Can we have the Quorum Bell rung?

Okay Members. Let us settle down. We are now ready to start. We have a Petition by Hon. Njuki.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity this morning to air my sentiment on the issue of petitions. According to Standing Order No.227 on the committal of petitions, a petition is supposed to take, at least, 60 days to be dealt with by a Committee.

Hon. Njuki, I am just wondering whether whatever you are raising was approved or not.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I do not have a petition. I just have a concern about a petition I brought to this House on 12th November, 2015. It touches on a very serious issue. It is a petition on the alleged mismanagement and misappropriation of funds by the Kenya Swimming Federation. That was in November 2015. This Petition has not been looked into. Considering what happened during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, there were complaints about the Federation taking people who were not qualified to be in the swimming team. To date nothing has happened. I know the Committee is very busy and I do not deny that, but taking a whole year to look at a petition when the Standing Orders say it should be looked into in 60 days is not right. There is a problem with the Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare and its affiliates. I seek your direction on the same. Thank you.

I thought you had a petition which we had not looked at. That is in order. So, that goes to the Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare. Is 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.

Chair of the Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare here or any Member from that Committee to tell us why it has taken one-and-a-half years and yet the Standing Orders are very clear that it should be considered within 60 days after it is presented? Do we have anybody from the Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare?

We will relay that information. We will also try and get you a response on why it has taken too long.

Let us move on to the next Order.

This was an ongoing debate. Did anybody have a balance of time? Nobody had any balance. So, members can just contribute as long as one had not contributed on the same.

Hon. Mohamed Shidiye is first on my list. Can you give him the microphone?

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Bill. At the outset, this is a very noble Bill which I support.

The Kenyatta Mausoleum Bill is important to this country. Kenyatta was an icon who brought Independence to this country. He was also the first President of Kenya. If you look at his struggle, you will find that it is synonymous with the Independence of this country. It is very important that Kenyans know his history. It is also important they know who Kenyatta was. They should also understand where we came from and where we are heading to.

If you benchmark and look at what goes on globally, you will find that we have Smithsonian Museum in Washington. If you go there today, you will get the history of America. I went there and read about the Wright brothers; the guys who invented the first aircraft in the world. Initially, when they started, people thought they were crazy; that one time in our history no one ever believed that people can fly, but that history is there and documented. It is very important for the history of America. Many other important things are found in that museum.

If we open the Kenyatta Mausoleum, Kenyans and tourists from all over the world will come to see what goes on. They will understand the importance of having such a mausoleum. It will generate income for this country. We are in a very competitive world where every country wants to get a space to create wealth in whatever manner. I will even go further and propose that The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

State House should be open to the public. We can make money by people visiting State House. Everybody would like to know exactly what happens in the historic buildings. The first British Governor was a resident of State House. People will understand what exactly went on there; that is the history and culture behind it. So, the public will get in if we open the Kenyatta Mausoleum.

This country has been very attractive to many tourists because of its culture and wildlife. We have one of the best wildlife. If you look at the wildebeest migration, you will find that it is a thing to behold. It is one of the eight wonders of the world. The beaches in Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu are excellent. Recently, we hosted many conferences courtesy of a very able foreign Minister, Ms. Amina Mohamed. She has distinguished herself by bringing many events to this country. President Obama and the Pope were here. We also had World Trade Organisation (WTO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and many other conferences. We have become a hub and destination for the entire world. Everybody now knows where Kenya is. Kenya is well known in the international arena. It is also well known in politics, culture and sports. This is an icing on the cake and on many other events.

So, if we open the Kenyatta Mausoleum, it will be a step in the right direction. We will certainly generate a lot of money. If tourists come, they would like to know who Kenyatta was, what he did and his contribution to this country.

When I was in the UK in 2000, I met many people who knew Kenyatta in London. They told me many things about him. He was an anthropologist and he married while he was there. Many people will tell you that he had an outgoing personality and he struggled for our Independence. They will also tell you that he was held in Maralal and Kapenguria.

You cannot divorce the history of Kenya from Kenyatta. He was the first President and many people still believe that without a good personality and a good leader like Kenyatta, things would not have been the same.

We need to support this Bill among other initiatives to generate income. The traditional way of doing politics and tourism has changed. We have to create a different niche. We need to have a paradigm shift in the way we approach issues and in the way we are going to add value to our people and in the way we are going to change this economy. We face a huge unemployment problem in this country because the economy is not growing. What do we do? We have to think out of the box. There are two ways of developing a country - through industrialisation or through innovations, ICT, tourism and through the internet. Those are the ideas that can generate income for our communities and make our economy stable. If we do not have a stable economy, certainly, that is a recipe for disaster. Nobody will listen to the leaders and no institution will work.

Hon. Muthomi Njuki did the right thing in bringing this Bill to this House. We need to support it as a House. We have had this mausoleum but it does not add value to our country at all. It is just something like in a distant past or somewhere. People say that we only hear about the Kenyatta Mausoleum on 22nd August when we commemorate the death of Jomo Kenyatta. That is only once in a year. It is important that now more than ever, we open it up. I am sure the money that will be generated from the mausoleum can even facilitate this Parliament, improve our economy and make our town more attractive and busy. I was in Malta. The distance from one side of the country to the other is 15 kilometres. They do not grow coffee or tea. They do not keep animals except rabbits. I asked them how a country like Malta survives. They told me that it was through tourism. They have State 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.

unemployment benefits. The roads are good and people are happy. All those things show you that an idea whose time has come can change a country. It is a milestone for this country for this Bill to come to this House. It is a milestone that all of us must support. This country is ready for a change. Look at the glory brought to Kenya by athletics. Our athletes have become our ambassadors. Every other person wants to train in Kenya. If we have people coming to this mausoleum, we will generate income and improve the lives of many Kenyans. With those few remarks, I beg to support the Bill.

Let us have Hon. James Nyikal.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this important Bill. I support the object of this Bill which is to open the Kenyatta Mausoleum to the public and to have it managed under the National Museums and Heritage Act. This is great recognition of the contribution of the founding father of this nation, not only to the history of this country but to the history of Africa. This is particularly recalling his involvement in the Pan-African Movement at the time. This was the great period when Africa thought that one day it will manage itself as one big bloc. We still hope that will happen. As we do that, it is also important that we remember that there are other heroes in this country. We remember the Kapenguria Six and the contribution they made to this country. We remember people like Pio Gama Pinto, Tom Mboya, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and the late Ronald Ngala. Even now, there are Kenyans, not only in the political arena but also in other arenas like athletics that are giving Kenya a great name. They too need to be remembered. It is important to have memorials such as mausoleums that act as a repository, sometimes for their remains and artefacts that depict their activities during their lives that made contributions to our country. Access to such museums is important for the public. It is only in that way that we and our children can be reminded of the role models that we have. As a country, we are now crying for role models that can shape the thinking and conduct of our people. That is what we need. This will improve our national cohesion and lead to the creation of a nation. Many of us do not remember that we are a State but as a nation, we have not done well. I do not think Kenya, as a nation, exists in the minds of other people. How else would we have people as important as Members of Parliament referring to entities like the Luo nation, the Luhya nation or the Abagusii nation? Although we say these things in jest, they actually depict what is deep inside us. We have not interred Kenya as a nation in our heart. What bring us together are documents like the Constitution and laws that create a state. However, to create a nation we need something that is deeply ingrained in our hearts. It is important to levy charges when we open the mausoleum but that is a very small element of the whole issue. The whole point is the role in creating the nation of Kenya. This Bill is appropriate. I remember when this Bill was laid on the Table. It was around the time when we were celebrating the day Mzee passed away. On that day, I remember His Excellency the President and the Leader of the Opposition were there together. They both promised that we will have peaceful elections. You can, therefore, see the importance of having a mausoleum and these artefacts being open to the public. As we put this mausoleum in place and open it, we must ask ourselves whether we have maintained the vision of our forefathers. I am sorry to say that we have not done that. We have been challenged by factors like corruption and ethnicity. These are two things that in my mind, as a country, we must struggle against. They are the greatest hindrance to our development. It is The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

good to enjoy our diversity but it must be enjoyed in the context of a singular nation that is in our hearts. You hear the problems we have in our universities in the counties. When we get to that level, we want to see ourselves as belonging to particular ethnic groups. That will not take Kenya far. We must maintain the vision of our forefathers. The Bill, in my view, should look a little further than just the Mausoleum of the late President Kenyatta, the founding father. We should broaden our outlook to include all the mausoleums of all other heroes, now and in the future. If we put the Kenyatta Mausoleum under the management of the National Museums and Heritage Board, we should do that for other mausoleums that are in existence. We know that there is Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum in Kang’o Ka Jaramogi while Tom Mboya’s Mausoleum exists in Rusinga Island. Recently, we contributed some money for the Tom Mboya Mausoleum. That is the way to go. We should open all these mausoleums to the public so that we give appropriate reverence to people who have contributed significantly to our development. We must not only do that in the political arena but also look at all other arenas such as the social, athletics or the scientific arena. Even great academicians should be included in the same package. With that, I support this Bill.

Before I give an opportunity to the next speaker, I want to recognise the presence of Chuka Girls Secondary School from Chuka/Igambang’ombe Constituency in Tharaka Nithi County. You are welcome to the National Assembly. Let us have Hon. Cyprian Iringo.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Bill. I rise to support the Bill on the Kenyatta Mausoleum where the founding father of this country was laid. Let me thank Hon. Muthomi Njuki for coming up with this Bill. In any community, people have their own heritage and history. The late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta is part of the history of this country. We all know his legacy. Opening the Mausoleum where he was laid to the public will go a step further to conserve the same heritage.

When Mzee Jomo Kenyatta passed on in 1978, he was laid to rest within the compound of Parliament Buildings. No one knows what is inside that tomb. You cannot even tell if the body is there or not. It should have been taken a notch higher to include some information that would enable people to know our history. Students visit Parliament quite often. You have just recognised a school from Chuka. They should also get an opportunity to visit that heritage sight so that they can know about the history of our country. We should have artefacts belonging to the late Jomo Kenyatta, like his fly whisk displayed there. We can also have attendants taking visitors through the history of our Parliament and the country. The mausoleum can be a tourist attraction. We will also create employment as there will be people to manage the mausoleum and others to guide visitors. The mausoleum can be under the National Museums of Kenya. People will further understand our heritage. We should also address other historical sites that should be incorporated in the Kenyatta Mausoleum to expand our tentacles to other parts of the country. We have Fort Jesus, the National Museums and the Kenya National Archives. We also have sites in rural areas that are rich in history. We have areas where kingdoms were established. For example, the Kikuyu people have an area where Mumbi and Gikuyu first lived. All these places should be secured for national heritage sights. They should be put under the same Act. They should all be conserved so that people can know the history of the various communities in the country, including that of the Mijikenda people. 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.

This is a noble idea. I support it.

