Hon. Members, there is no quorum. I direct that the Quorum Bell be rung for 10 minutes.

Hon. Members, we now have the necessary quorum. Members, kindly take your seats. Let us proceed.

Hon. Members, there are two petitions. The first one is by Hon. Jeremiah Kioni, Member for Ndaragwa.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to present a public petition regarding gazettement of Ndaragwa Constituency as a hardship area.

I, the undersigned, on behalf of the residents of Ndaragwa Constituency, draw the attention of the House to the following:

THAT, the then Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, vide a circular dated…

There are very loud consultations. Leader of the Minority Party, what is out of order? Let the Hon. Member for Ndaragwa prosecute his Petition. Member for Ndaragwa, proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for your protection. There are many people suffering from high blood pressure. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I was presenting a public Petition regarding the gazettement of Ndaragwa Constituency as a hardship area.

I, the undersigned, on behalf of the residents of Ndaragwa Constituency, draw the attention of the House to the following:

THAT, the then Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, vide a circular dated 21st October 2009, approved the rationalisation and harmonisation of hardship areas and payment of hardship allowances to teachers and civil servants;

THAT, the circular outlined and approved criteria for establishing the designation of a hardship area and undertook to gazette a new list of hardship areas and areas degazetted due to development that had taken place since they were last gazetted;

THAT, the Government approved and effected as increment Kshs10,000 for civil servants working in areas classified as ‘extreme hardship areas’ and Kshs5,000 for civil servants in areas classified as ‘moderately developed areas’;

THAT, Ndaragwa Constituency, though classified as a hardship area as per the said circular, has not and does not benefit from Government support accorded to such areas;

THAT, Ndaragwa Constituency borders Laikipia County and both have similar climatic conditions and civil servants, especially teachers, prefer working in Laikipia County, where they benefit from the hardship allowance;

THAT, the residents of Ndaragwa Constituency feel discriminated and disadvantaged because of this omission by the Government because they are denied the services of trained personnel posted to the area, among the other attendant Government support;

THAT, the then Minister for Public Service, Hon Dalmas Otieno, in response to Question No.388, filed by Hon John Mbadi – now in the House Leadership – tabled a Ministerial Statement in Parliament on 12th October 2010, which included a Government circular dated 21st October 2009, assuring Parliament that the affected areas, which included Ndaragwa Constituency, would benefit from Government support accorded to such hardship areas;

THAT, this has occasioned non-provision of other support programmes such as school feeding programmes, leading to low enrolment especially in primary schools as parents prefer to take their children to schools bordering Ndaragwa that is in Laikipia Constituency, which benefit from the school feeding programme;

THAT, efforts to resolve the matter with the relevant Ministry have been futile; and,

THAT, the issues in respect of which this Petition is made are not pending before any court of law, constitutional or statutory body. Therefore, your humble Petitioners pray that the National Assembly, through the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security; (i) Causes the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs to accord and treat Ndaragwa Constituency as a hardship area and implement the said Government Circular of 12th October 2009; and, (ii) Makes any other order or direction that it deems fit in the circumstances of this Petition. And your Petitioners will ever pray.

Very well. We have two petitions concerning matters of security. I propose that both of them are prosecuted, and then I will allow comments from Members. You can decide which one you want to comment on. I, therefore, call upon Hon. Sarah Korere, Member for Laikipia North, to prosecute her petition. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I present this Petition regarding invasion of group ranches, grazing areas/sites and insecurity in Laikipia North Constituency.

I, the undersigned, on behalf of the residents of Laikipia North Constituency, draw the attention of the House to the following:

THAT, for many years now, residents of Laikipia North Constituency have for a long time been afflicted by cases of insecurity, invasion of grazing sites and group ranches, destruction of key community infrastructure set for investments, leading to eviction and displacement and loss of lives and property;

THAT, much have been done by leaders and security personnel to address matters of peace but to date, some areas continue to suffer as a result of invasion of their land by armed herders from neighbouring counties. The invaders have evicted owners in a number of group ranches, among them Lekurruki and Il N’gwesi group ranches.

THAT, in the last three years, six people have been shot dead and more than 10 injured including police officers, more than 1,500 goats and sheep stolen and 1,000 cows, including 700 cows from one individual which were stolen in February 2008 in Mukogodo East Ward. In Sosian Ward, more than 10 people, including six police officers, have been killed and about 800 goats, sheep and 400 cows were stolen;

THAT, community and private lodges and conservancies have been invaded and destroyed. They include Kijabe Conservancy which is run and managed by Ol Lentille Trust, Lekurruki that runs and manages Tassia Lodges and lodges and camps within the Il N’gwesi Conservancy, among others;

THAT, small scale farmers on the western side of Laikipia North have been grossly affected by invaders mainly from neighbouring counties who graze forcefully and destroy their crops in Sosian Ward;

THAT, in December 2016, Mr. Wachira Gilisho was shot dead by bandits who stole a total of 87 cows that belonged to the family of the deceased;

THAT, in 2017, armed bandits invaded various villages in Mukogodo East Ward of Laikipia North Constituency and shot dead the following: Saitoti Kareyio Moile, Lolotu Leitiko, James Leitiko among others, and managed to get away with an unspecified number of livestock;

THAT, in March 2018, Mr. John Kamau was shot dead by bandits who stole 300 goats and sheep from the deceased family;

THAT, in April 2018, Mr. Perenica Lenapel and Mr. Ramaita Lenapel sustained serious gunshot injuries from bandits who stole a total of 250 goats and 30 cows from the family;

THAT, as a result of the invasions and insecurity, many schools have been forced to close, operate intermittently and also relocate students to safer zones thus contributing to low school attendance coupled with dismal performance in the national examinations among the schools affected;

THAT, the menace has negatively impacted on the critical economic activities in the area, which include decline or low bookings by tourists both domestic and foreign in hotels, lodges and camp sites; closure of livestock markets, and valuable properties vandalised or looted every time an attack is carried out by invaders; The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

THAT, these raids have continued to destabilise communities, undermined their livelihoods and contributed to increased poverty and under-development in the area;

THAT, this situation has led to the loss of many lives, especially breadwinners, hence children are left behind as orphans under the care of well-wishers or old parents who do not have the capacity to take care of them.

THAT, efforts to resolve the matter with the relevant Government and other institutions have borne no fruit.

THAT, the issues in respect of which this Petition is made are not pending before any court of law, constitutional or statutory body.

Therefore, your humble Petitioners pray that the National Assembly, through the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security: i. Causes the deployment of special security personnel on the eastern side of Laikipia North at Sieku where they border Isiolo and Samburu counties; ii. Causes the security organs in Laikipia North to undertake and establish patrol camps at Survey Area on the western side and increase the number of National Police Reservists (NPRs) among the local people; iii. Recommends the allocation of funds for construction of access roads in Loiragai-Lokusero-Nadungoro-Sieku and Dol Dol – Sieku, to facilitate easy movement of security personnel while in patrols; iv. Recommends compensation of the affected families with regard to lost lives and property destroyed, among other associated problems; v. Recommends the setting up of a police station and camp in Tiamamut in Mukogodo West Ward, Sieku in Mukogodo East Ward and Survey in Sossian Ward; vi. Causes the National Police Service to deploy adequate and fully-equipped security personnel to recover stolen livestock and restore calm; and,

Makes any other order or direction that it deems fit in the circumstances of the case.

And your Petitioners will ever pray.

We shall now have a few comments on these Petitions. We will start with the Leader of the Minority Party, Hon. Mbadi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to contribute to the first Petition which was presented by Hon. Jeremiah Kioni on behalf of the people of his constituency. I want to concur with the Member and urge the Committee to expedite and, this time, resolve this matter which is very interesting.

This is an issue that I raised in 2009 because the classification of hardship areas which was done looked faulty from the word go. You can easily access Rusinga Island, which is in my county, using the Mbita Causeway where the tarmac is all the way from Homa Bay to Rusinga Island. It is a hardship area because it is an island. When you go to the Suba South side, more particularly in Gwassi and Kaksingiri areas, you cannot even access them because the roads are pathetic. As a matter of fact, this is the first time that Suba South is seeing a tarmac road. Seven kilometres were constructed with difficulties. Accessing Suba South is a nightmare and yet, teachers in Rusinga Island get hardship allowance. There are no hardship allowances in Gwassi. Kibwoge Island which is very difficult to access has no facilities. In fact, I set up the first health facility which is not even complete because health was devolved before the facility was completed. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

In a nutshell, I am saying that we have issues with the classification of hardship areas. The Ministry did a good thing in 2009. It re-classified the hardship areas. This is what I want the Committee to look into. When this matter was raised, we were told that the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) disputed the re-classification for obvious reasons, which I understand. There are some areas which were removed from hardship areas and others were added. The Kenya National Union of Teachers did not have a problem with those areas which were added but with the areas which were removed. Some of their members were benefitting, but they lost the hardship allowance. As the Government sorts out the areas that were removed, it should start paying hardship allowances to the areas that were added. The Government, in its own wisdom, classified those hardship areas.

As I sit down, I want to request the Committee, as it looks at that specific issue of Ndaragwa Constituency, to look at the Gazette Notice by the Government on the areas that were all classified as hardship, including my constituency. They need to start benefitting from hardship allowance immediately.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Hon. Mbadi, those are very valid contributions. We shall refer these Petitions to the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security. I do not know whether the Chair is in the House. It is important for him to take note of the comments that Members are making because we need to have a criterion on how those classifications are done, so that everybody knows. We need to know the parameters on which areas are defined as hardship areas and others degazetted. We shall proceed with Hon. Andrew Mwadime, Member for Mwatate. Members, if you wish to comment on these petitions, I advise that you press the intervention button, so that we know those who want to comment.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. At the outset, I want to contribute to the first Petition by Hon. Jeremiah Kioni. I support it because the Gazette Notice on hardship areas needs to be done countrywide.

Mwatate Sub-County which is in my county, was declared a hardship area, but it is very interesting. You will find that within the same area, there is a secondary school and a primary school. But teachers in the primary school do not get hardship allowance but those in secondary school get. I have five wards in Mwatate Constituency. Rong’e Ward is an area which is harder than these other wards, but teachers do not get the hardship allowance. Posting teachers to that ward is very difficult because most of them want to leave that area to go to where others are getting the hardship allowance. Some public servants get hardship allowance in some areas but others do not.

I presented a similar Petition in 2014 but up to date, nothing has happened. I went to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and talked to the relevant officers, but I am shocked because up to date, nothing has happened. I am praying that the relevant committee looks into this Gazette Notice, so that they can implement the hardship allowance immediately in areas which were gazetted, but are not getting it. Performance is very poor in Mwatate Sub- County compared to the other four wards where teachers are getting hardship allowance. There is also lack of water and roads in that area. We also have problems of wild animals. That area is really affected. That area does not get the school feeding programme, teachers require that money. So, I am requesting the committee which will look into this Petition on hardship areas to look at it in its entirety, so that this problem can be solved once and for all.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Kibiwott Melly, Member for Tinderet.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to contribute and support this Petition on hardship areas. This issue was brought to this House in the last Parliament. We even discussed it in the Departmental Committee on Education and Research and the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security. This is an issue that most Government departments do not want to commit themselves to. In my constituency, we have one location known as Chemase. It borders Muhoroni Constituency at Kibigori all the way to Miwani and Karunga. On the lower side of the road, that is, in Kisumu County, teachers and civil servants earn hardship allowance. But on the upper side of the road, that is, in Tinderet Constituency, they do not. This is within the same region. In order to access Chemase and Chemursoi from Aldai, you have to go through Kisumu. Actually, you go to Kisumu West at Kibos and then you get to the school. It is very difficult to access the school. There are certain areas which are a little bit easily accessible and yet, they have hardship allowance.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, this issue was brought before the last Parliament by the former Member for Awendo, Hon. Jared Opiyo. A number of us listed about 139 areas that needed to be considered for hardship allowance and took the names to the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of Government. The officer concerned could not own up and tell us the policy behind the payment of hardship allowance. This is something that we need to correct once and for all because there are certain regions in the country that benefit from hardship allowance and yet they do not deserve it. Unfortunately, some regions which have a lot of difficulties do not get the hardship allowance. In fact, areas which were formerly listed as hardship areas, but have since improved, still benefit from the hardship allowance and yet, we have areas that do not have proper infrastructure, like the ones we have mentioned now. They do not earn it. This is something that we need to address in this Parliament, once and for all.

