers and air traffic controllers? In this country, we have the East African School of Aviation, which is completely being underutilized because Kenyans are not aware of its existence. That school requires a lot of support, so that we can get more students training there. Out of that school, we can export some flight crew to our neighbouring countries as others work in this country. That way, we can reduce the cost of air transport. Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker.

Yes, hon. John Mbadi.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to also support the Motion moved by my friend, hon. Mwinyi. First of all, it is a shock to me that we do not have a regulatory body. I thought the KCAA was performing this function. If the KCAA are not doing a good job, then something needs to be done. Competition is known to be enhancing efficiency and, by extension, the economy. Monopoly is a market system which, in my view, hurts consumers of services and causes even more harm. Air travel has ceased to have an elastic demand. Air transport has inelastic demands because if you decide to travel, you will have to travel. If you are being exploited, then it is not just affecting the rich, as it used to be known that it was only the rich who fly. Nowadays most businesses are conducted through flights. A lot of Kenyans travel to Dubai to do business. They are average Kenyans. Some of them are not even in the middle class category. So, we need to enhance efficiency in the air travel. We need to be very candid with the Kenya Airways and tell them that the fact that we call them the national carrier does not make it a State company or parastatal. It is a private company and must conduct itself knowing that it is in competition and in business. If it has managed to create monopoly for itself, this country and this House has a duty to liberalise this market to enhance competition, so that we get the best out of it.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, many of my colleagues have given this example of Senator Wetang’ula. The Kenya Airways staff needs to appreciate that the person they were harassing, just on local flight, not even international flight, has been Minister for Foreign Affairs who in other countries was being given VIP treatment. Being Minister for Foreign Affairs carries a lot with it. Identification is supposed to be for identification. You do not need to ask me for identification if you have already identified me. We need to be literate. Sometimes, we employ people who pretend to have gone to school and they are illiterate. If you look at the Kenya Airways staff, either they are demotivated and demoralised or there is a problem with them. One would not understand how someone like Senator Wetang’ula can take three hours at the airport to be identified. I have seen so many people write opinion pieces in the media asking us to be humble. But being humble does not mean that you harass me. It does not mean that you arrest and detain me at the airport, but it means that I do not do something that is unusual. 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.

To me, Senator Wetang’ula was very humble. Some Members here, and I know some, would have slapped some of these staff. He was very humble to be at the airport for three hours. We are saying that there is arrogance; that Kenya Airways is not acting like they are in business. It is acting like the people who go for services there are not customers. They need to know that the first principle in business is that the customer is always right. So, so long as there is no threat to security, both internationally and nationally, there is no reason to condone some of this behaviour.

On a point of order, hon. Deputy Speaker. Is the Member in order to talk about the Kenya Airways and the issue relating to our senior Senator whereas when I look at the Motion, I can see clearly that the issue is not per se contained? Secondly, there is no substantive Motion relating to that incident that is before us. Thirdly, it will be unfair for us to discuss a party which has not been given a chance to defend itself. Therefore, I am of the view that you can rule as to whether he is in order to discuss that incident whereas it is not in our official Motion.

Hon. Mbadi, can you show us how the incident furthers this debate on the liberalization of air fares?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, without really arguing with the Chair, I am surprised that you even entertained that point of order. Hon. Kang’ata is very busy with his phone. He has not even read the Motion. The Motion goes ahead to say that: “Noting that the Kenya Airways Limited enjoys monopoly in air transport in Kenya, thus determining the rate of fares at will due to the monopoly they enjoy and that the demand for air travel has increased---” There is mention of Kenya Airways in this Motion, but above all, I was discussing the effects of monopoly. We are discussing the issue of opening up air transport for competition. When we are discussing competition, we are discussing the negatives of monopoly and we are giving examples. Hon. Kang’ata should learn to differentiate between discussing an institution and giving examples of bad practices by institutions. So, there is nothing to ask me to demonstrate. Let me wind up my contribution by saying that this House has a responsibility and a duty to protect the interests of Kenyans primarily and the interests of any customer or person who is seeking services from any institution. Therefore, this House has a duty to pass this Motion, so that the relevant authorities can ensure that we improve supervision of air travel in this country.

Hon. Julius Melly and you will share the remaining five minutes with the Deputy Minority Leader. So, try to be brief. That is before I give a chance to the Mover of the Motion, who will have ten minutes to respond.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I wish to thank hon. Mwinyi for bringing this Motion to the House. Air transport is a very important sector in our economy. It is very important to note that even the tourism sector relies greatly on air transport. The biggest problem is that the Kenya Airways, which has enjoyed a monopoly for many years, has inhibited the growth of air transport system in this country. You will realise that if we liberalise the fares, a number of Kenyans will be in a position to travel across the country. They will be in a position to visit the national parks in the country. They will even go for holidays. However, the current high fares are 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.

attributed to monopoly by the Kenya Airways. You realise that if you want to travel from Nairobi to Mombasa, for instance, it is very expensive and inhibitive for businesses. It will not even allow what our Principals are calling the double digit growth of our economy. As I speak, the Kenya Airways is the sole airline that is in control of all the airports in the country, namely, Mombasa, Eldoret and Nairobi. However, Fly 540, which is a local airline provides even better services and its fares are reasonable. If we liberalise the air transport, we will have more airlines. This will create more jobs for the young Kenyans who are jobless. We have a problem where we are saying that jobs are only found in industries. However, jobs can be found in the service sector. If air transport is liberalized, more airlines will come, more businesses will grow, many Kenyans will travel and employment opportunities will be created. It will also promote the establishment of services such as hotels like at the Coast. A number of Kenyans cannot travel down to the Coast because it costs up to Kshs30,000 to go to Mombasa and come back over a weekend. This Motion is timely. Let us have a regulatory body to regulate the fares, so that the Kenya Airways does not wake up one morning and give us high fares because they do not have competitors. The tax component in our air fares should also be reduced. It is very high. It is one of the things that inhibit air transport. I support.

Hon. Midiwo, it is really for two minutes because the rest is for the Mover of the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

We are not getting the volume. Use one of the other hon. Members’ microphones.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I apologize for not having carried my card but I rise to support. I want to be very brief and thank you for your kindness. The Motion being discussed is very important. The attitude of Kenya Airways is that of arrogance. We need as a House to rein in so that the business environment in our country is enhanced by affordable fares from the carrier that only a few years ago was not making any money. This House gave them so much budgetary money to come up to a level where they would be making some money. But having said that, you will remember a few weeks ago when the Ebola menace came up, you saw that the attitude of Kenya Airways was that one of “they must make money at whatever cost”.

Hon. Jakoyo, now you are taking the time for the Mover, unless he has given you permission to take that time.

Yes.

But Just for another minute so that he can reply.

Yes he has allowed me. So all I am trying to say is that we need to change the attitude in the aviation industry. Many airlines have tried to come up; The East African Airways; Fly540; the Jetlink and all of them have gone under except the Fly540 which is still trying. Their problem is that Kenya Airways will not allow another airline to operate within our air space because when they try they use the monopolistic tendencies to lower fares and put them out of business. Because of time, I want to support but I want to encourage that there must be a body to regulate this industry in a way that 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.

none can push the other out using the unfair business practices. I want to support because of lack of time.

Thank you, the hon. Mover of the Motion.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I beg to reply but before I reply I wish to donate one minute to my colleagues and I will start with hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona and hon. Ochieng.

A minute each, you have six minutes.

No problem. Thank you.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to thank hon. Shimbwa for donating a minute. I want to support the Motion and say that we have every reason to liberalize air fares and the main reason is the incident that happened to hon. Wetangula. It is not only him, it has happened to some of us in the past and we are seeing that it is a pattern and a trend that is targeting the Opposition. I want to tell Kenya Airways “shame on you!” Some of us who are frequent flyers have even added more value than even some of the people they seek to protect. Shame on Kenya Airways! We need a competitor that would put Kenya Airways to shame. I support.

Thank you so much. Though I have heard people talking about Kenya Airways I want to support this Motion. There was a Bill that was spearheaded by hon. Midiwo in this House that established the Competition Authority. The horse to flog is not Kenya Airways. The Horse to flog is this Authority that is supposed to ensure that there is fair competition in business in this country. So, we want to ask the Competition Authority to wake up to do its job. Secondly, within the East African Community (EAC) framework because air fee should go down regionally, I know there is something going on in that regard. Let the Ministers concerned talk with their neighbours; Uganda and Tanzania. These are the people who still insist on having very high taxes on air fare. We need to have a liberalized industry in the region to reduce air fares in a manner that will promote the region. Kenya Airways has utilized something that is always used by monopolies. You develop what you call regulatory capture so no one can do anything to you. So, we want to insist that the Competition Authority should ensure that competition thrives in the air industry and the Government of Kenya must encourage Public Private Partnership (PPP) to ensure that these industries can come up and grow to provide services to this country.

