We have quorum and so we can proceed.

The Member for Kwanza, Hon. Ferdinand Wanyonyi.

(Kwanza, FORD-K)

Member for Lurambi, Hon Titus Khamala.

(Lurambi, ODM)

Next Order.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No. 44(2) (a), I rise to give Statement on behalf of the House Business Committee which met on Tuesday, 11th October 2022 in the afternoon following its formation to prioritise business for consideration. Members will recall that yesterday, Wednesday, 12th October 2022, in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 28, this House approved the calendar of the National Assembly for the regular sessions of the First Session. Therefore, the House is now scheduled to proceed for its recess tomorrow, Friday, 14th October 2022, and resume the regular Sittings on Tuesday, 25th October 2022.

Hon. Speaker, for the information of Members, during the recess, the Committee on Appointments is expected to undertake the vetting of persons who are nominated to the positions of Cabinet Secretaries, Attorney-General and the Secretary to the Cabinet, and table its Report on this matter when we resume regular Sittings. Further, the Committee on Selection will also consider the placement of Members in the various parliamentary committees. This will, therefore, be a working recess for those of us who sit in the Committee on Appointments and the Committee on Selection. I urge the House to be patient as these processes are ongoing and take the opportunity of this short break, as we said yesterday, to connect or bond with our families and constituents. Following the elections that we had, many of us have not had an opportunity to go back to our constituencies and families.

Finally, the House Business Committee will reconvene on 25th October 2022 to schedule the business for the week of resumption of the House. I now wish to lay this Statement on the Table of the House.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, acknowledging that the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) is established under Article 9 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community as one of the key organs and institutions of the Community responsible for the Community’s legislative matters; Recognising that Article 50 of the Treaty provides for the election of Members of EALA by respective partner states’ legislatures in accordance with their parliamentary procedures for a term of five years; Further aware that the East African Legislative Assembly Elections Act, 2011 contemplates conclusion of the election of Members of a new Assembly to be within 90 days before the expiry of the term of the subsisting Assembly; Noting that the term of the current East African Legislative Assembly lapses on 17th December 2022; Cognisant of the need to urgently conclude the election process for the East African Legislative Assembly to commence transacting business of the East African Community; Now therefore, in accordance with the provisions of Rule 9 of the Houses of Parliament (Joint Sittings) Rules, the House resolves: (i) to establish a Joint Committee consisting of seven Members appointed by each of the Houses of Parliament to undertake the functions contemplated under the East African Legislative Assembly Elections (Election of Members of the Assembly) Rules, 2017; (ii) that the following Members shall represent the National Assembly in the Joint Committee: (a) The Hon. Wanjiku Muhia, M.P. - Co-Chairperson (b) The Hon. (Dr.) Makali Mulu, CBS, M.P. (c) The Hon. Sabina Chege, CBS, M.P. (d) The John Mutunga Kanyuithia, M.P. (e) Hon. Daniel Nanok Epuyo, M.P. (f) Hon. Francis Sigei Kipyegon, M.P. (g) Hon. Ruth Adhiambo Busia, M.P. (iii) that the Offices of the Clerks of the Houses of Parliament shall provide secretariat services to the Joint Committee in accordance with the Standing Orders; and (iv) that the Joint Committee shall report to the House within the timelines stipulated in the East African Legislative Assembly Elections (Election of Members of the Assembly) Rules, 2017.

As I have stated in the Motion, the EALA is an independent legislative arm of our East African Community (EAC) that was established under Article 9 of the EAC Treaty. As Members are aware and for the benefit of our new Members, we have nine Members who are elected by each partner State. Kenya being a partner State in the Community, we will elect these nine Members. The purpose of this Joint Committee is to guide us through the process of electing these Members. That is why you see that we have representation from across the political divide, representing all our parliamentary political parties. We assume that the interests of the non-parliamentary political parties are catered for under our coalitions. However, the list of names that we have submitted have representation from all parliamentary political parties. 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 EALA plays a very critical role in furtherance of the EAC objectives such as liaising with the National Assemblies of the partner States on matters relating to the Community. It also debates and approves the Budget of the Community. It also considers the annual Reports on the activities of the Community, annual audit reports and any other report. It also discusses all matters regarding the Community and makes recommendations, as it may deem necessary, for the implementation of the Community treaty.

Rule 9 of the Houses of Parliament for Joint Sittings, as I said, establishes the Joint Committee by way of a Motion which we have just tabled. It consists of membership from both Houses. This list that we are approving here is that of the National Assembly. The other House will also have its list. That is why we have designated Hon. Wanjiku Muhia who is not only a ranking Member of the House but she is also an immediate former Member of EALA. So, she is very well-versed with the affairs of EALA and the provisions of the EAC Treaty, and what needs to be done.

As I mentioned earlier, the term of the fourth Assembly that Hon. Wanjiku Muhia and Hon. Jematiah, who is also here, are Members comes to an end on 17th December this year. The fifth Assembly is expected to commence its sittings early in 2023. Therefore, Members know that the Parliament of Kenya is required to conduct the election of its Members to EALA latest by 17th December 2022. However, the elections were not carried out immediately as the 12th Parliament ended on 10th June. Members remember that we took our sine die adjournment in June. We could not carry out the elections for the Members who would have replaced the outgoing ones. Therefore, this 13th Parliament is required to conclude this process urgently for the EALA to commence transacting its business, and avoid the scenario that we witnessed in the last elections of the Members of the Assembly in 2017. We are within time. However, it is very important to establish this Committee before we go on recess from tomorrow. As the other two Committees—Committee on Appointments and Committee on Selection— are working, they may also now reconstitute and begin to prepare the timetable and programme that will guide us to conduct the elections. They will also guide us on when they will advertise for the positions. The entire timetable is to enable us come back and elect our new Members to EALA. With the passage of this Motion and that in the Senate, it may as well serve as a notice to those who are out there. Nobody seated here is electable to EALA but I know many of our colleagues whom we were with in the 12th Parliament who are interested. They may as well be notified through the passage of this Motion that the process has begun and they can therefore begin their campaigns and they will be guided by the Committee. With those many remarks, I beg to move. I will ask the Leader of the Minority Party, Hon. Opiyo Wandayi, to second this Motion. Thank you.

Hon. Speaker, I wish to second the Motion for the adoption of the six names to form part of the Joint Committee that will oversee election of Members to EALA. Without belabouring the point, we cannot get the importance of EALA in a wider context of our desire as East Africans to eventually end up within one political federation. It is therefore in our interest that EALA continues to play its rightful role, and continues to get strengthened so that as East Africans, we will eventually bring down all artificial barriers that divide our people. It is also important that we go about these elections properly as envisaged by the East African Community Treaty. It is on record that previously, when we did not get it right, the courts had to intervene. Indeed, the East African Court of Justice in Prof. Anyang Nyong’o’s case settled the matter of how to go about election of Members to EALA by respective partner states. 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 House, by approving these names this afternoon, will have played its part in ensuring that we abide by the rules, treaty and by our own statute to ensure we end up with names of people who will be elected to EALA representing Kenya as a partner State. All the proposed seven names qualify. They are Members who are well equipped and have the capacity to steer this important process. Without further ado, I second.