Thank you.

Being the Chair of the important Departmental Committee on Education and Research, Hon. Melly, you are one of the people who can provide guidance on this matter. It is one of the services Members are interested in. We would like those services to be availed in the hardship areas. It would be important for you to find time to go to the Committee we are committing the Petition to so that the sentiments you have made may be recorded. Pursuit for a policy and a criterion need to be defined in terms of how to identify those areas once and for all. Everybody should know the parameters that are being used.

Let us have Hon. Omboko Milemba.

Thank you Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. At the outset, I rise to support the Petition and ask the Committee that shall be looking into it to realise that this is a matter which has been tried at several levels. At one time, the unions tried to work on it. We petitioned the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and other Government agencies. All those agencies told us that the real organ that could pursue the issue of boundaries of areas to be considered for hardship allowance in this country and to lead to their gazettement is Parliament. So, this matter now rests with Parliament. I kindly ask the Committee that will be dealing with it to deal with it once and for all because that authority is vested here in Parliament. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

The challenge we have is that the gazettement of the hardship areas was done a long time ago and those boundaries are still being used to date. However, the geographical arrangement of those boundaries has since changed. So, there are very many areas that need to be included on the list of hardship areas. I will not specifically talk about my constituency, but I will borrow a leaf from the Members who have looked at this matter as a national issue that needs to be addressed nationally by the Committee. There are areas that have been gazetted as hardship areas, but certain schools and certain employees of Government in those particular pockets do not earn hardship allowance. There are also areas which were gazetted as hardship areas, but they are no longer so. The policy was based on climatic changes, geographical factors and other issues. It is important to have a total review of everything. The balancing of teachers during deployment has been made difficult because there are teachers who may want to teach in hardship areas in order to get hardship allowance. They actually would not like it were they to be removed from their stations. In some instances, you may find that what separates a hardship area from a non-hardship area is just a road, say, of one-kilometre length. So, it is a matter that needs total overhaul. Even organisations like the TSC can re-distribute teachers in this country without being affected by the issue of hardship areas.

Without much ado, now that the Petition is going to the Committee, I add my voice that this is a national issue and it is vested with Parliament. Let the Committee concerned do its best to resolve it once and for all. Thank you.

Hon. Members, I believe we are all speaking the same language that we need to have this done. I will give a chance to one more Member to comment on this matter and then we will bring it to a close and make progress. Hon. Hulufo Oda, Member for Isiolo North.

Thank you very much Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would like to comment on the second Petition which apparently, I am the first Member to contribute to. However, that does not mean that I am not supporting the first one. I agree with the Hon. Member for Ndaragwa. There is need for a clear policy on the definition of a hardship area. Aridity is probably one of the considerations. There are other parts of the country which are considered to be high potential areas, but which are hard to reach because they do not have roads and are very cold. Public servants who work there need to be considered for hardship allowance.

My constituency borders Laikipia North Constituency of Hon. Sarah Korere. The invasion of the ranches is something we are aware of. The invasion is a symptom of a bigger problem. We know that Laikipia is one county where 50 per cent of the land is owned by large scale ranchers. During drought, pastoralists have a tendency of migrating from one county to another. Traditionally, there was a way in which communities would negotiate with each other in order to access pasture and water. It is not easy for pastoralists to use the same mechanisms when dealing with the big ranchers. This is something which requires the attention of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security. As a new crop of leaders from the counties neighbouring Laikipia, we have resolved that we need to get rid of cattle rustling. Therefore, deployment of national police reservists in adequate numbers not only in Laikipia North but also in neighbouring constituencies like mine is important. Oldonyiro Ward in my constituency borders her constituency and suffers the same problem. As the Committee considers the prayers of the Petitioner as read out by Hon. Sarah, I urge it to look at the matter in a comprehensive way. We have many conflict hotspots especially along the borders of Isiolo, Samburu, Marsabit and Laikipia. As the Ministry of Interior and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Coordination of National Government considers deploying rapid deployment units of our security forces, we can have them deployed in all the hotspots.

As the National Police Reservists numbers are boosted, we would like those who are holding illegal guns to be forced to return them to the Government or to voluntarily register them with the National Police Service. Thank you.

Hon. Lentoimaga, Member for Samburu North.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I want to speak on the second Petition. I concur with the Member for Laikipia North for her concern on the killings. We condemn the killing of innocent people, destruction of private property as well as stealing of livestock from people who are innocent and unarmed. We neighbour Laikipia from the north. Just as my colleague has said, drought is what drives people to look for pasture and water. They go there not because they want to, but because of that need. The best thing we can do is to ensure that there is peace among the local people now that the Member is concerned about it. As Members of Parliament from that region, we need to support her to ensure that anybody who goes there lives in peace with the local people. I do not support the issue of excessive use of force by policemen. Last year, the police used excessive force. In fact, the military was used. They killed livestock. This cannot solve the problem. It radicalises people. It makes the youth angry and then they do not stop such behaviour. The best thing is to use peaceful measures like peace caravans among our people and, of course, to tell people who do not come from there to go back to their areas because, at the moment, there is a lot of grass in every county. So, they do not need to be there all the time. Let us avoid the use of excessive force because it will not help us. Of course, anybody who has land should be respected even if they migrated from Isiolo or Samburu. If you own land, you should be respected like any other Kenyan because the Constitution says you can live anywhere in this country so long as you have property.

Thank you.

Hon. Manje, Member for Kajiado North.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to comment on the first one. There has been a classification for hardship and moderate hardship area to make sure that we have development in the whole country and to attract teachers. But if benefits are awarded and they do not go to the ground like Ndaragwa, then it means that area will not be developed. As you know, this country cannot develop uniformly if we do not develop all areas. For example, there are hardship areas. If you check places like North Eastern - which is really hard because it has no water in some areas - other bandit prone areas and areas without proper housing, we need to give initiative for teachers to go to such areas. We should also devise a different method of checking those areas because, as we move from the districts to counties, we should change our approach to check and also classify the hardship areas per county. You go to a county and then from the county you get the sub-counties that are hardship areas and map them again so that we can develop the whole country. Otherwise, if we develop part of the countries, at the end of the day, we are likely to lose part of the country and it will take us time to develop the country as a unit.

I support that Petition. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Okelo Odoyo, Member for Nyando.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, this Petition could not have come at a better time. It is true that many people are segregated along the lines of delineation of hardship boundaries. This is something that, as a Parliament, we need to holistically address. I know individual Members of Parliament have made individual efforts through the relevant Government ministries to have this matter addressed. All those efforts have made an impact and that is why the matter is becoming part of the deliberations of this House. It is being taken to the relevant committee for further debate and scrutiny and, hence, an answer can be found once and for all.

It is very interesting that Nyando Constituency sits right in the middle of two constituencies - Muhoroni and Nyakach. Those two constituencies are benefiting from hardship allowances. Nyando has been excluded from that scheme. You wonder what rationale was used for those two constituencies to benefit and leave Nyando out of it. This is something that civil servants confront me with every time I am in my constituency. Of course, we are still new in this House - barely a year in office - but it is a reflection of the failure of the leadership, particularly at the constituency level, for a constituency not to benefit. I understand where my brother, Hon. Kioni, is coming from. These are fundamental questions that commonly arise particularly when civil servants hear that some of them benefit and some do not.

A Member has talked about how funny the boundaries are. In my constituency, it is only a road that separates Nyando and Muhoroni. I have two schools on either side of the road, one in Muhoroni and the other in Nyando Constituency. It takes less than a minute to cross to the school. They know that teachers from the other school are getting hardship allowances and those from my constituency are not. It contributes to migration of public servants. You have teachers who, perhaps, get an opportunity to teach in Nyando Constituency, but are not willing to come. So, they fight their way from Nairobi, Teachers Service Commission (TSC) offices and Ministry offices, to have them transferred.

As we speak, since January, I have lost 35 teachers to my neighbouring constituencies. The attraction is simply the hardship allowance. When they hear that it is Kshs10,000, that definitely means a lot. Looking at the story that has been running this week, what Kshs10,000 can do... If it can create wonders in this House, you can only imagine what Kshs10,000 can do to a teacher in the village. I support this Motion. Let us go back to the relevant committee and try to address this issue once for all.

If for one reason or the other it cannot incorporate all the other constituencies, then let us look at a balance. Let us have a universal increment of salaries for civil servants across the country, so that all of them can benefit in one way or the other. This is creating disparity.

Hon. Okelo, I would like you to withdraw the comment you made about what Kshs10,000 can do to this House, with due respect to the House.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I was only acting on what I read and what I heard.

I would like you to withdraw because I would not like it to be on the record of this House.

I unreservedly withdraw.

Very well. Proceed. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I was saying we need to look at a middle ground where everybody benefits universally and across the board, so that we do not have a resurgence and recurrence of this particular concern.

Finally, there is an unwritten rule operating within this House that, once a Member from a region has spoken, then we seldom get an opportunity to speak because of that kind of representation. I want us to relook into this unwritten rule particularly touching on the leadership of the House. For instance, we have the Leader of the Minority Party who, by default, comes from Nyanza. Once he has spoken, it is assumed that Nyanza has spoken. A minority leader represents the entire Republic of Kenya particularly talking about a powerful political movement such as the National Super Alliance (NASA). He represents the Republic of Kenya. So, we need to relook into this unwritten rule and have it put in order.

Thank you.

Hon. Okelo, you have had your bite at the pie. You now want to extend the handshake beyond the elbow. I think those are comments that will be properly directed to the House Committee on Rules and Procedure. But you know we have so many Members. All of us cannot speak at the same time. So, sometimes it is just reasonable to try to balance. If one Member from a region has spoken, it is also fair to allow other Members to have a go at it. I will allow two more Members on this particular one so that we close it and make progress. We shall have the Member for Ijara, Hon. Noor. From the other side of the House, we will have Hon. Bunyasi, and then we shall close it.

Thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance. I feel the Petitions presented today are very crucial and important. I want to support the Petition by the Member for Laikipia North. I want to condemn the criminals who have put security matters into their hands and killed innocent Kenyans, looted their properties and harassed this country. Security has been a very big problem to this country; it is like a cancer. If the people responsible for national security put their heads together and do proper planning, mapping and developing a strategy of dealing with the security problem in this country, life will be easier. The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) needs to be very serious. They should map this country and find a solution for the security issues in this country. We are in a county that has governance structures. We cannot allow individuals to take law into their hands and destroy people’s property, loot, harass people and rape women. We will not allow that in this country. I come from a constituency that has a security problem. Bodhai, Hulugho and Sangailu are areas where you cannot get an access road when there is problem. In supporting the Petitioner, I am asking that we make access roads in all the security-prone areas to make it easier for the few police officers that we have to move quickly when necessary. We need to establish police stations in places that have had problems for many years. There are places which have had security problems for over 30 years. Day in, day out, we hear of problems. But our Government has not started any initiative to establish police stations in those areas. We are, again, asking the NPSC to map out the country to identify the areas with security problems, so that they can put up police stations at strategic places. In the southern-end of my constituency, I have Baratiro. It is an island where people move in and out. I do not have any police station there. Garba and Jalish are border areas. I border Somalia, which is a country that has not had systems for many years. I thank the people of Ijara. They have been policing themselves. They have been identifying people who are not from there. They have been calling the security personnel so that they protect The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

their areas. Those are the people the NPSC should reward. The NPSC recruited Kenya Police Reservists in my constituency, but they have not trained them. They have not given them anything. The bandits know the people who have been recruited. The recruits are being harassed day in, day out. The people who have been recruited should be trained and given appropriate equipment so that they can protect our people. You do not just recruit people and leave them hanging to become easy targets for insecurity. Finally, there are schools which have been closed down all over the country because of insecurity. We are denying our children their basic right of going to school and acquiring education. We have places where women cannot go out to fetch water or collect firewood for basic utilities in their houses. We are requesting the NPSC to seriously think about insecurity in this country. I am sure that we can eradicate insecurity if we are serious. I am asking the Government of Kenya to resource the NPSC. If we give them proper resources, those resources will go to provision of meaningful services to Kenyans. The Government of Kenya has taken oath to protect this country, her people and their properties. Unfortunately, there are places where people and their properties have not been protected. The security situation has been wanting. With those few remarks, I thank you so much.