Okay. Mover, you are still giving another minute? You will have no time yourself. Is that what you want? You will not say any word yourself. I think really hon. Members allow him to say two words before we put the Question.

Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker. I hope my dear colleagues will understand. I wanted you to talk but time does not allow us.

Hon. Members who are leaving - Hon. Bosire and company - could you please come and rest for a few minutes only for us to put the Question? The hon. Members leaving, could you rest for us to ensure we have quorum to put the Question in the next minute? 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. Deputy Speaker. It is important to note that the aim of this Motion is not to castigate Kenya Airways but to ensure that it remains competitive and prosperous in the future. The economist, Joseph Schumpeter stated, “inefficient firms, including monopolies, would eventually be replaced by more efficient and effective firms through a process called creative destruction”. Therefore it is our duty to ensure Kenya Airways does not go down the path of creative destruction. A glaring example of propagation of monopolistic behavior through introduction of barriers to entry by Kenya Airways was evident when the national carrier launched a fully owned subsidiary called Jambo Jet. Jambo Jet has been made to operate in Eldoret to make sure it removes the other competitors. It is also evident that after the low fare was announced, you are also asked to pay more because of selecting seats or even getting food in the aircraft. All this is because of monopolistic tendencies of Kenya Airways. I know of a player in that industry by the name Mr. Kiran Patel who has been there since time immemorial. He started with Eagle Aviation. He is now with Fly540 and I can see he is being challenged even being forced out of the industry. I think it is high time we protected this industry. We need to subsidise some of these players, so that they can also grow and give competitive services to Kenyans. We are looking forward to a time where people will be flying to Mandera, Wajir and back using competitive fares. Today, it is evident that if you want to go to Wajir, you have to pay Kshs15,000. For return, you pay Ksh5,000 less. If other players are encouraged to come in, you will find it will be cheaper to travel by air all over the country. We would also wish to see a situation whereby, if there is a national event like the Nairobi, Eldoret and Mombasa international shows, the fares are lowered to allow more people to travel to those areas, so as to give impetus to the occasion that is happening. At the moment, that is not happening. With those few remarks, I wish to thank my dear colleagues who supported this Motion. I move. Thank you.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:- THAT, aware that the Senate passed a Motion that every county should have a public university; further aware that this country traditionally recognizes its heroes and heroines for their contribution towards development in various capacities, and in cognizance of the role played by H.E. the late Hon. Michael Wamalwa Kijana who hailed from Kitale in Trans Nzoia County, this House resolves that the Government renames and upgrades Kitale Technical Institute to be Wamalwa Kijana University of Science and Technology. The Constitution, 2010 is on premise of devolution. It recognises equal distribution of resources in the 47 counties. Today, we are privileged and happy, we 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 His Excellency the President for assenting to the Heroes Act, 2014. The late Michael Christopher Wamalwa and former Vice-President of this country, was born in Kimilili, Bungoma County in 1944. The late Wamalwa went to Strathmore School where he was the head boy. Because of his debating skills he won a scholarship and went to study at the Kings College London where he graduated with a law degree. From there, he proceeded to the London School of Economics where he studied Masters in Law. He started his PhD but before completion he returned to this country and taught Law at the University of Nairobi. He was a lecturer. This Motion is there for purposes of upgrading Kitale Technical Institute to be renamed “Wamalwa Kijana University of Science and Technology.” We have a Heroes Act in place and recently we celebrated the Mashujaa Day. The essence of the Heroes Act is to recognise our fallen heroes. Without going further, you realize that Wamalwa Kijana contributed so much as far the welfare of this country is concerned. They brought the end of the KANU regime. He was the deputy to His Excellency Mwai Kibaki. If we look at Wamalwa as a person, he died in office when he had served for only eight months. He left a family. We appreciate the Government for giving him a State burial. We thank His Excellency the former, President Mwai Kibaki for whatever he did, but so far he is a forgotten hero. This great leader of this country hailed from Trans Nzoia County. He was the MP for Saboti Constituency. The constituency I represent now was initially represented by the late Wamalwa Kijana. It is in this spirit of the Heroes Act to recognise our fallen heroes that we want this technical institute to be renamed “Wamalwa Kijana.” What a nice befitting name because Wamalwa was a scholar and a lecturer! I am sure wherever he is, he is very happy to see that a learning institution is to be renamed after him. Wamalwa Kijana was a humble and very generous person. He represented the poor people. He paid fees for poor students and improved the welfare of many. When you go down to the county, there are so many lawyers, engineers and medical doctors who are where they are today because of the role Wamalwa Kijana played. He was a political father to many, including myself. I was his errand boy in 2002 when we were campaigning. Indeed, this is a gentleman who should be recognised. When you look at the NARC Government, he was like a stabilizer at that particular time. In many of his speeches he talked about team playing. You remember the famous words where he said: “we must be able to embrace each other and we must be able to give ideas”. He said that if we give others input, some people have good ideas. When good ideas are improved, they become better ideas. From better ideas, they become the best ideas. Before he passed on, he had gone to attend a Labour Conference in Geneva. He gave a powerful speech that many of the delegates up to today still think about this man of this country. He was a family man. He valued families and took care of the orphans. From nowhere he took them to school and some of them are top in their careers because of the support he gave them. Wamalwa Kijana represented a cosmopolitan constituency. Saboti Constituency is inclusive of all the 42 tribes. This is a gentleman who had the interest of this country at heart. He fought so much for the multi- party democracy in this country. He was on record with many other Members of Parliament who fought for the second liberation of this country including Senator Kiraitu Murungi, hon. Gitobu Imanyara, hon. Martha Karua, hon. Paul Muite and many others. 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.

As young turks of those days, they also worked with the elderly like Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Masinde Muliro. The late Wamalwa Kijana took an active part in fighting for the introduction of democracy and the total constitutional review in this country. He advocated for the rule of law. He was a sharp critic of the former regime. He advocated for the rule of law and was a sharp critique of the former regime. When he passed on he already had combined efforts with hon. Mwai Kibaki, who was the Chairman of Democratic Party (DP), and hon. Charity Ngilu and formed the NARC party. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, competition was so stiff at that time; of course, they were competing with the “professor” of politics, former President Daniel arap Moi. They were later joined by the former Prime Minister, hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, and hon. Kalonzo Musyoka. Through their effort and being together politically, they managed to produce a President, hon. Mwai Kibaki, and hon. Wamalwa was appointed the Vice- President. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, before the 2002 elections, His Excellency hon. Mwai Kibaki was involved in a road accident and was flown to London and hon. Wamalwa went to visit him. When he visited him, he also became ill and he was admitted to hospital there. Eight months after hon. Kibaki had become the President, hon. Wamalwa passed on. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, when you look at the history of universities in this country, there is a trend; institutions have been upgraded. If you look at Kenyatta University, it was a college initially and later on it was upgraded to a university. Masinde Muliro was a science and technology college and it was upgraded to a university. We have seen many heroes being recognised in this country because of their efforts and contribution to national development in this country. The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology was initially a college. It was upgraded and became Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology. There are so many colleges I can name. As far as education is concerned the advantage of having a university is going to increase the level of literacy and improve the economy of a given country. It goes without saying that if Kitale Technical Institute is upgraded, indeed, the people of that county will benefit. This is in line with the new Constitution which advocates for the distribution of natural resources. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, when you look at the University Act - this is important for hon. Members to know – the Ministry of Education is the one in charge of accreditation and regulation of universities. The advantage of having a university is that it becomes a one-stop shop. Many people think that when an institute has been upgraded to a university, it will not offer certificates and diplomas. Right now if you go to the University of Nairobi, you will find that it offers certificates and diplomas. Because it is a one-stop shop, it will be easier to go there, start from a certificate, upgrade yourself to a diploma, a degree, a masters degree and PhD degree. Upgrading Kitale Technical Institute to a university will give a lot of hope to the people of Trans-Nzoia County. We have had many cases where people say that if somebody gets a D+ or a D, he will not go anywhere. Universities have courses for everybody; including bridging courses. Once you go there and you are admitted into a certificate course, even if you had 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.