Hon. (Ms.) Mahbub Fathia.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Njuki for coming up with this noble Bill. It is a good idea to have the Kenyatta Mausoleum because Jomo Kenyatta fought for the freedom of this country. We should put that historical fact into the minds of our children. The mausoleum will promote patriotism. Countries like China have also conserved their history. People visit South Africa to learn about the history of Nelson Mandela. We do not have a place to learn about our history. It is, therefore, important for us to have such a place. A mausoleum also connects our next generations with this country’s history. Our children should know about our leaders and the history about the struggle for Independence. They should also be shown some of the items that the late Jomo Kenyatta used, including his pens and books. There are probably many items that are scattered in State House or in his house. It is very important to pass this Bill so that our future generations can know about Jomo Kenyatta. Thirdly, the mausoleum can serve as a tourist attraction. If dignitaries visit our mausoleum, they will know about the life of the late President Jomo Kenyatta. Hon. Deputy Speaker, we can even introduce some fee to be paid by those who visit the mausoleum. Kenyans can take their children to the mausoleum to learn about Jomo Kenyatta and know their history. With those few remarks, I support.

Hon. Joseph Manje, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me a chance to contribute to the Bill brought by Hon. Muthomi Njuki. This is a very timely Bill that will enable us, as country, to preserve our history. We cannot underscore the importance of the history of our country. The mausoleum is the best place to learn the history of Kenya. It will also help us to interact with our past. It will help us to know something about the life of Jomo Kenyatta. We all know that he played a major role in this country, but we should document it in the right away. The objects he used should be put in the mausoleum so that our children can read about our history when they visit. Apart from enabling people to learn the history of this country, the mausoleum will also help people learn the history of Africa. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the mausoleum will also help us know the kind of man Jomo Kenyatta was, and how he managed to unite this country. Kenyatta is the best example. The pens that were used to sign our Independence documents should also be put in the mausoleum. If the mausoleum is open to the public, our children, who were not born before the death of Jomo Kenyatta, will get an opportunity to learn about him. We can interact with very many objects and artefacts that do not have monetary value to learn about our country. The mausoleum can also serve as a tourist destination. When tourists visit this country, they are normally directed to places they can visit. They will be directed to the mausoleum to read about our country’s history. Hon. Deputy Speaker, Kenya is a big name as it has been properly marketed by our athletes. If you visit any country in the world and you say that you are from Kenya, you will find that almost everybody knows that it is a country in Africa. It is a country that is most talked about in Africa. We have a good name, which should also be translated on the ground. This is an area that we can explore. We should also look at the background of Jomo Kenyatta. He had great attachment to Britain. Britons might want to come and see how Jomo Kenyatta led this country. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, we cannot forget the history outside the mausoleum. There is a time I visited Kapenguria, where we have a jail where Jomo Kenyatta spent most of the time serving his term. There are some artefacts there, including the basin that he used while serving his term there. Those items should be brought to the mausoleum. As I conclude, we have personalities in Africa who are remembered. When you are in South Africa, you must visit Soweto and the house where the late Mandela lived when he was agitating for the independence of South Africa. It is a tourist destination. One pays a lot of money to visit there. If you visit Soweto, you will probably spend money in a hotel, promoting the economy of that nation. With those remarks, I support.

Hon. Gideon Ochanda.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. At the outset, I support this Bill but there are one or two things important for us to recognise. The mausoleum is part of the history of our leadership. Once we recognise it in that manner, it is important we look at it administratively rather than coming up with legislation. This is because legislation means we will be enacting legislation for every other leader for purposes of this kind of arrangement. As I have mentioned, leadership particularly the presidents is part of our heritage. It is important to have them recognised in a proper manner. For example, we have the Heroes Day. In this country, we have agreed that there were heroes in the struggle for our Independence and the nationalist movements. However, it is more critical that these be made public. It is important to have them accessed by the public in a free manner without the many conditions like we have seen. We recognise that human beings are mortal and, definitely, death is imminent. You will have to die whether you are in leadership or not. As a country, we have only had one president die in office. It is also true that we have also not had the death of a president after Jomo Kenyatta. It really behoves that these are going to be there. In future, we are going to lose our people who have been in office as presidents. It is important we get prepared in terms of how we take care of their space in history. We have lost almost six or seven Vice-Presidents in this country since Independence. It is only the families of these Vice-Presidents who come up with things they could be remembered for. I remember there is a mausoleum in Jaramogi’s home in Bondo. It is open to the public. I am happy as a person that the museums and the heritage departments have taken up this matter. They need to take up all those if at all they are not established. We need to see something for Josephat Karanja, Saitoti and Murumbi. Murumbi donated a bit of artefacts for this country. It is important that they are recognised and their space is seen to be there. Therefore, the gist of the Bill is to have the mausoleum open to the public and this is important as part of our history and heritage. If we want to be proud of these people who contributed immensely in our lives, we have to get a way in which the mausoleums can be accessed. The other one is the administrative collection of all the things that are associated, for example, with Kenyatta. Some of the things are in Turkana while others are in Samburu and other places. In my view, at the mausoleum, we should have a collection of all these things put together, even if it is a matter of coming up with their caricatures at the mausoleum. We should have all these things where the mausoleum is as part of their contribution in history. As we are talking about opening up the mausoleum, we should bear in mind that the area is small. We need to think about where else we can place our heroes in terms of location. I remember there was a big debate of coming up with the Heroes Corner. It is important for that to The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

be looked at afresh so that we have adequate space so that any person who is interested in our history and heritage is able to access it without any hitches and hindrance. So, I support this Bill for purposes of opening up the mausoleum. I also caution that we ought to have looked at this administratively. The Ministry in charge of heritage, museums and culture should have looked at some of these things administratively without necessarily coming up with Bills from time to time.

Yes, Hon. Lentoimaga.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I thank Hon. Njuki for bringing this Bill to this House. I support it. Just like my colleagues have done, I support the idea that the Kenyatta Mausoleum should be opened to the public. This is because Jomo Kenyatta was a great person. Besides fighting for Independence, he laid the foundation for our country after independence. Colonialists feared that this country would go to the dogs. They thought that Africans cannot govern themselves. Kenyatta and his team made sure that they dispelled those rumours and bad wishes by laying the foundation for this country and making this country stand on its own. In my view, the mausoleum should be opened to the public because it is part of our heritage and history. It also restores patriotism because it makes us remember. Even the young people who have never seen Kenyatta but have only read about him in newspapers or history books can now see for themselves and confirm that Kenyatta’s body is in that mausoleum. In fact, sometimes back, rumours were going round that Mzee Kenyatta was not buried there but was taken somewhere else. I have travelled to France, Italy and Morocco and visited the tombs and mausoleums of kings and popes. In France, even a dictator like Louis XVI, who was deposed during the French Revolution in 1789, has a mausoleum, even if he was “killed” or guillotined together with the wife. Even though it was a very bloody and negative day for the family of the king, those people portray the history of France. Tourists go there now and pay a fee. You can see the casket of the king. It is the same as those of the popes from time immemorial. You can see the tombs of the popes in Rome because they are not hidden. In this country, there was a time when it was being said that after 30 years, all the secrets must be made public. Kenyatta died more than 30 years ago. Why should we not make his mausoleum open to the public so that our people can know what is there and pay a fee? If tourists come here and go back, they will say that they did not see anything good in Kenya until they visited the Kenyatta Mausoleum. Those are landmarks. Even when you go to France, unless you go to the Mausoleum of Louis XVI or the tower, you cannot say that you have gone to Paris. This is a landmark which we need to make public. Hon. Deputy Speaker, Kenyatta was jailed in my county just before Independence. It is like he was being prepared. He even wrote his famous book, Facing Mount Kenya, when he was in Maralal. We value that house even at the moment. There are beds, beddings, chairs and small artefacts. We need to improve them so that our children can view them. Why did he write that book? It is because the house where he was put under house arrest is on a hill and in the morning from 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. you could see Mount Kenya if you faced the south. It disappears at 8.00 a.m. because of the weather. At one time, he used to sneak out of the house which was facing Mount Kenya. One time the colonialists discovered that he was not in the house and yet he was under house arrest. So, a siren was switched on to signal his escape. Policemen were deployed to arrest him and they found him standing while facing Mount Kenya. This is a great man and we need our children and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

other members of the public to know that the mausoleum contains all the things that he used, for example, his walking stick, shoes, the fly whisk and the rings that he used to wear.

I was very young when he died in 1978. I had never seen him physically. I only used to see him on television and read about him in newspapers. I was in Class Seven when he died on 22nd August, 1978, but I still want to know where he was buried. If I still want to know more about Mzee Kenyatta, what about children in primary, secondary or university and other Kenyans out there? So, I support this Bill. The mausoleum should be made public and we charge a fee to anybody who wants to visit the place. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I support.

Let us have Hon. Timothy Wanyonyi.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, I also wish to support this Bill. Kenya is a great country with great people. If you travel out of this country you will realise that we take our country for granted. We have raised great men and women in this country and yet we have not preserved any literature about them. This will be beneficial to those who visit Kenya and want to know more about this country. A good example is the history of the father of the current President of America, Barack Obama. If you go to India, you will find the Taj Mahal. This is a place that was built by a

for one of his late wives. It is a place that mints a lot of money for the Indian Government. I am very sure that when we open up this Kenyatta Mausoleum to the public and other people, it will generate a lot of income to the Government. It will also give a lot of information about our leaders. When we talk about the Kapenguria Six, the younger generation may not know who they were. They may only know about the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta because he went on and became the President. People may not know that Paul Ngei, Achieng Oneko and others were part of the Kapenguria Six. So, if we open the mausoleum to the public with all the artifacts and other things that need to be placed there, it will be a source of a lot of information and literature to be used by those who want to know more about Mzee Kenyatta and many great leaders including our athletes who have elevated this country to greater heights in the international arena. I was also thinking about the location of the mausoleum as proposed in this Bill. I believe that a better location could be found other than where it is located today. It could be set up in a place where people can access it more easily without security issues. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the artifacts that we collect from various places, especially where the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta resided, for example, Kapenguria, should be placed in this place. This will be a source of information to the younger generation who want to know more about

Kenyatta. Sometimes you are hungry for knowledge but there is very little you can learn. If you want to know who Kenyatta, Tom Mboya, Elijah Masinde and Masinde Muliro were, you will really find nothing much out there. Until we open this mausoleum, we will not show the world that we care about our heroes and the people who fought for the Independence of this country. It is unfortunate that most of them died. If you visit various towns, you will notice some roads have been named after these great people, but we do not know who they were. If you asked the young generation today if they know these heroes, they will tell you that they do not. They are unable to even identify the heroes in pictures. I am sure if we set up the mausoleums, they will learn a lot about our heroes. One of the speakers has said that if you go to South Africa you will find the Mandela legacy spread all over the country, be it in Soweto or Robben Island where he was jailed. If you go to England you will also see the Mausoleum of Winston Churchill and many great men and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

women of England very well preserved. So, we need to preserve the history, legacy and heritage of our country through the preservation of the history of the people who have contributed immensely to the development of our country, especially those who fought for our freedom. We should not forget those who continue to bring great glory to our country, including our athletes. We have read about Kipchoge Keino. We see him, but we know little about him and yet he was a great athlete. He is one of the people who brought international fame to our country. Other countries have established “Halls of Fame.” We need to have this so that if you go there you will find people like Dan Muchoki and Henry Rono who did something that elevated this country. Hon. Deputy Speaker, this is a very important Bill and I believe as one of the speakers has proposed, we should have general legislation that will cover many of these areas so that we do not create small pieces of legislation for each and every personality. This will go a long way in improving the heritage of our country. I wish to support. Thank you very much.