Hon. Bunyasi, just before you get on, allow me to recognise the presence of students of Thungururu Primary School from Gatanga Constituency of Murang’a County, who are in the Public Gallery; and students of Gatura Primary School, who are also from Gatanga Constituency of Murang’a County. They are welcome to observe the proceedings of this august House. Proceed, Hon. Bunyasi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to comment on the Petition by Hon. Jeremiah Kioni. First, I start by saying that I strongly support his sentiments. He, as well as other speakers who have spoken, have spoken along the same vein. They have expressed themselves very eloquently, but I have a concern. The way hardship areas have been defined has been largely influenced by geography. It is a relic that we inherited before independence. What would really help us now? While we continue supporting those hardship areas along the lines that are in force and because that is the law, all areas that are eligible should be covered efficiently; meaning we reach out …

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, you have to protect me from the loud consultations.

Member for Gem, kindly allow Hon. Bunyasi to be heard.

Thank you. They are very generous. Whereas we should use the current system as effectively and as efficiently as possible, I think the paradigm needs to change. What we should be worrying about are issues of poverty in terms of lack of access to services and lack of access to food and so on. The current formula is too strongly weighted around salaried workers and how they should be motivated. It is true there is no difficulty about that, but there should be a transient arrangement. More functional and more contemporary approach should be looking at incidents of poverty at the household level. If you take a geographic cut in areas where hardship allowances are allocated, you would expect to see The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

an increased allocation of resources to support households living below the poverty line. They, too, are facing hardships in terms of accessing those services in the same areas as the salaried workers. The salary of whoever is posted there is automatically adjusted to bring it to the level being earned by their peers. You could be separated by a road but still have problems of moral hazards being so close. You can see clearly how that can be absurd; that you cross the road and you are eligible for an allowance. If you go back to where you used to be employed, you do not get it. I would like to see a measure that targets household poverty. In my Nambale Constituency and Busia County as a whole, we have areas within the constituency where people have deeper levels of poverty and children cannot get a meal in the morning before they go to school. So, they run home and back to get a meal. They need to supplement the foods. When they get to high school, Kshs10,000 is required per year for the feeding programme, and this is a major hurdle. People are running to NG-CDF offices to ask for bursary to pay for lunch programme. That means that we should be targeting how to support feeding programmes and income supplementation programme for the elderly in those households in a way that we empower them to access those services. If we do that, we will do several things. One, we will inject funds in the economy where it is most needed and that will have a major multiplier effect. Two, we will have households with low or no income at all minimise their harsh living conditions and we will have healthier young people growing up.

Lastly, as we do that, we recognise that it is possible that in the areas that are most hard hit in terms of who would be high up in the list for eligibility, we may get people who are quite wealthy and well to do when we get down to individual households. I agree with one speaker who said that in areas which might appear that people are generally well off, you will get households that are completely pressed. We should get down to the citizens and see how best to supplement their capacity to live a decent life in this Republic. In so doing, we will have included the workers who will get compensation. We cannot have that compensation across the board because the issue of relativity will disappear. The reason we want this compensation is because relatively speaking, one area is worse than the other. If we equalised everywhere, we would be leaving relativity and then we will get back to the same old demands.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Those two Petitions stand committed to the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security. I can see there is a lot of interest in this. Those who desire to speak to them can do so at the sittings of that committee when it will be deliberating on them. I, therefore, direct that we move on to the next Order.

Hon. Wangari.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Given the importance of this Motion, I rise under Standing Order No. 53(3) and request that you defer putting of the Question to an appointed time by yourself.

It is acceptable and under Standing Order No. 53(3), I direct that the Question to this Motion be deferred to the next time that it shall be listed. I will, therefore, direct that we move on to the next Order.

On top of my list is Hon. Sophia Noor. She has three minutes. She was on her feet when we rose. She will have her three minutes and then we shall proceed from there.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to contribute to this Motion again. As you know, persons with disability are our children and our relatives and it is very important that we take care of them. As a nation, we know the situation and the status that they are living in. The truth of the matter is that the special education schools that we have currently do not have adequate resources and enough teachers who are trained specifically for the disabled. We know that the schools that are there are public schools. I come from Garissa County and it has one special school. That one special school that Garissa County has is in a very pathetic situation. The conditions under which our children with disability are living in are wanting in this country. If you go to that school, there are no beds and beddings, children do not have wheel chairs and classrooms are in a pathetic situation. They have about two teachers who have been trained. I fully support this Motion which is asking that we have a special school in every constituency. The school that I am talking about is where all the disabled children in every constituency in Garissa Country will be brought to. Others who will be unable to get to that school will miss the opportunity of acquiring education. Article 53 (b) and Article 54 of our Constitution gives every child, whether normal or a disabled, guarantee to free and compulsory education. It goes ahead to talk about the provision by the Government. My time is running out, but I want to say that we have a responsibility, as a nation and as this House, being a budget-making institution, to give resources to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology so that it can go out, do a mapping and give proper education to the disabled children. Children with disabilities are a resource. We have seen young men using their feet to cultivate. We cannot waste 20 per cent of our human resource in this country by neglecting them. There have been rituals around persons with disability, but it is our responsibility to break those rituals so that we can give space and opportunity to children with disability.

With those few remarks, it is important that we support this Motion. The Departmental Committee on Education and Research must critically look at how much is given to persons with disability in this country… The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Members, you must remember that the time for contribution is limited to five minutes. Hon. Pukose, Member for Endebess.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion on establishment of special needs unit in every primary and secondary school. When you move around in this country, you will realise that there is one special school for the disabled in either a county or a region. This disadvantages many children with special needs. It is not the wish of those children to be born the way they are. Some of the conditions they find themselves in could be as a result of trauma during birth. They could get cerebral palsy and other things. Others are genetic, autism and other conditions. Others could be congenital deformities, such as children who have Down syndrome. These are God’s creation and more often you will find that in other areas, parents of such children tend to hide them. They want to keep them away from other people. This disadvantages their development. This Motion urges that in every primary and secondary school we have a unit that is dedicated to these children. What it means is that once these children are in that class, they are able to be taken care of and to interact with other children who are normal thereby promoting their development, growth and social upbringing. Instead of having them isolated in a school somewhere, it brings them to the society. How do we integrate them as part and parcel of the society? That is the gist of this Motion. It is a good Motion that should be supported. It should be a priority in our education system. The CS and policy makers in charge of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology need to think radically. We need to have a shift towards this line, where you have a special unit in every primary school that caters for children with disabilities. Even the Constitution recognises children with disabilities. When it comes to job or business opportunities, people with disabilities have a role to play within the society. Therefore, we need to go further and look at how to integrate these people within the education system. Let us provide them with an opportunity so that they can grow like any other normal human being. With those few remarks, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to support the Motion.

Hon. Mwanyanje Mbeyu, Member for Kilifi.

Sorry, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I had logged in for the next Motion.

You had wanted to contribute to the petitions?

Yes. Thank you.

We shall have Hon. Koros Kipsengeret, Member for Sigowet.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to support this Motion. I come from a constituency which has no special school either in primary or secondary school. This Motion is so timely. Our constituents with children with special needs are suffering. It is high time, as the august House, we looked for a way to support the Ministry of Education, Science and Education in establishing these special needs units in schools. This is a good Motion, which we should all support. I support, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Thank you.

Hon. Babu, Member for Embakasi East. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to support this Motion. Education is a fundamental human right enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya. Therefore, every Kenyan citizen has a right to access education without discrimination. Further to that, we have seen leaders with disabilities in this nation, starting with Hon. Tim Wanyonyi. Disability is not inability. We have seen Hon. Tim Wanyonyi being a Member of Parliament irrespective of the disability that he lives with. In the US, there were presidents, led by Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd President, but his disability did not stop him from being president and leading his country out of the great depression and winning the World War II. John F. Kennedy was also a leader of the free world and was loved because of that. I, therefore, support this Motion. Special infrastructure should be set up in these schools. This should start with braille, classes, increased number of teachers, hearing devices and other infrastructure that they need. We need to respect persons living with disabilities because we are all Kenyans and we need to be treated equally. Thank you.

Hon. Ogutu Abel, Member for Bomachoge Borabu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would like to contribute to this Motion that touches on a very important group in our society, namely, people living with disabilities. Supporting the establishment of special units in schools for children living with disabilities should be a priority. For a number of years, Kenya has been claiming to be one of the countries that support persons living with disabilities. The various schools are located far away from most areas. For example, in Kisii County, we do not have a recognisable school for children living with disabilities, primary or secondary school. So, most of our children with disabilities are taken to the Kuja Special School for the primary level and have to travel as far as Thika and other areas for the secondary level where these facilities are found. It is not that we do not have a framework which supports the establishment of these units. What is lacking is the willingness by the Ministry to implement the establishment of these units in every school. I am very sure that every community in Kenya has pupils who are living with disabilities. Therefore, as we set up these units in primary schools, we should think of setting up a unit that caters for these pupils. At the same time, as these pupils move from primary to secondary school, we should have secondary schools at the constituency level that cater for their interest. It is so unfortunate that in my constituency we have a small unit that has been set up at Magena Special School. If you go there, the situation can make you cry because the whole unit has no single facility from classrooms, boarding facilities to even the food these children are supposed to eat. So, setting up special units has to begin by looking at the resources required to run the schools. Adequate teachers should be trained in this area and adequate budget set aside to feed these children. We have the school feeding programme in this country which should be spread across all special units in our schools because even at the community level, most parents give least attention to pupils with disabilities.

So, this Motion is timely. We need to integrate our children with disability in all primary schools, but also provide the necessary resources. I am a Member of the Departmental Committee on Education and Research and this is something that we have taken seriously. Although the budget this year may not have reflected adequate and specific allocation for this The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

facility, we have an opportunity to re-look at the budget and demand to have a unit in every school so that these children can be integrated at the community level.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

I support his Motion.

Very well. Good contribution. Hon. Members, you must remember that you hold the knife and the yam. You are a child of the budget and so our children with disabilities learning in pathetic conditions, as the Member for Bonchari has contributed, should be cleared in our court.

Let us have Hon. Martin Owino, Member for Ndhiwa.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am very grateful for this time to contribute to this Motion on the establishment of special units in schools.

Ndhiwa has almost 300,000 people and we have a substantial number of disabled children, be it emotionally or physically. However, the whole constituency does not have a single special school. You find that many children from Ndhiwa go to other constituencies, some of which are far away. To add insult to injury, raising a disabled child is very expensive and, therefore, sending them to another institution far away is an additional expenditure to the same family suffering from that condition. I think we have to do this in a very structured manner so that when a school is built, it should have a special unit with all the gadgets that are required such as ramps and staffing. Many teachers have done special education, but they are currently wrongly deployed. If we establish these units, teachers with special needs training will get the right places to work in. In addition, they will be very instrumental in identifying children especially those with emotional deficiencies, which we call ‘statistic kids’, and make them join this population. So, I support this with all my heart and hope that the Committee concerned will look at Ndhiwa positively because we do not have a single special education school in that whole constituency.

Thank you.

Let us have Hon. Kiai, Member for Mukurweini.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support the Motion. From the outset, it is good to state that the right to education is guaranteed by our Constitution. Therefore, even people living with disabilities are entitled to these rights under the Constitution.

People living with disabilities have been abandoned by our Government and leaders. This is a very timely Motion and it will ensure that children living with disabilities are given a platform upon which they can fully realise their gifts. The only way we can do this is by providing special units in our schools. We also need to provide the units with resources to ensure that talent is not only discovered, but also nurtured, promoted and put to good use.

The special units should be established in the usual ordinary schools because we need to integrate the disabled children into the normal lifestyle of other human beings. This will do away with the feeling of being discriminated against. The children will then be considered as members of the society enjoying full rights as guaranteed under the Constitution.

When I was campaigning for the Mukurweini parliamentary seat, I realised that there are so many people living with disabilities within the society, but they never seemed to have seen the light of day. I found many who had been tethered on trees and kept in dark corners. It is not because their parents do not love them, but it is so that the parents can have time to cater for the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

rest of the family. In the process, they are discriminated against. Many parents told me that the cost of maintaining a person with special needs in a special home is so high. The special schools that are available are located far away and one has to cater for boarding facilities and buy special equipment. If we pass this Motion, we will be ensuring that those facilities are brought closer to people living with disabilities. It will also be necessary, at this point, to request the Government to consider subsidising, zero-rating or even issuing free of charge equipment and facilities that are used by people living with disabilities.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, disability is not inability. There are so many examples of people living with disabilities who have ascended to greater heights in life. Some of the examples I could give are in this Parliament. We have Hon. Wanyonyi, Hon, Denittah, Hon. Sankok and many others. Their disability has not made them not perform their duties in the society. These people need to be given a chance to ensure that their full potential is realised. We also need to allocate resources to those institutions and provide them with teachers. That way, people living with disabilities will feel appreciated. They will know that they are part of the society.

