Can we have the Quorum Bell rung?

Hon. Members, we have quorum now. We realise that there were traffic problems this morning. We can now begin business.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I would like to bring a public Petition by the residents of Igembe Central Constituency. I, the undersigned on behalf of residents of Igembe Central Constituency, draw the attention of the House to the following:- THAT, aware that Athiru Ruujine/Ndoleli area is located in Igembe Central Constituency. THAT, the residents of Athiru Ruujine/Ndoleli Adjudication Section were allocated parcels of land near the Meru National Park and they are waiting to be issued with title deeds. THAT, in the recent past, the said communities have received information that the parcels of land namely, Athiru/Ruujine/Ndoleli Adjudication Section are situated inside the Meru National Park. THAT, as a result, the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development has been cautioned by the sub-county lands demarcation officer to suspend issuance of title deeds to the parcels as per the attached list. THAT, the boundary of the Meru National Park and that of the adjudication section is distinct with an electrical wire separating them. THAT, efforts to resolve the matter through the district adjudication office have been futile. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

THAT, the matter in respect of which this Petition is made is not pending before any court of law. Therefore, your humble Petitioners pray that the National Assembly, through the Departmental Committee on Lands: (i) makes appropriate recommendations and ensures that the plight of the Petitioners is addressed. (ii) makes any other order or direction that it deems fit in the circumstances of the case; and, (iii) investigate the circumstances under which the same boundary of Meru National Park was extended by one kilometre into the adjudication section in the year 2000 and that land was encroached by the park. Your humble Petitioners will forever pray.

Hon. Onesmus Njuki, do you want to comment on the Petition?

Yes, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Before I comment on the Petition, I had a point of order touching on the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NGCDF). I wish to request that we have a ruling on this. We have a stalemate whereby since the NGCDF was reinstated, the reallocation made by Members of Parliament has been one of the agendas in the meetings of the CDF Board.

Hon. Njuki, we are on Petitions, so just dwell on what we are currently dealing with.

Much obliged. I will put that matter on hold and address it appropriately. This is a very weighty matter and it is affecting all of us. The human-wildlife conflict which is affecting most of the communities that live near parks and conservancies has been a rampant issue. I want to support the Petition by my brother, Hon. Kubai Iringo. The boundary between most national parks is mostly a river. There have been incidences where the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) wants to erect a fence across the river such that only wild animals access water. That has happened in Tharaka Constituency which neighbours Igembe South and Igembe North constituencies. This means that we value animals more than human beings living near the parks. If you erect a fence that restricts the community from accessing water and allow animals to access water, it means that our people can perish without water. With improved technology, KWS should erect a fence that enables members of the community in Tharaka and the animals to access water. They can maybe erect a zigzag fence. This is not only happening in the Meru Region, but also in areas where we have human-wildlife conflict. We might be desperate because of the depleting numbers of wildlife in our parks, but that might not be the way to address the issue. We should make sure human beings and wildlife co-exist. With those few remarks, I support the Petition.

Hon. Mwadeghu, do you want to make a comment on the Petition? Let us first have Hon. Makali Mulu.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank the Member for presenting this Petition to this House. Land issues are sensitive in this country. I want to support and urge the Departmental Committee on Lands to look into that matter. If it is possible, they can fast-track the matter. The way Petitions are being treated in this House by some of the Committees is a bit frustrating. Our Standing Orders allow about 30 or 60 days for Petitions to be finalised and then feedback is given to the petitioners yet Petitions take quite a long time in this House. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I presented a Petition in February this year and up to now, that Petition has not been concluded. Since land matters are quite important, I urge the Committee to take this matter seriously. The issue of Land Control Boards in the districts is a very sensitive matter. Most counties have no Land Control Boards and many land matters are stuck. They are all pending. I urge the Committee to liaise with the Cabinet Secretary to ensure that this idea of establishing Land Control Boards is fast-tracked, so that our counties can start addressing land matters. With those remarks, I thank the Member for presenting this Petition.

Hon. Mwadeghu.

Nakushukuru, Mhe. Naibu Spika, kwa kunipatia nafasi hii ili nitoe maoni yangu kuhusu Ombi ambalo limeletwa na Mhe. wa Igembe Kaskazini. Kitengo cha wanyama wa pori kinachoitwa KWS kimekuwa na tabia na uzoefu wa kuingilia ardhi za umma na kusongesha ardhi kiholela.

On a point of information, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I am Member for Igembe Central, but not Igembe North.

Nasahihishwa kuwa ni Mhe. wa Igembe ya Kati, samahani. Kitengo cha ndugu zetu ambao wanashughulika na wanyama wa pori kinauzoefu wa kujisongeshea ardhi kiholela. Kwa mfano, kule Taita, kutoka Maungu hadi Voi, upande wa chini wa reli, katika mwaka wa 2009, KWS ilijisongeshea ardhi ambayo ni ya wananchi. Watu wa sehemu hiyo wamepitisha ombi lao na litakuja kwa Spika. Ukienda Tsavo, pale ambapo watu walishambuliwa na Simba wakati wa kujenga reli kuu, KWS imefanya dhuluma hizo. Pia, imefanya dhuluma katika sehemu za Taveta. Tukienda Kishushe, wameweka ua ambalo sila stima lakini wameliingiza ndani ya ardhi ya wananchi. Hawakuweka ua upande wao. Ukiwauliza, wanakwambia wameamua.

Wakati umefika Bunge liingilie kati lione kuwa ardhi ya wananchi imerudishwa na wanyama wasionekana kama ndio wanahitaji ardhi kuliko wananchi. Haya maombi yote yako jiani. Niko katika Kamati ya Ardhi na nimemsikia Mhe. Makali kuhusi bodi cha mashamba. Tulimuita Waziri ambaye anahusika na shughuli za mashamba na bodi, na alituhakikishia kuwa bodi zitarudishwa na Wabunge watahusishwa wakati watu wanapoteuliwa kwa hizo bodi. Namshukuru mwenzangu, Mhe. wa Igembe ya Kati kwa kuleta Ombi hili kwa niamba ya watu wake. Ombi langu la Wataita pia liko njiani. Limefika Bungeni na tunatarajia hivi karibuni pia nalo litasomwa.

Hon. Andrew Mwadime.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika, kwa hii fursa ambayo umenipatia. Ninasimama kumuunga mkono Mbunge wa Igembe ya Kati kwa haya malalamishi ambayo ameleta kwa niamba ya wananchi wake. Ni kweli Wizara inayohusika na wanyama pori ina tabia ya kuchukua ardhi ya wananchi. Ombi langu pia lipo njiani. Kuna malalamishi kutoka watu wa Taita Taveta. Walikuwa na malumbano kwa sababu Wizara inayohusika imechukua ardhi yao kama vile Mhe. aliyenitangulia wa Wundayi amesema. Kutoka Maungu, Voi, Tsavo, Taveta na sehemu za Mwatate, KWS imechukua ardhi kubwa sana ya wananchi. Tuliuliza Wizara inayohusika itengeneze jopo ambalo linahusisha wananchi wa hapo na maafisa wa Serikali ili wajaribu kutatua mzozo huo. Lakini jambo hili limechukua muda. Ni vyema Kamati ya Bunge inayohusika ijaribu kuyatatua maswala kama haya ambayo yameletwa na Mbunge wa Igembe ya Kati. Pia, inafaa kuangalia maswala katika mbuga za wanyama nchini na kuyatatua kwa haraka iwezekanavyo.

Kwa hayo machache, nakushukuru kwa hii fursa ya kujadili kuhusu hili swala tata la ardhi baina ya mbuga za wanyama na wananchi. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Please, let us feel sufficiently represented by those Members. The Petition is now committed to the Departmental Committee on Lands. Anybody else wishing to add more information can contact the Committee while they prosecute the Petition.

Next Order!

Hon. Njuki, you wanted to make some statement.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. This is the right time to raise this issue. I want to bring to the attention of the Members that since we reinstated the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) as the National Government CDF, most constituencies reallocated projects to align them to the Constitution 2010. These reallocations have been lying with the Board. It has been an agenda in most of the meetings, but it has never been deliberated yet these are several months now. I realise it is not only Chuka\Igambang’ombe Constituency that has an issue, but also other constituencies. It is high time the Chairman of the NGCDF had a talk with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Board to expedite these reallocations and either advise for or against, so that we can move forward. You cannot have reallocations on the list for six months. I believe the most important thing for the NGCDF Board is the projects which are implemented for the wananchi. Nothing else should take priority above that. That was my issue. I believe it will be looked into.

That comment is clear. Do we have the NGCDF Chair or the Vice Chair because reallocations of projects affect all of us? Hon. Ochanda, you are a Member of the CDF Committee. Can you respond on behalf of your Committee?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, first, it is important that we acknowledge that this is an important issue. Two, we have been seized of a number of things, particularly the reorganisation of committees in the constituencies. I know the Board has been going through this. As a House, we were still approving the committees as late as last week. So, quite a lot is happening. I will take this up with the Chair and Vice Chairman of the Committee to make sure that, at least, we expedite on issues of reallocations. I know it affects a number of constituencies. The Board had clearly indicated that if you requested for a project which is the function of the county government, the funding will not be allowed. It is important that this is looked into and I will pick it up.

Yes, Hon. Jakoyo.

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker. There is something going on in our midst that deserves Parliament to pronounce itself. As we speak, we are having a problem with quorum because Members of Parliament cannot get to town.

Hon. Speaker, you see your co-speaker, Hon. Cheboi, has just come in and he has told me that he was caught in a traffic jam. Yesterday, I left my home at 5.30 a.m. trying to get to town by 6.00 a.m. and I ended up getting to Parliament at 10.30 a.m. But even with that, after going round and round, I ended up parking my car near the railway to walk to Parliament. Is it a hostile takeover of our nation? What is happening? Last year, at the height of the issues of The Hague, we used to make a lot of noise especially Members of Parliament from the Jubilee side about the sovereignty of this State. I do not think that this is something that is good for our country. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

The Police Department should use the Traffic Act. You cannot put roadblocks without them being gazetted. At the very least, why have they not gazetted even in the ordinary newspapers the roads that are going to be closed? It is so hard to get here. Who is going to pay for the economic effect for the days the Israel Prime Minister is here? As a Parliament, we cannot be so insensitive. I admit and agree that it is good to do business, but it is insensitive of this Government that on the eve of the end of Ramadhan, on Idd, we are that island that is targeted because of these Israelis and Americans for faults which are not our own. As a Government, we are taking the risk of looking so bad to our neighbours and they will not be here to help us. This thing is so annoying that I thought that the Committee in charge of security and Parliament should tell the Executive that what is going on in our country is not good. You cannot close our roads. At the very least, use the FM stations and tell us that because the Israel Prime Minister is here, we should not use Waiyaki Way. You drive and get to police roadblock and when you try to engage those policemen, they tell you that they do not know which road is open. That is not nice. Common sense would have told the State that if Netanyahu had slept in Safari Park Hotel, business in our country would be usual or if he had slept at Hemmingway in Karen, why can we not do something with common sense as a country? Nobody is there to answer us. The feeling of insubordination by another country is one we should not be meting out on Kenyans. We cannot force our nation to live insubordinately to one man who will come and go. The planners of his trip say that he goes to our regional neighbours and comes back to sleep in Nairobi and all day, the roads are closed. Kenya is no lodging for a foreign President to sleep. He could sleep at Hemmingway, for Christ’s sake, and let businesses go on. I do not take it too kindly as a Member of Parliament.