They have written as Busia but I am told… Is it correct?

Yes.

I was told to apologise for calling you Busia but, if it is your name, we will then leave it there.

Hon. Members, before we open the debate, allow me to acknowledge the following visiting schools which are seated in the Public Gallery. They are: St. Teresa’s Primary School, Kericho County; Karugia Secondary School, Murang’a County; and Katwala Secondary School, Kitui County. I would also like to acknowledge Jabali Christian School, Nairobi County, who are seated in the Speaker’s Gallery. On my behalf, and that of the House, we welcome the visiting schools to Parliament. This matter is too important to truncate it that way. We will need you to… As Hon. Wanjiku Muhia speaks, we have Members with physical challenges who sit at the back. Sometimes your cards do not appear on the screen because of the sheer numbers. Like now, we have 78 Members but only 20 appear. Other Members would walk all the way to lobby for recognition, but in the event any one of you wants to speak, you can send one of the Serjeant- at-Arms to come and inform the Chair.

Hon. Wanjiku, you can proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to speak to this very important Motion which happens to be my area of interest since I have just concluded my term as a representative in EALA. Kindly, allow me to appreciate the people of Kipipiri for electing me because this is my maiden speech. They made a statement in this country that it is no longer about the big names, money, deep state, chiefs or nyumba kumi that will stop the voice of Wanjiku to vote for

For that, I want to confirm to them that surely their vote was their choice as the saying goes “my vote, my choice.” I am ready to serve them considering that Kipipiri is one of the least developed possibly in the whole of Mt. Kenya. Speaking of roads, we have pathetic ones. We do not have water. When it comes to electricity connectivity, we are lagging behind and are still in darkness in spite of us having had great leaders as representatives of Kipipiri. During the campaigns, we saw contractors build roads day and night. And for the last one month, the roads which were moving very fast in construction are no longer going on. I do not know where they got the money then that is not available today. Hon. Speaker, the money is not there anymore. I want to ask…

The Hon. Wanjiku Muhia, I do not know what that has to do with EALA.

Hon. Speaker, this is my maiden speech. I stand guided.

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.

Order Members. I would forgive you if you are coming to this House for the first time. You are not a new Member.

Hon. Speaker, I stand guided. I was on a commercial break, although a regional break. However, I wanted to sneak a caution to Stainless Steel Contractors to be faster in the roads that are really not moving in Kipipiri. Having said that, let us support the Members selected in handling this matter. I am confirming to this House that I am aware that all partner states in the region have already concluded the election of their Members.

I also want to remind Members that in 2017, the partner state of Kenya delayed the chance for EALA to start the activities by a whole six months. All other partner states had elected their Members, and only Kenya had not because of the political issues that we had. The treaty speaks of quorum in the House in EALA. No business can be transacted if a partner state does not have three Members present in the House. For that reason, EALA could not transact business for six months and Members really struggled. Therefore, let us fast track this. It is 90 days and according to EALA Act, Section 12, it requires the respective Parliaments to make their own rules of conducting election. In that case, I want to commend the House Business Committee and your office Hon. Speaker for electing me as the Co-Chair.

Matters of the region are very pertinent to this Community. Once this election is concluded, I urge this House to integrate with EALA. Many times we do serious business in EALA such as the audit report. We do serious transactions there but we are not able to connect with Parliaments in partner States. Unlike other countries like Uganda and Kenya, you will find an audit report has been tabled in the House and we have made serious recommendations. A Member of this region or from Kenya for example was handling a certain institution like… That Member who is named and shamed and is supposed to take responsibility is appointed in our partner State or even in Kenya to handle another very serious institution. This is because there is no linkage between EALA and the parliaments particularly in Kenya. So, with that I support.

I know the process. We are headed to the fourth pillar of regional integration, just to mention we are already with Customs Union, Common Market and we are almost handling the Monetary Union. I want to inform the Members (although they may be aware) that we shall soon have one currency in the whole region of East Africa. We shall not have Tanzania or Uganda Shillings but a common currency. As Kenya, we are lobbying to have the Central Bank of East Africa here in Kenya. So, these are matters of our interest as leaders or representatives of the people.

Finally, the fourth pillar is the political federation where we aspire to have one nation in the whole region. For that reason, I want to urge Members as I conclude that as we do the election, let us find people of quality who can transact and take care of the interests of our country. Kenya has been accused many times, Members and Hon. Speaker, to be the only country that sweeps the whole nine Members and brings in other nine new Members. As you are aware, four of us are already elected in this House: Hon. Jematiah, Hon. Aburi, Hon. Oburu in the Senate and myself. Kenya is known to sweep the nine Members and we leave no institutional memory. If you look at Uganda and all other nations, you will find they leave 50 per cent of Members. At least for this election let us leave a Member or two for institutional memory so that our interests are also taken care of.

With that, I thank you and I am humbled to be elected to chair this Committee. Thank you for appointing me.

Let us have the Member for Bondo, Dr. Ochanda. 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. As we discussed the whole issue of placing our Members to EALA, I think there are one or two things that I wanted to raise; some of which I have raised before in this House, yet in one way or another some of them have not been addressed. Hon. Speaker, EALA is a parliament and in Arusha we also have the secretariat of the Community. Apparently, that Community executes and implements a lot of projects. A lot more of those projects are funded not from the Community but from outside. The point I am trying to bring here is that these projects apparently are executed in the national or in the individual countries. For instance, in Kenya we have had many of the projects that are community projects. They are implemented in Kenya but the implementation is done by our own Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that we have.

In the end Hon. Speaker, you will realise that in this House when we are coming to Committees, they only do the oversight role. Yet these projects that are implemented by the EALA are hardly overseen by any of our Committees. Meaning that they go without oversight. On the other hand, EALA does not oversee them because the projects have been implemented in individual countries. This is something that I want to believe that our House, this Parliament and particularly your Chair, Hon. Speaker must get into. They invest quite a lot of money that is passed by the Community and all these projects are not overseen by any agency. The EALA does not oversee them, neither do our committees here in the House. There was a project that was in Lake Victoria for purposes of removing water hyacinth. That thing is moribund and nobody can oversee it.

