Order, Members! We seem to be just short of the requisite quorum. Therefore, I order the Quorum Bell to be rung for 10 minutes.

Order, Members! We have attained the quorum. Therefore, we will start business. Proceed.

Is the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing in the House? I can see he is there. Hon. Kamanda, you were supposed to report on this one.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to report that we have three Petitions that were referred to my Committee. On Wednesday 30th March 2016, Hon. Francis Munyua Waititu, presented a Petition in this House regarding construction of foot bridges along the Thika Superhighway on behalf of the residents of Juja Constituency.

Order, Hon. Members! Please, let us listen to the Chairman in silence, particularly to the right of the House.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. In the said Petition, the Petitioners had the following prayer:- THAT, the National Assembly through the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing recommends that the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, through 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.

Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), constructs footbridges along the Thika Superhighway. In considering the Petition, the Committee held a meeting with the Petitioner and the Member of Parliament attended our meeting. After a long consideration of the matters raised in the Petition, the Committee made the following observations:- The residents of Juja Constituency highly appreciate the numerous economic, environmental and infrastructural benefits brought about by the construction of the Thika Superhighway. It includes creation of jobs, facilitation of transportation, access and demand for goods and services. It has eased suppliers’ efforts. Currently, there are 18 footbridges along the Thika Superhighway and 10 more footbridges were designed and have not been constructed due to budgetary constraints. Having considered the matters brought to the Committee by the Petitioner, the Committee recommends the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development should construct the 10 already designed footbridges to help curb road carnage. The Ministry, through the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), should ensure that traffic laws are enhanced, not only along this road, but also across the country and offenders should be prosecuted. The area Member attended, but he seems not to be in the House now. I confirm he was with us and he was happy with the report that was given by the Cabinet Secretary (CS).

We will be getting the next Petition from the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives. I think that will be by the Vice Chairperson, Hon. Miriti.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. On Wednesday 4th May 2016, we received a Petition tabled in the House pursuant to Article 119(1) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, and Standing Order No.225(2)(a) by Hon. Peter Kamande on behalf of the residents of Maragwa Constituency on the ban of sale and export of Macadamia nuts. The Petitioners prayed that we amend Section 43 of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) Act 2013, to provide for sale and export of raw nuts, in particular the raw Macadamia nuts. The Petitioners prayed that we make any other order or direction that the Committee deems fit in the circumstances of the case. The Committee met the following over the Petition:- (a) Hon. Peter Kamande, MP; (b) A representative of Macadamia farmers; (c) A representative of the Nut Processors Association of Kenya; and, (d) Received a written report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. When we were perusing this Petition, we sought to justify why the ban was legislated in this House. The main objective of the ban as provided in the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) Act 2013, is to ensure the country undertakes value addition of the nut industry to achieve more value for farmers’ investment. The ban is meant to protect the infant industry from stiff competition from well established nut processing countries like Australia and the United States of America (USA), particularly Hawaii. The ban was aimed at encouraging foreign firms interested in processing Kenyan nuts to set up processing plants locally, and therefore, provide the much needed employment opportunities to Kenyan citizens. The Committee made the following recommendations:- 1. That the ban on the sale and exportation of raw Macadamia nuts be maintained as provided in Section 43 of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) Act 2013. It is in the best interest of the nut industry in the country for value addition. 2. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, through the Agriculture Food and Fisheries Authority (AFFA), should encourage licensing of more processors in the market to promote competition. 3. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, through the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA), in conjunction with the Nut Processors Association, to intensify sensitisation of nut farmers through training on various technologies and skills in Macadamia nut production and assist farmers to form groups to better their bargaining power. 4. The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, through AFFA, to spearhead the introduction of Macadamia farming in new areas that have shown more potential in growing the crop. 5. The Ministry should also support the Macadamia nut farmers through the existing Commodities Fund as provided in the Crops Act 2013. 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.

6. Finally, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries should intensify research activities in various nut growing areas in the country in order to improve the crop and ensure that it meets international standards. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

I will allow a few Members to make comments. We should have done that for the previous Committee Chair, but it is not too late. I can give a few Members an opportunity. Let us start with Hon. Makali.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Let me start by thanking the two Committee Chairmen for this feedback on the Petitions. Most of us have pending Petitions in this House and it has taken quite long for us to get feedback from the Committees. So, I appreciate Hon. Kamanda and Hon. Mbiuki for the feedback. I want to comment on Hon. Kamanda’s Report. Hon. Kamanda has reported that the plans to implement what was requested are there, but they are subject to availability of resources. That makes me worried. If they think the Petition has merit, the Committee should go to the next level and make sure that in the next Budget, resources are provided for the implementation of what has been requested. It is important for the Committee to take the initiative to push for the resources so that these issues are implemented. They are quite important. These are important issues to the people who elected the Members and it is important for us, as a House, to address them.

There is no other major interest. So, I will proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I wish to comment on the response given by Hon. Mbiuki on Macadamia. I am not satisfied with the suggestion that raw Macadamia export was banned because of adding value. The value of what we get from farming is what you pay me. If I get more after I export raw Macadamia, that is better for me. I want to ask the Committee whether they managed to find out the number of factories which add value to Macadamia in our country. As far as I know, we only have one factory in our country. This factory will have a monopoly as far as buying of Macadamia is concerned and that limits the market. It is important for us to rethink the decision of banning the exportation of raw nuts because if farmers are not allowed to export on their own, that also limits their income. If there is no competition, I do not think there will be any value addition. The value will only go to businessmen, but not to the farmer. I disagree and wish the Committee could dig deeper to understand why the sale and exportation of Macadamia was banned. I do not think the true position is because of value addition.

We will move to the next Order.

Let us have the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the House:- The Report of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing on the Petition by Hon. David Karithi on behalf of pupils and parents of K.K. Nkengechia Primary School regarding the relocation and construction of the school. 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 Report of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing on the Petition by Hon. Francis Munyua Waititu, on behalf of the residents of Juja Constituency regarding construction of foot bridges along the Thika Superhighway. The Report of the Departmental Committee on Transport, Public Works and Housing on the Petition by residents of Lurambi, Kakamega County, on construction of speed bumps on the Kakamega-Mumias Road.

Let us have Hon. Miriti.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the House:- The Report of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Cooperatives on the Petition by Macadamia farmers from Maragwa on lifting of the ban on export of raw Macadamia.

We will move to the next Order.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:- THAT, aware that the betting and gambling industry in Kenya has attracted a lot of public interest in the recent past leading to its exponential growth; further aware that the services of betting companies like SportPesa,Elitebet, Betway, Betin Kenya and mCHEZA, among many others are now easily accessible via online and mobile platforms; deeply concerned that the industry is facing a myriad of challenges such as weak and insufficient regulatory and institutional frameworks, proliferation of betting and gambling activities and attendant negative societal impacts; also cognisant of claims of tax evasion, tax avoidance and money laundering in some of the betting, gambling and casino businesses; appreciating the fact that the Government has a role in strengthening the licensing and collection of tax revenues from the industry while ensuring its sustainability; further noting that although the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution has devolved the functions of betting and gambling to the county governments, Articles 95(2), 189(2) and 191(1) and (2) of the Constitution allow the national Government, through Parliament, to resolve issues of concern to the people and pass laws to ensure uniformity of action across the country; mindful of the fact that in several developed jurisdictions, betting and gambling activities are regulated in the same manner as other financial sectors such as insurance and banking with regard to disclosure of information, conflict of interest, enforcement of age limits of participants, audit, reporting, licensing and taxation, this House resolves to establish a select committee to inquire into the activities of the betting and gambling industry with regard to tax compliance, claims of financial impropriety, regulation and benefits to the society and State, identify best practices from other jurisdictions on the management of proceeds from betting 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.

activities, and report back to the House within fourteen (14) days; and approve the appointment of the following Members to the Select Committee:- 1. The Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo, MP - Chair. 2. The Hon. Kanini Kega, MP - Vice Chair. 3. The Hon. Aden Duale, EGH, MP. 4. The Hon. Thomas Mwadeghu, MP. 5. The Hon. (Ms.) Roselinda Soipan Tuya, MP. 6. The Hon. Samuel K. Gichigi, MP. 7. The Hon. Samuel Chepkong'a, MP. 8. The Hon. (Ms.) Dorcas Kedogo, MP. 9. The Hon. Daniel K. Maanzo, MP. 10. The Hon. Benjamin Langat, MP, and 11. The Hon. (Ms.) Mary Keraa, MP.

I now give this chance to Hon. (Ms.) Emanikor.

She is not in.

Next Order!

On this one, what remained was for the Question to be put. We do not have the capacity to put the Question. I, therefore, defer Order Nos.8, 9, and 10 to this afternoon.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move:- The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

THAT, the Bill be amended by deleting Clause 2 and substituting therefor the following new clause— (2) The Kenya National Examinations Council Act is amended by inserting the following new section immediately after section 10— Ranking of institutions 10A.(1) The Cabinet Secretary shall, in every academic year, of basic education.

rank institutions of basic education that offer primary education

or secondary education based on—

(a) academic performance in national examinations; and

(b) performance in co-curricular activities.

(2) For purposes of ranking under Sub-Section (1) —

(a) the Kenya National Examinations Council shall

submit to the Cabinet Secretary, data regarding the

academic performance, in national examinations, of

institutions of basic education that offer primary or

secondary education; and

(b) every County Director of Education shall submit the

data regarding the performance, in co-curricular

activities, of institutions of basic education that offer

primary or secondary education to the Director-

General for transmission to the Cabinet Secretary.

(3) The Cabinet Secretary shall, as soon as practicable after the

No. 12 of 2013 receipt of the data referred under Subsection (2), announce and publish the results and ranks of institutions as prescribed in subsection(1). (4) The Cabinet Secretary may make rules for the purpose of ranking of institutions of basic education that offer primary or secondary education. (5) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4) the Cabinet Secretary may provide for— (a) the form and method of categorisation of institutions of basic education that offer primary or secondary education for ranking purposes; (b) the announcement and publication of the results in national examinations and co-curricular activities of institutions of basic education that offer primary or secondary education and their ranking; (c) the criteria to be used in ranking; (d) submission and management of data under Sub- Section (3); and (e) any other matter that requires to be prescribed under this section. (6) In this section, the words— (a) “County Director of Education”; and (b) “Director General” have the respective meanings assigned to them under the Basic Education Act; 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 Committee is in support of ranking of institutions of basic education. However, the bone of contention in this matter is on the criteria to be applied in order to achieve the intended result of ranking without only concentrating on academic ranking. The Committee proposes that optimum results both academic performance in national examination and co-curricular activities be taken into consideration in ranking in order to remove emphasis from ranking based on academic performances and also to consider co-curricular activities as a vital element in a child’s education. We have a further amendment on 10A(2) for purposes of ranking under Subsection (1).