Are you on the same matter or are you saying something different? I will allow all these Members on points of order. Let us have Hon. Injendi and then Hon. Cheboi.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, mine was on the NGCDF.

We have left it to the NGCDF Committee.

I was to speak before him, but you gave him a chance. Our Committees were approved sometime in March and we were to have another person seconded by the NGCDF Board. Up to now, this person has not been forwarded to our NGCDF committees. Most of the operations are going on without the eighth person.

Hon. Members, we have already passed that one. Any issue on the NGCDF, I know, is always very sensitive because it is almost like our lifeline as Members of Parliament. Let the Committee we have given the responsibility address the Members’ issues around the NGCDF.

Hon. Cheboi.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. First, I want to correct the impression that I might have been a little late. The part of town I live in is such that I can always access Parliament within some 10 or 15 minutes. So, I was here in good time and I am sure you saw it. I was here and I left to bring my card.

Most importantly, I must comment on what Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo has said. First, as a Parliament, we must always learn to respect our visitors. That is the bare minimum.

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 indulge you not to leave the Chambers. We have a Question to put before you move to your Committees. I will only allow Hon. Cheboi and then we will put the Question, so as to allow you to do other businesses.

Hon. Jakoyo is a very senior Member of this House. We cannot use the Floor of the House, however inconvenienced we might be, to complain. I understand the part of town where Jakoyo comes from and it becomes a little difficult for him to access here. We can afford some little inconvenience to take care of our friends.

I wish to tell Hon. Jakoyo something. He should not make unnecessary comments. I listened to him very keenly and he made insinuations that I was late, which I was not. You know I never get here late. When a visiting Head of State is here, there are quite a number of things we can achieve as a country.

For example, the good name we get when they come here. I understand the position they were in. Sometime ago, I lost my seat and whenever I saw anything being done by the person I lost the seat to, I felt a little jealous. What happens in this particular case? We have had the Pope here and President Obama. We had the President of Italy, who gave Kshs34 billion to put up a multi-water project in my constituency. The Indian President is coming this week. They come here because they have a lot of hope and faith in this Republic and the Executive of this country.

When these people come, if we lose Kshs1 million or Kshs2 million on the road because Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo cannot manage to be here, that is fine. He can afford to be late. Sometimes he is late over issues which have nothing to do with any economic issues which I am not going to mention. Most importantly, let us be honest to each other. The reason we do not have quorum in the House today is because our Muslim brothers are celebrating their Idd Holiday and you can see none of them here. What we should be doing as a Parliament is to wish them a happy Idd UlFitr and be very happy. If what Hon. Midiwo has said is true that this country is acting as a lodging, we should be extremely proud that within the entire neighbourhood, it is only Kenya where everybody feels safe even in the midst of all the issues that have been happening here. Hon. Midiwo should not worry. Sometime to come, he might also have opportunity to get a few of the other lesser presidents who have not come here. He will then have them here happily. For now, let us be happy that we have very important visitors with us.

to our Muslim brothers.

Hon. Chepkong’a.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, you know I hardly disagree with my good friend, Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo. Certainly, he was not late today because I was somewhere praying with him in the morning. I expected the benefit of that prayer to continue in the House, but it looks like the prayers did not brush him inside. It stayed outside. That notwithstanding, it is important that when we have a Prime Minister of a friendly nation like Israel visiting, we should deal with a little bit of inconvenience to host them. When the first Luo President of the United States of America was here, we accepted the inconvenience notwithstanding the fact that he does not come from my place. We accepted. I was proud because he is a Nilote like me in as much as I was a little bit inconvenienced. I know Hon. Maanzo would have been unhappy, but since he is my friend, he was dealt with a little inconvenience.

We should not discuss good friends like Israel particularly when we are working on an irrigation project that is going to change this country. Israel is the lead consultant with the best 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.

technology in irrigation. Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo may not understand how transfer of technology happens. When people visit you, they come with their technology. Otherwise, you will become static if you are going to remain in the rudimentary manner of subsistence farming. We should embrace some of the new technologies and our visitors. I was inconvenienced yesterday, but in as much as we have been inconvenienced, there is also a price of having a good friend. The reason our General Service Unit (GSU) is well trained and everybody trusts them is because they are trained by Israel. When there are terrorist attacks in this country, the first people to be invited are officers from the GSUs. When we had a bombing at the American Embassy in 1998, Israel came to our rescue. In fact, they rescued so many Kenyans who were going to die. I am told Hon. Jakoyo was in the US then and he may not be aware of what happened. We rescued so many Kenyans as a result of them coming to our aid. They brought in new technology that we have now embraced. The technology that was used by our military when a building collapsed in Huruma is from Israel which was transferred to us in 1998. We should appreciate such transfer of technology without trying to cause uproar over matters that are obviously moot.

With those few remarks, I beg that you put the Question in the next Motion.

Hon. Chepkongá, I did not ask you to instruct me on what to do next. Hon. Members, let us put that matter to rest. We are happy with all the visitors that come to our country. We appreciate how secure they feel with the security that we offer in this city. What needs to improve is information to the public on which roads will be open and which ones should be closed. That is what we are asking for.

Can the Members walking in, please, do so before we move to the next Order?

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

What is your point of order, Hon. Chepkong’a?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs had planned visits to all the 47 counties to collect views with regard to the IEBC among other things, but since the House has approved the formation of the Select Committee, the visits stand suspended. The substantive Speaker mentioned this in his Communication to the Committee with regard to what was going on outside. We discussed this in the Committee and we agreed that once it is passed, the proposed visits to the counties will stand suspended to allow the Select Committee to collect views. With regard to the Petition pending before the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs which the House granted an extension of 10 days, we will be completing the process next week on Tuesday. The coming week, we will table the report with regard to that Petition by Barasa Nyukuri.

Thank you, Chairman. Next Order.

Order, Members! We are now in the Committee of the whole House to consider the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, National The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Assembly Bill No.7 of 2016. It is a fairly straightforward Bill. We will be very quick on it. Hon. Members, be very keen.

Can we now have the Mover?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move that the Committee doth report to the House its consideration of the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No.7 of 2016 and seek leave to sit again.

Do you really want to seek leave to sit again? I do not think so. It is without amendments.

To report without amendments.

That is correct. Since there are no issues in it, there will be no reason to sit again.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of the whole House has considered the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No.7 of 2016 and approved the same without amendments.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move that the House doth agree with the Committee in the said Report.

seconded.

Put the Question.

Members, can the Mover now move for Third Reading?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move that the Value Added Tax (VAT) (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No.7 of 2016) be now read the Third Time. You are witnessing a slight error on the part of the secretariat. Let us not dwell too much on it. I am reading what they have written. This matter was debated.

We are now at the Third Reading Stage. You have just moved for the Bill to be read a Third Time. I want your Seconder to second.

I wish to ask Hon. Midiwo to second.

seconded.

We can now give opportunity to a few Members to contribute. I can see that Hon. Chris Wamalwa wants to contribute before I put the Question. Unfortunately, Hon. Midiwo, you cannot speak because you have seconded.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. He did not know that he was supposed to have said something. I want to thank Hon. Wamunyinyi and the entire House for passing this important Bill. This is great news for the people from sugarcane-growing areas. The import of this Bill is to remove the levy imposed on sugarcane farmers, particularly when it comes to transport. Transport contributes to almost 40 per cent of the total production cost. If the Government removes this levy, it would mean that the total production cost will be reduced. As such, sugarcane farmers will be competitive against the cheap imports that come from outside. I thank the Members because this is going to add value on sugarcane to the farmers of Mumias, Nzoia, Muhoroni and Chemelil sugar companies. As I had earlier mentioned, the sugarcane growing regions have been languishing in poverty and disease because of the issues that have been going on. With this Bill coming into effect, more value will be added. They will be assured of returns on their investments. Hon. Washiali is smiling because he has been championing the rights of the sugarcane farmers. He has been beaten thoroughly because of this. I can smile as well because as much as we are here as a House to legislate, we are also here to represent our people. I support the Bill.

Let us have Hon. Ferdinand Wanyonyi. Hon. Jakoyo’s experience should serve as a lesson for other Members. You do not have to just bow. He could have spoken and seconded the Motion, but now he has lost his chance to contribute.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I also want to take this opportunity to thank Hon. Wamunyinyi for moving this Bill. Sugarcane-growing areas have had problems in terms of transportation of the bulky product and VAT on this product, which make it very difficult for farmers to reap from their sweat. The passage of this Bill will help our farmers who have dedicated most of their pieces of land to sugarcane growing. As has been mentioned earlier, importation of fake sugar from other areas will be something of the past because most of the sugar will be produced locally and it is going to be profitable. Our farmers will gain from the exemption of VAT. I support the Bill. I have heard calls from western Kenya saying that this was a very good move and long overdue. I thank Hon. Wamunyinyi for moving the Bill.

Hon. Onesmus Njuki, do you want to contribute on 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.

Yes.

Members, please, put your cards in the intervention slot if you want to contribute on this. You are just making a comment. We are at the Third Reading stage. It is not a new debate. We are not debating afresh.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I do not come from a sugarcane-growing region, but I thank Hon. Wamunyinyi. Sugar is a necessary evil that we cannot avoid. Those who avoid it in tea will find it in beer. If you do not find it in beer, you will find it in wine in church. It is everywhere. You cannot avoid it. The issue of VAT on transport was very thorny because in most cases, the money might not have been going to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) or benefiting the farmers. It has been benefitting middlemen. With the removal of VAT on transportation of cane, it will reflect on the price of sugar on the shelves. That is our hope, so that we can all benefit. It is not only the farmers who will benefit, but wananchi as well. I support the Bill.

