Hon. Members, obviously we do not seem to have the requisite quorum. I, therefore, order the Quorum Bell to be rung.

We now have the requisite quorum and, therefore, business will start. We have the Majority Whip on that particular one.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the House: Supplementary Estimates I Programme Based Budget of the National Government of Kenya for the year ending 30th June 2018 and the Explanatory Memoranda. Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Board of Management of the National Hospital Insurance Fund for the year ended 30th June 2016. Reports of the Auditor-General on the Financial Statements in respect of the following institutions for the year ended 30th June, 2016 and certificates therein: 1. Dedan Kimathi University of Technology; 2. Consolidated Fund Services - Public Debt; 3. National Land Commission; 4. Child Welfare Society of Kenya; 5. Kenya National Library Service; 6. Kenya Bureau of Standards; 7. Railway Development Levy Fund; 8. Kenya Film Classification Board; and 9. National Cohesion and Integration Commission. The Reports of the Auditor-General on the Financial Statements in respect the following Constituencies for the year ended 30th June 2016 and the certificates therein: 1. Wundanyi Constituency; 2. Galole Constituency; 3. Mvita Constituency; The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

4. Bura Constituency; 5. Kaloleni South Constituency; 6. Magarini Constituency; 7. Matuga Constituency; 8. Chamgamwe Constituency; 9. Mathira Constituency; and 10. Njoro Constituency

Is that going to be moved by the Majority Whip?

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I beg to move the following Procedural Motion: THAT, this House orders that the business appearing in the Order Paper be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No.40(3) being a Wednesday Morning, a day allocated for business not sponsored by the Majority or Minority Party or business sponsored by a Committee. As you are aware, yesterday the House Business Committee prioritised the appointment to the Chairperson’s Panel. Of course, names have already been put on the Order Paper and we were feeling strongly that given the role of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, in a way you are overwhelmed by the business of the House. It is, therefore, important for the House to understand that the reason for this Procedural Motion is to enable us pick Members of the Chairperson’s Panel so that they can assist the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. I beg to move and request Hon. Gikaria to second.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I take this opportunity to second what the Chief Whip has just said. It is true that Wednesday mornings are meant for Members’ priorities. However, since we have some urgent aspect of picking Members of the Chairperson’s Panel, it is in line for us to be exempted from that Standing Order so that we can be able to transact this very important business. You might be sitting in the Chair and you could be having some other issues. Therefore, we would need this panel to be in place for the House to proceed with its business. I totally agree and second.

Is that the feeling of the House?

Yes.

Hon. Members, we cannot have a No and Yes by the same Member. I am not pointing out any specific Member. Next Order.

Whip of the Majority Party, please proceed.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion in an amended form, under Standing Order 48---

I can confirm that the Hon. Speaker has approved that amendment. Proceed. Please, move the Motion and then make an explanation, starting with where the amendment is.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, pursuant to provisions of Standing Order 16, this House approves the appointment of the following Members as Members of the Chairperson’s Panel– (i) The Hon. Roselinda Soipan Tuya, MP - First Chairperson of Committees; (ii) The Hon. Patrick K. Mariru, MP - Second Chairperson of Committees; (iii) The Hon. Jessica Mbalu, MP - Third Chairperson of Committees; and, (iv) The Hon. Christopher Omulele, MP - Fourth Chairperson of Committees. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I am moving this under Standing Order 48. Given that Hon. Speaker is of male gender and Hon. Deputy Speaker is also of male gender, it was important to have a female Member to get close to the leadership of the House. That is why this amendment was necessary; to get Hon. Roselinda, given that she is a female Member to be the First Chairperson of Committees. This amendment was to improve the image of Parliament to the effect that we are gender-sensitive in making appointments. I beg to move and ask Hon. Gikaria to second.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I take this opportunity to second the Motion.

Let us start from there. What the Whip of the Majority Party has done is to move an amendment rather than move the Motion. You are moving the Motion in an amended form. What you needed to do is to proceed and prosecute the Motion because you are not moving the amendment. The Motion is being moved in an amended form. So, proceed because you will not have any other opportunity except when you will be making a reply. It is better to consult on that one.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you for that correction. Please, keep on assisting us in terms of guiding and advising, so that we come up with the best procedure. This is more or less procedural. It is obvious that once the House is in full session, you and the Hon. Speaker may not manage the business of the House, given the other administrative responsibilities that you have. It is important for the new Members to understand that other than the Hon. Speaker and his deputy, the Standing Orders provide that they be supported by Members of Parliament who will be on their panel. Previously, Hon. Speaker would pick on any Member in the Chamber to occupy his seat and conduct the business of the House. It is now neater because we have identified a Committee that will work with Hon. Speaker. That is why it is necessary for this House to approve this Motion. We will not allow anybody to occupy Hon. Speaker’s seat without authorisation by the House. This Motion is asking the House to support the proposed names from both sides of the House. We have two Members from each side of the House. I can see my friend, Hon. Maanzo, wondering which side is the Opposition but we already know. Hon. Patrick Mariru and Hon. Roselinda Soipan are from the Majority Party side, while Hon. Jessica Mbalu and Hon. Christopher Omulele are from the Minority Party side. This is a The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

balanced Committee. I urge the entire House to support these Members so that they can occupy their positions in the Speaker’s Panel. With those remarks, I beg to move and ask Hon. Gikaria to second.

Well done. Let us hear Hon. Gikaria.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to second the Motion on appointment of Members to the Chairperson’s Panel. At this juncture, it is important to read Standing Order No. 16(4) which says: “Whenever a Motion for approval under paragraph (3) is moved in the House, no objection against the proposed membership on the Chairperson’s Panel of any particular Member shall be permitted and objections, if any, shall be formulated and considered against the proposed membership as a whole.” It is important for us to realise that the House has no mandate to change, unless we want to have a change of the whole Chairperson’s Panel. As the Whip of the Majority Party just said, the composition is coming from both the Majority side and the Minority side. We have had a problem of this gender issue in the past. It is important for the Judiciary to notice and note that Parliament is now moving towards a direction of trying to have the two-thirds gender rule complied to. You can see it is almost a half and a half; that is 50 per cent for each gender. It is important for us to understand. Secondly, I am not privy to any information about Hon. Patrick Mariru. I hope we will be seeing much of him. I want to talk about Hon. Roselinda Soipan. She was a Chairperson of one of the Committees in the 11th Parliament, the Committee on Implementation. She did so well, being a lawyer by profession. I want to thank the Majority Party. When they were picking the First Chairperson of the Committee, they decided to pick a lady. In the last Parliament, we had a male Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the opposite gender. This time, both are male. I think it was a wise decision to bring in Hon. Soipan. Hon. Members, the First Chairperson is the one who takes over if the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are not there. Of course, the Whip of the Majority Party has just mentioned that it was not only about the gender issue. Qualification and competence also matter. Hon. Soipan is very competent and eloquent. She understands the law. So, we will have a person who will fit into the position where you were, Hon. Deputy Speaker, in the last Parliament. Madam Soipan is going to fit into your shoes, if not better. The other person is Jessica Mbalu. She did very well, exemplarily very well in the last Parliament. We appreciate though she gave me very few moments to contribute. I hope she will, now that I am also seconding, give me more time. She is a very competent Chairperson. The Fourth Chairperson is my friend Hon. Omulele. Hon. Christopher Omulele is a renowned lawyer. I wish people had an opportunity and they are of course going to have one, when he will be chairing. We appreciate the kind of work you did in the last Parliament. More importantly is to remind the four Members the need to take a bipartisan position. They should never take sides. That is what happened in the last Parliament. We were so happy about what happened. It is unfortunate very good lawyers like Daniel Maanzo could not find their way into this panel. Again, I want to say Omulele is equal to the task. We saw the likes of Daniel Maanzo, Hon. Kaluma and others just the other day at the Supreme Court. We want to take this position to thank the Minority for having picked Christopher Omulele and for the balancing aspect of the four names; the two ladies and Members coming from diverse regions of this country. This panel will do a great job to exercise their mandate and enable Parliament undertake its role in legislative matters like looking into Motions and things like those. This is a team 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.

can give a good face of Parliament. Of course, Parliament has always been bashed by different sides. But, the four Members including the Hon. Speaker and the Hon. Deputy Speaker are up to the task to make the 12th Parliament even better and do a better job than the 11th Parliament. The six will do a better job to give a good name to the 12th Parliament. With those few remarks, I second.

Very well.

I will give the first shot to the Hon. Member for Makueni.

Thank you Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to contribute on this very important Motion. I rise to support it and say that, first and foremost, it is very well balanced. We have now seen an improvement of gender balance in this Chairperson’s Panel. You are aware that these are the persons who will chair the House or act as Speakers when you, the Hon. Deputy Speaker, or the substantive Speaker are not in the House. Of concern is to see, if you are to go by order of seniority in terms of the lawyers, Chris Omulele would have been somewhere number two or number three in that matter. But, we understand that there is a Majority and Minority in the House. I really want to congratulate Hon. Chris Omulele from this side of the House. He is now back as the Fourth Chairperson. The Hon. Jessica Mbalu comes from Makueni County, Kibwezi East Constituency, where I come from as a Member of Parliament for Makueni Constituency. We are happy with the appointment of Hon. Jessica Mbalu. She did her work very well in the last House. She is a renowned scholar and a lecturer who understands the laws and the procedures of the House very well. I am also very happy for Hon. Roselinda Soipan Tuya who I am learning today is a lawyer. I really want to congratulate her. I believe she will do very well. I know she is very firm and has a good grasp of the law. Hon. Patrick Mariru is at times called wa Mariru by his constituents. First of all, I congratulate him for getting elected to this House. I wish all of them well. On behalf of our friends on this side, I want to say this is good. We look forward to a House where we will debate law and enhance the rule of law in the country so that we lead by example. We should ensure that we make balanced law which is not subject to challenges of constitutionality or lack of it. In one way or another, the Supreme Court, the High Court or the constitutional courts quite often require balanced law. I believe we have enough lawyers in the House who can guide the House properly. It is now shown by having as many lawyers as possible, including you as the Hon. Deputy Speaker; a renowned lawyer too. Congratulations for having been appointed the Deputy Speaker of the House. With so many lawyers in that team, I believe we will do well as a House. I support. Thank you very much.

I need to balance because today I can see the entire Members from the Eastern bloc are top on the list. We will skip Hon. Nguna Ngusya and probably Hon. Mulyungi Mutemi because we have had something from the Eastern bloc. Let us start with Njoroge Wamaua from Maragwa Constituency.

(Hon. (Ms.) Mary Wamaua Waithira Njoroge): Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I also rise to support the amended Motion on the appointment of Members to the Chairperson’s Panel. 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.

First of all, allow me to give my maiden speech. I would like to congratulate the people of Maragwa for having given me this seat. I am ready to work for them and see to it that all I promised them is fulfilled. I am also happy because I have made history in Maragwa Constituency for being elected the first female Member of Parliament. Given the faith they have in me, I will show them that I am up to the task.

I also want to congratulate the Mover and seconder of this Motion. This is because great minds must have sat and picked the proposed Hon. Members for appointment. They must be the caliber we require in this House so that in the absence of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker the business of this House will continue. I have also noticed that there is gender parity. Even though I am new in this House and I do not know a majority of them, I have heard Hon. Members who have spoken before me say quite a lot about their abilities and I want to concur with them. These are Hon. Members of high mind who understand the rules and procedures of this House. We are ready to support them so that they can help us deliver on behalf of the people of Kenya.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Let us go back to Hon. Nguna Ngusya, the Member for Mwingi West Constituency.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. Before I embark on the business of the day, allow me to congratulate the people of Mwingi West for electing me as their Member of Parliament. Secondly, I stand in this House to congratulate Hon. Members who have been appointed to the Chairperson’s Panel. This Motion has made me happy because gender balance, competency and also experience of the Hon. Members appointed were considered. Based on that, I support it.