There was a big project of reforestation that was being done by our Ministry of Environment, nobody oversaw that. There was another project in Kisii and parts of Bomet for water; large water projects that were being funded through the East African Community which suffered the same fate for lack of oversight. The EALA cannot oversee them because they are in individual countries. On the other hand, we cannot oversee them because the source of funding is from the secretariat in Arusha. The other thing I wanted to bring out is that EALA stands as the institution that we see in the Community, particularly in the region. However, the biggest problem we have is the amounts of conflict we have across the individual countries and a lot of disharmony that we have, many times between Tanzania and Kenya and between Uganda and Kenya. Hardly a week passes without having issues or incidences across Lake Victoria or Isebania in Migori. Last week there were major issues because Kenya had not done certain things that on the hand Tanzania had done. Transport lorries were being cleared on the Tanzanian side but not on the Kenyan side.

Hon. Speaker as we look through this thing of EALA, we should not just look at it for purposes of the East African Legislative Assembly constantly looking at the laws and the Bills that we have passed as part of the agenda. We need to have the agenda as part of these problems which are the real issues hampering the effort of integration. Those are two critical things that I wanted to bring around as we move towards electing our Members to EALA. I thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Thank you, Hon. Member for Bondo. Let us have the Member for Tigania East, Mpuru Aburi.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to make my contribution. Let me begin by congratulating the President for the many issues which he said his Government will focus on in the next five years. One key issue touching my heart is that of pursuing transformation agenda which will include an overhaul of the security infrastructure in the country to make it more inclusive. Many Kenyans are facing serious socio-economic hardships since the economic model we have has created a huge gap 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.

between the poor and the rich. As we speak now, most parts of the country are facing starvation and hunger due to prolonged drought. Two weeks ago….

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

Yes please! There is a point of order from the Leader of the Majority Party.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I do not want to interrupt my good friend Hon. Mpuru Aburi who is doing his third term. To begin with he should know that when I stand on a point of order, he should take his seat. Hon. Mpuru is not helping our new Members. It is understandable when a new Member reads notes, but not a Member who is serving his third term and having served in EALA standing in his place to read notes, which we do not know are from who or where. I think he is completely out of order and misleading our new Members. He must not be allowed to be reading notes, unless he makes disclosure about the author of those notes.

Member for Tigania East, you are an old Member of the House. The rules prohibit any Member from reading…

Of course, I am an old Member of this House but allow me to read the statement because it is mine.

You will not be allowed. You will only debate the Motion but do not read a rehearsed speech which is not part of the debate.

Yes, no problem I know EALA has my hand because I stayed there for five years.

That is correct.

I want to say we have to support each other. There is no need of hating each other in this Parliament. Sometimes when the Leader of the Majority Party sees someone speaking, he says: ‘this man is not allowed to speak in this Parliament because he has stayed here for three terms.’ I want to tell him he is very lucky because he got appointed. Do not forget we supported Azimio, and this time I am the Party Leader of NOPEU Party and as I speak right now, we are supporting His Excellency the President of this country.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Member, are you done? Thank you. Hon. Robert Mbui.

Kathiani, WDM): Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to also contribute. I am surprised that one of our very close Members has just defected on the Floor of the House, Hon. Mpuru Aburi. Yet, he was supporting us and fighting very strongly on our side.

Order, Hon. Members! Order! Order, Robert Mbui! Honestly, as your Speaker I want to follow the debate. We can only do so if the conversations are in lower tones than they are now. The East African Community (EAC) is the centre piece of many of our hearts. This is a very important Motion. I want to encourage that the quality of people you will elect to EALA must also be commensurate with the status of Kenya’s regional super power.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. First, I want to begin by supporting what Hon. Wanjiku Muhia has raised. This is a matter of Kenya being the only 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.

country which clearly removes every Member elected to EALA and elects new ones. I wanted to say, for purposes…

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

There is a point of order from Hon. Mpuru. Can you give the Member for Tigania East the microphone? Hon. Mpuru put your card in and press the intervention button so that I can give you the microphone. Hon. Aburi you may sit down and let Hon. Robert Mbui to continue.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. It looks like technology is not in favour of my colleague so please, allow me to continue. He only wants to complain because of a comment he made and I made reference to it. He said he was in Azimio and now he is supporting His Excellency the President. So, he seems to have defected on the Floor. If that is the issue, I think it is not that serious.

I am supporting what Hon. Wanjiku Muhia has said about maintaining some of our Members. Hon. Speaker, following what you have said, that we need to have quality Members, I want to propose when we start discussing those Members going to EALA, we have good quality people. We should have one for the institutional memory and people of quality. People with degrees in Law or International Relations will have an added advantage. Our Wiper nominee is one such person, Hon. Kennedy Kalonzo Musyoka, who is already in EALA.

I want to mention two things about EALA which I think are important for Members to know. First, is the issue of partner state payments. In the 11th Parliament, I was in the Committee on Regional Integration. We realised that many partner states do not make their contributions for the Community to exist. As we send Members there, this is one of the issues people need to address.

Finally, the Members of EALA who are here have not said this; that another problem they have is they have no place to call home when they come back to the country. The Members of EALA fall under a Ministry, I think the Ministry of East African Community, yet these are elected Members of Parliament. It is important we find a way so that they can also be catered for under the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). As they go there and come back, they are part and parcel of the leadership of this nation because they are Members of Parliament.

Hon. Speaker, with those few remarks, thank you and I support.

Hon. Member for Kanduyi.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for granting me this opportunity to address this House for the first time. It has been a long wait in the queue but at least my time has come. Before I make my contribution to the Motion on the Floor of the House, let me take this opportunity to thank the great people of Kanduyi for having elected me as their representative in this Parliament. It was a long journey and not a walk in the park. I must say I relied on the support of many Members of Parliament who came out to campaign for me together with all the people of Kanduyi. So, I say a big thank you. Hon. Speaker, at this juncture I must thank you most sincerely for being my mentor, teacher and party leader and for the role you played in getting me to this august House. It was not an easy assignment to remove my predecessor who had served in this House for four terms; 20 years and the party leader of Democratic Action Party-Kenya (DAP-K). I must thank the people of Kanduyi for the favour they granted me to represent them in this House.

Turning to the Motion before the House, we appreciate the role of EAC in development matters in this region. The EAC is a critical component in fostering international trade, regional cooperation and issues touching on cross-border trade. I must say that the names that have been given here will play a leading role in selecting Members who will be at EALA. I had occasion to visit EALA, and I will say without contradiction that our Members who were there 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.

previously did not reflect critically the quality of Kenyans who are representing us in that Assembly.

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

He is making his maiden speech.