Let us have Hon. Benjamin Washiali.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to join my colleagues in thanking Hon. Wamunyinyi for moving this Bill. I would also like to thank the House for the decision it has taken. I urge the relevant authority to make sure that the benefits that this Bill has proposed will be felt by the sugarcane farmers. Many times, we have passed Bills that are meant to benefit farmers, but they end up benefitting other people. In this case, we may find a situation where transporters benefit as opposed to reducing the cost of transport for farmers. Therefore, I thank Hon. Wamunyinyi once again. I will support him all the way and make sure that this Bill benefits sugarcane farmers.

Hon. ole Lemein, do you want to contribute on this one?

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I also rise to thank Hon. Wamunyinyi for this Bill. It will be of immense help to sugarcane farmers.

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

What is your point of order, Hon. Wafula?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I do not want to interrupt my good friend who was contributing, but are you satisfied with the way Hon. Arati is dressed? He is wearing a Muslim hat? Has he become a Muslim from today?

Hon. Wafula, I am not sure I know which religion all the Members of this House belong to. I cannot say if he is one or not. Anyone is allowed to come here with that kind of attire. I do not see why we cannot allow Hon. Arati to do the same. That is between him and his God. He will decide for himself where he belongs. Let us leave that matter. Allow Hon. Lemein to continue.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Before I was cut short by my friend, I was saying that this levy is going to be of immense help to the sugarcane growing farmers. Other than the incentives they were given, the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill will assist them as far as sugar farming is concerned. I support.

Hon. Wamunyinyi. Is he in the Chamber? I thought Hon. Wamunyinyi is the Mover of the Bill. I wanted him to wrap up as we finish.

Which is the short comment you want to make? I do not think there is a person called “Gender”. 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 thank Hon. Wamunyinyi. We have been haggling over this thing for a long time. We thank God it has come. I thank all the Members for supporting the Bill. Like my colleagues have said, I wish the effects are felt by farmers when the Bill will finally become law. We will make the calculations to see the benefits. Authorities like Kenya Sugar Directorate and the rest that are concerned should ensure that we see the reduction after the calculations are made.

Hon. Members, do not leave. We want to finish this exercise on the Bill. Just a minute!

He is the chairman of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. We want the Kenya Sugar Directorate to ensure that there is a reflection of the same on every tonne of sugarcane supplied to the sugar factory for every reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT). That shall be calculated. That will ensure that the benefit that is accruing from that tax reduction does not end up in the pockets of the contractors and sugar transporters. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I really appreciate and support.

Hon. Gladys Wanga.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Let me also thank Hon. Wamunyinyi for brining this very important amendment Bill. I am a bit distracted! Hon. Arati is free to wear anything, but he should find one that fits his head. The high cost of production of sugar has been a major issue as far as the sugar debate in this country is concerned. That is the reason why sugar from other countries is much cheaper than the sugar that we produce here. This amendment will go a long way in reducing the cost of production of our sugar. Transport is a major component. There has been bail-out of every sector be it coffee, tea or miraa . We urge the Government to bail out the sugar industry from huge debts. Together with this amendment, that will be a signal in the right direction. As we look at the privatisation of our sugar companies, that should be preceded by transferring the assets of our sugar companies to the counties before we move to privatise them. Again, let me thank Hon. Wamunyinyi and this House for that very significant amendment to us - the sugar people. Thank you.

Hon. Wamunyinyi.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I thank Members who have contributed and supported this Bill. The Bill is going to give some relief to the sugarcane farmers in this country. The ultimate goal is to cut down on transport and production cost. The two items we must undertake to ensure that there is benefit to the farmers of cane in Kenya is to ensure mechanisms are put in place for determination of pricing of raw cane from the farms. After the removal of the Kenya Sugar Board (KSB), members of the Board and take over by a directorate in the Ministry of Agriculture, the farmer does not have anybody to negotiate and determine the pricing of cane for them. We would like that to be looked at. The second thing is management of the companies. A lot of borrowed money has been pumped into the companies. That money has caused so much debt. What we have is a result 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.

bad management. As the leadership and policy makers, we must ensure we put measures that will compel the Government to put proper management to run those companies, particularly, the companies owned by the Government of Kenya. With those few remarks, I once again want to very sincerely thank Members for the support. This Bill has received a 100 per cent support from Members. No Member said they did not want this Bill to go through. I trust it will go a long way to ensure our people benefit from this legislative piece. Thank you, Mhe. Deputy Speaker.

We have quorum.

Can we confirm it?

Hon. Members, since we have an afternoon Sitting, we can put the Question in the afternoon. Do we still have Kabowa Secondary School from Mount Elgon and Riabai Boys High School in Kiambu County in the Public Gallery? You are welcome in the National Assembly.

Next Order?

It is Hon. Rose Nyamunga.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to move this Motion. I would like to passionately move it. We realise that Kenya is endowed with a lot of resources. The resources in Kenya cut across from the Coastal region where we have mineral resources----

Hon. Rose Nyamunga, order. Just move first. Move what you have presented to us on the Order Paper.

Fine. I am sorry, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I beg to move the following Motion:- THAT, aware that Kenya’s high seas and inland fresh water bodies are a key resource for diversification of the country’s economy through fishing; noting that most fishermen and women use traditional methods of fish harvesting, preservation and processing; conscious that there are few training institutions that offer studies in fisheries, oceanography and maritime technology in Kenya; further noting that huge losses are incurred due to lack of proper post-harvest management and inadequate fish processing plants in the country; concerned that this lacuna has contributed to relegation of the otherwise lucrative fishing industry to a jua kali sector; deeply worried that lack of training and inadequate fish 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.

processing facilities have resulted in meagre earnings for many Kenyans, including women who depend on fishing; this House urges the Government to establish both inland and coastal training institutions and processing plants with a view of building capacity for fishing communities to maximize their returns from the lucrative fishing sector. Hon. Deputy Speaker, let me take this opportunity to move this Motion. I would like to take ourselves a bit down the memory lane of the resources we have in this country. We realise that each and every region is endowed with different types of natural resources. If these natural resources are not properly nurtured and developed, people coming from the respective areas will never benefit. Most of the time, people languish in poverty. That has been the case in the fishing industry. I do not want to blame the Government or anybody, but I think we have ourselves to blame for the fact that we have never nurtured and developed the fishing industry yet it is an industry that can produce a lot of wealth for this country. We always compare ourselves with Singapore and South Korea. I understand that in the 1960s, the former President the late Jomo Kenyatta lent the Singaporean Government US$10,000 to help them in development. If you compare Singapore with our country now, we are way below it. So, where did we go wrong or what went wrong? In my view, I think we neglect what is our own and tend to value other people or economies. On Monday, The Standard Newspaper reported categorically that we now eat fish from China. It is not wrong to import fish from China, but I think it is not in order that we neglect our own industries. If you look at the way we manage the fishing industry, the way we have neglected our farmers and the fact that there is no single institution in this country, from the village polytechnics to the national polytechnics – maybe in universities there in some training on fish farming--- These institutions need to nurture our youth and women to know how to handle fish, including the storage facilities. I will give you an example of Turkana. There was a cold plant that was put up in Turkana. In Kisumu the cold storage is not working. In Mbita it is not working. There is a lot of neglect. I do not know if it is because we fail as leaders or it is the Government which has not done much. Now we have taken the fisheries sector to the county governments and we know so many county governments are struggling to make some of the functions a reality. I would like to give a few examples. Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana produce 53 per cent of the world’s cocoa yet if you go to the capital cities of those countries, you will find a lot of chocolate on their shelves. I have had an opportunity to see that. They have a lot of chocolate imported from Switzerland or the United Kingdom (UK) yet 53 per cent of cocoa comes from the two countries. When I was growing up, I knew Ghana as the world’s leading producer of cocoa. They cannot process it. Nigeria produces a lot of oil; it is the sixth largest producer of crude oil. It exports more than 80 per cent of that oil, but cannot refine oil that it uses. So, something is wrong. I do not know whether it is Africa or the African leaders. I do not know who to blame, but something is wrong with us. We are talking of industrialisation. How are we going to industrialise Africa? How are we going to improve the lives of our people if we neglect the resources we are given? We have minerals and water. In Kisumu County we have land and water from the lake. Lake Victoria is the largest fresh water lake in the world. With that we still cannot nurture Lake Victoria. We leave it to be polluted by industries, which do not help us. If the industries were helping us and killing our lake, we would say it is okay because we are losing here and gaining there. However, as it is we are losing the lake; it is getting contaminated. More so the Kenyan side is very dirty. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

We are losing the lake. We are losing Lake Turkana and so many other water bodies. In River Tana alone there is a lot of mudfish, which should be nurtured. The people living there do not even know the value of the mudfish they have. We have a lot of markets in the Congo for the catfish. We do not even need to go outside Africa. However, all this is neglected. So, I want to urge this House to support this Bill because we need the resources.

Madam, you are calling it a Bill but it is a Motion.

Sorry, it is a Motion. I am very sorry, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Any student of economics knows the impact of excessive imports on a country’s currency. If we just import and we do not export in return, we kill our own economy. If we do not build our own industries like sugar, coffee and tea, we are going to lose. Already we are losing because if you look at our balance of trade, there is a shortfall because we tend to value imported things compared to ours that we can nurture and export. A house is always built from bottom-up. In the same way, we need to start with the tertiary colleges. We need to build tertiary colleges to take care of the local people who support fish farming. Kenya has a lot of water in so many lakes and rivers. We need to support them. We have rivers like Tana, Nyando, Nzoia and Gucha. We need to nurture our own resources to make sure that we maximise on the resources that we have in Kenya. If I may give another example which spreads across the landscape of Kenya, the country boasts of approximately 600 kilometres of coastal shoreline, with an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles which can be harnessed to enhance aquaculture. Although most parts of the country are suitable for aquaculture, only 0.104 per cent of the 1.4 million hectares of potential aquaculture sites is used for aquaculture. About 95 per cent of fish farming is at a small scale. I know the Government of Kenya, in 2010 or thereabout, started economic stimulus activities and fishing was one of them. A lot of water ponds were erected but most of them were done in a very haphazard way. That means that we lost heavily because there was no proper planning and if there was any proper planning, the fingerlings given to the farmers were not the right ones. If the fingerlings were right, the food that was given to nurture the aquaculture was wrong. So, it failed. There was no follow-up. Nothing was put in place to nurture the fishing industry and the fish ponds that were put in place.