Let us have the Member for Westlands, Hon. Wanyonyi.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion. First, allow me to congratulate the four Hon. Members who have been appointed to the Chairperson’s Panel. Three are old timers in this House because they were in the last Parliament. I am not very much conversant with Hon. Patrick K. Mariru, but I congratulate him for making it to the Speaker’s Panel. This team will help the Speaker in managing the business of the House so that at any one time it will not be interfered with and work will be made easier. Hon. Jessica Mbalu and Hon. Chris Omulele will bring in experience because they were in the Speaker’s Panel in the last Parliament. They are lawyers and I know they will add a lot of value to the business of the House. I also want to congratulate my friend, Hon. Roselinda Soipan Tuya for making it to this panel. I wish them well and I know they will help in managing the affairs of this House. This being a House of debate and law-making, they will guide us properly when dealing with the various business of the House. This job suits them. We will support them in carrying out their tasks. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Rather than giving an opportunity to Hon. Murungi because they are on the same side, I will give Hon. Injendi Malulu.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity. I wish to add my voice to this Motion, particularly looking at the persons who have been nominated. I am not so sure about the first person because he is new but for the others they are persons I believe in. I can remember Hon. Omulele was appointed when Hon. Kajwang’ was removed 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.

performed quite excellently. Some of us wondered why he had not been appointed earlier to that position because he conducted himself as if he had been holding it for quite some time. When it comes to Jessica Mbalu, she is a person I know quite well. We were in the same university and when we came here in 2013 she performed excellently well much to our expectations. I believe, based on those facts, she will do quite well. Hon. Soipan was a Chairperson in the previous Parliament and she did quite well. I remember when I presented my case to her she really handled it quite well. These are persons we believe in and we only urge them to conduct themselves as the position requires because I recall in the last Parliament one of the Members of the panel made us worry when we saw him blow whistles in Parliament and behaving like an activist thus degrading his position. We urge them, as we confer upon them this honour, to also behave honourably. I support.

I will give the Member for Matayos.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. First of all, I want to take this opportunity to thank the great people of Matayos Constituency for re-electing me to serve them in this National Assembly. Secondly, I want to congratulate you on your appointment as our Deputy Speaker. I stand here to support this Motion on the appointment of Members to the Chairperson’s Panel. However, like those who have spoken before me have said, we may not be very much conversant with the first Member Hon. Partick Mariru, but being a Member of the National Assembly and having been elected by his people and his party to this Panel…

On a point of Order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Order! Hon. Kathuri Mashinani! You have put up your hand. Of course, I heard you but I do not see your intervention. What is your point of order?

You have a microphone in your neighbourhood.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. This Motion was amended and, therefore, the first member is no longer Hon. Patrick. For purposes of the record, as members contribute, they should understand that the Motion was amended, and the Member for Narok is now the first member. As they contribute they keeping referring to Hon. Patrick and Member for Narok is wondering whether she is still the First Chairperson...

That is a very valid point of order. Honourable Member for Matayos, you should be guided that the Hon. Member you consider as the first is actually the second.

(Hon. Odanga Geoffrey Makokha)

Hon. Members do not seem to have a good idea of who the second Member is. I will give this opportunity to the County Woman Representative for Laikipia. This is because I am informed that they served with him. Proceed. Let us hear from you.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I take this opportunity to say a big congratulation to the members for their appointment to the Chairperson’s Panel. Thank you for the privilege to allow me to speak for Hon. Mariru and, maybe, give a brief history of who he is and how far he has come to be a Member of Parliament representing the people of Laikipia West. I served in the County Assembly of Laikipia for the last four years. Hon. Patrick Mariru, the Member for Laikipia West, has been my Speaker. I wish to confirm to this House that Hon. Patrick Mariru is a learned fellow. I confirm that he has been doing his PhD as well as his second Master’s degree. He is a lawyer. Speaking from my experience working with him in the county assembly, we managed to pass over 12 Bills which were enacted into law. We were ranked as the county assembly which passed the highest number of Bills. In this case, I confirm that we had quite a number of county assemblies which came to benchmark with us. Also, he got a rare opportunity to be among the people who led the--- When we were doing the Alcohol Bill, he got the privilege of being the chairperson. This House remembers very well the time we cracked the whip and we declared that we are saying a big no to illicit brews that were being done in the name of second and third generation brews. I confirm to any member who has doubt that Hon. Patrick Mariru is a well learned fellow. He carries vast experience from working with the World Bank. He carries an experience of working with Members of County Assembly (MCAs) and is also one person who has managed to stand in the rank of corporate lawyers and people who have managed to rise to the top of the county assembly leadership as far as the speakers are concerned. I also congratulate Hon. Roselinda Soipan, who happens to be a County Member of Parliament. As a woman, I can say she deserves it. Hon. Jessica Mbalu deserves it too and the rest of the members deserve it. I want to put to rest fears of Hon. Members; they should not, in any way, doubt as to who Hon. Patrick Mariru is. I ask you to believe in his capacity. You just need one interaction with Hon. Patrick Mariru and he will take you out of this world in his understanding of the Constitution and also the other rules that are in this House. With those remarks, I support.

I see you really had a proper brief on that particular one. Let us have Hon. Oundo Ojiambo, the Member for Funyula.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, this is my maiden speech in this House. First of all, I thank the people of Funyula for giving me an opportunity to be their Member of Parliament. I also take this opportunity to convey greetings from the people of Funyula to the leadership and membership of this House and request that we conduct ourselves with decorum and in a manner befitting our status in society. Secondly, I might not know most of the people on this list, but it suffices to note that in the wisdom of the selectors, they must have considered them worthy their positions. My rallying call is that we hope they will conduct the affairs of the House, in the absence of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, in an impartial manner, knowing that Kenya is made up of people with 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.

divergent views and varying expectations. We, therefore, expect nothing less than impartiality and professionalism in the conduct of the affairs of the House. In that regard, I support and wish them well.

Very well. You have now lost it. You no longer have a maiden speech for the rest of your life. We go to Kinangop, Hon. Thuku Kwenya.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity. I rise to support the Motion in the amended form whereby we are approving the appointment of these members to the Chairperson’s Panel. I wish to congratulate the appointed members. I wanted to speak for Hon. Mariru because it seems like he is little known. I rise to support the words of the Woman Representative for Laikipia County that Hon. Mariru is a man of good repute. He has the right credentials to oversee the goings-on within the Chairman’s Panel. I rise to congratulate him. He has been the Speaker of Laikipia County Assembly. I also congratulate Hon. Roselinda Soipan Tuya. Being a lady, she has proved herself to be an iron lady. So, we can be sure that the appointments were right. I also congratulate Hon. Jessica Mbalu, given her experience in this House, and of course, this experienced lawyer, Hon. Christopher Omulele. I rise to support the Motion. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Member for Igembe Central.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak to this Motion and, more so to re-congratulate you because you were topping this list in the 11th Parliament. It is my hope that when we go to the 13th Parliament Hon. Soipan will also get a chance to become Deputy Speaker. Having said that, I will say the list is comprehensive. I know three of the Members of the Chairperson’s Panel.

Hon. Iringo, are you saying that you are shifting your loyalty from Parliament. Anyway, proceed.

I did not intend to imply that. Hon. Deputy Speaker, three of the Members who have been appointed are very well known to me because I sat with them in the last Parliament. I happened to meet Mariru yesterday and we interacted a bit. I found that he is a man of substance. He has been a Speaker. Therefore, I see that the list is quite comprehensive. This team will really assist you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, and the substantive Speaker to run the affairs of this House. Having worked with Omulele and Jessica in the last Parliament, they did a good job. They really supported the Speaker and you included. We used to have very smooth debates and the House used to run very well. Hon. (Ms.) Soipan has been a Chair of a Committee in this Parliament. She is quite experienced. Therefore, I have no doubt that she is up to the task. Having served in the county assembly which is quite similar to what we have here, I think Patrick is also up to the task. I urge my colleagues to support this team. We wish them well so that they can execute their duties and mandate as per the Constitution and the Standing Orders. More so, you, Hon. Deputy Speaker and the substantive Speaker will be relying on them especially when you are not available in the Chamber because of other things. You will rest assured that the affairs of this House will be properly run by this team. 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.

Once again, I congratulate them and request my fellow colleagues to support them so that we can expedite the mandate of our work in this House.

Let us have Hon. Osotsi Godfrey.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. Before I do so, I would like to make my maiden speech. First, I want to thank my party, the Amani National Congress (ANC), and my party leader who is a senior citizen of this country, Hon. Musalia Mudavadi, for nominating me to represent the party in this Parliament. It is a great honour to me and to the party. I have been the Secretary-General of the ANC for more than three years. One of the things that this Parliament is constitutionally mandated to do under Article 94(4) is to protect the Constitution and promote democratic governance of this country. One important institution that will require a lot of support from this House is political parties. We need to strengthen our political parties by putting in place policies and structures to make political parties stronger. It is the political parties that provide the leaders who come to this House. Through my experience, I will make positive contribution in this area. Secondly, we have political challenges in this country in terms of the issues of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). This House, being the supreme body in this country, must rise to the occasion. Let us put aside our political differences of the National Super Alliance (NASA) and Jubilee and do the right thing for this country. Today, you are on the other side, tomorrow you will also be on our side. I am asking our brothers from the Jubilee side to please listen so that we can have credible and free elections and not just elections. That is very important because as I said, Article 94(4) of the Constitution says: “Parliament shall protect this Constitution and promote democratic governance of the Republic.” Thirdly, the President of this country is for all of us. He is not a President for a section of this country. Our Constitution under Article 131 is very clear that the President must promote the unity of the nation. Through his statements and actions, we do not see that. We would like to ask President Uhuru Kenyatta to please promote the unity of the country through his actions and utterances. Coming back to the Motion, the individuals who have been listed here are youthful, energetic and competent. Particularly, the people of Luanda where I come from have been honoured through the nomination of Hon. Chris Omulele. We are happy about that. I am very confident that Hon. Chris Omulele will offer this House the leadership it requires. I beg to support the Motion.

I will give this opportunity to the Women Representative for Wajir County.

We still have time. I will give you an opportunity, Hon. Member. I am trying to balance the gender so I will not go very far away from Wajir. I am giving an opportunity to your County Woman Representative. I am grateful that you understood.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I also want to support the Motion. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the Jubilee leadership in always believing 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. Talking about the list, it is well balanced. We have two great ladies. Soipan is a brilliant young pastoralist lawyer. We have no doubt that she will deliver. Coming from the pastoralist community, it is a great milestone to have the First Chairperson of the Speaker’s Panel as a lady, a pastoralist and a brilliant young lawyer who will deliver. If you remember, in the last Parliament we also had Joyce Laboso. Through that platform, today, she is the Governor of Bomet. As women of Kenya and women from the pastoralist community we are so grateful. I support the Motion.

So that I am not unfair let me give an opportunity to the Member for Wajir East. Ordinarily, I would not have done that but because I had given you an opportunity, let us hear you.