Having sat in that Assembly, I was worried about the people representing this country. I hope the Committee that has been put in place, as has been said by Members who have contributed before me, will be able to measure up to the assignments that they will have and be able to reflect the true face of Kenya as they take up the assignments in that Assembly. I wish to reiterate, as I join this Assembly, that we must work as a team so as to deliver on the agenda for Kenyans. The agenda for Kenyans is basically fighting to ensure that we reduce the cost of living, to ensure that our children go to school and our mama mbogas and

are able to earn a living. To this, I will support the Kenya Kwanza agenda that is towards ensuring that we establish the hustlers’ fund that will be able to assist the mamambogas and the youth of this country to develop themselves and move up. Hon. Speaker, I wish to reiterate that, as I come to the Floor of this House, three critical issues are important for the people of Kanduyi. I will start with the issue of Nzoia Sugar Company. As we speak, farmers have not been paid. There is no board of management at Nzoia Sugar Company from the year 2019. The sugarcane is rotting in farmers’ farms and their children are not going to school. I will want the Head of State to do as he assured the people of Kanduyi during the campaigns that Nzoia Sugar Company is going to function and its problems are going to be solved so that the people can have value for their sweat. When we move around Kanduyi Constituency, we have not been able to benefit from the last mile supply of electricity. As it was stated in the President’s Speech, we would be able not only to ensure that electricity reaches each and every corner of Kanduyi, but also have affordable electricity available to all residents of Kanduyi who have had a lot of faith by electing me in this House. We have heard from the President’s Speech that the issue of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) is a critical fund that has helped many other people in our constituencies. I will be at the forefront to ensure that we team up with all the other Members of this House to ensure that we ring-fence the NG-CDF so that it assists our people the way it is expected to.

I wish to state that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. At this juncture, we would want to ensure that the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) takes off and we ring-fence it from any other assaults that were there by people who are siphoning funds from it. We must ensure that universal healthcare comes to fruition.

Finally, Hon. Speaker, I wish to finish my remarks by stating the words of Henry Ford that “coming together is a beginning, working together is progress, and keeping together is success.” In the prayer that we state here every day when we come to this House, we exist for the welfare of society and the just government of the people. We hope that we will be able to rise to the occasion to ensure that we fulfil the promises made up to our people. Thank you, and I support.

Hon. Member for Njoro, Hon. Kathambi Chepkwony.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate you as our Speaker, and our Deputy Speaker, our lady. I also thank every Kenyan for voting for our able President, William 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.

Samoei Ruto. I also thank my people of Njoro Constituency for re-electing me as their Member of Parliament. I stand to support the list. I wish to take a short time. Thank you.

That is all? Before Hon. Irene Mayaka, Nominated Member, takes the Floor, allow me to recognise the presence of Oloolturot Primary School from Narok County seated at the Public Gallery.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I wish to give my contribution to the Motion on the Table on the EALA representatives. I agree with the Members who say that we need to be very careful in terms of the qualifications that we give the Members and the ones that we bring on board. The reason being, right now one of the biggest issues, when you look at some of the things that the EALA has been on is that, they face difficulties in terms of ensuring that they have policies in place that cut across all our countries because the frameworks put in place are not usually very comprehensive. Mine is just to urge both sides of the House to ensure that they bring Members on board who have the prerequisite qualifications so that we do not have Members who just go there and tick boxes instead of doing the actual work. I submit. Thank you.

Hon. Member for Kamukunji.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for the opportunity. Since it is my first time to speak in the 13th Parliament, I want to thank the wonderful people of Kamukunji for bringing me to this august House. I want to pledge, as I have done before, to work for them humbly, respectfully and even harder for them in this Parliament. Speaking on the issue of EALA, I want to put this particular issue in the global, international and regional context of the geopolitics of our country. The East African Community is one of the most important regional institutions and perhaps one with the biggest potential in bringing together the people of the region not only in terms of economic corporation but also eventually the main vision of the East African people to have East African political federation. Knowing that in fact East Africa is our biggest trending partner and our biggest political allies and EALA has been an Assembly that legislates the laws of this region, it is very important that we send the best minds that we have in this country. I must say that during past elections of Members to EALA, unfortunately, the case has always been to push people who have been rejected politically, and to use the EALA as a garbage dump to get rid of people who perhaps have not been selected for leadership positions in the country. The EALA Members are the face of Kenya. We must send our best minds to push the vision, mission and aspirations of East Africans. If we send someone who has no clue other than the fact that they have been given a position of payment and privilege, we will be failing in that objective. I urge this House and the leadership of political parties and the country, to take this matter very seriously and send our best minds to represent us in the East African region, which is a building block for the bigger vision of a united Africa that can play its role on the global arena. This is so that Africa can take its place in international politics, be heard as a continent, and become players on the global stage. The EALA is just the beginning. It is the first step for us to assert the fact that we want a stronger economic and political East Africa. We then go to the African Union where we have a new trade agreement for the whole of Africa. The EALA will play an important role in that. That is why we should be very serious with regard to the people that we send there. It is not just a job for the boys and girls. It is a job for people who can push us forward, put our name up there and develop laws and legislation that will lift up the East African region, make it a regional power in Africa and a major player in global affairs. Thank you, Hon. Speaker. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you. I will give an opportunity to Hon. Andrew Okuome.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity. The EALA is a very important institution for member-States. I recall when the membership only covered three countries. I also recall when Kenya was getting its independence and the East African Community was the hope of the three countries becoming a federation. That has disappeared into thin air, which is very disappointing. Because of this, I wish that we elect people who can unite the whole of East Africa. All we see today is conflict. Take for example Lake Victoria, which should unite us. It has been the cause of some of the conflicts we have had with Uganda and Tanzania. Do you remember Migingo Island? There are wars there most of the time. Some people come from Uganda, arrest our people, take them to Uganda and whatever they do with them, only God knows. We want people who can really look at the problems that we have as East African Community States and find a solution. We also need people who can unite us commercially. I heard our President speaking when he met with his counterpart in Tanzania. He was crying for commercial unity in trade and the East African currency that we used to have before the formation of the East African Community. Probably, that is one of the things that the current Community should fight for, so that we have one currency. That is what will also help us to ensure that trade in East African Community States is viable and that we have the East African Community of our hopes and dreams, one that can move us from where we are and help us all in terms of trade and more importantly, politically. We would like political unity. That is what I referred to earlier when I talked of the federation. When we have political unity, there are many other good things that we can achieve. We can achieve so much if we are united. I wholly believe that we will give our partners very able Members to serve us in the EALA. Hon. Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity. I hope that my dream will be kept alive by those who will go to the EALA.