Let us have Hon. Patrick Makau.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I concur with the previous speakers that this is a good Bill that has been brought by the Chuka/Igambang’ombe Legislator. The Kenyatta Mausoleum should have been opened to the public like yesterday. We cannot underrate the fact that Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was one of the greatest men in Africa. He fought for the Independence of this country together with others like my grandfather, Muindi Mbingu, Tom Mboya, Oginga Odinga, Dedan Kimathi, Paul Ngei and the rest of the Kapenguria Six. So, it has been a long wait. Today, we see soldiers guarding the Mausoleum of Jomo Kenyatta and yet with the diminishing rate of tourist visits in the country that could have been one of the attractions. What is being proposed is not something new. If you go to China, you will see Mao’s Mausoleum and if you visit Italy, you will see Mussolini’s. It would not be different for Kenya if we were to do that. We need to preserve our culture, so that our youth can know how the Independence of this country was attained and who were behind the struggle for Independence. Obviously, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was a great man, together with Kwame Nkrumah, Kenneth Kaunda and Julius Nyerere. It is important for the young generation to know where we have come from.

I hope a few things will be included in the mausoleum, so that it can be easier for our future generations to learn more about our former leaders. One of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s artefacts is the leopard skin that he wore. He was also a darling of leather jackets. Others include his fly whisk and the cap that was donated to him by the First Vice-President, Hon. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. I would also want Independence instruments that were handed over to him in 1963 to be put in the mausoleum, so that we can compare them with today’s instruments of power that are handed over to incoming Presidents.

Also, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta should be remembered as the first man to have allocated land mostly in settlement areas in Kitale, Lamu, Taveta and Ukambani, including Shimba Hills. Some copies of titles to those land parcels should be put in the mausoleum. It is public knowledge that

Jomo Kenyatta also acquired big chunks of land. It is also important that copies of title deeds for such lands are put in the mausoleum, so that future generations can learn that power is not about acquiring land, but distributing it equitably to people across the country. Preservation of such information in the mausoleum will enable Kenyans to realise that by 1963, Kenya was more united than it is today. Despite our political divide or our tribal backgrounds, we should all take Mzee Jomo Kenyatta as a nationalist and a man who brought this country to where it is. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Without much ado, I support this Bill. I also support the Members who feel that the Ministry in charge of national heritage should play a central role in identifying national heroes and landmarks that can add to the history of this country. We cannot keep on legislating on the same things over and over again. This is something which should have been thought of 38 years ago when our first President died. I want to congratulate my friend though I do not know why he came up with this Motion. It is important that we pass this Motion and implement it quickly, so that Kenyans can learn the positives and the negatives of our history. Of course, we will maintain our culture and history. With those remarks, I support.

Hon. Wanjiku Muhia.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I stand to support and acknowledge the effort of Hon. Muthomi Njuki in coming up with this Bill. We are aware that our education system has changed and History is now an optional subject. Students are no longer required to study History as a mandatory subject unlike what happened in the past. Most students end up at university without having any knowledge of our history. History is important. Looking at what is happening today even at the leadership arena, many people are taking the country for granted because of lack of information. The mausoleum should not only provide information about Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, but also information about former Presidents of the Republic of Kenya. The history of our forefather, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, will inform our students. Some people, especially from the civil society, try to divert the country’s attention to a certain direction without considering where the country has come from. It will be advantageous for people to take a minute and reflect to see where our country has come from. With that, I want us to consider what happens in other countries. For instance, in the USA, every former President leaves behind a museum in the constituency he comes from. I visited the Museum of J.F. Kennedy in Boston and it is a place of inspiration. I gauged and benchmarked why possibly students in the USA are inspired and informed. The museum has his pens, his wife’s wedding dress and the materials he wrote while he was in White House. What caught my eye and attention is the inspirational writings and quotes all over the walls, corridors and television screens. Students take hours there. I took more than six hours and I felt like staying there the whole day. The quotes are not only inspirational, but informative and educative. I would like to quote one of the quotes that:- “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen”. I saw young children reading and the teacher trying to explain the quote. Our forefather and former Presidents may have had such quotes for our country, but possibly, because of the politics of the day, our history is getting eroded. It can very easily be forgotten. As we legislate for Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s Mausoleum to be opened to the public, I would like to request Hon. Muthomi Njuki to bring an amendment during the Committee Stage of this Bill. I may help him to come up with an amendment to provide that every former President of Kenya should leave behind a museum which will give an idea of how he ruled this country. Tourism has gone down particularly when we are hit by terrorism. Museums are also centres of tourism especially domestic tourism. I would like Kenyans to visit museums in different parts of the country in future. I recommend that every president should leave behind a museum, so that we do not have to travel to Nairobi to learn about the presidents. Those within the surroundings of Nairobi can visit Nairobi, those within Nyeri can visit Mwai Kibaki’s 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.

museum and those near Baringo can visit former President Moi’s museum. This is an important subject. We used to have a Ministry of Heritage, which was headed by the late Mzee ole Ntimama – may God rest his soul in eternal peace. The Ministry responsible for heritage should be attached to the Ministry responsible for tourism because this is also an income generating department. Most importantly, the information that will be found at the mausoleum will help us to reflect instead of making hasty and wasteful decisions while leading this country. It is unfortunate that one can go through secondary school and university and get employed with very little knowledge of the history of this country’s struggle for freedom. The mausoleums will provide an opportunity for people to learn the history of Kenya. With those remarks, I support the Bill hoping that several amendments will come on board during the Committee Stage of the Bill.

Hon. John Waluke.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me a chance to speak on this Bill. I want to thank Hon. Njuki for bringing it to the House. The late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was not only a nationalist for Kenya, but for Africa. Jomo Kenyatta was respected all over the world. Some of us miss his commands during national functions. The mausoleum should be opened to the public. Personally, I have also not seen the body of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. I am not sure that most of the Members of Parliament have seen his body. I am also not sure that the body of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta is in that mausoleum until I see it. It is good that Hon. Njuki brought this Bill to the House. I thank him very much for bringing it. I support that the mausoleum should be opened to all Kenyans and foreigners. Sometimes, tourists who come to this country are idle while in Nairobi. Once the mausoleum is open, many of them will visit it. When they go back, they will say that they saw the body of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta who fought for the Independence of this country. Hon. Deputy Speaker, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and others like the father of Hon. Raila Odinga, Mzee Oginga Odinga, Seroney, Masinde Muliro and others played an important role in the fight for the freedom of this country. Their names should also be brought on board, so that our children can know that these people fought together with the founding father to bring Independence to this country. If it is open, our children, who are now witnessing us making contributions in this House, will visit the mausoleum of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta within Parliamentary premises. With those few remarks, I support this Bill.

Hon. Peter Mwangi

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance to contribute to this Bill by Hon. Muthomi Njuki. It is high time we started to recognise the history of this country. I was about 14 years when Mzee Jomo Kenyatta died. A promise was made that by the end of 40 years, the mausoleum will be made a public place or his body will be taken where it should be taken. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta marks so many things in this country. He is the founding father of this nation and the founder of the Harambee spirit in this country. He might be the last President to die in office because the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 provides that presidents should serve for only two terms. I do not foresee any other President dying in office in this country. Most of them will die out of office and most of us will never see what they did in this country. The late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta did a lot for this country. He negotiated for the Independence of this country. As much as we say that many people fought for Independence, 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.

Kenyatta suffered a lot for this country. He travelled out of this country to negotiate for the Independence of this country. It is high time we opened the mausoleum to the public. Let our children understand the history of this country. Other countries, like Members have mentioned, recognise what their leaders did for them. Our country now needs to know why the Committee that planned for the funeral of the late President decided to inter his remains in a public place. They could have interred them in Uhuru Park or somewhere in Gatundu, but they opted for Parliament. This is because Parliament is a symbol of the rights and justice for the people. Since this House has taken a long time to legislate on this issue, I agree with Hon. Muthomi Njuki that it is high time the mausoleum was opened to the public. The mausoleum will generate a lot of money for us. If you go to countries like China or Japan, they boast of their history. It is time that, we, in Africa, and particularly in Kenya, looked at our history as a tourist attraction. With those few remarks, I support.

Hon. Patrick Wangamati

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to join other Members who have already contributed to this very important Bill. First, I want to congratulate the Mover of the Bill, Hon. Njuki. I also want to join one young Mheshimiwa who said she has been to America and has said much about President Kennedy’s home. I have also visited that home. It has taken a long time to come up with this idea of opening up the mausoleum of the founding father of this nation. The idea is good, although it has been delayed for a long time. Kenyatta did this country proud. Some of us who saw or worked with him after getting our Independence appreciate that he was a great man. We have underplayed his popularity. If we had taken up this issue earlier, people would have known what Independence meant. The late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta left us with his own son who is ruling this country with a lot of development experience. As far as he is concerned, he wants to turn this country into a developed country. Kenyatta must be remembered and the mausoleum should be open to every Kenyan and visitors, so that they can learn about our country. Some of us who went for the second liberation to bring freedom of speech and association should support this Bill.

Kenyatta did not fight for Independence alone, but there were many freedom fighters in this country. This House passed a Motion that these people should be compensated, recognised, given good facilities and their children considered. I want the Executive to come up with a policy to see our freedom fighters compensated. Apart from Kenyatta and his associates, there were many others who were not recognised all over the country. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker---

Order! Order! Proceed. I am sure you have heard the voice.

Thank you very much. You are not Madam Speaker, but Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Many people in this country live in poverty. These are people whose families still suffer because they were freedom fighters. This House has never taken issue with their suffering. I want to persuade this House that somebody somewhere is sitting on this Motion. Perhaps I will bring it again, so that we can enforce it. There are people like the late Paul Ngei and others who even died in Uganda and their bodies were never brought here. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is good you have taken over the Chair and you are going to assist me. There is the issue of the Mau Mau freedom fighters, Dini ya Msambwa and many others, who should be compensated. There is fear in this country. People are wondering how they shall be compensated. As Members from all over this country, we know the people who participated in the fight for freedom. We know those who are still living and their families. With those few remarks, I want to support the Bill and express that it has taken us a long time to realise this.

Of course, you are a renowned freedom fighter in your own right. Before I give opportunity to the next speaker, I want to recognise pupils from Farasi Lane Primary School in Westlands Constituency, Nairobi County. That is the constituency ably represented in this House by Hon. Tim Wanyonyi. You are welcome to observe the proceedings of the House.