a D or D+, you start from a certificate course then you upgrade. In the long-run, you can even obtain your PhD degree. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we saw recently what the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) put in place. They want many law makers to be university graduates. This adds a lot of value. The role of a legislator is to make laws, represent and oversee. Of course, when it comes to representation, you can represent. But when it comes to legislation, it is, indeed, important that we support the idea, so that all legislators, if it works, have degrees. I want to salute some hon. Members of Parliament who have upgraded their academic levels. Recently, Bishop Margaret Wanjiru--- When you look at her history, she has come from very far. She went back and upgraded her academic standards. Right now we are also having a lot of messes in the county assemblies. We are going to have universities even in counties. It is going to add value as far as education accessibility is concerned, and people are going to access a lot of education. When it comes to Members of Parliament, it is going to be easy to legislate, represent and even oversee. Therefore, I would urge this august House that as time goes by, and in line with the Elections Act, maybe you can look for some benchmarks and increase the academic levels of legislators. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to mention again this great leader, the late hon. Wamalwa Kijana. Hon. Wamalwa was very generous. It reminds me of one time when, as a university student, I came around this Parliament. We were about four of us and we were going to Kitale. We did not have fare; we approached him and requested fare from him. He told us that he had Kshs1,000 only. Lucky enough at that particular time, fare from Nairobi to Kitale was Kshs250 per a person. This great leader gave us kshs1,000 and he remained with zero cents. He gave out all his riches to the poor people. This man was very generous and many people have talked about him. Indeed, it is time we recognised him. He was a man of openness and he encouraged his colleagues to open up. You can remember the famous phrases he was using like “ Raila phobia andRaila mania.” People must work together in the open without playing dangerous cards under the table. This is the virtue we want to look for in our leaders. We must look at each other in the eye, do things openly and without playing hide and seek games. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, hon. Wamalwa was a team player, and a transformative leader that this country admired. If Michael Wamalwa Kijana was still alive, I have no doubt that he would have been the President of this great country. Wherever he is, we pray to Almighty God to rest his soul in peace. For Kenya to move, we must recognise these great leaders who have done so much for us. I am humbly requesting this august House to pass this Motion, so that we recognise this hero and rename Kitale Technical Institute “Wamalwa Kijana University of Science and Technology”. This is because in the region we do not have any university. We have talked to stakeholders and they are excited about this. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to request hon. Jacob Macharia to second. Hon. Macharia told me that when hon. Wamalwa Kijana passed on, he came all the way from Molo to pay tribute when his body was flown from London to Nairobi. Actually, he said that because he was the first one--- I know professor is a scholar and 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.

wants to second this Motion. This gentleman came all the way from Molo because he admired his Queen’s English. Let us give him a chance to second this Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Macharia, you have the Floor.

Thank you very much, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Indeed, it is true that I came all the way from Molo to pay tribute to the late hon. Michael Wamalwa Kijana, when his body was flown into the country and was placed here in Parliament. I rise to second the Motion that Kitale Technical Institute be upgraded and named “Wamalwa Kijana University of Science and Technology”. The late Michael Wamalwa Kijana was a hero. I know when hon. Chris Wamalwa speaks here in Parliament he emulates the late Michael Wamalwa Kijana, who represented Kenya as a student at the United Nations. In 1965, he was awarded a Commonwealth scholarship to study in London and in 1970 he started teaching at the University of Nairobi. The late Michael Wamalwa Kijana in public service was the Director of Kenya- Japan Association. At 30 years of age, he joined politics and started vying for political office. This was important in terms of motivating young Kenyans. He also became the Vice-Chairman of FORD(K), and finally became the Chair of FORD(K). Finally, he was one of the politicians who could handle the current CORD leader; at one time he sent him packing from FORD(K). He was also key during the fight for multipartism and during the Rainbow Coalition victory that ended the 24-year rule of President Daniel Moi.

As a politician, I also attest to hon. Wakhungu’s assertion that he was generous. I met him when I was a student leader and, indeed, he was one person who would give you all his money and would finally ask other politicians whether they had some fuel for him. We were students and he gave us all the money he had and had to request some money from the late George Kapten sometime back. We have seen other heroes being honoured. Recently, Nyandarua County Ol Kalou General Hospital was renamed “J.M. Kariuki Hospital”. We have many other heroes honoured in this Republic and I believe it is time for Trans Nzoia County to have a university. We have a university in my county. We have Egerton University. Other counties also have universities. It is important that Trans Nzoia County has a university. It is important that this charismatic politician from the western region of this country, who was responsible for bringing together the Luhya voters of the western Kenya, a feat that has not been achieved by any other politician up to today, be honoured. I know western Kenya is one of the most populous areas in terms of voters; they vote for everyone but when Mr. Michael Kijana Wamalwa was there, he was able to bring them together under FORD(K) and subsequently to NARC; this has not been achieved. He is, no doubt, a hero whom we must honour. For all these reasons, I second the Motion. Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Members, the names have not changed from the last Motion. If you are interested in contributing to this Motion, then keep your cards in; if you had put yours in for the earlier Motion, please remove it. I am hoping hon. (Ms.) Muhia is for this Motion. 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. From the the outset, I stand to support this good Motion. Personally, I admired the late hon. Michael Kijana for his good English; he inspired me in many ways. There was a very good Motion in the Senate to have a university in each county. In Nyandarua, we do not have any university. With devolution, as the Mover of this Motion has indicated, a university will bring economic growth to this country. With devolution, each county seeks to have its own identity. Thus we should be free to identify our county with the people whom we feel have---

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. (Ms.) Muhia, please give me a minute because there is a procedure that I need to follow, so that you can start debating it.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I was saying that with devolution, all counties are free to identify themselves with the people they feel have greatly contributed to their counties and the country at large. Just like the J.M. Kariuki Hospital which has been renamed in my county of Nyandarua, it will bring an idea to our children and at some point people of my age will know who J.M. was and the political role he played. We know 50 years after Independence we have our Constitution. This has been contributed by people who lived before and after Independence. It is important to recognize these heroes in this manner, so that we do not leave them to be named only after streets, the way we see Uhuru Highway. It is important that we have the Jomo Kenyatta University of Science nd Technology, which time and again will remind us of our first President. Naming institutions after these heroes, particularly educational institutions, will keep our memories forever. I wish to mention that the other day Moi Sports International Centre was renamed after Safaricom Company; the company was given the authority to name it. If we go this direction, we risk losing our political history to corporate bodies, which are making profits. In matters of heroism, we still have very many corporate bodies which are also greatly contributing to profit making and jobs in this country. We may risk distorting the political history that we need now and in future, even for the benefit of our children. Several counties, or the former provinces, have identified themselves with great men in their areas. For instance, we have the Moi University in Rift Valley, Dedan Kimathi University in Nyeri, Oginga Odinga University in Luo Nyanza and J.M. Hospital in Nyandarua. The list is long; if somebody ever contributed to the advancement of a county, they will always be remembered. Political history is something that we can learn. Today we keep saying that we are inspired by so and so, but time will come when we will not know who inspired our forefathers. There is need to maintain these names and encourage all the 47 counties to have at least their own identity; if you go to Kitale you will know that Kitale Technical Institute has been named after this person and thereafter you can find out more about that person. What did he ever do? What was the benefit from them to our country or to this 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.

place? I am also one of the people who have graduated with certificates; a diploma and a degree; possibly I will be professor in future just like hon. Margaret Wanjiru. As my colleague was saying, educational institutions are almost a basic need in the counties today. It will be good if the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology tries to work hand in hand with the Committee on Implementation because many times we have had very great Motions. I remember when I joined this Parliament some time last year hon. Bett and I did a Motion on milk, which was quite important to some counties. We even prepared amendments but to date I do not know where the Motion is. I am concerned that a great Motion from hon. Wakhungu comes here, we discuss it and then finally we do not trace it. I want to urge the concerned committee to be taking the work of hon. Members seriously and implementing it. We have just finished debating the Motion on liberalization of air fares. I would urge the Committee on Implementation to pull up their socks; you will find a Motion on a matter which is killing local tourism discussed in this House, but no one knows what happens when it comes to implementation. With that I support and say this is the way forward for the counties’ identities.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to support this Motion, which has been brought by hon. Wakhungu. This is one way, as has been stated, and we all agree, of recognizing our heroes. I do not think there is anybody who would doubt that among the heroes and people who have contributed immensely to this country, is the late hon. Kijana Wamalwa. We know that he contributed immensely in the political and legal history of this country. It has been said that nearly every Kenyan knew him for his very polished language and his ability to speak better English than the English themselves. So, this is a man that has played a very important role in our community and nation and this is really one of the good ways that we can remember him. We can immortalise our heroes. It is not something that is, in any case, unique to Kenyans. This is something that is practised all over the world. We hear of J. F. Kennedy International Airport, Ben Gurion and so on. There are many examples even in other countries where people who have contributed significantly are remembered through naming of certain institutions, facilities et cetera . So, it is very fitting that we remember our departed hero in this way. I think it has been said, and I agree, that this was a man of great character. We know that he was a humble and very patient person. He had positive qualities that make him also a good role model for us politicians, people occupying certain positions in society, parents and leaders in society. He is a role model that we can all emulate and also recommend to our children. In addition to that, hon.Temporary Deputy Speaker, he was also a fairly brave person because he was among the few people who could put up his head those days even when the slightest dissent was not something that many people contemplated. Together with his other colleagues, he was able to take on the very mighty. They were able to challenge a fairly powerful system at that time and we know that from their efforts, selflessness and sacrifice, we benefitted greatly in even getting where we are in terms of multi-partism. I wish to add here that even as we recognise this great son of our country in this way and as we keep his memory with us through naming this institution after him, we should be thinking of also establishing a foundation, or if it already exists, we should see how it can be strengthened. Wamalwa Kijana Foundation or Trust can then continue 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.