Thank you very much. Before I make my maiden speech today, first and foremost, I would like to support the Motion of the Chairperson’s Panel. Looking at this critically, it seems like various parties have been recognised in the panel. I can see the Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) is well-represented and many others. Gender balance has been recognised. I wish to support that. I will continue to make my maiden speech in this august House. I wish to thank the people of Wajir East. I have tried a number of times to be here to give a voice to them and I thank them for having recognised and supported me during the last election. I would like to thank the great men and women, the youth and the professionals who have gathered and seen the talent to represent them in this august House. I assure them that their support will not be in vain. I will be a voice for the women who have no names and those who struggled along the way to give me their support to win the elections on 8th August this year. I will articulate youths’ agenda in this platform in order to alleviate poverty and make sure there is equity in resource allocation for the youths, women and the elderly. I will use this platform equally to make sure that the national Government is able to apportion development agenda in Wajir, particularly Wajir East, so that we can be at per with the rest of Kenya. I will also use this platform to make sure that the youth get secure employment because this has been a nagging issue. The unemployed youth who have completed schooling are very many. I will use this platform to make sure that they are placed properly in the various sectors of the Government so that they can get secure employment. I will make sure that there is equity and fairness for the marginalised people of northern Kenya.

Water is an issue in Wajir given that pastoral communities depend on livestock as the main economic activity. Using the network that I will establish, I will make sure I provide them with a ready market for animals and their products to Arabs and external markets. I will make my agenda very clear on the Floor of this House that there is drought. Currently, we are bedevilled by issues of presidential elections. One thing that has come out very clearly is that the political elites are oblivious of the current prevailing drought in the country. People have lost their livelihoods. There are many water projects that need to be done. The Government should apportion funds for people to alleviate our current problems. As we continue to struggle along the lines to make sure there are credible elections in Kenya, particularly the presidential elections, let us not be oblivious to the plight of people of northern Kenya who are affected by drought.

With those few remarks, thank you very much. I wish to contribute further in the next proceedings.

Let us have Hon. Wanjiku Kibeh, Member for Gatundu North. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to support the Motion which is before this House. I congratulate Members who got the opportunity to join the prestigious Chairperson’s Panel. I want to throw in a word about Hon. Patrick Mariru because I have worked with him in the past at the county assembly. He served as the Speaker of the Laikipia County Assembly. I served and worked with him at the County Assemblies Governing Council. I want to attest that Hon. Patrick Mariru is a great man who has great understanding of the Constitution. I also admired how he worked at the county assembly because like the Member for Laikipia said, Laikipia County Assembly was one of the best performing county assemblies in Kenya because of the legislations they passed. I believe that he will bring to this House a wealth of experience that will come in handy when he sits in as the Speaker.

I also want to congratulate Hon. Soipan and Hon. Jessica Mbalu. They are representing the women of this country and the women Members in the House. I feel well represented by these honourable ladies. I am sure they will do a great job. I may not really know Hon. Christopher Omulele, but I believe that he will also do a good job. Well done to the Leader of the Majority Party for this Motion and congratulations to the team. Let us work for the people of Kenya.

Let me give the opportunity to Hon. Kimutai Kiplangat, Member for Bureti.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I rise to support the Motion and more specifically, I wish to speak about one Hon. Patrick Mariru. This is one gentleman who is a professional and up to the task. He is the immediate Speaker for Laikipia County Assembly. I am the immediate Speaker of Kericho County Assembly. He was my colleague. I will say everything nice about Hon. Patrick Mariru.

As said by the Member for Gatundu North, Hon. Mariru steered Laikipia County Assembly to greater heights. He was ranked the best performing Speaker in this country. I was the second one. Therefore, I was not really bad as I came second after Hon. Mariru. In all honesty, this is a person who fits the bill. He will bring in fresh ideas to the Chairperson’s Panel. The other Members, Hon. Jessica and Hon. Omulele, were sitting in the Chairperson’s Panel previously and they have the experience needed for the job. I am sure with Hon. Soipan coming on board and Hon. Mariru, the business of this House will be taken care of. These are people who have the credentials to conduct the business of this House.

Hon. Mariru is a calm and collected individual. The Member for Laikipia West was in the County Assemblies’ Governing Council. He was an imminent Member and a resource person who steered and assisted us at the inception of the county assembly. I thank the Leader of the Majority Party for seeing to it that, at least, a representative from the county assembly got a position in the Chairperson’s Panel. He is an imminent lawyer and currently doing his PhD. He has vast experience in the business of the House and in the legal profession. I am confident he will do a great job. This is a team that will steer this Parliament for the remainder period of this term. I am confident that with the team, the House business of the 12th Parliament will be taken care of. We shall have hitches here and there, but I am sure they are up to the task and they have the credentials.

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

Let us have the Member for Kaiti, Hon. Kimilu Joshua.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Let me take this opportunity first to thank the people of Kaiti, Makueni County, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

for giving me the opportunity to serve them. I promise to be faithful and serve them because they sent me to this House to serve them.

I rise to support the Motion because I am conversant with the Members listed. Although I am not conversant with Hon. Roselinda, I know and trust that they will do a good job. With our support, I know they will carry on with their duties well.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, as a Member of Parliament for Kaiti, I am ready to offer my support to the Members.

Thank you.

Member for Navakholo, Hon. Wangwe.

(Hon. Emmanuel Wangwe)

Hon. Lodepe Nakara, Member for Turkana Central.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for allowing me to contribute to this Motion. First of all, I want to thank God for giving me an excellent opportunity to serve the people of Turkana Central as the Member of Parliament. I also want to thank the people of Turkana Central for having confidence in me by electing me for a second time. I pledge to represent them well by ensuring that their issues are given priority.

Secondly, I congratulate you for being appointed Deputy Speaker. I am one of the people who signed for you although Baba said that we should not come to the House. We are in a movement that is disciplined and we follow instructions.

I want to congratulate the four persons who have been appointed to serve in this docket. I know the three of them. I know Madam Soipan as a lady of integrity, a respectful pastoralist and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

one lady who commands respect from both sides of the political divide. I dealt with Hon. Jessica Mbalu during the 11th Parliament and she is disciplined, time conscious and always ready to confront anybody who misbehaves in the House. For my friend, Hon. Chris, from the beginning, I told him that he will once again be in the Panel of Chairpersons because he performed well in the 11th Parliament.

I want to give a piece of advice to Hon. Members. This is a House of records. One of the Members said that Laikipia County Assembly was ranked the best in the nation. That is not true. Turkana County Assembly was ranked the best with 20 Bills to its credit. I want to confirm that because the Leader of the Minority Party, who was in United Republican Party (URP) by then, is here with me. Kenyans listen to us and we need to give the right information.

Finally, I want to challenge the Members of the Jubilee Party that when we come here, we come as Hon. Members. The party should not take precedence here. Sometimes we think we are here to campaign.

We come here to discuss national issues that affect the common mwananchi who elected us.

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Order, Hon. Nakara. What is it Hon. Sankok?

(Hon. John Lodepe Nakara)

Hon. ole Sankok.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Member has just said that we should not feel like we are campaigning. He has also just said that he comes from a coalition that follows instructions from their Baba, Tinga bila mafuta .

Hon. ole Sankok is completely out of order. Hon. Nakara, proceed without responding to that particular one. You were prosecuting a very good argument.

(Hon. John Lodepe Nakara)

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Did I hear the Member for Gilgil? Yes, let us hear what you have.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Whereas I have no doubt we all have very good things to say about the composition of the Chairpersons’ Committee, I also know that under Standing Order No.16, we do not really have any mandate to change this panel. 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.

Therefore, in the interest of time and considering that most of us, if not all of us, support the membership of the panel, I beg to move that the Mover be now called upon to reply. Hon. Deputy Speaker, this is so that we are able to move to other business of the day. I thank you.

I see quite a lot of interest. This is good for the new Members to understand. When a Member moves on that particular Standing Order asking that the Mover be called upon to respond, the Speaker’s hands are fairly tied. So, I will have to put the Question and it will be up to you to make the decision.

Just to help the new Members, in case you think that you can raise the numbers to overturn the vote that has been taken in that manner, you make the numbers and it happens. The Mover will now be called upon to respond. I have confirmed that the Member who moved that Motion had not spoken to this one. So, she was perfectly in order. Therefore, proceed to respond.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. While moving this Motion, I thought that as many Members as possible would be given opportunity to speak on it because this is a panel that is going to serve them. I expected that we would give chance to as many Members as possible so that we would listen to those who may be having dissenting voices.

Order, Members! Order! Hon. Lomenen and Hon. Kathuri Mashinani, you are older Members of this House. Therefore, you must be the ones at the forefront instilling discipline. The House has made a decision. I did not make the decision. I simply put the Question. Even for the Chief Majority Whip, proceed and respond. Do not bother about the fact that many Members did not contribute.

I was just expressing my wish. I wished many Members would have been given an opportunity. Since I have few minutes to reply, I thought, with your permission, I could donate part of my time to a few Members to speak.

You cannot do that. Let me just guide the House again. We are still in the learning process probably for the next one month. When a vote on a Motion like that is taken, you have no right to donate any minute at all. You can only donate if the time had lapsed and you had been called upon to reply. All you need to do is to reply.

I stand guided, Hon. Deputy Speaker. While replying, I just want to appreciate the Members who had opportunity to speak on the Motion. The comments that were made guided the Members who have been appointed to the panel. We have had very many good things about the Members, especially Hon. Mariru, who is new in this House, having been voted the best Speaker in county assemblies. We would expect that he would add a lot of value in the proceedings of this House. I never heard any one Member who gave a negative opinion on the panel. We, therefore, on behalf of the leadership within the majority side, congratulate the Members who have been appointed and wish them the best during their service. I beg to reply.

Shortly, you will see the real need for this particular Motion.

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I take this opportunity to congratulate the Members who have been appointed to the panel. I also congratulate the membership of this august House for processing it urgently because it is a committee that the House was in dire need of. You will see that shortly. Let us proceed.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: - THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No.28, this House approves the Calendar of the House (Regular Sessions) for the First Session of the Assembly, as contained in the Schedule.

This is more or less a procedural Motion that guides us in terms of when the Members will be sitting and when they will be going on recess. As a practice of this House, it has been like this so that we can tell when we are going for recess and when the business of the House will be resuming. For starters, this was necessary because before the House started approving its own calendar, it used to be approved by the Executive and imposed on Parliament. Because of the independence of the House, we have chosen to be moving this Motion so that we can decide when we go on recess and when we resume for the business of the House. For the new Members, after the approval of this Motion, this Calendar will be put in the Kenya Gazette so that you are able to plan your activities because it will not be easy for one to just wake up and change the Calendar. Therefore, with that in mind, I want you to look at the Calendar as proposed by the House Business Committee (HBC) so that when you are either supporting or opposing, you will know exactly what you are debating about. The Calendar has been attached. It takes us up to February next year. After February, after the long recess, the HBC will give us a proposal for another calendar that will be brought to be approved by the House for the rest of 2018. I ask Members to look at this calendar favourably so that they can support and have it approved as the House Calendar from now up to 18th February 2018. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move and ask Hon. Martha Wangari, Member for Gilgil, to second the Motion. For starters, Martha Wangari is a former Nominated Senator. She was one of the senior Members of UDF, a party in which I was a leader. I want to give her a chance to second the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to take this chance to congratulate you for taking the seat after just being incorporated into the Chairperson’s Panel. I take the privilege to second the Motion. It is as straightforward as the Mover has said. Despite the calendar being provided for in the Constitution, we have the capacity and the liberty to bring it to this House and amend it accordingly. 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 you look at the way it has been put in the schedule, you will realise that it has considered the very busy schedule for Members. It has considered that since you need to be in the constituencies, sometimes you need a short recess. You also need a long recess, especially in December, to bond with your family and take time off parliamentary duties. That is also the time when our staff members take some time off and rest, so that they can serve us better when we resume from the long recess.