I will now give the opportunity to Hon. Bishop Mutua.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to add my voice in support of this Bill. First, I want to appreciate the spirit behind this debate. It is high time we remembered our history from the positive side. Many times when we talk about our history, we talk about marginalisation and inequalities, but this Bill calls on us to realise that there are a lot of good things that our leaders, and in particular the first President of this nation, indeed, the father of this nation, did. Yesterday, we were discussing the Harambee story. I would like to see the story and the origin of the Harambee spirit being displayed as we debate this Bill on the Kenyatta Mausoleum. That will ensure people understand the circumstances under which this spirit was given to us, which has enabled us to develop as a nation, to develop our people and our institutions because of what our founding father of this nation gave us. This clarion call he gave us has become our greatest achievement in this nation. As we open the mausoleum, let us be careful to note the good statements and the inspiring messages of our founding father. It is high time we, as Kenyans, became proud of our leaders who have managed to bring us together as a nation. We were so much divided by the colonialists before Kenyatta’s time. When he came into power, he brought us together. Even as we struggle today with tribalism, we can overcome this aspect if we keep remembering what he told us. We can do this by visiting the mausoleum when it is open to the public and get inspired. We seem to forget too fast where we have come from and why we came together as a nation. This is an important Bill. As leaders, we need to re-examine our particular stand as we visit the mausoleum and see what made our forefathers fight so hard and sacrifice so much 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.

particularly what made our first President, the founder of this nation, call us together, so that we can now begin to ignore some of the forces that divide us so easily. We do not need to become a divided nation. We need to become a united nation, a nation that is proud of its diversity. This is going to be one of the best moments that we have had; the day we are going to open the mausoleum to the public. We can make several adjustments to create enough space for people to go there and learn our history, interact with the past and recognise that this nation is built on the sacrifice of blood. People fought and many died to bring us together. We do not need to fight again or kill one another. We need to begin to come together, forgive one another and embrace our diversity. When this happens, Kenya will become a shining star, shining country for other members within Africa to learn from us. We cannot afford to lose this history. He did not fight alone. We need to begin to think how to celebrate other heroes who stood with him, not just during the Heroes Day, but we should have a place where somebody can walk in any day and see portraits of all our heroes, what they stand for and the contribution they made to this nation. This is important for us and our children who know very little about our history. They know a lot about other countries and leaders outside Africa, but they do not know much about Kenya. This is a step in the right direction and I want to thank Hon . Njuki for bringing the Bill on time. Thank you very much. Let us hold this dearly to our hearts.

I will give this opportunity to the Member for Kilome, Hon. Regina Ndambuki.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support this Bill by Hon. Muthomi Njuki. I support Members who spoke before me supporting that the mausoleum should be open to the public. I disagree with one of the Members who claimed that he is not very sure whether the body of our founding father is lying at the mausoleum. Surely, you do not expect to go to the mausoleum and see a dead body. For people who have been to a place like Israel, you go there to read history about Jesus Christ, how he was crucified, where he was laid and buried. You are only taken through some areas and you are told that after he was crucified, his body was removed. It was placed somewhere. You see a table with a white cloth and you see another place where he was kept for some days and where he was buried, but his body is not there. The issue of heroes is very important. For the few of us who have been to China, we have seen a list of so many heroes. You read their history though you cannot remember some of them. When you come to Kenya, Kenyatta was arrested together with many other Kenyans. Some of them have died very poor like Paul Ngei and you know his story. He did not deserve to be a hero because he died a poor person. There is somebody like Kisoi Munyao who raised the flag at a time when there were no roads. You can imagine if Mt. Kenya would be like that today. That old man, may his soul rest in eternal life, is forgotten. He is a nobody. Nobody has dared to go through that place and Kisoi Munyao is forgotten. These people died very poor. We should change our mentality in this country. We should not talk of heroes yet we have nothing to show for them. Most of these families are suffering. You cannot even identify a son of Paul Ngei, Kaggia or Kisoi Munyao even after what they did for this country and the sacrifices they made. They died for this country, but their families are still suffering to date. If you look at the mausoleum next to Uhuru Park, it is just a house with a picture. If you go inside, there is nothing. So, you send students from schools to see and learn. What do they learn? There is nothing. There is no picture or anything. There is The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

no history or people there. Can we do what other countries do? We go to other countries to read history and learn about what we should do in our country. When we went to Israel, I remember were told they generate over US$10 billion from the area where Jesus was buried from tourists who go to read and see their history. In our country, you find an askari at the gate who tells you that you cannot enter yet we say the body of our founding father, who rescued this country from the white people, is lying there. One just goes through the fence, peeps and goes back. If you truly want to keep the history of this country, we must open the mausoleum to the public. If you go to primary schools and ask them how we got Independence, some of them will tell you it is from Uhuru Kenyatta because they do not know any other person. They think it was Uhuru Kenyatta who fought for Independence. Can we send them to learn history? Let them be taught what happened that Mzee Kenyatta was with others and what they did. They should be taught what he went through with the others. They only know Kenyatta. I feel very bad when I see the suffering and the sacrifices which were made by these people yet their families are suffering. We are not serious about heroes. We are not serious about our history. We need to keep good examples for our future generations, so that they do not just read history. We can make a lot of money. In Kenya, we only have national parks and the National Museum of Kenya but what is there is not something that attracts tourists. That is why most tourists go to other countries where they have a lot to see. We only have national parks and that is it. You may not even see the big five unless you go to national parks. So, if we want to keep our history and attract tourists to this country who can bring money into our economy, we must think about what to do. We should not just talk of heroes. Who are these heroes? What have they done? Who are they? Where are their families? How do you identify them?

I am here.

At least, we have seen you running somewhere. We can identify you as a hero because you won a few gold medals. What of the rest?

I have never run anywhere.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, he wanted to be recognised. Truly, we should recognise him.

Who is that?

The Member of Parliament. He told me to recognise him.

You mean Hon. Korir?

Yes. He told me to recognise him. Many of them do not know him. He is a Member of Parliament and he runs. He is a very good runner. If something happens in Parliament, we are not worried. We know he will take things and disappear with them. I support the Bill. After this, we need to see changes.

Hon. Ferdinand Wanyonyi.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, this Bill by my friend, Hon. Njuki, has come at the right time. This country needs to move forward. The contributions from Members who have spoken before me are good. It is time for us to change things right away for posterity. Like the Member has just said, we have visited Israel, USA, Italy, Germany, France and many other places. We should move forward in the spirit of the founding fathers of this nation. As somebody has mentioned and it is true, when you talk about the founding father of our nation, very few of our children and grandchildren know anything about him. We should be serious 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.

about it and not just open the mausoleum next door. It is not convenient because if you open it, it will become very difficult even to control the kind of people who go in there. We should have some amendments at the Committee stage to amend the Bill to accommodate whatever ideas we have in recognition of the fact that we have benchmarked elsewhere and we have seen how other people have done their heroes proud. I have visited the US and as somebody has mentioned, former presidents from various states have their own museums. You do not go there to see bodies like you do at the mausoleum here. The objective of going to a museum is to learn what happened in the past.

Let us have this Bill amended in the Committee of the whole House to include among other things, the founding fathers of this nation. I have visited Kapenguria and I do not know whether most people have gone there or not. The place where Mzee was sleeping is pathetic. There is nothing to show. You find an askari there who will show you where Kenyatta was detained and that is it. You learn nothing other than just the memory.

We need to have something said about the founding father and the other six who were held captive in Kapenguria. There is nothing else. We should maintain the vision and the aspirations they had for our country. The late Mzee Masinde Muliro and Ronald Ngala fought for a federal government. It has now come to pass. We now have majimbo, what is what they were fighting for. If you go to the mausoleum of the late Masinde Muliro, there is no writing about him. Even the mausoleum of the former Vice President of this country, the late Hon. Kijana Wamalwa has nothing about him. If we have the history of all these leaders with writings about them and their attires, our future generations would learn a lot about them.

The late Mzee Kenyatta fought for pan-Africanism with Kwame Nkrumah, Kenneth Kaunda and Haile Selassie. They wanted a united Africa. So what? History is now an optional subject. You do not have to study it. You can do anything else, pass and go to university, but what will our children know about pan-Africanism? Nothing. If history is an optional subject, somebody will become a professor, but when you ask him about our history, he will not know anything.

This Bill has come at the right time, but at the Committee stage, Members who have good ideas should come up with amendments, so that we can patch up this Bill to recognise our past heroes. I have in mind Paul Ngei, Oginga Odinga, Mzee Masinde Muliro, Ronald Ngala, ole Tip Tip and others. They should go down in history. The idea of having a museum in every region where they come from is good. For example, in Eastern Kenya, we will have a museum for Paul Ngei where you can see what he did for us. People will learn from that. In Nairobi, we can have one for Jomo Kenyatta, our founding father. The late Masinde Muliro fought for a federal government and we now have regional governments.

With those few remarks, let us have Members with good ideas bringing them in the Committee of the whole House to make some amendments on this very noble Bill.

I support the Bill.

Let us have Hon. Hellen Chepkwony.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I support the Member who brought this Bill for the opening up of the late Mzee Kenyatta’s Mausoleum to the public. The people who were born during Independence and saw Jomo Kenyatta were lucky, but our children do not know who Jomo Kenyatta was yet there is a mausoleum they should visit and learn about him. The Member who brought this Bill thought enough that there is something wrong with our country. We are not showing our children what they are supposed to know. They should know that there was a founding father who fought for The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

our Independence. There are other people who fought with him and struggled, but our children do not know that. We would be happy if mausoleums are constructed in every county where these heroes lived. Many heroes have died, but nobody knows about them.

It would be great if we constructed mausoleums for these heroes and make them cultural centres. These days, our children have problems. They do not know their cultures and where they came from. We should be serious now. After passing a Bill like this, it should be implemented for the knowledge of our children and to raise revenue for the country.

Some Hon. Members have talked about Israel. If you go to Israel, there is a mausoleum where Jesus was entombed and it fetches a lot of money. That is where he was entombed. What of Kenya where our founder is lying? If you go to Rome, you will see late popes in mausoleums. Why can we not do that for our country and make money?

The tourism industry is going down. We need to boost local tourism. We should not depend on foreign tourism alone. We should have local tourism by showing our children what happened in the past and how these heroes struggled for our Independence. We hear the history of Dedan Kimathi, but our children do not know who he was because there is nowhere where we can visit, read his history and find out what he did or what happened to him.

This time, we should make sure that things work the right way. Children do not know their culture and that is why you find that they have lost direction. Evil things like men raping young children are happening because there is no culture. They cannot even remember anything because there is nowhere they can visit and find out about their cultures. We should be one Kenya, but we also must mind our cultures and bring up our children in the right direction.

There is a Heroes Corner in Ethiopia. One time, we had talked about a heroes corner here in Kenya, but nothing happened. It was only talked about, but nothing happened.

The 11th Parliament will pass this Bill and implement it. With those remarks, I support the Bill.

Let us have Hon. Dr. Chrisantus Wamalwa.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to contribute to this Bill pertaining to Kenyatta Mausoleum. Indeed, it is a wonderful Bill and in line with the Heroes Act that was passed on the Floor of this House. When you talk about Kenyatta, there is so much we need to learn from him. I never had opportunity to see him because I was a baby at that time. Anytime you want to know what he looked like, those who had an opportunity to see him say that he really looked like his son, the current President of this country, His Excellency Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. I do not know whether he had the same height like his son, but when President Uhuru was campaigning, we realised that even his speech was like his father’s. He would use famous words such as “ ndugu zanguni ” or “ baba zanguni ”. The late Mzee Kenyatta was very patriotic. He left a legacy of Harambees . Many people are here today because of Harambees . The Harambee spirit calls for teamwork. This is something that leaders need to learn. You can only succeed when you work together as a team. The Harambee spirit and its legacy still exist today because of Mzee Kenyatta, the late founder of this nation. When it comes to pan-Africanism, you realise that Mzee is also remembered as one of the big people who campaigned for it. He is mentioned alongside Kwame Nkrumah and Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, when you read history. As others have mentioned, if this mausoleum is going to be opened to the public, the fee charged should be democratic, so that we do not just do it for the purposes of tourists, but also for locals to visit. As others have mentioned, the interest is the history and heritage. A lot has 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.

been said about this and I do not want to repeat what others have said. I just want to call upon other heroes, for instance, the Kapenguria Six. In line with the Heroes Act, the Government should do something in recognition of the people who fought for this country. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, you belong to KANU. I am assuming that the late founder of this nation was a KANU member. I do not know whether you have already written a letter to the Registrar of Political Parties showing that you have moved to the new Jubilee Party as per the requirement of the law.