Hon. (Ms.) S.W. Chege, we are dealing with your amendment to Clause 2.

The further amendment is on the same section.

Give me a minute to confirm that. We will consider that you are making an amendment. If you make it a further amendment, then that has a different implication.

For purposes of ranking under Subsection (1)(a) the Kenya National Examinations Council shall submit to the Cabinet Secretary, data regarding the academic performance in national examinations, of institutions of basic education that offer primary or secondary education, and in (b) every County Director of Education shall submit data regarding the performance in co-curricular activities of institutions of basic education that offer primary or secondary education to the Director-General for transmission to the CS.

Hon. (Ms.) S.W. Chege, since Members have this amendment in their Order Papers, you can just move it as per the Order Paper and then make justifications.

I stand guided. The Committee proposes that the CS will be mandated to rank institutions of basic education based on the data received from both KNEC with respect to examination results, and from County Directors of Education who will speak to co-curricular activities. They will then submit data via the Director-General. Further, the Committee proposes to delegate legislation powers to the CS for the enactment of regulations and rules for purposes of effective ranking. In that regard, the rules may be stipulated to form the forms and methods of categorisation of institutions of basic education for purposes of ranking. This is in order to offer a level playing field for institutions and ensure that similar categorised institutions are ranked together. Similarly, the criterion for ranking will also be stipulated in regulations in order to offer clarity and transparency to the public. Further, the CS is empowered to make rules on the modality of announcement and publication, including the announcement date. For purposes of carrying out ranking better, the CS is empowered to make general rules and regulations for matters related to ranking. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for purposes of consistency of the laws and removal of ambiguity in this section, the terms “County Director of Education” and “Director-General” have adopted the meaning under the Basic Education Act. When the Committee was discussing these amendments, there was a heated debate on how to rank schools fairly because some schools are disadvantaged. Schools are not on the same level. That is why the Committee said it will encourage ranking of schools with similar capacity. We know that national schools are provided with similar equipment. They are well facilitated by the Government. If you go to some day schools, their facilities are wanting. That is why we propose that ranking should be done on the schools of similar categories rather than generalisation. 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 have seen schools being burnt. We have put a lot of emphasis on education. We have also put a lot of pressure on our teachers to perform. We want to appreciate the institutions which are doing very well in co-curricular activities because learning is not all about education and passing in examinations. We want to note the schools which do well in drama festivals, sports and other activities.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman.

I will give a chance to two more Members. We will start with Hon. Kamunye.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I rise to support the proposed amendment by the Committee. I had my own misgivings when the amendment was brought to the Floor of this House. As it has been indicated, sometimes it is extremely unfair to rank all schools together yet some schools do not have learning facilities. Some schools do not have qualified teachers or laboratories, yet they do the same examination with well equipped schools. They are ranked with schools which have all the facilities. The direction the Committee has taken, where only schools under similar circumstances are going to be ranked together, makes a lot of sense.

I am happy because co-curricular activities are also taken into consideration. The only thing I do not know, which I hope the CS will give us details when he comes up with regulations, is how co-curricular activities will be ranked. That is an extremely difficult area because of lack of facilities and coaches.

I support the amendment.

We are taking too long on every contribution this morning. We should make very brief comments at this point in time. Let us hear Hon. Omar.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I stand to support this amendment. I agree with the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology that ranking should be done in a more systematic manner than in the past. It is not possible to compare institutions which are not at the same development levels. Some schools lack basic facilities like laboratories and you want to compare them with Alliance and Lenana High Schools. It becomes difficult.

I understand from the Mover of the Bill that it intends to separate private and public schools. This is another important way of ranking schools. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology must put in place stringent measures to ensure that private schools do not use the opportunity to be ranked highly because they are business entities. They want their schools to appear as high as possible on the ladder, so that they can attract more children. That encourages them to be corrupt and steal examinations. The Ministry needs to put in a lot of measures to curb that practice.

I support the amendment because it is important.

Members, I review my earlier ruling that I would give opportunity to two Members. I will give opportunity to four more Members. They must be very brief. I am doing that because I have noticed that this is the only clause which has been proposed for amendments. I also know that this is a matter which has some concern nationally. 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 will start with Hon. Richard Kenta.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I would like to join my colleagues in supporting this amendment. I believe that the criterion being used now might be a bit fair. Originally, ranking of schools was used as a gimmick to market some schools at the expense of others. Rural schools have been left out. The equipment or the facilities available in those schools are inferior. That has been an abuse. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should be very careful in the way it formulates the regulations.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman.

Hon. George Theuri.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I support the amendment, but my concern is on how ranking of co-curricular activities will be done.

Hon. Jackson Rop.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I want to support the Committee’s amendment. This will go a long way to support co-curricular activities. The performance of small schools will be recognised in this country. We have been ranking schools in terms of education performance, but when we bring in co-curricular activities, we can bring on board small schools which perform so well in these activities.

I support the amendment.

Hon. Ottichilo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I am a Member of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology. I want to support this amendment because of the way we have restructured it to ensure that we rank schools according to categories. We have different schools with different facilities and capabilities. Therefore, ranking should be based on categorisation. We have neglected co-curricular activities so much. There are certain schools that do well in co-curricular activities. We would like to promote co- curricular activities, so that they become part of the ranking system.

I support the amendment.

Member for Awendo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I want to support the Committee’s amendment. I want to add that when this Act comes into force, we will make sure that schools are ranked in the way they are managed in terms of financial management and curriculum implementation. It should be done after every five years, so that we know the way our schools perform in other activities.

Hon. Barua.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman. I rise to support this amendment by the Chair of the Committee. I support ranking of schools because it brings the spirit of competition. We all want to perform better than other schools in our neighbourhood. As we put ranking in place, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should ensure that the aspect of cheating in exams is contained.

Secondly, I support the inclusion of co-curricular activities in ranking, but in the criterion of ranking, which will be developed by the CS, we should establish what percentage goes to academic performance and which one goes to co-curricular performance.

Finally, I would like to say that it is good for the Ministry to keep an updated register of equipment in the respective schools. There should be an affirmative action in the schools which are not well equipped in order to raise them to be at par with the rest.

I support the amendment. 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. Cheboi)

Hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, I beg to move that the Committee doth report to the House its consideration of the Kenya National Examination Council (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No.1 of 2016) and its approval thereof with amendments.

Very well and I put the Question.

Let us have the Chairperson, Hon. Omulele.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to report that a Committee of the whole House has considered the Kenya National Examination Council (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No.1 of 2016) and approved the same with amendments.

(Hon. Cheboi)

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move that the House doth agree with the Committee in the said Report. I request Hon. Abdikadir to second the Motion in agreement with the Report of the Committee of the whole House.

seconded.

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.

Let me start with Hon. Aringo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support the Bill particularly the amendment that has brought in other aspects of learning like extra-curricular activities. As for how this will be done, that is where experts will have to sit down and see what weight to give to each item. I am happy for the suggestion of ranking schools according to their management, academics, extra-curricular activities and many other aspects, so that everybody will be keen in their input.

Let us have Hon. Bishop Mutua. Please, place your card again at the intervention slot.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support and will make two comments. One, it is very important for all of us to take keen interest in this particular aspect. This will ensure that we begin to work together to solve the problems facing our children and institutions instead of playing the blame game. Secondly, it is high time we do tangible initiatives that can yield change within our institutions and society. This will show that we are developing and changing lives of the people. Let it be about the people and nothing else.

Hon. Hassan Mohamed Mwanyoha.

Sorry, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I was just preparing myself for the Motion on provision of water to public facilities by Hon. Mwadime.

Then you will have to place your card again. I have just removed you from the queue. I will give a chance to Hon. Rahim Dawood.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I appreciate that you have noticed me. I want to congratulate Hon. Wamalwa and agree with the amendments that have been brought by the Chair. Regarding ranking of schools, we had gone wrong a little bit somewhere. Ranking should not be done to glorify people who cheat in exams. I believe what the CS is doing with regard to examinations is the best way to go and I support him fully. At least, now we will get the right ranks and not the lopsided ranking, where the rich, who can afford to buy exams, were at the top and the poor, who toiled hard, did not make it to the list. We need to get to the bottom of this and use co-curriculum activities, so that school children can relieve their stress, if it is too much, enjoy their studies and make something out for themselves. With those few remark, I support.

Hon. Melly.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Bill. Ranking is very important and the proposed Bill will ensure that schools of various categories, either day schools, extra-provincial or county schools are ranked based on the facilities and the services they offer. It is a progressive Bill and will ensure that everyone in the education sector is held accountable.

Let us have Hon. Gumbo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. This is a very good move by both my good friend, Hon. (Dr.) Chris Wamalwa and the Committee. Being one of the proponents of ranking of schools for a long time, this is a good moment for all of us. As we do ranking, I do not see any need for this obsession with categorisation. 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 remember back in the days when some of us went to district schools, we were proud to compete and sometimes defeat the giants of the time like Alliance and Mang’u high schools. Therefore, the obsession with categorisation may not be good. Lastly, I noticed that under Clause 4, the CS may make rules for purposes of ranking of institutions of basic education, namely, primary and secondary schools. If you remember, when we did the rules that were governing the management of control of fees in certain schools, those were very contentious issues.

You are taking too long Hon. Member.

This provision should be made with the ride and understanding that these rules will be brought here, be debated and approved before they are implemented. I support.

I can see there is quite a lot of interest in this debate. Let me give a chance to one more Member. Hon. Njagagua, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Indeed, I am also thankful to the Mover of this Bill, especially on the bit of ranking of schools. Ranking should not bring issues of anxiety to students and make them burn down schools.

I request the Mover to move the Third Reading.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move that the Kenya National Examination Council (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No.1 of 2016) be now read the Third Time. I request Hon. Abdikadir to second.

seconded.

I will give opportunity to very few Members, starting with Hon. Wanyonyi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would like to support this Bill. Ranking of schools brings out the spirit of competition, which is healthy. While we encourage ranking of schools, it should not be done in a haphazard manner. We have seen some private schools not being ranked yet their owners have invested in the education sector. We encourage the Government to also improve the environment in our public schools so as to compete effectively with private schools so that ranking can be done in a more systematic way. I also support the inclusion of co-curricular activities alongside academic performance in ranking. I support.