I support. Thank you.

Let us have the Member for Nyali, Hon. Mohamed.

Shukrani sana Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Langu ni kuunga mkono Hoja hii na kupendekeza kwamba Wizara ya Elimu. Sayansi na Teknolojia iweze kuhakikisha kwamba walemavu wana nafasi katika taifa hili. Sisi Wabunge tunapata shida sana wakati tunapotembelewa na Wakenya wenzetu ambao ni walemavu katika afisi zetu. Ninakotoka katika Kaunti ya Mombasa, kuna visa kama hivyo vingi sana katika afisi yangu. Ni vigumu kuwasaidia kwa sababu Serikali haijaekeza wala kuwafikiria watoto walemavu hasa upande wa kuwapatia elimu bora katika shule za chekechea, msingi, upili na hata chuo kikuu ili waweze kupigania nafasi zao kama Wakenya wengine. Mighairi na hayo, vile vile tunaomba wawe na hospitali zao ambazo zitaweza kukimu mahitaji yao. Kwa sababu ukiwaweka pamoja na Wakenya wengine wa kawaida wasio walemavu, patakuwa na matatizo chungu nzima.

Shule ambazo zipo nchini kuwahudumia ni chache sana. Mimi ninajua shule mbili pekee. Ile Shule ya Thika ya vipofu na Joy Town ambayo iko Kisumu. Sharti tuwe na shule spesheli katika kila kaunti ili tuweze kusaidia hawa walemavu ambao ni Wakenya wenzetu. Demokrasia tunayopigania ni ya kuleta usawa kwa kila Mkenya. Hizi shule zinahitaji walimu na bajeti. Waalimu ni haba. Ni kweli kwamba waalimu wanaoweza kukidhi mahitaji ya hawa wanafunzi ni wachache mno. Ni lazima Serikali ihakikishe kuna walimu wanapokea mafunzo spesheli ya kuangalia watoto hawa. Ningetaka Serikali itoe bajeti kubwa sana kwa walemavu kwa sababu hawana nguvu kama Wakenya wengine. Wawekewe bajeti ambayo itawafaa. Ninaposema bajeti ninazungumzia suala kama karo na basari ambazo tunapeana kwa shule zetu. Wahakikishiwe kuwa bajeti yao imeongezwa kwa sababu wao ni tofauti kabisa. Vitu ambavyo wanahitaji ni tofauti na vitu ambavyo Mkenya wa kawaida anahitaji.

Pia tuwekeze katika mambo ya michezo. Tusiseme tu shule bali tuwekeze katika shule hizi na tuangalie kwamba zinapata vifaa spesheli ambavyo pia Wakenya wengine wanapata katika shule mbalimbali. Wazo langu ni kwamba wakati ambapo shule zinaundwa, ni vyema pia wao tuwawekee nafasi ya kuhakikisha wanajihisi kama Wakenya wengine ili waweze kuendelea The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

na maisha kama Wakenya wengine. Naunga mkono Hoja hii na ninaifurahia. Mbunge aliyeileta nampa kongole na kusema kwamba nitasimama na Hoja hii.

Asante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda.

Hon. Malimo, Member for Laisamis. I think your microphone has been having a problem. We have not been able to pick it from morning. Probably, you could move to the Dispatch Box.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. The Motion states that we establish special units in every primary and secondary school for children with disabilities. It is true that many of our school-going children are suffering out there. They are unable to access education due to their physical condition. Article 100 of the Constitution states that women, persons with disabilities, youth, ethnic and other minorities, including marginalised communities, should be given preference. As much as this Motion talks about building of structures in primary and secondary schools, I think it is also prudent that these children receive attention in terms of, maybe, a stipend. We also need to look at their health status so that we can recommend that children with disabilities should be given free medical care. They should be given free primary education. The Government should pay for their secondary school all the way to university. They should be given wheelchairs. We should provide total care for these children so that they are part and parcel of this society.

With these few remarks, thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

We shall have Hon. Nyenze Edith, Member for Kitui West.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to support this Motion of establishing special needs units in every primary and secondary school. I also note that it is very good to integrate pupils who are physically challenged with others who are leading a normal life because they will learn and also feel part of the society. They will feel appreciated. From there, they will develop freely. I am saying that because I am educating one boy whose hearing is impaired. His hearing has a problem. He is in a boarding school and I find him having difficulties integrating with normal students because he feels shy every time he mixes with the others. So, there is need to integrate the physically challenged pupils with others who are leading a normal life. I also note that we might not have enough resources even bearing in mind that the physically challenged may not be many. I am sure there might be problems with the resources needed to establish these units in every primary and secondary school. So, my suggestion would be that we just establish as per need. We identify a few schools where we would put the children who are physically challenged and we start the units in schools as per need. If we start in all the schools, we might just be wasting resources. I think that can also be looked into. In addition to establishing these units, it is also good to have free medical care and education. There is a family in my constituency where all the members are physically challenged. They are mentally handicapped and in such a family, it is good for them to be taken care of. In fact, I am in the process of making sure that the children get education in the right institutions and that the family members are catered for or taken to the right institutions because there is no one to take care of them.

In my constituency, there is only one school for the mentally handicapped. I visited them last month and I found that they have good resources, but we need to establish other institutions The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

where people with different challenges can be taken care of. I support the Motion, but my request is that we identify the needs and establish the units on need basis.

With that, I support.

Hon. Mwangaza Kawira, Member for Meru.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support the Motion on the establishment of special needs units in every primary and secondary school. I come from a very big county where we have more than 1,122 primary and secondary public schools. With more than 1,000 schools, we only have 118 units. That means that we have a lot of people living with disabilities who do not have a place to learn. The people living with disabilities in our communities are so many with a lot of talented and gifted children, who when given an opportunity to learn or to join any school around, they can do marvellous things. I support this Motion that we need to have these units in every primary and secondary school, so that our children living with disabilities can get a life and a chance to learn. I have so many cases in my county where we have poor parents who cannot afford to pay for the children in any private or even public school. Most of these schools are private and very expensive and most of our parents cannot afford them. It is my humble request and appeal that as far as we seek to establish these units in our counties, we should also consider not charging children living with disabilities. I support this Motion. Every primary and secondary school should have a unit to help the people in our communities.

Let us have Hon. Ombaka, Member for Siaya.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. This country believes in free and compulsory education for every child because education is a right for everybody. We also believe in integrating all communities. If we are to integrate all communities and tribes, it also means that we need to integrate children with disabilities in schools where we consider children to have no disabilities. This is a very good Motion. I support it because it shows we are interested in integrating children with disabilities in schools where normal children are. Secondly, I would not really emphasise the need to establish such units in every primary and secondary school. Sometimes you find a primary school close to another or a secondary school very close to another. Due to lack of teachers and resources, we may need to establish just one school in a constituency or ward so that we can save on staff and resources. Otherwise, this is a very good Motion. The very fact that those are children with disabilities also means that their lifestyles are special. They need more funding and a lot of resources. That means the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should invest a lot in such schools. The needs of these children are more expensive than any other. I have in mind a school in my county where children require special type of sanitary pads yet they cannot afford them. The children cannot take care of themselves and they need special pads. It has been very difficult for them. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology should invest heavily in special schools. Otherwise, this is a very good Motion and I support it.

Hon. Members, we now have to call upon the Mover to reply. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

You are not the Mover. Hon. Members, I see a lot of interest. There are 24 Members who would like to contribute to this debate, but the problem is the strictures we have put ourselves under in terms of our rules. I would have loved this conversation to continue, but we have run out of time. The Mover can donate a minute or two to the Members who have shown a lot of interest. It is up to you. You have five minutes. Hon. Kaluma, you are not the Mover. Hon. Mishi, you are the Mover. The Floor is yours.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Because of the interest that has been shown by so many Members, before I reply, I just want to donate one minute each to two Members. I will donate one to my Bishop and the other one to Hon. Passaris.

The Bishop must be Hon. Lodepe, Member for Turkana. You have one minute. Give him the microphone.

Thank you, Mheshimiwa Juma. I just have one point to make that we need to make disabled students self-reliant. We must educate them and give them skills that can make them important people in the community. The only way we can do that is by establishing institutions near them and equipping those institutions. I support the Motion.

Let us have Hon. Passaris, Member for Nairobi.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you for this opportunity. I congratulate my sister for bringing this Motion. I support it. A majority of children with disabilities do not go to school because schools are not available. If we ensure that every primary and secondary school has a special unit, we will ensure that children living with disabilities have access to education and all the services that are supposed to be offered under the Bill of Rights. Children with special needs require to be in primary and secondary school. Most importantly, this will give us an opportunity to collect data of all the children. It will also give the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology the opportunity to identify gaps and establish why we do not have primary schools for children with special needs. Nairobi has 85 wards and not all the wards have primary or secondary schools.

At the same time, there is an absolute need for the Government to collect data on families with children with special needs and ensure that they provide social services to them. For instance, there should be waiver of taxes for parents of disabled children. There should be support from the social structures. Because I was given one minute, I support the Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Is there somebody else who will speak to this debate? The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Yes, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to donate one minute to the Woman Representative for Mandera County.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I thank my sister, Hon. Mishi, Member for Likoni, for giving me this opportunity. I support the Motion seeking to establish special needs units in every primary and secondary school in this country. Where I come from, we border two countries, namely, Somalia and Ethiopia. As we all know, it is the right of every child in this country to go to school. People living with disabilities in this country face many problems. They have no access to education. There is need for them to fit in society like other people. The reason I am so concerned about this Motion today is because my sister, who follows me, is disabled. She has not gone to school. She can speak very good English. If she is given an opportunity, she can be a very big person in this country. She always regrets because the day we were both taken to school, the teacher said she could not fit in the normal school. I have only been given one minute and I support the Motion. The Government should fully support these provisions and allocate a budget for special need units in primary and secondary schools.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Hon. Mishi, I think you became overgenerous. You donated all your minutes, but I will give you two minutes to wind up.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I beg to reply. Let me begin by thanking all the Members for overwhelmingly supporting this Motion. I am delighted that almost all the Members of this House have supported the Motion. I take cognisance of the handful suggestions put forward to add value to this Motion. In their contributions, Members have talked about various challenges facing the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in the management of special needs education, ranging from inadequate funding, lack of trained human resource as well as underdeveloped infrastructure. A lot of equipment, including hearing devices and wheelchairs, is missing. This Motion will go a long way in addressing most of these challenges. I, therefore, urge the Committee on Implementation to look into it. I also want to urge the Departmental Committee on Education and Research to take some proposals, especially during the budgeting processes, so that we can get allocation for the same.

I also want to request the Members to put some proposals through the NG-CDF Committee to have some allocation to put up these units. With the assistance of the legal team in Parliament, I will look at the policy which is available right now and see whether there is a proper legal framework to ensure that there is implementation of the special units in all primary and secondary schools in our constituencies.

As I finish, I wish to state that I treat Members’ contribution with a lot of regard and further thank all of them for supporting my idea.

Having said this, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to reply.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Hon. Kingi, do you have an intervention? We are at the conclusion of the Motion. Go ahead.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand guided by the Standing Order No. 53(3), which states thus:

“Despite Paragraph (2), the Speaker, may, on the request of a Member, defer the putting of the Question to the following day in which case the Speaker shall, thereupon nominate a time at which the question shall be put.” The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Given the mood of the House and situation, I request that this Question be deferred to another appropriate day. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Hon. Kingi, pursuant to the provisions of the Standing Order No.53(3), I rule that we defer to put the Question on this Motion until such a time when the House Business Committee will slot it on the Order Paper.