Order, Hon. (Dr.) Wamalwa! When I sit in this Chair, I am not a member of any party. I am the Speaker.

Yes, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I know that. Thank you for that. When you look at the heritage and history of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, you cannot write it without mentioning KANU because KANU ruled and it is still ruling by extension. We recognise that it is the oldest party. We also have the Forum for Reform and Democracy–Kenya (FORD (K) party which is the second oldest party. Remember old is gold. As we move to other parties, we should not run away from the founding parties of this nation like KANU and FORD (K). The founding father was a no nonsense person. When we read about President Kenyatta, we are told that those days in Gatundu, he could even summon his Ministers, particularly those who were misbehaving with regard to corruption. I am not sure whether corruption was there at that particular time. We know that the founding father fought three enemies. He fought ignorance, and that is why he fought to have schools, disease and poverty. Those were the three critical things that the founding father fought against. The current President, who is his son, is fighting even more issues. There is still poverty, ignorance and disease and now we have corruption, tribalism and unemployment. As we move forward as a nation, the President continues to fight these six issues. We need to support him in the spirit of Harambee, which is the legacy of his father. I do not want to say much, but I support the Bill. I hope my friend, Hon. Muthomi, has looked at the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. What we are discussing on culture falls under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. Some of these things are taken care of by the county government. As we move forward, I hope we are aware this Bill will go to the Senate. We assume that the Senate will move with speed. If possible, such a Bill should also be tabled in the Nairobi County Assembly because the mausoleum is in the City. As my colleagues have said, the place where the mausoleum is located is very small and we need to move it to a bigger place, but it was located on Parliament grounds because there is that connection. Parliament represents the sovereign will of the people. A framework should be put in place so that it can remain here as opposed to relocating it. That will play a critical role. Sometimes back, we discussed the establishment of a heroes’ corner after the late Wamalwa Kijana died. I remember there was controversy in terms of where to bury him. The aspect of the heroes’ corner is also good. I call upon the Members to support this. It is a straightforward Bill that provides for the unity of this country. We should move with speed so that we can implement the Bill once it is passed. I support the Bill.

At 11.42 p.m., the Mover will be called upon to reply. There are six minutes which Hon. Abdul Dawood, Member for North Imenti, can utilise. 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 first want to support the Bill proposed by the Member for my neighbouring county, Hon. Muthomi Njuki. It is a very good Bill regarding the opening of the Kenyatta Mausoleum to the public. When I was young, I remember going to State House when the President was lying in State for everybody to view the body. I remember standing in the queue for a very long time. I eventually made it and saw the body of the President lying in State. That was one of the biggest moments of my youth. It is good to open the mausoleum to the public because we need to let people know what kind of a man the late President was. He was a unifying factor for Kenya. History is just history if we learn it in school, but once we come to the mausoleum, we will know much more than what we learn because we will experience it.

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

Order. What is it Hon. Ochieng’?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you so much. Some of us were born after His Excellency President Kenyatta died. It would be good to know from Hon. Dawood whether Kenya was more united when Kenyatta was alive than it is today. Some of us only hear stories about a President Kenyatta who died. It would be good for us who were born after he died to know this.

That is obviously not a valid point of order. You have just done well to declare your age, but you can read it in books.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Hon. Ochieng’ just wanted to speak. We were very united then and are still united. We are not as fragmented as other countries in the African continent. We do not have civil war in Kenya. That is a sign of the unity that we have in Kenya. Under President Uhuru Kenyatta, we have already united in the Jubilee Party. We expect others to unite, so that we can go to elections united looking for the one position which the Jubilee Party will get, anyway. There is no doubt about that. I want to go back to the Kenyatta Mausoleum Bill. In Germany, you will find the Berlin Wall. They have made it into a nice museum or mausoleum to commemorate what happened between East and West Germany. It is the same when you go to Rome. I have been to Rome and all the cities in Italy. They have museums in each and every town. In many places, you want to just sit there and enjoy the scenery, for example, the Sistine Chapel. In the United States of America (USA), you will probably see the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. We need to do much more because we are just recognising one of the Kapenguria Six. We need to think about how we can honour the other Kapenguria Six like Achieng’ Oneko, Paul Ngei and the rest. We probably need to devolve the mausoleum to Meru. We have Gen. Baimunge, who was a freedom fighter from the Meru Community during the Mau Mau period. He contributed to the fight for the Independence of this country. We also need to recognise the Mau Mau veterans because most of them are wallowing in poverty yet they fought for our Independence. We should establish more museums. We should also allocate the Mau Mau veterans some land. That will be a good thing to do. It is a good Bill. I beg to stop to allow others to contribute.

I now call upon the Mover to reply. You have 10 minutes to do so.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy for giving me the opportunity to reply. I have received overwhelming support from Members and there are still those who want to comment. With your permission, allow me to donate two minutes to Hon. Olago Aluoch; one 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.

minute to the Member for Juja, Hon. Munyua; Hon. Korir, and because of gender, I will donate a minute to the Member for Kajiado South.

I will proceed to allow the Members you have chosen to contribute. Let us have the Member for Kisumu Town West Constituency.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. We do not have Kisumu Town West Constituency, but Kisumu West Constituency. I would also like to thank my good friend, Hon. Njuki, for donating some time to me. We cannot overemphasise the importance of creating a mausoleum in honour of our first President, Jomo Kenyatta. I want to agree with my colleagues that we need to fine-tune this Bill during the Committee of the whole House by including provisions for dealing with vandalism. There are special artefacts that should be preserved. Unless we have provisions for dealing with people who want to destroy those artefacts, the Bill will be incomplete. If we are going to properly rewrite the history of Kenya in a way that our children, our next generations and our visitors can understand, we need a much bigger space than what is at the mausoleum within the compound of Parliament Buildings. Two days ago, I was passing by the mausoleum and there were tourists taking pictures. They were told by a Kenyan to stop taking pictures because they can be arrested. We need to understand these things. We also need to understand that in addition to politicians, there are other Kenyans who are heroes. In my home area, Mr. Okore Ogonda needs to be honoured.

Member for Juja.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I want to join my colleagues in supporting this Bill. I come from Juja Constituency, Kiambu County and the people are thankful because of the Kenyatta Mausoleum Bill. We have a generation that has just been reading about our founding father. Other than reading in books, we should give them an opportunity to look at some of his artefacts, so that they can understand the life of Jomo Kenyatta. We have been debating issues of tea and other crops in this House. I want to say that Jomo Kenyatta was also so much involved in those issues.

Hon. Korir.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Bill. When we open the mausoleum to the public, most of us will know what is in that tomb. We always see two soldiers standing at the entrance, but we have no idea of what is inside the tomb. Opening the mausoleum to the public will not only give students an opportunity to visit this Chamber, but also the tomb. As we move to the Third Reading, we should expand it to a museum, so that we can bring in more items that people can learn from. In Rwanda, they have a Genocide Museum and in the US, they have the Heroes Park.

Hon. (Ms.) Tobiko.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would also like to thank Hon. Muthomi for donating a minute to me. It is important to open the mausoleum to the public. Jomo Kenyatta was a great man in this country. He also made history by giving us another great man, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta. I have worked as Director of the National Museums of Kenya, but the institution has not been allocated enough funds to take care of our heritage.

Are you saying that you are a director of the National Museums of Kenya? The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Yes.

As it is now?

No. I was a director.

Okay. I thought you are now because that would have been against the law.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the National Museums of Kenya intends to take care of the Kenyatta House in Samburu. They had also budgeted for the heroes corner, but money has never been released from the National Treasury. We must take care of our history.

Having donated four minutes to Members and the half-minute that you used to allocate the four minutes, you are left with five- and-a-half minutes to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Those five minutes are enough for me to reply. I want to thank the Members who overwhelmingly supported this Bill. We did not receive any dissent. However, there are Members who have reservations especially on issues of other heroes. Section 8 of the Bill says that the National Museums and Heritage Act shall apply

to this Act. That means what has not been covered in this Bill has been covered in the National Museums and Heritage Act. We will still have to look at the other heroes. In summary, the Kenyatta Mausoleum Bill has four main themes. The first one is to protect and preserve the artefacts in the mausoleum, so that we can preserve the history of the late Jomo Kenyatta for our next generations. The second one is to create employment in this country. As it is now, we have only two Administration Police officers who are employed to guard the mausoleum. They work in shifts. At any one time, you do not have more than three employees there. When it becomes a historic site operated by the National Museums of Kenya, we will not have less than 20 employees. Thirdly, we intend to attract a lot of tourists. Parliament attracts a lot of local tourism. Students visit here every day. They have always asked how they can visit the site where the late M zee Jomo Kenyatta was buried. Even if we do not rely on the external tourism, the local tourism alone would, of course, not be enough but it will be a substantial contribution to the revenue of this country. We have to enhance the patriotism of Kenyans by ensuring that people learn about our history in knowing the artefacts that have been put there. We will have all the things that have been mentioned about Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. Many of us have not read Facing Mount Kenya . The book will be there.

In summary, there are people who are worried about the vandalism of sites that are associated with Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and, in particular, in Maralal and whatever may be in Gatundu. We may have some things in Kapenguria. The idea is not to vandalise those other sites which are associated with Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. The idea, if possible, is even to replicate it in a bigger way so that we can have a bigger one where we can have the history of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta being portrayed and Kenyans of all walks of life can learn more about this country in connection with him.

The issue of space has been mentioned by most Members. There are 4.4 acres that have been mentioned here. I am in doubt whether that is the size of the land where the mausoleum is located. That could be the whole land where the National Assembly and the Senate are located. Therefore, there is need, in the Committee of the whole House, to be a bit more specific on whether that piece of land where the mausoleum is located has a separate parcel number and title deed which is separate from the National Assembly and the Senate, so that we do not have a The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

conflict of interest later between the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) and the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). Those are two different bodies. We need to look at that so that we can have an inter-governmental agency working in coordination to deliver one particular unit.

With those few remarks, I thank Members again more sincerely for debating this Bill and I hope that we will support it in the Committee of the whole House and bring amendments that will make it a better Bill.

I thank you and pray for you to continue being the better Speaker that you are.

Having finished debating this Bill, I will not put the Question because of obvious reasons. We will proceed to the next Order.

Hon. Members, on this particular one, we are resuming debate. I can see there is no Member who had any balance of time. So, as you familiarize yourself with this particular Motion which is proceeding, I will give a chance to those who are ready. Those who are available to comment on it are at liberty to do so, but those ones who were interested in the one which has just been finished will have to inform the Speaker.

Let us have Hon. Rashid Juma Bedzimba, Member for Kisauni. Do you want to speak to this one?

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Ingawa nilikuwa nimebonyeza kwa ile ya makavazi ya hayati Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, nitaendelea na hii pia ambayo imenifikia sasa.

