The Leader of the Majority Party.

I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the House: Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2017 on the Kenya Health Policy for the period 2014-2030 from the Ministry of Health. The Annual Report by the Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis on the Kenya Economic Report for the year 2017. The Report of the Auditor-General and Financial Statement of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service for the year ended 30th June 2016 and the certificate therein. The Annual Reports and Financial Statements in respect of the following institutions for the year ended 30th June 2016: (i) The Public Service Commission. (ii) The Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs –State Department of Gender Affairs (Anti-FGM Board). The Annual Reports and Financial Statements in respect of the following institutions for the Financial Year 2015/2016: (i) The Controller of Budget. (ii) The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. (iii)The Kenyatta National Hospital. (iv) The Anti-Counterfeit Agency. The Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics for the year ended 2014/2015. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Very well.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I beg to move the following Procedural Motion: THAT, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 97(4), this House orders that each speech in a debate on Bills sponsored by a Committee, the Leader of the Majority Party or the Leader of the Minority Party be limited as follows: A maximum of forty five (45) minutes for the Mover in moving and fifteen minutes (15) in replying, a maximum of thirty (30) minutes for the Chairperson of the relevant Committee (if the Bill is not sponsored by the relevant Committee), and a maximum of ten (10) minutes for any other Member speaking, except the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party, who shall be limited to a maximum of fifteen Minutes (15) each (if the Bill is not sponsored by either of them); and that priority in speaking be accorded to the Leader of the Majority Party, the Leader of the Minority Party and the Chairperson of the relevant Departmental Committee, in that order. In accordance with the provisions of Standing Order No. 97(4), this is basically what the new House does in the first sitting of a new Parliament. It is like in football where you set the rules right on the first day. These rules will apply until the end of the First Session of these five years. So, in the first year, we will come back and redo the same. What does it say? It says that ordinary Members will have 10 minutes and a Committee Chairperson will have 30 minutes. If the Bill belongs to you and you are a Private Mover, you will have 45 minutes in moving and 15 minutes in replying to your Motion or your Bill. Secondly and more fundamentally, there is a sequence of speaking: The Leader of the Majority Party will have 15 minutes, ordinary Members will have 10 minutes. The Leader of the Minority Party will also have 15 minutes. The leadership and the Chair of the Committee where the Report or Bill is being discussed will have preference in catching the eye of the Speaker. The Speaker will first give a chance to the Leader of the Majority Party or the Leader of the Minority Party, if they want to speak, then the Whips and ordinary Members in that order. All these are Procedural Motions, Members and I will be very happy. I have just talked to the Whip of the Majority Party that it should not be me moving all these. You should give me relief so that Members can move and second. These are just Procedural Motions. Again, with the permission of the Speaker, I am sure you do not discuss Procedural Motions a lot. In the next five minutes, the Speaker will put the Question because they are procedural things; they are not substantive. I beg to move and ask Whip of the Majority Party to second.

Hon. Washiali.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker for the opportunity. I take this opportunity to thank the Leader of the Majority Party for moving this Motion. As he clearly explained, these are merely Procedural Motions. They are procedures we used in the previous House which we did not have a problem with. I request that this House adopts the same procedures. What I want to add, now that our colleagues may not be here, especially for those who are new, the Members who will start giving us problems when it comes to the procedures of this House... We should find a session where the new Members can be taken through the procedures when we go for induction. That way, all of us should have a seamless House so that we can prosecute the issues before this House. Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I second.

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.

Put the Question.

Hon. Whip of the Majority Party.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On behalf of the Leader of the Majority Party, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion:

THAT, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 97(4), this House orders that each speech in a debate on Bills NOT sponsored by a Committee, the Leader of the Majority Party or the Leader of the Minority Party be limited as follows: A maximum of three hours and thirty minutes, with not more than thirty (30) minutes for the Mover, in moving and ten (10) minutes in replying, a maximum of thirty (30) minutes for the Chairperson of the relevant Committee and a maximum of ten (10) minutes for any other Member speaking, except the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party, who shall be limited to a maximum of fifteen Minutes (15) each; and that priority in speaking be accorded to the Leader of the Majority Party, the Leader of the Minority Party and the Chairperson of the relevant Departmental Committee, in that order.

This is a self-explanatory Procedural Motion. I wish Members support it. I ask Hon. Chachu Ganya to second.

Hon. Chachu Ganya

Hon. Speaker, I support the Procedural Motion on limitation of debate on individual Members’ Bills. This is very procedural and it is the standard in other jurisdictions across the world. Ten minutes for Members is adequate. We just have to organise our thoughts and get prepared for it. I second.

Put the Question!

Hon. Members who were in the 11th Parliament will recall that Hon. Pukose is an expert in catching the mood of the House.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion: THAT, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 97(4), this House orders that each speech in a debate on any Motion, including a Special Motion be limited in the following manner: A maximum of three hours with not more than twenty (20) minutes for the Mover and ten (10) minutes for each other Members speaking, except the Leader of Majority Party and the Leader of Minority Party, who shall be limited to a maximum of fifteen (15) minutes each, and that ten (10) minutes before the expiry of that time, the Mover be called upon to reply; and 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.

priority in speaking be accorded to the Leader of the Majority Party, the Leader of the Minority Party and the Chairperson of the relevant Departmental Committee, in that order. Hon. Speaker, the distinction between Procedural Motions 8 and 9 is that this one relates to Motions. It is very important to have that distinction. In this case, it is now clear from the two Motions already read by Hon. Duale, the Leader of the Majority Party, and the Chief Whip; we need to have limitation of time in respect of Motions. In this case, we are allowed a maximum of three hours. As said by my colleagues, this is not an issue for debate. We need to have the limitation of time being sought, so that we are able to manage our time as a House. In this particular case, Motions are very critical in this House. This is where Members are able to bring issues touching on their constituencies to be debated in the House. Most Members will be using this procedure to bring out issues touching on their constituents and the people of Kenya generally. I wish to request Members to approve this Procedural Motion. These timelines have already been approved by the HBC. I request my colleague, Hon. Kago, to second the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I second the Motion. It is self-explanatory.

It seems to be the desire of the House that I put the Question.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion: THAT, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order No.97(4), this House orders that each speech in a debate on a Report of a Committee, including a Report of a Joint Committee of the Houses of Parliament, or any other report submitted to the House, be limited as follows: A maximum of sixty (60) minutes for the Mover in moving and thirty (30) minutes in replying, and a maximum of ten (10) minutes for any other Member speaking, except the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party, who shall be limited to a maximum of fifteen (15) minutes each; and that priority be accorded to the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party, in that order. This Procedural Motion, as is indicated, concerns Reports of Committees. That way, no Member may speak in a Bill, Sessional Papers, Motions or Reports of Committees for more than 20 minutes without the leave of the Speaker. The Leader of Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party may speak for a maximum of 60 minutes each. However, the total time for debate of a Report of a Committee may vary depending on the content or the volume of the Report itself. Therefore, this House will be at liberty to use other provisional Standing Orders to limit debate on Committee Reports. With those remarks, I beg to move and request Hon. Kisang to second the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to second this Procedural Motion on the limitation of debate on Reports. I want 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.

bring to the attention of Members that this Motion is setting up rules and procedures on what we are going to do as we begin serious business of the House so that, at least, each one of us knows what we are expected to do and how much time we are supposed to take as we make our contribution. It is also important to note that it is not a must that you exhaust the time you have been allocated. If you can articulate your contribution in a shorter time the better, so that more Members can contribute to the Motion. I second.

Put the Question!

Hon. Members, I think it is fair at this juncture for me to alert most of the new Members about certain issues. If you may notice, Standing Order No. 97 is extremely important especially when it comes to the conduct of business.

Let me also remind those who may be saying Nay, that it is also your right, if you are dissatisfied with the decision of the vote, to rise in your place with the support of 20 other Members to claim a division.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I beg to move the following Procedural Motion: THAT, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 97(4) and in furtherance to the provisions of Standing Order 24(6), this House orders that debate on the Address by the President be limited to no more than five (5) minutes for each Member speaking, thirty (30) minutes for the Mover in moving and replying and twenty (20) minutes for the Leader of the Majority Party. This Procedural Motion, like any other, is one of the main guidelines of this House as you have already said, particularly Standing Order No. 97(4) which is the key foundation of our procedures here. We do not talk indefinitely or bring up issues that are not in order. For the benefit of the new Members, I would like to tell them that Procedural Motions and these guidelines will always appear in the Order Paper. Therefore, when you want to speak you should refer to them in order to know exactly which Motion has been listed and its requirements insofar as contributing are concerned. In this particular one, we are referring to the Speech which was delivered yesterday by His Excellency the President. It was tabled today by the Majority Leader and I urge Members to read it because once we start debating it, these will be the guidelines on how to debate it. The limitations have been set out. For instance, it is only five minutes for Members and 20 minutes for the Leader of the Majority Party. It is, therefore, important that we limit our contribution to five minutes so that as many Members as possible contribute to the Speech, particularly our brothers who have come in the 12th Parliament. They need to get a chance to make their maiden speeches. I urge Members to accept this Procedural Motion and pass it so that we can debate the Speech elaborately and with a lot of participation from many Members. 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 request my honourable colleague, Hon. Kabinga to second.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to second the Motion. It is self-explanatory. The Presidential Address forms an important part of the business of this House. Therefore, it is only fair that we limit time so that as many Members may contribute to it. I second.

Hon. Members, I wish to draw the attention of the House to the fact that this particular Motion, notwithstanding the other various provisions, Members making maiden speeches may be allowed 10 minutes to speak uninterrupted. This particular Motion gives a provision of five minutes to each contributor. What we will do in order to allow Members an opportunity, as has been said by the Mover and the Seconder, because of our numbers it is only fair that the period be limited to five minutes. If we go beyond five minutes, even within four hours of sitting, only 24 of us will have spoken. So, we want to increase the number that will add their voice to the debate.

Put the Question!

Hon. Ichung’wah, you notice that Hon. Pukose has come back to his work.

Again, Hon. Members, the Speaker has to read every bit because it is important for HANSARD records. Members might be wondering why it is that we bother reading. It is so that the records show what actually transpired.

Hon. Members, as you may see, these Motions have a provision for the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party. I hope that before too long we will know who it is that will be accorded that privilege.

Hon. Ali Rasso, it looks like your card is showing you as delegate No. 00153. Maybe you could try the next microphone. I thought in the National Assembly we do not vote by delegates.

(Hon. Ali Rasso Dido

Hon. Kimani Kuria.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to second the Motion that the time be limited as it has been explained by the Member who has proposed the Motion. It is good to notice that unlike other Motions, this one limits also the amount of time that is given to the Leader of the Majority Party. As the proposer said, time is money. If we have as many policies and procedures in this House as possible to ensure that the Government runs as smooth as possible, then we need to limit this time. Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I beg to second this Motion.

Hon. Members, again, it is fair to explain so that Members may not be apprehensive: The House is still at liberty, depending on each paper that is before the House on a particular day, to make fresh amendments to this Motion. This is just to set the ball rolling.

Next Order.

Hon. Wangari, the Member for Gilgil.

(Hon. (Ms.) Martha Wangari Wanjira): Hon. Speaker, I beg to move: THAT, notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 97(4), this House orders that debate on any Motion for the Adjournment of the House to a day other than the next normal sitting day, in accordance with the Calendar of the Assembly be limited to a maximum of three (3) hours, with not more than five minutes for each Member speaking, except the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party who shall be limited to a maximum of ten (10) minutes each and that priority be accorded to the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party in that order, provided that when the period of recess proposed by any such Motion does not exceed ten (10) days, the debate 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.

shall be limited to a maximum of thirty (30) minutes and shall be strictly confined to the question of the adjournment. This is also self-explanatory as the previous Procedural Motions. It is basically on adjournment as provided for under Standing Orders 30 and 31. Though the Calendar is provided, there are reasons why someone can move a Motion for Adjournment to discuss a matter of national importance. One thing that should be very clear is that you cannot go out of the subject of that discussion. Time allocation, as explained earlier, is meant to give order and Members enough time to express themselves on such matters. It is also good, maybe for the new Members, to note that when the machines are running and the timers are working, they cooperate very well. Any time you exceed your time, the microphone goes off. Therefore, it is important that we keep note of these matters. I beg to move, Hon. Speaker. I request Hon. Liza Chelule to second.

Hon. Liza.

(Hon. (Ms.) Liza Chepkorir Chelule): Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I am Hon. Liza Chelule, Member of Parliament for Nakuru County. I stand to second the Motion that has been moved by the Member for Gilgil. This is on limitation of debate on adjournment Motions. Hon. Speaker, this has been explained well in the Motion. It is in order for more time to be given to the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party to explain on behalf of the Members the reason for adjournment. I am comfortable with allocating five minutes for each Member who may want to contribute. With those few remarks, I beg to second.

Just to explain again that when Members wish to move Motions for adjournment of the House to debate a matter of national importance, there are further requirements as to when they should submit those Motions. I am saying this because before me is a letter by the Member for Kibra. Looking at where he normally sits, he is not even present but his letter was received at 2:02 p.m. It is out of time and, therefore, it is disallowed.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion: THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No.30(3)(b), this House resolves to hold a Morning Sitting on Thursday, 14th September 2017 commencing from 9.30 a.m. Hon. Speaker, this is a very unique Procedural Motion. It comes once in a while. The House Business Committee (HBC), in its wisdom realised that the whole of next week, from Monday, there will be an induction course for Members of Parliament. We need to complete our debate on the Address by His Excellency the President which always lasts for three or four ordinary sittings of the House. We want to give opportunity to Members by starting the debate on the President’s Speech this afternoon. We will have another sitting tomorrow morning and have the final sitting tomorrow afternoon so that as we go for the induction course next week this The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

particular business can be behind us. When we resume in the week after next week, we will have other businesses to deal with. With those remarks, I beg to move and ask Hon. Bowen of Marakwet East, who for the second time running succeeded despite the many insecurity challenges he faced in the last Parliament. I am happy to see him back here. I want to give him the opportunity to second this Motion for the second sitting.

Hon. Kangogo Bowen.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Before I second the Motion, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the people of Marakwet East for giving me a chance to serve as their Member of Parliament for another five years. I appreciate and assure them that I will serve them with a lot of dedication. Hon. Speaker, I second this Motion so that we have a sitting tomorrow morning based on the reasons given by the Leader of the Majority Party. We have much before us, as the 12th Parliament especially discussing the President’s Speech. We are happy that yesterday His Excellency the President addressed this House as the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, in order to send a message to Kenyans and the world that there is no vacuum of leadership in Kenya. Secondly, I want to take this opportunity to also congratulate you for being elected Speaker of the National Assembly. I also congratulate my colleagues for their re-election to the 12th Parliament. With those few remarks I second.