Another example is since Kenya began the aquaculture business in the 1950s up to 2006, total annual culture production has never exceeded 2,000 metric tonnes per year, prior to the Government’s economic stimulus programme, as I have already mentioned. Another example is that it is not only the Nyanza region that can harness the fishing. It is now extended to the Rift Valley, the Central region and the whole of Coast region. There should be concerted effort by each and every person and each and every county and the national Government to make sure that we nurture fishing and train our people appropriately, that we do not even use the wrong gears. We need to empower people with knowledge on the right technology. We need to do it in a proper and structured manner. 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.

Another example that I want to give is that we had about 7,477 production units in an estimated area of 7,200 hectares by 2007. That is after introduction of the economic stimulus programme. The mean yield from fish farming was approximately 5.8 metric tonnes per year. That is from aquaculture compared to 4,454 metric tonnes of the total annual fish production. That is a very low production. Currently, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) training institution offers diploma in fisheries and aquatic sciences. The University of Eldoret offers Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. The University of Nairobi offers Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and Aquaculture management. Egerton University offers Bachelor of Science in Applied Aquatic Sciences and Moi University offers Bachelor of Science in Fisheries. That is at the university level. What happens to the lower level? Most people who are involved in fishing have not reached the university level of education. So, I urge the Government and the House that we should look at this matter so that we start it at the very beginning. If we do that, we will know how to handle the lake, the gears as required and how to move step by step so that when it reaches the level of the university, people will, at least, have moved from the certificate to the diploma, to the higher diploma. It should cut across the whole nation and the resources we have. That way, we will eventually improve our production and start industrialising our country. We cannot do it by word of mouth. It is important that we put it into practice and that our people at whatever level know so that a child is trained from the beginning. If you train a child when they are old enough, they may miss the point but if you start training them when they are still young, they will get it right and it will move on and it can be passed from generation to generation. We know that the waters we have are very limited in volume and that is known in the African continent. The proposed programme should be designed to produce aquatic scientists able to teach, research, advise and formulate policies for better management of aquatic ecosystems. The graduates of such programmes will engage in self-employment as fishermen. Fish farmers with good water quality consultants can also be employed in the fisheries department as managers, policy makers and environmental health officers. In addition, the graduates can be employed as researchers and lecturers in marine and fresh water and in institutions like universities. It is very important and I am very passionate about this. I urge my colleagues to see the need of industrialising this country instead of all the time comparing ourselves with other nations who have made it. They have made it because they took everything seriously and they nurtured the little things they had. In my view, there has been a big failure and the failure should be taken by all of us. However, the fact that we have failed does not mean that we cannot make corrections. It is important that we start. We are not at a crossroad where it is either we industrialise and move forward or we lose it. It is not going to happen in our time when we are watching. However, we cannot do it if we do not nurture what we have. About the storage system, I know there is devolution and some of these things should be taken at the county government level, but there is an aspect that the national Government can also take. Preservation of natural resources is a role of the national Government. I beg to move the Motion and take this opportunity to ask Hon. Cecilia Ngetich to second.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to second this very important Motion on the establishment of fisheries training institutions and fish processing plants, both in the inland and also the Coast region. I also sincerely thank my colleague, the Member of Parliament for Kisumu County, for bringing this very important Motion and talking passionately about the fishing industry. You are a true representative of the people of Kisumu County. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

We live in a dynamic society. Just like in agriculture where farmers have adopted new and modern ways of farming, we need to do the same in the fishing industry and also other economic activities. Many parts of this country are endowed with different potentials. For example, tea is grown in Kericho and Bomet counties and the fish industry is taking place not only around the lake region, that is Kisumu County and the surrounding regions, but we also have the Coast region as well as Lodwar. This Motion has come at the right time because we have the potential to grow our economy through farming, be it agricultural, fish farming or dairy farming. Every task that we undertake requires competency or skills. That is why the Motion proposes to have training institutions. These training institutions will be customised into training the fishermen and those handling fish to handle the fish in the right way. I am aware that ecologically, fishermen use specific type of nets. I am also aware that fish is very delicate in handling such that there should be some industries to preserve the fish so that they are exported. Nutritionists tell us these days that it is important to eat white meat as opposed to eating red meat. We will not be surprised to find a county like Kiambu leading in production as well as consumption of fish as opposed to when this was traditionally just a preserve of the communities around the lake region.

I am also passionate about the technical training institutions. I want to mention that the current education system has laid a lot of emphasis on academic courses as opposed to technical courses. This is one of the reasons why we have a high level of unemployment. Everyone is rushing to get a degree as opposed to going to middle level colleges where they train and equip the youths with technical skills which enable them to become self employed and create employment opportunities. However, it is good to note that currently the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) is reviewing the education curriculum and is actually proposing competency-based learning. They have proposed two years pre-school, three years lower primary, three years upper primary and three years junior secondary. In the upper secondary, students will be allowed to take either talent courses or general education. There is also a proposal for over 60 per cent of students who qualify for junior secondary to take technical vocational education and training. I am happy with the Motion, it is indeed---

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Member, I am sorry. Can I interrupt you for a minute? I want to recognise some schools before they leave. In the Public Gallery we have Muruguru Girls Secondary School, Nyeri County; St. John’s Thaita Secondary School, Kirinyaga County; Karuri High School, Kiambu County; Ngomeni Secondary School, Kitui County and St. Bakhita Siakago Girls, Embu County. You are all welcome to the National Assembly.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Indeed, they are most welcome. This is quite relevant to the students who are listening to us now. As I was saying, indeed this is an opportune time. The Motion has come at the right time when KICD is reviewing the current education system. I am particularly happy because this review is going to give an opportunity to the many talented or endowed students. We are endowed differently. We have talent. Some students would like to take drama and music. Others would wish to take technical courses and general education. Therefore, the mission is to nurture all learners’ potential. In addition to this, Jubilee is currently implementing its manifesto. They have proposed to establish one technical training institute in every constituency and further, a vocational college 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.

in every ward. In Kenya, we have more than 1,450 wards. This will go a long way in equipping the youths with the necessary skills to become self employed. Therefore, this Motion will urge the Government to customize the curriculum in the various institutions. For the curriculum of a TTI or vocational training centre in Kisumu, they should scan the market around that region and offer courses that will equip the youth to be readily absorbed in that market. I will not expect a TTI in Kisumu to teach about growing of tea as opposed to fish industry. This has come at the right time as they review the curriculum and establish the TTIs. For your information Members, contrary to what sometimes people tend to believe, that one only joins a technical institution when they fail examinations, I am happy that the Ministry is even contemplating abolishing examinations because we have bright students who would wish to take up technical courses. They are neither failures nor do they offer inferior courses. They offer professional courses like other institutions. I want to say to the counterparts in the technical and technology field that they complement the work done by engineers. We indeed need to enhance them if we want to grow our economy and attain Vision 2030. We were recently visited by the Korean President. I followed up the issue on how Korea has grown its economy. It has established 260 universities that do particularly technology and technician courses and 800 vocational institutes. That is why Korea, as we speak now, has overtaken Japan in manufacturing electronics. I am told that they have manufactured a curved television. Therefore, Kenya can be another China in terms of exporting labour because we have youths whom they can train. We do not need to import fish, sugar or coffee. We are importing these things yet we can produce them and grow our economy. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I second this very important Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Members, I now want to propose the Question.

Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion. Let me first begin by thanking the Mover and seconder. Hon. Cecilia amazes me with her intellect and interest on matters education. She has made very good recommendations while seconding. I hope somebody in the county executive around the fishing areas and the national executive is listening. The whole fishing sector requires thinking outside the box. We are making a lot of noise that fish is coming from China. It is not new noise. Those of us from Lake Victoria region have been telling Kenyans that nearly all the fish that we eat in this country comes from Uganda yet, the lake is shared between Kenya and Uganda. Uganda which is a small economy, has better management of their lake policy, so is their political management of the lake. They have small islands in the lake that have representation by Members of Parliament (MPs) just for special interest on fishing in Lake Victoria.

So, how nice would it be for the Executive of the Republic of Kenya to have mercy on us? We know nothing has ever been invested in the lake. If I were to bring the obvious to the attention of all and sundry, that lake is the third largest taxpayer to the Exchequer. Beyond Pay As You Earn (PAYE) which everybody pays and the Port of Mombasa, the next is Lake Victoria. How can you milk a cow without feeding it? The lake is starved. It is hungry despite all 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.

money being collected. If for example you take the constituency represented by Hon. (Eng.) Gumbo, it has over 30 beachfronts and taxes are collected there. The lake is free for all.

Who is a fisherman? Somebody who buys a boat, employs some people and collects money. The Government does not know what they do. A few years ago on this Floor, I opposed the Economic Stimulus Programme for the fishing industry which was giving people money to dig fishponds. Use the money to clean hyacinth in the lake. We do not need fishponds in a 10 kilometer radius. Produce fingerlings and put them in the lake for production of fish. That is what everybody does. That is what Scandinavia does and that is the method that people who want to create employment do.