In the previous Parliaments, before the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, there was a provision that if you miss eight consecutive sittings, you lose your seat. I want to bring to the attention of Members Article 103 of the Constitution that talks to the vacation of office of Members of Parliament. It states thus: “The office of a Member of Parliament becomes vacant – (b) if during any session of Parliament, the Member is absent from eight sittings of the relevant House without permission, in writing, from the Speaker and is unable to offer a satisfactory explanation for the absence to the relevant Committee”. This provision is very critical and it is also provided for in the Standing Orders. I would like to speak to NASA Members in this House that whenever you miss sittings, remember, there is a provision in the Constitution that can lead to you losing your seat if you miss eight sittings. It is not consecutive, rather, it is in totality in a session. This calendar talks of the first session that runs all the way to December and I hope Members can take note of that. We are very keen on prioritising the business of the House and if you have to be committed elsewhere, it has to be with the express permission or relevant notification to the Speaker on your absence. I request Members of the House and my colleagues to support this. It is well thought out. It has very short sittings and the only long one is the one shown under part G when we have 20 sittings. Please, go through it so that we can pass it and go on with the business of the House. With that, I second.

Very well.

Before I give opportunity to Members to speak to this, I would like to thank you on behalf of all the Members of the Chairperson’s Panel, who have been appointed by you today for bestowing upon us, this great honour to lead you when the substantive holder of the office and his deputy are not present. I personally feel honoured that the Speaker has considered me to be a worthy assistant to him. It also shows that probably in the last Parliament, when I had the opportunity to serve, I did what was required of me. I, therefore, pledge that I will carry the honour of this office. I will do what is required of me by law and what is humanly possible. I would also like to ask Members that as we carry out the duties that our nation has bestowed upon us, we must remember that we are one nation and we must bring honour to the offices that the people of Kenya have bestowed upon us. Starting with me, I will carry out the duties of this office that you have bestowed upon me and the one that the people of Luanda have also allowed me to represent them in this House, with a lot of honour. I am grateful to them for allowing me to come back to this House.

Having said that, I will now proceed to give the first opportunity to the Member for Kisumu West, Hon. Olago Aluoch, to say something on the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for this opportunity. In supporting the Motion, I wish to congratulate you for your appointment to the Chairman’s Panel. 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 you, I see a blend between the wit of the Deputy Speaker and the seriousness of Hon. Speaker who has been with us since the last Parliament. I am sure you will proceed on the same lines. In supporting this Motion, I want the Members to know that it is well thought out. In fact, it gives Members the time to go and campaign for the repeat election on 26th October 2017. I want to remind this House about our responsibilities as Members of the National Assembly. What are we going to do during the recess? I am sure Members have weighed their responsibilities in the House and in the constituency. They should be balanced in such a way that you do not lose on either. Despite the fact that we belong to different parties and despite the fact that we represent different constituencies, the fact is that we are national leaders. As leaders of the nation, we are expected to provide leadership in matters of politics in the country. When I listen to Members of this House contributing to any topic, I see serious men and women. I see persons who are serious about our country and people who mean well. One thing I have noticed amongst all of us here is that we are not skilled in conflict resolution. A lot is wanting in that line. Even those of us who call themselves peace makers are failing. There are Members of this House who will not finish their contribution without throwing a barb either at His Excellency the President or at Raila Odinga. Fair enough, doing that may earn you a headline or a sub headline, but what does it do to our country?

I am serious about this and I have been thinking to myself that probably we need to look at the qualifications for being a Member of this House. One of them ought to be skills in conflict resolution, because then, the debate that we have been having in the last two weeks arising from the judgement of the Supreme Court, should not take the line it is taking. Why is it that we must always thump-chest? Why is it that we must always have brinkmanship? Can we not, for a moment, consider that the period we are going to have, if we approve this timetable for recess, is a period when we can speak to each other and not at each other. We need to forget about being Members of NASA or Jubilee and think about Kenya. I see in this House men and women who have abdicated their responsibilities and who, instead of providing leadership, are being led by those they are supposed to lead. We should not be doing that. This is the time for us to show that we can lead this country. We must see that we are going to have election and after that, we must have our country back. Let us not go through the election process and at the end of it, we have no country to talk about. How many of us think about this at night or when we wake up in the morning? What role are you playing as a leader to ensure that the precipice we are heading towards is removed? Personally, it worries me when I see sycophancy cleaning us away from our leadership roles. I see honorable men and women of this House trying hard to show that their loyalty to the President or Raila overrides everything else. Is that what we want? We must be serious now. If we do not take our roles seriously during this recess, we shall take responsibility for whatever happens on or after 26th October 2017. I saw it happen in 2008 when I was a Member of this House. I saw it happen again in the last term. I am seeing it happening again this term where we sit back and allow those outside this House to lead us. Let us have the courage and stamina to take up this responsibility during the recess and lead this country. To do it, we need to speak to each other. Can the leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party not sit down and look at men and women of this House who have skills in conflict resolution to sit down together and bring sanity to our country? There are serious negotiators in this House, but I have also heard some very bad negotiators in this House The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

when they speak. I have heard men and women in this House speak as if all they are concerned about is chest-thumping and showing who they are loyal to. I think our loyalty should be to our mother country, our Kenya. So, let us forget about party and loyalties for a while and take up our leadership responsibilities. I want to urge my honourable colleagues in this House to take this debate on the approval of the timelines seriously. At the end of it, let us find a way of talking with each other so that we can take back the leadership, with regard to where we are going as a nation, away from those who are outside this House back into our hands.

Very well spoken, Hon. Olago Aluoch. It reminds me of that powerful poem by the great Rudyard Kipling: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…you’ll be a man”. I think the times that we are in call upon us to keep our heads cool, all of us, and make sure that we have a country and a nation to which we will continue to serve and which we shall promote. I think national interest, as you say, is more important than anything else. I would like to give this opportunity to Hon. Tum Chebet, the Member for Nandi.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I take this opportunity to congratulate you on your appointment. I support the Motion given that the calendar gives us some days to go home to campaign for our President. I know very well President Uhuru Kenyatta is coming back. We are praying for him. And we thank God. We are going to do rigorous campaigns. Thank you so much.

Hon. Tum, I know it is new days. But Members you must remember that you have 10 minutes. I would like to give this opportunity to Hon. Owen Baya.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. As I make my maiden speech, I want to thank the people of Kilifi North, first, for electing me to this position to represent them. I stand here to support this Motion. But as I do so, I would like to reflect on a few things. A new dawn has come to this country, where every time we are faced with elections, people look at their party and where they come from as being more important than the nation. I think this nation and us as Members of this House need to focus more on how we will hold together this country after the election. The brinkmanship, partisanship and strong language that we have seen outside and inside this Parliament does not augur well for this country. I urge Members to really look at what the founding fathers of this nation did. They never looked at where they came from and who they were. They stood and fought for this country and put together a country at Independence that thrives until now. As we move forward, and the campaign mood engulfs this House and the country, it is important for us to look at the nation first and anything else later. There has been a penchant in this Parliament and every time Members of the Jubilee Party stand up to speak, they always want to deride Hon. Raila Odinga without any reason. I want to remind this House that the path of reforms is not for the fainthearted. This country has benefitted immensely from those who stood on the side of reformers and not from conformists. We have had opportunity to reform many things from the one-party State that we used to have until now that we have a very progressive Constitution. This has been done because some people, who stood to be reformers, stood their grounds and continued to fight for this country to where it is today. The conformists, as it were at Independence, continue to benefit from the sweat and blood that has been shed by the reformers. I think this reform agenda is important for The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

this country. Electoral justice and all other forms of justice cannot be achieved without an adequate reform agenda. Where I come from, the late Ronald Gideon Ngala, stood to build a country at Independence without considering where he came from. He looked at himself as a nationalist. Jomo Kenyatta was a nationalist who wanted to build this country at Independence until he became president and did what he did. Today, as Members of this House, it is time we all joined the reform movement. A reformed IEBC is good for everybody, whether you are in Jubilee or NASA. To stand on the way of the reform process and disallow people from exercising what is contained in Article 37 like what we saw yesterday in the streets, where people were peacefully demonstrating and trying to air their views as provided in Article 1 of the Constitution, is not good. The sovereign will rests with the people and they can exercise it either by giving it to elected Members of Parliament or elected bodies or themselves. But what we saw yesterday is that the police, which in this case is controlled by the Government of the day, came in full force, injured and maimed people. This must be condemned by all. We must uphold the rule of law and the Constitution that we all swore here to uphold. So, Members, as we go for this recess, I would like us to go out there and preach peace that we all belong to one nation. This country will be there after 26th October. But whether it will be one country or not depends on what we do during the election. So, I would like to urge Members we take the opportunity to go out there and preach peace as we campaign. Let us not just campaign as Jubilee Members, but as Kenyans. Let us not just campaign as NASA Members, but as Kenyans, so that we do not have a situation like the one we had in 2007. I beg to support the Motion. Thank you very much.

We shall give a little biased opportunity to the new Members. I will give this opportunity to Hon. Kanini Kega, and then we will proceed along those lines. We will give opportunity to probably three or four new Members then one old Member.

Asante Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda kwa kunipa nafasi hii ili nichangie mjadala ambao uko mbele yetu, ambao ni kuangazia kalenda ya muhula huu. Kabla sijachangia, naomba unikubalie kwanza nikupe heko kwa kuchaguliwa katika muhula wa pili na pia kuchaguliwa katika kamati itakayosimamia vikao vyetu. Nilikuwa nataka kuchangia Hoja ambayo ilikuwa hapo mbele, ambapo tulikuwa tunaangazia wale ambao wataketi katika kamati hiyo. Pia, niseme kwamba wote ambao wamechaguliwa, ninawajua. Ni watu ambao wako na tajriba ya hali ya juu, uzoefu na watatupeleka mbele katika mijadala yote ambayo tutakuwa tukichangia hapa. Hii ni nafasi yangu ya kwanza kuongea katika Bunge la Kumi na Mbili. Mimi ni kati ya wale wachache ambao walipata nafasi kuchaguliwa kwa muhula wa pili katika kanda ninayotoka. Kutoka kaunti yangu, Kirinyaga na Laikipia ambazo zinapakana, ni mimi tu niliyeponea. Kwa hivyo, ni shukrani kwa Mungu. Nawashukuru wapiga kura kule kwangu Kieni kwa sababu walinipatia nafasi ya pili kuwahudumia. Wale ambao wamechaguliwa kwa mara ya kwanza, ama muhula huu, ni jukumu kubwa ambalo liko mbele yenu. Nawapa heko. Lakini mujue kwamba kuna wengine ambao walikuwa wamekalia hivyo viti ambavyo mnavikalia sasa hivi. Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, heko pia kwa wale ambao wamechaguliwa kwa muhula wa pili na wa tatu. Wananchi ambao waliwachagua waliona kuna kitu kizuri ambacho kiko hapo. Waswahili husema mvumilivu hula mbivu. Naibu Spika, Mhe. Cheboi alikuwa hapo akiketi The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