Let us hear Hon. Letimalo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Before I make my comments, I think it is important to bring to the attention of the Chair that there is a problem with the system. We log in and the system fails.

Just to correct you, Hon. Letimalo, it is not the system that has a problem, but your card. Immediately after this, you need to report it and it will be rectified. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I will take the advice. I want to support this Bill. I am in support of the spirit of competition among schools. However, I am concerned about one thing. There are schools in some regions that continuously perform poorly in national examinations. I think it is important for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the relevant Committee of this House to carry out investigations and find out why there is this poor performance of schools. One of the most important things that the Government should do is to facilitate officials in the Ministry to visit schools and carry out assessments, so that they can know the actual problem to ensure that these schools perform well.

Lastly, let us hear Hon. Makenga.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support this important Bill. Ranking of schools is back. This will bring competition among schools and schools that perform poorly will improve. I also support the inclusion of co-curricular activities to be ranked. There are some regions which perform very well in co-curricular activities. Therefore, we shall be able to identify them and rank them. That will also enable identification of talent in those regions. I support.

Hon. Members, we will not put the Question because we have just run short of numbers. We will just go to the next Order.

Hon. Members, let us see if Hon. Chidzuga is in the House because she had a balance of five minutes. In her absence, she loses the five minutes. For purposes of your own planning, we have a balance of one hour and 35 minutes. We will proceed, starting with Hon. Pukose. He is also absent. The next Member is Hon. Iringo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. Before I contribute, I have neighbours and friends here whose cards are not working. I do not know how they will catch your eye. I support the Motion. Provision of water in public places is paramount. As it has been 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.

said, water is life. In overcrowded areas like schools, churches and markets, it should be mandatory that there is water and other sanitation requirements for purposes of hygiene and cleanliness.

It should be noted that in Kenya and in Africa generally, we are always talking of some historical diseases which are as dead as a dodo in developed countries. This is because we have never taken it seriously to make sure that each and every public place has water. At Independence, we said that by this time, each and every household should have water, but unfortunately many institutions, leave alone homes, do not have water. People literally walk five to 10 kilometres in search of water and go back with only 20 litres of water, which is used by the whole family for a day or two before the mother of the family again treks back to look for water. It is high time county governments, which are tasked with the responsibility of supplying water to their residents, ensured that first and foremost, every market has flush toilets and a reliable source of water. You find that some institutions have water in one season and in another season, they do not have water. Schools where our children learn, especially in rural areas, rely on rain water which they tap from rooftop of classrooms and other buildings. They store water in tanks. Unfortunately, once that water is finished, they have nothing to use. Some schools even have food, but cannot get water to cook it. Therefore, it must be a priority for county governments to make sure that every institution, especially schools, has water. Students walk long distances to fetch water. Most of the time, they lose learning time because of the water problem. When they get water, there is nowhere to store it and most of it is wasted. Therefore, there should be proper planning, so that during the rainy season, there is proper water harvesting and storage for purposes of ensuring that during the dry spells, institutions do not run out of water. Finally, I will reiterate and emphasise that most of our markets and public spaces such as bus stops should have proper sanitation facilities with adequate water all the time. Measures should be put in place, so that these institutions do not run out of water and we can prevent waterborne diseases and keep our people healthy and clean. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

That was a good contribution. The next is Member for Kibunguchy.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, you are still learning the ropes. You said: “The Member for Kibunguchy.” It is the Member for Likuyani, Dr. Kibunguchy. All the same, may I congratulate you for having been picked to join the Chairperson’s Panel?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to support this Motion wholeheartedly because, as a medical doctor, I know that water is very important in our lives, especially in the lives of the very young amongst us. Kids love to play and run around, and it is very easy for them to pick up diseases without water in schools. We now have jiggers that have come back to us. We thought that jiggers were an infestation that was being gotten rid of, but it seems to be 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.

coming back in a very big way. We have diarrhoeal diseases that are associated with lack of water. In my view, this Motion is very important. I congratulate the Mover and ask that soon after we pass the Motion, he should translate it into a Bill so that it can be operational.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there are many aspects of water in schools. One of the important aspects is that we can get our children to learn farming. Some of them have not learnt farming very well. They can plant trees around schools. We can even go further to encourage most of our schools to keep poultry, dairy animals and even fish ponds. All those can supplement the income of schools and also supplement the school feeding programmes that are currently going on.

Finally, I know that in some incidences, it might not be easy to have piped water. We can have all aspects of collecting water in schools, including collecting water from rooftops, drilling boreholes within catchment areas in the neighbourhood of schools for use by both the schools and households within that neighbourhood, so that our women do not have to walk long distances in search of water for cooking and other household needs. If you were to ask me, I would say that, just like electricity, provision of water in schools should have been a bigger priority than being fixated with provision of laptops to pupils in Standard One. Provision of water in schools should have been prioritized ahead of even electricity. Water touches everybody. It touches the common man and the common child. Water is life. Therefore, I would like to urge my brother to move with speed and ensure that the passage of this Motion leads to a Bill for consideration by this House.

With those remarks, I beg to support.

Member for Likuyani, I apologise for the mistake that I made earlier, and thank you for your contribution.

I now want to give an opportunity to the Member for Kipkelion West.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you for joining the Speakers’ Panel.

I want to support this Motion by Hon. Mwadime. We need to provide water to every public institution. Many public institutions in Kenya do not have clean water for people to consume. Over three quarters of schools in my constituency do not have water and yet, water is a basic need. I would like to encourage the Government to allocate resources to the Ministry responsible for education, in collaboration with the county governments, so that we can have water in public institutions.

Most schools have school feeding programmes. They have to fetch water which is not fit for human consumption and use it to feed our children. We should not be talking of provision of water in our institutions in the 21st Century. We should be having clean water. I want to encourage the Government; that they are doing well in terms of electricity connectivity although electricity is not as basic as water in terms of basic human needs. Water should have been given the first priority in every public institution. At our markets centres, people suffer on market days because getting clean water is not easy. I am making reference to rural areas. We are not facing that challenge in the urban cities. It is a big issue in the rural areas. Even at offices of administrative units like chiefs and Assistant County Commissioners in upcountry, you will rarely find water. As they offer services, people suffer because they lack that very important commodity in those institutions. We want to encourage the Government to allocate resources to the Ministry of Education to collaborate with county governments to ensure that, that very important commodity is provided in our institutions. I support the Motion by saying that we will 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.

push for it to become a Bill, so that public institutions in this country can have that very important commodity.

Thank you.

Thank you, Member for Kipkelion. Our next speaker will be the Member for Matuga.

Shukrani, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Kwanza, nataka kukupongeza kwa kazi nzito ambayo umeipata. Naamini unaiweza.

Mhe. Spika Naibu wa Muda, Hoja hii ni muhimu sana kwa sababu hakuna kitu kinachoweza kufanyika katika kijiji au shuleni bila maji kuwepo. Badala ya umeme kupewa kipaumbele, ingefaa maji yapewe umuhimu zaidi kwa sababu maji ni uhai. Hivi sasa, watoto wetu katika shule nyingi wanafaidika na mpango wa chakula cha mchana. Ni lazima chakula hicho kipikwe kutumia maji. Watoto wetu wanapitia hali taabani, wakitembea mwendo wa kilomita 10 wakitafuta maji. Licha ya masaibu yanayowakumba wanafunzi shuleni, kuwepo kwa maji vijijini pia ni muhimu.

Watu wengi wanapata magonjwa kwa sababu wanachimba mashimo ili maji yatoke. Wengi wao hunywa maji mitoni – mito ambamo ngómbe, mbuzi na wanyama wengine wameenda haja zao ndani. Hali hiyo huwafanya wananchi kuwa wagonjwa. Ningependa kukuhakikishia kwamba kule nitokako, Matuga, nyumba zimevunjika kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa maji. Mnajua, utamu wa bwana na bibi kitandani ni masaa ya kuanzia saa kumi hadi saa kumi na mbili asubuhi. Wakati huo, unapata bibi akiruka kutoka kitandani na akiulizwa, anasema anaenda kutafuta maji. Bibi anarauka kwenda kutafuta maji wakati bwana anahitaji kukumbatiwa.

Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, tungependa kuondoa hali hii kwa sababu miji imebomoka.

Kuna watoto nyumbani!

Watoto wanajua kwamba walizaliwa pia. Maji ni muhimu na tunaiomba Serikali ihakikishe kwamba imechukua jukumu hili kwa dhati zaidi na kulipa umuhimu. Nampongeza Mhe. Mwadime kwa kuuleta Mswada huu Bungeni. Nakupongeza tena, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa nafasi hii. Ahsante na Mungu atubariki sote.

Kwa hayo machache, naunga Mkono Hoja huu.

Nashukuru Mheshimiwa Mwanyoha. Ahsante. I will give the next opportunity to the Member for Gichugu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to make my contribution to this very important Motion, which is focusing on the provision of water to public facilities. First, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your new appointment as a member of the Speaker’s Panel. I know you well and your capability. I know you are going to add value and offer good service to this Parliament. I support this Motion. This Motion is critical in a way because it touches on water. According to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which have been adopted by United Nations (UN), goal number six talks about availability of clean water and sanitation by 2030. That will be the 15th year of the implementation of the SDGs. It also coincides with Vision 2030 for this country. So, it is important that, as we work to achieve this target, we ensure that the common man on the ground has access to water. 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, I want to focus on public places. I will start by ranking them in terms of schools, markets, bus stops and public parks. The Government of Kenya has already succeeded in connecting over 95 per cent of both secondary and primary schools in this country with electricity. It is only important that we as a Government move to the next level and ensure that water is available in all primary and secondary schools and all the other public places like public parks and bus stops. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, water is life. It is going to contribute positively in the school education programmes as well as afforestation programmes. Once you have water available in all schools, they would be able to start afforestation programmes and help us to achieve the target of having 10 per cent forest cover, which is actually the globally accepted minimum requirement by the UN. That is because most of them have got expansive chunks of land. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, water in schools is very important especially for class work in connection to subjects like agriculture, laboratory tests and experiments. When you do not have water in school, it will be difficult to do well in class. Availability of water in public facilities is going to cut down on the amount of money we are spending on medical bills. According to reports from the Ministry of Health, at least, 32 per cent of domestic income goes to payment of medical fees. About 2.6 million Kenyans end up in poverty because of medical expenses. When you provide water and clean sanitation in all public places, we are going to reduce emergence of some diseases which can be controlled simply by provision of water. That is why I said this Bill is timely. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, when you talk about provision of water, the water providers be it national Government or county governments, have to make sure that we get the most innovative and cheapest way possible of getting that water. Over time, we have been wasting a lot of water which can be harvested from our rooftops during rainy seasons. I propose that as we move towards achieving the objective of this Bill, we should ensure that schools internalise and accommodate water harvesting programmes. Through water harvesting, we can have stored water which is God-given. If we cannot get water from harvesting, we can get it from boreholes, national Government and county governments supply systems. Water provision is a devolved activity, but education is not devolved. It is still a national Government activity. So, I propose that even us Hon. Members of Parliament, we should be allowed to actually implement water provision projects in schools because it is what is required for schools to perform well. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, just the other day, toilet facilities were privatised in Nairobi. But before that, all toilet facilities and sanitation facilities within the Central Business District (CBD) had collapsed and one could not get those facilities. Immediately privatisation was put in place, one can get very clean sanitation facilities which one can use at a cheap cost in all corners of Nairobi. I am saying this because if commercialisation in some places like markets is what is going to lead to sustainability and continued provision of these services, so be it. I am also proposing that in this Motion, as we move towards provision of those services, let us use innovation. Let us make the provision of water in urban areas a business. People can pay a small fee to get access to those water and sanitation facilities. When that is achieved, the facilities can be self-sustaining. Hon. Temporary Speaker, as we move towards developing this country, we should be able to move to incorporate innovation in our programmes and projects. We should be able to move to a situation of sustainability. Let us not focus our attention all the time on free donations. 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 must start subsidising consumption progressively as we move forward so that, by the end of the day, once you achieve a certain level of development, each one of us can afford those facilities. Then they can be sustained and become a way of life. Therefore, I want to end there and support this Motion. I congratulate the Mover, my friend Hon. Mwadime and I propose that he should push this Motion to be a Bill.