We are importing fish from China. Lake Naivasha alone can feed this country with fish but look at its decay now. If you go to a beach hotel or any hotel in Mombasa, the sea food you eat is imported. It has always been and yet we have so many kilometers of seafront. You do not hear about it. Ever since I was born, I have never heard the Government of Kenya to which we pay taxes give any bailout money or invest any money in the fishing sector. Now that that is the case, we need to think out of the box. I said in Bomas of Kenya and on the Floor of this House that I do not believe in Nyanza having four counties. I believe Nyanza should have one county because the resource we have is the lake and it needs a proper integrated plan and that can only be done by one Government because, we do not know the boundaries. Those boundaries do not belong to the counties. However, be that as it may, I told my friend Hon. (Eng.) Gumbo that I will never support him for his gubernatorial bid if he does not tell me what he is going to do for the fishing industry. However, if he does he will get my people out of poverty. He will have my vote if he deals with that and the mess in Yala Swamp. The governors in these areas must go asking for votes using a manifesto on what they can do in job creation. It cannot be that these governors are getting monies from the national Government and they are not using it well. They are not generating any income and not investing it in creating jobs around the lake. I used to rear chicken for eggs. The Government has opened its borders. The eggs you eat in the market today are from Israel, Uganda or South Africa. Chicken is the best domestic bird we have because it gives us food. How does the Government expect us to operate if we cannot even have an opportunity to produce our own eggs? We cannot even do a policy on that and we talk about job creation. People talk about technology transfer but you cannot use technology without policy. Technology is to man and not man to technology. All these things we are purporting to want to do with our visitors like it was being said here earlier, are nothing if there is no goodwill from the Government. The Government must be willing to feed its people. This is not a poor nation but it is a badly managed nation. During the Kibaki-Raila era, I thought we were beginning to take off. I do not think the same any more. I think it has decayed and collapsed. It is absurd that the Government can allow fish to be brought from China to be sold to the Luo people, instead of giving the Luo people money to clean the lake, you are killing it. We cannot keep living in a nation that wants us dead. That is what this country is doing to us. So, we need to deal with these issues. I want to appeal to our county governments especially those around the fishing areas whether it is Nakuru, Mombasa, Kisumu and other three counties of Nyanza to know that the Government is not interested in fishing. Please do something at the local level. I support. 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.) Shebesh): Thank you, Hon. Member. I now give the Floor to the Member for Igembe Central, Hon. Iringo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for this opportunity. I support the Motion on the Establishment of Fisheries Training Institutions and Fish Processing Plants as it has been tabled today by Hon. Rose Nyamunga and I congratulate her for having brought it. It is a well thought Motion and one which will bring professionalism in this great fishing industry. This country is endowed with a lot of natural resources, be they minerals, oil, food, flora and fauna. We have never taken the pain to develop what we found in this great country of ours. We have been using our natural resources in their raw way or we just accept that nature gave them to us and so they have to remain the same. We continue using them the same way not knowing that the population is increasing, new dynamics and dimensions are coming in and some things are being overtaken by events. The fishing industry is looked down upon and is seen as a preserve of the communities in the lake region or along the Indian Ocean. Given our lifestyles, we are now told by doctors that eating fish is healthy. Many people have embraced eating fish even in areas that do not have lakes. We should develop our resources and use exotic ways of producing fish. The Government is trying to ensure that we have as many fishponds as possible in the country. Rearing of fish in our rural areas has not been taken seriously and effectively by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Lake Victoria, where most of the fish that we eat comes from, has been invaded by hyacinth. There is an authority which is supposed to look into it but it has not gone out of its way to protect the lake, the only lifeline of fish in our country. There is wanton harvesting of fish in the lake. We should have periods for fish harvesting and ones for fish reproduction. We should not reach a point where we do not have fish in our lakes. We have Tana River, and I normally pass by Sagana on my way to the constituency and I see so many young boys going to that river to get fish. Sometimes you find them with big fish and sometimes they have very tiny fish that they cannot even sell because their fishing nets have small holes. They throw away the small fish instead of returning them into the water to breed again. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we should have ways of preserving our natural resources. We should also use modern ways to preserve fish for days. Some countries preserve food for even a year to avoid wastage. In Europe, you can find beef imported from Namibia and Botswana after six months or more. In Kenya, fish has to be rushed from Kisumu to Nairobi because it will rot if there is any delay since it is carried in a very haphazard way. Miraa is transported from Meru on vehicles driven as if they are flying because they do not want it to dry. We should embrace modern ways of trade. We should have vehicles equipped with modern fridges. Hon. (Ms.) Nyamunga is proposing that once fish is processed, it should be preserved for future use instead of eating the whole of it the same day simply because you do not have a way of preserving it before it rots. We have several lakes that can enable us produce fish that can be exported. It is sad that we are now importing fish from China, a country with a billion people and still have enough fish to eat and export. We are only 42 million, with several lakes and rivers, but we import fish. Foreign exchange should have a balance. We should expand the markets, get the right equipment and allocate money for the same. When money is allocated to various Government agencies here, you will hear people saying that the Fisheries Department should be left because fish is for the Luos. Fish is for all of us. We should allocate enough money for that purpose so that we can get the right equipment, personnel, right machinery and have grounds to preserve fish. 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.

In some markets where fish is sold, people do not have the right ways of handling it and disposing of waste products. Many people are irritated because the place stinks. We should introduce modern ways of handling fish. Those places should be kept clean so that even if we intend to export it, then buyers in the European market are contented. Those customers are categorical and careful on where a product comes from. If fish is not handled according to the modern ways, then they will not buy it from us. It is a very big challenge to us and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries must embrace modern ways of producing, harvesting, processing, preserving and selling fish. We should look into the possibilities of selling fish outside the country but we should not be importing it because we have not even exhausted our God-given natural resources, lakes and oceans. With those few remarks, I support.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): I now give the Floor to the Member for Makueni.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Motion by Hon. (Ms.) Rose Nyamunga. This is an important Motion. I am a Member of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives where the Fisherie

Department is overseen. The Fisheries Department currently led by Prof. Ntiba has been making serious efforts in the fishing industry in the last six or seven years. However, we have not been keen on technical training of fish handlers as requested by the Member, and training which could make fish profitable to our country. We could have institutions at the Coast region where we have 600 kilometres of coastline with a lot of fish resources. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries established fishponds but there was no proper training and, therefore, sustainability was a problem in many parts of the country. It was done in Makueni Constituency but because of lack of water, fishponds are now empty and dry and it looks like wasted efforts and money by the State. With proper consultations and education of the communities on the use and production of fish, it could be one of our biggest foreign earners. The previous Government established the Thwake Athi Dam in my constituency which takes Thwake and Athi rivers making a huge dam which is 31 kilometres long. Fishing will be one of the activities in the dam. We need to prepare for that eventuality because in seven years or so, this lake will be a reality. There are also seven modern lakes and dams established in Tana River. A lot of fishing activities are carried out by the locals, but not for profit making. As you cross Tana River on your way to Nyeri or Embu, you find a lot of young men who earn their living from fishing, as Hon. Iringo was saying. The Ministry concerned and the Government are not there to organise them the way they are supposed to do. So, this idea of establishing fisheries training institutions is very important. One of the countries which does very well in fishing is Seychelles. It has 114 islands. A lot of our young people are employed as technicians in Seychelles. They earn a salary there. They take that technology away from our country. They were trained while working there because there are training institutions. The institutions we have here do not give this particular training. So, this sort of training should be considered seriously in Kenya. I am urging Members to support and pass the Motion. The Committee concerned with this department will propose the necessary budgets, so that we have the necessary institutions in our country. They can start with the larger areas such as the coastal region and the Kenya lake region so that this training can begin now.

The organisation of fishing activities in Uganda is very serious. There is a Member of Parliament who has been elected for very many years from the islands in the lake. The main activity is fishing. I had an opportunity to represent a Ugandan company, as a lawyer, 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.

canning its fish in Nairobi, as they were exporting it. A company in Nairobi was manufacturing the gadgets which are used to can. The company made payment and the gentleman in Kenya disappeared, and never supplied the gadgets. You could see the keenness this company had on the case. Eventually, they were paid, and they looked for other people to make the equipment. So, you can see the importance of technology. Ugandans had to come to look for that technology from the Indian companies here, and ended up with a conman. They recovered their money.

We should insist to have this technology. Our own youths from every part of the country should be trained, so that they can work in the fishing industry which is very huge. For health purposes, fish is very good. Some people are allergic to red meat. White meat is very healthy. That is why I want to support Hon. Iringo for talking about exports to the European market and any other markets which buy our fish. Although many countries in the world are surrounded with water, there is still not enough fish in the world.

We should make sure our sources of fish like lakes and ponds are clean. We should ensure that we do not have rivers polluting the water bodies, especially in the coastal region. We have pollutants in Nairobi. Athi River is very polluted. We have moved Motions in this House to clean it. This water goes all the way to Malindi and joins the Indian Ocean. So, we have to make sure we do not have pollutants so that we take care of the fish. All the fish in Athi River die in some seasons. The water from this river is not used by the people along that river which goes about 100 kilometres in my constituency. If you see pollutants killing fish, it means it will affect the fish in Mombasa and the coastal region. Once this fish is polluted, it means it will not be of acceptable quality in certain countries, which are very careful on what their people consume and the quality of the products. Therefore, the Jua Kali sector as supported in this Motion and people handling fish need to go through a training so that we have a college dealing with this at a technical level, so that not everybody goes to the university to read about fishing. We have technical colleges which have technicians. That is what grows an economy.

The moment a country lacks technicians, then that country is not utilising its youth and everybody in that country well. That is the reason Japan and China have advanced in technology. The cars we drive here are made by people who did not necessarily go to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. Most of the vehicles are assembled and manufactured by people at technical level. Therefore, if we have technicians here, they will not only be useful to our country but we will also export labour to countries such as Seychelles and many other fishing countries around us. If we implement this Motion, I believe we will be leading in Africa. We will be leading in producing technicians who have specialised in fish technology such as fishing boats, the handling of fish and the production of nets. We are still dealing with nets which are produced locally. They injure fish and we are still dealing with them. We have to bring nets from other countries. We lose more monies by importing this equipment.

I support the Motion, and thank Hon. Rose Nyamunga. I urge the Members of Parliament to support this Motion which she has brought. It is very useful to our constituents and country. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you, Hon. Members. Members, let me plead. Be kind to each other. You do not have to take your 10 minutes in full, so that we give an opportunity to more Members to contribute.

I give the Floor to Hon. William Mtengo, Member for Malindi.

Ahsante Mhe. Spika wa Muda. Kwanza, nachukua fursa hii kukushukuru kwa kunipatia nafasi ya dakika chache kuchangia Hoja hii ambayo ni muhimu kwangu na kwa mhe. mwenza jirani. Ana dukuku la kutaka kuchangia. Sisi tunatoka sehemu ambayo samaki 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.

ndiyo kila kitu kwetu. Natoka maeneo ya Pwani. Kusema kweli, uvuvi ambao tumekuwa tukiutegemea ni asilia. Tutaunga mkono kila nia ya kuboresha uvuvi nchi yetu. Uvuvi ambao tunatekeleza na tunaona unaendelea maeneo mwetu ni ambao umetumia mbinu za kizamani kama vile utumizi wa nyavu na majarife. Pia, tumeona utumizi wa neti za kulalia kuvua samaki. Neti hizi zinaadhiri mazao ya samaki wetu.

Tumeona Serikali ikijaribu kuweka himizo sana kwa kuboresha sekta hii. Najua kuna chuo cha Serikali ambacho ni cha mafunzo ya uvuvi wa samaki. Lakini, chuo hiki hakitoshi kwa sababu ni kimoja. Na kama vile Mhe. aliyenitangulia alivyozugumza, chuo hiki kinafunza mafunzo ya taaluma ya juu sana. Tunataka chuo ambacho kinafunza wavuvi mambo ya kawaida. Je tutawafanyia nini wale ambao wanaingia ndani ya madau kwenda baharini kuvua samaki? Sisi hatuna rasilimali nyingine maeneo tunayotoka. Tuna uvuvi peke yake. Kwa hivyo, tunaunga mkono Hoja hii ya kuleta vyuo na tutavisaidia. Niko tayari kutoa ardhi sehemu ya Malindi ya kujenga vyuo. Tuko na ardhi ya kutosha. Tuko tayari kupeana ardhi mradi tuone vyuo vimekuja. Wavuvi wetu wamerudishwa kwa hali ya uvuvi wa leo na kesho. Utunzaji na uhifadhi wetu wa samaki ni leo kwa kesho. Hatuna namna ya kuweka samaki wetu kwa muda mrefu kwa sababu hatuna mafunzo yale ama vigezo vya kutusaidia kwa viwango vile. Kwa hivyo sisi tunaunga mkono Hoja hii na kusema kuwa tunatamaushwa na yale wenzangu waliotangulia kusema kwamba tunapata samaki kutoka China.