to promote and further the ideals that he stood for. We have heard of how generous he was and how he supported the disadvantaged and the orphans. In addition to these other fairly good and symbolic gestures, we can also assist in establishing something that is more concrete and fundamental that can then continue to promote the ideals that he lived for. That would also be a very good thing. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the second point on this Motion is that of upgrading this institution from a college to a university, I think it is a good idea. We know that a university comes with a lot of benefits for both the local community and any other neighbouring community. It offers opportunities for learning as has been very well set out by the Mover of the Motion. It offers opportunities for learning at various levels, right from certificate, diploma, degree and even higher degrees. That opportunity is there. We know that it is also an opportunity for investment in real estate and infrastructure. Establishing a university also comes with benefits in employment. Therefore, these are benefits that will accrue from upgrading this college from what it is now to university level. However, I just want to add that even as we do this; as we expand the universities, please, let us not kill the middle level colleges. We need to be able, at the same rate and at the same pace, to be revamping, maintaining and establishing middle level colleges. Otherwise, with time, we stand the risk of losing out or creating a gap in a certain level of skills particularly at the level of technicians, craftsmen, artisans, and that level we call

that is, the people who work with their hands. If we are not very careful, we might at one time end up wiping out that cadre that is also very useful in our economy. With those comments, I support the Motion.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Motion by my good friend with whom we taught at the university, hon. Chris Wamalwa. I rise to support. Having taught at the university, I can say I know the meaning and importance of education. I also know what it means to brand or name an institution after a hero for people of this country to remember. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, having read and listened to the biography of Kijana Wamalwa--- I remember when my good friend, hon. Wamalwa presented this Motion, I told him I know he is a k ijana; he is not an old person. I wanted to know whether he was inspired by the name of Kijana Wamalwa to bring this Motion, but he told me that Kijana Wamalwa really contributed to his life even to becoming a Member of Parliament and also becoming a teacher at the university. His credentials speak for themselves. I know the request by the hon. Chris Wamalwa, that we upgrade the institute to a university, will add a lot of value to the people who really love, miss and recognise the importance of education. I want to remember the day that Kijana Wamalwa passed on. I had just got my first born. If I was coming from that side of the country, I would have named my first born Kijana Wamalwa. Today, hon. Wamalwa has just reminded me of that. As I support the Motion I want to state here that the university will really remind me of him and, of course, my prayers will have been answered. As a politician, I want to think of the day when we will have Jessica Mbalu Institute. I want to imagine people like Kijana Wamalwa and Wamalwa Junior, the one I can see seated next to me, 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.

as very important persons who have really contributed in the sector of education. It has reminded me that even being a university lecturer, or a politician, you can be remembered because of your good work. I also want to urge the Members that whatever we do in our constituencies and in our country, we should be named and remain heroes of this country. Upgrading the institute to a university, and with devolution, I think this will be very great work for the people of Kitale. They will remember their son who did very well. Kijana Wamalwa was not selfish. Hon. Chris Wamalwa would have wanted to rename the university in his name now that he is the sitting Member of Parliament. I want to thank hon.Chris Wamalwa, because he is not selfish. He has decided to remember people who made a difference. I will avoid repetition because I know Members of Parliament want to contribute, I want to recognise education. I want to say education is the only weapon that can be used to develop this country. I come from Kibwezi East Constituency, which I represent. In my place I keep on telling people education is the only power we can get; it is the only tool we can use to bring development to our place. We do not have coffee. We do not have water. I know with education we can achieve development. I want to imagine the day when Jessica Mbalu Institute, or an institute named after me or my family, or whatever, will come into being. We want to thank Kijana Wamalwa for the good work he did. I know if he were in Parliament today he would be sitting on this side of the House just to make CORD stronger. I am not saying it is not strong; wherever he is, he is supporting us. Thank you, I support.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Wesley Korir.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to this good Motion from my friend, hon. Wakhungu. I come from Trans Nzoia County. I come from Kitale. I come from this area where the late Kijana Wamalwa came from. I admired Kijana Wamalwa very much. He was a Member of Parliament for the area in which the high school I went to, St Joseph’s High School, is located. Every time Kijana Wamalwa came to our school I admired his English. He was so good. Every time he spoke, everybody was left wondering what he had said. Most of the time when he came to our school, we would go back to him and ask him what he had said. We would ask him to give us his words, so we could use them in our composition.

The late Kijana Wamalwa was a great man. He was a hero and he is a hero to me. It is because of him that I wanted to speak good English, and I hope one day I will be close to his manner of speaking English. The late Kijana Wamalwa definitely gave a lot to the community. He spent his time serving the people. I would say Kijana Wamalwa died a poor person because of what he had done to the community. I agree that Trans Nzoia County desperately needs a university. Every county in this country needs a university because universities bring a lot of development. However, 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.

one thing on which I disagree with my friend is changing Kitale Technical Institute into a university. As a person who comes from this county, I would like to say that we would love to keep Kitale Technical Institute as a technical institution and look for other alternatives to start a university. We have the Bakhita branch of Moi University, which, to me, should be upgraded to a full-fledged university. We have Kitale Airport which, to me, should be named after Kijana Wamalwa and upgraded to become an international airport. So, as much as I support the fact that we need to remember our hero, the late hon. Wamalwa Kijana, I am opposed to the upgrading of Kitale Technical Institute to a university. Our students need a lot of places to go to learn some technical knowledge. We need plumbers, electricians and so on. We need them in this country. We need them as much as we need accountants. We need them as much as we need engineers. We need them as much as we need doctors. Those are the skills that need to be enhanced in this country. We need to create more technical institutions in our counties. As much as we want to go to universities, I will stand firm and say that we should also encourage the creation of more technical schools in our constituencies and counties. I applaud the initiative by the Government to make sure that we have more technical institutions in our counties. When we will have more technical institutions that can stand by themselves in every constituency, I think that is when we will start upgrading them into universities. As per now, if we make Kitale Technical Institute a university, where is a technical institute in Trans Nzoia that will do what Kitale Technical Institute is doing? So, I support the fact that we need to have something named after Kijana Wamalwa, but I do not think upgrading Kitale Technical Institute to a university is a great thing for the county of Trans Nzoia. I will support the idea of naming something after the late Kijana Wamalwa, but I will oppose the idea of upgrading Kitale Technical Institute to a full-fledged university. Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Thank you. Very well spoken. The Member for Narok South, hon. Korei ole Lemein.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to start by thanking my very good friend, hon. Chris Wamalwa, for coming up with this Motion. I want to say that hon. Chris Wamalwa having been a university lecturer, really thought very hard. In as much as he has thought of renaming Kitale Technical Institute to “Wamalwa Kijana University of Science and Technology”, I believe the critical point that he was driving to is the creation of a university in Trans Nzoia County. I want to say that a lot has been said of the late Michael Wamalwa Kijana. Of course he was a great scholar. He contributed a lot positively to the education of very many Kenyans when he was a university lecturer. He also did a lot when he was the Vice-President of this country. When you look at the Heroes Act, of course the late hon. Michael Kijana deserves to be recognised as a hero in this country. There were great attributes of the late Kijana. Of course he was a team player. He was, indeed, honest, hardworking; he was a great orator. I concur with my brother, hon. Korir, when he said that when he used to visit them in high school they used to like his 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.