Thank you, Member for Gichugu. Members, I wish to recognise the presence of the following pupils in the Public Gallery:- St. Catherine Primary School, Makadara Constituency, Nairobi County; Kilgoris Primary School, Narok County and St. Michael’s Boarding Primary School, Kitui County at the Speaker’s Gallery. Moving on, I would wish to give this opportunity to the Member for Rongo.

Thank you---

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for a while, I was in charge of managing performance in this Republic and I easily get irritated when I notice imperformance particularly in the National Assembly that should be the example of best standards. I wish to support the spirit of this Motion. We have been promising Kenyans ever since. We had “Water 2000” and so on. Now, we are past 2000 by 16 years and some people are still fighting for water, particularly in the ASAL areas. The Motion is so wide. I fear that when it comes to implementation, it may be too vague because of what we are assigning the county governments and the national Government and we are still directing that financial framework be formulated and tapped water be provided. The spirit is satisfactory and that is what we are conveying. Important as water is, let those who know better formulate that framework and implement it as early as possible. When we think of public places, this again is a vague area. If we had said primary schools, secondary schools or market places, it would be clear. But this is just “public places” which keep growing. What about common water points where the public can take their cattle? Who then will be responsible for ensuring that the right water is in place and is treated continuously for human consumption and for the consumption of the animals? Other than the likely vagueness in implementation, I wish to support the spirit. Thank you.

Thank you Member for Rongo for giving those observations. They are very key. As we consider this Motion, we need to cast to our minds the roles of the counties in the Constitution. He has directed us in that direction. As we contribute and as we contemplate moving this forward into a Bill, this is an issue that will keep arising and it will be central in the way that we formulate ourselves on this issue. I know that on this side, the Member who was ahead of the queue is Member for Kipipiri but, because of gender consideration, we shall have the Member for Baringo County. Member for Kipipiri, I will still give you an opportunity.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Water is important for every human being. We are told that in our bodies, we carry a large percentage of water and we cannot do without it. Now, when we talk of water, it is unfortunate that 50 years down the line, we have not been able to supply water to each and every individual. However, talking about 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 of learning like schools, that is where our young people are nurtured and issues of water is critical.

I would ask my colleague to see how he will promote this Motion into a Bill because it is so essential. In our schools, we have so many needs. For instance, when the girl-child is in her days, water is a very essential commodity, especially in boarding schools where there is no water. It becomes a challenge and a health issue. I support and I thank him for bringing this Motion at this point. I hear people comparing the issue of provision of electricity and water. Being in a technological age, both these items are important. We should not be saying we are taking one as a priority against the other. The children must be digital and, at the same time, they must have the essential commodities like water. We request the Government to ensure that they go hand in hand. Thank you.

Before we move, the Member for Rarieda has a proposed amendment to this Motion. I would like to give him this opportunity. I understand that he has discussed this with the Mover and they are in agreement.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I beg to move the following amendment to the Motion:- THAT, the Motion be amended by inserting the words “clean and safe” immediately after the phrase “financial framework for and provides tapped”. The Motion as amended will read:- THAT, aware that water is one of the most basic human needs; concerned about children in primary schools, especially, those that do not have access to clean tapped water; also aware that the Government is already providing electricity and food to those schools; deeply concerned that lack of water leads to a host of hygiene-related problems including jigger infestation, cholera and others, this House resolves that the Government formulates a financial framework for and provides tapped clean and safe water to all public facilities, especially primary schools, as water is life. The whole idea of introducing this amendment, which I have discussed with the Mover and we are in agreement, is that what we are looking for is not just to provide tapped water, but provide clean and safe water to our public institutions. As I had explained when I contributed to this Motion, Kenya is not a water deficient country. We have failed to harness our water resources particularly rain water. I demonstrated when I was moving that this country receives about 1,500 mm of rainfall, which is above world average. There are countries in the world which receive as little as 50 mm precipitation that depend on rain water as their main source of water. As long as we can make that water safe and clean, it is a ready source and also if your average school has a playing area of about 1,000 square metres, that can give you over 200 cubic metres of water. That is 200,000,000 litres which is more than enough to supply a school of 400 students and allow for a reserve for agriculture and related business within the school.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the emphasis is on clean and safe. We are not just looking to provide water, but we are looking to provide water which will not harm our children. It is important we emphasise that as we provide this water; whether taped or from other sources, it must be clean and safe for use by our children.

I move the amendment and request the Member for Seme to second. Thank you. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. May I also start by congratulating you. You fit the seat very nicely. I am sure and confident you will function in the seat very effectively.

I rise to support the amendment by the Hon. Member for Rarieda on the safety of water. We say water is health and life. Since we have students in the gallery, may I just make a simple statement on the importance of water in life. All processes of the body, whether digestion or respiration - I know they know and many people need to know - take place in a solution form. Therefore, without water, any living thing will die; whether it is a human being, animal or plant. All biological processes take place in a water aqueous medium. That is why we say water is life. About 60 to 70 per cent of our body is actually water. So, without it, we are dead.

What is more important on the safety bit--- It is important to have water. We all know that water transmits very many diseases like typhoid fever, cholera and all diarrhoeal diseases you can think of. It comes through water. If water is available but not safe, it can be extremely dangerous.

I want to give an example of how dangerous and expensive it is when water is not safe. Sometime in 2004/2005 – and some of us may remember – there was an outbreak of a disease in Chesamis Secondary school in western Kenya where, eventually, about 12 boys died. The problem was very simple. Up in Mt. Elgon, people were putting up simple dams and the water would be transported through taps to schools. But there was nobody really responsible for the small dams. So they were being used by---

Hon. Members, kindly, could we have the consultations lowered slightly so that the Member for Seme can be heard?

I am only seconding the Member for Rarieda. Those dams were not taken care of. A germ got in there and the children started getting sick with Leptospirosis and 12 children died. What is interesting is that it took less than Kshs10,000 to make sure that the dam upstream had some chlorine in it. All we needed was a tin of sand with chlorine in it to be kept constantly there and clean the tanks downstream and the disease was controlled. In the meantime, we had used, in Webuye Hospital, Kshs35 million treating the people who were affected. A part from losing 12 young men because the water was not safe, we also had to spend Kshs35 million for something we only spent Kshs10,000 to correct. So, it is very important for water to be safe. Economically and health-wise, it makes sense. Therefore, as we go for that water, I support this fully. We must put in place management systems and water committees in schools that will be responsible for water.

That is provided for in the Water Act as it is today. We must make sure that water is safe. The committees will be extremely important. If we do not do that, the cost of the problems we can have from water will be very high. Instead of water being for life, it will be against life.

I support the amendment that we should include the words “clean and safe” in the Motion. Thank you.

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

Are we of the opinion that this does not need debate so that we move forward?

Yes.

Hon. Members, thank you.

Hon. Members, we shall now proceed with the debate on the Motion as amended. I would like now to give the opportunity to the Member for Imenti North, Hon. Dawood.

Thank you Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First of all, let me congratulate you for being chosen into the Speaker’s Panel. I can see the fruits of you being chosen are very good.

I support this Motion by my friend Hon. Mwadime regarding water for all. I also support the amendment that it should be clean and safe water. We have been talking about water for many years. It is like a pipe-dream. Hopefully, with this Motion which says “resolves”, the national Government will come in and do it and not the county governments. We have devolved very critical functions of water and health to counties which cannot manage anything right now. They are in a predicament on what to do. Right now, they are just doing some cosmetic things which do not help at all. I agree with this Motion that all our primary schools and public facilities need to be supplied with clean and safe drinking water as well as other things. In many of our primary and secondary schools, instead of the students being seated in a classroom to learn, many of them are sent to collect water from rivers or streams either for cleaning or cooking. By the time they get back to the classroom, they are already tired. They cannot study and are at a disadvantage in relation to urban schools which have enough piped water. This will cure that anomaly. We should not only give water to the schools. We need to supply each and every homestead with clean water. It should not just be for schools. After over 50 years of Independence, we still do not have water in many villages or homesteads. It is a shame because we should be at the forefront in providing water. Hon. Mwadime’s proposal is a very good initiative, but I am afraid it might go down the drain if we leave the water function to the county governments. In Meru County, we do not even know what they propose to do with the water pipes. The water pipes are taken one day and then the next day, they are returned to the county government and the suppliers. People are cheated that there are water pipes being distributed. About a year back, water tanks were given to primary schools for storage. Unfortunately, I saw half the water tanks being transported back to Nairobi instead of going to the schools. The Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission (EACC) needs to be on top of this. If we are to achieve water for all, the county governments should be excluded from water supply. That function should be given back to the national Government. The National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NGCDF) should fund the people who need the water, but should not be used for the lopsided job that the county governments are doing. We need to see how we can construct boreholes where there are no streams. In my constituency, 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.

there are places where there are no steams or rivers. We need to see how we can construct boreholes for those public facilities where there is a water table. With that, we will be able to improve hygiene. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker and congratulations once again.