Let us have the Member for Gilgil.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I also rise to support the nomination of these Members. This list is very well-thought-out. They know that they have their work cut out for them in terms of the issues being raised at the EALA. Those who go there must know that they have to defend the position that Kenya holds in terms of our bilateral and multilateral relations in Africa and East Africa, specifically. I hope that the team will also look at all matters as stipulated, in terms of balance and even getting new blood. Even as we make do with institutional memory, I hope that we also get new blood to take new ideas to the EALA. Hon. Speaker, EALA member-states should address the disputes that they have with their neighbours. Let us deal with issues of Migingo, trade imbalances between us and Tanzania, herders, maize and Maasais across the two countries. We have had issues with Tanzania. I hope that these Members will defend the integrity of the boundaries of this country and the position that Kenya holds. They hold the aspirations of all Kenyans. We should not always give in and become the underdog. I hope we can reclaim the position that Kenya holds in the EALA and the EAC. With those few remarks, I support the appointment of the Joint Committee. I hope that this work will be expedited, so that we are able to deal with the timelines at the right time. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Thank you. Let us have the Member for Kesses. Where is he? He is not here. Let me give an opportunity to the Member for Malava who was soliciting for a chance to speak. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I also rise to support the Committee members. I urge them to develop regulations that will guide the House when it comes to electing these persons. I recall that in the last Parliament, we talked of regional representation, gender, et

. In the last Parliament, we voted for three persons from one community to the EALA. We almost voted for a fourth one were it not for an intervention indicating that we did not have gender representation. I urge Hon. Wanjiku Muhia, who is very familiar with the case, to help this Parliament ensure that the persons we vote in represent the regional representation of the country. I imagine that the persons who will be voted in will represent Kenyans very well. I recall that sometime in the last Parliament, the then President of Tanzania, the late Hon. Magufuli, burnt 5, 000 of our chicks alive. I did not hear our representatives in EALA talking about it. He took away 1,000 cattle from us, but I did not hear any voice from our representatives. As Hon. Mbui said, we need to elect people who can really represent our interests and speak about the ills affecting Kenyans. Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I support the appointment of the Members.

Thank you. Member for Bomachoge Borabu.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I have been looking forward to this particular address; it is the first one. I would like to support the appointment of the ad hoc Committee on election of Members to EALA. I thank God for the miracle of my election to this House. I am Hon. Nolfason Obadiah Barongo, Member of Parliament for Bomachoge Borabu. My journey to this House is the stuff of dreams. I was a vegetable vendor before. Now, by the grace of God, I am a Member of Parliament. It is a humbling and inspiring story for another day. Like many Members who have spoken before me, I would like to congratulate you and your deputy on being elected the heads of this Assembly. I pray God to grant you good health and wisdom as you lead us in the making of a better country. Allow me to profusely thank the people of Boochi Borabu, Bombaba, Magenche and Bokimonge wards for putting aside clanism and charting a new path of unity for Bomachoge Borabu; and they did so emphatically and peacefully. I promise that I will serve them with diligence and humility. Let me also single out my wife and children, my mother and father, siblings and relatives, many friends and my campaign team full of young dreamers for pulling a memorable victory in this election. I thank the ODM party and my party leader, Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, for issuing me with the ticket that helped me to be elected to this House. I cannot forget my worthy opponents, who did not petition my election. To all of them, I would like to say thank you very much. You may know that Bomachoge Borabu is one of the two Bomachoge constituencies in Kisii County. The other being Bomachoge Chache represented by my brother Hon. Alfah Miruka. My constituency has experienced tribal clashes in the past because we border the Maasai. Thankfully, peace has prevailed lately and business has been booming. My constituency boasts of a school called Riokindo High School. In last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), a staggering 476 out of 485 scored C+ (plus) and above. Allow me to praise the headteacher, the staff, the community and, most importantly, the students for the excellent results. I had the opportunity of touring my constituency over the weekend. Some schools could be improved. A case in point is a school called Riyabu, which has been a beacon of education in my constituency for a long time. It is unthinkable that the NG-CDF will not be available to rescue such schools as Riyabu that truly need much improvement. I will champion the elevation of Kenyenya Polytechnic to a national polytechnic and the construction of Gesabakwa Institute, so that students who cannot make it to university can pursue their careers there. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

In the interest of time, I would like to sign off by saying how privileged I am to be the representative of the good people of Bomachoge Borabu and Kenyans at large. I hope that the discussions we have here will be geared towards bettering the lives of our people. Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker.

Thank you very much, Hon Speaker. First, I would like to support the appointment of the Committee and congratulate the proposed Co- Chair and all Members on being nominated to the Committee.

Members who have already spoken, it is advisable to logout so that you decongest the screen of the console. Hon. Wanjiku Muhia’s name and several others are still on the screen. Unless you anticipate to speak to the next Motion, you may decongest the screen to help us in managing the queue.

I was congratulating the Committee. We are honoured as a country today to host the Secretary-General of the East African Community (EAC), Mr. Peter Mathuki, who is also Kenyan. He is in the country with the Chief Justice of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ). As this Committee gets down to work, there are very many important things that they need to do. We need to send a strong delegation to EALA. One onerous task of this Committee is to ensure that they put together criteria that gives us the best. I acknowledge what my brother Hon. Mbui has said on the need for continuity in EALA. It is sad that this is the only country that sweeps everybody out and brings in a new team. When we get there as a country, we are disadvantaged because we have to start on a fresh page. It is important that we retain one or two people in EALA. I do not want to campaign for anyone, but it is very important that we retain some of them. I want to reiterate that we need to send quality representation to EALA. I think we had good representation in this Assembly and we look forward to having better and quality representation. When campaigns for EALA start, it is a very exciting time. I want to urge new Members to stay in the lobby when the campaigns start. It is a very interesting time.

Order, Hon. Members. There is a point of order from Hon. Wangwe.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I do not want to interrupt my colleague and good friend the Deputy Majority Leader. I rise under Standing Order 83 as read together with Standing Order 95. Listening to Members’ contributions to this Motion and considering the importance of the next Order, I move that the Mover be called upon to reply so that we move to the next Order.

Thank you, Hon. Wangwe. I see quite a bit of interest on this Motion. After Hon. Baya, I will give opportunity to three Members on either side then call the Mover to reply. Members have been doing very well in terms of time; nobody has spoken for more than five minutes, which is very good.

I was telling new Members to stay in the lobby to listen to the people campaigning so that we elect people who can provide quality representation. Please engage them well as they campaign. There will be very intense campaigns at the lobby. Please stay there so that we elect people of very good qualities. I want to ask the team that is going to do this job to do a good job for us as a country. Give this country honour by ensuring that we elect people that deserve to be in that Assembly, not just because your party has said that you must be elected. This House must make the decision. I remember during the last EALA election it was about what a party had said, irrespective of whether the candidate was qualified or not. The party said and followed the party’s decision. This time round we need to scrutinise everybody’s curriculum vitae and consider the qualification of persons we are electing. It is about the country. It is not about party or individuals. That is why this Committee is a joint Committee of the many parties. Let us not look at which party is proposing who. Let us look at the quality of the persons. Most 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.

importantly, listen to the candidates when they come to campaign. I wish those who will come to campaign well. I wish the Committee well as they do their job. I thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Oyula.