Ni vyema sana tupeleke viongozi wa dini katika shule zetu kwa sababu kulingana na hali ilivyo sasa, wanafunzi wanakua bila imani ya dini kwa sababu muda mwingi wanautumia wakiwa shule. Ni vigumu kwao kwenda katika madrassa au sehemu ambazo watafundishwa Biblia. Ni vyema sana viongozi wa dini zote wapelekwe katika shule. Wenye imani ya Kiislamu wapelekewe walimu wa Kiislamu kama maimamu ama masheikh. Wenye imani ya Kihindu na 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.

ya Kikristu pia wepelekewe walimu wao ili watoto wetu wakue katika mazingira ya dini, kupendana na huruma. Huo ndio wakati pekee ambapo mtoto akiwa shuleni aone dini imewekwa katika somo, atachukua na uzito. Kulingana na mazingira yaliyoko sasa mitaani, ni vyema sana watoto wetu wapate mafunzo ya kidini. Wanafunzi wakue katika maadili ya kidini kuanzia shule za chekechea, shule za msingi na zile za sekondari. Ikiwezekena, wakati mitihani inapotungwa, wawekewe maswali hayo ili wakifanya mtihani, waone umuhimu wake. Kila siku kabla hawajaingia madarasani, wawekwe katika sehemu za imani zao ili wafundishwe hali halisi jinsi dini inavyosema, aina ya upendo na jinsi ya kuishi pamoja ili wakue katika mazingira hayo na tubadilishe taifa letu. Taifa letu sasa limebadilika. Watu wanagawanyika kikabila na kidini. Wanahitaji neno la Mungu na kuelezewa hali zilivyo ili watoto wetu wainukie katika mazingira mazuri.

Nilikuwa nimebonyeza kuhuzu suala la makavazi ya hayati Jomo Kenyatta. Itabidi nipenyeze neno moja ambalo halikuzungumziwa hapa. Katika makavazi hayo, kuwekwe taratibu za watu watakaoenda pale, wasiwe wataenda kumuomba kwamba awasaidie. Itakuwa kinyume na imani. Iwekwe sehemu ambayo watu wataomba Mungu kwa sababu hata tukiwaruhusu watalii waingie, kikubwa ambacho marehemu aliyetangulia mbele zake anahitaji ni maombi. Kwa hivyo, kuwe na sehemu ya maombi ambapo watu watakuwa wanamuombea. Kwa hayo mengi, ahsante sana Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda.

Let us have Hon. Kahangara, Member for Lari.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to add my voice to what other members have said. Indeed, we have seen issues of moral decay in our schools. I thank the Member who has brought the Motion about deploying and ensuring that we have chaplains in our schools. Although this has been happening, I think the main problem is that the chaplaincy has been absent. We are all aware that we have the sponsors in our schools, who are either the churches or the Muslims and their mosques. However, besides being given the responsibility of looking after those institutions, you realize that most of them do not even know what they are supposed to do. What I have seen with the issue of sponsors is that when we form e Boards of Management (BOMs) in the schools, most of the time, what they do is they ensure that they have representation within the BOMs. However, when it comes to the issue of guidance and counseling and the Christian values that they are supposed to instill in the students; that does not happen. It is timely for us to urge the Government to ensure that we have the chaplaincy and the chaplains are in the schools so that they can give proper guidance to the students in our schools. What we are experiencing in this country is unprecedented. Virtually, when you look back to the days when we were in school, we did not have the kind of things we are seeing today like sexual orgies. We have seen students engage in such things when they are going for games or going home from school. They hire matatus from Nairobi and other areas and misbehave along the way. This indicates that there is a lot that needs to be done. Whatever is being done by the parents and in the schools through guidance and counseling is not enough and, indeed, we need chaplains. The sponsors in our schools must also take up their roles. Theirs is not just to be in the BOMs. They must ensure that, at least, every week, there is an opportunity for students to be guided on Christian and Muslim values within the lessons so that we can bring up children in the proper way.

We will have Hon. Christine Ombaka. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. This is a very wonderful Motion and---

What have you done? You actually might have spoken and, therefore, the system might have detected you. You are Hon. Christine Ombaka. You know you have spoken about this matter unless you are not so sure about it. It is not about thinking; I am just giving you the true position. You spoke at 12.59 p.m. on 3rd August, 2016. I know it is some time ago but you have spoken to it. That is why the system has detected that you have spoken. So, we will have to give someone else the opportunity. You know Members are not allowed to speak twice to the same Motion. I gave her specifically because I felt she was a member of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology. So, probably, I will have to give the Chairperson of that Committee. So, do not worry. I know she has just come in. I will give her an opportunity for sure.

By the way, Hon. Chris Wamalwa, I might as well give you a chance. But I will not because you already contributed to the same. Let us be clear, hon. Members. I know this matter was debated about one month and a half ago. Hon. Odanga has spoken and so have Hon. Mwinga, Hon. M’eruaki, Hon. Wamalwa and Hon. Ombaka. Those are the Members who have spoken. So, proceed Hon. Member.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me the privilege. As the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology, I support the Motion on deployment of chaplains to learning institutions. The main challenges we have had is indiscipline in our learning institutions, especially in the boarding schools. The foundation of a child is built from early childhood via the Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centers all the way to the institutions of higher learning. The values that are instilled at the tender age are very critical when the person matures and takes up responsibilities in the nation. As a nation, we are crying because of corruption and people with no moral values holding high offices. Deployment of chaplains will help those students at a very early age. The Bible tells us to teach the young the right ways and when they grow, they will never depart from them. As I support this Motion, I want to encourage parents to work closely with the teachers who spend a lot of time with their children. We know the role of the chaplains. I remember when I was a pupil in Kenyona Primary school, we used to have a pastoral programme every Friday. I was privileged that our school was sponsored by the Apostolic Christian Church (ACC). Therefore, the values that I was taught every Friday and the things that I learnt are what hold me together. It helps me even when I go for my campaigns. Some of the songs that we sing with Hon. Esther, the Member for Ruiru, we learnt them at that tender age and they have really connected us with the community. There are things I will not do because I learnt about them at that tender age. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Well, I am surprised that Hon. Esther is also a singer because I know her voice is not very--- Proceed anyway!

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, but she will shock you. Her normal voice is not very attractive but when she is singing, she can do magic. I was only complimenting her and so, I am not out of order.

On a point of order.

What is it Hon. Gathogo?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I just wonder whether the Hon. Member for Murang’a County is discussing about education or it is about Pastor Esther Gathogo, MP Ruiru. That is because I know I am a singer, preacher, politician and a mother. So, I do not know why she is trying to discuss one side of me and yet, she knows me very well.

Order, Hon. Gathogo! I know you have given all those credentials about yourself and they have gone home. So, proceed, Hon. Sabina, without having to respond to that one.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I was just trying to emphasize that she has all those heavy credentials and a heavy CV. If Hon. Esther, the way I know her, never encountered a chaplain at her early age to get the values that were instilled by the chaplains at that tender age, I do not know where she would be today. For sure, she would not be an MP. My point is that we instill those good values in our children at an early age. We also hope that the Government will support the chaplains. We know some churches deploy them, but they are not given any extra coin. So, it is important that the Government maintains a kitty and supports those chaplains because they do a lot of work to instill discipline, values and mould our young children. So, I thank you and support.

Thank you, Hon. Chairperson. I will give this opportunity to the Member for Kathiani. Is Hon. Mbui in the House?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I begin by thanking Hon. Odanga for coming up with this very important Motion that basically deals with deployment of chaplains to learning institutions. I have noted that Parliament is seeking to give solutions for almost every problem that we have. We are here to represent, oversee and legislate. It is difficult to legislate on everything, but I see desperation in this country. Members have noted that the nation is going through some form of desperation and that is why we have reached this point where we have to figure out solutions through legislations that will help grow this country and move it to the next level. The problems that I have noted in schools are grave. We have reached that point where drugs are being used left, right and center in our learning institutions and the kind of drugs in schools today are so advanced that even the school management boards and managers might not be in a position to detect them. Alcohol is being abused at a very high rate in our schools and it is something that has been publicized out there in the media. For instance, so many students have been arrested by the police for being drunk and yet, they were supposed to be on a school trip. Early sex is a major problem and it is not just about early sex involving children and grown-ups, but early sex among the children themselves. It is a big problem and in some of our areas, it is the order of the day. There is a problem that this country is going through. You also know that in some of our schools, the property of our children is not safe. That is because some of the children steal from others. Dishonesty is at the highest level ever currently. 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.

Recently, you saw the riots that affected our schools. Instead of the children protesting in a civilized manner, they burn their dormitories. The Mover of this Motion is trying to come up with a solution that will help us move the nation forward and, probably, curb the problems that we are facing. The question is this: What punishments are available for school managers today? With the new Constitution, the hands of school managers are tied. In the past, there was corporal punishment, which is now a thing of the past; it was banned. It is one of the things that were keeping our children on the straight and narrow road. It has been removed and we cannot punish them in that manner. That is one of the problems we are facing as a nation because I know that you spare the rod and you spoil the child. Previously, you could send children on detention. You would isolate them and lock them up for a period of time so that they could think about the wrongs they had done. The Constitution bars that from being done. I have experienced situations where school managers have landed in trouble because of locking up children, say, in a library or in an isolated room for the mistakes they have done. We are talking about a Constitution which insists on giving the child the very best but, when they do wrong, it does not give us solutions. This is what is happening. I want to propose certain solutions. This will enhance my colleague’s proposal on chaplains. We need to improve the observation of our children in school. Probably, through a Motion, we can propose introducing Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance systems in our institutions, so that whatever happens in school can be seen by directors, managers or principals from their offices. For anything that happens, there will be a record so that nobody can go against it or end up going to court to say something happened and they deny it. Therefore, it is important to look into that possibility.

Our schools have guidance and counselling departments. In essence, the school chaplain is going to be providing the same service that is provided by that department. I want to mention some of the fears that I have when we say that we are going to use the chaplain to correct those situations. First and foremost, the Constitution does insist on independence of worship. So, if you are going to bring a chaplain who is a Christian, Muslim students can refuse to access that office on grounds that the Constitution allows them their freedom of religion.

If we are going to have a chaplain who is a Muslim, then Christian students within those institutions can refuse to access those offices and the advice that will be given by that officer. I think our Constitution needs to be looked at keenly to ensure that some of those problems are sorted out. We have had incidences where children were radicalized by people of the cloth in certain regions. Some of them are actually criminals. As we do this, it is important that we look at ways of providing solutions. My colleague is attempting to look for solutions to the problems that our children are facing in school. We can work together and look for other solutions that can build on this Motion.

With those remarks, I fully support the provision of religious advice to our youth. It will help improve the lives of our school managers and the future of our children.

Hon. Members, as you continue to contribute, I want to inform you of the Members who have requested to contribute to this particular Motion. I see Hon. Yusuf Chanzu is top on the list in terms of requests. Other requests are from Hon. Macharia, Hon. Kiptui, Hon. Bitok and Hon. Mary Keraa. Now, that we are not giving the Floor to Hon. Chanzu, next on the list is Hon. Mwanyoha. 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.

Ahsante sana, Mhe Naibu Spika wa Muda. Kwanza, nataka kumshukuru Mhe. Odanga kwa kukubali maoni yangu kwamba alete Hoja hii, na akafanya hivyo.