Naibu Spika wa Muda, nina wasiwasi sana. Kama nitakula samaki kutoka China, kesho hata unga wa sima ambao nitakula kule nyumbani pia utakuwa umetoka China. Hili ni jambo la kunishitua. Nilizaliwa eneo ambalo samaki ni wengi. Tumekuwa tukila samaki miaka yote. Mbona leo samaki wamepungua? Haya ni masuala ambayo tunataka tuyakadirie kwa kina na tuyatafakari. Lakini la msingi ni kusema kwamba moja kwa moja naunga Hoja hii na ninaisimamia.

Asante.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you, Hon. Member for being kind to other hon. Members. I now give the Floor to the Member for Molo, Hon. Macharia.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion by the Member for Kisumu County. Initially or before there was a perception that fish and fishing is a preserve of the Luo Community. But, with time, Kenyans have experienced a paradigm shift and now other communities are taking fish and that is why we have many fish ponds even in Central Kenya.

I like the way Hon. Jakoyo put it very passionately as if it is a Luo problem. In terms of capacity, this country has a serious challenge in fishing. We have a long coast at the Coast region where Hon. Mtengo comes from. We also have Lake Naivasha, Lake Baringo, Lake Victoria and several other lakes that could be developed for fishing. Unfortunately, all those who engage in fishing activities in these areas, notably, in Lake Victoria and also at the Coast, use traditional methods and this is not seen as a lucrative trade. It is not respected. They are just called wavuvi or fishermen. Japan, China and other European countries have fishing ships that go to the sea, draw fish, process it and sometimes export it to us.

It is so sad that when I go to Malindi I only see the fishermen going to fish in the sea with rafters that are made of wood and are dangerous to use. Tunasema hiyo ni ya mvuvi: that it is for the mvuvi, let him go.

Despite the fact that we need to build capacity and have training institutions as the Member for Kisumu County has put it, we also need to mechanise fishing and ensure that our fishermen use good vessels for fishing activities. We also need to ensure that apart from having 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.

institutions with knowledge on fishing, we also have institutions giving serious knowledge on the marketing of fish. It is very sad that, as it has been alluded to here, most of the fish we consume in Nairobi comes from Uganda. I thought it comes from Kisumu. When it arrives at Kenyatta Market, we are told that it comes from Kisumu. Maybe, it is from Uganda. We have now seen fish from China. It is very unfortunate. What has to be done in the fishing industry apart from training and mechanisation should have been done last year not even this year.

Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you, hon. Member. I now give the Floor to Member for Bondo, Hon. Ochanda.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. From the outset, I would like to say that the fish economy in this country is distraught. It is very unfortunate that we acknowledge that this is one of the sources of food in this country. We also realise that when we talk about strategic food reserves, many times we only concentrate on cereals. We talk about maize and wheat. We hardly talk about other sources of food that we have in the country. It is really unfortunate that there has not been any particular public investment taken to this direction. If you look at the cumulative experiences that we have had in the sector in terms of attempts to improve it, all of it has been going down. We had experiences in the 1970s. Many of them are not necessarily Kenyan attempts. Many of them are attempts with donor support. There was the Nordic support in Turkana and the European Union support in the Victoria particularly coming up with cold storages for fish. All these things have never taken off. The Nordic one in Turkana did not take off. We had little public investment in Mbita in the 1970s that did not take off. After that, in the 1980s, there were additional attempts in Lake Victoria. There was the Lake Victoria Environmental Programme with the support of the European Union that put up cooling facilities in Wich Lum in Bondo Constituency and there has been an attempt in Usenge Beach

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you, Hon. Member, I now gives the Floor to Hon. Gladys Wanga. Hon. Gladys Wanga, have you removed your card.

Yes, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Okay.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for this opportunity to support this very important Motion. Allow me to thank the Hon. Member for Kisumu County, Hon. Rose Nyamunga for introducing this Motion which is very important and timely, given what is happening within our fishing industry currently. Homabay County which I represent in this House, is largely a fishing county. Beginning from Ringiti, Remba, Mfangano, Mbita all the way through Homa Bay Town, Karachuonyo to Rangwe our economy largely depends on fishing, therefore the people of Homabay currently are actively following this debate and are hoping that this National Assembly will come up with resolutions that can save their livelihoods which is a great risk currently.

Protecting and nurturing fishing industry is therefore paramount to us. We would like to see the same interests that the Government has in coffee, tea and miraa extended to fish. Let me thank

Newspaper for bringing to the fore the fact that we are now eating imported fish which is Kshs30 per piece. There are difficult questions that must be answered by the Government. For instance, who is this East African Sea Food that is importing fish worth Kshs30 per piece into a country for our people to consume? Is this fish good? We know that we fear Chinese, whether it is The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

clothes, vehicles or a house that has been built by Chinese. How about what we are consuming? Is this plastic fish? We do not know.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, let me jog the memory of this House. The so-called East African Sea Food, we must unveil it. We must know who owns East African Sea Food. If you go back to the HANSARD of this House, 21st November, 1995, we see that in 1993, the East African Sea Food exported 2.5million kilogrammes of Nile Perch, worth Kshs 306million. In 1994 the East African Sea Food exported 305 million Kilogrammes worth Kshs427million. About a million shillings of fish exports, yet in 1995 there was a question in this House that they paid no taxes. In fact, after exporting that much fish, they declared losses and they said that they made no profits and therefore were unable to pay any tax, yet they exported fish worth over Kshs 700 million in 1995.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, are they related to the WE Tilley, the same one who brought down the Imperial Bank and Charter House? Are they the same ones? We would like to know them. Our people’s lives are on the line; we must know who these people are who are killing our economy and killing our people with these fish. These are questions that must be answered. A committee of this House must tell us who these people are and whether they paid those taxes that they were meant to pay in 1995. After over-fishing our lake and exporting that much fish, they now discovered that the lake no longer has the ability to produce any more fish, they now start to import cheap Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) - plastic fish. We will not agree. This is a complete conspiracy to finish our people and we must go after whoever it is that would like to finish our people.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we speak with a lot of bitterness because as I speak, 60 per cent of fish processing factories in Homa Bay, a county that I represent have closed down. There is no more fish processing. Those jobs are gone. Where will our people turn to? Where are they expected to go and to which Government? Is this Jubilee Government listening or we are too Opposition to be listened to? Those are questions that must be answered.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): What is your point of order, Member for Malava.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am keenly following her contribution with a lot of passion. I am just wondering what she means by saying “finishing our people”? I am getting lost.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Member, if you just follow her trail of thought, you will understand what she is saying. Hon. Wanga, please conclude.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. With those many remarks, let me not dilute it any further. Let me give this opportunity to others to also contribute. Thank you.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you very much, Hon. Gladys Wanga.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Kaluma, what is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is unfortunate that the great Member of Parliament has just ended her contribution on this matter.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): What is out of order, Hon. Kaluma? The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is some information coming from this address that requires substantiation.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): If you are rising on what she has been speaking about, she has finished and so we cannot be dealing with a matter that has been concluded.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Hon. Member referred to some very serious information which needs to be properly substantiated and be established. The Member is saying that this very company importing fish to the country is the likely company that was being discussed in this Parliament before.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Kaluma, I will suggest that you wait for your turn to speak then you can canvass those issues. Hon. Members, I now want to give the Floor to Member for Seme, Hon. James Nyikal.

Thank you Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to make a contribution on this matter.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the constituency I come from has 11 beaches for fishing. Fishing is the main occupation for the young people. I therefore support this Motion but it is important to realize that fish industry is big and it is growing. In the consumption of animal protein, it is fish that is now the safest because of the small amount of the toxic oils that we find in other animal proteins and the valuable fats that are in fish. Because of that fish is becoming the greatest animal protein that is consumed and the market is growing. Unfortunately for us, we have not utilized this potential. If you look at the areas where fish should be the main occupation, these are probably the areas where people are poorest. Look at the coastal region, there is no other cash crop at all that the Government has put money on. Look at the lake region, the only cash crop there is sugar and we know the problem it is facing, yet the great potential of fish is not being exploited. Look at Turkana, it is a very poor region. Look at the region of Lake Baringo. These are potential areas for fish exploitation. We are not exploiting that at all yet this is a commodity that is gaining in terms of economic outlook in the whole world. People are still using the old techniques of fishing. If you look at these areas, there is massive exploitation even in small time fishing. As Hon. Ochanda said, this is the only commodity where the buyer sets the price because fish is a perishable commodity. The buyers come in the evening when you are stranded because you cannot go home with it, it will be rotten the following day. You look at the young people at least in our area who go to the lake into the evening and spend the whole night fishing.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Nyikal, could you allow me to recognize some schools before they leave? I apologise. I want to recognize in the Speaker’s Gallery, Kinyogori High School, Limuru Constituency. In the Public Gallery we have Kerugoya Good Shepherd Primary, Kirinyaga Central Constituency. You are welcome to the National Assembly. Go ahead, Hon. Nyikal.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the young men who are involved in fishing, go out into the night, stay the whole night in the lake and live from hand to mouth yet the middlemen who feast from them come to pick the fish in sleek motor vehicles because we have not invested in improving the industry for the benefit of our people. This Motion, therefore, comes at the most appropriate moment. There is an urgent need for us, as a country, to improve the fishing industry as a whole and go by what this Motion is calling for. There is need for protection and improvement of breeding. In fact, for the whole of Lake Victoria, the largest 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.

breeding area is in Kenya. This is being killed by hyacinth and chemical pollution in Lake Victoria around the City of Kisumu and very little has been done. Hon. Ochanda was saying that people were playing around with insects and this can be done. It is a shame. Even the fishing practice as it is, is not controlled. People fish in the breeding areas and catch the young fish. One time I was shocked to go to the lake and see basins and sacks of fingerlings that were being sold at throwaway prices in what would have otherwise been lorries of mature fish. Nobody is looking at that. Even the fishing techniques themselves are dangerous. We are still using nets. Nobody is using trawlers. We have not moved an inch. Therefore, we must invest in this area. We must go into modern fish farming. I am happy that ponds are becoming popular. Fortunately, it is getting into other parts of the country. It has not grown in Nyanza as you would expect. Not even at the Coast. The lake has been exploited and there is little fish. The ponds are not being taken care of there. Whatever was put there has never worked. There is cage fishing. We have not even looked at the area of cage fishing. Even the little fish that we get as I said earlier goes to waste because we have no cold storage. We need cold storage for that and processing plants. As you were told, processing plants belong to the same people who are now turning around having exploited the fish to bring fish from China. We have to look at that. We have not invested money in fishing the way we have invested money, for example, in tea and coffee, to develop and create the market abroad. This has to be done. Even locally, this has to be done.

