Hon. Members, can you, please, take your seats? Take your seats, please.

Hon. Members, we convene today under extremely unique circumstances. I wish to formally report to the House that on 23rd April 2022, following the Presidential Proclamation of 22nd April 2022 regarding the demise of the Third President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Hon. Emilio Mwai Kibaki, CGH, I received a request from the Leader of the Majority Party seeking to convene a Special Sitting of the House. The purpose of the Special Sitting is to transact the following business: (a) Procedural notification to the assembled House with respect to the Presidential Proclamation of 22nd April 2022 regarding the demise of the Third President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Hon. Emilio Mwai Kibaki; and, (b) Consideration of Exceptional Motion on Honour and Tributes of the House to the late Third President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Hon. Emilio Mwai Kibaki, following the Presidential Proclamation of 22nd April 2022 regarding his demise.

Having taken cognisance of the urgency of the business so specified in the request by the Leader of the Majority Party, I acceded to the request to convene a Special Sitting of the House today, Wednesday, 27th April 2022, commencing at 2.30 p.m. Consequently, and in keeping with the requirements of Standing Order No.29, I gazetted this Special Sitting of the House vide Kenya Gazette Notice No.4842 of 25th April 2022 . This Special Sitting was also notified to the public by The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

way of newspaper notifications published on 25th April 2022 . In this regard, the Special Sitting of the House today, Wednesday, 27th April 2022, is properly convened.

The business to be transacted by the House during the Special Sitting is as specified in the Gazette Notice I have referred to. Having declared that this Special Sitting is properly convened, allow me to turn to the most important business that necessitated the convening of the Sitting.

We have gathered here today under sad circumstances. As you are already aware, the National Assembly and the nation as a whole, is mourning the passing on of the Third President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Hon. Emilio Mwai Kibaki, who passed away on Friday, 22nd April 2022, while undergoing treatment at the Nairobi Hospital.

His Excellency the retired Third President was born on 15th November 1931 in Gatuyaini Village, Othaya Division in the then Nyeri District, now Nyeri County. He began his early education at Gatuyaini Primary School before proceeding to Karima Mission Primary School in Othaya. Thereafter, he proceeded to Mathari School, now Nyeri High School, between 1944 and 1946, where he completed his elementary education.

The late retired Third President joined Mang’u High School where he studied between 1947 and 1950 and attained the highest grade above his peers in his ‘O’ Level Examinations. The late retired Third President then pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, where he graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Economics. His excellent performance earned him a scholarship to the London School of Economics where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Finance with distinction. Upon completing his studies in the United Kingdom, he returned to Uganda in 1958 and took up a job as an Assistant Lecturer of Economics at Makerere University. Hon. Members, let me pause to allow those Members to make their way into the Chamber. Members making your way in, please, do so.

Hon. Members, in 1961, a time when the country was gearing up for Independence, the late retired President Kibaki returned to Kenya upon a request by the then Secretary-General of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the late Thomas Joseph Mboya, and took up a role as an executive officer in the party. He is credited for helping to draft Kenya's independence Constitution, a role that he would later re-play as the President who shepherded the process that culminated in the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution. The late retired President Kibaki’s long and decorated political career was birthed at Independence in 1963, when he vied for and won the parliamentary seat for Donholm Constituency, currently Makadara Constituency.

In 1974, the late retired Third President opted to represent the people of his rural home, Othaya, where he contested and won the seat of Member of Parliament for Othaya Constituency. His impeccable leadership qualities endeared him to the people of Othaya, who re-elected him to Parliament in all the subsequent elections held in 1979, 1983, 1988, 1992, 1997, 2002, and 2007 when he served his final term and retired in March 2013. The late retired President Mwai Kibaki leaves an indelible imprint in the history of Parliament of Kenya as the longest serving Member of Parliament. He has in his honour a half a century of service to the nation as a Member of Parliament spanning from 1963, when he was first elected, until his retirement in March 2013. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Members, during his political career as a Member of Parliament, he rose through the political ranks to become an assistant minister, minister, Vice-President, Leader of Official Opposition and crowned his exemplary political career by becoming the Third President of the Republic of Kenya, where he served for two terms, which is the constitutional limit. Having reached the highest political pinnacle, His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki honourably exited politics upon handing over the reins of power to the incumbent President, His Excellency Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta. He exuded rare dedication to duty that even after rising to the Presidency, the late retired President Mwai Kibaki would still find time to sit in the National Assembly in his capacity as the Member for Othaya Constituency to articulate issues of concern to his constituents and of mutual benefit to Kenyans at large. In him rests an unmatched fallen hero, who shall forever be remembered for his gentlemanly and non-confrontational leadership style.

Hon. Members, in his first term as a Member of Parliament, the late retired President Mwai Kibaki’s standing as an economist earned him appointment as an Assistant Minister for Finance and Chairman of the Economic Planning Commission in 1963. Later on in 1966, he was elevated to the position of Minister for Commerce and Industry, a position in which he served until 1969 when he was appointed Minister for Finance and Economic Planning. In 1978, he was appointed Vice-President and served until March 1988. When Section 2A of the Constitution was repealed in December 1991 following political agitation for multiparty democracy that was inspired by the winds of change from one-party politics to multiparty democratic parties that was blowing across the African Continent, the late Third President resigned from the Government and the ruling party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU), and founded the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP). This bold decision marked a new trajectory in the political career of the late retired President Kibaki. He joined the presidential race in the first multi-party General Elections of 1992 in which he came fourth. He contested for the presidency in the subsequent General Elections in 1997, where he came second to the late President Moi and became the Leader of the Official Opposition in the National Assembly. In 2002, the late retired Third President made another stab at the presidency under the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC) Party and won with an astounding landslide majority, becoming Kenya’s Third President. He was re-elected President for a second term in 2007 under the Party of National Unity. Once again, let me allow the Members at the door to make their way in.

The late retired Third President will be remembered for major milestones that transformed the country’s economic, social and political landscape. When he took oath of office as President in December 2002, the late retired President Mwai Kibaki committed to turn around the country’s economy. He approached leadership from a people-centric perspective that was aimed at improving the quality of lives of the people. He shall forever be remembered for his famous quote: “Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed.” Guided by this philosophy, the late retired President Kibaki midwifed several reforms in Kenya’s governance architecture in order to realign it for accelerated service delivery. He shall also be remembered for spearheading the entrenchment of ideals of accountability and transparency that led to the creation of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, the precursor to The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

the Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority (KACA), now renamed; the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, to enforce transparency and accountability in Government and Government operations. In terms of economic development, the late retired Third President is credited with formulating an economic recovery strategy that put the country on the pedestal for becoming a middle-income economy. The economic model of the late retired Third President led to a sharp rebound in the economy and was characterised by unprecedented economic boom, growth and development. You may all remember that within the first term of his presidency, Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose from a low of 0.6 per cent in 2003 to about 9 per cent in 2007.

He also embraced self-reliance by increasingly funding the national budget from internally- generated resources such as increased tax revenue collection, hence reducing Kenya's dependence on donor aid. The late retired President Mwai Kibaki made momentous contribution to infrastructure development. He shall be remembered for ambitiously rebuilding, modernising and expanding Kenya’s infrastructure. During his tenure, he accomplished flagship infrastructure projects such as the Thika Super Highway and various bypasses around Nairobi City. He also initiated other key projects like the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Project and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), later successfully implemented by the current administration. The late retired Third President will also be remembered for his progressive economic policies that led to an exponential rise in micro-finance institutions and access to financing, which spurred economic development. It was also during his tenure that the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), with the full support of the 9th Parliament, was introduced and today, as the forerunner to the devolved fund, the NG-CDF has immensely improved the quality of lives of many people in the country. This is particularly noticed in many regions that were deemed marginalised in the past. The late retired Third President will also be remembered for the boom in the telecommunications sector. It was during his time that he laid the foundation for growth in mobile telecommunications and internet connectivity that has positioned Kenya as a mobile and ICT innovations hub. In the education sector, the late retired President Kibaki will forever be celebrated for introducing Free Primary Education (FPE) in 2003, during which year, about two million new pupils, who would have otherwise not gone to school, were enrolled into primary schools. The progressive implementation of FPE immensely contributed to the realisation of universal primary education in the country and laid the firm foundation for the roll out of tuition-free day secondary education, which presently guarantees 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schools. His administration also expanded access to university education by granting charters to several university-colleges across the country to become full-fledged universities. The late retired President Kibaki will also be remembered for his role in the constitution- making process in Kenya. Despite the failed attempt in 2005, the late retired Third President remained resilient, successfully navigated the divergent constitutional views and bequeathed Kenya a new Constitution which was promulgated on 27th August 2010. In order to consolidate the social, economic and political gains made during his presidency and provide a development road-map for posterity, the late retired President Kibaki developed the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Kenya Vision 2030, an economic blueprint to serve as a vehicle for accelerating the transformation of the country into a newly-industrialised, middle-income country by 2030. The late retired President Kibaki remains an enigma and a steady people-centric leader who evidently cared most about public good and not personal gain. He was an epitome of gentlemanly and non- confrontational leadership that inspired a sense of duty to serve and not to be served. On behalf of the National Assembly, the Parliamentary Service Commission, and on my own behalf, I pay tribute to this great fallen Kenyan hero and convey our sincere condolences to the family, friends and the nation at large for this great loss of a true Statesman. Further, I take this singular opportunity to thank Kenyans of all walks of life, who have managed to come and pay their last respects to the departed former Head of State, whose body is lying in State here in Parliament. Hon. Members, in honour of the selfless service rendered to the community and the nation by the late retired Third President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Hon. Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki, I request that we all stand and observe a moment of silence in his honour.