We can move to the next Order.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:

THAT, aware that agriculture is the mainstay of the Kenyan economy, contributing to food security and employment of rural households; further aware that the recurrent drought being experienced in many parts of the country has adversely affected this sector leading to a worrying drop in production particularly among the coconut farmers in Kilifi County; noting that farmers in Kilifi have not only suffered losses of income for their livelihood due to the drought but are also faced with huge debts resulting from high interest levied for default on loans advanced to them for coconut production; recognising that the Government of Kenya in 2016 launched the Kenya National Agricultural Insurance Programme, which is designed to among other things, address the challenges that agricultural producers face when there are large production shocks, such as droughts and floods with focus on livestock insurance, and maize and wheat insurance; this House urges the Government to provide financial support as disaster relief to the affected coconut farmers in Kilifi County and put in place sustainable measures to mitigate future drought related losses through inclusion of coconut insurance under the National Agricultural Insurance Programme.

Coconut tree is the tree of life. It is one of the sleeping giants in this country. It is a tree which is predominantly grown in the coastal counties of Kenya, especially Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Lamu, Tana River and Taita Taveta counties. It is important to note that the plant is currently grown in such areas as Nyanza, Western Kenya, Eastern and Rift Valley regions. However, the coastal region accounts for 99 per cent of the coconut production. The plant has huge economic potential which, if properly utilised, can enhance our economic growth and catapult our nation towards poverty and hunger reduction while propelling it towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as enshrined in the Vision 2030.

In its 2016 Report, the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) stated that the current monetary value of coconut and its products is around Kshs3.2 billion, which is only 25 per cent of the estimated potential of Kshs13 billion annually. The coconut sub-sector is one of the key economic drivers in Kenya which supports over 150,000 households which directly rely on it for income, employment and food. This clearly implies that 75 per cent of the potential of the coconut tree in this country is untapped. This denies the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

country the much needed agro-based revenue which is critical to achieve sustainable development goals, especially for the regions that grow this crop highly.

The coconut has many economic uses. Since Independence, very little interventions have been put in place to optimise its huge economic potential and maximise its returns for socio- economic reasons. There is inadequate value addition in the coconut sub-sector. There is very little that is being done to commercialise the coconut sub-sector through technology, innovation, infrastructural development, distribution, marketing and financing. This is one of the reasons that the coconut sub-sector has continued to underperform in this country, and therefore not giving this country the much-needed revenue.

The President talks about the Big Four Agenda and one of them is manufacturing. Value addition gives us an opportunity to manufacture, create jobs and sell our products at high level just like other countries. If you look at the products that the coconut tree gives us today, you will realise that there has been very little effort at ensuring that we have better products. The palm wine that is consumed widely in this country comes from the coconut tree and it is only 60 per cent. Mature nuts take 24 per cent. This country imports brooms from other countries. The coconut tree can supply enough and better quality brooms for this country instead of importing them which offsets the balance of trade for this country. We also get coconut wood and other products from the coconut tree. The flower industry uses materials from the coconut tree to grow flowers. It uses the cocopeat. Interestingly, the cocopeats that are used mostly in Naivasha and other parts of this country to grow flowers are imported. This increases the cost of production of flowers in this country while the coastal region can supply that. Because there has not been any intervention in terms of support, the coconut tree, which has huge potential, continues to go down and yet we increase the amount of imports in this country. This makes the balance of trade negatively skewed towards the country. Therefore, it is important to invest in the coconut tree, so that we can reap the benefits that it can give us.

The crop produces over 100 by-products. It is the only tree in this world that can do that. I do not want to go into the details. Like I said, we have a possible annual turnover of Kshs13 billion for this country which is not being realised. The Daily Nation on 2nd November 2010 said that there is need to exploit local resources such as the coconut tree as they have huge economic benefit which can only be realised through proper value addition, interventions and linkages thus create more employment, alleviate poverty and boost Kenya’s economic growth towards middle class industrialised nation as envisioned in the Vision 2030.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) has said that the coconut plant can create up to 500,000 jobs annually. That is what AFFA, a Government agency has said. The AFFA continues to say that Kenya has 7.4 million coconut trees covering only 200,000 hectares. The average estimated potential of coconut industry in Kenya stands at Kshs13 billion annually where the current exploitation monetary value is only Kshs3.2 billion. This is only 25 per cent. If we look at development in this country and taking it to the next level, we have greater potential when we invest in the coconut sector like countries such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia have done. India, today, one of the major producers of coconut, has leveraged on the coconut sub-sector to increase its gross domestic product and the per capita income. The coconut sub-sector is driving the economy of India, yet here we have an opportunity, which we are not exploiting as a country.

After saying all these things, which are very good about the potential of what we have we need to look at the sad story. The sad story is that Kilifi was hit by drought in 2016/2017. The drought meant that the coconut tree did not get enough rainfall. The statistics given by the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) in 2017 show that drought affected the coconut tree a lot and many of the trees had their crowns collapse. Therefore, the coconut tree became a trunk and no longer a tree. It died with the drought. If you go to Kilifi County today, you will realise that over 450,000 coconut trees were affected by the drought and are dead.

If the coconut sub-sector supports more than 150,000 households, and if each household has at least five members, then we have almost 500,000 people in this region that have no income because the coconut tree that they were depending on is no longer there. There has been no deliberate Government effort up to date to look at what the issues are. Today, when one speaks about it, people say that agriculture is a devolved function. Yes, it is devolved, but when drought hit coffee, tea, miraa as well as the sugarcane industries billions of shillings of the taxpayers’ money was aligned to save these sectors. Today, over Kshs2.3 billion was spent to save the miraa industry. If you calculate what coffee and tea have received from the national Government, it is over Kshs10 billion to save the industries. When the sugar sector had problems, the Government put in a lot of money. Pan Paper, a moribund company, the Government gave billions of shillings to save it and the paper industry in the country. When the meat industry had issues, the Government put in billions of shillings to save it. Many other sectors in this country have been saved by the Government yet they are devolved because they are important for the growth of the economy of this country. So, the coconut tree is equally important. If it is equally important, it deserves to be rescued. And the first rescue line is to ensure that the people of Kilifi are compensated just like other farmers in the country have been because of drought. The financial assistance that will go to these people will leverage them to pay school fees, buy food and plant a new crop. This should be a new crop that is properly researched and that would put many agronomists together to ensure that within the shortest time possible, the men and women from Kilifi enjoy the fruits of the coconut tree just like any other Kenyan enjoys the fruits of the crops for which God bestowed them in their regions. The livestock sector in the country has immensely benefitted from the national Government insurance programme on livestock from drought. Billions of shillings from the national Government, donors and other partners have been spent in the sector to save the industry. This sector has continued to be broadened to include other parts of the country apart from North Eastern and other parts of the country. The same way this sector has been saved through the insurance, we are saying that drought has killed the coconut tree that is as good as livestock. Therefore, money should be put in the coconut sector whether through insurance or direct payment to farmers to save the industry. Otherwise, as years go by, those who enjoy coconut rice, a delicacy in many parts of the country and those who come to the Coast to enjoy the delicacies from coconut, will forever want an opportunity in future because the coconut tree will not be there. We have an opportunity, as a House, to stand and be counted that we stood with the coconut farmers from the Coast region and stand up to ensure that coconut does not disappear from the face of Kenya. The House has an opportunity to urge the Government to resolve that it puts in money to save the coconut tree and the coconut farmer, to ensure that like the coffee farmer and any other farmer, the coconut farmer has an opportunity to receive money from Government so that they can reorganise their lives as they look forward to the future.

I have statistics that are sad showing the number of coconut trees that have been destroyed and the number of families that are suffering. Today, poverty index in Kilifi County and most parts of the Coast has continues to increase. Therefore, we have more people joining the poverty class in Kilifi County than any other county. This can be reversed and this House and the Government can take advantage of the handshake and the President’s Big Four Agenda, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

especially on manufacturing, to reverse this. We have an obligation to save the coconut sector by putting in some money.

I urge my fellow Members to support the Motion. I request Hon. John Mbadi, the Leader of the Majority Party, to second. Thank you very much.

I beg to move.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Hon. Mbadi.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to be associated with this Motion, which is moved by my friend, Hon. Ben Owen Baya. First, I congratulate him for bringing a Motion that is of huge importance to his people.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): He has made a very good choice of a seconder. No one would think you know anything to do with coconut. Let us hear you.

Thank you very much. Hon. Owen Baya has brought a Motion that is of great importance to his people. We are elected to this House as people’s representatives to resolve issues that are of concern to them.

From the outset, I would like to further mention that this Motion actually was sponsored by the Minority Party. I signed it so that it could take precedence. That is why it has come very quickly on the Order Paper.

We are much aware that the Coast region is one of the regions in the country that have high incidences of poverty. The poverty index is very high. A Government that is responsive enough will look at such regions and identify opportunities that would be exploited for development of such regions and to uplift the economic wellbeing of the people of such a region.

Coconut is such a major crop at the Coast and we all know that. I also agree with Hon. Owen Baya that the tree has the capacity and potential to produce several products which would go a long way in bringing the much-needed income to the pockets of the coconut farmers. What is worrying is that Kenya Government, more particularly the ministries concerned, namely, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in conjunction with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, are sleeping on the job. They are sleeping on the job because they are not innovative enough. They are not looking at ways of tapping onto the huge potential that exists in this country. The case of coconut is a clear indictment on these two ministries.

Our coconut is sold to Tanzania for further processing at throwaway prices. Tanzania is not such an advanced country compared to Kenya. We are more advanced than Tanzania, but we sell coconut to Tanzania at throwaway prices and the Tanzanians take advantage of value addition, something which we could do here, thereby denying Kenyans the much-needed employment opportunities.

In the spirit of the Big Four Agenda, manufacturing and job creation are very prominent. It is important that the ministries concerned take up this matter seriously so that it becomes a core component of the Big Four Agenda in terms of promoting coconut processing so as to enable us compete with countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, as Hon. Baya mentioned.

I have talked broadly about the importance of coconut and the potential of this crop that is not being exploited by our Government. Sometimes I find the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries very interesting. Many times, they are so fixed on traditional ways of doing things that they think that when we talk about food security, we are only thinking about maize and if we try, rice. It is high time this Ministry became more creative and innovative. If food security, which is one of the Big Four Agenda, is to be realised in this country, we need to think outside the box. It is important that we look at the entire country and find out what every The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

part of this country will produce at competitive advantage, take advantage of that and move it forward so that this country can not only be food secure, but also have the capacity to industrialise and develop. Hon. Owen Baya’s prayer is valid. We are all aware of what happened in 2016 to 2017. We are aware of the drought. In fact, in the past few days, we have had a charade in the name of the investigation of sugar that addressed heavily the importation of sugar last year in this country. When we were discussing this, it appeared to me that Kenyans have even forgotten the kind of situation we were in last year when we almost reached the point of having food riots because of droughts that started from 2016 all the way to 2017, after which we had extraordinary rains in quantities we never expected.

The drought caused destruction. The coastal people and those who grow coconut lost a lot. That is what Hon. Owen Baya is saying. In such a case, a responsible Government needs to look for ways of compensating farmers to bring them back on their feet. In this country, for you to grow crops and be involved in agriculture in a more progressive way, you borrow money from the bank. When you borrow money, put it in your farm and then you lose the entire crop, what happens? Banks will come for the security that you had placed as collateral. A number of times farmers have used their title deeds. Therefore, we are exposing farmers to possible auction by various financial institutions that advance loans to them in order to grow the coconut tree. This is not an idle prayer. We have evidence in this country where many farmers have previously benefited for a good reason. We are not saying that those farmers should not have benefited from Government grants or being bailed out as we usually call it.

The coffee industry has been struggling for a very long time, but because of Government intervention, coffee farming has been kept afloat. Coffee farmers, a number of times, have had waiver on loans. They have had their loans written off using the taxpayers’ money. Remember we allocated money to bail out the Mumias Sugar Company, which was a good thing. We also gave money to the miraa industry, but I think it has been embezzled because I have not heard about it since it was given. In fact, it was money that we just threw away like money you would throw to an ocean. Miraa farmers, I am sure, have not benefited. We have even spent money on struggling businesses like Uchumi Supermarket. We have paid a lot of money to bail out Uchumi, which has not even been successful. We have also paid money to bail out Kenya Airways, which is our national carrier. The money that we pay to coffee, sugarcane and miraa farmers, who are Kenyans anyway, comes from all of us. It comes from North Eastern, Nyanza, Coast and Western. Therefore, farmers from the Coast are also entitled to consideration by us as a country. It would be wrong for us to make decisions in a way that looks like we are favouring some regions and not others. That is why at times you find some regions in this country very bitter with governments in power. That is why you find some regions saying that they would rather stay in the opposition than join a government that does not help them.