The Hon. Member walking out, we are in the National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, the thanks of the House be recorded for the exposition of public policy contained in the Address of the President delivered to this House on Tuesday, 12th September 2017. Hon. Speaker, the institution of Parliament is one of the fundamental building blocks of the State of Kenya. Apart from being one of the three arms of the Government, Parliament is the expression of the sovereignty of the people and the vitality of our Constitution and democracy. Members of the National Assembly are the representatives of the people and, within the reading of Article 1 of the Constitution they have delegated powers to represent the people of Kenya in their single member constituencies and in the county women representation. Hon. Speaker, on 12th September 2017, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, EGH, the Head of State and Government and Commander-in- The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, formerly inaugurated the 12th Parliament of the Republic of Kenya. At the outset, I would like to thank the great people of Garissa Township who gave me an opportunity to grace Parliament for the third time, beginning with the 10th Parliament. It was an auspicious occasion. It was sentimental to most of the Members as the Head of State and Government delivered a bold and unifying address that further cemented the undeniable credentials of Uhuru Kenyatta as a leader, a remarkable statesman and one that has been respected in the continent and globally. There are some people in this country who like Uhuru Kenyatta because he is tall or because he is the son of the founding father of this nation and comes from Ichaweri Village in Gatundu South Constituency. He is the only leader of his time who has shared a table with great presidents of the world.

A few months to the elections he was in Italy upon invitation to the G7 Summit. This is the only President of Kenya in whose tenure the most powerful President in the world, the President of the United States of America (USA) visited Kenya. Many other great leaders have visited our country during his tenure. Some of us who have worked with him have seen his qualities. We do not want to polarize our country. We want each and every community, region and political class to have their space and all of us will be proud of our nation Kenya.

I listened attentively, for more than an hour to the speech by His Excellency the President yesterday and I did not hear him succumb to the temptation of delivering a Jubilee Speech, or a partisan or divisive address mixed with party politics. On the contrary, the Head of State, President Uhuru Kenyatta, delivered a timely reminder to the Members of this House as well as Kenyans at large that the most important aspect of our public duty and life is about the unity of our nation, fidelity to the Constitution and undying love for God, our country and fellow citizens. Those are the hallmarks of his Speech when I looked at it last night to get some talking points for this afternoon session.

Secondly, there is no question whatsoever on who is the President of Kenya at this very moment. There is no question about it.

The Constitution, which is our supreme law, creates no vacuum in that office even for one minute. I am happy that in this House, among the Jubilee Members, we have renowned and respectable lawyers like the Member of Parliament for Uasin Gishu County, Hon. Gladys Boss Shollei, Hon. Muturi Kigano, Hon. Cheptumo, the Member for Tharaka and many others. There is no anticipation in the Constitution at any given time when there will be no president in Kenya. That is why I wonder when I see renowned lawyers like Hon. Moses Wetangula and Hon. James Orengo doing disservice to this nation by not advising Baba who is an engineer and does not know law. They are good lawyers and so they should tell him that he is a good candidate, but he is not the president until that time the Supreme Court validates him and he goes to Kasarani to be sworn in as the president and is given the instruments of power. Hon. Gladys did that in the year 2013, I can remember. It was a whole ritual and fanfare. It is not like the way they behaved yesterday by not attending the State opening of Parliament – They chose 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.

instead to go to Kamukunji grounds in Kibra. The State opening of Parliament is in the Constitution. Under Article 142 of the Constitution, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta is the President of the Republic of Kenya and remains in his first term of office until the date of his swearing in into his second term. I even saw Baba saying that Uhuru is not the 12th President to open the 12th Parliament. What we have is the 12th Parliament and the 4th President. There is no 12th President. Article 132(1) of the Constitution says that the President of the Republic Kenya will inaugurate and open the first sitting of a new Parliament, it is cast in stone. Who is the President? It is Uhuru Kenyatta. Who are the Speakers? They are J.B. Muturi and Ken Lusaka. The process is for them to write to him and then they gazette the date and the new Members attend. Jubilee Members should now realise that they can be misinformed by your leaders. This august House sits today and tomorrow to discuss the President’s Address given at the inaugural sitting of the 12th Parliament, through which His Excellency the President outlined and underscored the following: that his administration is unshakable, steadfast and committed to the rule of law that is the central feature of the personal vision as well as the uncompromising feature of the Jubilee administration. I was in the Supreme Court when the judges invalidated the presidency of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Two hours later he addressed the nation and said, ‘Well and good, we will go back to the elections.’ I have worked with Baba unlike many of the Members here. For your information, and this should go on record, I was the Deputy Vice-Chairman of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in charge of political affairs at one time. Having worked with him I asked myself, if that election which was invalidated was an election in which Raila Odinga won, Kenya today could have been a different place. I am sure even the house of Justice Maraga could have been ashes now, whether it is in Kisii or Karen. But because Uhuru Kenyatta believes in the rule of law, he said we should respect the decision of the judges. We might not agree with them, but let us go back to elections. We will go back to elections and we shall win with a very big margin of 70 per cent plus one. The President also talked about the Government of Kenya which he leads and his commitment to the Constitution of Kenya 2010. He does not merely give lip service, but instead he lives and breathes every letter of that supreme law. Of course, he also said that the Government of Kenya has a transformative agenda for the nation built on the undeniable and self-evident success as from March 2013 to date and that the transformation agenda by him and his deputy and all of us will continue.

In the deliberations of this august House on the President’s Speech we must ask democratically elected leaders or representatives of the people of Kenya who have the delegated power given to them by the Constitution in Article 1 to rise above party politics and coalition lines. Our colleagues came this morning and until now they have been unable to agree on who will become the Leader of the Minority Party. Can you imagine? Of course, I told my friend Hon. Junet, who comes from my community, that he should not come back home without a position. I told him that he must become the Minority Whip. Up to now, they have not decided but we accommodated them and said we will have a Supplementary Order Paper so that we can pass their names. I am told they are still busy consulting Baba and we hope they will finish soon.

I think we need to move our country forward because the Legislature, Judiciary and Executive are in place. I am sure come 17th October, 2017 we will re-elect our President. For avoidance of doubt, the moment Judge Maraga invalidated the elections and said that they are null and void, Uhuru Kenyatta, as the President, left the incumbency period and he The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

became the President. The President will go to that incumbency period when the first voter casts his vote on 17th October 2017. That is the law. Some of us might have come from very far. We travelled a long distance to reach this city. We might be pastoralists from Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit Moyale and Turkana, but when we came here we did not come here to sell mitumba . We came here to do politics, despite not knowing your geology. We, members of the Jubilee administration were elected based on the transformational agenda of President Uhuru Kenyatta. We must be very firm. At any given time, we must defend the security and the peace of our country. A few people cannot masquerade and say that if they do not get their way – or the highway – they will bring chaos to our country. Parliament is properly constituted as per the law. We owe this great nation a duty to be honest about the meaning of the constitutional provisions, irrespective of our party affiliation, the region we come from or the religion we profess. Most importantly, this House must heed the call by His Excellency the President contained in his Address to the nation – that we must at all times be steadfast in serving the nation with commitment to the Constitution, democracy and the will of the people, which will always be supreme.

With those many remarks, I urge my colleagues who served in the 11th Parliament; you will find a lot of shenanigans. You are Kenyans. You are watching Parliament. People are throwing stones, shoes and water. As we start this Parliament, I implore you that all the Members in the 11th Parliament who in one way or the other were involved in misconduct, contrary to the provisions of the Standing Orders, should not be given leadership positions. If their parties give them those leadership positions, as Jubilee members, whether they come from our side or the other side, we will not approve those names. There was Hon. Wanga. I do not want to discuss her. I need to bring a Motion. We have Hon. T.J. Kajwang’ who was running around with firimbi . He cannot be in the Speaker’s Panel. I am trying to tell Members that this is an august House with dignity. If you do not want to live with dignity, and if you want to come to this House and remove your shirt or blouse, you cannot be a leader of this House. We want to give leadership to people who respect the Constitution, the Standing Orders and the dignity of our honourable Members of Parliament.

As we start, I ask all of us to respect parliamentary decorum and the provisions of the Standing Orders on how we behave within the precincts of Parliament, not only in the Chamber but also at the Bar, and how we deal with our officers. Let the people of Kenya see us as role models. We can indulge in shenanigan behaviour when we are at funerals and political rallies, but the moment we enter the precincts of Parliament, let us respect them because we are one. Let us also support one another. Those of us who have been here for long know that Parliament is a very rich institution. It has researchers and legal officers who will draft for you all the pieces of legislation that you may want introduced in Parliament. Those of us who are ahead of you, including the Speaker and the Clerk, will stand with you so that you learn. Please, let us also attend the induction exercise. I saw the programme today at the House Business Committee (HBC) meeting. It is a very rich programme. If you attend the first three days’ sessions, you will come out a very robust Member of Parliament.

I could have made many remarks, but Jakoyo Midiwo and many others are away. I am not tempted. They usually tempt me but Jakoyo and the other honourable Members are away. Those of you who will speak after me, maybe tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, will have an opportunity to say a lot because I am sure that when they come, they will say the opposite of what I am saying. That is how a house of debate should work. People, we must not agree all times. 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 beg to move and ask Hon. Benjamin Washiali to second.

Hon. Washiali, before your time begins, let us bear this in mind – I have asked the Clerk to stop your time so that I make this clear. Remember the Motion you passed.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Washiali, I will give you your time. It is just to remind yourselves that we have passed Procedural Motion No. 12 in the Order Paper. Each of you will have five minutes. For the new members, please, for purposes of the HANSARD, state your name and the constituency or area of representation that you speak for. For the new members, your five minutes will be uninterrupted. Hon. Washiali, proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Allow me to start by thanking His Excellency the President, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, who is also the leader of the party that I belong to – the Jubilee Party – for appointing me the Whip of the Majority Party. I also take this opportunity to thank the people of Mumias East for electing me for the third time to this august House. It is not easy because Mumias East is an area which was earlier on thought to belong to our brothers but the people of Mumias East went out of their way to not only vote for the party, but to vote for me because of what we have done for them, and because of what our agenda in Jubilee is. Going back to the Motion about the Presidential Speech, I thank the President for being sober and having a proper approach. Today in the morning, I was on Radio Citizen and I had presenters who asked me: “Why did the President not talk about the development agenda he has for the five years?” I want to say here that the President is knowledgeable. He knows that as we speak today, there is already a verdict from the Supreme Court which has dictated that we must go back to elections. I am sure, being a person who embraces democracy that he did not want to use this opportunity to put forward his plan for the next five years. He emphasised on keeping peace and uniting Kenyans, which to me is very key. Hon. Speaker, if you allow me I will quote part of his Speech to confirm what I am talking about on uniting Kenyans. The President said: - “---At this juncture, I would like to make it abundantly clear that the Government will not tolerate any intent on disrupting our hard-won peace and stability.” That indicates to you that the President is very keen in leading a stable and peaceful Kenya. We need peace during the campaigns and the elections that we will have on 17th October. We need peace for our students who are in school. We need peace for any economic development in this country. Sometimes I wonder what happens to our people. I do not know whether they forget very fast. There is no single day that goes by without the names of Chebukati and Chiloba being mentioned. You wonder what has happened all of a sudden. If you remember very well, last year we had leaders who caused trouble. Some of them lay on the tarmac during the day wanting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) which was then chaired by Isaack Hassan to get out of office so that they could have a new Commission. I remember very well because I was a Deputy Whip then. I remember being asked to whip Members to support a Motion to remove Hassan. That was just because we were under duress. I am wondering what has happened to Chiloba and the new Commission that we brought in after the pressure that we got from our colleagues. Chiloba and Chebukati also belong to some people. We will not allow a situation where Chiloba is being mentioned every day ---

Hon. Washiali, you will have the sympathy of the Chair. I will add you one more minute. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I was expressing my bitterness because Chiloba and Chebukati also belong to a community. They are our brothers down there. As a community, we are not happy when we hear the names of Chiloba and Chebukati being mentioned and some being chased away. We will not allow this to take place. If those who are mentioning their names are through with their last bullet, they should just tell us so. If you allowed me just 30 seconds, Hon. Speaker, I am aware that they have given out a paybill number so that they can raise funds. The other day they were saying that people should not go to work. Where would they get the money to give them? I know this money will be for their retirement benefits. Those Kenyans who feel like they want to donate money for retirement, should do so but for anything else---

Hon. Yusuf, the Question must be proposed. I am sure you remember that.

Let us have the Member for Bura, Hon. Ali Wario. He has decided to lead the other side today.

Asante, Mheshimiwa Spika kwa fursa hii. Ningependa kuchukua fursa hii kumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu Muumba anayetoa cheo. Pia, ningependa kusema kongole kwako. Kuchaguliwa kwako kunaonyesha ishara kwamba chama cha Jubilee kipo, kinatawala na kitatawala. Kwa mara ya tatu, watu wa Bura wamenichagua kuwawakilisha katika Bunge hili. Sina la kuwalipa kwa sababu ya mapenzi yao. Nawashukuru na ningependa kutangaza kwao leo kuwa nawapenda na nitawahudumia kwa haki. Nimesikia Hotuba ya Rais na inanifundisha ujasiri. Leo ukitangaziwa kuwa umepoteza kiti cha Ubunge, wengi watapelekwa hospitali. Lakini Rais wa taifa alipoambiwa kuwa uchaguzi utarudiwa, alisema kuwa ana shaka na maamuzi hayo lakini atayaheshimu na yuko tayari kuenda uwanjani. Kama askari wake, mimi niko tayari kumpigia na kumwombea kura. Katika Hotuba yake, nilitarajia Rais agusie masuala ya ukame. Tunavyozungumza leo, maji ni nadra kupatikana katika sehemu kubwa ya Bura, haswa sehemu ya Bangale, Hirimani na Bwoka. Iwapo Serikali haitasimama wima na kushughulikia jangwa la ukame na ukosefu wa maji Bura, sijui tutapiga kura namna gani. Nilikuwa natarajia nisikie masuala ya deni ya wakulima wa Bura. Ni vipi mzigo wa deni utaondolewa ili wakulima wote wa Kenya, haswa wakulima wa Bura, waweze kujimudu kimaisha? Mambo haya hayakusikika katika Hotuba yake Rais. Hayakusikika kwa sababu wana- NASA wameenda kortini na wakavuruga ushindi wa Wakenya. Leo Rais anajiwekea mipaka. Hawezi akaguza sehemu nyingine. Vijana wananiambia kuwa kuna demokrasia mpya katika nchi ya Kenya wanaita “Demokrasia Maraga”. Demokrasia si mchakato; demokrasia ni hesabu. Hesabu haidanganyi. Nilikuwa na maombi dhidi yangu katika mwaka wa 1997 kwa mara ya kwanza na nimekuwa na maombi dhidi yangu kwa mfululizo mpaka mara hii. Mara hii kwa bahati nzuri, sina ombi dhidi yangu. Nafikiri wamesahau. Yale yaliyopelekwa kortini yananishangaza kama yanatosha kuharamisha uchaguzi wa Rais. Yananishangaza kwa sababu hawakuomba kurejelewa kwa hesabu. Wanasema mchakato, si mpiga kura. Upigaji wa kura ni haki ya mwananchi ambayo haistahili kunyakuliwa au kunyang’anywa na mtu yeyote - uwe jaji ama nani. Nashangazwa nikiambiwa kuwa hesabu ya kura milioni nane si shida. Shida ilikuwa katika Fomu 34A, 34B 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.