English. The late Wamalwa used to really make people laugh when he said he was the only Kenyan who could speak Queen’s English. He was, indeed, a great orator.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, upgrading Kitale Technical Institute into a university has many benefits. Of course, I want to thank the Senate for passing the Motion that says every county should have a public university. I want to thank the Jubilee Government for setting aside funds to ensure that every constituency gets a technical institute. That is great news for this country. I want to concur with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology that in as much as we need universities, technical institutes are very important for the growth of this country’s economy. Technicians are needed all over the country. I believe that the technical institutions being established will cater for young Kenyans who are unable to secure direct admission to university. The creation of a university in Trans Nzoia County will be of great help to the people of that county and Kenya as a whole. As we speak, the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination is going on. We have thousands of students who will transit to our institutions of higher learning. The population in this country is increasing. This calls for the creation of universities in the country, not for prestige but as a matter of necessity.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, renaming this institution “Wamalwa Kijana University of Science and Technology” will have an inspirational effect on young Kenyans. I and many of my colleagues in this House have taught in university at one point in time. It will inspire young Kenyans across the country to contribute positively to society. It will be an important gesture to very many young people.

With those remarks, I beg to support.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Very well spoken!

Yes, hon. Wanyonyi.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I thank you for giving me a chance to, first of all, pay my personal tribute, as well as pay tribute on behalf of my people of Kwanza Constituency, to the late Kijana Wamalwa. I take this opportunity to remind Kenyans that Kijana Wamalwa was not an ordinary Kenyan. He was a vice- president of this country. He was, indeed, a hero. I am sure that Kenyans do not forget things so fast. We have made efforts to build a museum at his place to just have him remembered by future generations since he was not just an ordinary person. May his soul rest in peace! Wherever he is, he must be smiling at Kenyans.

I believe that if the cruel hand of death did not take the late hon. Wamalwa, Kenyans from across the country would have elected him president. He was loved by everybody in the country. In the Central region, he was a darling of everybody. In the Coastal and Western regions, the situation was similar. At one point in time, he was in FORD(K). As the seconder of this Motion mentioned, during his tenure as the chairman of FORD(K), the whole of western region, except two constituencies, rallied behind the party. Today the western region is politically fragmented. As an hon. Member said, we are democratic in western Kenya. Right from Turkana all the way to Nyanza region people are very democratic. Today all the active political parties in this country are represented in that region. During the late Kijana Wamalwa’s tenure as the Chairman of FORD(K), the western region had only one party – FORD(K). Only Nambale, which was 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.

represented by Chris Okemo, was won by KANU. The rest of the constituencies in that region belonged to FORD (K). He was, indeed, a hero.

Those of us who had a chance to interact and work with the late Kijana Wamalwa can attest to the fact that he was a very polished politician. I am a politician, but I cannot compare myself with the late Kijana Wamalwa. While I was in school, an election was held at the City Stadium, Nairobi, to elect the First Vice-Chairman of FORD(K). The late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga denied his son the chance of becoming the First Chairman of the party. Jaramogi said that Kijana Wamalwa should be the one to become the First Vice-Chairman of the party. Indeed, he became the First Vice-Chairman of FORD(K). At one time, I accompanied him to the central region of Kenya. He was mobbed wherever he stopped to address the people.

As a student of the late Kijana Wamalwa – who was my mentor – I can attest to the fact that he was respected in the whole country. At one time, hon. Musalia Mudavadi was a Member of Parliament and Vice-President for two months. Thereafter, he was swept aside. That showed how powerful the late Kijana Wamalwa was. I would like to tell those Members who have not had an opportunity to visit Trans Nzoia that the place where the remains of the late Kijana Wamalwa have been interred is hardly two kilometres from this institution. All we are asking is for this House, in carrying out its normal task and in its wisdom, to honour the late Kijana Wamalwa by renaming this institution after him.

We are asking this House to give us a chance to rename Kitale Technical Institute as proposed by my good brother and neighbour, Chris Wamalwa; “Kijana Wamalwa University of Science and Technology.” There is quite a number of benefits I would like to highlight, so that we can move together. Firstly, the location of Kitale is very central. We get students from the Republic of South Sudan, Eastern Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This has the effect of improving the economy of our region. Secondly, an upgrade of the institution will lead to introduction of academic disciplines that will emphasise the development of agriculture and food technology. As we all know, Kitale is the food basket of this country. So, the subjects that ought to be taught there are science, agriculture, and food technology. I am happy that come next financial year, if we pass this Motion, we will ask the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to give us more funds, so that we upgrade this institution. This institution will be teaching agriculture which is very prominent in that region. We need to enable students from poor families, be they from Mombasa or Central Province, to access education in this institution cheaply. They could come in as day scholars or boarders. We have so many students living outside the institution. We expect students from Trans Nzoia to take advantage and access facilities in this institution. This institution will offer certificates, diplomas, degrees, masters and PhDs. So, to oppose the establishment of this institution is wrong. I would like to urge this House to give us a chance to upgrade this institution into a university, so that we get the benefits that we have mentioned. I am looking forward to getting support from my colleagues. I support.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support the Motion by my colleague, hon. Chris Wamalwa, which is about honouring this great son of Kenya. I do not know if there is any relationship between the two, but I believe he brought it in 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.

good faith. Kenyans know who Kijana Wamalwa was in this country. Those of us who had an opportunity to interact with him know that he was a great scholar. He would articulate issues nicely. He was also a reconcilator because he stood in between wrangling forces, especially where political issues were being handled in this country. Most of the time, he would come out triumphant. Honouring our heroes can be done in very many ways. It could be through putting up mausoleums, naming roads and institutions after them and so on. I concur that this gentleman was a scholar. He loved education. If his county is going to set up a university I agree that his name should be engraved in that university. In other counties we have honoured our heroes in many ways. The second President of this country has his name engraved all over the country. We have institutions, roads, and schools named after him. The same applies to the founding father of this nation, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. I regret that this is being sought posthumously, when Kijana Wamalwa is long dead. However, it is not a belated concern because others have also been honoured that way; examples are J.M. Kariuki and Ronald Ngala. Those historical institutions, once they are named after our heroes, will carry those names for generations to come. Those who do not know Jomo Kenyatta can learn about him through the institutions named after him; examples are Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Kenyatta University. The good deeds of that leader are remembered, especially when students learn in those institutions. We would like our country to have educated people, so that we can compete with the rest of the world. There is no other way we can historically remember our heroes. This is because even if you put it in books, many of us might not read those books. However, when you engrave their names on structures that are open to the public then when people visit those institutions they remember the heroes. The late Wamalwa is no different from the other heroes of this country. When we identify a hero in this country and appreciate that he moved the country from point (a) to point (b), we need to honour that person when he is still alive. That way they will feel good that the people they have been leading appreciate the efforts that they have made. It is unfortunate that hon. Kijana Wamalwa is gone and is not with us; his spirit will make us make efforts to remember me. Those who will come after him, we need to honour them in the same way. That is the only way we can preserve our heritage. As we name institutions after these heroes, let us also identify the location of the institution. If the institution is in Kitale, let us call it, “Wamalwa Kijana University, Kitale”. If it is a university in Meru then we should have the name of the hero and then the location, which is Meru. This is so that we do not forget the locality of the institution. I support.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this Motion by my good friend, hon. Chris Wamalwa, a namesake to the late Kijana Wamalwa. It is befitting to consider celebrating those who have preceded us in leadership and identify those who have made a positive impact. For the likes of the late hon. Kijana Wamalwa, it is very easy to forget the role that he played. I can tell you that there are a lot of young people in colleges, who are studying politics and history, and who may not know exactly who Michael Kijana Wamalwa was. They might not know his heritage, contribution and sacrifices. This is because records do not exist. Even in this National Assembly, you may find that a number of us do not clearly know the role played by 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.

Michael Kijana Wamalwa. They may remember that he was a Vice-President at a time when we had a very important transition, but as to the exact contribution that he made, there is no record that has been advanced of the most outstanding contributions by those who were pioneers in the legislature of this Republic in the one party regime and, particularly when totalitarianism had taken root. It was at that time that Michael Wamalwa was identified as being one of the “seven bearded sisters” of this Parliament. These are people who chose not to be coerced and bribed. I do not remember any instance where Kijana Wamalwa was cited for any corrupt deal or a malpractice in leadership that called for investigation or condemnation. He truly embodied courage; coming from a region that was focused on very clearly at that time for zoning and single party domination; he stood very firm as the single most prominent voice, only second to the late Masinde Muliro, who was his political mentor and close friend.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we hear stories from the villages; at the national level some people had the opportunity, as young people, to meet him when he was the leader of the Official Opposition in Parliament and even as a Backbencher. We hear stories of how he was very compassionate. The doors to his village home were always open to elders and young people for consultations and consideration of local issues. We also know that he had serious commitments.