May his soul rest in Eternal Peace. I thank you. Hon. Members, I can see there are over 40 requests already. I want us to agree on the time each Member will take. Five minutes?

Five minutes.

Okay, Hon. Members. On this one, let us give everybody equal time because at exactly 4.45 p.m., we shall adjourn the proceedings so as to allow the Military to perform some of their ceremonies and then at the tail end, we accompany the body up to the gate, where the National Anthem will be played and then bid farewell to the body of the late President. I think five minutes is good.

Hon. Members, the more time we take without making a decision…

Very well, we will skip Order No.3, 4, 5 and go to 6 all the way to 7.

Leader of the Majority Party.

Thank you Hon. Speaker. I beg to move the following Exceptional Motion: THAT, following the Presidential Proclamation of 22nd April, 2022 regarding the passing on of His Excellency Emilio Mwai Kibaki, CGH, the Third President of the Republic of Kenya, the tributes of this House be recorded in special honour of the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

late retired President’s long and uninterrupted service in this House, his selfless service to the republic, exemplary accomplishments for the country, his role in shepherding Kenya into a new constitutional dispensation in 2010, and for his patriotism and role in promoting socio-economic growth and development of the Republic of Kenya and the East African Region. Let me, on my behalf, on behalf of my family and the people of Kipipiri, start by sending my deep heartfelt condolences to the family and all Kenyans on the passing on of our beloved hero, the late Hon. Emilio Mwai Kibaki. History is more than the path left by the past. It shifts the present and has immense potential to influence the future. These words were said by the former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, when he recounted the steps in history that the House had taken since the 10th Century. Today, we have a singular honour and opportunity to record the tributes of this august House in honour of a giant of history, His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki. In the words of President Obama, I wish to observe that it is hard to eulogise any man. It is hard to capture in words not just the facts and the deeds that make life, but the essential truths of a person; the private joys, the sorrows, quiet moments and the qualities that illuminates ones’ soul. How much harder to do so for a giant of history, whose legacy is not only our cherished constitutional democracy, but the many aspects that form our social and economic struggles of our nation and some of which you have enumerated and some of which are flowing from the public as we talk about the great man? Hon. Speaker, like other giants of history before him, His Excellency Mwai Kibaki came from a very simple family. He was the last born child of humble peasant farmers and he would, as expected, have spent his early childhood assisting his parents to carry out the normal family chores as a herds’ boy including ferrying tobacco from Othaya through the Aberdares Mountain all the way through Naivasha and eventually to Ndunyu Njeru, when he was a young boy. This did not deter him from rising to serve his country in the highest office in the land. I do not want to go through his education because it has already been covered. As I stand before this House to mourn and pay tribute to my political mentor, the late President was a great economist and a leader to which this country owes a great deal of gratitude. He served in various capacities and left formidable changes wherever he went. As you have mentioned, he started off as an assistant minister, then he was appointed a full minister in 1969 to 1978 and then moved on to become a Vice-President. During that time, Kenya saw unprecedented growth. I have read a few of his budget speeches, which I have here and I would like to share, and the Parliament Library has quite a good collection. Looking at what was happening in the 1970’s, I would like to quote what he said in the Budget of 1970. “Given the short fall in revenue available to the Exchequer at the time and the existing tax rates and our recent heavy reliance on the banking system, I should have reduced the level of development spending in the 1976/1977 Budget in order to keep our books in balance. I am, however, reluctant to do this particularly if it delays the restructuring of our economy and its recovery from the recent recession”. He went on to say that: “Domestic long-term borrowing achieved a new peak this year. I am, however, concerned that in the recent years, the only significant subscriber to Government stocks has been the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and that other financial institutions such as insurance companies have invested their surplus funds in property or left them as deposits in banks. I encourage that a greater part of these funds must be drawn into the development effort The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

and the Government is working to increase the effect of attractiveness of Government stocks”. This was in the 1970s and his articulation on financial matters was unmatched. Despite the political challenges our country faced at that point, His Excellency President Kibaki always distinguished himself as a great servant hell-bent to adopt and implement policies geared towards sustainable economic growth and ensuring the overall betterment of the lives of Kenyans. I knew the late President Kibaki as a great friend having met him about thirty years ago on a personal level. I greatly enjoyed his company at the social level, in the golfing circles and later on he became my mentor in 2002 when he encouraged me to get into politics and immediately pulled me into his Cabinet on 3rd January 2003. I was to stay alongside him in the Cabinet for ten years. I watched all these developments that you have articulated as they unfolded and as they were being planned. I know he was a great gentleman. What you would call a gentleman par excellence. He is what leadership authors would call a “global level five leader” who is typified by exuding rare greatness, but with a huge sense of humility. That is what he had.

After serving as Leader of the Official Opposition, he ascended to power at a time of despair, frustration and economic turmoil. Within the first 100 days, he implemented one of the most hailed legacies in terms of Free Primary Education which increased the literacy levels to 72 per cent. I will skip quite a bit of the things I would have said in the interest of time. I have reviewed a number of documents including his first speech and I have learnt a number of things. Allow me to quote one of the critical paragraphs in his speech at Uhuru Park when he took power. For those who will get a scoop of that, it is in paragraph five. He said: “You asked me to lead this nation out of the present wilderness and malaise into the “Promised Land” and I shall. I shall offer responsive, transparent and innovative leadership and I am willing to put everything I have into this job because I regard it as a sacred duty.” We all know he put all his energy into serving Kenya for 10 years. He continues: “I have offered our competitors a hand of friendship. We have been through a long and sometimes bitter electioneering campaign. Now the elections are over and there should be no bitterness.”

He lived up to that. He also said: “Let us all unite in forgiveness, reconciliation and hard work to rebuild Kenya. Nation-building requires the joint efforts of all Kenyans. Let us work for a common destiny and advance our common aspirations to bequeath a better country to our children.”

Over the 10 years, he lived up to those words. In paragraph seven, he articulated the following: “We want to bring back the culture of due process, accountability and transparency in public office. The era of “anything goes” is gone forever and Government will no longer be run on the whims of individuals. The era of roadside policy declarations is gone and my Government’s decisions will be guided by teamwork and consultations.” He went on to say something which is very important for us here today: “The authority of Parliament and independence of the Judiciary will be restored and enhanced as part of the democratic process and culture that we have undertaken to bring and foster.”

When I look at the contents of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, that brought the independence of Parliament - that no president will ever dissolve Parliament on a whim - it is part The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

of the promise that was made in Uhuru Park on that afternoon of December 2002 when he took over. I could go on and on, but we do not have the luxury of time. The late President had an outstanding approach to leadership that all of us here should emulate to make Kenya a great country that Mzee left. As we head to the elections, probably God has called him to the high heavens as a signal to Kenyans. As we talk of all the great things Mzee Kibaki did, I would like to ask our electorate to honour him by looking for his qualities and characteristics in all aspirants at all levels. Ask yourself if you see a Kibaki or aspects thereof in your Member of County Assembly (MCA), Member of Parliament, Senator or Governor. I want the electorate to ask themselves whether they see a Kibaki or aspects thereof - those attributes that we are all talking of - in their elected leaders. He did very great. Do not just say, as we traditionally do, that a cow had milk after it has passed on. We want to look at whether our cows have milk even in the future when they are still living. I would like to challenge our electorates to look for those qualities in our leaders as we go to those elections and Kenya shall be a great country just as he planned it, sowed the seeds, created the framework that we all crave for, so that we will bequeath a better country to our children and our children’s children. Hon. Speaker, in the interest of time and all the other Members, I want to stop there. I could go on forever. It touches me personally from my close relationship with him. I have lost a friend and a mentor. I hope wherever he is, he is looking down upon me and the others that he mentored and he will help us in our journey through this political thickness. Hon. Speaker, with those words, I beg to move.