It is my prayer and wish that this matter is going to be taken seriously so that we can protect these farmers from possible financial distress that is facing them at the moment. With those few remarks, and I can see my time is up, I second the Motion.

The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): I have a total of 14 requests here. By now Members know that each has five minutes to contribute to this Motion. I think Hon. Baya and Hon. Mbadi have set the pace. Some of these Motions are very educative and enlightening. I know the likes of Hon. Nakara and Hon. Peris do not know that the coconut tree is as valuable to the people of Kilifi as a cow is to pastoralists. When we talk about drought, it also affects the coconut tree. It is educative and an avenue for the Government to diversify support for the agriculture sector. That sets the pace for contributions. I will follow my list. Let us have Hon. Hulufo Oda, Member for Isiolo North.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to support this very important Motion. I would like to state that the coconut tree is very important to our brothers and sisters from the Coast region. It is also important to us, as Kenyans. We need to value coconut as much as we value tea, coffee and horticultural crops. Therefore, whatever support Kenyan farmers who grow tea, coffee and other crops receive should be extended to farmers in the Coast of Kenya. If we look at the importance of the coconut tree to Kenya, as a country, you will realise that the revenue generated by coconut farming is roughly Kshs3.2 billion but, potentially, this crop can help us to generate a revenue of Kshs13 billion. Therefore, the current production is hardly a quarter of the potential production of this crop. Another very important thing we need to appreciate is the fact that this crop predominantly grows in a region that is characterised by high levels of poverty. Therefore, if the Government invests in this sector, that investment will go a long way in alleviating poverty at the Coast, hence helping us to reduce the number of people living below the poverty line. Because of climate change, we have, as a country, experienced very severe drought in the recent past. There are droughts which have become more frequent and this has had very serious and negative impact on agricultural production – both livestock production and crop production. For instance, since 1990 we have, as a country, gone through 12 episodes we can call serious droughts. As we move into the future, looking at the trend, we are likely to have more droughts. Therefore, it is high time we cushioned our farmers against adverse weather conditions. This is not something unique to us. It is happening everywhere in the world, including in developed countries like the USA. For example, Australia is going through a very serious drought and the government is subsidising their farmers to the extent of providing them with some relief to enable them feed their livestock, provide water, et cetera . This Motion, which urges the Government to help coconut farmers to recover from past drought, and put in place measures to help them mitigate against drought to enable them to cope with future droughts, is very timely. As a country, we have already piloted a scheme to provide insurance for agriculturalists. Pastoralists are enjoying livestock insurance in many parts of this country. Some crops have also been covered. Therefore, it is not asking too much of the Government to extend the same to coconut farmers. What do we achieve as a country if we invest in coconut farming? As a result of underproduction in this sector, we are investing billions of shillings to import oil. If we invest in this sector as proposed and enable the country achieve the maximum potential, we will be able to save up to Kshs8 billion by avoiding importation of oil. As I conclude, I would like to say… The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): You did not finish. Hon. Wanjala Sauti, Member for Budalangi. He is not here, let us have the Member for Kilifi County, Hon. Mwanyanje Mbeyu.

Asante, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Nimesimama kuunga mkono Hoja hii. Nikiwa Mpwani na Mama wa Jimbo la Kilifi, Hoja hii ni ya muhimu kwa watu wote wa Pwani na maeneo yote yanayokuza mmea wa mnazi. Tukikueleza kwa ufasaha, mmea huu ni muhimu kuliko mimea mingine yote ninayoijua kama mtu atokaye kule Kilifi. Mmea huu una faida. Aliyeleta Hoja hii amesema faida za mmea huu ni zaidi ya 100. Kuweka pesa za kufidia wakulima wa mnazi walioathirika kwa ukame kule Kilifi na Jimbo la Pwani ni jambo muhimu. Kwa sababu ya mmea huu, wakale wetu wanatuangalia kwa jicho baya manaake tumedhuru mmea na faida zake – haswa, pombe ya mnazi ama juisi inayotoka kwa mnazi ni kitengo muhimu sana katika jamii ya Wapwani. Unavyoniangalia, siwezi kutolewa mahari, wala sikutolewa mahari, hadi pombe ya mnazi ipelekwe kwa babangu kwanza, wabariki ndipo mahari kama pesa itolewe. Faida za mmea wa mnazi katika Jimbo la Pwani, na haswa Kilifi, imekuwa tegemeo kubwa sana kwa wananchi wa kwetu. Wengi tumelelewa na kulipiwa karo ya shule na akina mama zetu kutokana na mauzo ya mnazi. Hivi sasa, mangwe nyingi, ama sehemu ambako pombe ya mnazi huuzwa, zimefungwa. Akina mama wanateseka kwa sababu hawana bidhaa ya kuuza. Unavyotuona, akina mama wa Pwani, ngozi zetu zinameremeta. Hii ni kwa sababu ya mafuta ya nazi. Hatutumii mafuta ya jelly zozote. Twatumia mafuta ya nazi. Ndiposa utaona wanaume wengi wa bara wakienda kule Pwani ni mpaka watoke na bibi wa Kipwani. Ni kwa sababu bidhaa hizi zatufaa. Fagio zinazotumika Kenya na nchi za nje zinatoka kwa bidhaa ya mnazi. Twatumia mbao za mnazi kuezeka paa za nyumba zetu. Ukienda katika ufuo wa bahari, utapata hoteli nyingi hazijawekwa paa la mabati; zimewekwa paa la makuti. Ni bidhaa ya mnazi. Kulipokuwa na ukame, minazi mingi ilikauka. Twaomba Serikali, mti huu ni muhimu kuliko majani chai na kahawa. Hata mti wa miraa ulipewa Kshs1 bilioni ili wakulima wawekeze. Mti wa mnazi una faida nyingi sana. Vitu vya urembo kama vile bangili na vipuli utavipata ukifika Pwani. Hivi vinatokana na bidhaa ya mnazi. Lile tui la nazi yenyewe kwa vyakula vyetu, utatuona twang’ara. Hata Mhe. Mwashetani yuko vile alivyo kwa sababu ya vyakula vinavyopikwa na nazi.

Kwa hivyo, kufikia wakati huu, tunaomba Serikali vile vile itengee mimea mingine yote pesa. Tunaomba pesa nyingi zitengwe ili kufaidi wakulima wa mnazi na wafanyi kazi wa kilimo ili waweze kuelimisha wakulima zaidi. Hii ni kwa sababu wataweza kupata mbegu ambayo inaweza kustahimili ukame na tuweze kurejelea kazi zetu za kawaida. Serikali ikifanya hivyo, itawezesha mama na baba zetu kule Pwani kurudia kazi zao za kawaida, na wagema pia wataweza kufanya kazi zao. Tunahitaji pesa nyingi kama billion kumi ili kurejesha na kufidia wakulima wa mnazi kule Pwani.

Naomba Serikali itilie maanani ombi hili. Asante sana.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Naona tumepewa siri ya kung’ara kupitia kwa minazi. Nafasi hii nitampa Mhe. Wanjiru Kihara.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me a few minutes. I may not utilise all the five minutes. Just like you have said, this is a learning process. Some of us thought this is a bush plant and it just grows. Some of us did not know that this is a cash crop in that region. When you pass around parklands, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

you will see handcarts with coconut. I love the juice. Nevertheless, we are getting to know and I want to thank Hon. Baya for educating us.

Agriculture is the mainstay and coconut is what is grown in Kilifi. If this is the plant that will empower the people of Kilifi economically, it is something that as a House, we must support. I like coconut rice but as I said, we never sat down to think what exactly empowers the people of Kilifi. We are returning pyrethrum in Naivasha and Nakuru, potatoes for Nyandarua, coffee and

in other places. If this is the crop that the coast people need, funded by the Government, this is something that we must support. The value addition of coconut is something that the county representative has really educated me on. I use coconut oil but back in my mind, I do not think about whether it is the coconut that we see on the cart or there is another coconut. This is very important that coconut be included in the category of plants purposely for empowering the coast people. When you see those men climbing up there, you would think it is a hobby, you would not think it is business. We have heard about mnazi, but we never think whether it is the same mnazi . We have another bush nazi and you would not know whether it has come from this coconut. So, for purposes of supporting agriculture which is part of the Big Four Agenda, this is what will help the people at the coast.

Being a resident of Kilifi, I know Mheshimiwa cannot wake up and propose something that does not add value to his people and the people of the coast region. As we support it, we will know a lot more about mnazi .

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Well said, let us have the Member for Kaloleni, Hon. Katana Kahindi.

Asante, Mhe Naibu Spika wa Muda. Nasimama kuchangia Hoja hii. Mti wa mnazi ni muhimu sana katika jimbo la Pwani na Kenya nzima. Lakini, kwa muda mrefu, mti huu haujatiliwa maanani na Serikali. Mti huu ukitumika vizuri, unaweza kuinua maisha ya wapwani, Kenya nzima na Serikali inaweza kupata ushuru mwingi. Watu wa Pwani na haswa kule nitokako Kaloleni na kijiji ambako ninatoka kinaitwa Makomboani, wameathirika sana na ukame ambao ulikua mwaka wa 2016/2017. Ukame huu umechangia umasikini katika maeneo yetu. Mti huu unatumika kwa uchumi wa watu wa Pwani. Baada ya ukame mmea huu ulipotea. La kushangaza ni kwamba hakuna hata kiwanda kimoja kimetengenezwa ili kusaidia wakazi wa Pwani. Kwa wakati huu bidhaa nyingi kama vile nazi zinanunuliwa kwa bei duni na zinapelekwa katika nchi jirani ya Tanzania, kwa sababu hapa nchini, hakuna kiwanda cha kutengeneza mazao ya mnazi. Watu wengi wakitaja mnazi, walikua wanataja ile pombe peke yake. Wanasahau kuwa, mti huu una mazovu mengi zaidi ya mia moja. Nazi inatumika kupikia chakula. Chakula hiki ni kizuri kwa sababu ni cha kitamaduni na hakina kemikali na kinasaidia kuzuia ugonjwa wa saratani. Hakuna kemikali ambayo inatiwa kwa nazi.

Pia, kama ulivyoambiwa, utamaduni wetu kama watu wa mijikenda, tumetumia sana mti wa mnazi. Huwezi oa ama kutoa mahari kabla pombe ya mnazi kutumika. Pia, tunaona kuwa Serikali imetumia mabilioni ya pesa kuagiza mafuta ya nazi kutoka nje, ilhali, tunayo miti ya kutosha ya kutoa mafuta ya nazi. Serikali inatakikana ichukue jukumu la kufidia hawa wakulima ambao wamepoteza minazi mingi kwa sababu ya kiangazi ili waweze kusaidika kupeleka watoto wao shuleni na wajikimu kimaisha. Kwa hivyo, tunaomba Bunge hili lipitishe Hoja hii na lihakikishe kwamba Serikali inatengeneza ama inaegemea upande wa viwanda ili wananchi na wakazi wa Kilifi na Pwani nzima waweze kufaidika.

Asante, naunga mkono. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Sasa tutamsikiza Mhe. Mwashetani, Mbunge wa Lungalunga.