Thank you Hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to this Motion. Hon. Speaker, let me start by congratulating you and your deputy for having been elected to lead this House. I also want to thank the people of Butula for giving me a second chance to represent them in this House. Butula has been unfortunate in the past in that one is only elected for one term. This time, they gave me a second chance. I sincerely thank them and assure them that I will work with them very closely. As for this Motion, I support the Committee that has been appointed. However, we need to make sure that the people we appoint to the EALA are qualified and can represent our country very well, particularly in trade between our country and the other partners. The quality of the people we appoint to EALA must be above board. We need to make sure that Kenya is well represented and that Kenya appoints people who are going to lead the Community into working together for the benefit of the people of East Africa. Those of us who live along the Ugandan border know what it means to be together with our neighbours. If our neighbours are not cooperative, we might not have peace along our borders. Because of bad blood, you can have people fighting over very small issues. So, let us have good representatives at EALA. With those few remarks, I thank you once more for giving me this opportunity and I thank the people of Butula for electing me for a second term.

Hon. Johana Ng’eno. Give him the microphone.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to also ventilate on this issue of EALA. From the outset, I have no issue with the Select Committee which is going to pick the Members. As my colleagues have discussed, we need to get serious about EALA. There are many issues which need to be ventilated in that Assembly yet we seem to take it for granted. That is why we have not made any serious progress on the question of having one united East Africa, or having one leadership. The people in that Assembly may not be taking up serious matters. We have many issues to look at, for example, cross-border clashes and the East African market. If we could trade freely within East Africa, we would make serious progress. In my opinion, if you look at the composition of this House, we have fairly young people. When you look at the Senate, we also have middle aged people. My thought is that we should send the older generation to EALA, especially people who have contested for presidency, so that they can go and debate heavy matters that touch on East Africa. People like Wajackoyah should be sent there. I am expecting to see the likes of Wajackoyah, Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka, Hon. Raila Odinga and Hon. Gideon Moi in that list. Instead of leaving them to roam around the country disrupting our leadership, why can we not send them to EALA, so that they can debate on serious matters affecting the East African countries? My suggestion to the parties that will pick the individuals is that they should consider these people. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) should bring to us Hon. Raila Odinga. The Wiper Democratic Movement should bring to us Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka and the Kenya African National Union (KANU) should bring to us Hon. Gideon Moi. We from Kenya Kwanza, might look for His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta if he wishes to be on the list.

No! He is in Jubilee Party.

So, Jubilee should bring us Uhuru Kenyatta. We do not want these great Statesmen roaming around the country and troubling The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

our President. They should be in EALA debating matters that affect the East African Community. Hon. Speaker, that is my submission and I am looking forward to that day we will vet those Members in this House. Thank you.

Member for Taveta. Where is he? Did he log in and leave? There you are.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker for the opportunity to address you again. I want to contribute to the Motion and agree with my colleagues who have stated earlier that we need competent people who will address multilateral and bilateral interests of Kenya. I recommend candidates who come from border towns like Taveta and Busia to be considered in those positions. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Omboko, Milemba.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I was among the first people here. Thank you for the opportunity you have given me to contribute on this matter. Let me begin by congratulating and supporting the list of Members in that Committee. The list is solid and, at least, I see two people with the Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS) title. I also see Hon. Muhia who has served in that Assembly before, who will also be one of the co-chairpersons. The East African Community is a very old institution. The old Assembly left several marks in Kenya including parts of Upper Hill that we refer to as Community. The new Assembly which began in 1999 and was actualised in 2000 established the Legislative Assembly under Article 9 of the Assembly’s Constitution. This is an important institution for our regional coordination, especially on matters culture, trade, economy and politics. Therefore, I am looking forward to this Committee vetting and bringing us names that really qualify to sit in the Assembly.

The other thing that Members have mentioned here is the fact that we need qualified and esteemed people to represent us in EALA. The Member for Emurua Dikirr, who has just spoken before me, sought to find highly qualified people. He was just yearning to find high quality people who can command certain respect within the East African Community so that they can be felt heavily when they walk, speak, refer to matters about Kenya and represent us. He may not have necessarily just been speaking about the old guards who were in the elections recently. What is the stature of the man we are taking to the East African Legislative Assembly, so that when he walks around, he is an ambassador of some sort who is actually representing the Kenyan interests? By his looks, exposure, and experience, he is just enough to make representation better. Therefore, I ask this Committee to do its work very well. When it comes to the elections, we will vet these people and take very high quality people to the Assembly.

The East African Community, and EALA in particular, is so important because there are many matters that affect us. Let me deal with the positive ones because whenever we talk about this Assembly, we tend to deal with conflicts. We need trade between Kenya and Uganda. Uganda has been one of our leading trade partners until Britain took over. We need Tanzania because of the plenty of cereals there. We need other products from Congo that is now part of the expanded EALA.

I believe the people who will be elected to this Assembly will be people who can tap good relations that can improve the movement of goods between the borders, so that we can benefit from the trade between the East African bloc. We should create an Assembly that will make laws that will move us towards a closer cooperation. I heard about a common currency. I heard of the issue of removing tariff barriers of trade, particularly between Kenya and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

Tanzania, where we have many grains. I hear there are 14 trade barriers, which need to be removed. This will make us have greater cooperation.

Without much ado, Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to support. Thank you very much.

Member for Igembe Central, we have one more person.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I start by saying that I am grateful to God for this opportunity. I have really been looking for this chance to address the House. I am grateful that I got it. May I start by thanking God and the people of Igembe Central for believing in me and trusting in my capacity to lead them as their area Member of Parliament. I also congratulate you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, and the Speaker himself, for your election. I start by saying that I am grateful to the people of Igembe Central for believing in me; the people of Wathiru Ward, Akirang’ondu Njia Ward, Kangeta Ward and Igembe East Ward, thank you very much. I will fight very hard to deliver on my promises. I will not let you down.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I come from Igembe Central, a region known for producing what we internationally refer to as ‘green gold’. Locally, we call it mairungi, miraa and khat . As we talk, that industry has been employing more than 500,000 people. Today, as we deliberate on the team that will be handling our cases at EALA, we should have a team that will represent Kenya and represent Kenya’s interests politically, socially, and even economically.

I know Tanzania very well. They have a lot of miraa around Tanga but they have not given us a chance to sell our miraa there. Therefore, I expect the team that will be picked to be able to negotiate on behalf of farmers and traders in Meru, so that we can have a chance to sell our ‘green gold’ there. Hon. Deputy Speaker, Igembe Central has not been represented properly. Electricity connectivity is about 30 per cent. Not a single kilometre of tarmac has been done for the last 10 years. As our President said the other day, we are giving subsidy to production and not consumption. Right now, there is a strong famine. We expect to see the Government deliver seeds as we look forward to receive rains in October, so that we in future, do not go back looking for famine relief food. We are receiving famine relief food which is bought at billions of shillings. I believe the harvest would not be at that cost if that money was diverted to bring in seeds. The harvest could not be worth that cost. It would be of great benefit to the people of Meru and Igembe in particular.