katika kiti ambacho umekalia na kwa sasa hivi, yeye ndiye Naibu Spika. Hata mimi naona siku moja, kwa majaaliwa, utakuwa Spika wa Bunge hili. Pili, muhula uliopita nilisema kwamba muhula huu nitajaribu sana niwe nikiongea katika lugha ya Kiswahili, lugha tunayoienzi. Wakati mwingine nikiangalia ama nikitazama mijadala kwenye Bunge la marafiki wetu wa Tanzania, mara nyingi wanatupa changamoto. Kwa nini sisi pia tusiwe na siku kando ambayo ni ya kujadili kwa lugha inayoeleweka na wananchi wale waliotupa kura? Wengi wetu hapa walipokuwa wakiomba kura walitumia lugha ya Kiswahili na ya mama. Ni wachache sana kwa wale wamechaguliwa katika Bunge hili waliokuwa wanatumia lugha ya Kingereza. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa mjadala ulioko mbele yetu, ni vizuri tuseme kwamba safari ya kesho hupangwa leo. Kwa hivyo, ni vizuri kuweka mikakati na mipangilio ya kalenda yetu ambayo inatuonyesha zile siku tutakayzofanya kazi hapa kama Wabunge, lakini tujue kwamba kuna ile inaandikwa recess . Recess sio likizo ilhali ni wakati ambao unarudi kule mashinani kuongea na wananchi wako, kuwasikiza wakuambie ni shida gani wanazotaka uwatatulie ndiposa uweze kupata nafasi nyingine ya kuchaguliwa kama Mhe. Kanini Kega. Ni vizuri sana Wabunge wapya wajue kwamba sio kuja tu hapa Bungeni na kuleta Miswada, kuhudhuria mikutano ya hadhara huku wakitoa matamshi ya kuzusha au kutoa rabsha katika taifa hili. Ni vizuri wajue ya kwamba matamshi unayotoa ukiwa kiongozi ndiyo itafanya uonekane kama umekomaa au la. Mhe. Olago Oluoch wa Kisumu Magharibi amesema vizuri sana. Sisi kama Bunge la Taifa tunaangaliwa kote duniani tunapotoa rabsha, malumbano na kutusi wengini ambapo tunachekelewa. Mimi ningewaomba Wabunge wenzangu hasa wa mrengo ule mwingine na hata pia wa mrengo wetu watulize boli maana uwanja ni mdogo. Mambo ya matusi na kuzua rabsha hatutaki. Mhe. Olago Oluoch amesema vizuri kuwa tutatumia likizo hii ambayo tumepewa na Bunge kuenda kuongea na wenzetu maana lazima tutoe mwelekeo. Kuna uchaguzi unakuja tarehe 26 mwezi Oktoba na ni lazima ufanyike kwa amani maanake taifa letu linaenziwa katika kanda hii. Kila mtu anataka kuja Kenya lakini tukianza kuongea mambo mengine ambayo hayaleti ladha nzuri katika taifa letu la Kenya, tutakuwa tukijikosea. Mhe.Naibu Spika wa Muda, sitaki kupitisha hapo. Nataka tu kukutakia kila la heri na kuwatakia Wabunge wote ambao wamechaguliwa kila la heri na niombe sana kwamba tunapofanya mikutano ya hadhara na kuongea na wakubwa wetu, tuhubiri amani maanake viongozi huja lakini Kenya itadumu kama taifa. Tuko na taifa moja ambalo linaitwa Kenya na hakuna mataifa mawili. Kwa hayo machache, asante sana kwa kunipa nafasi hii. Tutashirikiana sana kwa Miswada hapa na pia tukienda kule nje tutakuwa tukihubiri Amani.

I would like to give an opportunity to Hon. Mwalyo Mbithi, Member for Masinga.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I would like to make my maiden speech. It is my first time in this House. I am the new Member for Masinga Constituency. I thank the people of Masinga for having faith in me and electing me with many votes. My constituency has experienced a lot of difficulties especially with regard to water shortage. I know by the grace of God I will try to help the people where I can by bringing some Motions in this House so that I can be helped by the Government of the day to provide water to my people. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I want to congratulate you for being elected the second time to serve on the Chairman’s Panel. Through the wisdom of the panelists or the Members who have been elected to that office, we, as the new Members, will be guided in the right direction so that we can bring change in this House. The calendar that has been brought before the House for us to approve, I do not have a lot of issues with it. I know it was done in good faith. We also need time to go and speak to our people and even thank our voters so that they can see that we are thankful Members of this House. I, therefore, support the calendar for the First Session. I know God is going to help us so that we can go back to our constituents and tell them how to vote on 26th October 2017. Let us share and preach peace, so that the election can be peaceful. There should be no shedding of blood anywhere. We should elect a leader who will bring this country together. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rest my case.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support the Motion on the proposed calendar of the House for the First Session. We have been given time to be with our families and rejuvenate after elections. I pray that we shall talk to our people and make them understand that Kenyans are God-fearing people. I have seen both men and women demonstrating naked. I pray that Members from the other divide will talk to their followers to respect God in whatever they do. Whether we picket or demonstrate, we should do so with respect. We must give God honour and glory in this country. I support the Motion.

Very well. That is your maiden speech. We will give this opportunity to Hon. Adagala Kahai. Hon. Simba, you have just walked in. I must inform you that we are having a constructive bias, so that new Members can speak. Hon. Adagala, you have the Floor.

(Hon. (Ms.) Beatrice Kahai Adagala): Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I have the honour to speak in this House for the first time. First, I thank the people of Vihiga County who turned out enmasse and elected me as their County Woman Representative. I take this opportunity to congratulate Hon. Chris Omulele for being appointed a Member of the Chairman’s Panel. This is an honour to the people of Vihiga County. I thank you on their behalf for that honour. I welcome all Members of Parliament to Vihiga, a land of plenty, including the famous omusala . I support this Motion. We have been in Nairobi since we were elected and we have to go to our respective constituencies. We have presidential elections very soon and I ask Members to run the campaigns peacefully. Whenever there is a crisis, women and children suffer. I urge Members that as we go out during the campaign period, we should maintain peace. Let us be guided by the Bible and the Quran. Hon. Members have clearly indicated that we must conduct ourselves with decorum. This is an honourable House and we must behave honourably in honour of this country and the people of Kenya. We are one nation. We should not divide ourselves along the lines of Jubilee and NASA. We are serving the people of Kenya and we must do it with dignity. We must do it well because we are called Honourable Members. Therefore, as we support the calendar that is before us, let us go out and campaign peacefully. We want to have a peaceful Kenya where all of us will enjoy. Let us not get out there to fight and abuse each other. We must handle each other as brothers and sisters. Let us take the campaign seriously such that when we elect our leader, we have somebody that will take Kenya to a higher level. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

With those remarks, I support the Motion.

Very well spoken. I will now give this opportunity to the Member for Samburu East, Hon. Jackson.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First, I thank the people of Samburu East for giving me a chance to be in this House to serve them. This is my first time to speak in this House. This calendar is important so that we can get time to visit our constituents. We are aware we are having many problems. For instance, in my constituency, there is a serious drought. We hope to solve some of them while we are here. We are all aware that we are here to represent Kenyans. There is no place meant for Jubilee or NASA Members. You must have competed in order to win the election. As leaders, we must stand tall for Kenyans so that we can have a peaceful repeat presidential election. My colleagues have said that we must be responsible leaders. Our primary purpose of being here is to represent and lead our people. Therefore, it is crucial for us to talk to our constituents on the need to have peaceful elections. Elections come and go, but we remain with our people. We do not want to go back to where we have been. We need to approach election matters soberly so as to give direction to our people. As we go back to our constituencies, let us talk to all our people and let them know that Kenya is one nation. We should not destroy this country because we do not have a spare one. We are in this House because our people have entrusted us with their issues. I agree with the Members who have said that we should have peaceful elections. I support the calendar of the House for the First Session.

We shall now have Hon. Kasalu Muthoni, Member for Kitui. Hon. Mohamed, I see you. Do not worry because I will find time for you. Members, you do not need to raise up your hands because I will give everyone an opportunity. We have 33 Members who want to contribute to this Motion and I will consider regional balance. Hon. Kasalu, the microphone is yours, but before you contribute I would like to notify Members that the proposed Sessional Paper on the Kenya Health Policy is ready in our Table Office. Members are advised to collect copies and have a look at it because that is a very serious policy about which we wish to have good contributions. Hon. Kasalu, kindly proceed.

(Hon. (Ms.) Irene Muthoni Kasalu): Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. This is my maiden speech. First of all, I want to thank the people of Kitui for electing me as their County Woman Representative. I want to promise them that I will deliver on their issues like I promised them. I also want to congratulate you for having been appointed to serve in the Chairperson’s Panel. I support the Motion. Looking at the calendar, I find that we have been given ample time to spend with our young families and also go back to the counties to work for our people. This being an election period, we will take time to talk to our people so that they can make a good choice. I am campaigning for NASA. I also want to ask Members to have time to reflect upon themselves so that when we come back here, we will be more united. We should not be divided along the lines of NASA or Jubilee. We should work together in unison to move this country forward. Thank you.

Let us have Hon. Pukose. He will be followed by Hon. Mohamed on the independent platform. Members, I see all of you. I will try 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.

balance. I wish we could have two Members speaking at the same time, but it has to be one at a time.

( Inaudible)

Hon. Angwenyi you cannot direct the Speaker from there.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. From the outset, I want to congratulate you on your appointment to the Chairperson’s Panel. This is a testimony of the good work you did in the 11th Parliament. I want to join my colleagues in saying that this is a sign of good things to come because Hon. Cheboi also served with you. There is a history of people from Western Kenya being elected Speakers in this House. So, I wish you all the best. We have just come from a short recess and we are now proceeding on another one beginning this Friday. I come from Trans-Nzoia Country which is cosmopolitan. I was elected on a Jubilee ticket and my colleague, Hon. Ferdinand, on a NASA ticket, yet we are from neighbouring constituencies. In our county, the governor is from NASA and the Senator, the County Woman Representative and the Speaker of the county assembly are from Jubilee. This shows we can co-exist side by side. In fact, in my constituency, which borders Hon. Ferdinand’s, we have roads which we develop together. This shows we can co-exist as brothers and sisters. We want to urge our supporters to be civilised when handling certain issues. For instance, when it comes to demonstrations, they should not destroy other people’s property. People’s properties and businesses must be protected. We must picket because it is our constitutional right, but it should be in a civilised manner. A Member has said that some people would want to undress and go naked. That is there democratic right, but we do not want to see some of the Members of this House undress like their supporters as a way of setting an example. You should not make your supporters walk naked while you are dressed or let them be tear-gassed when you are in your house. I think that is hypocrisy of the highest order. Most of us share a cup of tea and laugh together out there. We want our supporters to laugh and sit together as Kenyans because after 26th October 2017, whether Uhuru Kenyatta or Raila gets elected as the president of this country, Kenya will still exist and go beyond them. Let us also respect the outcome of the people’s verdict. When reflecting on our calendar, I have noticed it has given us a lot of time and this will enable us to look at issues which pertain to our constituents. We are now forming several committees. As we proceed on recess, we should appoint commissioners to the Parliamentary Service Commission who will take care of the Members’ interests so that as we go back home, we can fully discharge our duties. I sympathise with the first time Members in this House because some of us old timers know the ropes around and can take care of a few things. Some of them do not even own cars. The President donated a car to one of them the other day, but there are many others who do not have cars. I do not know who will donate cars to them. These are some of the problems which should make us appoint commissioners. Another issue concerns the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF). The last disbursement of the NG-CDF was done in December 2016 and up to date, the constituencies are not up to date with their projects. You are sending Members to go back home on recess and yet they have no money to fund projects. All these Members made promises to their constituents, for example, that they will make sure a certain school is built or buy a school bus and many other promises based on the NG-CDF allocations. We have been told the last time the National Treasury disbursed money to the NG-CDF Funds Committee was December last year. This is something which the Executive needs to consider seriously. Before The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

we leave tomorrow on recess, we want our NG-CDF money disbursed in our various accounts because it is important. For us to pass the Supplementary Budget, we want the NG-CDF funds to reflect in our accounts. I am saying this with a very heavy heart because it is serious. In my constituency, where we have been paying regularly for some school buses, we are now defaulting the payments because the NG-CDF Committee has not given us funds.