Look at the area of training. It is important that we get people at the technology and technician level so that we can handle this. As I end, we must support this Motion. The Government must put money in this. We must avoid the looming danger. People who have exploited the fish industry without even protecting the areas are now turning round to import fish from outside the country. I must say if you are selling fish at Kshs30 a piece, it is extremely doubtful the process through which that fish has been brought. Fish, as healthy as it is, if not properly processed, is also the most hazardous in terms of health. We know there is poisoning that comes from fish particularly heavy metals like mercury. We know that in the eastern part of the world, this has been a big problem. In Japan before, there was the Minamata disease where children were born deformed because fish had a lot of mercury in it. The Japanese got rid of that. They solved the problem. For this fish that is being imported at low cost, are they really looking at these issues and bringing us safe and healthy fish? We have to look at that.

We realise that fishing function is now a county function. Therefore, as the Government has to put on policy because policy is key, governors have to come in, work together with the national Government in improving the production, the sale and the safety of fish that we eat in this country. With that, I support this Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you, hon. Member. I now give the Floor to Member for Othaya.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion. I support this Motion because I know there are many young boys who are fishing and do not have anywhere to keep their fish. We also need training for them. For example, when you are going to Nyeri, you wonder why the Government is not 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.

thinking about those youth because they go there every morning. They go to Sagana River, get fish but there is nobody to help them. How they handle this fish sometimes makes you avoid buying it. What we have done in the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives is that we have given fisheries a lot of money. The best thing for this country is for the Government to think of how it can develop training for the youth on how to handle and store fish. It is better to build something clean where everybody can get clean fish unlike the ones sold by young from Sagana River. When we go outside this country, we see small clean eateries where you can stand and eat. In this country, we have never thought about poor people. How they can live better lives? One day we ate fish because I wanted to show my people how they can eat fish and know that it is very good food. We cannot be eating fish from outside this country because we have rivers and lakes including Gura River where I fished when I was in school. We can create many jobs in this country. It is not good to get people from outside to come and do things here in our country. They are selling fish yet we have it here. If you go to Lake Victoria, you will see big fish but they do not know how to handle it. We also need to give them some good boats so that they do not drown in the lake. If you go to Lamu, you will wonder what we are thinking yet we say that we are going to help the youth get jobs. I am asking our Government to do something about the youth. It should create more jobs so that the youth who have been trained get jobs. You can even get somebody from outside the country to come and train on how to handle fish, slaughter and preserve it. These things are going to help our country. Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Let us have the Member for Kisumu West, Hon. Olago Aluoch.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I noted that the Mover of the Motion, Hon. Rose Nyamunga, and the seconder, Hon. (Ms.) Ngetich, said they were very passionate about what they were talking about. I am equally passionate about this Motion. My colleagues have talked about fishing in general. I support what they have said. I do not want to repeat it. However, each time a Member would speak about the fishing industry and how it is being killed and about the importation of fish from China, I would get so angry because I see livelihoods of millions of Kenyans at the Coast, Busia County, Siaya County, Kisumu County, Homa Bay County, Migori County and Turkana going down the drain. They are being killed. I want to avoid talking about fishing so that I do not get very angry. I want to talk about another component of this Motion, which we seem to have ignored, and that is marine technology. I will speak about marine technology with authority because, among the many things that I do, I am a shipping captain. I pilot a lot on Lake Victoria. I know for sure that marine technology is something that we have completely forgotten about. We do not train our people on issues of pollution, safety, security, passenger and goods transport and lake tourism. We do not seem to know that the last navigation survey maps for Lake Victoria were done in---

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Member, for my interest, what do you mean when you say that you are a shipping captain? Maybe some people understand but I do not.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am many things rolled into one. Being a shipping captain means that I am licensed to pilot a ship of up to 50 tonnes in weight. I do not speak about what I do but I know that I am surprising my colleagues. Those who have been to 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.

Lake Victoria often know that I have piloted them on it. There a few who know that. Hon. Grace Kiptui knows that I have piloted her on the lake. Hon. Kaluma was afraid. He did not come on the boat. We do not seem to know that if we were to properly utilise Lake Victoria in terms of transport and tourism we would gain a lot. We need to know that the last navigation map for the lake was done in 1910. We do not know which dangerous straits on the lake are and which could cause a calamity very soon. The Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), which is in charge of marine safety and training, has set out regulations which will be tabled in the House very soon. The House needs to pay particular attention to those regulations when they come. There is also need to look at the Merchant Shipping Act and see, not just how we can utilise Lake Victoria, but also the Indian Ocean so that we do not just confine ourselves to fishing only in this debate on the Motion. We should see what Madam Rose Nyamunga meant. She did not just refer to fishing. It is everything to do with water and how we can make use of it. As Members of Parliament, we need to empower our people. I know for a fact as a lawyer that when these regulations become law, even the fishermen who use small canoes to fish in the Indian Ocean, Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana will not be allowed to go on the lake if they are not licensed as coxswains. What are we doing as Members of Parliament through our National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NGCDF) bursaries to empower our young men and women to train as coxswains? I am proud to say that in Kisumu West we are doing that. We are training coxswains in preparation for tourism and lake transport very soon. I wish to advise my colleagues to do that if they are serious about empowering the youth. Let us train them on how they can utilise the lake. I want to conclude by saying that successive governments in this country have marginalised the Lake Victoria region. All the industries that we rely on have been killed. The cotton industry was killed completely. Kisumu Cotton Mills (KICOMI) Factory died. The sugarcane industry has been killed. Pan-Paper is in another region altogether, Hon. Sumra. The rice industry is struggling. The only thing we are left with is God-given waters. I want us to look at how we can utilise the waters, not just for food but also for trade.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): I now give the Floor to the Member for Kapenguria.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance to join my colleagues in thanking the Member who brought this wonderful Motion. I support what others have said. I come from Kapenguria. In Kapenguria, there are about three or four good permanent rivers where fish is in plenty. We also have Turkwel Dam which is big and has very good fish. However, the harvesters are not there. Members have mentioned Kalokol in Lake Turkana, which around the early 1980s had plenty of fish and very good cold storage facilities. It was like a processing factory. It is now a skeleton. There is nothing in that place. You will find that those people whose livelihoods used to depend on the fish have now become poorer and poorer. They are moving away, especially the youth, as the Member for Othaya said. These were young men who were engaged in that place but because there is nothing anymore, they have to go round looking for something that can engage them so that they can get food to feed their children and themselves. There are departments in Government that deal with fish. It is high time this department came up and heard the cry of Kenyans. As we sit here and talk about fish, our minds run to Nyanza. We think that this is a Luo issue. When we talk about cattle, our minds run to the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Turkana, Pokot and the Karamojong because we have been branded as cattle rustlers. You have seen how Kenyans suffer in Lake Victoria because of this issue of fish. The Government is there but it is not doing anything. It is my appeal that we take a strong stand on this matter in this House so that Kenyans can get their livelihoods. This is one area that can empower Kenyans on an economical side. Things are not like they were before. You have seen what has happened in Europe. We should not neglect those areas. Those people also need care from the Government. In Turkwel, there is plenty of water and fish but nothing is going on there. There are very good Kenyans who came from other areas. They came there and started regrouping young men and started training them how to fish, buy because there was no other support, it ended there. There is no care. Like a Member said, if we were taking consideration like we do to coffee, maize in the Rift Valley and these other places, this is an area which is so fertile. People can get their livelihoods and sustain their lives. Some Kenyans who suffer from diabetes are encouraged to take white meat. Chicken is part of that, but indigenous chicken is no longer there. We have gone to broilers. Fish is the natural one where you cannot get problems, apart from when we introduce fish from China and other places. We are worried of that. We have our own which God has given us. This can help us in the side of health. I support. Let the Government take serious steps and support this industry so that our people live long. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you, Hon. Member. I now give the Floor to the Member of Parliament for Matuga, Hon. Mwanyoha.

Asante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Nakubali kwamba mvumilivu hula mbivu. Kuna watu wamebofya saa mbili baada yangu na wamepata nafasi. Kwa hivyo, ni kuvumilia. Nachukua nafasi hii nikupongeze, nimpongeze aliyeleta Hoja hii na yule aliyeuunga mkono kwa mara ya kwanza. Serikali na watu wanalalamika kwa ukosefu wa kazi. Lau Serikali ingalikuwa inatia bidii na kuzingatia masuala ya uvuvi katika nchi hii, upungufu wa kazi ungalipungua kiasi kikubwa mno. Kwa sababu Serikali imeweka mkono nyuma, mambo haya yanaharibika. Watu haswa walio sehemu zilizo na maumbo makubwa ya maji kama Ziwa Victoria, Ziwa Naivasha na Bahari ya Hindi kule Pwani wanapata shida sana. Iko haja kubwa sana kwa Serikali hii kuhakikisha inapeleka watu wake masomoni kupata nafasi na taaluma ya kuwa na uvuvi wa kisasa. Alivyozungumza mmoja wetu, watu wamebaki wanatumia vifaa vya zamani. Kule kwetu Matuga, watu bado wanatumia neti za kulalia vitandani, majarife na matole yatengenezwayo kwa miyaa. Matole haya yakiingizwa kwa bahari huoza baada ya muda mfupi na samaki hupata nafasi wakapenya na kuhepa. Hii yote ni kwa sababu ya kuzorora kwa Serikali isiyotaka kuangalia watu wake vilivyo. Naiuliza Serikali hii ihakikishe inafanya kila iwezavyo ili watu wa zile sehemu zilizoathiriwa na vitu kama hivyo wapate mafunzo ya hali ya juu wafanye kazi hii kwa njia nzuri mno. Ni jambo la kusikitisha ya kwamba tumepata Uhuru kutoka 1963 lakini tunashindwa hata na watu wa Afrika Kusini waliopata uhuru wao juzi. Juzi nimekuwa Afrika Kusini na nikaona uvuvi ni wa hali ya juu. Nilisema nitamuambia Mhe. Spika ahakikishe anapeleka watu kule, Singapore na kadhalika ilil wapate elimu zaidi. Hiyo ni muhimu ili watu wapate nafasi za kazi kwa wingi. 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.