We have an area called Lower Igembe that is very arable. However, flowing water though rivers seems to have dried. Farmers cannot transport their farm produce to the market because of poor road network. If that area is well connected to tarmac, I believe we can feed the whole of Meru County and Lower Eastern. As we talk of food security, we cannot have food security in areas where there is no human security. Therefore, if the areas that are prone to insecurity are developed and we have enough police stations, like in Uthini, where there is a fully packed police station, we can have enough food for ourselves and even assist other counties.

We also lack electricity. Our education standards have been going down because schools are not connected to electricity yet we are expected to compete against other Kenyans who have electricity in their schools. All these factors are bringing our education standards down. This monster called delocalisation has destroyed our education in Igembe because most of the teachers brought to handle institutions there are foreigners who do not know the situations in the area hence education standards have been going down. We need people who The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

can understand one another. Although the teachers are Kenyans, we need Kenyans from our regions; Kenyans who know our problems and how to handle our people. The schools were doing well before delocalisation. Even the giant schools that were doing wonderfully are now going down. Something should be done and I believe it will be done.

As I wind up, I believe we are going to have a team that will represent us in EALA; a team that is able to negotiate, and represent us to our benefit. Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity. I thank God and you all.

Thank you. The last under this Motion will be the Member for Manyatta. We still have a chance until 9.00 p.m. Hon. Members, everybody will have a chance to make their maiden speech.

Let us have Hon. Gitonga.

Manyatta, UDA

Mover to reply.

(Kikuyu, UDA)

Inaudible)

(Kikuyu, UDA)

Hon. Members, I wish to recognise the presence of guests and students from Girgir Primary School in Samburu East Constituency, Samburu County.

Hon. Members, I now wish to put the Question.

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

What is your point of order, Leader of the Majority Party?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, before we move to Order No.9, I want to move a Procedural Motion. I appreciate that we have very many new Members who have been struggling to catch the Speaker’s eye, but they have not contributed. There are even other Members who were re- elected, but they have not had an opportunity to speak. Considering that this is the last day, I want to move a Procedural Motion to extend sitting time.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 33 and notwithstanding the provisions of Standing Order 97(1) on Limitation of Debate on Motions, this House resolves to extend its Sitting time today, Thursday, 13th October 2022 until 9.00 p.m. The gist of this Motion is to allow many Members to contribute, as we move to the next Motion which is Order No.9 by Hon. Elsie Muhanda. All our new Members and those who have not spoken will have an opportunity to contribute before we go on recess. It will be very unfair for a new Member or a Member who has been re-elected to go back home during the recess without getting the chance to stand in the House where people elected you to come, and at least, thank them on national television. If the House agrees to extend the Sitting today up to 9.00 p.m., it will be a good opportunity. If Members manage time and we finish before that time, it will not matter. At least, nobody will be locked out because we have about two-and-a half hours. If Members contribute for 10 minutes, you can count the number of Members who will speak. There are very many Members who have not spoken. Therefore, I just wanted to move that Motion and request the House to agree with me to extend the Sitting up to 9.00 p.m. Everybody will have opportunity to speak. As we take our short recess, you will not be blamed that you came to the House, but you did not speak. It is The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

good for the new Members to note that if they do not make their impact during the first few days, there is a website that publishes those who speak in the House. They can publish next week and say that you were elected and you are yet to utter a word after a month. Without pre-empting debate, this Motion by Hon. Elsie Muhanda is very important. It is on feeding our school children, especially during this drought season. It is a good Motion for everybody to say something. With those remarks, I want to ask Hon. Kaguchia to second.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, first, I would like to take this opportunity to second the Motion which has been proposed by the Leader of the Majority Party. It is very important for every new Member and even those who have come back to be given an opportunity to give their maiden speech. I would like to take this opportunity as well to congratulate you and our Speaker for being elected in the last elections that we had in this National Assembly for the speakership. I also thank the people of Mukurweini for electing me as their Member of Parliament, and bestowing on me the mandate to take care of their issues in the next five years. As I say this, I understand very well that this is just an opportunity that I have been given, not because I was the best in Mukurweini, but because the people of Mukurweini saw it fit to believe in the promises and hope that we gave them. I promise that I will be very keen to ensure that we fulfill what we promised them as much as possible. I also want to thank my family who stood with me during this time. I would like to recognise the late Richard Kaguchia, my father, who unfortunately passed on about 10 months before I was elected as a Member of Parliament. He would have been very happy to see me here. I would like to promise the people of Mukurweini that I am going to represent them and I am going to be their voice. I am going to be fearless and will stand by what they want us to do. I am particularly keen on developing the infrastructure of Mukurweini, especially the road network. Whereas Nyeri County has modestly received some good infrastructural projects particularly roads, Mukurweini Constituency has lagged behind. It has not benefited from tarmac roads for the last 20 years. What we have had is a very small contribution from the national kitty to the road network. I am promising the people of Mukurweini that as we work together with the Kenya Kwanza Government, we shall be addressing the issue of roads that were proposed and passed. I was very much involved in lobbying, unfortunately, they were not done because there were no funds. We are in touch with departments that are involved, including the National Treasury to ensure that enough money is provided for in the Constituency. I am very keen on ensuring that the road that goes through Gikondi all the way to Kabuta is completed. I will ensure that the road that goes from Ichamara all the way to Rutune and all the way to Gakonya is done. The road that goes from Maseno to Ndhia-Kamolo will also be done. We will work with the Government departments that are in charge of roads so that the road that goes from Mikiraniru all the way to Gumba is done. I am also keen to ensure that the Gaikundo-Kanunga-Kaheti Road all the way to Gatiki is also done. I will be pushing for these infrastructural projects. I will also be very keen on Karindi-Wahundura and Karindi- Rurii Road. This will take our constituency to a level that other constituencies are enjoying. I am keen on the issue of irrigation in my constituency. We will be pushing for major projects in irrigation particularly on the larger Kiganjo area which serves Mukurweini West. We are going to push the Nyawamu Irrigation Scheme that serves Gikondi. We will ensure that we complete the Hamaiko Irrigation Project that has already started. I will also push the Mungagaga Water Irrigation Project to have most parts of Mukurweini covered. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I am encouraging our Government to show concern on the plight of young people in this country. Mukurweini has had very many hardworking young people who have not benefitted from post-secondary school education. I know this is an area that we The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

want to invest in. We will have a project called Akili ni Mali, where we are going to empower young people to gain education and employment skills that will make them employable and be able to employ. We will make use of technical institutions like Mukurweini Technical Institution and others to promote our young people and ensure they get away from shopping centres and the illicit brew which is a great concern in the Mount Kenya Region. I call upon our Government to declare illicit brew a national disaster. It is ravaging our youth and making them useless in our community. In future, I will bring a Motion in this Assembly to have it declared a national disaster. I will propose that we fight manufacturing, production and distribution of illicit brew which has become a menace in this country. It has made our young people unproductive. It has also made them zombies in some areas. They are not able to think on their own without consuming drugs. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I will also be very keen working together with the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) and the Kenya Power and Lightning Company (KPLC) to ensure that Mukurweini benefits fully from the Last Mile Programme. We have very many people in Mukurweini who do not enjoy electricity at this time and age. Mukurweini is probably the second worst connected constituency in Nyeri County after one of the neighbouring sub-counties in the upper side of Nyeri. We will be working together in ensuring that every home gets and enjoys electricity connectivity. I know that if we support our people fully, since they are very hard working, they will be keen to use their God-given capacity and work hard. This will benefit and empower them. I know for sure the people of Mukurweini produce so much milk in this country. We have contributed largely to the growth and development of the economy through dairy farming. We have sweet potatoes and arrow roots. If they are properly supported and given the capacity, they will produce more and contribute to the economic growth of our country. As a country, we have to tap into the potential of our young people. I am looking at young people across the country because we are not making proper use of their capacity. We are not engaging them fully to get them to the level and potential that will contribute to our economic growth. I beg to second this Motion and hope that all my colleagues are going to get an opportunity to make their contributions today.