Hon. Pukose, without interrupting you and acknowledging that you are speaking to a matter that is at the heart of many of these Members, I would just like you to correct that those funds should be reflected in the constituency accounts and not in the accounts of Members. Proceed.

Yes, they should be reflected in the constituency accounts. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for that correction. We want that money to be reflected in our constituency accounts so that we can continue to operationalise our activities; that is, the projects that we are doing. We will be able to even pay our workers – the constituency employees that we have. With those few remarks, I think the leadership will be listening very keenly to what I have said. I support this Motion.

Jicho la Spika sasa limemuangazia Mhe. Mohamed. Wakati ni wako, Mhe. Mohamed.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Kabla sijazungumzia kalenda ya Bunge, ningependa kuchangia Hoja iliyokuwa ikizungumziwa hapo awali kuhusu Kenya na ukenya ndani yetu. Naweza kuwa mchanga au mdogo katika Bunge hili kisiasa lakini jana nilipokuwa nimeketi na kujituliza, nilisikiliza Hoja za Wabunge mbalimbali wakijadili masuala ya taifa hili. Kutathmini tu kwa ufupi, niliona kwamba katika Bunge hili hapo jana, mada ilikuwa ni Raila-Uhuru, NASA-Jubilee na tutunge sheria-tusitunge sheria. Watu wengi pia walijaribu kuzungumzia mifano mbalimbali na kufanya nchi mbalimbali kama mifano, ikiwemo Ujerimani, huku wakilitaka taifa hili lisonge mbele kisheria ambayo labda sheria yenyewe imependekezwa na vile mtu binafsi anavyoiona. Kwa ufupi, mimi nasema kwamba iwapo hatutakuwa waangalifu kama viongozi, taifa hili litakwenda katika hali mbaya sana. Mwaka wa 2007, baada ya uchaguzi, nchi hii ilitumbukia katika ghasia za baada ya uchaguzi. Tunachoona sasa ni dalili ya mambo mengine mabaya kuzidi kushamiri. Waswahili wanasema kwamba mimba ya mwanaharamu huingia mara ya kwanza. Ya pili ni kusudi. Mimba ya Kenya iliingia mwaka wa 2007 wakati ambapo tuliwapoteza watu zaidi ya 1,000 na jinsi ambavyo tunajadili katika Bunge hili, huenda kukachangia zaidi maana watu wengi wanajadili kwa misingi ya chama, kabila, dini na chaguo la kiongozi wanayemtaka.

Mhe. Naibu Spika, nilipokuwa katika kampeni zangu, nilikuwa nikiomba kura nikiwarai na kuwasihi wananchi wanilete katika Bunge hili ili tujadili taifa hili na njia sawa ya uongozi wa taifa hili, but I am afraid. I thought that by coming to this Parliament, I am --- 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.

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Haya basi. Nilipokuja katika Bunge hili, nilidhani ya kwamba litakuwa---

Do we have somebody who has raised an intervention? That is Hon. King’ola Makau.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I appreciate we have just had our induction. I want to inform my good friend, Jicho Pevu, that in this House, we do not mix English and Swahili. If you start with Kiswahili, you finish with Kiswahili. If you start with English, you finish with English.

You are actually right. You know you are actually out of order yourself for two things. You have raised a point of order as it is a point of information. Now you know there is a difference when you say you are giving out information and that you are raising an issue that the honourable member is out of order for a certain reason. You have proceeded as if it is a point of information and I am sure the Member for Nyali is unlikely to entertain your information. So, honourable Member, just proceed. Of course, as the Standing Orders indicate, you can only proceed in the language you started with.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika. Kwa ufupi, nilikuwa nasema tujaribu kutunga sheria katika Bunge hili. Tutunge sheria ya Kenya na ukenya ndani yetu. Tusitunge sheria kwa sababu ya vyama kwa sababu taifa hili likizama, tutazama sote. Sisi kuwa katika Bunge hili nadhani tumekuja hapa sote kwa ajili ya suluhu na suluhu hii ni kwa taifa zima, sio kwa Wabunge peke yake. Kwa hivyo, lolote lile ambalo tutakuwa tukifanya katika Bunge hili, basi liwe ni katika misingi ya kuhakikisha kwamba taifa hili linasonga mbele. Mambo yote ambayo yanatokea kuhusiana na jinsi ambavyo Wabunge wanazungumza katika mikutano ya hadhara yanatokana na sisi kuonyeshana ubabe wa vyama. Sisi kama wagombea huru nadhani tuna nafasi nzuri kwa sababu hatumulikwi na mtu yeyote yule, bali tunamulikwa na watu waliotuchagua na kutuleta katika hili Bunge.

Kuhusiana na Kalenda ya Bunge, nakubaliana nayo. Naunga mkono jinsi ambavyo mikakati imeandaliwa ya Wabunge labda kurudi mashinani na kuzungumza na wenyeji ila tu pia naongezea uzito kwamba fedha zinazohitajika za Hazina ya Kitaifa ya Maendeleo ya Maeneo- Ubunge (NG-CDF) ziweze kufika ili tuweze kuwahudumia wananchi.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika.

Order, Member for Nyali. Thank you very much. It is good that you have ended because the time is actually over and the Mover is called upon to reply. Kindly, take two minutes because we also want to transact the next business, which can only start one hour before the time is over.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. While replying, I thank Members for their contributions. We have noted the sentiments expressed by Members, especially Hon. Olago Aluoch, who had an issue with what we do during recess. Also, we have taken note of the NG- CDF funds that have not been disbursed to the constituencies. Therefore, I wish to notify the House that we have noted that particular issue and that we will contact the relevant departments to make sure that whatever wishes the Members have expressed are actually fulfilled. With those remarks, I reply.

I confirm that we have quorum. I, therefore, proceed to put the Question.

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Let us have the Whip of the Majority Party to move the Motion.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: - THAT, this House adopts Sessional Paper No.2 of 2017 on the Kenya Health Policy for the period 2014-2030, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, September 13, 2017.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2017 on the Kenya Health Policy 2014- 2030 gives direction to ensure significant improvement in the overall status of health in Kenya, in line with the Constitution of Kenya 2010, and also in line with Vision 2030. The Constitution further provides the overall legal framework to ensure a comprehensive rights-based approach to health---

As you have the Floor, Hon. Washiali, I would like to know whether Hon. Kingi removed his card or it got pressed by mistake. Hon. Kingi, your name tops the list of requests. Is Hon. Kingi in the House? Probably, he is not in the House but he left behind his card, which is in order. Proceed, Hon. Washiali.

Thank you Hon. Deputy Speaker. I just want to remind Members that this is a very important Motion. I urge Members to get their copies of Sessional Paper No.2 in Room 8 which is on the First Floor so that, as I move the Motion, Members who may not have had the advantage of reading it can go through it so that they can also add their voice. This Sessional Paper provides that every person has a right to the highest attainable standard of health which includes reproductive health rights. It further states that a person shall not be denied emergency medical treatment and that the State shall provide appropriate social security to persons who are unable to support themselves and their dependants. The Policy also provides a framework addressing the prevailing and emerging health challenges that the country is facing. It also delineates linkages among relevant environmental factors that play a role in reaching specific policy goals. The Sessional Paper also takes cognisance of the specific functions assigned to the two levels of Government, which are as follows: 1. National Government - leadership in the policy development among others; and, 2. County governments - responsible for county health services. The principles guiding the Kenya Health Policy include the following:- (1) Equity in distribution of health services and interventions. (2) Public participation in which a people-centred approach and social accountability in planning and implementation shall be encouraged, in addition to the multi-sectoral approach in the overall development planning. (3) Efficiency in application of health technologies; and, (4) The mutual consultation and co-operation between the national, county governments and among other governments. Because this is a self-explanatory Sessional Paper, I want to repeat that all Members - even those who are watching us on television and are not in the Chamber - should access the Paper so that they can look at its contents. 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 conclusion, the overall goal of the Policy is to attain the highest possible standards of health in a responsible manner by supporting equitable, affordable and high quality health and related services at the highest attainable standards for all Kenyans. With those few remarks, I request the House to adopt Sessional Paper No.2 of 2017 on the Kenya Health Policy 2014 – 2030. I request my brother and friend, Dr. Pukose, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Endebess, to second. For starters, Dr. Pukose is a medical doctor and served as the Vice-Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Health in the 11th Parliament. I am sure he will add value to this Motion.

Let us have Hon. (Dr.) Pukose, the Member for Endebess.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker and Hon. Washiali. I stand to second this Motion on this Sessional Paper No.2 of 2017. This is a Sessional Paper that covers the 2014 – 2030 period. The first Sessional Paper covered the 1994 – 2010 period. This Policy represents commitment towards improving the health of the people of Kenya by significantly reducing ill health to levels similar to those of middle-income countries. Those are middle- income countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Egypt and Indonesia. As you are aware, we passed the Health Bill in the last Parliament. In this Policy, Kenya has a devolved health system. It is both at the national level and at the county level. This Policy looks at all these levels of the various health functions and the health agenda which represents a radical departure from past approaches to addressing the health challenges in the country. It is based on the Constitution of Kenya 2010, Vision 2030 and Kenya’s global health commitments. The Policy was developed through an inclusive and participatory process which involved all stakeholders in the health sector and related sectors over a period of two years. A situational analysis based on the review of the progress made in the implementation of the previous framework - that is the 1994 – 2010 - was undertaken to provide evidence of the challenges affecting the health sector, existing opportunities and to define the necessary interventions. Currently, the world talks about evidence-based medicine. What is the experience in terms of carrying out certain innovative health issues? This is a very comprehensive document that defines the monitoring and evaluation framework to enable tracking of the progress made in achieving the objectives in the health sector. Therefore, it is a document that Members can read and understand. It will take our country to the next step. With those few remarks, I beg to second.

We will start with the Member for Kilifi South.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. First of all, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate the entire Speakers’ Panel. It is a composition of men and women who are able and up to the task. This is my first time in this House. As much as I support the Motion on the Sessional Paper, allow me to also give my maiden speech. I take this opportunity to thank the people of Kilifi South for having overwhelmingly elected me as their MP. I know, as each one of us knows, that those people out there have a lot of expectations from us. It is a House that commands a lot of respect more especially, when you look at the kind of people that have given us this mandate. We have seen Kenya grow since Independence. Normally, we have had very peaceful elections before, save for what happened 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.

2007. We started our journey in 2017 with a bit of turmoil. It should be the prayer of all the Members that we will have an election soon and that we shall conduct ourselves out there as Honourable Members. Let us pray that at the end of it all, we will elect a President in a peaceful manner. Having seen the development in Kenya, I pray that we shall move Motions that will bring development in those areas which are still lagging behind. When we move Motions, we will look at Kenya as one and not parts of Kenya. We shall realise development in the entire country when we achieve that.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, with those few remarks, I support the Motion.