Deputy Minority Whip, Hon. Eseli!

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for this opportunity to also eulogise a great person and a great leader of this country by the name of Hon. Emilio Mwai Kibaki, the retired former President of this country. For us in the western part of Kenya, Kibaki held a special place. Indeed, in the 2002 elections, the western part of Kenya gave Kibaki close to 80 per cent of their votes. This was not just because of the influence of Michael Wamalwa Kijana, but because the Western Kenya people had great hopes in Kibaki’s Government and indeed, he did not disappoint in his tenure. Hon. Speaker, if I was to narrow down to the constituency that I represented then, Kimilili Constituency, we had a special place in our hearts for Kibaki. At one time he visited Bungoma County which was a district at that time and he came specifically to Naitiri which was in Kimilili Constituency. We will always remember him because at that time he managed to give Kimilili their own district. Kimilili had been anchoring for their own district for a very long time. At that point he also laid the foundation stone for a hospital theatre at Naitiri Hospital being built by Safaricom Foundation. He also laid a foundation stone for a 5000 litre milk cooler at the same place. He left a major mark in the wider Kimilili Constituency, now Tongaren Constituency. At that point he also gave instructions for the road from Kimilili to Misikhu to be tarmacked and indeed it was fulfilled. Hon. Speaker, I would say that I was honoured to have been in Parliament at the time Kibaki was the President of this country. He was an interesting leader in the sense that he listened more than he spoke. At one time when there had been the Tokyo Embassy scandal and Hon. Wetang’ula had stepped aside as the Minister for Foreign Affairs, he called us, the Members of Parliament from Western for a meeting at Harambee House. I told Hon. Wetang’ula that I am going to ask the President to reinstate him and when we got there, Hon. Wetang’ula grew cold feet. He told me not to mention it. I kept quiet but as the meeting was coming to an end, I mentioned The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

it. I told His Excellency the President Mwai Kibaki, “Hon. Wetang’ula stepped aside due to the Tokyo scandal and the investigations have not come up with anything, why can you not reinstate him? Kenyans are asking kama wewe unawacha watu wako kwa mataa ?” And the President laughed and told me “ Eseli wewe wacha siasa nyingi ”. We then left the President’s office at Harambee House but within a week the Hon. Wetang’ula was reinstated as the Minister for Foreign Affairs. So I have always remembered Mzee Kibaki as a very witty person that listened to his people. Hon. Speaker, I do not know whether we can actually produce another Kibaki for this country. He was somebody who had an impact on the economy of this country. The current leadership that came after him, was able to rebase the economy to a lower middle income economy. This was all because of the efforts that he had put in. It came about because of the devolution that he started implementing from the time he became President. He devolved a lot of economic activities to the grassroots and that stimulated the grassroots economy. I believe that is the basis that Kenya has thrived on to be classified as a lower middle income country. If we follow the new Constitution strictly and devolve more funds to the grassroots, perhaps we will achieve the dream that Hon. Kibaki had for this country including Vision 2030. Hon. Speaker, it is a great loss to the country but we thank God that he gave us His Excellency Emilio Mwai Kibaki to live that long and lead this country to the direction that he led this country, especially economically. While he might not have played the politics as well as we would have wanted him to, we have to accept him as he is and agree that he did a great job. That is His Excellency Hon. Mwai Kibaki.

Hon. Sankok.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to send my heartfelt condolences on my own behalf, on behalf of my family and the 6.5 millions of Kenyans with disabilities that I represent in this House, to the family of the late Hon. Kibaki, the people of Othaya and to the people of Kenya in general. Our paths crossed incidentally with the late Kibaki when I was the president of the Student Organisation of the Nairobi University (SONU). At that time, the Moi regime had introduced the parallel degree programme, a programme that I was against. Hon. Kibaki was the Leader of the Official Opposition and he was against the Moi regime, and, therefore, we had one common enemy. In the spirit of an enemy of your enemy is your friend, we were friends by default. Our paths crossed again in 2002, when the late Kibaki, was sworn in as the third President of Kenya on a wheelchair. We were both persons with disabilities. A few months into his leadership he said, “W api yule mlemavu alifukuzwa university? Rudisha yeye na wenzake. ” That is how some of us who were suspended from the University of Nairobi and other public universities got our amnesty from. I remember him as a hero. Without him, I would not have completed my university education. As Mzee lies outside here, Hon. Speaker, the man who used the bridge of the post-election violence victims and dead bodies to grab half of his Government in the arrangement of the nusu

is screaming the loudest. Mzee as you fly with the angles, the man who was against your legacy of Thika Super Highway project, describing it as a tribal project, is crying the loudest. The man who coined the forty-one against one political genocide mantra because he was against you and your community is shedding crocodile tears. If Malema was a Kenyan, he would have said, “ Mzee, give us a signal on how to deal with them: such sellouts, betrayers and pretenders.” The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Speaker, we mourn the late Kibaki because he left a positive economy for us, he left an economy that was thriving and was on a positive rise. Currently we have Kshs9 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and loans of up to Kshs12 trillion. That is negative. Hon. Speaker, the late Hon. Kibaki left us when everybody would have three meals a day. Currently in Kenya, it is very difficult to even have one meal a day, not because you are suffering from typhoid or lack of appetite, but because the economy is that bad. Hon. Kibaki was an economist and his successor did not study economics. In any case, he was good in figures and figures never lie. We were doing well as Kenyans under the leadership of His Excellency Mwai Kibaki and under the first five-year term of the Jubilee administration, but in the second term, we are now on a negative trend. May the soul of our hero, His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, rest in peace. Fly with the angels.

Let us have the Member for Rarieda, Hon. Otiende Amollo.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Six years ago one-day shy, Her Excellency Lucy Kibaki left us in the month of April. Five days ago, His Excellency Emilio Mwai Kibaki left us. Perhaps this is the Almighty’s way of demonstrating their enduring love for each other till death did them apart, as the Bible says. We all know and accept that His Excellency Mwai Kibaki was not only the longest serving Member of Parliament by the time he died, but also the most experienced. We can debate about many things, but we all accept that having been plucked by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga from the plush serenity of Makerere University to come and serve as the Executive Officer of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), he remained steadfast and committed to this country. He was definitely a gentleman of Kenyan politics. He was gentlemanly to the point of being mistaken for a fence-sitter. We all know that behind that gentility was a very careful and calculating, but principled man whose integrity was not easy to question. He was a man who, when some of his friends sought to bring his integrity into question, had the courage to release them. This is a man whose focus was not only on the economy, but also on democratic space, meritocracy and later, on constitutional reforms. His legacy is superb. It was nearly bloated out in 2007 when some of his handlers led him into a process that he was not fully persuaded on, aided by the Judiciary at the time. To his credit, on recognising that, he accepted the subsequent process of reconciliation that ended up in a Government of National Unity. Together with the Right Hon. Prime Minister, they were able to steer this country to a situation of unity that had never been seen before, to exponential growth and to put the foundations for legislative and constitutional reforms. I am proud to have been one of the beneficiaries of the four organs of reforms, that is, the Committee of Experts. Today, I wear the insignia of the Elder of the Burning Spear, which His Excellency Mwai Kibaki accorded me for my service to the country in writing the Constitution, way before the age of forty, based purely on meritocracy. I had the opportunity to serve as the first Ombudsman of this Republic at the time that Mwai Kibaki was president. I can confirm that the entire process was purely based on merit. Both in the Committee of Experts and as the Ombudsman, there was no single day that the President sought to exert undue pressure or as lawyers say, to force us to work with let or hindrance. He respected principles, meritocracy and allowed independent institutions to do their work. This was a man to be emulated. There are lessons to be learnt in his humility in deputising the Commander-in-Chief, in restraint of want and greed and in his principle to walk away when he thought that there were differences in principle. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