Thank you, Mheshimiw a. I would like to give this opportunity to the Member for Embakasi West.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion. Though I represent a place that is perceived to be an urban centre, I can attest to the fact that we too suffer the same predicament as other places. Our kids also suffer due to lack of piped water in their schools. We have experienced so many cases of hygiene-related diseases, thus affecting the learning of children. Water is a basic commodity. Although it is a devolved function, the Government should come up with a financial framework that will make it mandatory for every public facility to have piped or running water. It is not only schools that can benefit from this, but also all public places and facilities. Water is life. I support the Motion.

For gender purposes and also because she comes from one of the areas most affected by the matter that we are discussing, I would like to give this opportunity to Hon. Tiyah Galgallo, Member for Isiolo County.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. As a former principal and teacher, I stand to support the Motion as amended. Water is life. If we do not have water in an institution like a school where we bring many students together, it becomes a big issue. I come from Isiolo. Many of the schools there are on school-feeding programmes. They are provided with food to attract enrolment in schools. Many of those schools cook food for children. Many of the children from that particular area namely, Isiolo County, every morning, carry water in a five-litre jerry-can for them to get that food. Having gone round many of the schools in the county, I have also realized that there are so many students who have water-borne diseases because of lack of water and the unsafe water that they carry from any of the streams or any area that has ground water and bring it to school. Many of the children cannot even attend school because they do not even have that five-litre jerry-can of water to take to school. Absenteeism is a big issue because even at home, some of those children do not have water for drinking, cleaning or domestic use. This poses a huge burden to the women, especially mothers, who wake up at 3 O’clock at night to fetch water and come back at around 3 O’clock during the day. That means that when their children go to school, they do so without water. This contributes to absenteeism. It is important that the Government ensures that all schools have running clean and safe water for them to operate at their potential. As I support this Motion, I urge that as the county governments provide water to the community, they should also help in terms of ensuring that the schools have water. Water and all other educational facilities, including learning and sitting materials, will help students perform better. I am happy that this Motion was tabled so that we can compel the Government and all other stakeholders, including development partners and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) on the ground, to ensure that water is provided to children who are growing up for them to learn about hygiene. We keep on teaching them about hygiene and cleanliness and yet, they do not have clean water at school. 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 support the Motion. I hope all the other Members will support the Motion because lack of water in schools is a problem across the country.

Thank you, Hon. Member for Isiolo County for that good contribution. Members, I would like to give this opportunity to Hon. Wangamati, the nominated Member.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute. One, I also want to congratulate you for being appointed to the Speaker’s Panel of this August House. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, you look so nice when you are in the Chair.

We shall continue supporting you. I want to support this Motion.

Hon. Wangamati, just before you proceed, there are two points of order. I will start with the one by Hon. Shakila Mohammed. Maybe, she could tell us what is out of order. Just hold on so that we can deal with the points of order, and then we shall come back to you.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am just concerned whether you do not see me because of my bui bui or what!

No. I see you. I assure you that you are seen. Do not worry. Hon. Kangongo, you also had a point of order?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am just concerned. I seek your direction on this Motion given that water is now a devolved function. Is this Motion properly in this House? I heard the Hon. Member for Isiolo County saying that this House has a duty to make sure that, that important facility is taken to our schools. Even in the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) Act, water was removed because it is among those items which the courts declared unconstitutional. This is because it is under county governments.

Hon. Bowen, I had touched on the issues you are raising. Members had also raised them about the division of roles between the national Government and county governments. As you can note, this Motion has been approved by the Hon. Speaker so that it can come here. Water is a national issue. Therefore, it is properly before the House and we will continue discussing it. Hon. Wangamati, please proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to strongly support this Motion and commend Mheshimiwa Mwadime for bringing it at this time. Water is important for everybody. In fact, to live better, one must have water nearby. I thank all Members who have contributed. I do not have much but to thank you. Let 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.

proceed to be a Bill so that we can get it working. People are waiting for the Government to supply water to them. When I gave my children portions of land, the land became very small. Each one of them got about two acres. They cannot do anything on that two acre piece of land without water. Water is now needed more than we used to ask for it. If the Government is not hurrying up to make water available to the people, food is going to be a problem in this country. Irrigation is now needed in western Kenya where we used to have rains. Now, it is not easy to rely on rain for farming. The Government must allocate more funds to the Ministry so that we can get irrigation everywhere. I also take this opportunity to thank the current Cabinet Secretary (CS) of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Mheshimiwa Eugene Wamalwa for what he is doing. If more money can be pumped into that Ministry, I am sure everybody will get water in this country. I want to congratulate the CS for what he is doing for us, particularly in our region. We have the Lake Victoria North Service Board (LVNSB) and I do not know what they do. They are doing an extreme disservice to the people of western region. I strongly support this Motion. Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Thank you, Hon. Member. I would like to give this opportunity to Hon. Gichigi, Member of Parliament for Kipipiri Constituency.

Nakushukuru sana Mheshimiwa Naibu Spika wa Muda kwa kunipa nafasi hii. Hata mimi sitaki kuachwa nyuma kukupongeza kwa wadhifa huu mpya uliopewa. Naongea kama mtu ambaye amekusikiliza ukihudumu. Najua utaweza hiyo kazi. Nasimama kuunga mkono Hoja hii. Naomba Serikali iangalie haya mambo ya maji vile iliangalia mambo ya stima. Ijapokuwa mradi wa stima ni wa kupeleka umeme kwa kila shule ya upili ya umma, kwa karatasi, madhumuni ya pili yalikuwa kupelekea wananchi stima. Hii ni kwa sababu kama kila shule ya msingi ya umma inapata stima, inawezekana kila sehemu ya nchi itakuwa imepata umeme kufikia sasa. Mradi huu ukichukuliwa hivyo – kuwa kila shule ya msingi ya umma ipelekewe maji – kila sehemu katika nchi hii itapata maji. Kwa hivyo, huu mradi hautakuwa wa kunufaisha wanafunzi tu. Utanufaisha maeneo yote ambayo yamezunguka hizo shule za umma. Pili, ni kweli huduma ya kusambaza maji ni wajibu wa serikali za ugatuzi. Jukumu la Serikali Kuu ni mabwawa makubwa makubwa na miradi mikubwa mikubwa ya maji na kulinda chemichemi za maji. Tunapoongea kuhusu Hoja hii, itakuwa muhimu Serikali iangalie kama kuna uwezekano wa kusambaza maji katika kila mahali. Iwe ni kama vile imefanya mradi huu wa hospitali mbili katika kila kaunti. Ule ni wajibu wa Serikali kuu na sio wa kaunti, Serikali Kuu inaweza kupeana hazina kwa serikali za kaunti ziweze kutimiza wajibu wake, na Serikali kuu iwe ikifanya wajibu wake. Tunataka kuwe na ushirikiano kwa sababu hatutaki tena ugomvi mkubwa. Jinsi Serikali ilivyofanya ratiba nzuri ya kufadhili hospitali mbili katika kila kaunti, inapaswa kufadhili miradi itakayopeleka maji kwa kila shule ya umma. Tukiongea mambo ya maji katika shule za umma, kuna shule ambazo zina mashamba makubwa kuliko wanayohitaji kujenga. Pia kuna shule nyingine zenye miradi ya kujiinua kiuchumi kama ukulima. Shule hizo zikipata maji, watanyunyizia mimea ambayo inafanya vizuri 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.

katika maeneo hayo. Watapata fedha za kufanya mambo mengine badala ya kutegemea Serikali na wazazi kwa pesa ambazo zinatumika katika shule hizo. Nikimalizia, nawaomba wote ambao wanasimamia mambo ya maji. Sisi kama Wabunge siku hizi sio wanachama wa Kamati za Hazina ya Maendeleo ya Maeneo Bunge, lakini tunaweza kuongea na kamati ambazo ziko ili zimulike shule zote kuhakikisha kuwa maji yanafika huku tukingojea Hoja hii, ambayo nina hakika tutaipitisha, itekelezwe na Serikali. Naomba Kamati ya Utekelezaji katika Bunge hili ichukue Hoja hii itakapopitishwa. Iende haraka haraka kwa wizara zinazohusika na isisitize itekelezwe haraka iwezekanavyo. Naunga mkono.

Ahsante. Wakati huu tutampatia nafasi mheshimiwa wa Kaunti ya Lamu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First, I congratulate you on your new position. I can see you are doing very well although, sometimes, you do not see buibuis . I do not blame you. I take this opportunity to thank Hon. Mwadime for bringing this Motion, which is long overdue.

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

Hon. Shakila, there is a point of order.

I withdraw. Let us not waste time.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, she is adding an insult to an injury. She is saying I am wasting time as a legislator. I am seated here pensively. Can she withdraw that again and apologise?

You cannot waste time. Let us leave it there. Thank you for understanding, Hon. Kathuri.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Some schools have suffered a lot due to lack of water. I am a good example of a pupil who went to school carrying a bottle of water every day because of lack of water in the school. It is a big problem and, more so, at the grassroots. There is no water in many schools. Some schools even lack sanitation facilities due to lack of water. It is unfortunate that we teach our children to be hygienic and yet, we do not have water in our schools. It is not possible for them to be hygienic as we teach them to be. Water is very important. The Government should establish means and ways of supplying water to each and every school. That will solve a big problem where the girls who are in their menses avoid going to school due to lack of water. This is an important Motion. I urge the House to support it and, if possible, turn it into a Bill so that the Government can conduct research in all the schools. There are areas where, even if you drill boreholes, the water is salty. So, we need to come up with a way of taping the rainwater or coming up with a formula to ensure that all schools are supplied with clean water. Sometimes, children go for physical education and games. After that, it is important for them to have a shower and freshen up before they go back to the classes. However, those facilities are not available in many schools, which make it very difficult for children to keep clean. In some schools, children go to school with dirty clothes because of lack of water. They are not even able to have their clothes washed because water is a problem even to basic needs like showering and cooking. I support the Motion. Thank you so much. I contributed for two minutes because I know there is a problem. 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 for your contribution. Hon. Members, there is intervention by the Member for Vihiga, Hon. Kedogo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I congratulate you for this new position. Now that you are coming from the Opposition side, where we have tyranny of brains, you will be above average. Let me now contribute on the Motion. I support this Motion and say that we need clean and safe water for drinking. In schools, we must have tanks.

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

Member for Vihiga, there are points of order. Also, before I deal with the points of order, I think you are on a point of order yourself. So, you should not be contributing. Let us hear the points of order.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Is Hon. Dorcas in order to say that the Opposition has tyranny of brains? What does that mean? She needs to withdraw that because if they had tyranny of brains, they would have won the elections. We are very excited and happy. We won because we have what it takes.