Let us have the Member for Chuka/Igambang’ombe, Hon. Munene.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Motion. Being a health professional by training, we know the status of health in this country today. We know we are losing so many Kenyans due to the poor status of health, while we sit in this House. Our most urgent business today as the elected leaders is not elections. I listened to elected leaders debate in televisions, radios and in Parliament, and they do not seem to care about the number of Kenyans we are losing due to poor health status in this country. As we debate this health policy today, I want to urge this House that it needs to come to our attention that the health sector in this country has almost collapsed. We need to bear this in mind.

Secondly, I have gone through the health policy document as a manager in the health sector. I have realised that the policy document realises that majority of deaths in Kenya are caused by preventable diseases which we call non-communicable diseases. Those are diseases that can be prevented. I have gone through this document with a lot of concern. The document notes that most of deaths in this country are caused by diseases that we can prevent like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), alcohol, unsafe sex, failure to breastfeed our children, underweight children, indoor pollution and even some things that should not be happening in a developed country like deficiency of minerals like Vitamin A, high blood glucose and high blood pressure. These are the leading causes of death in this country today - which is a shame.

There is a department in the Ministry of Health that particularly deals with preventive care. This document notes very clearly that the next focus of preventing diseases in this country will be in preventive health care. There is a cadre we call public health workers at the structure of the Ministry of Health. It is a cadre that is completely neglected in this country. Nobody cares about them. I have heard people discuss the plight of nurses and doctors, but I have not heard anybody in this country discuss the plight of public health professionals in this country. From statistics, we can say that most diseases that are killing our people can be prevented.

Secondly, we know we passed a Constitution that devolved health care. We know health care is devolved in this country. However, it is not cast in stone that it is devolved. I have looked at the suffering of our health workers like the doctors, nurses and public health officers and all the cadres. They are begging for a salary which is their right and should be given to them. They are spending all their days in the streets begging for a salary. I am not giving a notice of Motion, but very soon we should think of returning health care, especially the personnel management, to the national Government under a commission, just like teachers in this country who are managed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). We should have a national health workers commission where matters of health workers, their salary, promotions, job groups and transfers are looked into. We can leave development of infrastructure and buying of drugs to county The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

governments, but management of health workers can go back to the national Government under a health commission.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, with those very many remarks, I beg to support the Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): Member for Funyula, Hon Oundo Ojiambo.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for giving me a second chance today. I stand to comment on the Motion at hand. I have had a chance to briefly look at the Sessional Paper but, nevertheless, the questions at hand here are quite monumental. I come from a county that seems to have the lowest number of health facilities in the country. As much as devolution is likely to solve this problem, it seems that it is a historical and systematic problem that has generally disadvantaged the people of Busia County as a whole.

I stand here to echo the sentiments of my colleague who has just spoken before me. It is evident that almost five years down the line, we have had no improvements at all in the management of health facilities and personnel issues in the health docket. With proper analysis, it seems devolving the health docket might have been a wrong choice we made when we passed the Constitution 2010. I will strongly support any argument or arrangement that might not necessarily amend the Constitution, but probably consider an independent body to manage the personnel issues like staffing doctors, nurses and other members of staff who work in the health facilities.

I also stand here to bring to the attention of the nation as a whole that most facilities, medical supplies and ambulances in most parts of this country are inadequate and in deplorable state. We continuously allocate a lot of money to the counties each year to handle health facilities. Probably, it might be important for us, as a House, to re-look at this issue at length, even if it means having a dialogue with the Senate to see how best we can solve this problem. Indeed, it is shaming and annoying to see your people dying of diseases that can be prevented, conditions that can be managed and because of negligence of the medical staff out of being demoralised. I sincerely beg the House to adopt this health policy. In other cases, we are so good at producing documents but, when it comes to execution, it is minimal or zero. We hope the Ministry of Health, working together with the relevant departments in the devolved units, international donors and bilateral partners, will be in a position to actualise this policy, so that we can alleviate the suffering of our people in the various counties and constituencies.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to support the Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): Hon. Mwale Tindi, Member for Butere.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First of all, I will start by congratulating you for being nominated as a Member of the Chairperson’s Panel. 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.

Secondly, I want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Butere for giving me a chance to serve them in this respectable House. I want to commend my fellow Hon. Members who have talked today. I have seen some sense of sobriety, unlike yesterday or the other sittings where Members of Parliament pledge their allegiance to their principals and not to the people of Kenya. Chapter 1 of the Constitution talks about the sovereignty of the people. It is very clear that all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya. Therefore, I urge my fellow Hon. Members that when we are in this House, let us have our allegiance directed to the people of Kenya and not to our principals.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, when it comes to the Motion, I want to start by looking at life expectancy. I have two sources: one from the World Bank and another from the World Health Organisation. The average life expectancy for Kenya in 2015 was at 62.3 years, having improved from 51 years at the start of the 21st Century. This shows us that the improvement of the health policy will give the people of Kenya good health. A healthy nation is a working nation.

The Sessional Paper talks about the principles. One of the principles I would like to emphasise is the smooth operation between the national Government and county governments. We have had a problem where the national Government is reluctant to co-operate with the county governments. This Sessional Paper outlines the procedure and the framework in which the national Government is going to co-operate with county governments to ensure that Kenyans get good health.

Another issue which I want to outline is the provision of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) card. When you look at a country like the United States, it has very good outlined health social security standards. Therefore, if Kenya can aim higher in the health sector, then it will be a working nation because a healthy nation is a working nation.

With those few remarks, I take this opportunity to support the Motion. Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): I just gave two slots to this side and so, I am going to do the same to my right side. Hon. Kimani Kuria of Molo Constituency.

Thank you very much Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would like to first congratulate you on your appointment today to the Chairperson’s Panel. We look forward to having you serving us with the diligence that my colleagues have mentioned. I beg that we adopt this Sessional Paper. I have just received news from my constituency that somebody has killed his girlfriend and committed suicide. That brings cases of suicide in my constituency and that of the neighbouring Kuresoi to around nine or ten. I was looking at Page 17 of the Sessional Paper, which is on health personnel. I see the mention of doctors, dentists, pharmacists, pharmaceutical technologists, nursing officers, including nurses and clinical officers. I am wondering whether we also have personnel that are trained in guidance and counselling and also religious leaders. We could incorporate them into our health sector. When some people go to hospital, they get stressed and so they resort to committing suicide. Maybe, if we had more counsellors and religious leaders in our hospitals, probably paid by our Ministry of Health, the number of suicide cases could not be as high.

In addition, I was looking at our population indices and realised that 78 per cent of our population is made up of young people who are below 35 years of age. But how often do we take care of their medical needs? You realise that the medical needs of this bracket are different from those of people over 35 years of age. The objectives of the Paper are equity and making sure that everyone has access to standard medical facilities. 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.

Looking at the issue of NHIF cards as raised by my colleague, although Members of Parliament have the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), I see a point in us being allowed to use some money from the NG-CDF to help our constituents pay for the NHIF cards. That way, many people will access medical services without necessarily paying for them. In the same breath, we have many employers who deduct money from employees for the purpose of NHIF, but they do not remit the money to the Fund. So, we have people going to access medical facilities only to be told that they are not covered. In as much as we are trying to reform our hospitals and medical services in general, we need to make sure that our constituents are able to pay for those services.

As I finish, I would like to ask the Ministry of Health to really look into the matter of increased suicides among young people in this country. It is worrying and should be taken seriously. In my constituency, I have formed a committee to investigate the matter and report what is happening. We discuss what to do. I cannot do this alone. I call upon the Government and all social institutions to help deal with this menace once and for all.

Thank you very much for the chance. I support this Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): I now give this chance to Hon. Njiru Wanjuki, Embu County Woman Representative.

(Hon. (Ms.) Jane Njiru Wanjuki): Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment today. I am looking forward to working with you. This being my first time to speak in this House, I would also like to thank the people of Embu County for electing me their woman representative. I affirm to them that I will represent them in a mature manner that they expect me to.

On this Sessional Paper, I would like to bring to the attention of this House the fact that health is a basic requirement. However, we know that most of the times we have our nurses and doctors on the streets. That is a matter that needs to be addressed. We have probably not given it the attention it requires. Once those people are in the streets, the result is that we lose many Kenyans and yet that should not be the case. That is so especially when we sit in this House where laws are passed. We need to look into the plight of nurses and doctors to avoid a situation where every day they are in the streets demonstrating. We all know that the health sector is devolved to the counties. It is paramount that we do not leave it to the counties to man the hospitals. There should be a modality of having hospitals man their own business instead of the counties controlling them. That way, we will reduce the workload on county governments.

I support this Motion. Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): The Hon. Kaunya Oku, Member for Teso North.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. First and foremost, because this is the first time I am speaking in this Parliament, and my first time also to be elected, I wish to thank God for the blessings that ensured I got to this House. I wish to thank the people of Teso North in Busia County for electing me. I know they bestowed upon me the respect and the expectations which I carry. I know for sure they elected me because they believed I represent change. I also want to say that for our country and for this House, I believe we were elected because we represented change. That is because out of the previous Parliament, nearly two-thirds are new. It means 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 was need for change in this country and the change that the public expect of us is a leadership change; leadership that represents and goes for the expectation of the people; leadership that conducts itself with respect and leadership that will bring about economic and social change. I urge my colleagues in this House, of course taking note of the discussion by the Members who earlier on said that we should show an example outside there; that we should provide the leadership that the people expect of us so as bring about change in this country. It is leadership that will not pretend inside here and talk as if they are enemies but, once they out there, they sit together taking a cup of tea away from the television cameras. I would urge that we show unity and aim for change that brings development to our people. In terms of the change we expect, the people expect a change in the image – the image that we project in this House, as leaders. We should bring change in their lives in terms of improvement of their livelihoods. If we work in unison and bring about that change, I believe in the next five years, perhaps, all of us will come back. If we deviate from it, we should be sure that probably even more than two-thirds will leave the House. On the Sessional Paper, I want to support it in general because it seeks to bring about change in the health of our people. Anything that brings improvement in our health facilities and the health conditions of our people is a worthwhile thing. However, it is also important to note that some parts of this country do not have sufficient healthcare facilities. I want to give the example of my constituency of Teso North, where we have one hospital with only one doctor. The policy emphasis is on equity. We should have it actualised. Even if we have the devolved governments, it is important that our policy makes it mandatory that equity is practised, especially where we have facilities serving nearly 200,000 people with only one doctor. This is obviously not the equity we are talking about. We know for sure that there are referral institutions in other areas. It is important---

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): Mheshimiwa, your time is up. We now listen to Hon. Kanyuithia of Tigania West.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Congratulations for being elected to that position. I am very confident that you are going to serve Kenyans and this House in particular, to the best of your ability. I stand to contribute to the debate on the adoption of the Sessional Paper, as moved this morning. The heath sector is important in this country. All of us rely on it to grow as a nation and to even contribute effectively to national development. The Sessional Paper itself is concerned with improvement of the overall status in this country. That is basically what we need. I am sure all of us made some promises during the campaign period on how much we shall be particularly supporting the health sector to grow. We know the state of our health in this country. We have facilities out there, which are not doing very well. There is also demand for personnel. I believe this Sessional Paper touches on some of those fundamental issues. It is clearly in tandem with Vision 2030, which is our development blueprint since it covers the period up to year 2030. The Constitution provides for good health as a right. Therefore, it comes in to define the specifics in delivering this particular right. The Sessional Paper is a commitment of the health sector to attainment of higher standards of health. In comparison with the countries that are developing at the rate we are, and at the stage in time, the Paper focuses on two fundamentals, which I wish to highlight this morning in this House. One of them is the right to health as a fundamental right and also contribution to economic development of our healthy nation. I support this Sessional Paper because it focuses on 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.

ensuring equity in provision of health services across the country. Health is important in development because we may not be able to develop our country with unhealthy people. The second Sessional Paper takes into account the two levels of government – the county governments and the national Government. I pause to reflect on what is happening in this country at the moment. We have nurses who have been picketing for a very long time. We have so often seen our doctors and other health professionals staying out there and demanding for their rights in terms of better services in order to serve this country better. I believe this Sessional Paper basically touches on the importance of taking care of the personnel in order to be able to serve the people better. It gives broad policy guidelines on how to manage the health sector. Therefore, it is in order for us to approve this particular Sessional Paper so that we can guide the health sector better. The Sessional Paper was consultatively developed. Therefore, it takes into account the wishes of the majority of Kenyans at both national and county government levels. What I would like to mention is that we are very good at developing very good documents, but not exactly as perfect in terms of implementing them. That is why I call upon the health fraternity and those concerned in improvement and management of the health sector to take seriously the provisions that have been provided for in this Sessional Paper. I want to pause---

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): Mheshimiwa, you have one minute to go.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. As a House, we need to reflect on improvement of the health sector at all levels. I believe we need to have a way of establishing how well we are doing in terms of improving the health sector even as we pass this Sessional Paper. With those remarks, I support.