Naunga mkono Hoja hii. Nawaomba Wabunge wenzangu walio hapa waunge mkono Hoja hii bila kujali hiki wala kile. Hii ni ili tufaulu na kupunguza ukosefu wa kazi katika nchi hii. Asante, Naibu Spika wa Muda. Naunga mkono.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you, Hon. Member. I now give the Floor to the Member for Kwanza, Hon. Wanyonyi.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I speak with a smile. It is good to have been given this opportunity to first of all thank Hon. Nyamunga for coming up with this Motion. The import of this Motion is that we need to look at the way we handle harvesting of fish. Two, there needs to be training for the people in the fishing industry. Three is the fact that handling of fish is very unhygienic. The traditional way of doing it is not the best. We are complaining about the importation of fish from China. I agree with Hon. Wanga when she gave the figures of the importation of the fish from China. At the back of my mind, I was wondering whether this is not the GMO fish. It costs Kshs30 per piece only. At the same time, we should not be complaining because we are our own enemies. His Excellency President Kibaki came to the Lake Victoria region somewhere in the year 2005 when I was the Managing Director for the Lake Basin Development Authority. He promised to set up refrigeration centres along the lake. We went round it and spotted the areas we were supposed to have the refrigeration centres. I am told there is none to date. That is 11 years after the visit of the President. Secondly, we have a stimulus programme which was started by the previous Government. The aim and objective of the stimulus programme was to offer youth a programme to have employment. Some of those youth programmes were to set up fish ponds. There were fish ponds in my area. To date, they are neglected. There is nothing going on. The ultimate aim of those fish ponds was to raise money to have some of those areas have processing plants. I was told there was going to be a fish processing plant in Kitale. We went round when I took over the leadership of my constituency. We started having fish ponds. We even had trainings. To date, there is nothing. In fact, some of them have now gone to waste. I am sure that is the case everywhere else. This is a very important Motion. We ought to take it very seriously. It is going to help us to earn foreign exchange because we will process and export the fish. I was in Israel. I was amused because 90 per cent of Israel is a desert. What happens is that they have fishponds and they export fish to other countries including Kenya? I saw it. The idea is to nurture this department. I know the Principal Secretary in the State Department of Fisheries is a very enthusiastic person. He is a world trained professor in fisheries. This Motion, if passed, should be fast-tracked and the resolutions should be taken seriously by the Department of Fisheries so that they can offer employment for our youth and have processing centres in the country to export fish. We should not complain. We are complaining because we are our own enemies instead of helping our people to set up fish processing plants. Fish farming is all over the lake region, all the way to Trans Nzoia. We have a lot of land and we can have fish farming in the rivers and ponds. Therefore, the Government needs to take this Motion very seriously and promote fish farming in these regions. With those few remarks, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I support the Motion. Let us fast-track its implementation for the Government to take it seriously and stop importation of GMO fish from China. I support the 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.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): I now give the Floor to nominated Member, Hon. Patrick Wangamati.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. Going by what I have been hearing in this House, many Members have given us enough education on how fish is handled in this country. There is need for this country to have a training school so that we can have people trained on how to handle fish and train our people on fishing. I want to support Mheshimiwa Mary Wambui on what she has said. I did not expect her to talk that much about fish. She knows more than me who stays around Lake Victoria. We need to get cleanliness in handling fish in this country. We eat fish but we do not encourage our people on how to handle fish. This is food that every Kenyan wants; this is food that can help our people to be healthy. Fish can even help us to be healthier than we are. Because we do not give good facilities to the fishermen and teach them how to handle fish, this Government must be called upon to establish how fish can be reared in our lakes. I appreciate this opportunity so that I also put pressure on the Executive not to let our fish farmers in Lake Victoria down. Get them a school which can train our fishermen to know how to handle fish with good facilities. With these few remarks, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I support the Motion that Hon. Rose has brought to this House. Thank you very much.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): I now give the Floor to the Member for Turkana, Hon. Joyce Akai. Let us hear from Turkana as well.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would like to congratulate Hon. Rose Nyamunga for this very important Motion. Fishing is very important in terms of the global economy and it is an earner for our national economy. It is a source of livelihood and employment for our young people and the community at large. We have adequate data on fishing in Kenya, that is, in Lake Victoria, Lake Turkana and other water bodies within the country. This adequate information can inform the establishment of fish processing plants, coolants and training centres. It can also support introduction of viable species in our water bodies, for instance, the tuna fish which is the most economically viable marine species. We have regulatory frameworks under the Fisheries Act that can also support what this Motion calls upon. While Kenya targets both local and international fish markets, it is common knowledge that most of our fish is locally consumed just because we lack the technical support to produce what can go out of the country. We lack non-centralised databases. Lake Turkana, for instance, has a big factory that was constructed by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) many years back and it has been lying as a white elephant. A lake that can produce over 5,000 metric tonnes of fish without technical support can produce much more. People are dying of hunger. The Turkana community is the poorest in Kenya. The 855,000 people who live along that lake, who should be benefitting and getting money from the fish, are unable to fish. In 2006 Lake Victoria produced 144,000 metric tonnes of fish. This declined in 2008 and 2009 to 108,000 metric tonnes. The same happened to Lake Turkana and other water bodies. We call upon the Government to come up with policies that will guide the county governments since the fishing industry has been devolved to come up with proper legislation to enhance the fishing industry in Kenya. With those few remarks, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I wish to support 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.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): I now give the Floor to the Member for Awendo, Hon. Jared Opiyo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to speak to this matter. I have been waiting to speak for the last three hours. I am happy finally to have got the opportunity. I want to congratulate Hon. Nyamunga for coming up with this Motion. However, I wish she could have framed it so that this House ‘resolves’. This House has never and will never debate in vain. That is why on an important matter like this, we cannot afford to just ‘urge’ the Government because it may decide to act or fail to act. I wish she framed it differently. Having said that, food scientists have actually ascertained that fish is the best form of protein. A lot of dieticians discourage us from taking red meat and encourage us to take white meat like fish. Therefore, we should put a lot of our energy towards fish development in this country.

Just about a day or two ago, the entire country was shocked to read from the media that we are actually eating imported fish from China. We have a lot of fish resources in this country but the Government has embarked on a systematic and calculated move to kill the fish industry. How on earth can you explain that people in Kisumu are eating imported fish while they sit on the second largest fresh water lake in the world? The Motion by Hon. Nyamunga to start training institutions and fish processing plants is a very important one. The fishing folk continue to live in poverty because, as one of the contributors said, the buyers of fish set fish prices. What happens after the fishing folk come from the lake is they embark on panic selling because if they delay for a few minutes---

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Milly, you have just come in. I am not sure you have seen anything that can be out of order. Please, allow the member to finish so that you do not get into his time.

She has just come in and she is interrupting me. I do not know what is wrong. Immediately after they come from the lake, the fishermen embark on what is called “panic selling” because fish and fish products are highly perishable. We have heard from the contributors here that sometime back in 2005, President Kibaki’s National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC) Government promised to give each and every county or fishing beach some kind of fish cooling plants. That has never come to pass. That is why I say that these governments have been embarking on a calculated and systematic move to kill the fishing industry. Some Committees in this House must take blame for not giving attention to the fishing industry. Sometime last year, I brought a Motion here that intended to strengthen or introduce marine policing in all our water bodies in this country. When it reached the budget stage, it was killed. When I asked them, they said they are gatekeeping. We do not who they are gatekeeping for. Are fisher folk in this country secondary citizens? As representatives of the people, we should be in the forefront in advocating for what matters most to our people because that will go a long way in trying to ensure security for the people who go fishing. We know that every year in this country, the government introduces a temporary ban on fishing of small fish in Lake Victoria. That is an unnecessary because we are supposed to study the fish behaviour, the way they breed and then allow people to continue fishing while protecting the breeding sites of these various fish. That is why it is important for us to introduce training in the fishing industry in this country so that our people can learn how to fish while still conserving the fishing resources in this country. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

With those many remarks, I support Hon. Nyamunga on this and wish that she would just alter the Motion to read: “Parliament resolves.” Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): There is nobody on the Floor; there can be nothing out of order. What is your point of order, Hon. Millie?

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I was unwell in the morning but I got an urgent message from Mr. Oremo, who is the county Beach Management Unit (BMU) chairman for Homa Bay. It has forced me to come even though I am unwell. He wanted me to say: “There is urgent issue that needs your immediate intervention, fish from China has flooded the Kenya market. Kindly mobilise Members of Parliament from the lake region and let them know that our livelihoods are threatened.”

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Thank you, Hon. Millie, you are contributing.

I an not contributing, I just wanted to indicate---

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Millie, I have given you your time. It is not a point of order, you are actually contributing.

But, I have not indicated my point of order.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Gumbo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for an opportunity to contribute to this important Motion by my good friend, Hon. Rose Nyamunga of Kisumu County. This Motion is coming at a time when the fishing industry in Kenya is facing serious threats. It has faced serious threats before, but right now the threat it is facing is even bigger. This is a contradiction of sorts because our country has thousands of nautical miles of sea front. It has access to the second largest fresh water lake in the world and has very large inland water bodies and over a dozen permanent rivers. All these are massive opportunities for development of a viable aqua industry which Kenya has not done. The fact that Kenya with such abundant aquatic resources has one of the list developed blue economies in the world is, in my view, a thorough indictment of successive regimes of this country for the last 50 years. Indeed, it becomes a major concern that our aquatic resources are so underdeveloped to a point that now we seem to think that the solution to our problems especially with regard to feeding our people on fish lies on importing fish of doubtable quality from China. Why, for example, after so many years, do we not have institutions of higher learning up to university level in Kisumu, Mombasa and Malindi which are dedicated to training on aqua technology and its culture in general? This is a need for worry. I believe if the Government wanted to do this they would have done so. As we debate this Motion - I am glad it is coming at a time when none other than the Chief Executive of the State of Israel is visiting our country. The State of Israel is virtually a desert nation but one of the things it is notable for is that it feeds its own people. I have said it here before. Kenya cannot hope to be a developed country when every year we go out with begging bowls on matters food and we cannot feed our people. Many of our people’s daily struggle is on how to feed themselves.

(Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh): Hon. Gumbo, You will have six more minutes when this Motion comes back on the Order Paper.

I thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. 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.) Shebesh): Hon. Members, the time being 1.00 pm, the House stands adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 1.00 pm

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.