These are things to be emulated today by all that are listening and by all that are praising Mwai Kibaki. But above all, his commitment to his country before self is unquestionable. Mwai Kibaki say, pass our regards to J.M. Kariuki, Tom Mboya, Jomo Kenyatta, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, John Silver and the others before us.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Member for Kieni.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. On behalf of my family, on behalf of the people of Kieni that I represent and on behalf of the Nyeri people, I convey my very sincere condolences to the family, friends and relatives of the third President of the Republic of Kenya. As the country mourns the third President, we should always remember that he was a father, an uncle, a grandfather and a great grandfather to many. So I take this opportunity to convey a message of condolences to his family and friends. I had an opportunity to interact with the third President at a tender age when I was at the university. In the year 1998 when our Member of Parliament, the late Munene Kairu passed on, I decided to vie as a Member of Parliament. I remember the third President invited us, because he was the chairman of the Democratic Party (DP), for a meeting with all the aspirants who were contesting for the Kieni parliamentary seat. I remember him telling me, “Young man, you are contesting for this seat. But we beseech you Mathenge because you still have a lot of time and a bright future ahead of you that a time will come when you will be elected as Member of Parliament.” So, consensus did not just start the other day. There was consensus and we agreed to support Dr. Chris Murungaru. For sure we supported Chris Murungaru who became the MP for Kieni. Fifteen years later, I was elected Member of Parliament for Kieni because I had listed to him. The leader that we are bidding farewell today has many hats, many attributes and many virtues. To highlight just a few, one of them is humility. We all remember when the third President served as a Vice President and also as a minister in the KANU Government, there were many times he was humiliated. There was a time he was actually demoted from the Vice President and taken to the Ministry of Health. He did not abscond duty. He continued serving the country because he knew that in any opportunity that one is given… He used to say that when you are given an opportunity to serve, it is an opportunity to serve not to enrich yourself. The third President detested lazy people and corruption. If we remember, during his tenure as the third President when there were allegations of corruption even with his closest friends, they were actually dropped from the Cabinet. That is the kind of leader that we will forever remember. The free primary education will remain in our hearts. There are many students that I have come across who say that were it not for his intervention, they would not have gone through the primary education. Our farmers will never forget Hon. Mwai Kibaki because of the new Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC). KCC had been taken over by private individuals but when he took over power, he reverted the corporation back to the farmers and now the farmers are happy about the milk and the prices they get. We from the mountain can never forget what he did in terms of the road infrastructure. Remembering the Thika Super Highway, we all know the kind of traffic jams we used to have. We used to have clogging on the entire Thika Road. With the construction of the Thika Super Highway, definitely even the value of land in our areas improved. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

We can say a lot about the former President. But to say the least, we need to learn from all the virtues the third President instilled in us. If we forget some of them, we should just remember that he detested lazy people, he detested people involved in corruption and encouraged us to work hard. He moved our economy from down there to a now thriving one. Those are the lessons that we need to learn from the third President. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Thank you.

Member for Kiminini.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On my behalf, on behalf of my family, on behalf of the great people of Kiminini and Trans Nzoia County at large, I bring our message of condolences to the family of the late President, friends and the entire nation. The Bible in the book of Ecclesiastes says that there is time for everything: there is time to be born and there is time to die. Indeed, it was too early for the late President Mwai Kibaki. He leaves behind a positive legacy. He was indeed a family man. From his busy schedule of politics, he found time for his family and this is a big virtue that other leaders must emulate. When it comes to matters of the economy, the President took over when the growth of the economy was at 0.06 per cent and he managed to drive it to almost 10 per cent. Mwai Kibaki believed in planning. It is said that failing to plan is planning to fail. Indeed, he came up with the Vision 2030, the economic blueprint that all policies are anchored in. In the Vision 2030, the President envisioned Kenya to be a middle income economy. On matters of public debt, the President borrowed wisely. I remember at the time the ratio of public borrowing to the GDP was around 48 per cent to 50 per cent. But currently, the borrowing ratio to the GDP is almost 100 per cent. He borrowed wisely. Now the burden of the public debt is on Kenyans. We call upon leaders to emulate President Mwai Kibaki. On matters of taxation, he increased the tax revenue and at the time the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) had a slogan, kulipa ushuru ni kujitegemea. This is the President. When it came to matters of employment, he came up with the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth Creation and Employment. I remember at the time we had drastic reforms in the banking industry. The cash reserve ratio was low and banks for the first time in the history of the country were hawking loans. They were giving loans to Kenyans at a low interest rate because we did not have a lot of Government domestic borrowing. He had allowed the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to borrow from banks. We salute him because it is the time the economy grew and there was a lot of money with the SMEs and employment was created. During his time as President, there was zero tolerance to corruption. In every Government office you went to, it was written, “Zero tolerance to corruption”. We salute President Mwai Kibaki because he was committed towards the fight against corruption.

I had an opportunity to go to his House with the late Vice President Kijana Wamalwa, and we had a chat over tea with him. I remember even Joseph Kamotho was there. From his communication, he was a humble man. The very first time I want to State House again with the late Vice President Wamalwa after his installation in Uhuru Park, he was still on a wheelchair. We salute him for the humility he had as a President, for being a family man and for the healthy economy. We call upon leaders of this country that we are looking for another Kibaki, a Kibaki who will revive the economy, a Kibaki who will reduce the public debt that is burdening Kenyans, a Kibaki who will manage the cost of living. As we speak, the cost of living is very high and inflation is very high too. We call upon the next President of this country, who I am very sure is going to be a Kibaki moment, to respect Kenyans. He respected institutions. He respected The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Parliament. He respected the Judiciary. We salute him for that. I am even told that he could at that time call off Cabinet meetings if a Cabinet Minister was invited to Parliament. We salute him for the respect he had for Parliament and the independence of the Judiciary. May his soul rest in eternal peace. I thank you.

Hon. Duale.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On my behalf, the people of Garissa Township and Northern Kenya, I send my condolences to the family, friends and the people of Othaya who have lost a great leader. If you allow me, let me quote a verse from Surah Al ‘Imran in the Quran which says: “Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your full compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained his desire. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion?” I had the privilege to serve with President Kibaki in the 10th Parliament. I thank you because you are the party leader of the great party that President Kibaki established many years ago. You are the only one who is keeping his legacy. The rest are praising Kibaki while I had a very rare privilege to serve with him in the 10th Parliament when Presidents were Members of Parliament (MPs) and President Kibaki was the MP for Othaya. I had a very rare privilege to be very close to Kibaki when I differed with my Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in 2010. I, and many others, including the current Deputy President, were adopted by President Kibaki as his political sons and we survived until 2013. Kibaki will be remembered as one who was not a petty leader as some people are today. Kibaki will be remembered as a person who did not betray. He did not believe in the politics of deceit and betrayal as it is today in Kenya. Kibaki believed in the economy, the hustler and the smallest of the smallest people. It was Kibaki who asked the banking sector in our country to open up loans to the smallest of businesses in our country. It is Kibaki who brought this country up. During his tenure and when he took over, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) was collecting Kshs600 billion. By 2013, the KRA was collecting Kshs1.2 trillion. He believed in local revenue. He never believed in debt. Kibaki left us with a debt of Kshs1.8 trillion. Today, our country is going the route of Sri Lanka and Greece where we are at a debt of Kshs13.5 trillion. When Kibaki was leaving us, a loaf of bread was Kshs20. Today Kenyans are buying a loaf of bread at Kshs55. Kenyans are queueing everywhere. I urge my Christian brothers and sisters, please, do not cheat when you want to mourn the dead. Do not shed crocodile tears. We know those who made Kibaki’s life difficult in the 10th Parliament and in the Grand Coalition Government. I was a minister. Hon. Charles Kilonzo and Hon. Kimunya are the only two Members I can see who were with us in the 10th Parliament. We know how the Grand Coalition Government was run. Kibaki had the best of the best of advisors— men like Ambassador Muthaura and people like Kimemia. I do not know what has happened to Kimemia of late. It was unlike today when you have sycophants and a cartel that wants to steal from the people. The next leader of the Republic of Kenya must be like Kibaki. The person closest to Kibaki is none other than Hon. William Samoei arap Ruto. That is the man who is closest to Kibaki. The rest worked with Kibaki. William Ruto will be like Kibaki. I have worked with him. He will turn our economy. But please, my Christian brothers, do not praise Kibaki if you know you made his life difficult during his time. May his soul rest in peace.

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Member for Ugunja, Hon. Wandayi.

Hon. Speaker, thank you very much. Let me join my colleagues in passing my condolences and those of the people of Ugunja to the family and friends of the late third President Mwai Kibaki and, indeed, to the people of Kenya. The more I hear my colleagues speak with passion, the more I am reminded of the celebrated speech by Mark Antony in Julius Caesar. Those of us who are fans of Shakespeare will tell you that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Let me say two things. The late Hon. President Mwai Kibaki was a man of his own class. I can for sure remember him for two things, if only two things. One, as you know, he was among the very few of his generation—the generation of post-independence Kenyan leaders who were known for nothing else but nationalism. Mwai Kibaki lived the spirit of nationalism till he died. Mwai Kibaki was known as a unifying figure. He was known as a person who was non-polarising, a virtue that we really need in this country. Mwai Kibaki was the kind of statesman that you would need at any given moment in the life of a country. Secondly, it is the legacy that Hon. Mwai Kibaki has left behind. You know many a times leaders strive to leave a positive legacy. What I have come to learn is that once you are a good leader like Mwai Kibaki was, you do not have to strive to leave a legacy. It just happens naturally.