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): Hon. Kipyegon Ng'eno of Emurua Dikirr.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First, I want to congratulate you for being elected as one of the panelists, and as the First Chairperson of the Chairman’s Panel.

You look awesome in that seat. Congratulations! I may not make contributions to this particular Motion that is being discussed now. I just wanted to bring to the notice of this House and the nation at large what has happened in both Trans Mara East and Trans Mara West. Several people have been killed. The situation in Trans Mara is very unfortunate. What has happened there falls within our jurisdiction. It affects all of us, including you. So many people have been killed. One businessman was killed at night and that triggered the killing of several other people who were mostly businessmen traversing the constituency looking for and ferrying food, while others were just going about their businesses. I wish to send my condolences to those families that are affected. I also wish to take this opportunity to call upon all the residents of Trans Mara, regardless of the tribe they come from… We have been living together in that county for as long as I can remember. The areas which are affected are Resoit, Kirindon and Pusangi. All of them are within Kilgoris Constituency and Trans Mara West. Most of the affected people come from both Trans Mara East and Trans Mara West. There are two people from Bomet County who were also affected. It is important to note that the communities which live there have been having some differences and tensions. It is high time we leaders from that particular area ensured that we The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

bring those people together. Pusangi, where most of the massacres took place, is where my father and my mother got married. It is in Maasailand. My father used to live in a manyatta and got married traditionally. It is very unfortunate that today, we have found the difference between us and yet, our fathers never saw the difference between the Maasais and the Kipsigis. It is very unfortunate that today when a person is killed, the other community revenges. I want us to take the earliest opportunity to ensure that we bring those communities together and make them live together. We should make them do business together and even intermarry. They should all prosper. It is also important to note that we will be having a mass funeral on Friday at a place called Murkan AGC Church. That is where we are going to pray for the bereaved families and…

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): You have one minute,

I only want to say that may God rest those souls in eternal peace and may he also bring peace in those troubled areas so that we can have peaceful coexistence among the communities in that particular constituency.

Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Tuya): Member for Lurambi, Khamala Mukhwana.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First of all, I want to begin by thanking God who enables us and He is also the giver of great gifts. This is my first time in this Honourable House and I want to thank the people of Lurambi for giving me the opportunity to represent them. I also want to thank you and congratulate you for your appointment. I am looking forward to working with you. As a point of information, I am also a church bishop and for that matter a preacher. So, anytime you need spiritual intervention, prayers, or when NASA and Jubilee are up on fire, I can always jump in and sprinkle the blood of Jesus and it may help here and there. I support the Motion on the Health Policy. I am from Kakamega. The Chief Whip, Hon. Washiali is from the same place. We have been having a major problem. The county government is now building a referral hospital and that is good because, for a long time, we have not had adequate medical facilities. The medical personnel who include doctors and nurses are not sufficient. Even prior to the strikes, we have been having a lot of problems. I am from the NASA side. However, when we come to this House, we do not just represent our political parties, but also the people of Kenya. Our allegiance is to the Kenyan people. Some people have asked me whether I have gone to Parliament or I am boycotting. When I tell them that I am boycotting, they remind me: “We sent you to Parliament; we did not send you to boycott”.

Our people need to be represented ably away from the usual political rhetoric and theatrics that we all have to play to be safe. So, matters of health are not matters of a political party; they are crucial to our country. One Hon. Member said that we cannot develop ourselves, or Vision 2030, or the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) if our country remains unhealthy. So, I really support this Motion. We need to take up measures, including remedial ones, in order to enhance what we are doing presently and what we intend to do in the long run. Our people have really suffered. 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 think it was a little bit premature to devolve health as a function. Health has crumbled and deteriorated in the hands of governors. The idea to devolve it was a bit premature. You could ask yourself what would happen if the function of security was devolved. We would certainly be faced with chaos. There would be nepotism, tribalism, political correctness and so on. You know sometimes governors are small gods down there.

The input of Members sometimes is not even welcome and so is that of other stakeholders. They usurp all the powers and do all those things on their own. I support. I have a lot of faith that this is going to transform our health sector and make Kenya a healthy nation. Hon. Deputy Speaker, you just walked in after I had introduced myself as a preacher. So, when you need prayers, consult me. I am here.

Do not worry; I occasionally lead a prayer session somewhere and so, probably, we will complement each other.

Let us now have Hon. Nyoro Ndindi. I would really wish that you spend some few minutes so that I can also give an extra Member the opportunity to contribute. We have about five minutes to go.

Thank you, very much, Hon. Speaker. I also want to congratulate my colleague, the Hon. Bishop Khamala for noting very well that he was elected to represent the people of Kenya in this House and not to boycott the sittings of Parliament.

I have gone through the Paper and I have to say we have to build a lot of capacity, especially when we talk about our public hospitals and dispensaries. My proposal would be that we are here elected as Members of Parliament but, most of the people we represent in this House cannot afford healthcare in private facilities. It is good to note that most of the Members of Parliament and people working in high positions in the Government, even when they have a cold, they find it more convenient to visit private facilities. Maybe with time, we may have to consider ourselves to lead by example so that we can start frequenting those public facilities, so that even when we talk about healthcare in our country, we will be talking from the perspective of where the majority of Kenyans go to seek healthcare. Maybe we should start as Members of Parliament, and possibly have it as a policy that, even as we seek healthcare, we first seek it from our public facilities where the people we represent attend. Also in terms of facilities, I believe that it is opportune and good that we start establishing hubs that are specialised. Maybe we can go county by county, where the national government may develop a facility to deal with specific challenges that face our people. We could have a full-fledged renal unit in a certain county and elevate it to the highest level of a facility we could have nationally. That would help us in many facets, especially in RND where we have people who are specialising and they only do that one thing. We could also develop the capacity of people who work in those facilities. It is good to note that our Government has done a lot in terms of the welfare of our people. We will be having, possibly, elderly people being facilitated in terms of their NHIF cards from January. It is good that we note as Members of Parliament that even by using our NG-CDF 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.

kitty, we have that window where we can pay for cards for the vulnerable people in our communities, starting this financial year. We should seize that opportunity so that we remove that burden from the Kenyan people, especially those who are vulnerable. To echo what most of the Members are saying, I think we rushed to devolve healthcare in our country. It is time we revisit it so that we can streamline it and, first of all, build capacity even before we hand over to our governors in the devolved units. As I finish, one of the things we need to focus on is prevention. As you can note from the Paper, one of the things that is taking people from this planet are things that we can prevent. I believe as a nation we need to come up with ways of how we can encourage our people to exercise so that we can keep fit. It will go a long way. Maybe we need to institute a walking day where we encourage people of Kenya to walk and exercise so that we can reduce the burden we put in terms of our healthcare, medicine and all those other things. Having said that, I wish we also look at our students pursuing medicine in our universities. The money and support they get from Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) is not enough. We need to….

I will give the opportunity to Hon. Wanyama. You have a few minutes and then we will have the Mover to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to add my voice to this Sessional Paper on health. I appreciate that this is the time we need to look at the healthcare of our people. This is a focus that was brought on board by our forefathers who fought for Independence so that Kenyans can access good health. I want to appreciate this paper for, most importantly, the issue of monitoring. It is critical that parts of this country do not access good health services. This Sessional Paper, if implemented in full, Kenyans will be in a position to improve their health and even their lifespan will go higher. Therefore, I am appreciating the sessional paper brought by the PS.

Hon. Wanyama, please, you will have to wind up because time is up and I want to allow the Mover to respond.

As I wind up, I just want to say that let not allow this to go to the shelves, but the Ministry should make it work for our people to get good health. I support this sessional paper. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

The Majority Whip to reply. In this one, of course, you have an opportunity to donate one minute to one or two Members.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. With your permission, I want to donate one minute each to Dr. Naomi Shaban and Hon. Moroto. Okay. Hon. (Dr.) Shaban, one minute!

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. If people just got down to real business, you will notice that the causes of death in Kenya are not worth being causes of death. In fact, as the Member for Emurua Dikirr was saying, violence is categorised as one of the major causes of death in Kenya. The other things we can avoid - like HIV and AIDS. All those are things we can avoid. I just need to underscore the meaning of Bill of Rights. Health has been mentioned as a major factor in the Bill of Rights. I think we rushed devolution. It is true. We lost three years transitional period. But where we are, we need to do something very fast so that we can deal with the problems of the people. Kenyans are looking forward to seeing a good working relationship between the national Government and the county governments to make sure that our people get the required services, 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.

so that we can stop those useless deaths and even causes of unnecessary disability which should not have been there. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to support.

Hon. Chumel Moroto.

Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I also want to join my colleagues who have contributed in support of this Sessional Paper. I want to start by thanking the current Government under President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy. If this House could do the necessary, like all the things we have put down and we are soon going to discuss, I know this thing should work well in this country, especially for the three to four years which they have been there. I can attest that even in Kapenguria where it was left behind, a marginalised area, is now up. We have even a college which was not there before. That is a Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). I also want to urge my colleagues not to be worried about the politics which is here. Some of us were there when the Opposition was the opposition. It is not like now where it is like a hybrid; you cannot know who is who. You find even an Opposition MP driving a GK vehicle. So, that is normal. I think we are now practising and moving well. Here we are meeting and taking tea together. There was a time when we were not even taking tea. So, we have to….

Time is over. So, you wind up, Whip.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. As I reply, I just want to take this opportunity to thank Members. I have to admit that as I was moving this Motion, I did not expect much to come from the membership, but I am pleasantly surprised. Many of the Members who are contributing are new, I want to appreciate that they are really informed. That is a good sign of what will come later. I also want to encourage Members, especially those who have not had this copy, to go and pick it from Room 8 and look at it. It impacts on the people you represent in this Parliament. Therefore matters of healthcare should be properly taken care of. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I wish to reply.

Very well. I must also congratulate the Majority Whip for moving quite a number of Motions and being very active this morning. Hon. Members, the time being 1.00 p.m., this House stands adjourned until today, at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 1.00 p.m.

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