I had opportunity to attend meetings at Ufungamano House and Limuru where Kijana Wamalwa captivated audiences when he argued the case for Opposition unity. We were with him in Kamukunji and Uhuru Park. We know that despite coming from a very prominent family--- His father was a Senator in the heydays during the colonial time; Kijana Wamalwa sacrificed the comfort of his family and prestige and identified with the streetwise individuals, activists, intellectuals, people in the academia and people in universities to agitate for positive political change in this country. That needs to be marked and it can be marked variously. He truly embodied passion for education. We know people in this country - we may not name them - who have PhDs and international positions, and who were mentored by Kijana Wamalwa when he was out of Parliament and they are occupying senior positions. He was also a very humble person. I remember that one day he was accosted by some youths between 680 Hotel and Simmers Restaurant. I remember how humble he was and how those guys shouted at him, belittled him and scorned him. He just looked at them, talked nicely, walked to his car and those people were left very embarrassed. I remember that day as if it happened yesterday. He was a man of humility. His generosity came from the heart. We also remember that he had good ability to speak. I remember seeing in the HANSARDS of this Parliament how the former Attorney-General, Charles Njonjo cited Kijana Wamalwa as a man who could compete in a language contest that would leave British audiences spellbound. Remember what he told people who had refused to move in 2002 to the National Rainbow Coalition, I remember him persuading one luminary of this country from a very important pedigree at a Norfolk Hotel Press Conference. He told the gentleman “It is not you; it cannot be you. You are still mesmerized by the miasma of deceit that is Jogoo ”. I remember that ceremony became colourful, not just because of that speech but because of the ability by Kijana Wamalwa to handle people who were 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.

hardcore, people who had refused to--- He persuaded them with diplomacy and ability to discuss issues that would make a difference and be useful to people’s abilities. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I support this Motion because as Kijana Wamalwa said, just to paraphrase him, a good idea must give room to a better idea, and a better idea to a much better one. This is an occasion to celebrate Kijana Wamalwa. As I conclude, we need also to think about what has been said before because there are two issues that arise about celebrating Kijana Wamalwa and about universities. I think the point that is being raised should attract our attention; it is as to whether we need to convert every technical institute in this country into a full-fledged university. Again, we should look at the issues that are being discussed at the Commission for Higher Education (CHE) and at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. As we speak, the country is bereft of technicians in a very serious way. In fact, we should be asking whether it was wise to convert all the technical colleges across the country into universities to teach social sciences and award doctorate degrees. At the middle level today, to get a good plumber, carpenter or mason for construction, not just in the City of Nairobi but in the capitals of the 47 counties in this country, it is a serious issue. However, that concern should never lower the importance of celebrating Kijana Wamalwa, a good teacher, a good inspiration and a good man. I strongly support this Motion.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity, so that I may join other hon. Members of this House in supporting this important Motion, that has been brought up by Hon. Wakhungu. To me, it is very important and the country will celebrate and upgrade Kitale Technical Institute to a university. I once worked with the late Vice-President during those days. I know how much Wamalwa had invested in that technical institute when he was a Member of Parliament and when he became the Vice-President of this country. He was one person who was associated with education of people of Trans Nzoia. He was liked by the people because of his efforts to make every child in Trans Nzoia know the importance of education, particularly higher education. I am happy that hon. Wakhungu has brought this Motion and I support it very strongly. This is one way of recognizing the late Vice-President, who did much in education during the time he was a lecturer at the University of Nairobi. He was an academician in this country and to have his name at an educational institution is very important. Trans Nzoia is one county that is due for a university in order to help the people of this county and surrounding ones like West Pokot, Turkana, Bungoma and others nearby. I support the renaming of this institute to “Wamalwa Kijana University of Science and Technology. Education is important and what hon. Wakhungu has done is a pride to the people of western region and other regions in this country, because the late Wamalwa was a friend of every leader in this country during his time. I agree with the other Members who have contributed and I congratulate them. It is important for us as Members of the National Assembly to remember our heroes and put them where they can be remembered by the people. With those few remarks, I support this Motion very strongly. 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. (Ms.) Mbalu): Very well spoken, hon. Patrick. You remind us about age and as being an elder of the community.

Asante sana, Bi. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipatia nafasi hii. Kwanza, nataka kumpongeza mhe. Chris Wamalwa kwa kuuleta huu Mswada na kidogo ni mlaumu kwa sababu amechelewa sana. Huu ni Mswada ambao ungeletwa Bungeni mwaka mmoja na nusu uliopita wakati tulipoingia Bungeni. Hii ni kwa sababu ni muhimu sana kuwatambua mashujaa wetu ambao wametuletea nafasi nzuri na faida katika nchi hii. Vile vile, ningetaka kumshukuru yule ambaye ameuleta Mswada kwamba kila kaunti iwe na chuo kikuu. Hili ni jambo la maana na ambalo litahakikisha kwamba elimu, ambayo ndiyo mwenge katika ulimwengu na maisha ya kila mtu, itatanda kila mahali kinyume na zamani watu walipokuwa wakitoka mbali na wote wanang’ang’ania Chuo Kikuu cha Nairobi au Cha Kenyatta ambazo ziko Nairobi. Haya ni mambo ya maana. Ninataka kuunga mkono kwamba kila kaunti iwe na chuo kikuu. Nikirudi kuongea kuhusu mheshimiwa marehemu Kijana Wamalwa, alikuwa ametanda Kenya nzima. Kila mahali alikuwa amechukua sifa kwa sababu ya ukarimu na ushujaa wake. Pia kwa sababu ya kubaki na njaa ili kuhakikisha kwamba watu walio mbele yake, wamefaidika. Jambo hili halingefanyika sehemu fulani pekee. Kwa fikira zangu, Bunge lingekuwa na Kamati maalum ambayo itakaa na kuwachagua mashujaa wetu na watu walioleta faida kubwa katika kile eneo la Bunge, ili iweze kuwataja. Hali ya kuwa sehemu fulani tu ndio mashujaa wanatajwa inavunja moyo tukijua kwamba Uhuru wa nchi hii ulipiganiwa na watu tofauti tofauti na kutoka sehemu mbali mbali. Kama vile Pwani, kuna wengi ambao walipigania Uhuru na mpaka sasa, hawajulikani na wamepuuzwa. Kwa mfano, kuna wazee kama vile Salim Mwamgunga na wengine ambao walipigana vikali katika kupatikana kwa Uhuru wa nchi hii. Hawa ni watu ambao pia wangefikiriwa. Kamati ya Bunge ambayo inahusika ingeenda katika kila sehemu ya Kenya ili waweze kujua ni nani aliyepigania Uhuru na akapewa nafasi yake, kuliko kutaja mtu mmoja mmoja. Vile vile, mtu kama mhe. Kijana Wamalwa, sio tu ajulikane kule Kitale kwa sababu ni kwao. Kutokana na ushujaa wake na alivyopigania demokrasia, ni haki yake kabisa atajwe na hata kama ni hapa Nairobi, kutafutwe kitu kimoja kizito kiitwe jina lake. Hiyo Kitale peke yake haitoshi kulingana na kazi nzuri aliyoifanya. Vile vile, ninaona kwamba ni haki yetu hivi sasa tuhakikishe kwamba walio hai pia wafikiriwe mapema ili wakipata ile sifa wajue wameipata na waione. Siyo kumngojea mtu afe ndiyo tumtaje kwamba ni mzuri. Kwa mfano, “Baba” anayo haki kutokana na upiganiaji wake wa nchi hii. Anayo haki ya kutajwa na chuo kikuu kule kiitwe Baba Raila Amolo Odinga Technical University ili apate nafasi yake. Kwa hayo machache, asante sana.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Asante kwa Kiswahili sanifu, Mhe. Mwanyoha. Tumsikize Mheshimiwa kutoka Marakwet, hon. Susan Chebet.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to appreciate the time you have given me. I want to contribute to the Motion before us, sponsored by hon. Chris Wamalwa. Indeed, it has come at the right time that we honour and recognise our heroes wherever they are in our nation. 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.