34C. Hizo ni kelele za chura. Natabiri leo kuwa Uhuru atakuwa Rais kwa mara ya pili katika miezi mitatu. Hiyo ndiyo ishara na tuko tayari kumpeleka na kucheza tena. Kongole kwako na asante, Mhe. Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii.

Let us have the Member for Bomet County. Hon. Members, when so many of you rise in your places, I can only pick one.

(Hon. (Ms.) Joyce Chepkorir Korir): Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker and the House at large. My name is Hon. Joyce Korir, the Women’s Representative for Bomet County. I would like to commend or applaud the Speech by His Excellency the President. Being a women’s representative from Bomet County, I would like to applaud the President for recognising the women who have also got a chance to be elected as Senators, Governors, Members of County Assembly and even Members of Parliament.

We have been given the opportunity to serve in the 12th Parliament in a very critical moment when the President is still undergoing a lot of challenges pertaining to the ruling of the Supreme Court. I must applaud the President for agreeing with the Supreme Court ruling and giving room to the Kenyans to go for fresh elections. Although we are the Majority in this House, the county assemblies and the Senate, I want to say that it was a prudent way for the President to accept the ruling. I want to remind my colleagues from the Opposition that whether they are willing or not, the elections will be done on 17th October 2017. We have agreed that we will respect the three arms of government as stated by His Excellency the President. We have confidence that we will win this election and His Excellency the President will go for the second term.

Otherwise, I want to thank the people of Bomet for electing me as their woman representative. I congratulate the President.

Member for Kesses.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On behalf of the people of Kesses and myself, I congratulate you and all my colleagues for being elected to the 12th Parliament. Kongoi.

The Speech made by His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta Muigai was magnanimous, noble, extraordinary and dynamic. When God gives us more powers, he gives more challenges. All the brigade of the Jubilee Party, Members of Parliament and Senators under the leadership of His Excellency Muigai Kenyatta, are not willing to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court because we have not done any mistake. It is only because we love God, the people of Kenya and peace. A lot of after effects will happen after 17th October. The historical victory in the continent of Africa will be achieved by the grace of God and people of Kenya.

One, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta Muigai will be the father of democracy in Africa which will be famous all over the world. Two, the international community will give more attention and funding to the Republic of Kenya and our people. Three, we will get more investors internationally, regionally, nationally and locally to build our nation and take another level for the developed world. Four, there will be no mad man in the politics 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.

The people of Kenya have elected us to be in Parliament to do our job and develop the nation, but not to make another Parliament in Kibera where there is nothing to oppose. They know that if they oppose here, no one will listen and nothing will happen. They are opposing outside Parliament which they know very well. May God give all of us wisdom to be in Parliament and move the country in the right direction. My request is that we have peaceful elections on 17th October. We are patient to have landslide victory in the name of God. We should be ready and prepared to fight the madness which will come after the election.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. God bless us.

Hon. Members, the Member for Trans Nzoia has been raising her hand.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Spika. Mimi pia ningependa kuchukua nafasi hii kwanza kutoa shukrani kubwa sana kwa kuchaguliwa tena kuwa Spika wetu kwa mara ya pili. Pia, nachukua nafasi hii kuwashukuru wenzangu wale wamechaguliwa katika Bunge la Kitaifa. Tena, nachukua nafasi hii kuwashukuru watu wangu wa Trans Nzoia County kwa kunipa nafasi tena kwa muhula wa pili kuwahudumia kama mama wa kaunti.

Nataka kuchangia Hotuba ya Mhe. Rais. Nashukuru sana kwa sababu kama angekuwa mwingine, hangepata nafasi ya kusimama mbele yetu na kutoa hotuba ile alitoa jana. Kwanza, Mhe. Rais alisema lazima tukuwe na amani katika nchi yetu ya Kenya ndiposa tutoe uhasama miongoni mwa wananchi. Pia, aliongea kuhusu usalama katika nchi yetu ya Kenya kwa sababu tusipokuwa na usalama katika nchi yetu, maisha yetu na wananchi haitakuwa sambamba. Licha ya kukumbwa na yale yalimpata hivi juzi, mimi ninajua sisi wengine katika chama chetu cha Jubilee kutoka sehemu za Western tulimchagua. Licha ya mahakama kutoa uamuzi, sisi tuko tayari tena kwenda mashinani na kuuliza watu kutoka sehemu za Western na Trans Nzoia kwa jumla kuhakikisha kwamba tarehe17 Ocktoba Mhe. Rais atarudi kuwa Rais wa nchi ya Kenya.

Nataka nishukuru kwa sababu vile tumekuwa na Rais wetu, sisi kina mama kutoka kwa kaunti zetu hapo awali hatukukua na pesa. Lakini saa hii pesa zile tumepewa kutoka kwa hazina ya Affirmative Action zimetusaidia kufikia kina mama kule mashinani na mnaona kwamba viongozi kina mama wamechaguliwa kutoka kwa kaunti zetu kama Seneti na hata katika Bunge la Kitaifa. Unaona kwamba wamama wamepewa kipao mbele kuonyeshwa kwamba hao pia wako sambamba katika nchi yetu ya Kenya kwa sababu maslahi ile tunahudumia wananchi ni sawa na hawa Wabunge wengine. Nasihi wamama wenzetu walioko hapa, tushikane na haswa kutoka kwa mrengo wa Jubilee kuhakikisha kwamba maslahi ya kina mama katika nchi yetu ya Kenya vile Rais amesema tunaipatia kipao mbele.

Ahsante Mhe. Spika kwa kazi yako nzuri ya kutuendeleza sisi kama Wabunge. Ahsanteni sana.

Obviously, the Member who spoke was from this side. So, you can almost expect that the next Member will come from the other side. Member for Mwala. You must also look at regions.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for noting me far behind here. Let me start by thanking the great people of Mwala for giving me an opportunity to serve them for a second time. I am sure they must have seen something special that Hon. Kawaya did in the last five years to give me an opportunity to continue to serve them.

I want to say that my re-election is tied to the efforts that the President made in my constituency. My win is actually his win because the development that I did in my constituency was not for Hon. Kawaya alone, but for mwananchi. 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 want to talk about the speech made by His Excellency the President yesterday. What is key is that the President stressed that the sovereign power of the people of Kenya, in as far as elections are concerned, rests in the ballot.

Hon. Speaker, I observe the President as a person who respects the Constitution. Regardless of the heavy ruling, he still remained calm. Here in Parliament, some simple decisions require a two-thirds majority. Going forward, I think it will be in the wisdom of this House to require that when the Supreme Court Bench sits in future its decisions, which are bound to overturn a presidential election, should garner a unanimous or super majority vote.

Overturning a presidential election is almost like conducting a referendum. I do not see why certain decisions would require two-thirds majority of elected Members of Parliament while a decision as heavy as overturning a presidential election would be done by two or three people only.

It is important that the President came out clearly and firmly to show Kenyans that he is in charge. Even the stock market has been performing poorly because people out there think that there is a crisis in Kenya. Our Constitution is very clear. It was important for the President to stamp his authority and say that he still in charge and that Kenya is not going to stand still simply because one party is aggrieved. Kenya has…

Kenyans will make a decision again. They elected their President. The same Kenyans who…

Thank you Hon Speaker. Let me also take this opportunity to first profoundly thank the great people of Kikuyu who in their wisdom and out of the favour of the Almighty God saw it fit to allow me to serve as the first unopposed Member of Parliament in this 12th Parliament. My very hearty and profound thanks go to the people of Kikuyu and, of course, to the Almighty God for that great favour that I saw.

I want to speak briefly on just two issues. One is the need for peace and security in this country that the President spoke about at length. I take this opportunity to thank him for having taken the opportunity as he addressed this House yesterday to speak on peace and security in this country. Beyond everything else, that is one of the most cardinal responsibilities he has as a President: to protect life and property of Kenyans. I am sure Kenyans and the world at large know today that this country is in very safe hands, those of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The other thing the President spoke about and which spoke to me at heart is the need for this august House to protect and defend the Constitution as we swore here when we took our oath of office. On that, I want to quote what the President said: “History places a profound responsibility on Members of this House to protect this Constitution and promote the democratic governance of the Republic.” He also spoke of the separation of powers of the three arms of Government being a critical constitutional principle in protecting the liberty of our people. That spoke to me at heart. 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.

If we are charged with the responsibility of protecting the liberty of our people that is also vested in what the President spoke about on the sanctity of the ballot, that is, the paper that the Kenyan voter goes out to mark to express his sovereign will as to who he wants to govern this country. Indeed, it is out of the sanctity of that ballot that every Member who is in this House is able to stand and speak on account of the powers that are given to us by the people of this great country.

The President went out to affirm that in as much as we respect the functional independence of the three arms of Government, we must work together. However, I was taken aback that as much as I know your office and that of the Clerk had invited all the arms Government, one arm was not represented in this House. The President has shown his magnanimity when he said that he does not agree with the decision of the Supreme Court but he respects it. That is the functional independence the President is asking us and the country to respect. He is also calling on them to work with one another.

The other thing that was in that speech is what has been said. As much as we respect one another’s functional independence each of the arms of Government and more so the independent constitutional commissions… Anybody who holds office in any of the arms of Government must be firm to make sure that nobody, whether foreign powers or foreign agencies, or evil and civil societies inside or outside this country are controlling us in any way. I have no fear of contradiction to say from this House that one of these arms of Government, especially the Judiciary, has a case to answer to the people of Kenya. There are cases we know where the Judiciary has recruited and put in office researchers who do research for judges who have become very lazy. They do not research on the legal cases that are before them. Many of these researchers are fronted or brought to those offices through some of these evil and civil societies that operate in Kenya. Therefore, I will be asking Members of this House that even as we respect the functional independence of the other arms of Government we must also be firm and question the activities of some of these people.

It is indeed true and a fact of life that there are civil and evil societies that are in a way influencing decisions in our Judiciary through lazy judges who are not researching…

Member for Tigania West.

Thank you very much Hon. Speaker for the opportunity to speak in this House. I would like to first of all thank the Almighty God for giving us the Kenya and the people we have today. Kenya is peaceful irrespective of what is happening around. I would also like to thank the people of Tigania West for realising that it was wise to change the leadership and give me the opportunity to serve them for the next five years. I believe, with your support, Hon. Speaker, and the Hon. Members of this House, I will serve them expeditiously.

I would like to congratulate you for having been elected the Speaker of the National Assembly and all the other Members who have been given various responsibilities. I believe that we are going to move together as a House and do great business. On matters of the day, I would like to note that the President’s Speech was finely balanced in respect of our national development blueprint, which is Vision 2030. It basically dwelt on the social aspect of it. It looked at the quality in terms of where we are right now, and exactly what we are here to do. It did not speak politics as they are today. We expected the President to complain to Kenyans that he felt short-changed. The President stuck as executive as he is and spoke on matters of national importance. I thank him for that. The Speech looked at the context of the surrounding environment: what exactly is happening in Kenya today in terms of politics and growth of our democracy. It talked about 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.

growth of democracy in terms of numbers of either gender in this House. It recognised the fact that we have had an increase in women and youth representation. It clearly tells our youth that their leadership role, which has always been postponed to tomorrow, can be played today. Today, we have very young people who have been entrusted with the responsibility of representing their electorates in this House. I believe they will have the latitude to represent their electorates effectively. The President’s Speech expressed to Kenyans the sovereign right of individuals to bring us where we are, and to put the presidency in place, by electing people through the ballot. The President said precisely that the sovereign right of the people is transferred from the individual to an office through the ballot. The people of Kenya voted on 8th August and made a decision. They elected their President, governors, senators, Members of Parliament and Members of the County Assemblies. Despite the ruling of the Supreme Court that nullified his election, the President did not appear to fight the Court in the House, or to look at others as an important business. I believe he did this because he has the confidence that Kenyans are going to elect him come 17th October. I believe Kenyans know who their President is. If you look at the membership of the Jubilee Party, it has members from all the eight former provinces. That means the President was popularly elected from all parts of Kenya. It recognises the importance of preserving peace and preserving the dignity of this country through sustainable peace. The President’s Speech dwelt on matters we today believe are important for us. It looked at who is supposed to be the President with a view to clarify that issue because a lot has been said out there, which tries to confuse Kenyans that we do not have a President. The Constitution is very clear. Kenyans stood very firm on 27th August 2010 and promulgated their new Constitution. On the foundations of that Constitution, this country has made many laws and regulations. We believe in those regulations. There are some of us who do not believe in those regulations. They are the minority; not the majority. They do not believe in the rule of law, and they are out there seeking answers in the wrong places. I wish to pause and tell you that we are grateful that we are here, and we are prepared to serve this nation to the best of our ability. Thank you.