It just flows, as I am being told by Hon. Wamalwa. What comes to mind when you talk about Mwai Kibaki? The Thika Super Highway just comes to mind, naturally. What comes to mind? It is free primary education. I am happy the Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta followed in his footsteps. If you talk about Uhuru Kenyatta, you will obviously think about the Nairobi Expressway, the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and many other things. As we send off this great Kenyan statesman, we need to relook at ourselves and think of where we are as a country and where we need to go. I cannot end without saying that Mwai Kibaki did not work alone. Indeed, he was blessed to work with three Vice Presidents during his 10-year tenure—the late Hon. Michael Wamalwa Kijana, the Hon. Moody Awori and the Hon. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka. Those were his able loyal Vice Presidents. Indeed, he was lucky to have had loyal Vice Presidents. It was not like these days when you have a Deputy President who has become a Leader of the Opposition. It is very interesting, as we send off the Hon. Mwai Kibaki, that we need to reflect upon ourselves as a country. Do we need the situation we currently find ourselves in, where a Deputy President has become an Opposition leader in his own Government? That never happened during Mwai Kibaki’s tenure. Therefore, with those very many words, I pray the Almighty God to continue blessing this country and to keep the soul of the third President of this country in eternal peace.

Hon. Wangwe.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On behalf of the great people of Navakholo, my family and I, allow me to eulogise the great man—a man who leaves behind lessons rather than a man whom we can talk about in terms of the past. The man, His Excellency Emilio Mwai Kibaki, leaves behind a lesson on leadership. That leadership is not just for you as a person but also for you as a Kenyan and a statesman. Hon. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Mwai Kibaki leaves behind a lesson in terms of leadership on economy per excellence. He handled the economy of this country right from the time he came from school and joined KANU up to the time he left as the President. He preached nothing but the economy.

The other lesson he leaves behind for us is that, he believed not in one person but an entire community. We appreciate the late Hon. Mwai Kibaki for appointing a great man, the late Hon. Christopher Michael Wamalwa as a Vice President of Kenya. With him as the Vice President, the all luhya nation rallied behind Hon. Mwai Kibaki. I come from a very small community of the Abanyala from western Kenya. He was the first President to appoint a munyala Minister, Dr. Newton Kulundu. We are eulogising him as our great friend. Hon. Mwai Kibaki leaves behind 50 years of service in politics that gives us a lesson on patience. Are we supposed to be in a hurry to be presidents tomorrow? The answer is no. Are we supposed to be in a hurry to be leaders today? The answer in no. Patience pays. Let everyone remember Mwai Kibaki as a person who travelled a political journey without being in a hurry to be a president. He led this country well for two terms. He leaves us with great honour. With all those lessons, what do I propose? Great men in this world are remembered through infrastructure such as roads and buildings. Therefore, I want to challenge you as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Service Commission… Could the great Member for Kikuyu allow me to proceed? Hon. Speaker, through this eulogy, I want to make a proposal to you as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Service Commission. I said earlier that great men are remembered through infrastructure such as roads and buildings. Today, we are almost completing the tallest building in the parliamentary complex. Is it possible, through you, to remember this great man after 50 years of service by naming that tallest building as Hon. Mwai Kibaki Building?

Thank you. I submit.

Hon. Iringo Kubai.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to pass my condolences to the family of great fallen leader. I want to pass my condolences and those of Igembe Central to the family of the late President Hon. Mwai Kibaki. I eulogise this great leader who has just left us. The late President Mwai Kibaki was not just a political leader but he was also a manager. In whatever he did, he managed it quite well. We are not praising Mwai Kibaki only for his 10 years as a President, but since he began to be a leader in this country as a secretary for KANU. After leaving the Makerere University, he started organising this country from the word go while we were grappling with the colonial masters up to when he passed on. He has been playing his cards well and he did not fail us in any way. Kibaki is the best President this country has ever had. I pray that we get another one after him. So far, I can say he is the best President we have ever had. The people of Othaya elected him for eight terms because he was a manager. The late President Kibaki was a man of few words but practical in his dealings. He qualified the English saying that says: “Actions speaker louder than words.” The late President rarely talked and he was not on television, radio and news all the time. His actions and plans for this country propelled this country very far. He was a leader who can be emulated. I happened to interact with the late President when he was in the Democratic Party (DP) of Kenya and he was campaigning for the party. He had visited my constituency when I was just a The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

member of the party and not in active politics. I had an interaction with him in a certain hotel where we shared a meal together with other leaders. In him I saw a great man. When he did not make it to be the President in the early 90s, it was unfortunate for this country. If he were to be the President immediately after the repeal of Section 2A of the old Constitution, thereby making Kenya a multi-party state, he could have taken us many miles ahead. Unfortunately, he came at the helm of leadership after having an accident and getting old. There was also the issue of nusumkate that also stalled his plans for this country. Notwithstanding all these hurdles, he made sure that he laid a proper foundation for this country, especially in the transport and education sectors. He was the one who reduced taxes for boda boda so that the young and unemployed people could buy them. As we talk, that sector is employing most of the youth in this country because there is no any other opening to employ our youth. This great man has done a lot for this country. Let us pray for his family, the people of Othaya and his soul. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Thank you.

Hon. Ndindi Nyoro.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker for this opportunity. I rise to send my condolences on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Kiharu to the family of President Mwai Kibaki and the people of Kenya. We learn a lot from the life of President Mwai Kibaki. First, I want to thank the people of Othaya for entrusting a young person with leadership as their MP. President Mwai Kibaki assumed the role of a CEO of KANU at the age of 31. He became an MP at the age of 32 and served for 50 uninterrupted years as an MP. It is through the incubation after ascending to a leadership position early that he was able to refine himself through experience to become a towering leader that he became when he assumed the Presidency of Kenya. I remember President Mwai Kibaki for the free primary education. When he was campaigning, his competitor then told the nation that it was impossible to offer free basic education. However, President Mwai Kibaki went ahead to prove them wrong when he gave the people of Kenya an opportunity to go to school without paying. Most of us went to universities and got places in various universities courtesy of the policies of President Mwai Kibaki to open up space in public universities that previously were based on bed capacity. He also opened up the economy to absorb capital from the private sector for establishment of private institutions. I want to remember President Mwai Kibaki more with regard to the economy. Across all the dimensions of the economy, President Mwai Kibaki’s legacy is towering. He got an economy that had revenues of around Ksh200 billion. By the time he left after 10 years, he had uplifted that revenue by 500 per cent to Ksh1 trillion. The current regime under President Uhuru Kenyatta has only managed to move that revenue from one trillion to around Ksh1.6 trillion which is hardly 60 per cent. The work that His Excellency the late Kibaki did in half a year, has taken the current regime an entire ten years to achieve. He got our country and economy at a point where the total debt was around Kshs600 billion. He left us with a debt of Kshs1.8 trillion, and a borrowing net of Kshs1.2 trillion in a span of ten years. In contrast, with this regime, the debt of Kshs1.8 trillion has even surpassed the limit that we set in this House. The total debt is now going towards Kshs12 trillion. Economically speaking, the late President Mwai Kibaki left the presidency when the poverty level in our country was at around 39 per cent. Currently, Kenyans facing multi-dimensional poverty are just around 63 per cent. In one way or another, two-thirds of Kenya's households are in poverty. Therefore, the country he left booming has descended into poverty. This is more visible in the other sectors. The late President Mwai Kibaki created a very good environment for our private sector to thrive in. Most private sector institutions like banks and companies are very proud. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Categorically speaking, Equity Bank, Family Bank and other financial institutions in the insurance area got their operating licences during his time. In doing all these, he never asked to be given any stake in the companies. I can see that my time is almost up. However, among the many qualities that we can learn from the late President Mwai Kibaki is that it is important for leaders not to be conflicted when they are leading. He never did business with Government when he was the President of Kenya. I want to say that it is criminal for this regime to keep on comparing its performance with that of the late President Mwai Kibaki. It is an insult to his legacy. There is no comparison because we can only contrast. Lastly, it is about his selflessness. He never named any street after himself. When he was approached to have Thika Superhighway named after him...