Hoja hii ni muhimu sana kwa sababu hali ilivyo hivi sasa ni kwamba, nchi yetu inaelekea mahali pabaya sana. Vijana wanachoma mashule, wazee wanafanya mapenzi kiholela bila ya kujali, vijana wanafanya mapenzi wakati usiofaa, watu wengine wanaiba na kufanya mambo chungu nzima, ambayo hayana maana na ambayo yanamuudhi Mwenyezi Mungu.

Hii yote ni kwa sababu watu hawana elimu ya kidini ya Kikiristo, Kiislamu, Kibudha na kadhalika. Haya yote ni kwa sababu Serikali haijashugulika kuhakikisha ya kwamba inaweka masheikh, makasisi na watu wengine wa kidini ambao wangeweza kuwafanya vijana wawe na maadili ya kidini kutoka awali. Hii ni muhumi sana na inataka kufuatiliwa. Ikiwa tunataka hali hii iwe sawa, ni lazima tuirekebishe Katiba ya nchi hii haraka inavyowezekana, ili shida hizi ziweze kuondoka. Nilikuwa nije huku siku ya Jumatatu lakini ilibidi nije Jumanne kwa sababu shule mbili katika sehemu yangu ya uwakilishi Bungeni zilichomwa na vijana, na hayo yote ni kwa sababu hawataki kufuata maadili ya kidini.

Namuunga mkono kikamilifu Mhe. Odanga kwa kuleta Hoja hii Bungeni. Nawaomba Wabunge wenzangu waipitishe haraka iwezekanavyo.

Kwa hayo machache, naunga mkono.

Hon. Waititu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I also want to thank Hon. Odanga for bringing this Motion at the right time. Being a senior parent, I have seen various institutions where despite having teachers and counsellors, they still need chaplains.

Take for example, the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), which is a few meters from my house. We have Father Lawrence Njoroge as the Chaplain there. You find that while other universities strike regularly, JKUAT has had very few strikes. Why is this so? That is because, normally, the Father sits and talks to them; not like a lecturer but as a parent. He teaches them the values of Christianity and Islam. Look at Mang’u High School, which is also next to my home. You have never heard them go on strike, just because we also have Father D.K. who talks to the students every now and then.

As I was going round schools issuing bursary cheques, I noticed that we have problems in our learning institutions. We need to have chaplains in those institutions to help teachers. When I was issuing the cheques, I also had a chance to speak to parents. I asked them who has more time with the children between the teachers and them. The parents agreed with me that in any given year, the children spend more time with the teachers than they do with them. In 12 months, they only have the students at home for three months. It saddens me when I see the Nairobi Institute of Business Studies (NIBS) and Kenyatta University (KU), which are in my constituency, facing a lot of problems while handling students.

This is the right time to bring Islam and Christianity to the students because they are being targeted by drug barons and other criminals. We need to pass this Motion and take it very seriously because we have seen schools being burned. This is because children, at times, are not brought up in a Christian way. I want to thank the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology because what she has said is true. Previously, we used to study Christian Religious Education (CRE). That is what taught us to respect not only our fathers and mothers, but also their age mates. They were meant to be like our fathers.

Today, students do not respect their teachers not because they want to do so, but because they have not been brought up in the way we were brought up during our time. I pity the teachers 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.

because when they try to talk to the students and show them the value of education and how they should behave, some parents go and attack those teachers instead of asking why that is happening.

If we can have chaplains in schools, they can help the teachers and parents to come together. I tell the people of Juja that we have three pillars of education. We have the parents, students and teachers. If we add the chaplains, we will have four pillars. This will make a big difference in this country with regard to the trouble we are now having of students burning schools. To avoid this happening, we should have Christian and Muslim chaplains in the learning institutions.

I thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Very well. Let us have Hon. Khatib Mwashetani.

Ahsante sana Mhe. Naibu Spika Wa Muda, kwa kunipa fursa hii ili niweze kuchangia Hoja hii. Nikitanguliza, ningependa kutoa shukrani kwa Mhe. Odanga kwa kuja na wazo kama hili. Kusema kweli, ni changamoto ambayo imekua katika Jamhuri yetu ya Kenya. Watoto wetu wamekuwa katika hali ambayo haieleweki. Wazo kama hili la kuwaleta walimu wa kidini ili wazungumze na watoto wetu ili wawe na maadili ni kuwatayarishwa kifikra na kimipango ili wafanikiwe katika maisha yao ya usoni.

Mbali na hayo, mipango kama hii huwa inataka iwe na mawazo ya kuangalia ni watu gani watapewa shughuli hizi. Tunavyojua, somo la dini liko katika mitihani yote. Sisi kama watengenezaji wa sheria, tunafaa kuangalia ni mbinu gani tunaweza kuweka kuhakikisha kuwa wale watakaochukuliwa kusomesha dini katika shule zetu ni mashehe ama wale chaplains ? Watu hao wanastahili kuwa watu walio pande mbili - dunia na dini - ili waweze kuwapa watoto wetu mazungumzo mazuri.

Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, suala la watoto kufanya mapenzi na kupata mimba za mapema ni changamoto iliyo juu sana katika maeneo yetu. Ningeomba Wabunge wenzangu tuiunge mkono Hoja hii ili tuweze kubadilisha mipango ya watoto wetu. Hii isiwe mwisho kwa sababu Hoja hii itakua bora zaidi kama itafanywa sheria ili tuhakikishe katika shule zetu, tumepata watu ambao wanaweza kuelekeza watoto wetu kwa njia ya kuwa na mawazo sawa sawa katika maisha yao. Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Naunga Mkono.

Let us have Hon. Joyce Lay.

Ahsante Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda kwa kunipa fursa hii na vile vile kuunga mkono Hoja hii. Ni muhimu sana kuhakikisha watoto wetu wamepata misingi ya kidini na kielimu. Kuna mambo mengi ambayo watoto wanajifunza kutoka kwa mitandao na kwenye runinga. Wakikosa kuwa na misingi ya kidini, utapata wanapotea kimaisha. Ni kweli katika masomo tunayosoma, tuna masomo ya kidini kama Christian Religious Education (CRE) na Islamic Religious Education (IRE). Lakini ni vizuri ya kwamba watu ambao watakua wanaendesha masomo hayo, wawe ni watu ambao wako tayari katika misingi iliyosimama kwa kidini kama vile mashehe ama waliosomea theologia. Umuhimu wa kuwa na misingi ya kidini ni kuwa inaleta uwezo wa kuwapatia watoto mwelekeo katika maisha. Vile vile, kuna watoto wanaopoteza imani kwa sababu ya mambo yanatokea manyumbani mwao. Kwa wengine, wazazi wao wana matatizo ya ulevi, ama mama zao wanapitia hali ngumu katika ndoa. Wakienda shuleni, watoto hawa hawatulii na kuangazia masomo. Kwa hivyo, wakiwa na walimu wa dini, watoto hao watapata matumaini na misingi ya kuweza kusimama wakijua kuwa mbeleni, kuna maisha bora na vile vile wataweza kutia bidii katika masomo yao. Hoja hii ni ya 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.

maana na ni vizuri tume ya kuajiri walimu - Teachers Service Commission (TSC) - wakati wanaajiri walimu, wasiangalie mtu aliyepata shahada ya chuo kikuu, lakini wazingatie wale ambao wamesomea theologia na wawape nafasi za mbele. Naunga mkono Hoja huu. Asante Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda.

Hon. Olago Aluoch.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am a strong believer in the fact that the way values are instilled in us when we are young, determines who we become when we become adults. I am glad that this Motion is brought by Hon. Odanga my good friend who, in his own rights, is a respected teacher and a leader in the teaching profession. I do not claim godly credentials like Hon. Gathogo who has just left the Chamber, Hon. Mutava Musyimi or Hon. Bishop Mutemi, but I know that the values that were instilled in me when I was young are the values that I have in life up to now. As I was growing up in those early days when Kisumu Catholic Diocese stretched from Kisii to Migori up to Turkana, I spent many years when I was a young boy--- I am glad that we have students here watching these proceedings. I spent many years as a mass server, the ones who are called toto misa . Having served as a toto misa for long, when I got to puberty age, my father handed me to the church to be a catholic priest and I went to the seminary. The Bishop of Kisumu Catholic Diocese was Danish. He was called Bishop Joannes de Reeper. After some time in the seminary, he dismissed me and I went back home. I will not give the reason why I was dismissed now, I will say it another day.

I did not realize you had such rich credentials, Hon. Olago Aluoch.

I will say it another day, not today. My father said that since the church rejected me, he was determined that I become a lawyer. The values that I had from the church continued with my life. When I listen to Members talk about what is happening in our schools now; drug abuse, drunkenness, sex orgies and drug addiction, I wonder whether the departments of guidance and counselling in our schools have failed. Hon. Odanga, the Mover of the Motion, is a teacher. Are we saying that guidance and counselling in our schools has failed? A Member raised an issue of freedom of worship in the Constitution. Students who are not Christians will say: “No, We do not want to have Muslim chaplains because it is against the Constitution.” That is an issue that we need to address. In the Committee of the whole House, we need to address the issue of discrimination if this Motion discriminates other religions. If we do not have chaplains who in my understanding of the language are Christians, are we going to have Hindu counsellors, Buddhists or Sheikhs? We need to address all those so that the Motion is in consonance with the Constitution. When you look at how our students behave these days, with the burning of dormitories, we wonder whether guidance is what they need more than counseling. Do they really need chaplains to make them better citizens in the country when they grow up or do we need to have teachers counselled? If you talk about drug addiction, drunkenness, sex orgies, in my understanding, those evils happen to the students as much as they happen to the teachers. The teachers too need to be addressed so that they become better. If teachers themselves engage in those types of orgies, we do not expect their students to behave differently. We need to look at how we can factor that in the Motion. Again, we must look at how we can instill values in those children because the complaint of teachers is that parents have now left the responsibility of upbringing and instilling discipline to the teachers. If we want to instill values in our children, we should not just do it in schools. 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 do it in our homes as well so that, as parents, we have sufficient time to address our children. It is very saddening when I see students on trips and outings taking the chance to engage in drunkenness and sex orgies in their buses or vans. Unless we address this issue the way Hon. Odanga is proposing in the Motion, we are going to end up with adults in this country who are not going to instill discipline. If the student grows up undisciplined, and he or she becomes a leader fortunately or unfortunately, we expect those values that he or she holds dear to be directed to the people being led. So, I think it is important, and I wish to support Hon. Odanga’s Motion that we have chaplains, but let us address the issue of constitutionality and how we can make all this comply with all the other laws. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Having heard those credentials, I will now give an opportunity to Hon. Iringo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. First and foremost, let me thank the Mover of the Motion for coming up with this idea of having chaplains in our schools. As I support this Motion, we should reflect back and see the evils being brought to bear in our children when they are in school, especially this time when we have a lot of radicalization and some few elements infiltrating our schools and spoiling our children. Our children in school, especially secondary schools, are in their adolescent ages when there are a lot of challenges. They seem to like to explore anything which comes in their way because it is the nature of their bodies. They try and taste anything like any other young growing person would do. We have to be very careful not to let them get lost especially in the hands of those people who are out to misuse them. Even if students take bhang, they are just experimenting. When they practise evil things or whatever they do out there, they are just doing experiments. We require people of integrity to be with those children all the time so that they can be counseled, and detect when a student has those traits of going out of the way. Once the student has reported to school, it becomes very hard for the principal and other teachers to follow each and every student wherever he or she is. But if we have a chaplain in the school--- They should even be housed in one of the dorms so that they can always monitor the students, see their behaviour and try to arrest the situation early enough before it gets out of hand. Last time, we had incidences of many schools being torched by students until it became like a wave, which even the Ministry itself, was finding difficult to contain. We as leaders have had the same experience. Like in my constituency, students burnt around eight schools within a period of two months. It became a wave. If you asked those children, some of them were saying: “Let us do it because the other school has done it.” It was not because of any other reason; just that! If they had somebody who could check on their behaviour and what they are doing, we could have saved those millions of shillings which went into flames and the agony of parents going to buy all the items again. The young person or girl is there looking at the parent struggling to get another box, blanket, other clothes and other things.