Just before I give the Floor to the next Speaker, for your information, the yellow light means that you have one more minute left. When the red light comes on, you have 30 seconds. Therefore, you do not sit down when you see the yellow light. Even the red light means that you still have 30 seconds to organise your mind. Member for Kamukunji.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. First of all, let me congratulate you for your re-election for the second time to lead our House. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the great people of Kamukunji. I am humbled, honoured and privileged to serve you again for the third time in this august House. I want to start by congratulating the President for the statesmanship Speech that he made in this House yesterday. He has shown his commitment and respect to our Constitution and the rule of law. He has also shown that he is answerable to the great people of the Republic of Kenya. I want to flag out three items from the President’s Speech. The first one is that the President was very clear despite his reservationson the decision of the Supreme Court, in accordance with our Constitution; that he has accepted their verdict. He also spoke about our sovereignty. A lot of people take our sovereignty for granted. We became an independent Republic after a long struggle for liberation from the times of the Mau Mau uprising to the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

struggle for multiparty democracy. A lot of people have sacrificed for us to enjoy the democratic space that we enjoy in this country today. As we sit here, we were all elected by the people, through their free vote in a democratic process. Therefore, for him to underpin the fact that there is no vacuum in the leadership of this country given that the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary are at work is to underscore the fact that this is a stable country that is recognised internationally. It is not a failed state. The perception that has been put out there in the public eye by the media is clearly an indication of the dynamics of our democracy but it does not reflect the reality of our country. There is absolutely no problem here. The President was elected with a five-year mandate. In fact, in my own interpretation, he is the President of this country for those five years until March or until such a time an election takes place and he is re-elected. The second element that I take from his Speech is his emphasis on peace and cohesion. There can be no development or any form of progress in our country unless we have peace and cohesion among our people. I speak as an experienced person who has witnessed conflicts around the world. Conflicts do not choose their victims. They do not ask whether you are a Jubilee or NASA supporter. They do not ask what religion or ethnicity you belong to. Conflicts burn and destroy. What has been built in many years can be destroyed in hours and days. Therefore, for those people who are craving or campaigning for instability in our country, let me just warn them that when instability comes – God forbid – it will not discriminate because you had stood in a particular position or because you had supported a particular position. Therefore, we must work together as Members of Parliament. Our responsibility is to work for one country or nation that is at peace with itself. Another element that the President spoke about, which I think is important, is our role as legislators. We are leaders who have been elected by the majority. We are here because of the people’s will. Therefore, in all our activities, we must be loyal to the people’s will. The fact that there are elected Members of Parliament who have been sworn-in in this House, and who are being paid by the taxpayer, but who have decided to not come and fulfil their democratic responsibility, is really a shame. They should not allow themselves to be used by remote controlled-machine led by a person who is not a Member of this House, and who has not been elected by the people of Kenya. I urge our colleagues who are out there to come back and fulfil their responsibility towards the people who elected them, and towards the people of Kenya generally, to ensure that we have peace, stability and security for development of this country.

Hon. Members, I must keep juggling through counties, constituencies and all those things. I have not heard the voice of the Member for Narok County. Therefore, it is only fair that we hear it. We will hear even from Baringo.

(Hon. (Ms.) Roselinda Soipan Tuya): Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me a chance to contribute to the debate on the President’s Address. I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate you for your re-election as a Speaker of this august House. I also wish to congratulate our House leadership led by the Leader of the Majority Party and other leaders who have been selected. I also wish to thank the people of Narok County for giving me a second chance to serve them as their county MP. I just want to promise them that I will not let them down. Going to the President’s Speech of yesterday, there are a number of highlights that caught my attention. First is the recognition by the President of the tremendous improvement in the number of women who were elected in various positions, including governors and senators. There is an increase in the number of women who have been elected from the traditional 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.

constituencies to represent Kenyans. It is notable that the Jubilee Party, headed by our President, has a total of 16 women elected at the constituency level. The President, in coming out very clearly to congratulate our women, is not just… Many people talk about women empowerment as public relations, or they do so just to play to the galleries. However, those who know the consistency with which the President and his party have been operating will tell you that they have gone out of their way to even create a parallel process called, ‘The women-for-women campaign’ to ensure that the women of Kenya are given a chance at elective positions in this country. I wish to congratulate the President for that because it will move our country forward. For the President to come out to banish hate mongers and people who may want to, in the name of campaigning for him, go on to propagate divisive politics, is indeed a symbol of great statesmanship. I congratulate the President for that. Thirdly, the President came out very clearly in support of devolution. He has commended the pioneer role of the 11th Parliament in midwifing and ensuring the proper implementation of our new Constitution with regard to devolution. We note that the President has been at the forefront in supporting our counties and requiring them to be grounded through decentralisation of power and ensuring that service is closer to the people. One other point that stood out in the President’s Speech is the need for us to uphold the supremacy of our Constitution and the various constitutional institutions, including the Supreme Court and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). He has taken a very bold step in ensuring that respect for the rule of law prevails even in very tough circumstances like the ones he has found himself in, including the trumped-up charges that saw him attend the International Criminal Court (ICC) sessions. It is such things that give us a highlight of a President who is not only patriotic and democratic, but one who is keen on ensuring that there is good governance in Kenya. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Members, let me address another segment of the House and you will realise that this is a very interesting segment. The Hon. Member for Igembe South. Where is he?

I am here.

This is the Member for Kiharu?

Yes.

That is the constituency I want to address us this afternoon because it was not very well represented in the last Parliament. You can first say your name. The Member for Igembe South (Hon. John Paul Mwirigi): I come from Igembe South Constituency. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you, Hon. Speaker for your election as the Speaker of this House. I know that the operations of this House will be run well. I want to comment on something pertaining to the Speech of the President. According to the way he spoke, he was not targeting the line of politics the way many Kenyans expected. Normally, politicians target politicians, but he was categorical in terms of addressing issues to do with the development of the Republic of Kenya. It is said that security is of paramount importance and that is why the President sticks to the rules, which he promised to be firm on. As Members of this House, we have the duty of working for our people who elected us. That is our core business of being in this august House. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Some of the Members avoided the joint sitting of Parliament. Maybe it is because they do not understand why they were elected by their constituents. Maybe next time they will understand better their core duty. I would like to thank the people of Igembe South Constituency who elected me to be in this House and I vow to work for them without any fear. I will be devoted and ready to do as they want. Mine is just to thank the people of Igembe South. They say that we, the young people, have the potential to represent our people. We, the young people of the Republic of Kenya should avoid being used by leaders whose interests are not about our God but their own gains. My fellow young Kenyans, let us maintain peace.

Member for Kuria East.

Asante sana, Mhe. Spika. Kwanza ningependa kumshukuru Mungu kwa ajili ya nafasi ambayo amenipa kuwakilisha watu wangu wa eneo Bunge la Kuria East. Hongera nyote ambao mmechaguliwa kuwakilisha watu kutoka maeneo ambayo mmetoka. Mhe Spika, hongera kwa ajili ya kuchaguliwa vilevile. Vilevile nachukua nafasi hii kushukuru Mungu kwa sababu ya Rais wetu. Tabia ambayo ameonyesha, utu ambao ameonyesha tangia mambo haya yamefanyika imetutia sisi moyo sana. Kulingana na Hotuba ambayo Rais alitoa jana, kipengele kile ambacho alizungumzia kuhusu mambo ya ugatuzi… Sisi ambao tunatoka sehemu ya Kuria na maeneo mengine yenye makabila madogo madogo, jambo hili la ugatuzi... Aliposema kwamba Bunge la Kumi lilifanya kazi nzuri kuzalisha Katiba mpya, Bunge la Kumi na Moja likafanya kazi nzuri ya kulea Katiba hii, mahali ambapo alitaja kwamba Bunge hili litaendeleze demokrasia yetu, hapo ndipo ningependa kulenga. Ingependeza sana kwamba Bunge hili tuangazie zaidi jinsi ambavyo tutafanya ugatuzi endelezi. Jinsi ilivyo sasa ni kwamba gatuzi nyingi zimeshikwa mateka na wale ambao tumewapa mamlaka ya kuendeleza ugatuzi. Magavana wengi, sisi wote tunajua, baada ya kupata mamlaka wameachia palepale. Hakuna ugatuzi unaendelea zaidi ya makao makuu. Hotuba ya Rais kwamba Bunge hili liendeleze utaratibu wa kupanua nafasi ambayo inajumuisha hata jamii zile ambazo ziko katika maeneo ambayo hayawezi kupata haki kwa sababu ya uchache kama vile Wateso, Wakuria na sehemu zingine kama Mlima Elgon, kuna haja ya Katiba hii, nikitumia maneno ya Rais, “ we should revisit .” Kuna mambo ya kurejelea. Wakati ambapo tulikuwa tunajadili Katiba hii, tulisema kwamba asilimia themanini ni nzuri, lakini asilimia ishirini ina matatizo. Katika hiyo asilimia ishirini, napendekeza kwamba Bunge hili tupate nafasi nzuri ya kuendeleza ugatuzi huu ili hiyo asilimia iliyobaki, ikiwemo kuweka sheria ambazo zitahakikisha kwamba kuna kuendelea kugatua hata zaidi ili watu ambao wanatoka katika jamii ndogo wapate haki yao. Ningependa kutoa mfano. Juzi katika uchaguzi wa Spika kule Migori County, Mkuria alipata kiti halafu akapigwa akanyang’anywa na hakuwa na mtu wa kumtetea. Jambo kama hili litakaporuhusiwa kuendelea, basi itakuwa hakuna haki tutapata sisi ambao tunatoka katika jamii ndogo. Kwa hivyo, Hotuba hii ya Rais, haswa ikilenga suala hili la ugatuzi, ilinisisimua sana na nikajua kwamba hili Bunge litawaokoa wale ambao sehemu zao hazisikiki kwa sababu ya jinsi ambavyo mfumo huu wa ugatuzi ulivyo. Nisingependa kusema maneno mengi kwa sababu najua wengine watachangia. Ni vizuri kwamba tumepata nafasi hii ya kuwaakilisha watu wetu. Asanteni sana watu wa Kuria East kwa kunichagua. Naamini kwamba nitawatumukieni kwa njia iliyo bora. Naomba Mwenyezi Mungu atusaidie. Asanteni kwa kunisikiza. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

The Member for Turkana South. It is the diversity of Kenya. It is very healthy.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for this opportunity. I think Turkana is the farthest corner in this nation. If it does not talk, the nation has not spoken. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Speaker on his re-election, without forgetting the wonderful people of Turkana South who gave me a second opportunity of being in this Parliament. They also gave me an opportunity to elect the Speaker who is seated before us. I thank them and I ask God to continue sustaining them in Turkana until the time Jesus comes. May I also take this opportunity to thank my dignified President, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, for his wonderful Speech: a speech that affirms that he is a mature president, experienced and is dignified. From the content of this Speech, it confirms that he is a president who is sober, wise and respects the rule of law. It is not just a cup of tea for someone to tell you that your election has been nullified and you just say thanks to God or the first words you say to Kenyans are: “Before I say anything, let peace prevail in Kenya.” That is a loving president. That is a president who deserves respect. How many presidents in this world have ever said such words? Count them. They are few who can say that, and people are taking Kenya for granted. I have a reason to thank His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta for his wise words of peace. The reason we have any government in this world is for, one, security and peace. If we do not have security then you have no nation. His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta has sustained this nation for five years and he has taken over. Who is worried? There is no mwananchi who has complained. It is only one person who is complaining every time. I want to ask every Kenyan: is it written in the Bible that it must be so and so who must lead this nation? It is not written. It is written in the hearts of Kenyans and they have spoken. They said that it is Uhuru Kenyatta who will lead them. They spoke for the second time that it is Uhuru Kenyatta. Now, can these people making noise tell us why they should make noise when Kenyans have not given them the mandate of leading them? You should not force yourself to lead Kenyans. Let Kenyans make their choice. And you must respect the choice of Kenyans. You must respect the choice of the majority. You must respect this Constitution and the sovereignty of Kenyans. The reason we vote is that Kenyans give all their rights to one person, to the Government, to the President to lead them. My constituents give their rights from all parts of the constituency for me to lead them. Who is this who goes against the will of the people? I want to support the President. The Judiciary committed what you call a Supreme Court coup. That was a coup. You cannot make such a decision. One, you have to consider the mood of Kenyans. You have to consider the security of Kenyans. I can imagine a presidential candidate saying, “It does not matter. We can go for election again, whether schools close, the children will not die.” That is not important. We have to respect our children. We have to respect our institutions. We have to respect everybody.

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 want to be sincere and tell members of the Opposition who are here: It is not possible for a civilian to stop me from taking oath. Raila is a civilian. He did not win the election. How can he stop Members who were given a mandate from coming for swearing-in? It is unconstitutional. I have come here to represent the people of Turkana Central.

Order Members, you would obviously catch the Hon. Deputy Speaker’s eye while standing which is fairly elusive this afternoon. Let me give an opportunity to this lady down here for purposes of gender. For Members who have sat many times here, I must warn you that it would be very difficult for you to catch my eye this afternoon. We would be more interested in the new ones.

Relax Hon. Members, you will get equal share of the cake. Please proceed.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mercy Wanjiku Gakuya): Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I am Hon. Mercy Gakuya from Kasarani Constituency. First and foremost, I thank my Heavenly Father because God is the controller of nature. I congratulate Hon. Deputy Speaker for being re-elected. I know it is not easy but God is faithful because we had the majority, more so to the Kasarani people for voting for me. I am sure many people said that I was elected with votes like those of the late Hon. Mwenje. I think I had the highest in the city. I congratulate everybody. My fellow colleagues, it is not easy to come back to this House. I have heard that some Members have been here for the third time. I do not know if there are any hon. Members who are serving their fourth term. The President has shown love and devotion to the country. Through unity, we have seen peace in the country. I urge all of us to distance ourselves from what the President calls divisive and destructive politics and focus on service delivery. In the event that we do not do that, we have seen many people being shown the door. I know that it is not their wish not to come back. I thank the President because he has embraced women leadership. I know he is looking forward to actualization of the two-thirds gender rule in the course of his second term. I know that Members will support it because when you support a woman, you are helping your sister, wife and mother. When you empower a woman, you empower the community. It is the highest time not just to debate but pray for our President. He has gone through a lot since the time of his case at The Hague. However, if it is his fate that he has to go through this, let it be so. I believe he will finally emerge a winner. I am personally convinced that he won the presidential election that was nullified by the Supreme Court, but because he is a President who loves peace, I believe he will get more than 10 million votes or more than 70 per cent of the votes cast. God bless you.

It is a bit difficult. Let us have the Member from Tharaka Constituency. Members, you will get your opportunity.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I am the Member for Tharaka Constituency. I thank God this afternoon for giving us this opportunity to have the debate on the President’s Address. Congratulations to Hon. Deputy Speaker for being elected to that office. I thank the people of Tharaka for electing me to be their MP for the first time. It was difficult, especially coming from one of the oldest party in Kenya – the Democratic Party (DP) – and being alone. In view of the fact that I am part of the Jubilee fraternity, I got the worth. 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.

Thanks to the people of Tharaka. I promise to serve them unreservedly. I hope they will be agreeable to give me another chance to serve them again next time. On the Address by His Excellency the President, leading to exposition of public policy regarding our country, my submission is that his Speech was visionary. It was by a leader who exhibited the highest degree of statesmanship, and for that we congratulate our President and wish him very well in the presidential elections of 17th October. I will pick two issues which in my view deserve mention. First, he implored on all Kenyans to be subservient to the rule of law. He said that he would be the first one to serve under the law by submitting himself to the decision of the Supreme Court, which he did not agree with but respect it. That is exactly why he has called upon all of us, as Kenyans, to respect the rule of law even where we do not agree with it. His Excellency the President also went on to expose public policy on devolution. Being a new aspect in this country, devolution deserves the highest attention. So far, we have achieved a lot. This House is not tasked with the responsibility of checking on devolution but, together with the Senate, we can assist our counties to achieve what Kenyans had in mind when they voted to have devolution. I am sure that my constituents are watching me. There is a very serious drought that is similar to that in Bura. Our rivers have dried up and we need water. I will be extending my invitation to the Government to visit Tharaka and ensure that we have water and food, and ensure that our livestock is taken care of. Otherwise, I congratulate my fellow colleagues. We will bring sanity to the House as we were told when we were campaigning. We will also be exposing not only the legislative function of the House but also what the Government policy is. Thank you very much, and God bless you.