From the outset, it is a very noble idea that we recognise the contribution of hon. Kijana Wamalwa. He fought for our rights and positive change in Kenya. I am sure most of us remember the days and the moments that he tackled the issue. He faced the regime at that time and made positive contributions. However, the need to honour him and upgrade the Kitale Technical Institute should be separated. We would like to have the honour and recognition of hon. Kijana Wamalwa separated from the upgrading of the technical institute. So, 100 per cent, I support his recognition. One of the institutions of higher learning should be named after him. I will not support the upgrading of the Kitale Technical Institute. We still need technical skills. Our country is growing and we are focusing on the Vision 2030. The Vision 2030 will not be achieved if we do not have enough technical personnel to support our development. So, I would rather we leave the technical institute and look for another institution that we can name after the late Kijana Wamalwa. We already have a constituent college in Kitale. If we can upgrade that to a full- fledged university, then we can name it after the late Kijana Wamalwa. That will be very appropriate. At the same time, we will have a university in Kitale and also a technical institute. So, we will have both and I am sure the people of that area will be happy. I am sure hon. Chris Wamalwa will be happy to have a technical institute in place and also a university named after the late Kijana Wamalwa. As we establish more universities in Kenya, we should not destroy the middle level colleges. Those are the institutions that will give us the workers for this country. So, if we upgrade all the technical institutions to universities, like we have done with the Mombasa Technical University and the Nairobi Technical University, we will lose a lot. We will be losing a lot if we do not promote middle level colleges. We do not want to destroy what we already have. We want to continue producing technicians who can join our workforce and at the same time, continue building universities. If in any case we cannot upgrade the constituent college of Moi University to a full- fledged university and name it “Kijana Wamalwa University”, I would like to recommend that the Government builds a university to be named the “Kijana Wamalwa University.” I support the Motion.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity. The ancestors of the late hon. Wamalwa Kijana come from my constituency. You will remember that Trans Nzoia is a settlement scheme where almost everyone has converged to settle. By you giving me this chance, hon. Wamalwa will enjoy himself wherever he is resting in peace. I want to join my colleague, hon. Wamalwa, and say that his decision to bring this Motion is very noble. Indeed, hon. Wamalwa has thought well. When you look at what hon. Kijana Wamalwa did for us when he was alive, I would want to describe him as somebody who had only three adjectives. He was a peacemaker. He was someone who could resolve disputes and he was someone who was able to make the country move forward.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, when you look at the 2002 situation in this country, politics was the order of the day and it was only Michael Wamalwa who was able to bring all political giants together by saying that we should move forward. Although previously he had a difficult political situation with the former Prime Minister, they were able to sit down, discuss, move forward and make this country have 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.

transition that was a record in Africa. What we are able to enjoy today is as a result of the peaceful transition we had in 2002 when Michael Wamalwa joined the former President Mwai Kibaki through the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC) and made the transition possible.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, having looked at that, let me have the opportunity to look at education in perspective. What hon. Wamalwa has done is simply bring to us the resolution of the Senate at its implementation stage, which I concur with. The Senate said that we should have a university in every county.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Trans Nzoia is an isolated county belonging to the western region; although in Rift Valley most of its inhabitants are part of Kakamega and Bungoma counties. This is a local idea if we embrace that Kitale Technical Institute becomes a university. However, I would say notwithstanding the two universities that we have, namely Moi and Kitale---

I would want to say that the name “Wamalwa Kijana” is super and superior. When we name Kitale Institute as “Wamalwa Kijana University”, the name “Wamalwa Kijana” will be superior to any other name that will exist in Kitale. It will be synonymous to that of every person who exists in Kitale.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, therefore, I want to support in totality that Kitale Technical Institute becomes Wamalwa Kijana University in accordance with our Heroes Act, which we passed in this House. We can recognise somebody as a hero following what he did to us; therefore, it is important that we all move together and make Wamalwa Kijana University possible. I want to support what hon. Wamalwa has brought to us as a Motion. I want to tell hon. Wamalwa that let this not end here. I want to see a Bill coming to the Floor of the House, so that we make sure that we make it a law. We want the Committee on Implementation to have teeth to bite and make sure our decisions are enforced.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support the Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Thank you, hon. Members. We have 15 requests and today the House usually adjourns at one o’clock. Hon. Members, maybe for the sake of ensuring that other Members also get time to contribute, you can familiarise yourself with Standing Order No.106 which is on page 57 of your new Standing Orders about repetition. The other Members will get time if you reduce your talking time.

Yes, hon. nominated Member, Oburu Odinga.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. I rise to support this Motion because it concerns a university and also a very good friend of mine, the late hon. Michael Wamalwa. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, first, I want to disagree with those who are saying that a university necessarily kills a middle level training institute. We do not have to kill that technical institute. I can explain what happened to me as an hon. Member for Bondo. I was also seeking to convert Bondo Technical and Teachers Training College into a university. As I was doing that, I was told that the technical institute would go, but I argued very strongly that the technical teachers training college did not have to go because of converting that institution into a university. A university is a much bigger 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.

concept that can accommodate a technical institute and a teachers training college. A teachers training college, or a technical institute, cannot accommodate a university, but a university can accommodate a technical training institute. It does not have to be within it, but it can be put up separately. It is just a matter of acquiring some pieces of land and building some parallel institutions the way I did in Bondo, where we used our CDF. We bought land and put up some facilities to start it off and the Government came in and built the rest. Bondo Technical and Teachers College, which is now Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, exists side by side with the TTC which is built in an adjacent place called “Barkanyango”. I believe that this idea of a university is a much bigger one. I think the person who is proposing it has in mind a very big idea for development of his area. Once the university came to Bondo, Bondo became a university town. Kitale will become a university town when a university exists there. This is because there will be a big population, which will include students, teachers and other support staff, who will be working in the university. This will be a market in itself for people who will be producing agricultural produce and other--- It will be an incentive for development in the area. We would like every county, just as has been passed by the Senate, to have at least one university, which will serve as a center of growing the economy of those counties.

Let me talk about my friend, the late hon. Kijana Wamalwa who became my friend when he was a lecturer at the University of Nairobi. We became close friends and when multi-partyism was introduced in the country, I remember there was FORD, of which he was one of the founders. He also participated when FORD split into two, FORD-Asili and FORD(K). He was persistent and became the second Vice-Chairman of FORD(K) after hon. Osogo refused to take up the position. Therefore, hon. Wamalwa became the Vice-Chairman of my late father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who was the chairman of the party while Paul Muite became the First Vice-Chairman of the party.

The late Kijana Wamalwa worked diligently and finally, when Muite fell out of the party, he remained the only Vice Chair of FORD(K). After Jaramogi’s death in January 1994, Wamalwa became the Chairman of FORD(K) and replaced Jaramogi as the Leader of the Opposition in this Parliament. That was the time I become an hon. Member of Parliament. I worked very closely with hon. Wamalwa; in fact, after the death of my father, hon. Wamalwa came to Bondo and campaigned for me vigorously and I won the Bondo seat against a giant, the late hon. Odongo Omamo, Kaliech.

Hon. Wamalwa was a very generous person. That is the only person I know who could give you up to the last penny. He supported you if he had means to support you, and if you needed support. He was one of the rare people I have come across, who could live very simply, yet he was a very highly ranked person in our society. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the late hon. Wamalwa was a perfect speaker of English. He spoke what we call “the Queen’s English”. He was a very hard working individual. He rose to the rank of Vice-President of this country. He was very diligent and vigorous in trying to unite Kenya. He wanted people to come together. He was fighting against tribalism. I fondly remember him when he came, on several occasions, to my constituency to assist in various endeavours, including Harambees. I would now want to conclude by urging the House to support this very important Motion. I urge my friend, hon. Chris Wamalwa, to ensure that the establishment of 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.

university in Kitale does not necessarily have to kill the technical institute. I will talk to him and see how we can best do this. I will share with him a bit of my experience in this endeavour, so that the Government can establish a university and not kill the technical institute.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Good memories of the late hon. Wamalwa Kijana. Hon. Members, now that you are contributing to a Motion that touches on education, please, allow me to recognise the presence here of students of Grasemo Academy in Nakuru County who are in our Assembly today, You are welcome. Member for Westlands, Timothy Wanyonyi!