Member for Emuhaya.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me this chance. On behalf of myself, the people of Emuhaya, the teachers and the workers of Kenya, I take this opportunity to send my apt condolences to the family, friends, Kenyans and even relatives of the late President Mwai Kibaki. The third President of Kenya was an epitome of change in this country. He came to power at a time when we had had the long rule of the late President Moi. So, he came up with many changes which made Kenyans to be proud of his rule. This is the President who stopped the roadside declarations and policies which had been the norm of the late President Moi. Kenyans were never happy about those declarations. Kibaki reduced his motorcades. Most of us here saw the late President Moi’s motorcade. We used to spend a lot of time on the road as teachers and students when Moi was about to pass by. Sometimes, we could spend the whole day by the roadside. On the contrary, the late President Kibaki reduced his motorcade. He made it very simple. He was a remarkable President when it came to internal and external borrowing. He made loans to be very cheap, especially for workers like teachers. For the first time ever, we saw banks like Barclays and Stanchart, which teachers could not go to, come to staffrooms to hawk loans. We will never forget that. He made loans to be cheaper and available for the smallest man in the country. The late President Kibaki went ahead to make sure that teachers got better pay and worked under better conditions. He is remembered for the Kshs17.9 billion which he gave the teachers of Kenya – the harmonised salaries between the civil servants and the teachers of Kenya. That changed the lives of teachers until today. His Excellency President Kibaki improved the minimum wage of Kenyan workers. He is the one who raised it almost to the level that was wanted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). It was improved and today it stands at what is required by the ILO. He did not interfere with Trade Unions. As trade unions, it was very easy to negotiate with him and the Government. At no time did we even meet him when negotiating for teachers’ salaries. We only met ministers and other officers within the system and the deal would be done. We would never meet the late President himself. He believed in the people he appointed into office. I cannot forget the fact that he did a lot with regard to infrastructure. In Emuhaya, for instance, he is the one who came up with the Stendikisa-Khumsalaba Road, which is now in a bad condition. We are asking the current Government to repair it. He also came up with the road from Ebuyangu at Rodis junction to Ekero which is serving the people of Emuhaya. We have to remember him for that. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

He professionalised the Civil Service and the Cabinet. For the first time, we heard of people being told to take their CVs to the President in order for him to see where they could be placed in the Ministries. This was powerful and we loved it. There was meritocracy. Merit ruled the day. Today, we see people being appointed not because they are professionals, but because they are good friends with the ones in power. We cannot hide this accolade from him. This is the President who braved the issue of free primary education, which has now grown and led to subsidised secondary school education being enjoyed today. He was very brave. He said that within his first 100 days in office, he would have implemented free primary education. When I met President Uhuru after the late President Kibaki left the throne, I told him that the late President had done it all and the best he could do were three things. Make sure that secondary school education is free; teachers are paid well; and, build the railway. The rest is a story for another day. He was the leader of Opposition. Today, people fear to be in Opposition. We should go to the next election quickly so that those who will be in Opposition are known. We need to have a check and balance in Parliament. Hey you guys, what is happening? He must also be remembered for handing over power to his next...

Can I hear the Member for Othaya, Hon. Gichuki Mugambi?

Give the Member for Othaya.

Ahsante sana, ahsante sana. Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Allow me to pass my condolences to his family, my great people of Othaya and Kenyans at large as they mourn this great statesman. Allow me also, to thank the people of Othaya who stood with the late President Mwai Kibaki for a period of 40 years. I also want to thank Kenyans for giving him a chance to serve them as their President. I want to eulogise a very humble man: a man who, if you remember, came into power and refused to be called Mtukufu. He went ahead to introduce the term “ Mheshimiwa” for President. We need to remember how humble Hon. Kibaki was. He refused, as many of you have said, any project to be named after him. Now that he is gone, and as the Whip has said, we are allowed to name a few projects after him. We have a Level VI Hospital in Othaya, which we will name after him. It will now be called Mwai Kibaki Teaching and Referral Hospital. I had a chance to serve under him as the Chairman of Othaya Development Association. As you know, the Katiba then, had not allowed the constituency where the President comes from to elect a Member of Parliament. But he gave me a chance to serve on his behalf as the Acting Member of Parliament for Othaya. I was lucky he did recognise my service and gave me an MBS for the service I rendered to Othaya people. We cannot forget where President Kibaki left this country in terms of the economy, education, social and political stability. He is the man who enacted the current Constitution, which is the document that will guide democracy and freedoms of Kenyans for a long time to come. I remember him for his vision. He took over a country that was almost directionless, but he was able to come up with the Kenya Vision 2030 which is a blueprint that will guide the development of this country up to the year 2030. We cannot forget the many children who have had a chance to achieve their dreams because of the Free Primary Education (FPE). This is something we have to guard as leaders, so that all those children have a chance to achieve their dreams. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

President Kibaki valued the private sector. This is an area that helped the economy of this country to grow in double digits. If we all remember, the banking and manufacturing sectors benefited from his policies of supporting the best and allowing merit and competition to thrive in the economy. We have to continue coming up with policies that are supportive of the private sector. Even tax laws were friendly during President Kibaki’s reign. We need to continue ensuring that we do not tax businesses out of business. We should have supportive policies that will ensure that the private sector continues to create more jobs and to help grow our economy. Hon. Speaker, may the good Lord rest the soul of our great statesman in eternal peace. Amen.

Hon. Shamalla, what is your point of order?

Hon. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I have noted and appreciate that you have allowed Members to speak for five minutes each. However, there are 50 to 60 Members who would like to address this issue. All of us will not have a chance to speak considering that the time is 4.30 p.m. If you do the math, given that the House will adjourn at 7.00 p.m., not every Member will be able to pay tribute to His Excellency Mwai Kibaki.

So, what are you suggesting?

I suggest that speaking time be reduced to either two or three minutes. We did that for the late President Moi, when we contributed for two minutes each.

Can we say three minutes?

Hon. Members, you can see I am consulting. We need to know at what time the public should be stopped from coming in. We cannot adjourn and walk out to our procession against the public. Even these people in red attires should organise themselves. Hon. Kilonzo.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Allow me to pass my condolences and those of the larger Kilonzo family. Mzee Kibaki was a good friend of my father when my father was in the Police Service. Indeed, when my father died in suspicious circumstances, Mzee Kibaki, then a Member of Parliament on the Opposition side, did come to mourn with the family. He also attended the funeral service at the Holy Family Basilica. When I joined politics, among the people who supported me financially was Mwai Kibaki. He will be remembered as an economist. He transformed the Kenyan economy to what it is today. Changing the Kenyan economy to a middle class one is not something that can go unnoticed. And this was done during Kibaki’s reign. He developed the Kenya Vision 2030 which successive governments have adopted. I recall, as a young Member of Parliament, that the Budget which was read in June 2003 after Kibaki took over from KANU, was only Kshs256 billion. Ten years later, the Budget he handed over was at Kshs1.8 billion. It was during his time that he emphasised generating our own revenues to run the Government and reduce over-dependence on aid, especially Western aid. Many might not know that Mzee Kibaki believed in devolution. It was during his time that CDF, which was a Private Member’s Bill by Eng. Karue, was passed. He actually requested Eng. Karue to surrender the Bill to be a Government Bill. Today, we have the NG-CDF courtesy of the late President. He believed that Ministers must fight their wars in the House. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Hon. Speaker, allow me to end there and say may his soul rest in peace.

Member for Mathira.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I want to send my condolences to the family of the late Mzee Mwai Kibaki—a great man, a visionary leader, a brilliant economist, a democrat par excellence and the best President ever in our five-decade history. Mwai Kibaki hailed from Nyeri, the land of milk and honey; the land of the courageous and brave; the land of Dedan Kimathi and Prof Wangari Maathai. He has done us proud. Mwai Kibaki presided over unprecedented economic development that changed peoples’ lives. By the time he handed over power in 2013, he left Kenyans a happy lot. Everybody had money in their pocket. He expanded businesses and created the best environment for doing business in this country. He opened up the East for the people of Kenya to trade with China and other countries. He brought about access to affordable credit. If Kenyans can remember, there were tents outside every building where banks were hawking loans to the people of Kenya to do business. Today, the reverse is the reality. It is Mwai Kibaki who brought free primary education. He will be remembered by the people of Kenya for many years to come. He had respect for the rule of law. He never used the criminal justice system to manage politics. He managed politics in the conventional way. He was a gentleman. He never coerced or intimidated anybody to follow his political thinking. He let every Kenyan be. After serving for 39 years as Member of Parliament for Othaya, when the time came for him to retire, he never forced the people of Othaya regarding who would be the next Member of Parliament. When his time to retire as President came, he allowed the people of Kenya to choose their own leader without coercion and intimidation. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Hon. Dennitah Ghati.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me the opportunity to mourn my President, His Excellency Mwai Kibaki. I remember him as the President of this country. He awarded me the Head of State Commendation (HSC) award on Jamhuri Day in 2011. That is why I use it as my title. He recognised the work that I do in my community.