Let us have Hon. Teiyaa, the Member for Kajiado.

(Hon. (Ms.) Janet Marania Teyiaa): Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Mimi ni Mbuge wa Kaunti ya Kajiado. Kwanza ninamshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwa kunipa nafasi hii ya kurudi Bungeni nikiwa nimechaguliwa. Pili, nawapongeza waheshimiwa wenzangu kwa kurudi kwenye Bunge la 12. Nawashukuru wananchi wa Kaunti ya Kajiado kwa kunichagua niwawakilishe Bungeni nikiwa mama mlemavu. Wamevunja rekodi na kuonyesha kwamba yote yanawezekana. Nikizingatia Hotuba ya Rais, ninampongeza kwa sababu ameonyesha kwamba yeye ni mtu mnyenyekevu na mwenye amani. Namshukuru kwa kuwa aliweza kunitambua nikiwa mmoja wa akina mama waliowania kiti hiki kupitia chama cha Jubilee. Ningependa kumshukuru Rais kwa sababu alinitambua kama mmoja wa akina mama ambao walisimama katika chama chake. Yeye ameniheshimu. Ametambua uongozi wa akina mama na kwa hivyo akina mama wengi wamechaguliwa katika Bunge la Kumi na Mbili. Hali imekuwa hiyo kwa vijana na wenzetu wanaoishi na ulemavu ambao kwa miaka mingi hawajapata kuwakilishwa Bungeni. Kwa hivyo, hali imebadilika.

Rais, vile vile ametuonyesha kwamba ni jukumu letu Wabunge kulinda na kutimiza Katiba, na kudumisha amani nchini Kenya. Si kwamba Kenya itasimama kwa sababu ya siasa. Ni vizuri tuelewe kwamba kazi ambayo imetuleta hapa Bungeni si mambo ya urais; hiyo iko na siku yake. Tuko hapa kwa ajili ya wale waliotuchagua kuwatumikia. Kwa hivyo, tumesimama pamoja na Rais. Hata katika huo uchaguzi mwingine tutakuwa naye.

Very well. Let me give the Member for Mosop.

Ahsante sana Naibu Spika kwa nafasi hii. Kwanza, ningependa kumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu muumba kwa wakati huu 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.

ambapo ameona ni vyema na haki niwakilishe wananchi wa Mosop. Nawashukuru sana wananchi wa Mosop kwa sababu baada ya kuomba kura kwa miaka mingi wameona ni vyema na haki wakati huu mimi niwe kiongozi wao.

Pili, nina shukrani kwa sababu ya kuchaguliwa kwako kama Naibu Spika kwa kura nyingi sana. Tatu, ningependa kumshukuru Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya kwa yale yote ambayo amesimamia kama kiongozi wa nchi hii. Tukitafakari yaliyotokea hapo nyuma tunakumbuka kwamba kuna watu wengi ambao walipigania haki ya nchi hii ili tujitawale. Walipigania haki hiyo kwa machungu na maisha yao. Katiba ambayo tunayo hivi sasa imetokana na matukio ya miaka ishirini iliyopita ikiwa ni mchakato wa wale ambao walikuwa na nia nzuri kwa nchi hii. Sisi sote ambao tumepata nafasi ya kuchaguliwa hapa ni kwa sababu ya demokrasia ambayo iko nchini.

Nampongeza Rais kwa yale yote ambayo alisema katika Hotuba yake. Alisema kwamba sisi sote lazima tuwajibike kulinda na kudumisha Katiba. Sisi sote kama Wabunge, wao kama viongozi wakuu na idara ya mahakama sharti tuwajibike. Katiba yetu inahitaji kwamba mtu yeyote ambaye ana wajibu lazima azingatie mawazo na nia ya mwananchi. Madaraka haya yote ambayo tumevishwa ni kwa sababu ya mwanachi. Ukiwa Jaji Mkuu, Jaji, Rais, Mbunge, Seneta ama mwakilishi wa kaunti, wajibu na haki ni kwa mwananchi mwenyewe. Huyu ndiye amepewa haki zote kikatiba kwa sababu ni msingi wa nchi hii.

Nashukuru kwamba sisi sote ambao tumechaguliwa hapa kama Wabunge ni viongozi tuliyochanganyika wazee, vijana, akina mama na walio na usumbufu fulani wa kimaumbile. Hii inamaanisha kwamba tuko hapa sote kisawa. Tuko hapa kwa sababu ya mwananchi na nchi yetu ya Kenya. Uchanguzi wa Rais ndiyo tatizo kwetu sasa. Suala litakuja mbele yetu Wabunge ili tujadili sheria ambayo inahusiana na uchaguzi. Mwananchi atakapo piga kura, basi uamuzi wake uheshimike. Isiwe kwamba mtu binafsi aliye na madaraka anatumia nafasi yake kuiletea nchi hii hasara. Pesa zote ambazo zitatumika katika uchaguzi wa tarehe 17 Oktoba ni za Wakenya.

Uchumi wetu hivi sasa unapitia pagumu. Nimesikia Wabunge wenzangu wakisema kwamba kwao kuna shida ya ukame. Kule kwetu Rift Valley tunamshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu Maulana kwa sababu tunayo mvua kochokocho. Hivyo, mahindi na mazao mengine mengi yatakuwepo na nchi hii itakuwa pazuri. Tunachoomba Serikali ni kwamba bei ya mazao hayo iangaliwe ili kukidhi maisha ya wananchi ambao wanategemea sana kilimo. Sisi sote tunao wajibu. Nashukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwamba tarehe 17 Oktoba tutakaporudia uchaguzi wa Rais, tutahakikisha kwamba Rais Kenyatta anashinda kwa kura nyingi zaidi ili kutoa aibu ambayo tumepewa na wenzetu. Ahsanteni.

Hon. Members, you will appreciate that we still have about 20 more Members to speak because we still have an hour-and-a-half. So be very patient. Let me give an opportunity to the honourable lady in a green scarf. Sorry for using that description. Proceed and introduce yourself.

(Hon. (Ms.) Rehema Hassan): Kwanza nataka kumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwa kunipatia uongozi, kwa sababu kiongozi anatoka kwake. Pili, nataka kuwashukuru wananchi wa Tana River kwa kunichagua kuwawakilisha. Kweli, hayo mashindano yalikuwa magumu sana hasa kwangu mimi ambaye natoka jamii ndogo ambayo inaitwa Wailwana. Ninajua hata hamjawahi kusikia jina kama hilo; ni mara yenu ya kwanza.

Namshukuru Mhe. Raisi kwa sababu alitupatia nambari yake wakati alipokuwa akisajili Wamakonde ingawa hatukuwa kwenye gazeti la Serikali. Hatukujiona. Namwomba bado ajaribu kufuatilia hilo jambo ili nasi tupate hiyo nambari ndiyo tuweze kutambulika. Pia namshukuru 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.

Rais kutokana na Hotuba yake ya jana. Nimeona hakika tuko na Rais ambaye anapenda wananchi wa Kenya. Wakati uamuzi ulipokuwa ukisomwa nilijifungia nyumbani na nikaanza kuomba, ‘Yarabi Mungu tusaidie yasije tena yaliyopita.’ Kwa hivyo, nimeona huyu Rais wetu ni mpenda wananchi wake kwa sababu si rahisi uwe mshindi kisha uambiwe eti wewe si mshindi. Nilikuwa nimeona vita mimi. Nilisema, ‘Haya, tutapigana tena!’ Lakini Mungu aliyasikia maombi yetu maana nina uhakika Wakenya wengi waliomba na Mungu akawasikiza.

Kutokana na hiyo Hotuba ya Rais ya jana hata mimi nataka kurudia alichosema Mhe. Ali Wario. Kuna mambo tuliyoahidiwa hata nilitarajia pengine angeyataja lakini sikuyasikia. Mimi nitarudia jambo la ukame. Sisi tuko na mto lakini umekauka. Wananchi wengi saa hii wanakufa kutokana na njaa na kiu. Hata niliona jambo la kusitikisha. Kwangu ni Madogo. Ninaposafiri kuja Nairobi, sehemu ya Banga ninawapata watoto wadogo wakiwa na chupa ndogo ndogo wakiomba maji njiani. Wanaomba watu ambao hawajui maji ya kunywa. Wale watoto wako katika hatari kwa sababu wanaweza kutiliwa madawa ya kulevya kwenye yale maji, kwa sababu huwezi ukajua adui wako ni nani. Mimi bado naomba na kutilia mkazo ili Rais atakapokaa akipanga mambo yake asisahau wananchi wa Tana River. Tuko na shida na tunahitaji maji tena kwa haraka iwezekanavyo.

Kulingana na Hotuba hiyo, wengine waliotangulia waliuliza ni kwa nini Mheshimiwa Rais hakusema maendeleo aliyotupangia. Wakati uko kwa vita huwezi kukumbuka kupanga. Unakumbuka tu kupanga silaha utakayopigana nayo. Kwa hivyo wananchi wa Kenya ni lazima tumuelewe Mheshimiwa Rais. Ako na vita. Saa hizi anajipanga kwa sababu ya vita kwa sababu ni lazima Mungu akipenda tarehe 17 Oktoba ashinde. Na sisi tutamuunga mkono kuhakikisha ameshinda na atuongoze alivyotuongoza hii miaka mingine iliyopita. Kwa kuongezea, tupende kudumisha amani. Vita havitusaidii. Tuwe watu wa kukubali ushindi. Utakaposhindwa kubali. Kenya ni muhimu kuliko mimi na wewe. Ahsanteni.

Member for Molo.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion.

I am talking about the Member for Molo, but you have already grabbed the microphone. Since you have it, proceed. The Member for Molo will be next.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Accept my apologies. I thought you said North Horr.

At the outset, let me thank the great people of North Horr for giving me an opportunity to, once again, serve in this august House. It is not a small feat to be elected three times in a row. I thank them for having given me an opportunity to serve in the 10th Parliament, which delivered the Constitution. I thank them for allowing me to serve in the 11th Parliament, which actually implemented the Constitution. I thank them for electing me to serve in the 12th Parliament as we work hard to further expand the democratic space as envisaged by our supreme law. On my part, I promised to serve the great people of North Horr with a lot of vigour and energy as I did when I was elected in 2007, during my youthful years. I also congratulate the Speaker for his election. For sure, he did a good job in the last Parliament. That is why he got a second chance to serve as the Speaker of this august House. I do not want to forget to also congratulate you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for your election as our Deputy Speaker. Having served in the Speaker’s Panel in the 11th Parliament, you guided this House very well. I am very sure that you will not only be fair but you will be a great Deputy Speaker. Also allow me to congratulate all the Members of the 12th Parliament. I wish them well as they serve their constituents. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

In a special way, I also want to congratulate the leaders of Marsabit County. We worked so hard together and delivered over 90 per cent of the votes of that country to Jubilee. The leaders of the Jubilee Party and the Frontier Alliance, which is an affiliate of the Jubilee Party, ensured that it did not only deliver over 90 per cent of the votes to the President but also ensured that all the elective seats, from governor to Member of County Assembly (MCA), only went to Jubilee and its affiliate party, the Frontier Alliance. This is a zone which was largely dominated by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) during the 11th Parliament as you will recall, Hon. Deputy Speaker, since we served together here. Again, on 17th October, the people must, once more, stand up to be counted as we ensure that our President is re-elected.

Coming to the substance of the day, I commend the President for his Speech. The President’s Speech touched on many fundamental issues concerning Kenyans. It did well on the aspect of our Constitution. We all have a duty to respect our Constitution. As Members of Parliament, we took an oath to adhere to, and respect, our Constitution. He gave his own example whereby even though he felt the verdict of the Supreme Court was not fair, he did agree to respect our Constitution and, as a result, is willing to go back for his re-election on 17th October. He also did touch on the independence of our institutions whereby he said even though under our Constitution these are old independent institutions with independent functions as enshrined in our Constitution as per their functions, we also have to work together for the common good of the Kenyan society. This is because we all serve the same nation and Government and hence as we respect and jealously guard our independence, we must also work together to ensure that we serve the Kenyan people.

He also touched on the diversity of our country. He also mentioned the need for Kenyans to coexist peacefully as one great nation. He did also mention the need for us, as Members of Parliament, to adhere to the law and ensure that we deliver on our constitutional mandate. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

I would like to, first, give thanks to God and again to the people of Molo for having elected me as the Member of the National Assembly. In addition, I congratulate all the others, especially the youthful MPs who have been elected, and more so my youngest colleague. Before I learnt about him, I thought I was the youngest. I did not know there is someone who is younger. I think that makes me the first runners-up. I also would like to congratulate you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for your election as the Deputy Speaker. You come from my county, Nakuru, and my neighbouring constituency. We have a lot of belief in you. We thank the party leadership for finding it good to have our representation at the leadership of the House.

I was reflecting on the President’s Speech. He mentioned many things. In addition to his respect of the law, even respecting the judgement of the Supreme Court even though he did not agree with it, I found that I am in the right country. We are headed in the right direction. Long gone are the days when people used to disobey the law, court orders and all the arms of Government. The fact that the Commander-in-Chief, even though he disagrees with a court ruling, says that he will adhere to it; sets a very good example to us, especially us young people who sometimes think that anything will go for us because we are youth. In addition to that, he specifically congratulated the young Members of Parliament for being elected and reminded us that we are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that there is job creation for the young people. We are talking about a country where 70 per cent of the voter register contains young people, and where a majority of Kenya is young yet a majority of these people are unemployed. When you mention peace, these are the people who are used to cause chaos in this country. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

However, I would like to assure my honourable colleagues that the young people of this country have changed. We have become wise. We know when we are being used, and we know how to make economic contribution to our country.

When I got here in this morning, I found members from the Opposition signing in and moving out. I remember a verse in the Bible which says, “He who does not work should not eat.” These people are still going to enjoy being on the payroll despite not coming to the House to work. When I saw them walk out, I remembered reading in the Constitution that one of the biggest functions of a member of the National Assembly is legislation. If I were a shopkeeper and my shop attendant did not come to work, or he just came, signed and left; should I hire that shopkeeper again or should I fire him. I would like to tell Kenyans this message: You have seen those of us who are willing to work for you. As we go to vote on 17th October, we know which coalition, and which party, to vote for so that they can work for the people of Kenya. The President mentioned job creation in his Speech. The youth, as we said, are the majority but there is a shift from what you call the traditional jobs of engineering, medicine, law and accounting to jobs in things like creative arts. I am looking forward to us developing laws and policies that will ensure collaboration with our county governments so that many young Kenyans who would like to record their music get to do so without having to pay for it; that the Jubilee agenda gets completed so that the young people of this country enjoy an income through sports. I want to see more young people being involved in agri-business and contributing to our economy through value addition of our agricultural products.