Hon. Tiyah, remember I said that she was on a point of order. I do not think she should be interrupted. I would like to know what her point of order is so that we can move forward with this matter.

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

She is on a point of order. Let us hear her point of order.

I was just saying that most students go to rivers to fetch water.

Hon. Kedogo, what is your point of order. If you do not have a point of order, let us move forward. I would like to give this opportunity to the Member for Narok North.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I think congratulations are in order. As my colleagues have already said before me, congratulations! This is a very important Motion and I commend my colleague who brought it. It is more important to us who are from pastoralist communities. As they say, water is life. More than anything else, the Government of Kenya owes its people the duty to provide for them clean and safe water. I also commend the person who added the word “safe”. This is because in some of our areas, the water has a lot of fluoride such that we have people with stained teeth who cannot be absorbed into the Police Service. That should be looked into so that people are not unnecessarily locked out of those opportunities. Pastoralist communities have always been having a problem, especially when it comes to migrating to get grass and pasture for their livestock. It has affected schools. In fact, most areas in Turkana have a lot of underground water. It is imperative that, that water is tapped for the benefit of students so that, when their parents move in search of pasture, they remain in school to study and improve the lot of their communities. The other important thing is, whereas somebody might argue that this is a role of county governments, I believe that is not the case because both levels of Government are symbiotic. This is because they work together to ensure that people of Kenya enjoy their rights. If we allow county governments to run education matters, we will be losing it because education is a national function. This is just an ancillary service. We are in order to urge the national Government to supply water. 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 other issue is on health. We have seen our communities suffer from preventable diseases like cholera and jigger infestation. If we can provide clean and safe water to our communities especially the young and the growing population, then we will contain those preventable diseases. We should look at the financial frameworks to enable us access water. It beats logic for us to supply electricity and food but not water. I support the Motion.

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

Hon. Letimalo, what is out of order?

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. This is a timed Motion and it appears to be very popular in the House. I would like to request you to use your discretion under Standing Order No.1 to enable more Members contribute to it.

Hon. Letimalo, you know the rules as per our Standing Orders. If you were desirous of making that request, you should have done it at the start of the debate. We have many requests and everybody who is here would like to say something. The contributions are enriching but we are a House of rules, and I am bound by them. I now give this opportunity to the Member for Kajiado Central.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I was getting impatient. I want to congratulate you on your new appointment and wish you well. As my colleagues contribute to this Motion, one thing is clear. We cannot overemphasise the importance of water. Although the old adage goes that water is life, I want to change that and say water is wealth. Children from pastoralist areas are suffering. Children cover up to five kilometres to access education facilities. To add to this challenge, they have to carry water. I am not sure whether this House recently saw the plight of children calling for a reduction of their load. They were saying that the books they carry are too many and yet those were children from Nairobi. If voices of children in pastoralist areas would be heard, they would be saying---

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

Hon. Aburi, what is out of order?

Kwa Hoja ya Nidhamu, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Tukizungumzia suala la maji, kwanza, ningependa kusaidia Wamaasai---

Was it a point of order?

No.

Mhe. Aburi, je, kuna kosa?

Ndiyo. Tukizungumzia suala la maji, lazima tuangalie maeneo yote ambayo hayana maji, kwa mfano, Tharaka na Isiolo.

Mhe. Aburi, huo ni mchango na wala si dosari katika utaratibu.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am on the Floor. So, please protect me. My flow of thoughts has been distorted but I will continue from where I was rudely interrupted. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

To just emphasise on the importance of water, we have many challenges in this country including food insecurity. Implementing this Motion will help us sort out food insecurity in a certain way. I recently visited Paranai Primary School in my constituency and I saw a perfect example of what water can do in a school. The local community piped water to this school and teachers became innovative. I want to thank teachers of this country because they are always going out of their way to teach learners something they can get out of school. This school started a small irrigation project to feed children. The pupils can now have a balanced diet because they can get vegetables from the small garden. We are now sure that these pupils, who have seen a small garden with modern drip irrigation, will come out of that school with knowledge of doing the same in their later years. I want to congratulate Hon. Mwadime for this noble idea. Water is a necessity.

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

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, allow me to finish before you respond to that point of order.

Hon. Oyoo, what is out of order?

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I did not intend to interrupt my good friend, the Member for Kajiado Central. We have really loud consultations emanating from two corners. There is one corner where people from the Coast are patched, and another corner with Hon. Aburi of the Meru elders, and other Members patched together. The loud consultations are grossly interfering with the progress of the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Oyoo. Hon. Members, please reduce your consultations.

My time has been wasted. As I conclude, I support this Motion and urge the House to support it. The biggest beneficiaries will be pastoralist areas. We need to work together to remove the loads of water that children carry to schools and ensure that there is cleanliness. We know children in our households are dirty, and putting 300 children together without water is not safe. If we pass this Motion, we will curb many diseases related to lack of water.

Thank you, Hon. Member for Kajiado Central. I would like to give this opportunity to the Member for Ruiru.

Ahsante, Mhe. Spika wa Muda kwa kunipatia nafasi hii ili niweze kuchangia Hoja hii. Kabla sijaendelea, ningependa kukupongeza kwa kupewa kiti ambacho ni muhimu. Hiki ni kiti ambacho kinasimamia kila mtu. Tunajua tutaendelea vizuri tukiwa na wewe.

Tunaongea kuhusu Hoja ya maji katika shule za msingi. Katika eneo bunge langu, kupata maji ni shida. Kuna Shule ya Msingi ya Mwiki, ambayo iko na watoto 3,000. Ningependa Wabunge wa eneo hilo na marafiki wangu waje waone shule ambayo iko na watoto wengi zaidi katika nchi yetu ya Kenya. Maji yakikosekana katika Shule ya Msingi ya Mwiki, sisi huomba watoto wetu warudi nyumbani. Ninashukuru kwa sababu wakati Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya alitembelea Kaunti ya Kiambu, alituelezea kwamba tutapata maji.

Katika eneo bunge langu, kuna soko ambalo sisi sote hununua vyakula ambavyo hupikwa nyumbani mwetu. Tumejenga vyoo na bafu. Tulijenga bafu kwa sababu watu wakitoka kuchukua 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.

vyakula vyao vya kutuuzia kutoka mashamba, badala ya kwenda nyumbani, wanatumia bafu hizo kuoga ndio waende kazini. Kama hakuna maji sokoni, inakuwa shida kwa sababu inabidi mtu apeleke bidhaa sokoni halafu arundi nyumbani kuoga, na kwa hivyo anapoteza wakati. Kwa sababu hii mimi ninaunga mkono Hoja hii. Ninajua mambo mengi ya maji yako katika serikali za ugatuzi. Tukishikana mikono kama viongozi, tutasaidia watoto wetu shuleni na watu wengi masokoni na kwingineko ndio tuweze kusaidiana katika kuleta usafi humu nchi.

Ahsante, Mhe. Spika wa Muda kwa kunipatia hii nafasi.

Hon. Members, the time allocated for this Motion has lapsed. It is now time for the Mover to reply. I call upon Hon. Mwadime to reply. He may donate some of his minutes to some Members because the interest is immense. We have 27 Members who want to contribute but it is Hon. Mwadime’s time. He has 10 minutes.

I will give the first minute to this Member, and second minute to the other Member.

Hon. Mwadime, you must mention the names of the Members to whom you are donating time to contribute. Remember, you have 10 minutes.

Unfortunately, I do not know their names. I will give a minute each to Hon. Gunga, Hon. Kamoti, Hon. ole Ntutu, Hon. Chidzuga, Hon. Suleiman Dori, Hon. Makau, Hon. Mwashetani and Hon. Bedzimba.

Let us start with Hon. Gunga.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I also thank Hon. Mwadime for donating one minute to me and for moving this Motion. Congratulations on your appointment to the Chairperson’s Panel. Both the national Government and county governments do not have a choice when it comes to the question of water. Article 43 of the Constitution gives every person a right to clean and safe water, and in adequate quantities. Under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, the responsibility of water has been placed on both the national Government and county governments. For us to actualise this Motion, like the way connection of electricity in primary schools was achieved, the national Government and the county governments must pool resources together.

Thank you.

Let us have Hon. Kamoti.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I congratulate you for sitting on that big chair. I also thank Hon. Mwadime for bringing this Motion to the House, and for donating time to me. Water is very essential. We can do without electricity, but we cannot do without water, particularly in our schools. Water is, indeed, devolved according to the Fourth Schedule f the Constitution. Members of the National Assembly are allowed to do several projects with the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NGCDF). I sit in the NGCDF Committee. When Members are doing a project in a school---

Hon. Kamoti, you are a victim of time. Your one minute has lapsed. Hon. ole Ntutu, you have one minute.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to join the rest of my colleagues in congratulating you on being elected one of our Speakers. I also congratulate my good friend, Hon. Mwadime, for bringing this Motion 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.

House. It is one of the most important Motions. This morning we are discussing the issue of ranking of schools in Kenya. One of the issues which affect schools is lack of water. The Government has already addressed food insecurity and electricity. One of the other very important issues that the Government needs to address is lack of water, particularly in the pastoralist areas. Most of these children cover very many kilometres to fetch water.

You are a victim of time. Next, let us have Hon. Dori.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Spika wa Muda. Ninataka kukupongeza kwa uchaguzi wako katika Ofisi ya Spika. Pili, ninataka kuunga Hoja hii ambayo imeletwa na Mhe. Mwadime. Maji ni muhimu sana kwa mwanadamu, na sisi tuna jukumu katika suala la maji. Ni lazima tuhakikishe shule zimepata maji, na tusiangalie suala hili kama ambalo limegatuliwa. Ni jukumu la Serikali kuu pamoja na serikali za ugatuzi kuangalia suala hili kwa utaratibu kwa sababu watoto wetu wanaadhirika kwa ukosefu wa maji.

Thank you, Hon. Dori. Nafasi hii nitampatia Mhe. Mwashetani ambaye ana dakika moja.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First of all let me join my colleagues in congratulating you for being appointed to sit in the Speaker’s Panel. I also congratulate Hon. Mwadime for coming up with this Motion. I represent Lungalunga which is semi-arid and dry area. If this Motion is passed, a Bill will be brought to Parliament which will ensure equity is achieved in the distribution of water in the country because it is essential.

Hon. Mwashetani, just give us a second. Hon. Patrick Makau King’ola seems to have a point of order. What is out of order, Hon. King’ola?

I was given one minute, so I pressed the intervention key.

You are part of the contributors?