On behalf of the great people of Migori County and the persons with disabilities whom I represent in this House, I wish to send my condolences to his family and Kenyans. Persons with disabilities in Kenya are mourning the President who made their lives better in this country. The Persons with Disabilities Act was signed into law in this country during President Kibaki’s time in 2003. It is a law that makes it easier for the lives and rights of persons with disabilities in Kenya to be recognised in this country. As you may know, this country also signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008. This made life easier for persons with disabilities.

I am a life Member of Maendeleo ya Wanawake . Women of this country are proud of President Kibaki because he supported them and Maendeleo ya Wanawake. We are mourning the loss of our President. He introduced free primary education. Children who would never have gone to school had an opportunity, for the first time, to access education and see a classroom, courtesy of our third President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Mwai Kibaki. I saw a super highway, for the first time, during his time. He constructed the Thika Super Highway. We must give credit where it is due. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

I salute President Mwai Kibaki. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Amen. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Member for Kanduyi. Sorry, Hon. Members. I am still trying to coordinate out there.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On behalf of my family, the people of Kanduyi Constituency and the entire Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), I wish to send condolences to the family, friends, relatives and Kenyans for the loss of President Emilio Mwai Kibaki.

I had the privilege of serving with him during the 8th Parliament, when he was the Leader of the Opposition between 1997 and 2002. When he was the President, I also had the privilege of serving with him as a Member of Parliament and his special envoy to the African Union and Somalia. This is a great man and leader Kenyans have lost. He was a pillar of stability. We are all aware of the things that he did for this country, ranging from free primary education, growing our economy, building stable infrastructure by ensuring that there are roads across the country and above all, making Kenya a liberal and open society with expanded democratic space. As you are aware, he was the leader of the Democratic Party of Kenya which you lead now. I lead the DAP- K.

Our parties stand for expanded democratic space in this country. I can see that Hon. Ichung’wah is laughing. It is still true. We stand for that.

As we mourn the fallen hero today, I appeal that we emulate the things that he did for this country. He grew this country and ensured that there is equitable distribution of resources. He visited my constituency in Bungoma County and started Kibabii Diploma Training College. People had prayed for it for many years. Eventually, he started Kibabii University. He did many things that he will be remembered for.

May his soul rest in everlasting peace. Amen.

Member for Nyandarua.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On my behalf and the great people of Nyandarua, I join all Kenyans in expressing my sorrow and heartfelt condolences to the family of our late former President, Emilio Mwai Kibaki. We pray to God that he may give them comfort and strength at this moment of great pain.

Our country is, indeed, mourning the loss of a great Kenyan who served as a transformative leader for many decades. While we mourn our former President, we must remember to be grateful for his long life and stint in Public Service. Since the early days of independent Kenya, he served as a Minister, Vice-President, Opposition Leader and finally as a President. His long story carries a significant lesson for us. He leaves with us a legacy of service. Indeed, he is a great man. The late President Mwai Kibaki taught us that leadership is an opportunity to serve others, and not to simply satisfy greed and fulfil selfish desires. He served Kenyans in various capacities for an extended period. His example reminds us of the need for endurance, persistence, fortitude and humility. Let all Kenyans carry the memory of a man who served his people and continually sought to improve lives. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

May God bless Kenya. May his legacy always shine brightly in our nation. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Member for Narok North.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I would like to take this opportunity to condole with the family of the late Hon. Mwai Kibaki. Kenyans are with them at this particular time. This is what we can call the end of an era. He is the last founding father who has left us. History will always judge him kindly because he was the best, as far as the affairs of this country are concerned.

Still waters run deep. I believe that there is no deeper leader who has ever served this country better than President Mwai Kibaki. Many people saw his demeanour and selfless manner of living and doing his work as a weakness. However, he was the strength that made this country great, after it was on a precipice as far as its economy is concerned. He revived the economy of this country, when it was about to cross the rubicon.

Hon. Kibaki taught us many things. The most important of them all is that a great leader is born. He remains a great leader. He became a great leader because he was meant to be and he was one.

Another lesson that we, as politicians, learnt from the life of Hon. Mwai Kibaki is that your family does not need to ruin the economy through theft, corruption or by dipping their hands in the till. He has left a family that is clean, and a family that did not benefit from the public largesse. This is a family to be emulated, and we are very proud of it.

Hon. Kibaki taught us that endurance pays. He also taught us that you can fall once, twice or thrice, but as long as you want to rise again, you will win the prize. He became the President of this country after people had ruled him out politically. The people of Narok benefitted from him through infrastructure, like the Narok-Sekenani Road. There are many other things he did for us. There was employment during his time, and he never segregated or served a particular community, but served all Kenyans.

May his soul rest in eternal peace. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Member for Kikuyu.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Allow me to join other Kenyans in conveying my heartfelt condolences to the family of the late President, those of my family, and those of the people of Kikuyu.

The late Hon. Mwai Kibaki goes down in history as the greatest President the country has ever had since Independence. He was an economist par excellence, a democrat par excellence, and he remains in the annals of our history as the greatest President that this country has ever had.

The late President moved our economy from the doldrums to a renewed robust one. He did that by increasing our revenue from an average of Ksh180 billion to close to a Ksh1 trillion without having to arrest a single person in this country, and without having to close down a single business in this country. This is unlike today, when our revenues are dwindling and we are closing people’s businesses. We are shutting down businesses of the like of Tabitha Karanja, Humphrey Kariuki and other innocent Kenyans at downtown Nyamakima.

The late President was a democrat par excellence. He knew the boundaries between the State that he ran as President, and private business. He knew and understood what state capture and conflict of interest were, and he never entertained them during his reign as President of our Republic. We will live to remember Hon. Mwai Kibaki as the greatest President of our times. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

It is sad that today, as the nation rises to mourn the death of President Kibaki, we also mourn the death of the democratic space that he helped open after the dictatorship of the Moi regime. We mourn the death of our economy that he helped to uplift from the doldrums. In a short four years of the handshake regime, the economy has been taken back to where President Mwai Kibaki had lifted it from. How sad is it that today, as we mourn the greatest President of all times in this country, we also mourn the death of our economy; we mourn the death of our robust democracy, and we can only pray that those who tormented Hon. Mwai Kibaki, those who said that he is a hands-off, ears-off, and everything-off President at his hour of death will---

Member for Emurua Dikirr.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to mourn a great icon, and the greatest President who ever lived in this country. Even as we look out there, where the great man is lying in state, we remember him for many things. One of the things we remember the late Hon. Kibaki for is the change of the economy of the country. When Kibaki took over, this country was in shambles economically. There were no roads, no good schools, there was nothing in this country which we could be proud of, as a nation. Hon. Kibaki changed everything. The GDP of this country was changed completely to levels we can never imagine. Borrowing was reduced to a level that when he left this nation, this country was not relying on borrowing, unlike what we have currently. He even helped to change the Constitution of this country. I remember even before changing the Constitution, he was among the people who fought for multiparty democracy in this country. We must give it to him. Remember constitutions are usually changed at times of war, but Hon. Kibaki changed the Constitution when the country was calm because he accepted that for democracy to be in the country, we must accept to change the law as a nation.

He did a lot in terms of infrastructure. I remember when we used to travel from Narok to Nairobi, we would go all the way to Nakuru through Kericho, then to Kinoo then to Nairobi. But after he took over, he changed all the roads in this country so that each road was passable. Kibaki did a lot in a few years; I think five years. He even introduced free primary education, something we cannot imagine. The current Government that has ruled the country for ten years has never even improved on the free primary education, not even changing the free secondary education.

Lastly, Kibaki will be remembered for very many things. Even as we – those of us left behind – remember this great man, suppose this country gave us an opportunity to serve as a President, what would we leave behind? Will we leave a united nation? Will we leave a country that is economically vibrant? Will we leave a country that will remember us for many good things? Or will we leave a country that is in shambles? That is a question that must live with us, even as we are coming to the close of the five-year term of Members of Parliament and going for an election. May---

Rosanna.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On behalf of my family and the great county of Nairobi, we give our condolences to the family of the late His Excellency Hon. Mwai Kibaki. I quote Hellen G. White from her book, Education. “The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall.” The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

We are privileged, as Kenyans, to have had a President who had these virtues. Today millions of youth who wholly benefitted from free primary education, subsidised secondary and university have increased productive labour skills to our work force. The Hon. His Excellency Mwai Kibaki made Kenyans believe in the change of governance during his tenure. He introduced the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and improved infrastructure. It is key to note that every time Kibaki partnered with Raila, Kenya experienced tremendous growth: Vision 2030, the Thika Super High Way, the Constitution of 2010, devolution and election of more women to the legislatures. As I stand here to mourn this great leader, it is painful to hear Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah talk about how he mourns the economy. At the end of the day, infrastructure was a very big dream of the late President. He believed in infrastructure. Some of the projects that the current President completed were started in his tenure. It is nice to know that all the highways we enjoy are a continuity by Hon. President Uhuru Kenyatta. The said projects have given Kenyans gateways, not only to the region, but also to the grater world. Let us celebrate that which is good, and let us thank the Almighty God for his mercies. We know that the President was ailing and now he has rested. My condolences are to the entire family. My gratitude is to the entire Nairobi County for coming out in great numbers today. Thank you.