Let us have the Member next to the Member for Chesumei. He is the gentleman to the left, at the very end. Kindly, Members introduce yourselves for the purposes of HANSARD. I can see Members asking me to also balance with this side. But I also acknowledge that there are more Members on this side than on that side. In terms of balancing, I am forced to probably once in a while take two from here and one from the other side. You will definitely be given an opportunity.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. My name is Nimrod Mbai. I represent Kitui East Constituency as a Member of Parliament. First and foremost, allow me to thank the Almighty God for getting us this far and giving me a chance to serve the people of Kitui East. Secondly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the people of Kitui East for electing me as their Member of Parliament. I am so grateful for that and it is an honour that I will always keep close to my heart. Allow me to also congratulate you, the Chair and the Speaker for being elected. Congratulations for that. I would like to go straight to the President’s Speech which highlighted a few issues. First and foremost, is to highlight the fact that our President has been prepared by God to lead this country. The President has been severally tried and tested and stood the test of time and that shows he can rule the country. We saw it and he quoted it in his Speech that the fidelity of the Constitution is very fundamental. He did it when he heeded to summons to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC). He has done it again because he has heeded to the fact that the Supreme Court nullified his election after being elected by a majority vote by Kenyans. This has never been done by any other man in Africa and he has done it. This is a way of God revealing to us that this is a man who is preparing for the job before him. As my younger brother has noted, in the fourth paragraph of the President’s Speech, it was very clear that he appreciates the fact that we have young men and women elected by the people of Kenya to represent constituencies in this House. We have our youngest brothers. 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.

President was very categorical that he appreciates Kenyans because they have come to appreciate the fact that young people can lead our nation. We feel honoured by the fact that the President can appreciate that vis a vis some of our fathers in the other parties who are instead working on smothering the young guys away from occupying leadership positions. I would like to applaud the President for that---We should be ready to serve. (Technical hitch) It is very unfortunate. Lastly is to appreciate the fact that Kenya is peaceful, we have a standing Government, both the three arms of Government and at any given time---

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. My name is Hon. (Maj-Rtd.) Bashir, Member for Mandera North. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Mandera North for electing me as their representative. I want to say a big thank you to the people of Mandera North. We have just come out of an election. It was largely peaceful thanks to the Almighty once again. On 17th October, we will vote in the presidential elections. It is my prayer again that we hold it peacefully so that we elect the same President that we elected on 8th August. Delving directly into the issue of the Presidential Speech, I want to laud the President for coming out forthright on his unwavering commitment to peace and security. Without peace, nothing can be done. The President, as the Commander-in-Chief, made his commitment that whatever happens, the peace and security of the country is paramount. We shall all live as Kenyans. I would like to applaud him for that commitment in upholding the peace and security of all Kenyans. The other point he talked about is where he called upon all leaders from the entire political divide and said (Technical hitch). That message was loud and clear to all. He equally mentioned that Parliament represents the will of the people. That message was equally directed to the other arms of Government where he said that all arms must respect each other while working for the good of the people of Kenya. In that regard, I want to urge public officers that when a Member of Parliament walks into an office--- (Technical hitch) The other aspect my fellow Members have spoken about is the issue of drought. It is actually biting in several places, including Mandera North, where I come from. I know we are going back to the presidential elections on 17th October 2017, and we will elect His Excellency Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. There is no doubt about that, but we want to go back to the people when we know that we have provided adequate water and relief food, so that they can have the energy to get out and vote again. This appeal is to the various Government agencies to ensure that that is addressed adequately, so that we can come out and re-elect our President.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Member for Isiolo.

(Hon. (Ms.) Rehema Dida Jaldesa): Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Just a minute. There is a problem with your microphone. Please, give her the microphone. Proceed now.

(Hon. (Ms.) Rehema Dida Jaldesa): Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. (Technical Hitch) Secondly, I wish to thank the good people of Isiolo County. I am humbled. Hon. Deputy Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate you for being elected unopposed, and to congratulate the Speaker for being elected with a majority number. That confirms the confidence the House has in your leadership. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I will highlight some of the positive contributions I got from the President’s Speech.

Under the leadership of His Excellency the President, we have seen tremendous increase in numbers of women in leadership. I would like to thank him for making it possible for women from the patriarchal societies to be leaders, especially women from the Muslim society where women have never been considered as leaders. As women of this country, we are proud and feel quite able and efficient in undertaking our legislative roles.

(Technical Hitch) Hon. Member, you are very fine in Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM). Proceed.

I want to thank the great people of Chepalungu for electing me. I want to applaud the President’s Speech because it has a long-term development plan that defines the strategy to protect and promote the interest of our country. I am so much interested on the section of the interest of the country because he was not majoring much on the Jubilee Party, but he looked at the country in totality. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta underwent torture and pain. When he came out of the bondage, he became the first President. The International Criminal Court issue came on board and His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta and the able Deputy President, William Samoei, underwent the same. After it all, they came back and were able to lead this country. There was the nullification of the presidential results. I also believe that on 17th October, Kenyans will make a wise decision and vote the President back. I call upon my fellow leaders to deliver quality and improved services for the benefit of the few who are able to make it on their own, but for the majority who depend on us, we need to change their lives. Those are the electorates. Time has come for us, as elected leaders, to put--- (Technical hitch)

There has been a Siberia somewhere there. I will make sure that I look at you favourably shortly. Let us have the Member for Nyandarua and then we will come to that direction, but I am not sure who it will be.

(Hon. (Ms.) Faith Wairimu Gitau): Thank you very much. I am Hon. Faith Wairimu Gitau, woman representative for Nyandarua County. I want to take this chance to thank the people of Nyandarua.

---83 Members of Parliament and, of course, 96 elected women Members of County Assemblies (MCAs). This, indeed, is a great gain. It shows that Kenya has now embraced women leadership, which is very good. We hope, as women in this House, we shall be given the same mandate to lead in House Committees not just as Members, but as chairpersons. That is our prayer.

The President has shown that he, indeed, respects the rule of law in this nation. He accepted the verdict of our Supreme Court. It was a verdict that never considered the sovereign will of the people of Kenya who woke up very early on 8th August 2017 and overwhelmingly voted for him. However, he accepted it. Our Supreme Court said that numbers do not matter in an election.

Order, Hon. Member for Kajiado! You are blocking the view of the Deputy Speaker. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Members, the microphones you are using there are not very clear. I am sure you would want your constituents to appreciate the contributions you are making in the House. So, any Member that I will give an opportunity to speak will have to come to the Dispatch Box. For the new Members, the Dispatch Box is the microphone just in front of the Speaker.

Let me now see who to consider next.

I will have to look at the Member for Bureti. Members, we will have about 12 more Members speaking. So, each one of you will have an opportunity to speak.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, first and foremost, let me take this chance to thank the lovely people of Bureti for giving me a chance to come and represent them in this honourable House.

Secondly, let me commend His Excellency the President for a well thought out Speech. It told us all about him. His Excellency the President is a Statesman. He means well for this country. He had the opportunity and the means to take this country through the route of anarchy, but he chose otherwise. When the decision of the Supreme Court was delivered, he had the opportunity and means, as the sitting President, to turn his eye away from that ruling and overlook it completely. Indeed, that would have taken us to anarchy, but because he means well and he loves this country, he decided that he was going to respect it despite the fact that he did not agree with it.

His Speech to this honourable House was an excellent one. He reminded us of the oath we took which states in part that we are to obey, respect, uphold, preserve and defend the Constitution. His Excellency the President reminded us once again that from Mombasa to Malaba, we are all one irrespective of the geographical locations where we were born, where we live or ordinarily reside. The love of Kenya should be paramount. After the Supreme Court decision, some sections of this country feel more offended than the rest. That should not be the correct position. We all feel offended when we see unrest in some areas of this country. We all feel offended when we hear some bad words being labelled against our Government. We all feel offended when we hear malicious statements being made against the Government. That is not to say that one section of the country gets offended while the other does not! The question is whether we can be accommodative. Can we be one country and speak in one voice?

The race on 17th October 2017, as the President rightly put it, will not be between Baba and himself. It is not about Raila Amollo Odinga and Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. It is the people who will decide whether it is Baba who has a safe pair of hands or Hon. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. This is a person who has been tried and tested. Kenyans have seen his able hands. His are a safe pair of hands that we can entrust the destiny of Kenyans. I have witnessed families in my backyard praying for Hon. Uhuru day and night for the reason that he has done one or two things that have touched their lives. That fact cannot be overlooked.

In his Address, he stated that his more serious obligation is to ensure that there is security without any exception. All of us have a moral obligation and duty to ensure that we achieve that. Today, we witnessed some unrest. Where are we heading to? Is that a safe pair of hands that we want to bestow the destiny of this country? I can see time is almost over. All the same, I want to thank the President for his Speech. I also thank the people of Bureti. Thank you very 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.

Very well. The Hon. Lady I have given the microphone should come to the Dispatch Box, please.

(Hon. (Ms.) Lydia Haika Mnene Mizighi): Ahsante sana, Bw. Naibu Spika. Ninaitwa Haika Mizighi kutoka Taita Taveta. Ninatangulia kwa kumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwa kunipatia nafasi ya kuwa hapa siku ya leo. Pili, wacha niwashukuru wananchi wote wa Taita Taveta County kwa kunipatia kura zao kwa wingi, kwa kuniwezesha kuwa mwakilishi wa akina mama katika Bunge hili la kitaifa nikiwa katika chama cha Jubilee. Hili si jambo la kawaida kule kwetu Taita Taveta, lakini wananchi waliniamini na wakanipatia fursa hii. Ninasema ahsanteni sana na mimi niko hapa kuwawakilisha bila uoga. Naungana na wananchi wengine, naungana pia na wenzangu hapa Bungeni kulijadili suala hili, ambalo ni Hotuba ya Rais wetu iliyosomwa hapo jana na yeye mwenyewe. Ninaungana na akina mama wenzangu wengi. Kwa kweli tumefurahi sana. Tunamshukuru Rais wetu kwa kuwa ametutambua sisi kama akina mama na uongozi. Ametambua juhudi zetu nyingi ambazo tumefanya na bidii tuliofanya kwa ajili ya kuweza kupata nafasi hizi za uongozi. Tunasema ahsante sana kwa Rais wetu. Natumai akina mama wote wa Kenya wameliona hilo. Tunapoelekea kwenya uchaguzi tarehe 17, wanamjua rais ambaye anasimama na akina mama, na ambaye anawatambua na kuwaheshimu akina mama kama viongozi. Jambo lingine pia ni kumpongeza sana Rais wetu kwa kuwa mstaarabu. Jana, alipokuwa akitoa Hotuba yake Bungeni, hakuchukua nafasi hiyo kuuza sera zake bali alituomba tuendelee na kazi na akasisitiza umuhimu wa kudumisha amani nchini Kenya. Kwa sababu hiyo, pia ninampongeza sana. Sisi tunasema tuko pamoja na yeye. Hata tarehe 17 tutasimama nayeye. Ahsante sana.

Let us have the hon. Member at the very end.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. My name is Antony Kiai, also known as “highflyer.” I represent Mukurweini Constituency. First and foremost, I want to thank the people of Mukurweini for electing me as their Member of Parliament. I want to assure them that they made the right choice. I am going to do that with all my heart and to the best of my ability. I also want to congratulate all the Members of this National Assembly for their hard-fought victory. I also want to thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this chance and also congratulate you for winning the seat of the Deputy Speaker. Looking at the Presidential Speech, I see a statesman who, in the midst of a turmoil, calls for peace. He requests every Member of the National Assembly to ensure that there is peace. This cuts across both divides of the House; to make sure that wherever we are, we preach peace and do our business in peace. Looking at the Speech again, I isolate two or three things. Firstly, the President has created an enabling environment for both young people and women. It is because of this that we have seen very many young people win elections in their respective constituencies. This encourages young people to go out there, take up the challenge and show off their leadership prowess. It tells women to take their rightful places in the arena of leadership. I also want to thank the President for taking the route that very few people would have taken. He has taken the route of fidelity to the rule of law. He had a choice not to follow that route, but he chose the road that is less travelled. He decided that it is only by obeying court orders that this country can remain at peace. I want to tell our brothers in the Opposition 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.

there is no leadership vacuum. As you can see, Hon. Deputy Speaker, I am standing on their side and I want to tell them that there is no vacuum even in this august House. Indeed, all the seats on this side of the House will be occupied by Jubilee Members in the event they do not take them up. Finally, despite the fact that the ruling of the Supreme Court went against the President’s expectations, he chose to ensure that there is peace in this country. I want to quote one of the USA Congressmen called Lamar Smith who said, “Judicial abuse occurs when judges substitute their own political views for the law”. I rest my case. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Very well. I will give the lady at the farthest end. Before you take the microphone, I wish to inform Members that this is a learning process, especially this first week. Once you start addressing Parliament in a certain language, then that is the language you will use all through to the end. So, you are not supposed to change midstream. Secondly, as much as possible---

Resume your seats, Hon. Members. It is only one Member who will be standing. Secondly, Members are only allowed, as per the Standing Orders, to refer to documents but reading of documents will not be allowed. The Standing Orders do not allow that. Most of the new Members are protected by the fact that you are giving your maiden speeches, so I am just advising you. In future, that will not work as far as the Standing Orders are concerned. Could you, please, introduce yourself and then proceed, Hon. Member. You could even come to the Dispatch Box.

(Hon. (Ms.) Halima Yussuf Mucheke): Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker. My name is Halima Mucheke from Meru County and I am a nominated Member. I want to take this opportunity to thank His Excellency the President and his Deputy for having found it fit to nominate a Member from Meru County. It is the first time since Independence. We are very lucky because the last time we had a nominated Member was during the time of the late President Jomo Kenyatta. The people of Meru County are very happy because the son of the late President Jomo Kenyatta has done the same thing by nominating a man and a woman from Meru County to the 12th Parliament. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Speaker and yourself. I take this opportunity to congratulate all the Members who have been elected and nominated to this august House. I was very impressed by the President’s Speech. As I stand here, I am an Internally Displaced Person (IDP). I cannot forget the 2007/2008 clashes because my house was burnt down in Turbo. This was all because of politics. So, I do not take it for granted that His Excellency the President was very categorical in stating that peace is paramount and there is no chance for anything less than peace in this country. I also want to take this opportunity to thank this House, on behalf of the people of Meru, for having found it fit to nominate one of us, Hon. Kawira Mwangaza, to the House Business Committee (HBC). Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Hon. Members, kindly be patient. There are 21 more Members who will be speaking and so most of you will get an opportunity. I am not so sure how I am going to approach that crowded group. Let us start with the Member for Kiharu. Members, I will The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

give a lot of slots, especially to that particular crowded area. I will give opportunity to many of you. I will give opportunity to five Members in a row. Proceed. Let us see which microphone is working around where you are. You now have the microphone.

Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to catch your eye. I am Ndindi Nyoro, Member for Kiharu Constituency. First, I want to thank the people of Kiharu for giving me this opportunity to come to this House. Kiharu Constituency, as Members know, is a constituency that is in the history of this country because of leaders like Kenneth Matiba. I also want to congratulate the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. I want to make it very clear that you were elected on merit. No one was more qualified than you to sit where you are seated. I also want to congratulate the President, especially for winning the first round, and we are sure and almost certain that there will be a repeat of the same, even as we go to the 17th of next month. I also want to congratulate all Members who made it to the 12th Parliament. I am sure we make a very good lot and a very good collage from the young to the old with experience and the whole diversity of this country. Going to the President’s Speech, I have gone through it and I will not belabour the points that have been made by my colleagues. I want to talk about one thing that the President said that to me, as an economist, sets the whole basis of anything else he could have spoken in this House. That is the issue of peace and unity of this country. We have seen many countries grow and then disintegrate by the demise of peace. For the President to speak so loudly and clearly about peace in this country, even as we go through this electioneering period, it was an exhibition of statesmanship. Even as he talked about respect, he also talked about the separation of power among the three arms of Government. This is a critical constitutional principle in protecting the liberty of the people. I am sure we are not blind to the fact that we never saw any member of the Judiciary yesterday as the President spoke to us. Kenyans are not happy because we feel, especially judging by the past that we are sinking into some kind of judicial autocracy. The President has the mandate from millions of Kenyans who made a decision before, but the same Judiciary has gone against the grain and pronounced otherwise. As Members of the 12th Parliament, I am sure we will relook into such matters. We have three arms of Government. Secondly, our institutions derive their legitimacy from the people of Kenya directly, namely, the elected leaders and the Executive through the President and the Deputy President. We have to relook into issues like the judgment by the Supreme Court. (Technical hitch) As I finish, we have to come together in this House, stand for our democracy without allowing any person to intimidate us.

Hon. Members, now you do not need to stand up. I can see all the Members who have stood are less than 20. I can assure you that I will be giving a chance to more than 20 Members. I will be picking you randomly so that you do not have to tire yourselves. Let us start with the Member for Soy Constituency. Most of the Members who have been standing will get an opportunity. We have 21 more Members to speak.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I am sorry, I have a cold. First and foremost, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be alive and to represent the people of Soy. Secondly, I thank the people of Soy for giving me this opportunity by electing me as their Member of Parliament. I also congratulate you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, and all other 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.

present and absent Members for their election. This morning, I had an opportunity to be live on

on the Citizen Extra Show . We had a discussion with two Members from Jubilee and the Opposition Coalition. One thing that came into my mind, which I want to share with fellow Kenyans and the Members present, is that when we asked one Member from NASA what would happen if it turns out that Hon. Raila Odinga is not on the ballot paper by his own decision on 17th October, he said, “Natural cause.” (Technical hitch) His Excellency the President gave a very unifying Speech yesterday. Having gone through his Speech several times, I noticed that he mentioned the word “peace” five times. He is a God-fearing person. I do not know what I would have done if I would have won by such a majority and then my victory was reversed. I am not the President, so we will cross that bridge when we get there. The IEBC is an independent institution. We have one candidate who has made it a habit that somebody must go every time he loses an election. He lost in 2007, Kivuitu went. He lost in 2013, Ahmed and his team went home. He has lost in 2017, he wants Chiloba to go. As a nation, we must put a stop to this “must go” attitude. We have to respect our institutions and be firm as Kenyans. We are calling upon Kenyans to turn out in large numbers on 17th October, exercise their democratic right again and show other Kenyans and the world that the vote they cast on 8th August was neither computer-generated nor doctored in any way, but it was a decision made by the people of Kenya. In my constituency, and in Uasin Gishu County as a whole, we have had very heavy rains in the last two weeks. We have had trees falling on school buildings. Our roads have been damaged. We call upon the national Government – and we will team up with them as we go home over the weekend to campaign for His Excellency the President – to come to our rescue in terms of emergency funding so that we can repair the bridges and the school buildings that have been destroyed by fallen trees. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Let us have Hon. Tomitom, then I will pick a few other Members at random. You will all speak except Hon. Lentoimaga, who has just walked in.

(Hon. (Ms.) Lilian Cheptoo Tomitom): Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for calling out my name correctly. Some people have a rough time mentioning that name. I am Tomitom Lilian Cheptoo, the Woman Representative for West Pokot County. First and foremost, I want to thank God for this special and good opportunity of being in this House. I also want to thank the people of West Pokot County for having given me this special opportunity to serve them in the 12th Parliament. I want to reassure them, as I promised earlier, that I am going to serve the youth, women and people with disability. I will represent them well in this august House. I want to congratulate the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, Senators and all the Members of the National Assembly.

Concerning the President’s Speech, I want to sincerely thank him for having spoken outstandingly about peace and unity of this nation. As a Member from West Pokot County, which is affected by insecurity issues, I sincerely want to thank the President and all my colleagues for having brought out this issue clearly. I also want to request my fellow Kenyans to unite and bring peace in our country. Secondly, I want to thank the President for having recognised women, youth and persons with disability in this House. I come from West Pokot County, which is a marginalised area and where women are rarely recognised and appreciated in whatever they do. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Finally, I want to mention something concerning the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for having dismissed some of their officials. One of my friends from East Pokot County, Madam Kamket Immaculate, together with her colleagues were dismissed without any reasons being given. We are very disappointed as the people of West Pokot County and East Baringo because it is very rare for a woman from my area to get to such a position. I want to call upon the IEBC bosses to make sure that they rectify the anomaly and reinstate these people to work. It is clear they were suspended unfairly. Once again, I want to thank the people of West Pokot County for having elected me to this House and especially the people of Kacheliba Constituency where I was born. They gave me the highest number of votes. Thank you.

Let us have the Member with a pink tie and a dark coat. By the way, this description will only last for a week or less. In the coming week, we will know each other better.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I would like to congratulate all the Members for having been re-elected, elected and nominated. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the people of Kangundo for having seen me as the best candidate to come and represent them in the 12th Parliament. I came here via a small party called Muungano. I thank the people because there were other competitors, but they saw I was the best person to come and represent Kangundo. In Kangundo, the youth face unemployment. There are no roads and other infrastructure. That is why I cannot be told by anybody when to come or not come to Parliament - I will come as mandated by this Parliament. Concerning the President’s Speech, I saw a lot of certainty and confidence in terms of upholding the rule of the law. I also saw the President’s respect for the independence of institutions in this country. He, especially, emphasised on the mandate of this House. Having heard the deliberations, I would like to ask the Members of the 12th Parliament to respect this House and carry out their duties in a respectful manner despite their different political affiliations. We have been sent here by our people. I have come here for the first time, but in this House, we have NASA and Jubilee coalitions. The people who are inducting us need to educate the Members on the meaning of the National Assembly and the meaning of being in NASA and Jubilee coalitions. We cannot continue having people in this House who dwell on party sycophancy. I urge all the Members to respect the Kenyan citizens who elected us. Kenyans expect a lot from us, especially in a country where we have a lot of political disagreements in terms of presidential elections. I also urge the Members to go back and carry out their politics with integrity. I also call upon Kenyans to ensure that they do not fail to vote on 17th October. They should ensure that they vote massively for their preferred candidates, so that we can move this country forward.

Member for Njoro. Come to the Dispatch Box. Hon. Members, we mostly talk about minority and majority in the House. We can use the parties elsewhere.

(Hon. (Ms.) Charity Kathambi Chepkwony): Hon. Deputy Speaker, mine is to appreciate the Speech given by the President yesterday. Our President gave one statement to everyone living in this country, including investors and visitors, that the country is peaceful and his administration is intact and stable. Mine is to congratulate the President. There was another thing in the President’s Speech. Whoever watched our President speak must have realised that this country has a God-fearing leader – a humble leader who appreciates everyone, including women, people with disabilities and the youth of this country. Another thing I wish to appreciate about our President is that he confessed that he has a lot of confidence in The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

women leadership in this country. I also appreciate that he accepted the ruling of the Supreme Court. I realised that he is a very patient leader who can unite this country. He is also a peaceful leader who respects the rule of law and the Constitution of this country. It is my humble request to you, Hon. colleagues, to remember another thing that the President reminded us yesterday that our priority is service delivery to Kenyans. I would like to thank the people of Njoro for voting for me as their first female Member of Parliament. My humble request to them and to the entire country is that “No Uhuru, no development.” Therefore, I kindly request them to support our President so that we can alleviate the suffering of the people of Njoro Constituency from bad roads and shortage of water. The issue of women and youth empowerment can also be addressed. I am sure when we stand together as a team, we can make our President Uhuru win the election on 17th October, 2017. Thank you very much. God bless you.

Let us have the Member whose head is highest at the very end of this row. Please, proceed and introduce yourself.

I start by thanking God for giving me the opportunity to serve in the 12th Parliament. I also thank the people of Ol Jorok for giving me the opportunity to serve in this Parliament. I assure them that I will not let them down. I also thank the people of Ol Jorok for giving me this opportunity to serve in this Parliament and to assure them that I will not let them down. Going to the President’s Speech, most Members who have spoken before me have talked about various issues, but I want to single out three issues in the President’s Speech. One is to applaud the President for demonstrating that there is no vacuum in this country. The President was very clear that there is no void and that all arms of Government are operational. Secondly, I want to thank the President for calling on every Kenyan to uphold peace and the assurance that there will be peace during and after elections. Lastly, one thing that the President stated is that every citizen must respect the independent institutions of this country. On this one, I would urge the Members of the other side - the Opposition, who are the minority - to respect the fact that the IEBC is an independent institution. They should respect the decision of the IEBC which includes the date of the elections, the commissioners and the CEO. They should respect that it is the only body that is mandated to conduct elections. The President was also clear that every arm and institution of the Government must work together for the benefit of Kenyans. We have seen this goodwill in the Legislature and in the Executive, but we do not see that goodwill of working together from the other arm of the Government called the Judiciary. I would like to urge the Judiciary not to work in isolation, but to work together with the Executive and Parliament in delivering the will of Kenyans.

Let us have Hon. Brighton. You will be located shortly. You could use the Dispatch Box. I will give an opportunity to three more Members from that area then I will cross over. I can see the crowd is in this direction.

Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I am Hon. Brighton Yegon from Konoin Constituency. First of all, I would like to thank my constituents of Konoin Constituency for electing me for the first time. I am a first- timer. I thank them because they believed in me. I would like to tell them that I will work towards their course and champion their interests. I come from a constituency where tea makes up 80 per cent of our economy. I would also like to congratulate the Speaker and his team - the leadership of the House - for having been The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

elected to lead this House. I would like to applaud the President. In his Presidential Address, he showed a lot of leadership, humility and vision. He showed that he respects the Constitution. The President accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court. Even though he differed with the ruling of the Supreme Court, he accepted it and said we will face the electorate again. Secondly, he applauded election of young people so that they can champion the aspirations of the youth, women and people with disabilities. Invalidating the presidential results was regrettable because the people’s power was subverted. In this regard, we are ready to support the President and his Deputy as we go back for elections on 17th October. We know very well that we will garner the 70 per cent plus one that we put as our target. Victor Hugo notes that men or soldiers can be stopped, but no one can stop an idea whose time has come. Development in this country in terms of continuity in road construction, infrastructure development, transport development and every other aspect of development must continue under the leadership of President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Deputy President, William Ruto. I congratulate them and wish them well as they face the electorate on 17th October. We are ready to support them.

Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

I am making a decision between two Members, and it is the lady Member. I am sure you cannot blame the Hon. Deputy Speaker. Proceed.

(Hon. (Ms.) Florence Kawira Mwangaza): Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. May I take this opportunity first to thank God for having seen it good for me to stand before this House today. I want first to introduce myself. I am Hon. (Bishop) Kawira Mwangaza, woman representative for Meru County. I also want to thank this House for approving my name to serve in the HBC. May God bless you and lift you up. To the people of Meru, I pray to the Heavenly Father that we serve to bless and lift you all for your overwhelming support that you gave me as an independent candidate in a very competitive area. You gave me all your support. God bless you and do wonders for you. This is my first day to say something in this House and I promise I will do my best to uplift the lives of every disadvantaged person in Meru County and every poor person that God has placed unto my hands.

Back to the President’s Speech, there is one thing that no one has touched. I saw a God- fearing President yesterday. He opened his Speech by thanking God. He said that “We, as a nation, have to thank God for the beautiful country and the peace that he has given us.” That has made me love the President more because not many leaders start their speeches by thanking God. Congratulations our President. As a religious leader, I believe that where God is mentioned and his name lifted, all things work for good according to our desires.

The other thing our President reminded every leader from the Senate and the National Assembly is that irrespective of our Houses, we are all leaders. This is the title every one of us holds today. Because we were chosen and elected by our people, it is our duty and responsibility to fulfil the pledges that we made before our people as leaders. At the same time, we should show the way and lead by example. I want to thank every Member today. As your Bishop, I know that God will help me to have you in my prayers, so that we remain united and serve our country.

Thank you.

Very well. Let us have the gentleman at the very end. Kindly introduce yourself. You are taking too long. Come to the Dispatch Box.

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Order, Hon. Member! You will use this direction. For the information of Members, do not cross the Floor unnecessarily because that will attract some punishment.

Thank you Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. First and foremost, let me thank the community of Tarbaj Constituency for voting me as their Member. Their votes will not be in vain. I will work for them for I know their concerns and challenges. I know there are issues of water, roads and many others. Let me also congratulate the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and other Members of Parliament for having been elected in their various positions. Let me also mention that I was elected on a PDR ticket. This is a small party which came into existence just three months before the elections. We have done well and it will not be in vain. The other thing is that Tarbaj Constituency gave the highest number of votes for the President of the Republic of Kenya. While other parts of the country are talking about providing 70 per cent in the next election on 17th October 2017, as Tarbaj Constituency, we will provide 80 per cent plus one, God willing. Let me add my voice to what my colleagues have said on the issue of drought that is biting in the northern region and other Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL). It is a serious situation and I ask institutions that are meant to take care of this situation to come in handy. The situation is serious and unless it is handled quickly, it will degenerate. One American Senator one time said that we can live without oil and even without love, but we cannot live without water. So, it is very important that water is provided to the victims of drought in my constituency and other ASAL areas in general. On the President’s Speech, I have seen his respect and fidelity for the Constitution. It is not easy for a sitting President in Africa to concede whilst he has this kind of majority. It is a lesson for Africa and the whole world. So, I commend the President for having respected the court’s judgement even though he disagrees with the decision. We respect and congratulate him for that. On the matter of the youth the President, in his Speech, said that he has provided an enabling environment. That is why many of the youth contested and were elected as Members of Parliament. The President and his Government gave the youth and women an enabling environment to contest for these positions. The President also spoke about devolution. In areas like North Eastern, where I come from, transformational development has only been realised because of devolution, which our President has greatly supported.