Yes.

But you have now taken Hon. Mwashetani’s 20 seconds. Let us be fair and allow him to finish then you will have your minute later on.

The area I represent is semi-arid and water is one of the key challenges we face. I believe with such a Motion, we will create some equity in all the schools.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for the opportunity.

I give the next minute to Hon. Bedzimba. Hon. King’ola, just wait a minute.

Asante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipatia fursa hii ya dakika moja ambayo nimepewa na Mhe. Mwadime. Pia, ninataka kuipongeza Hoja hii. Jambo la kuwa na maji shuleni ni muhimu sana kwa sababu shule haiwezi kuendelea kama haina maji. Maji mengi hutumika katika sehemu za kujisaidia. Kama hakuna maji basi hizo sehemu hazitumiki.

Shule za msingi ziko chini ya Serikali kuu. Kwa hivyo, wakipewa maji, ni vyema fedha za kulipa bili zitengwe, ili shule zisipate matatizo. Suala la maji ni muhimu sana.

Next is Mhe. King’ola who has one minute.

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Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Congratulations for your position and asante sana Bw . Mwadime. We cannot address the issue of health without mentioning water. This Motion is going to help Kenyans address this issue effectively. I would wish we amend this Motion by reintroducing and repealing the Water Act, 2002. This will enable the Government to compel all the water providers to supply water to all public institutions, particularly primary schools.

I know many children in various parts of Kenya who have very bad teeth because of fluoride and bad water. If this Motion becomes a Bill, most Kenyans will benefit, particularly our children in primary schools. We should all join hands and support Hon. Mwadime for coming up with such a brilliant Motion. It will compel governors who are misusing county money to provide water to schools.

Hon. Mwadime, you still have probably three minutes. The Floor is yours.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. There are a number of Hon. Members who want to speak. I do not know whom to give a chance and who not to give and I better come to a close.

I thank all Members for the support they have given me. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also congratulate you for your new position. Due diligence was given to this Motion by the Budget and Appropriations Committee. As a country, if we plan well, I am sure we can implement this Motion within a very short time. I beg to reply.

The next step requires technical numbers. From my assessment, we shall not move in that direction now. I will, therefore, defer the next stage of this Motion to another day.

( Putting of the Question deferred )

Let us move on to the next Motion.

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

Hon. Wandayi, the Member for Ugenya, what is out of order?

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am the Member for Ugunja.

I am sorry. I need to correct that. It was formerly one constituency but now they are two.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, first, I want to congratulate you for occupying that very important seat. I think you deserve it. 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 am sorry to rise on this point of order at this time. I have come in a little bit late and I would have wished to raise this matter much earlier in the day. This is a matter concerning an earlier directive given by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). I have been out of this place for sometime so you can excuse me, if I am wrong.

You will recall that the PAC issued a directive to the Auditor-General to carry out a special audit on what has come to be known as the Eurobond saga. To date I am not aware if that special report has been submitted to this House. If the report has not been submitted, I want to seek your indulgence for you to compel PAC and the Office of the Auditor-General to conclude this matter in public interest.

You know at the beginning of this saga there were allegations that this money could not have come into the country. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) carried out some investigations at the end of which they suggested that there were no problems with the Eurobond funds. The problem was that the money which was meant to have gone to various projects needed to have been audited. We need to know because as we speak, we are about 12 months to the next elections and we are seeing signs---

Hon. Wandayi, the matters you are raising are very serious. I would like to know under which Standing Order you are raising them.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am rising on a point of order with regard to the matter of a Committee of the House having given directives. If you could indulge me even for just two seconds, I will conclude the matter.

As we speak, we are seeing signs in the country of money changing hands; free money flowing. These are things we have seen before. During the Goldenberg scandal, we saw money moving around the country that ended up subverting democracy in this country. We want the matter of Eurobond to come to a close. The only way to do this is by getting a clear report from the Office of the Auditor-General and this House acting on it. I, therefore, urge you to give a directive to the relevant offices for this report to be brought to this House as quickly as possible so that we can take a position.

I hear you. We will give the necessary directions later on. Let us move on with the business before the House. We are on Order No.13. Hon. Geoffrey Odanga, this is your Motion. The Floor is yours.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move:-

THAT, aware that cases of unbecoming conduct among young people has been on the rise as exemplified by runaway drug abuse and addiction, drunkenness, sexual orgies and general irresponsibility; and deeply concerned that these incidents of loose morals have been worsened in the recent past by emerging radicalization of the youth leading to inclination towards terrorism and lawlessness, this House urges the National Government to consider deploying chaplains to all secondary schools and tertiary institutions in order to instill desired morals, social virtues, national values and a sense of responsibility, to address and root out moral decadence at an early age, and to supplement the work of guidance and counseling departments operating in these institutions.

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Like the rest of the Members, I want to congratulate you on your appointment to the Speaker’s Panel which task I know you are equal to. A chaplain is a religious minister or a priest who normally deals with religious needs in institutions such as prisons, schools, colleges or even in the armed forces. They provide spiritual nourishment to the members of those institutions. In the recent past, we have noted a lot of moral decadence among our youth both in schools and outside. We have seen many of our institutions go up in flames and a lot of money being lost. This has made parents and taxpayers of this country incur great loss. As we speak, over 100 institutions have been burnt and a lot of money has been lost. This will require parents and the Government to put up these facilities. We cannot allow this to continue because it is very expensive. That is why we would like the effort being made by guidance and counselling teachers in schools to be supplemented by chaplains who will reach out to our children and guide them on matters religious and spiritual. This will prevent the cases we see in our schools. Cases of terrorism are also on the rise across the country. This can be contained at a very early age when these children are still in school so that the sanctity of life becomes inculcated in them at the young age. National security, peace and stability are very vital for national development. In their absence, we cannot realise any development in this country. As it is today, stability in Kenya is threatened by sporadic terror attacks by militant groups. There are high levels and escalating incidences of terrorism in our schools and country. These cases could be arrested while children are still at this stage. Unfortunately, the number of youth joining radical groupings increases by the day and the Government has not yet found a solution to this problem. The Government has also not gone down to the root cause of the issues that are now affecting us in schools and in the country and address them. For that matter, we wish to have chaplains deployed in our schools to play the role of guiding and helping our children grow as responsible citizens who know that property is important. They should also know that human life is very important. The Bible, the Quran and all other religious books emphasise the sanctity of human life. They teach against alcohol, drug abuse and sexual orgies. All those are vices. Even our Constitution emphasises the national values of this country. These national values need to be taught to our children. Schools also need chaplains because the day-to-day teacher is already overloaded because we have very few teachers. At the end of the day, these teachers are very tired that they are not even able to provide enough services in the areas of guidance and counselling to our children in order to become better citizens. Chaplains will also provide the link between school administration and students to avert any issue that may rise since they are mature and well trained in their roles. They will also help to find solutions which in most cases the principals and teachers may not be able to provide because they are not well trained on those areas. Chaplains are likely to be very neutral because they will take care of all the interests; the welfare of students as well as those of teachers. Chaplains will also instill some reverence and fear in the Lord God because they will be teaching about the sanctity of life and all the virtues in the holy books. They will also assist parents who are too much preoccupied today with their day- to-day activities of raising money to pay fees and do all other activities that they are supposed to do. Most of the parents these days are not at home to guide their children, train them to be good citizens and to live by the virtues and values of our society. Chaplains will also bridge 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.

religious differences that exist today, bring national and religious unity and all other forms of cohesion in this country. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move. I ask the Member for Kaloleni, Hon. Mwinga Gunga to second.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I must say thanks to Hon. Godfrey Odanga for having chosen me to second this very noble Motion. I must say, at the outset that if there is a progressive Motion, then this is one. When a Motion speaks about learning institutions, basically we are talking about our children in schools. Article 53(2) of the Constitution provides for the importance of a child’s best interest. The child’s interests stand out as of paramount importance in any issue relating to children. We understand that we now live in a society where there are very many issues happening and it is quite unfortunate that these things have gone to our schools. I need not repeat, but it is public knowledge that our schools are burnt every day. It is also public knowledge that there are very many cases of drug abuse in our schools. It is no longer strange to find students smoking in schools. It is quite interesting that these days, children are arraigned in court to face charges. These are school children and this trend is worrying.

I believe that this Motion will go a long way in alleviating some of the problems we have enumerated. The roles of chaplains, as have already been discussed by Hon. Odanga, the Mover of the Motion, need to be reiterated. Pupils joining a secondary school come from different backgrounds. The only way we can equalise their backgrounds is by having chaplains in schools. I strongly believe that once we have chaplains, our children will be taught ethical and spiritual values and other values that revolve around their lives. Once they have learnt these values, we will have children who will be brought up in the best way possible.

The other issue we expect the chaplains to handle is the question of stress management in our schools. Children belong to the community. There could be a serious breakdown in the institution of the family where a particular child comes from. With chaplains in school, such a child can be counselled and guided so that they can lead a very good life during their school time.

This Motion is very important because children spend most of their time in schools. Some students may aspire to grow into spirituality. Once we have chaplains in place, they will advise them on how one can become a bishop, if they wish, or how one can ascend to the highest level in the field of spirituality.

As it has been said before, we have principals in schools but at times students do not easily divulge information to them. We have the school administration on one side and the students on the other. It will be easier for students to give information to chaplains so that they can be guided. This will ensure that students do not fear being victimized. If that were to happen, I strongly believe that our society and our children will be brought up in the best way we wish to have them brought up.

When we were in school, it used to be said that we are the leaders of tomorrow. If that is the case, there is need to ensure that as we prepare these leaders of tomorrow, they are brought up in a very good way. Once they are brought up in a good way, we are likely to reduce the levels of crime in this country. We are also likely to reduce the issue of corruption in this country because at the end of the day, our children would have been taken care of, right from an early age. This is a very important Motion. The Government should not hesitate but invest in this matter. 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, I am confident that if this Motion sails through, there will be need for a serious recruitment mechanism, so that at the end of the day we do not get chaplains for the sake of it. We should get people with good moral standing and very high integrity to ensure that we do not pass over problems to the next generation. This is a very important Motion and I will urge my colleagues to support it.

With those many remarks, I beg to second the Motion.

I would like to give the first opportunity to Hon. Amolo, the Member for Kakamega County.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. As I take the Floor, I just want to pass my congratulations to you for being appointed one of our assistant Speakers in the House. I rise to support this Motion and thank Hon. Odanga for bringing it to the House, especially when we are seeing a number of schools being burnt by students in various places in the country.