There are denominations or churches like the protestant church - to which I belong - which have what we call circuits. They have a pastor or priest in every circuit who traverses several schools by offering prayers when they are in assembly in the morning or in the evening. He or she visits the Christian Unions (CU) and the like. Those may not give enough of what is required of them because if one is left to man four, five or six schools, it does not give 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.

required impact. If each and every school has somebody already trained in counselling and who can mentor those children very well, I think it will minimise that problem. I would even propose that instead of getting a chaplain to be in school just for counselling or a bit of work only, they could also be teachers. They may be Christian Religious Education (CRE) teachers or any other teacher of any other subject, but already endowed with the knowledge of trying to counsel those young people so that we can mould them to be future leaders. If we leave them, maybe, instead of leaving school as people of substance to come and see to it that they continue building this nation, they will come out as “cabbages”. They have nothing to do. I had an incident where a parent released a child to go to school. Instead of going to school, the child ended up in Eastleigh where he was given some funny things. When the parent was called to pick the boy, he was a zombie. He could not even know where he was. Today, the boy is being rehabilitated and treated. If there was somebody who could have monitored and noticed what the boy was going through, that life could have been changed. That student could be somebody who is ready to become a person of substance in this country. The Motion is right, timely and I support it.

Very well. I will give the opportunity to Hon. Richard Kenta.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me a name that does not belong to me. I will also like to thank the Member who has brought this Motion. In fact, we know that our children are the most precious asset we have for the future of the country. We cannot play with their lives because it means the country will be dead. We should not just talk about religious leaders or whoever else. We must start from home because, at the end of the day a child is, first and foremost, moulded by the parent before we hand them over to teachers. But most families have problems. They are not even able to take care of those children mostly because of social and economic problems. It is important we try to raise or uplift their lives. We all know what is happening in our schools. They are burning dormitories. They are doing all those things. I believe it also starts with the leadership. In fact, I read in the newspapers that some Members of County Assembly (MCAs) were arrested yesterday with children aged 16 and 17 years. If leaders are the ones doing this, how can we tell the children that they are immoral? They actually see us as their role models. I believe the country must look at itself and reverse or change its moral compass. We must know which direction we are heading. You know children are easily impressionable. They look at the advertisements in the media and many things and think that is how it should be. As a Government and leaders in Kenya, we must first of all say how we make sure our children get the best education and become morally upright. We should create those positions and put them in law so that those moral guardians are remunerated. You cannot tell a pastor to come and do what you want them to do for your children and they are getting nothing out of it. I believe it should be one of the jobs just like the bursar or anybody else like that. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have talked about the moral compass because that is what we are into. We should look at how to handle alcoholism. In some places, we find that there are no children in nursery schools because parents are drunk and sleep under beds. So, the issue is how to stop it. If a child sees her father sleeping on a floor unable to provide, how will she think of improving her own life or that of the family when the role model of the family is The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

doing that? So, we must look for job opportunities because when children see people who have gone to university without jobs and are alcoholics, how will you tell them to go to school and be good? If they are hungry and lacking, how do you expect them to stop doing things to their bodies to get what they need? So, we must look at it in a holistic manner and not blaming them. Teachers are doing a good job, but they are frustrated. They are not paid their salaries. People retired in the last 20 years and nobody has ever handled their issues. How do you expect them to be committed? Teachers must be taken care of. They must also be shown that their responsibility to those children is something nobody else can take over. I am sure this will be done and it will help our children.

I believe that families that are tattered emotionally affect their children. A religious nation is a good and healthy nation and it supports children. I believe our children are very important to us and we must protect them in all ways.

I support the Motion.

Let us have Hon. Omondi. If Hon. Members can speak briefly, we will give more Members a chance to speak. We have about 20 minutes to go.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. If there is anything that a country craves for, it is an upright society without corruption, tribalism and other undesirable discrimination. We have been trying to fight those evils and we shall still continue fighting them. We have come up with different institutions like the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and hate speech Bills to check those practising tribalism, but I am afraid to say that all this is trying to cut a tree from the top. We are not cutting it from the roots because our society is rotten and all this is window dressing. We need to start with our youth if we are to reach somewhere.

Without this, we will be struggling in the next century, but our society will still remain the way it is. This shows up in every sector of our lives. It shows in the poor performance in education and later in life in corruption and bad economic management. We need to start at the schools because there are only two places where morality can be taught or imparted in our children. It is at home with the parents and at school. At home, we will not go very far because the demand on the parents to put food on the table, pay school fees and generally keep the family going is too much. The mother and father do not have time for the child. That also is a dead end. That only leaves us with the school. As other speakers have said, we need to start there and install moral uprightness and behaviour in our children. We need to do more than just send those chaplains into schools. Of late, even the teachers themselves are only concerned with education and making sure that children pass exams. In schools today, there is no career guidance development. Children leave school and they do not know what to do. This means that there is no guidance and counselling from the teachers. It is very sad when you go to a school and find that a child got “As” in all the subjects but their choice of career in the university is nursing or early childhood education. This means that even the teachers are not taking good care of those children. It is important that we post some people who will not only give moral guidance, but also teach the children what they should become when they leave the education system. It is also true that what the youth do when they are out of school is informed by what happens when they are in school. This is because children spend most of their time in school. This is the area where we should start from if we want to build our youth. It will take us many years but if we do that, we will end up with a more morally upright society which we crave for. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

With those few remarks, I support the Motion.

Let us have Hon. Suleiman Murunga.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to this very important Motion before the House. There is a saying that goes: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” This is a true fact in this context. Before children start going to school, parents should ensure that children learn basic things in life while still at home, such as respect for their superiors wherever they are in society. I remember when we were growing up, whenever we met anybody on the road who was our parents’ peer, we would stop and say hello. But these days, when you meet children on the road, they instead pass you as if they have not seen anybody. Whereas we want to bring chaplains in the schools to make sure that our children are growing morally upright, we should remember that, as parents, we should ensure that we start training our children at home to make sure that they learn the basic tenets of life. These days, nobody really cares about family values. Most of the parents are very busy going about their businesses and so, they do not have enough time to ensure that their children back at home are doing the correct thing. We find that we leave everything to the teachers in schools. Those teachers have no time because a classroom has about 100 children. One teacher cannot handle a big number of children in a class to ensure that each and every one of them is learning certain important tenets in life. Education is not the only important aspect in life. Discipline is an important ingredient in life for any upright person. We have established several institutions in a way to mould our society. They include the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) which is led by Hon. Francis ole Kaparo and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). Those institutions cannot mould the society unless the values we want to promote are inculcated in the citizenry at the early stages of their lives. We should look at the most important aspects of life before introducing chaplains in schools. Chaplains will not help to create discipline because children will go back to their homes when schools close for holidays. If no one is home to ensure that the children are trained properly, we will be wasting time. We are not doing anything as far as ensuring that our children are properly brought up is concerned. We should ensure that discipline starts at home.

Hon. (Ms.) Sunjeev Birdi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to talk about this important Motion of deploying chaplains to learning institutions. This is basically paying attention to the moral fragment of our society. As much as I want to support it with my whole heart, I find myself holding back. We are slowly moving to a nanny state, whereby everything is controlled by someone. Discipline cannot be instilled in students like it was done in the past. Instilling discipline depends on the fragment of a child’s upbringing or where you are working. There is a common saying in our society: “I have cut a deal”. This means one made a quick buck somewhere outside the ordinary situation. He or she would have done something smart out of the ordinary because of discipline and character. “Cutting a deal” is the order of the day in this society. Making a quick buck in a family is not ideally wrong. If we send chaplains to schools, are they going to help? A few Members have mentioned here that we have Christian Religious Education (CRE). I studied that subject. In accordance to my Sikh faith, we attended the Sikh Faith School every Saturday and Sunday. The teachings were in line with our beliefs. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I would like to say that there is no religion that preaches things that are out of the ordinary. They all preach the same things like believing in one God, loving our neighbours and all the normal things. I think the problem here is: How does one fear doing the wrong thing? For example, how do I fear my elders? How do I fear doing the wrong thing? If that thing is not there, then we are missing the point. If that practical thing is not there, then we are missing the point. Chaplains could come every morning or as the system will allow, once a week or whatever they will propose. It waits to be seen. This is a collective effort. It goes down to the teachers, parents, the head teachers and the children as well. What is really shocking - and we have had these discussions in various circles at home and even in my social circles - is the state of mind of a child who can go ahead and burn a school and still think that he or she is okay with it. How can a child be okay with going to burn down a school? What is the state of mind of that child? What is the state of the environment in that school where those things are going on? Nobody can get up and say that they know the person who did it. There is fear of one person saying: “I know what is wrong but I cannot get up and say what is wrong because I fear being pinned down and pointed at.” So, this is the state of our society that we will live in. It boils down to indiscipline. What I would also like to say is we need to have a society where we can maintain dignity. If somebody can look at me in the eye and say that I have done nothing wrong and mean it with absolute dignity with no other problems, then we will be able to say that we live in a society where we fear each other and we are moving towards a common goal and common good. I went to Loreto Convent Msongari and all through my years as a student, we had nuns who were our teachers. As children, we feared our teachers. We feared having nail polish on our nails and doing things that are not supposed to be done. However, with modern day technology and children having accessibility to modern day technology, that system of running amok needs to be checked from home by our society, preachers, leaders and every one of us. Once again, as I really want to support this Motion, I am holding back because you cannot enforce discipline on the children when they do not know the main cause behind it. They will still run amok and do the same thing. With that, I rest my case. Thank you very much.

As I give Hon. Tong’i a minute and then the rest will get a chance when debate on the Motion resumes, I would want to recognise some very special schools from a constituency whose pupils have never been in Parliament in the recent past. We have Kisima Primary School and Nkutoto Primary School all from Samburu West ably represented by Hon. Lelelit Lati. Hon. Tong’i, you have one minute and then the rest will be placed in the next sitting.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. We all know that we are far from perfect. Perfection does not have to be the end goal but rather a path in the right direction. Having listened to my colleagues and all that they have said concerning this Motion, I agree with you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, that there is power in instilling spiritual values in our children. This is because when you live with the fear of the Lord, even in the absence of your parents, guardians or teachers, you are bound by the powers that go beyond humanity. I support this Motion.

Order! Hon. Member, you will have a balance of nine minutes when the debate resumes.

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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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