Your time is over, Hon. Member. Did I notice a Member with crutches? I must apologise, I should have noticed you a little earlier. You have a choice to stand or speak while seated.

(Hon. (Ms.) Janet Jepkemboi Sitienei): Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you and the other leaders that were elected. Personally, I was very sick on the evening we elected the Speaker but I was able to sit in the Members’ Lounge, come in and vote, and go back again. We are happy, and we are proud of the leadership. I want to congratulate my fellow hon. Members for having the opportunity to come to the 12th Parliament. I also want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve in the 12th Parliament. I also want to thank the people of Turbo for honouring me, and for looking at me as being an able leader and giving me The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

the opportunity to serve them in the 12th Parliament. Being an independent candidate at the backyard of our beloved Deputy President is not a mean achievement. I want to thank the people of Turbo. I want to promise them that I will serve them diligently without prejudice, and that I shall deliver on the pledges together with them. Back to the President’s Speech, I want to applaud the President. I want to congratulate him for that great Speech. While I listened to him speaking, I thought that was a Speech of a great leader. I thought he was a patriotic leader, and indeed he is. We should emulate him. The President gave a very vibrant Speech, and I realised that he had the nation at heart. He is a great statesman. He touched on areas that are key. He was able to recognise, and he is keen on maintaining the peace and stability of this nation. I realised it is at the bottom of his heart. He wants peace, and he desires stability for the people of this country. Hence, he is creating an enabling environment for us to deliver on the pledges that we made to our constituents. He also managed to recognise the leadership of the women and the youth. He recognised the fact that we still need to do more to bring the number of women that is required. Therefore, I challenge the women out there to go for elective positions because we would not want this House to be challenged again in terms of complying with the one-third gender rule. The President recognised the leadership of the youth. I remember him saying that it is their responsibility for the aspirations of employment and service delivery. It actually represents that. I am humbled that our President is a respecter of the Constitution. He recognises the importance and the supremacy of the Constitution of Kenya. That is why despite the fact that the Supreme Court ruling was done as it was, he disagreed with it but respected the rule of law. That tells us he is a respecter of the Constitution.

Sorry, Hon. Member. Your time is over. I wish to recognise the Member seated next to the Engineer Member for Sotik. It is you, not the Engineer. I am only using the Engineer to get the bearing of who you are. You could come to the Dispatch Box so that we save time. We have six more Members to speak, so we are fairly safe. Many more Members will speak.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I am grateful for the chance. I thought Kiambu had been forgotten. I also thought I would speak when I am left with you alone in this House. I am Hon. Jonah Mburu from Lari Constituency, the cold parts of Kenya. We normally say that Lari is the Europe of Kenya. First and foremost, I want to congratulate my people, the people of Lari Constituency. I am here to represent them. I am here to take up all my duties because they chose me from among many other contestants. I now want to contribute to the Address by the President. The first thing the President touched on was the sovereignty of the people of Kenya. He talked about the President as a symbol of national unity. As a symbol of national unity, he is supposed to offer national security. He is also supposed to deliver development to the people of Kenya. I am sure every man and woman who elected us is interested in their goodwill, affairs and livelihood. They want to walk with their heads high, their plates with food and their cups with water. That is national development. I commend the President for his Speech. He did not speak like a Jubilee candidate. He said he is the backbone of our manifesto, which is everything concerning changing the life of Wanjiku . Even as I commend the President for being a symbol of national unity, I have to say that we have to work very hard to be able to deliver the Jubilee manifesto. In order to do that, we must have the Government on our side. To have the Government on our side, we must win 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.

presidency. To win the presidency, we will need to have an avenue of delivering to the people of Lari, Wajir, Mombasa and other parts of Kenya. The President said that we must sow the seed of love among our people. From Mombasa to Malaba he said, we speak different languages, but we must all love Kenya. If we love Kenya, then let us love one another. Even in this House, you should not say that Kiambu is near the President’s House and fail to give Members from Kiambu a chance to speak. I have not seen any Member from Kiambu speak in this Chamber the whole day. That amounts to discriminating us. We also need to get a chance to speak just like Members from other areas like Mandera and others. For instance, all Members from Meru have spoken, but Members from Kiambu have not been given a chance to speak. We also need development in our areas. We need water. We are within catchment areas. We also need roads. All these developments will come through delivering the Jubilee manifesto. What I urge all Members to do is to continue working hard for the President. We need him back because we need this Government. We need this Government so that we can deliver the President’s legacy. I am sure his legacy will be our legacy. We may be lucky in the 12th Parliament to deliver our development agenda. A lot of development in this country may come to fruition. I once again thank the people of Lari for believing in me. I know they have so much trust and faith in me. What I ask is God’s guidance. Pray for this country, the House and pray for me. I congratulate the leadership of the House, namely, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. I also congratulate all the other Members for being elected in their respective constituencies. God bless you and God bless our country.

Member for Kuresoi South!

Thank you so much, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this chance to address this honourable House. I am Hon. Joseph Tonui, Member for Kuresoi South. First and foremost, let me take this opportunity to thank the great people of Kuresoi South for electing me as their Member of Parliament. I want to assure them that I will work extra hard to fulfil what I promised them. I want to assure them that I will make Kuresoi South great and strong. I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on being elected as Deputy Speaker. You really deserve that position. In absentia, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the House Speaker, Hon. Justin Muturi, for being elected. I also congratulate my colleagues. Coming back to the President’s Speech, I want to congratulate His Excellency the President for giving us a very powerful and unifying Speech. I thank God that we have that type of a President. He proved to us that he is down to earth. He proved to us that he is concerned about the wellbeing of the people of this country. I want to thank him for giving us direction. In his Speech, he touched on devolution, which is very key. He also thanked the Kenyan people for coming out in large numbers to vote. I want to predict here that come the 17th of next month, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta will be voted for the third time as the President of Kenya. There is only one area which was skipped in his Speech, which I want to put on record. I was waiting anxiously to hear about the issue of IDPs in some parts of our country. In Kuresoi South, for example, I have three IDP camps in Kurbanyat, Kipkongor and Itare. I have a strong feeling, and you are also aware, that this is an issue which needs to be addressed once and for all. Otherwise, Hon. Deputy Speaker, I thank you so much once again for this chance.

The lady at the very end, it is your turn. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

(Hon. (Ms.) Ruweida Mohamed Obo): Asante Mhe. Spika. Naitwa Ruweida, mwakilishi wa Kaunti ya Lamu. Ningependa kumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwa kunipa nafasi hii. Pia nawashukuru wakaazi wa Lamu County kwa kunipa hii nafasi. Nitawahudumia kwa uadilifi, uwazi na ukakamavu. Kwa Hotuba ya Rais, ilinikumbusha 2013 wakati wa kesi ya mwakilishi mwanamke maana ule uamuzi uko tofauti na huu wa urais. Uamuzi ule nikijaribu kulinganisha na vile jaji alisema ni tofauti sana. Ule uamuzi wa 2013 kwa kesi yetu ulisema, “ The IEBC official hasbreached Article 83 of the Constitution by not signing Form 36 but the process at the very endwas validated by the gazettement .” Kwa hivyo sisi tuliambiwa tulipwe na IEBC Kshs1.5 milioni na mwenzangu akaendelea kuwa mwakilishi wa akina mama Bungeni. Uamuzi wa Mahakama ya Juu umekuwa tofauti sana. Hata hivyo, kwa vile Mhe. Rais anauhesimu uamuzi huo, nasi pia hatuna budi kuuhesimu. Tumehuzunishwa na Hotuba yake, hata hivyo tunamwambia Rais asihuzunike, hawa waheshimiwa ni wengi. Tuko na familia, marafiki na wafuasi wetu. Namba ishaonyesha, tutashuka mashinani, tumtafutie kura. Sina mengi, ninapongeza uongozi wa Bunge, ahsanteni. Mimi ni Mbajuni na ningependa nipendelewe kama Mbunge anayetoka katika jamii iliyotengwa. Mbajuni mwingine ni Mhe. Sharif kutoka Kaunti ya Lamu. Tuko watatu tu. Ningependa mtuangalie vyema. Ahsante, Mhe. Naibu Spika.

Hon. Member, now that we know that you represent a minority group, you will obviously be having a favourable opportunity. It is getting difficult. Let us have the Member for Chesumei.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I take this opportunity to thank you for giving me this chance to contribute to the Motion before us. I am the Member for Chesumei Constituency in Nandi County. I congratulate you and Hon. Speaker for your re-election as the leadership of this House. We believe in you and hope that you will do a good job because you have done it before. I equally congratulate the Members in this House for getting opportunity to serve Kenyans. I thank the people of Chesumei. It was not easy, but they trusted and believed in me to represent them well in this House. I want to assure them that I am here on their behalf and I will not let them down. I will do my best because that is what the people sent me here to do. For the three sessions that we have had in this House, I have been present. Let this be a lesson to the Opposition that once you have been sent to this House, you are supposed to be here and articulate issues on behalf of your constituents. That is why they elected you. The choice to excel and take this country to the desired destination for the sake of our people is ours. At this point, I appreciate the President who has shown leadership from the time the Supreme Court made the ruling. It has not been very easy for us, as Jubilee. From the time the Supreme Court ruling was made, it has not been very easy for the President and Members of the Jubilee Party. We know very well that we won the elections. If you want to identify leadership qualities in a person, you get to see them better when they are faced with challenges just like what happened with regard to the Supreme Court ruling. At this point, I want to mention that I saw leadership in my President from the time the Supreme Court ruling was given. I have also seen leadership in his yesterday’s Speech. I listened to him keenly and I have gone through that Speech once again. Leadership has been seen in our President. This is the President we require in our country which is still growing. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

In his Speech, one of the things I noticed is that he loves this country and he believes in the people of Kenya. Our President has good intentions for this country. He respects the rule of law and the Constitution. The fact that he came here to open this House yesterday tells us that he believes that this country should go on despite the challenges which we might be facing. Therefore, I want to thank him and ask everybody else to shelf their personal interests for the sake of this country. To the people of Chesumei, I know more---

Your time is over, Hon. Member for Chesumei. We will have the only Member to the left of the Speaker. You can go to the Dispatch Box because it is much easier.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I came here through Chama cha Uzalendo (CCU) and I am the only Member from that party in this august House. First, I would like to thank the people of Kitui Rural for electing me to this House and I promise to offer them all the services they need. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the President for his Speech. One thing I picked from it is peace. As you are all aware, peace is very important for sustainable development. If you recall, after the elections in 2007, there was a lot of loss of lives and Kenyans suffered. The economic growth dropped to minus one and the levels of poverty went up. In this country, we are facing a lot of challenges. For instance, unemployment among the youth, food insecurity and, of course, bad roads. It is up to us, as leaders, to maintain peace so that we address most of these challenges. I want to urge Members to come up with good laws which will enable the private sector to do business. It is the private sector which creates employment. Where I come from, we have not received rains for quite some time now and we are facing serious challenges of drought. I will initiate a Bill on issues of drought because I feel in my area we need to introduce a school feeding programme so that our children can attend school without hunger. Water is a very big challenge and we need to address that also. Water is a big challenge and we need to address this. With those few remarks, thank you very much. I was feeling that I would be the last one. I thought you had forgotten me but at least I can see there are two, three or four people. Next time also look at the left side. I think you are concentrating so much on the right side.

You are actually the last one on the left side. The only reason why I concentrated on the right side is, as I said, there is a crowd of members on this other side. You actually took the trophy of being the last one to the left of the Speaker.

Let me give the opportunity to the Member for Baringo. Let us see how much time she takes. Many other members will speak tomorrow. You will actually have an opportunity tomorrow. I notice that we have not given opportunity to any member from Baringo County.

Hon. (Ms.) Gladwell Jesire Cheruiyot):

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. As you have rightly put it, it is very unfortunate that no member from district number one in Kenya has been given a chance to speak. I am glad that you have given me this chance so that at least Baringo does not go without someone speaking today. I also take this opportunity, like the rest of my colleagues, to congratulate you for your election in this House. I congratulate my colleagues for having made it to this House. I want to take this opportunity to also thank the people of Baringo County for entrusting me with the job of representing them in this House, and more so for seeing it better to have me for a change. It is true that this time round we saw a lot of democracy in Baringo County. We had members elected The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

from various parties. If some of you do not know, I am one of the members who were elected through the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party. I am so glad. I only pray to God that He may give me “Solomonic” wisdom so that I may serve as I had promised to deliver to the people of Baringo. I want to go back to the Speech of the President. I applaud the President for taking the issue of security seriously in his Speech. In summary, the President was actually putting everything into peace, love and unity, which actually happens to be a slogan in my party. It is true that the people of Kenya do not feed on all the things we talk about. They feed on peace. It is the responsibility of the Members of this House, from both the Government and the Opposition sides, to preach peace every time they have an opportunity to so, so that our people can carry on with their ordinary life. Yesterday, I wondered whether the absence of the Judiciary in this House had any relationship with the absence of NASA Members of Parliament. I want to get it clear because I think the Judiciary is an independent body that does not have any relationship with political parties. I want to believe that there was no relationship. The President talked so much and recognised women, people with disabilities and young people. I urge the women hon. Members that we do not become happy for only having been recognised but we go ahead and work for the President to get more votes and get back to office so that he may continue recognising us and giving us better placements in future. We have the duty of working for him to get as many votes as possible. As regards the goings-on at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), as my colleague from West Pokot had mentioned, there is an official from Baringo County who has been affected. Her name is Immaculate Kassait. Kindly, she is a rare species from Baringo County that happens to be in national leadership. As a person and a woman in leadership in Baringo County, I feel slightly weak when one of my fellow women in leadership, who would have helped me in delivering social issues of women in Baringo, particularly in Tiaty Constituency, is suspended. I urge and pray that she resumes her duties. May God bless this House as we continue.

Order Members. You will now stand for the adjournment of the House. The time being 7.00 p.m., this House stands adjourned until tomorrow Thursday, 14th September 2017, at 9.30 a.m.

The House rose at 7.00 p.m.

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