Asante sana, Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa fursa hii ili niweze kuchangia Hoja hii. Kwanza kabisa ningependa kutoa shukurani na kumshabikia Mhe. Owen Baya na kumpa kongole kwa kuja na wazo hili. Hili ni jambo ambalo linajulikana kuwa mmea wa mnazi mbali na kuwa una faida yake ya kindani, ukiangalia mandhari yake inarembesha sehemu iliyopandwa. Iwapo mnazi utapatiwa nguvu ya kupandwa kwa teknolojia ya kisasa – na nikisema hivyo ninamaanisha Serikali iwekeze kwa mmea huu - basi katika kuchangia katika uchumi wa Kenya itakuwa ni nguvu moja. Mbali na kuwa sasa hivi ni mmea unaomea katika sehemu ambayo tumekuwa na umaskini muda mrefu, pengine kwa sababu nyingi mbalimbali za uongozi, kusahauliwa, ukame... Hivi vyote vinachangia kuathiri uchumi. Sasa hivi katika hali ile, mnazi unachangia karibu Kshs3.2 bilioni, lakini ukipatiwa nguvu za kiteknolojia na utafiti, unaweza kutoa zaidi ya Kshs13 bilioni. Ikiwa Pwani peke yake itaweza kuchangia katika suala kama hilo, kuwa uchumi unachangiwa kwa mwaka na Kshs13 bilioni, basi hiyo ni moja kati ya sehemu ambazo Serikali inapaswa kuwekeza. Sisi kila siku kama jamii ya Wakenya tunapigana na janga la ukosefu wa kazi. Na moja kati ya shughuli ambazo ukitembea Pwani utakuta vijana wetu na akina mama wetu wakifanya ni kuuza madafu na nazi. Kwa hivyo, inapeana ajira. Na hii ni ajira ambayo iko lakini haijategwa na Serikali. Iwapo Serikali itaingilia na itege ni kumaanisha tutapata ajira za viwanda; watoto wetu watafanya kazi kwa viwanda kutoa mafuta kama vile dada Mbeyu alivyosema. Sasa hivi Tanzania wanachukua nazi yetu na kutega lile tui, linafanywa kavu na kuuzwa. Linatengenezwa halafu linauzwa Kenya. Iwapo Serikali ya Kenya itawekeza kuhakikisha safari hii tumepata kiwanda cha kutega mti wa mnazi, basi nina hakika mpaka wakulima watakuwa na motisha ya kupanda zaidi. Ajenda moja ya Serikali ni kuhakikisha watu wote wamepata kazi. Na mnazi ni njia moja ambayo tutaweza kupata kazi. Kijiti kinachotumiwa kutolea nyama kwenye meno chatoka kwenye mnazi. Kapeti hii ambayo tumekanyaga yatoka kwenye mnazi. Makuti yale ambayo yako katika mandhara ama hoteli nzuri nzuri yatoka kwenye mnazi. Chakula tunachopikiwa Pwani kama samaki wa mipako ama wali wa nazi kinatoka kwenye mnazi. Mmea ule ule mti wake hutumika kama mbao. Kwa hivyo, ziko faida zaidi katika mnazi. Ningependa Serikali iupatie nguvu katika Pwani. Kuhusu suala hili la kazi, ningependa kukujuza kuwa katika shughuli zetu zote tunakwenda mbio kuhakikisha tumepata viwanda katika sehemu zetu. Lakini unakuta sasa Kwale tuko na kiwanda cha sukari lakini kimefungwa na hakiwezi kufanya kazi kwa sababu ya yale matatizo yaliyotoka juzi. Tuliingilia kama Wabunge, tukafanya utafiti na ripoti ikaja. Ni mwezi wa pili Kwale Sugar Company imefungwa na watu wetu wanapata taabu. Kile kiwanda kimeandika watu zaidi ya elfu tatu. Ikifika wiki ijayo nafikiri watafunga kwa sababu mbali na kuwa wanadaiwa, pia watu wetu…

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Mhe. Oku Kaunya. Samahani ulipotea katika mtandao kwa makosa.

Asante Mhe. Spika wa Muda wa kunipa nafasi. Nataka kuchanagia Hoja hii kwa kusema kuwa ni muhimu kufidia hawa wakulima wa Kilifi. Kilifi ni mahali nimewahi kufanya kazi na mimea miwili ambayo inaletea wakulima pesa ni korosho na mnazi. Korosho, kama vile tulizungumzia hapo awali, ni mmea ambo ulikuwa unawapatia wakulima faida lakini mtambo wa korosho ulifungwa. Ulifungwa wakati nilienda The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

kufanya kazi kama mfanyakazi wa Serikali hapo mwaka wa 2000 hadi 2001. Wakulima wengi waliathirika sana. Vijana pia walipoteza nafasi za kazi nyingi. Tukiangazia mnazi, vile wasemaji wengi wamesema, ni tegemo kubwa sana la wakulima kule Pwani. Ninaunga mkono Hoja hii kwa sababu jambo hili litawaletea wakulima sio tu faida, lakini pia hali yao ya kimaisha itainuka. Kama vile ulivyosema, kule kwingine kama kaskazini mashariki tegemeo lao ni ng’ombe. Ng’ombe wanaleta chakula, malazi, maziwa na hata pesa za kuwezesha wakulima kuwalipia watoto karo za shule. Kule Pwani, hasa Kilifi ambapo nilifanya kazi wanategemea mmea huu kuwapatia “maziwa”. Kuna “maziwa’ inatoka kwa mnazi. Pia wao hutumia mnazi kwa ujenzi, haswa kuwezeka paa la nyumba. Kuna matumizi mengi ambayo yanatoka wa mmea huu. Kwa hivyo, mbali na kuwapatia faida ya kifedha, mnazi unawasaidia katika maisha yao ya kawaida; kuwawezesha kuishi maisha ya kawaida. Kwa hivyo, tukiwa na shida kama hii ambayo imetokana na ukosefu wa mvua, ni muhimu Serikali iwafidie wakulima na kuwapatia usaidizi. Pia kuna umuhimu wa kuanzisha kiwanda ambacho kinaweza kuwasaidia wakulima kupata faida zaidi. Mara nyingi wakulima wengi wanapata faida iliyo chini sana wakiuza mazao ya mimea yao. Kwa hivyo, naunga mkono kwa dhati Hoja hii na nasihi Serikali ifidie wakulima wa Kilifi ili warudie hali yao ya kawaida. Asante, Mhe. Naibu Spika kwa kunipa nafasi.

(Hon. (Hon.) Soipan Tuya): Tumpe nafasi Mhe. Ombaka wa Siaya.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity. I would like to support this Motion because coconut, as we are all aware, has many by-products which we use at home. Some of the products are used for construction and roofing. Coastal hotels that are roofed by makuti are normally very attractive, cool and environmentally friendly. Food made out of coconut oil and milk is always highly appreciated and we love it. There is so much that coconut does to us in terms of food and medicine. We need to promote the plant. It is unfortunate that over the years not much has been done towards the coconut plant. Not much funds have been given out to produce more coconut plants or to give farmers enough resources to plant and expand the industry just like other sectors. We find that at the Coast, coconut is the major economic mainstay. In Central region, we have coffee, miraa, potatoes, in Rift Valley we have tea, and in Nyanza we have sugar, maize and fish. You can see that every part of this country has something that the Ministry of Agriculture should put resources to develop.

At the Coast not much has been heard particularly about the coconut. We just see and use it but do not think of how to develop or expand that industry. That is why I support this because the use of coconut cannot be over-emphasised. It is really important and the Ministry of Agriculture should begin to invest in that industry. As it has already been illustrated, there is a lot of disaster and poverty around the Coast. However, if this is developed, we can eradicate the poverty and many families will see the benefits of it and ensure that each family has some plants of it and farmers will produce a lot.

We cannot afford to see many industries die. We have already seen the scandal behind sugar and how it is dying. We have seen cotton wool and coffee have died and we cannot afford to see another crop not being supported financially or killed. It is for these reasons that I believe that this country can become an area where people can live beyond their poverty level. This is one area where we can eradicate poverty. It is important that we support this Motion purposely The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

because we see the benefits of coconuts which we have hardly thought of. There is so much to learn from and the entire country depends on the coast to produce coconut.

For these reasons, I support the Bill and acknowledge the fact that this is a wonderful product where all of us in this House should support.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Let us have Hon. Kingi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support this Motion which will ensure that the Government will provide financial support for the relief to the Coast farmers affected by drought in Kilifi County. I feel great today because for the second time, the voice of the farmers of Kilifi is being heard in this House.

Recently, we had a Motion on Cashewnuts and unanimously this House approved it. Apart from the many benefits that other Hon. Members have talked about on the coconut tree, we should also remember the four agendas that our President unveiled, one being manufacturing.

Coconut trees are easy to grow compared to other cash crops in this republic. You do not need much fertiliser to grow coconut trees. The care given to this kind of cash crop is lesser compared to other cash crops such as tea, coffee or others. This means that we need a small boost as Coast people to ensure that this once thriving cash crop revamps again.

So, according to the reports, Coconut oil which is a by-product of a coconut crop is one of the nine internationally traded vegetable oils and ranks eighth in the global production. One third of the world’s population depends on coconut for nutrition or trade.

This means that once this kind of crop is given special attention, it will create wealth not just for the people of Kilifi but for Kenyans. It will create job opportunities. Once an industry is set up whether in Kilifi, Kwale or anywhere along the Coast many youth will be employed here and jobs will be created. It is high time the Ministry concerned gives priority and ensures that once this Motion is passed and this House resolves that compensation and finances are set aside for the growth of this crop, then that Ministry should move with speed to ensure that the dream of the people of Kilifi, Coast and Kenya in general is realised by ensuring that coconut farmers are given necessary support.

With those few remarks, I support. Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Let us have the Member for Wajir East.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to support this Motion. The coconut crop has multiple use. It is a versatile product. It is a tree that has numerous usages for the individuals who are farming along the coastal region. One thing we have realised over the years is that this crop has given a product for hair, food, thatches for roofing and firewood. Due to its multiple use, it is an efficient tree that can be utilised by the people in the coastal region. This crop has not been utilised and exploited over the years. Economically we have realised that the coconut crop has about 150, 000 farmers that are likely to make their livelihood from this tree.

In terms of the economic output of this, Kshs3.2billion can contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of this country. However, it has not been exploited to realise its full potential. It can fetch about Kshs13 billion shillings which is much for this country. Because of its use, the people of the coastal region can pay school fees for their children and take care of their livelihoods. It is a crop that needs to be supported.

However, it has been clear over the years that it has not been given emphasis as required like any other cash crop such as tea and coffee. These have been recognised as cash crops. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Consequently, the coconut has not been given the same attention. We urge the Government to apportion specific funding to uplift the people of the coastal region so that they can cultivate this crop which requires minimal attention despite its multiple uses. It has multiple uses but it requires minimal attention. It is for that matter that we encourage the Government of Kenya to put its foot down and alleviate the predicament of the people of the Coast region, particularly the people of Kilifi. I happen to have worked with the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) as a director during the last phase. Within that period of 2016/2017, Kilifi was earmarked as the worst hit in terms of drought. The crop that was affected most was the coconut tree. Coconut farmers did not get similar attention that is required from the Government of Kenya the way it supports other sectors. I am glad today Hon. Baya has brought the limelight to this crop which has economic use to his people. I am glad that he has realised its significance and economic importance for his people. I stand to support him because he has realised it is quite a significant thing. In terms of insurance, it is a crop which needs to be insured like the cattle in my region. There is some support that needs to be given other than the insurance. So, I support this Motion and I support Hon. Baya for bringing this important Motion for his people. Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Mhe. Ramadhani Dori.

Asante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Nachukua fursa hii kuunga mkono Hoja ambayo imeletwa na Mhe. Baya, kuhusu fidia kwa wakuzaji wa mnazi. Tunataka tufanyie suala hili marekebisho kiasi cha kwamba fidia hii isielekee katika sehemu ya Kilifi ambayo imelengwa na aliyeleta Hoja, lakini ilenge wakulima wa mnazi wote kwa jumla katika nchi ya Kenya na hasa eneo la Pwani. Hii ni Hoja nzuri sana. Tunahitaji msukumo mkubwa kwa Wizara ya Kilimo na Mifugo. Tukiwa tunaelekeza mwelekeo wetu kulipa fidia kwa wakulima wa mnazi, ni lazima ifahamike kwamba wakuzaji wakubwa wa mnazi wanatoka sehemu ya Kwale katika eneo Bunge la Msambweni. Shamba ambalo linaitwa Ustawi wa Mswambweni lina ekari 3,800 ambazo zote zimepandwa mnazi. Vile vile, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, nataka kukujuza kuwa sio kwamba hatuna viwanda vya mnazi. Katika sehemu ya Msambweni, kiko kiwanda cha mnazi ambacho kinalinda haki za mnazi. Kiwanda hiki kinaitwa Kwale Coconut Farm. Kiwanda hiki kinalinda haki za wakulima katika kuuza mapato na mazao yao. Katika JamUhuri ya Kenya viwanda ambavyo vilikuwa vinanunua mali ya mnazi vilikuwa viwili. Kimoja kilikuwa mjini Mombasa kikiitwa Coast Coconut Plant Farm na kimekufa. Sasa kimebakia kiwanda kimoja ambacho kiko Kwale. Ni jukumu letu ikiwa tumelenga fidia tuangalie pia taratibu ambazo tutamlinda mkulima wa mnazi kupitia wizara ya kilimo ili aweze kuendeleza zao lake na apate faida zile ambazo zinatambulika zimepitia ukulima wa mnazi. Ni lazima suala la mnazi lipatiwe kipao mbele. Ni kama vile ambavyo wiki zilizopita, Mheshimiwa Owen alituletea Hoja kuhusu korosho. Mimea hii miwili hukuzwa sana katika eneo la Pwani. Ni mimea ambayo haina gharama. Ukishapanda mmea wa nazi, huhitaji ufuatiliaji mwingi katika kuulinda mmea huo. Ni mmea ambao unakua wenyewe, na uangaliaji wake ni wa hali ya chini.