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First, I would like to congratulate my friend, hon. Chris Wamalwa, for bringing this Motion to the House. This is the only country that does not honour and recognise its heroes. If you look at the heroes in this country, many are celebrated abroad, but ignored at home. The late former Vice-President, hon. Michael Wamalwa Kijana, is one of the great sons of this country. Renaming Kitale Technical Institute after him will be a great honour to celebrate his contribution to this country. Hon. Wamalwa Kijana was one of the people who fought for the second liberation of this country. When he teamed up with the likes of the former President Mwai Kibaki to form the National Rainbow Coalition, they set this country on an unstoppable revolution that brought an end to the KANU regime. Previously, former President Moi had disorganised the Opposition and made sure that at every election, they were divided into several groups. During the time of Wamalwa Kijana and Mwai Kibaki, they united the Opposition and managed to wrestle power from KANU. Hon. Wamalwa Kijana, like many other heroes, was celebrated abroad but ignored at home. When David Rudisha travels abroad, he is celebrated and honoured by everybody. However, when he is at home, nobody even recognizes him. Hon. Wamalwa Kijana, although he hailed from western Kenya, he became a Kenyan of no mean repute. He contributed to the democratic space in this country. He fought to make sure that institutions were respected and that we eliminated corruption that was bedeviling our institutions. We should make sure that people who have contributed in this country are recognised and honoured. Therefore, when we rename this institution, it will be a great honour and celebration in the memory of the late Wamalwa Kijana and many others. I know there are many other celebrities in this country who have not been celebrated. But, we should start by doing the little, like what we are doing with the late hon. Wamalwa Kijana. I am sure many others will come up and we will honour them.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, university is one of the places where people acquire knowledge; it is one place where some of the social changes of this country take place. We will make sure that when somebody goes there and knows that the late Wamalwa Kijana was one of the great intellectuals, as Dr. Oburu Odinga said, he will speak “Queen’s English” even much better than Britons. Sometimes, when the late Kijana Wamalwa spoke English many people sat up and listened, because he spoke very fine English. This would be a great honour. He was also a lecturer at the University of 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.

Nairobi at some point before he became a politician. Therefore, we are doing a great honour to a great son of this country by renaming Kitale Technical Institute in his honour.

I support this Motion and congratulate the hon. Chris Wamalwa; I urge him to go a step further and bring a Bill to this House, so that we create more space for heroes of this country.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Thank you, hon. Timothy Wanyonyi Wetangula, hon. Member for Westlands Constituency, for your good contribution. Hon. Members, this is a House of rules and procedures. As I stated earlier, take note of repetition and time. We have ten minutes for reply and five minutes for contribution as per our procedures. Therefore, I give this opportunity to hon. (Ms.) Christine Ombaka. She should take five minutes and then we call upon the Mover to reply. I must appreciate the interest hon. Members have shown in wanting to contribute to this Motion. We have on the list, hon. Kobado, hon. Losiakou, hon. Kazungu, hon. Anami, hon. Mwaura, hon. Cecilia Ngetich, hon. Moroto, hon. Enock Kibunguchy, etcetera. Thank you for the interest.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. I support the Motion because any country needs to know who its heroes are. They need to remember them and record the history of the people who have become heroes and heroines. For sure, the late Michael Wamalwa Kijana was known internationally. As hon. Members have said here, this was a scholar and a man of great distinction, with a powerful background. He was a lawyer; he spoke the Queen’s English, and he had many students who admired him. Those who study law and those whom he taught at the university remember him very well. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I met him because he was a great friend of my brother in-law, who was a lawyer, Dr. Oki Ombaka; he was a great friend of the late hon. Michael Wamalwa. When I met him for the first time, I could tell that this was straight away a hero, because he inspired so many of us. A hero is one person whom society remembers by naming their children after him. In my community, I know of three young boys who are named Kijana Wamalwa. That in itself is recognition of his heroism. We name people after those who have passed on because we want to remember them. It is done partly for remembrance and partly for respect. Therefore, the very fact that there are so many children named after him is in itself an indication that Kijana Wamalwa was a great man, and we should remember him and put him down in our history. Therefore, the naming of a university after his name will come at the right time. In any case, he was himself a scholar, a man who taught at the university; therefore associating him with a university is the right thing to do. I will support the naming and upgrading of Kitale Technical College to university level; even though I am aware that there are other universities there. There are other universities there, but there is nothing wrong with having more than one or more than two in one area because a university will admit students from all over the country.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Thank you, hon. (Ms.) Ombaka. Your five minutes have been utilized very well. 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, I now call upon the Mover, hon. Chris Wamalwa, to reply.

Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Before I reply, I want to donate a minute to each of the following hon. Members to say something on the Motion: Dan Kazungu, Member for Malindi; hon. Mwaura, Nominated Member; hon. Khatibu Mwashetani, hon. Anami, hon. Maina Kamanda and hon. Samuel Moroto.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu: Yes, hon. Daniel Kazungu.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank my Deputy Whip for giving me this opportunity. I cannot address all the issues I wanted to talk about in a minute, but I thank him very much. I rise to support the Motion because of one thing. First, I would like to address the issue of whether we, indeed, need to convert technical institutions into universities. While I agree that technical institutes need to focus on imparting knowledge that will help our growing population to tackle issues of technical nature, I still feel that Kitale Institute of Technology should be an exception because the late Kijana Wamalwa was a hero. He made me attend my first political rally at Uhuru Park.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Hon. Kazungu, your one minute is over. Hon. Mwaura, plan your minute.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank the Mover of the Motion, hon. Chris Wamalwa. I rise to support the Motion; this should be done. In fact, I remember that while I was in university, when the former Vice-President died, we went to the streets to protest because of the grief. We need to praise the late Kijana Wamalwa because he is the one who made the Opposition then to unite and bring political change in this country. I believe that if he had lived longer, the NARC dream would have been realised. We are not doing this because it is an exception. The Republic of South Africa has done the same with its former institutions of higher learning. A university was named after Walter Sisulu and another one after Nelson Mandela. We should continue to remember those who have contributed a lot to the wellbeing of this country, including Kenneth Matiba, Martin Shikuku and others. With those remarks, I beg to support.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Thank you for planning your minute. Member for Lungalunga, you have a minute.

Ahsante sana, mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa fursa hii. Kwanza kabisa ningependa kutoa shukurani kwa ndugu na rafiki yangu, Chris Wamalwa, kwa kuileta Hoja hii Bungeni. Mimi nilijikuta kwenye ulingo wa siasa kwa sababu ya marehemu Kijana Wamalwa. Nikiwa naibu mwenyekiti wa chama cha FORD(K), na kwa sababu marehemu Kijana Wamalwa alikuwa mwanzilishi wa chama chetu, ninamushabikia zaidi. Ninawaomba Wabunge wenzangu tuipitishe Hoja hii ili tuweze kumtambua kama kiongozi aliyechangia kuwepo kwetu Bungeni. Kwa hayo machache, ninaiunga mkono Hoja hii. 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. (Ms.) Mbalu): Thank you, hon. Mwashetani. Yes, hon. Moroto.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also want to join my colleagues in congratulating hon. Chris Wamalwa for bringing this important Motion to the House. As a Member from the neighbourhood of Trans Nzoia, I am aware that since the colonial times and the post-colonial time that area has been marginalised and neglected. It is now time the area opened up, especially through education. Anybody can appreciate that in this Republic, there are lots of imbalances in education. Some areas started early, while others started much later.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Your time is over, hon. Moroto. Hon. Maina Kamanda, you have a minute.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to thank the Mover of this Motion. I want to talk about the late former Vice-President, Kijana Wamalwa. I remember him as a person who unified this country. I remember working with him very well. We worked together at the time when we were in the Opposition. He was the person who brought the NARC Government individuals together. He was the one who unified Hon. Kibaki and hon. (Mrs.) Ngilu and he sacrificed his position. At that time, everybody was saying Kijana Wamalwa should be the presidential candidate for the Opposition, but the man refused. He said that hon. Kibaki was older than him and he should be the one. I have also written to the Governor of Nairobi that they should spare two roads, one to be named after the late Vice-President the other one after the late Prof. Saitoti for the---

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Thank you! Hon. Wakhungu, you have two minutes. Do you want to donate a minute to Hon. Anami?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, indeed, the history of Abahengle people, the Isukha people, the Luhya people, and the history of Kenyans can never be complete without the name of Michael Kijana Wamalwa. It is for this reason that we need to emphasize the importance of this gentleman, who will always remain as an inspiration to an institution like a university. He was an intellectual in his own rights, and you will recall that his last mission abroad was to bring the whole world together; he was at an international meeting of the UN in Geneva. I support, on behalf of Shinyalu people the renaming of the institute.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker---

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): How I wish you had more time. Hon. Wakhungu, you have less than a minute; actually one minute and 20 seconds.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to thank every hon. Member who has contributed to this Motion. From the records you can see everyone supported. I have also discussed with His Excellency the President this Motion, and he is very willing to see that we have Kijana Wamalwa University of Science and Technology. Thank you, and I beg to move. 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. (Ms.) Mbalu): Hon. Members, I can confirm for obvious reasons that we are not in a position to put the Question. I direct that we do it in the next sitting.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mbalu): Hon. Members, this is a House of procedure and rules. Time now being 1.00 p.m. I interrupt the business of the House. The House, therefore, stands adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 1.00 p.m.

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.