Member for Kirinyaga Central.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this chance to pass condolences on my behalf, my family and the great people of Kirinyaga Central to the family and friends of the late Hon. President Mwai Kibaki. The late Hon. President Mwai Kibaki was in a class of his own. He was a great man, a man who rose from being a humble shepherd on the slopes of Othaya, to the President of this great nation. He is a man who was involved in the improvement of the law in Kenya, and also in the constitutional development in this country. He was involved in the enactment of the independence Constitution and more so, the Constitution of Kenya 2010, which we all celebrate. He is a man who taught us humility through his deeds. One thing to remember is when he was demoted from being a Vice President of this nation to a Minister of Health. Instead of quitting, he went on to serve, and he served so well. One has to remember that he is a person who really taught us resilience. He contested for the seat of the presidency twice and lost twice, but went on to win the presidency in 2002. He is someone who gave this country new hope when he won in 2002. He especially taught us that all our children need to go to school. Through that, he introduced free primary education. He is a man who taught this country to believe in itself and its economy. When he was the President, we saw banks hawking loans because the economy had improved so much through his policies. He is also a man who taught us that he was an academic giant in his own class, especially considering the years he went to school. He excelled very well academically and went on to have a Master’s degree in those early days. It is true that we will always remember this great man, especially his way and gift of bringing the country together even in times of turmoil. He is someone who never used to suffer fools. He never used to be harsh or even dictatorial throughout his management. In fact, he demystified the presidency in a way that we came to appreciate that you can criticise the President without being disrespectful. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

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

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On my behalf, the people of Kajiado South and the people of the great county of Kajiado, I send my condolences to the family of the late Hon. President Mwai Kibaki, the people of Othaya, and the people of this great country, which he led for 10 good years. First of all, I was the last Minister of Interior in Hon. Kibaki’s administration. Then it was called the Ministry of Internal Security and Provincial Administration. Economically, Hon. Kibaki was a performer. Politically, he was a democrat. Why do I say that he was a performer? In my first term in 2003 to 2007 in my constituency, the Emali-Loitoktok road was tarmacked by the administration of the late Hon. President Mwai Kibaki. It is also during that time that the people of Loitoktok really remember the late Hon. President for giving us Loitoktok District. Before that, we used to come up to Nairobi to get district services and then go back to Kajiado. The late Hon. President Mwai Kibaki can be remembered for so many good things. Actually, it is just good to say that he is so far the best President we have seen, as a country. We keep saying that he came a little bit too late when term limits for the President were already in our Constitution. Otherwise we would, as a country, be very far if we had gotten that democratic leadership and Hon. Kibaki’s performance-based leadership. I also remember that he awarded me two medals; one was the Moran of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (MGH);, and the other was the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (EGH) as a Cabinet Minister. I benefitted so immensely from his wisdom when I used to consult him on matters security, interests of this country and politics. Finally, I want to say what he used to tell us in the Cabinet: “Cabinet Ministers, find time for three things. One, find time for Parliament. That is where you will articulate issues. Find time for your constituents, and find time for your family.” So, he was a great family man. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Member for Bumula.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. On my behalf and the great people of Bumula, I pass my condolences to the family of the late Hon. President Mwai Kibaki and the entire nation. When we mourn such a great man, we pick some lessons that we need to follow, as leaders of this country. There is one thing I realised with the late President; he was serving as President when some of us were in the civil service. Every time we had opportunity to visit him in the evenings, you would realise that he was sitting with men who could guide him on how to run this country. You need good advisors as a leader. The late Hon. President Kibaki had very good advisors. Ambassador Muthaura was always there to sieve the kind of people that would sit with the President until late. Today, we are here to celebrate the great legacy that he has left in this country; a legacy that will be discussed for generations to come. It is because he was the kind of leader who decided to put the country first, and not positions. If you go to the villages today and talk of the devolution that we can enjoy, it is the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) that was championed by the late President. When we talked of raising this country from the wilderness, you will realise that there were people who were learning under trees before Hon. Kibaki became President. Some of the best classrooms in some places in this country were mud-walled classrooms, but through the NG- CDF, you will wonder whether what you see today are primary schools or colleges. They are built by the NG-CDF. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

This is one man who knew that the country was in need of this leadership. He was not such an insecure leader. He was such a consultative man. He always gave people permission to serve in respective ministries. When you listen to those who served with him, they tell you that they would go to him to consult for advice and see how best to improve this country. To talk less or even more about this man is the massive infrastructure we enjoy in this country. People talk of Thika Road. But go even to the villages and you will realise that for some areas which had no tarmacked roads, people enjoy infrastructure that they had never benefitted of since Independence because of the policy of this great man. I concur with the Whip of the Majority Party who suggested that such great men should be remembered. The building standing behind you, Hon. Speaker, and also because of your effort of bringing it up, should be named Mwai Kibaki Towers. That is so that this great man can be remembered by this House.

Hon. Naomi Shaban.

Asante sana Mhe. Spika kwa kunipatia fursa hii ili nitoe risala za rambirambi kutoka kwangu, jamii yangu, na Eneo Bunge la Taveta kwa ujumla. Rais wetu wa tatu wa Jamhuri ya Kenya, Mhe. Mwai Kibaki, alikuwa si Rais tu, bali pia baba mpendwa wa watu, mpenda maskini na wa kuhakikisha kuwa maskini wameinuliwa juu. Nilipata fursa ya kufanya kazi naye kwa ukaribu. Hata nilipokuwa katika upinzani, kila mara alipenda kusikiza na kututatulia shida zetu za Taveta. Vilevile, niliporudi awamu ya pili, tulifanya kazi naye akiwa Rais wangu. Vilevile, alinipa nafasi ya kuwa katika Baraza lake la Mawaziri.

Mhe. Spika, Baba huyu wa taifa alikuwa mpenda watu. Hakuwa mwingi wa maneno, bali mwingi wa vitendo. Alikuwa anataka kusikia Wakenya wanapata faida gani, na ulipotaka kumweleza chochote, ungemweleza Wakenya wangefaidika kivipi mwanzo. Rais Mwai Kibaki alikuwa na upendo kwa watu wake, na alikuja na njia tofauti sana ya kufanya kazi, ambayo nilitoa shukrani kwake kwayo. Nikikumbuka, baada ya vita na matatizo tuliyokuwa nayo baada ya uchaguzi wa 2007, alisimama kidete na kuhakikisha ya kuwa Wakenya---

Order, Hon. Members! As you are aware, the body of the late retired third President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Hon. Emilio Mwai Kibaki, has been lying in state within Parliament Buildings along the Speaker’s Walkway for the third and final day. In this regard, today’s Sitting has been determined to end at 4.45 p.m. to allow certain steps attendant to the departure of the body of the late retired President to take place before 6.00 p.m. Therefore, this is a sequence of what is going to follow. In respect, the Motion under Order No. 8, which the Mover has no right of reply, has just ended. Now, the Speaker’ procession will leave the Chamber as usual. Thereafter, hon. Members will leave the Chamber and converge at the main Parliament gate facing the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), and await the casket of the late retired third President as it exits Parliament buildings. The Chief Sergeant-At- Arms will guide Members on the designated waiting place. The Speaker and the two leaders of the Majority Party and Minority Party, all the Whips’ the Vice Chairperson of the PSC, the Clerks-at- the-Table and both leadership of the Senate will assemble at the Members’ lounge to join the family of the late retired third President of the Republic of Kenya. The leadership will thereafter converge at the Speaker’s Walkway to form a procession to escort the casket, together with two representatives of the family and the Kenya Defence (KDF) Forces team. On arrival of the casket and the late retired third President at the main gate facing the KICC, all Members are requested to await the playing of the National Anthem and the East African Anthem before the casket is loaded on to the carriage to exit Parliament buildings. The The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Parliamentary procession would symbolise the House paying its last respects and honouring the late retired third President for his service to the House.

Hon. Members, the time being 4.49 p.m., the House stands adjourned until Tuesday, 10th May, 2022, at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 4.49 p.m. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.