Vile vile, tungeomba na kuiambia Wizara ya Kilimo iweke mfuko fulani ambao kila mwaka, utakuwa unaangalia wakuzaji wote wa mnazi kuwe kuna sehemu fulani ambayo wanapewa msukumo. Kama sasa, tunajua iko mbegu mpya ambayo imekuja katika Wizara hiyo. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Kwa lugha ya kimombo, inaitwa dwarf coconut . Mnazi huo, kwa mwaka unatoa mazao mara tatu, ambapo ni faida kubwa kwa mkulima. Naunga mkono Hoja hii lakini ilenge wakuzaji wa mnazi wa eneo lote la Pwani na Kenya yote kwa jumla.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Mheshimiwa Dori, labda ingekuwa vyema kama ungependekeza marekebisho katika Hoja hiyo. Bado kuna nafasi kwa yeyote yule angetaka kuibadilisha ili iwe inaangazia sehemu yote ya Pwani na sio Kilifi pekee. Twendeni kwa Mbunge wa Kilifi Kusini, Mheshimiwa Kiti Chonga.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for according me this opportunity. I will painfully use English with very clear reasons as much as I am born and brought up in Kilifi. I come from Kilifi South. First of all, I congratulate my brother, Hon. Owen Baya, for bringing up this Motion. The effects of drought within Kilifi County or the Coast region in general regarding the coconut tree, are not issues that are only known to the people of Kilifi or the Coast. I know very well that those issues are known throughout within the ranks of the national Government. The effects of drought were not only witnessed in the period 2016-2017. As we know very well, with the changing weather patterns, there was drought sometime before 2004. I remember sometime in 1983, we also had a similar problem. To my surprise, when I look at similar areas which have been beaten by the effects of drought, when pyrethrum was affected, the Government came in handy and bailed out farmers. Just a few years ago, pastoralists were equally affected. Quite a number of cows died. The Government had to come in with mitigation measures where cows were bought from pastoralists. The Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) also came up strongly to assist the farmers. To my surprise, the coconut farmer has never featured anywhere regarding the effects of drought.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Sorry, Hon. Kiti. Hon. Waluke, are you on a point of order? What is out of order?

Maybe, I did not hear properly, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want the Member to make it clear to me. Did he say that he comes from Guinea Bissau?

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Guinea Bissau?

I do not know which type of passport he has. I want the Member to clarify to the country where he comes from. He is a Member in this House.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): If he comes from Guinea Bissau, he could not have qualified to be elected as a Member of Parliament but let him clarify.

Let me clarify that I am a Member of Parliament for Kilifi South but maybe I grew up somewhere else.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Hon. Kiti, are you saying that you grew up somewhere else?

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, you need to listen to me carefully, so that you understand what I am saying.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Be clear.

You can be from Nairobi County which has a number of constituencies. One may be born and brought up in Kisumu or may come from Kisumu. You have used my time. I hope you will add me some minutes. I was born and brought up in Kilifi South which is in Kilifi County. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Not Guinea Bissau? You misheard the Member for Sirisia. Hon. Kiti, Guinea Bissau is another country.

Kilifi South is in Kilifi County.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Member for Sirisia, it is clear now.

Maybe the Member has a problem with his ears but we have an insurance cover which he can use to go to hospital.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): It is okay for a Member to seek clarification. There is nothing wrong with it. I will give you one more minute to conclude your contribution.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. My point is that Kilifi County is among the counties which the Government has deliberately neglected. Everyone knows that whoever comes from that place relies on the coconut tree. There have been droughts and no one considers their effects. My prayer is that apart from the compensation that this Motion is seeking, I request that the Government comes up with structures that will enable that tree to survive not only in terms of production but the benefits of this tree be realised for the good of the people in Kilifi County or coastal region.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Hon. Lodepe Nakara.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First of all, I want to congratulate Hon. Owen Baya for bringing this Motion on behalf of the people of Kilifi County.

As you said earlier, every community has resources which must be used for the benefit of the locals from that community. The Government must invest in that resource, so that the locals can benefit from it. I researched on coconuts and I realised that this fruit is very important in this country if we put some additional value to it. It will benefit people from the coastal region and Kenyans. Research says that coconut oil increases fat burning. That means that if you use coconut oil, it reduces body fat and you become slim and good. Research also says that coconut oil reduces hunger and it makes you to eat less food. That is a very good product. Coconut oil has fatty acid which has some medical properties. This means that this oil can treat some diseases in your body. The idea which I want to bring is that we add value to this product, so that besides getting little money from selling it directly, it can be used to generate more income to the locals in the community. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is a Kilifi County Bill, 2014 concerning coconut. I would like to ask the people from Kilifi to go and put it in practice. It spells out how products can be used to befit people of Kilifi County. The county can also build a manufacturing factory at Kaloleni. During campaigns one of the candidates by the name Mungaro said that if he would be elected, he would build a coconut factory in Kaloleni. We want the sitting governor, Hon. Kingi to do that. There is no need of calling the national Government when we have a county government which can do something for the locals like building a factory at Kaloleni.

They can also request private developers to come in because the Government is stretched. It cannot help everybody. As long as they have this product, they can welcome private developers or investors to come to Kilifi so that this product can grant employment to the youth, change the lifestyle of the community and by doing that, even Kenya can benefit from this product.

With those few remarks, I support the Motion.

(Hon. (Ms.) SoipanTuya): Hon. Mwadime Andrew. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. At the outset, I rise to support the Motion.

Englishmen say that, speak only when you think your words are better than your silence. This goes well with Hon. Owen Baya because if he had kept silent, we could not have such deliberation going on in this Parliament.

Coconut is the only tree which has good input to the human being straight from the tip right to the roots. Its leaves are used for building good houses and the roots are important to human beings.

It is high time agricultural researchers did research on all cash crops in the country. We have had tea farmers and coffee farmers being compensated, but it is interesting that a tree that has over 100 types of uses ranging from food to making brooms and many others, is never given anything. It is high time our researchers in agriculture distributed all the resources to all parts of the country.

The coconut if well done can create over one million jobs. We have read that our young men are always on drugs simply because they lack work. If such plants like the coconut are well taken care of and people are encouraged and assisted by the Government to exploit it, it can create many jobs especially on the Big Four Agenda. If they concentrate on such kind of plants like cashew nuts, they will create many jobs.

It is high time the insurance schemes in coffee and cattle were extended to cashewnuts and coconut farming. They should not segregate or give it to some parts of the country while leaving others out. We, the Taita, also have ranches. Our farmers who have livestock ranches are never given any assistance from the Government during drought. It is important that the Government starts such an industry in Kilifi and Lamu because if this plant can give more than the Kshs13 billion that the originator of the Motion projects. This tree is all over the entire Coast region. I support. Thank you.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): I will give one Member from this other side a chance. It has been one side speaking for a while. Hon. Serem.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity to contribute to this Motion by Hon. Baya. I congratulate Members of Parliament from Coast and I also remind them that they should not whine about other areas getting subsidies from Government if they do not bring their own Motions. I am sure if there are areas that have benefited from Government it is because there are Members of Parliament who are active on the same. I rise not because I come from Coast, but because I recognise that coconut products are very important for this country. The children and families that live in Kilifi are part of the big family called Kenya. If we address the issue that touches on farmers at the Coast, we will have addressed issues that touch on farmers all over the country. Apart from measures that are addressed by the Member on this Motion, I want to bring amendments in future so that the issue of value addition is also attached to the same so that farmers in Coast do not only sell raw products but sell products that can be exported. Few months ago, I was in Kilifi and I was impressed by value addition which is done on coconut products at KIE in Kilifi. I wish more can be done in Malindi and other areas that grow the same crop. We can discuss more that we see through the naked eye, but there are things that are unforeseeable like drought. What is it that we can do to address the issue of natural calamities? Maybe irrigation could be a factor that farmers at the Coast should look into. You cannot have a whole ocean and say that you have no water. Something of that nature can be looked at so that you can pump and have irrigation to address issue of drought in Coast. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

As a country, we have a large group of young men and women with no jobs. If we utilised this sector, our young men and women could be employed to support their families. As a country, we cannot every single day say that this country relies on farming yet we are doing less to assist farmers. If we look at the budgets of the last three years, agriculture received the minimal allocation on key sectors that require funding in relation to output. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I encourage our colleagues to support this Motion so that farmers are compensated so that in the event there is drought, it is not only one region that is compensated. It cannot be coffee farmers only. It cannot be other areas that get compensation while people just think about tourists when we discuss coast region. Not everybody is in the tourism sector. Farmers should be assisted. I want all Members to support this Motion so that farmers can see the importance of engaging themselves in this activity, which is important to all of us – not only farmers in the Coast but all stakeholders, including all consumers, of which I am one of them. I am not saying I should be given any favour because I am one of them. I feel that farmers in the Coast should be given an opportunity. They have been marginalised for many years. When we talk about Coast, it is always stories about tourism. There also should be a good story about farming in Coast.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Let us have Hon. Tayari Stephen, Member for Kinango, to prosecute a proposed amendment. Be very brief because we are running out of time.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this time. I thank Hon. Baya for bringing this Motion to this House. I rise to bring amendments to the Motion and I will be very brief because of the time. I beg that move that the Motion be amended by inserting the words “the Coast Region” after the words “coconut farmers” in the fifth line, and; by deleting the words “Kilifi County” in the fourteenth line and substituting thereof the words “counties in the Coast Region”. With those amendments, I ask Hon. Mwashako to second me. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Asante Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda. Nasimama kuunga mkono mapendekezo kufanyia marekebisho ama mageuzi Hoja ambayo imeletwa na Mhe. Owen. Ni Hoja nzuri ambayo sisi viongozi wa Mkoa wa Pwani tunaamini. Si Kilifi peke yake ambako mnazi unakuzwa. Mnazi unakuzwa Pwani nzima. Pili, kiangazi cha mwaka jana na mwaka juzi kiliathiri eneo nzima la Pwani. Kwa hivyo, naunga mkono marekebisho hayo na kusema kwamba Hoja hii imekuja wakati mzuri. Tunajua tuna mimea inayojulikana sehemu nyingi ya Kenya. Ni mimea inayotajika. Inaitwa cash crops kwa Kizungu. Tuko na mimea michache sana kule Pwani. Hatujajulikana sana kwa mambo ya ukulima lakini kwa minazi, mikorosho na mambo kama hayo yanayopatikana kule Pwani, tunatamani Serikali itilie mkazo. Tunapoongea kuhusu zile Ajenda 4 Kuu za Mhe. Uhuru Kenyatta, kilimo kiko ndani. Tunasema Pwani ihesabike moja ya zile sehemu zinachangia kuinua uchumi wa Kenya. Mhe. Owen alitaja kwamba mnazi unawezaleta hata mapato zaidi ya bilioni 13. Ninavyojua, tunawezapandisha hayo mapato tukafika hata bilioni 25 kukuza uchumi huu.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Order. You are restricted to only speak on the amendment. I think you already did it. You are just trying to sneak in your contribution. So, allow me to stop you there. I will go on to propose the Question on the amendment.

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I hope we are not going to take too much time on this one. We are actually out of time. Just a moment. I will give opportunity to one Member to speak to the amendment. Let me give Hon. Baya. Hon. Members, you should note that since it is an amendment, even if you had spoken earlier to the substantive Motion, you still have a chance to speak to the amendment. Very briefly, Hon. Baya, to see whether we have your buy-in.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Tayari for introducing the amendment. The drought affected all the counties of Coast region and that all the counties of the Coast region stand to benefit if this amendment is introduced.

I therefore support the amendment.

(Hon. (Ms.) Soipan Tuya): Hon. Members, we are out of time for this sitting. Just to point out, we have a balance of 23 minutes. When we come back to Private Motions, Hon. Members who have not contributed will still have some opportunity. We will pick up from the amendment and then we shall conclude.

(Hon. (Ms) Soipan Tuya): Hon. Members, time being 1.00p.m., this House stands adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 1.00 p.m.

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