It is very important for schools to have chaplains. However, we should ask ourselves if those chaplains are going to be qualified persons. That is very important. Before we hand over our children to chaplains, we should know their qualifications. We, as parents, teachers and staff in schools must know the qualifications of chaplains joining our school community.

It will also be good because chaplains are more likely to provide guidance to students on issues concerning human relations and welfare services. We understand that most students, especially those in boarding schools, have no one to turn to when they have problems. They have no soft landing when they are surrounded by issues that are disturbing them. So, it will be very important to have qualified chaplains in school to take care of our children and listen to them. It will also be important because usually, chaplains provide prevention and are a rescue team to our children. Our children can run to the chaplains, who will be able to listen to them because they have all the time to listen to our children. At times school principals, teachers and other school workers are too busy to listen to our children. Qualified chaplains would really make a big difference in the lives of our students when they are in school.

The chaplains will also help students to find a better way of dealing with issues ranging from family breakdown to loneliness, drug abuse, stress and anxiety while in school. It is very important to have chaplains in school. I stress the fact that the chaplains must be qualified. Otherwise we might end up handing over our children to unqualified chaplains, who may change and abuse them and yet chaplains should be in school on a rescue mission.

The other reason I support this Motion is that the chaplains will also help to improve the lives of these young people while in school. Therefore, it is very important for schools and the Government to look for ways and means of hiring chaplains as part of the non-teaching staff in schools. We should make sure that every school has a chaplain who can help the principal, the teachers and the staff in counselling our children. This will help bring down the issues that we are seeing in schools lately, namely the burning down of schools by students just because somebody is not giving an ear to them. These are issues that could be prevented in the early stages so that parents do not end up paying huge sums of money just because a dormitory was burnt down by students who did not have somebody to listen to them. Therefore, I support this Motion by Hon. Odanga. It is very important that we pass it, so that we can have chaplains sent to every school across the 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 remarks, I beg to support.

Thank you very much the Member for Kakamega. I now give this opportunity to the Member for Igembe North.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this very important Motion about deployment of chaplains to learning institutions. As you are aware, at this particular time, we have ---

The Member for Igembe North, just hold on. Mhe. Patrick Makau has a point of order.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am just wondering. Kenya is 70 per cent Christian and 30 per cent Muslim. So, are we in order when we discuss this Motion without addressing the 30 per cent schools occupied by Muslim students? I wish all Muslim schools could have Sheikhs or Kadhis for that matter.

Hon. Makau, I think that is within your province. It is available for every Member to make an amendment because what you are also raising is valid. It is an opportunity for you to bring an amendment to this Motion. It still has three hours and so you still have time to do that. Thank you. Let us move on.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. In this particular time, many of our children and citizens have lost their sense of responsibility and morality. We are asking the Government to resolve this by providing chaplains to our institutions especially secondary schools and higher institutions. It is an important aspect given the fact that we lack people with values and morals. This has made us have children who react in bad ways as a way airing their grievances. We are faced with situations where only this term more than 100 schools have been burnt down. This has led to destruction of property. All this behaviour being exhibited in our schools end up in public. Such behavior is even seen in adults and it is as a result of poor upbringing. Parents seem to be very busy or have lost responsibility. Upbringing of young people seems to be a serious challenge. The Government should come up with criteria for recruiting chaplains. It can also include school sponsors if it is difficult for the Government to employ a chaplain for every institution. However, schools that are within a particular neighbourhood can share a chaplain employed by the Government to ensure there is proper teaching and formation of our young people. We are investing a lot of resources as a country. If you look at the money we appropriate in this House, you will see that education takes the lion’s share. About 30 per cent of our Budget goes to the education sector. If we educate people who have no morals and values, and are not properly prepared, then the result is what we see at the moment. Radicalisation and other vices that we see within our society are as a result of lack of proper formation. If the Government invests in proper formation of our young people, we can have a nation that is bound by proper religious values. Most of the people in our country are either Christians or Muslims, and having proper education from childhood is the way to go. These chaplains should also train our teachers in higher institutions of learning. We can have chaplains in colleges so that students are trained properly through religious education. This will involve values, morals and principles. It also becomes important to have a sense of responsibility. Chapter Four of our Constitution has a lot of issues concerning rights. However, our Constitution has nothing about responsibilities for our young people. It is for this reason that we have even seen the Constitution being abused in many cases through picketing and unnecessary 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.

demonstrations that take our country backward. If we can invest money in education, it will be the most important way to transform people. If we have people without morals and values we will not move our country forward. Many vices are committed by rich people and that is why in this country, leadership is for the highest bidder. It is because of lack of values and understanding. This is better instilled from childhood so that people know that God is at the centre of their lives. We should have people who are responsible, respect public property and other people’s rights. If somebody is given a job to do that should be an opportunity not for grabbing but for providing service to humanity. If we are in the process of curriculum preparation, then this kind of religious education and formation of the people in term of patriotism and learning will help. We have values which are well described under Chapter Six of our Constitution. However, how do they operate? They are just there and not operational. This is also a concern I have about our country. We are religious people with very many denominations, but whatever people are taught does not replicate in our daily lives. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to end my contribution by congratulating you for being appointed to your new responsibility in the Speaker’s Panel and for being a moderator in our debates. Keep up and you will move to places. Thank you.

Before we proceed, I want to inquire from the Member for Vihiga, Hon. Kedogo, whether she is on a point of order or on the queue so that I know what to do with the request.

I am on the queue, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I wanted to make an amendment on the issue of Muslim Sheikhs but it is being done. So, I am on the queue.

Then just be a little bit patient. I will give you an opportunity. In recognition of the House leadership, I would like to give this opportunity to Hon. Chris Wamalwa.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate you for being appointed to the Speaker’s Panel. Indeed, you deserve that seat because you have what it takes. I want to support this Motion and congratulate Hon. Odanga for coming up with such a wonderful Motion. Our learning institutions are institutions of transformation in the sense that they have inputs. These inputs have to be transformed into outputs that are going to be relevant in the society. Indeed, of late, we have had many cases of unrest in schools where students are burning schools. This has something to do with bringing up of children. In our African societies, parenting was very critical. Of late, you are seeing most our children going to boarding schools where parents are not doing their work in terms of parenting. Instead, majority of that responsibility is now being left with the school teachers and the rest. Every society has its own moral values. We have the dos and don’ts and the chaplains play a very critical role. We know the church brings order in a society. You ask students about the Ten Commandments and they do not even know them leave alone the specific ones. It is very shameful. We know very well, as Christians, that the Ten Commandments give us a framework of how to behave in a given society. We are told the dos and don’ts. So, if these chaplains are there, they will play a very critical role not just in the issues of the church, but also when it comes to issues of guiding and counselling. I happen to have gone to some schools and asked: “Why are we having these unrests?” The students said that their grievances are not addressed by the teachers or the teachers are 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.

available. They also said that the teachers do not listen to them. If these chaplains are there, they will provide a solution. They will give them an ear or listen to them and involve them in solutions. They say spare the rod and spoil the child. I was caned to be where I am. That is how I was brought up in the old days. I want to thank God because he has brought me from far and I know he is taking me far. I also want to thank the church which has contributed too much to what I am today. We are here to support this issue of chaplains being sent to schools. I hear the concerns of our Muslim colleagues. We know that about 80 per cent of Kenyans are Christians but to my colleagues, we are free. We can bring an amendment so that even Muslim-related schools can have Muslim religious leaders. It is still very important. We know very well that there is freedom of worship in the Constitution. We must leave it there. If you look at the Catholic-run schools, for instance, you will see a bit of discipline. Some principals must subscribe to that religion. I know the Basic Education Act has been changed. When my children were going to nursery, I wanted them to go to a school where there are Christian values. Many people want to take their children to universities that have good moral values right now. This is because since they have Christian background they will try and bring them up to be responsible citizens. We would not like to go to institutions where there are issues of alcoholism or radicalisation. That is critical. It plays a very critical role in terms of helping these children to be better in future. Because parents and teachers are busy, chaplains can play a very critical role. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. As Catholics, for instance, at times when you go wrong, you have to go and repent. You repent where there is a chaplain. The chaplain will teach us the Christian way of living or the Christian way of coming up. This Motion is going to add value as far as bringing up children in a Christian way is concerned. We are seeing marriages breaking up. They are breaking up because of many issues. There is a total paradigm shift. Gone are the days when you grew up and you were supposed to take the responsibility of going to the farm to take care of the father’s other roles. We now find children seated. Their work 24/7 is to watch television, and as they watch television, they learn some behaviour or culture from the western society. Issues from the western world are impacting negatively on our children. We have had very many things. Last week, we had the issue of gambling. Gambling is a culture or behaviour we have learnt from outside. As technology advances, it brings challenges in the society. If you look around, you will find that everybody is on WhatsApp. They are busy on their phones. These new cultures, as they come, impact on the society negatively. You will find that most of the time in our family, we watch television or we are on phone and we do not have time to talk to our children. We are having a problem with our children because they have no one to talk to. They also have no one to guide them and share their challenges with.

So, having chaplains in schools is a very wonderful idea. I thank Hon. Odanga for coming up with this Motion so that we can instil discipline and guide children on dos and don’ts in a given society.

There is also the issue of Sunday schools. I remember we used to go to Sunday schools when we were children. Today’s environment, if there is no chaplain, you cannot have Sunday school. This Motion is going to play a critical role in helping remove the decay we have in society. Cases of prostitution and adultery which never used to be there are now growing at a The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

rapid rate. The society is decaying every day with corruption and all the ills. However, if we embrace Christian values and have chaplains in schools, it will help us control these children and bring them up to become responsible citizens.

Because of time, I thank you for giving me the opportunity. I support the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Wamalwa. I would like to give this opportunity, on the basis of gender, to Hon. Ombaka, the Member for Siaya to have a say.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance. First of all, you are up to the task and congratulations.

First, this country is in turmoil. Young people are going through huge pressure from society. This is demonstrated in the way they respond to these pressures. They are committing suicide. Each and every day, you find a young boy or girl committing suicide. These are school kids. You will find them in the streets drunk and engaging in violence every day. These are signs of bad times for our young people and yet they are our future. What kind of young people are we bringing up and what kind of future are we seeing? I see a bleak society; a society that is collapsing and a society where parents have no control over their children; a society where schools have no control of the students and a society where students do not even want to do examinations. We are in turmoil.

Hon. Members, I wish to notify you that there is a balance of 2 hours 20 minutes on this Motion. I have already approved an amendment to it with regard to Imams. We shall deal with that next time we deal with this matter.

Hon. Members, the time being 1.00 p.m., this House stands adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 1.00 p.m.

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