Hon. Members, this is a kind request. As we move to the next Order, I politely ask, as a good gesture to the Members who are new in the House and are here for the first time and need to make their maiden speeches, to be given priority. Their electorate and constituents are waiting to hear from them. If the senior Members could, at least, cede space for them, it will be a collegial thing to do in the House. I am persuading, including my very good friend, Sir. George, to cede space if he can. It is entirely up to you. I also see that I have Members who had already spoken just shortly and their cards are still in place. Kindly, cede it to give other people an opportunity. We can get all the new Members to speak today plus more. Like the Member for Mbeere North, you just spoke, but I can see you are still on the list with your card. Thank you.

Sorry, Hon. Elsie Muhanda.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your appointment as the Deputy Speaker and specifically, coming from the women caucus. Indeed, we are overjoyed. I want to thank the people of Kakamega for electing me tano tena overwhelmingly. I make a special dedication of this Motion to the child in Kakamega and Kenya as a whole, who did not get a meal today. I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, aware that school meals are an important safety net for vulnerable children from food insecure households and communities in Kenya; appreciating that school meals have multiple benefits such as increased school enrolments and attendants; significant and positive contribution to reducing hunger and improving nutritional intakes; noting that primary school completion rates have been found to be higher in schools that provide meals; thus school meals remain a core development intervention to support the country’s achievements in the education sector; recognising that some county governments have adopted direct and community-led initiatives for Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) school feeding programmes; concerned that the exercise is not supported by a clear policy and budgetary framework and it does not support children in primary and secondary schools who form the basic education ecosystem; cognizant of the fact that where school meal programmes have been initiated, it has been noted that they encounter different challenges that impede their effectiveness, including insufficient resources due to low budgetary allocation and budget cuts; lack of a school feeding policy; inadequate safe cooking and drinking water, drought and famine; poor food storage; a lengthy procurement process; insecurity and dilapidated infrastructure among others; this House, therefore, resolves that the Ministry of Education, through the relevant State department, immediately develops a school feeding policy to cover basic education pupils, and sustain the programme in order to ensure that children are maintained in schools for effective learning and improve their wellbeing. Hon. Deputy Speaker, let me begin by defining school feeding as the provision of food, meals, snacks or take-home incentives conditional upon school attendance to children, and their households through school-based programmes. The meals are either prepared at schools, in the community or delivered from centralised kitchens. Article 53(c) of the Constitution of Kenya states that every child has a right to basic nutrition, shelter and health care. Referring to the poverty Index of 2022, 17 per cent of Kenyan population lives below Kshs200 per day. This means that 8.9 million Kenyans live in extreme poverty. Kenya is ranked No. 86 out of 117 qualifying countries in the 2019 Global Hunger Index thus classifying the country’s situation as serious, and hence shows the level of real dire need. The World Food Programme (WFP) has shown that most people who are most vulnerable to food security live in the dry areas which cover 80 per cent of the country. Children are the demographic group that is most vulnerable to hunger because their growing bodies are more vulnerable. About 29 per cent of the children in rural areas and 20 per cent of those living in towns have stunted growth. The Coronavirus disease of 2019 did not make things easy. We have had efforts to have feeding programmes in Kenya since 1980s. We had the Maziwa ya Nyayo and Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) such as the Food for Education who partnered with some Members of Parliament like the Member for Dagoretti South. Because of the grave situation, 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 have Hon. Members who have started feeding programmes in their areas like Hon. Christopher Aseka and Hon. Milemba. We thank them, but it is not easy given the budgetary constraints. We equally have the Ministry of Education which has some feeding programmes in ASAL areas and slums. This is not enough because the whole of Kenya needs the feeding programme. Used primarily to incentivise enrolment and retention of rural children and girls, subsidised meal programmes have played an integral part in realising the country’s goals of universal primary education. Historically, the involvement of NGOs has greatly limited the Kenya Government’s role in the direction of stewardship of these programmes. Reliance on donor support and management has subjected the programmes to fluctuating and often, conditional support from the actors. Financial strains and infrastructural challenges have been the major setback in the Government’s ability to successfully fund and operate its own feeding programme. Noting the effects of the recent COVID-19 Pandemic, it has really affected the primary attendance of schools. You find that most children have not been guaranteed completion of their school learning. The risks for children during this pandemic have included, families falling into deeper poverty, threats to survival, health and child safety and exacerbation of the learning crisis. Widespread unemployment, income loss and budget constraints have severely affected household financial ability to keep students in schools. As for the poorest households, budget constraints have caused them to keep their children out of school. Since schools re-opened, children have not reported to school in many parts of Kakamega County. Hon. Deputy Speaker, for the sake of that poor child in Kenya who fainted during parade because of hunger; for the sake of the poor parents; for the sake of us having high retention; for the sake of the child who fell prey to goodies along the road because of lack of food and eventually got pregnant; for the sake of children in the drought areas and for the sake of malnourished children, the school feeding programme must work. As I conclude, this is important in order for the Government to ensure a 100 per cent transition from pre-primary to primary, to secondary enrolment and also improve attendance. School meals are an important safety net strategy for the disadvantaged vulnerable majority of school going children facing security challenges in Kenyan households and communities. Therefore, I wish to request the Members to support me and resolve that the Government, through the Ministry of Education and the relevant State departments, to develop a school feeding policy. This will ensure a coordinated approach to provision of school meals for learners at all basic levels of education and propose budgetary allocation to sustain this programme, so as to ensure that children are maintained in schools for effective learning. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to move and request Hon. Omboko Milemba to second this Motion. Thank you.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Let me congratulate Hon. Elsie of Kakamega County for moving this Motion on school feeding programme. I will be very brief. The earliest signs of trying to introduce school feeding programme in Kenya can be traced as early as 1941. The colonial government tried what they called first national schools meals policy. Mainly, this was to give proteins to students because the children were being fed a lot of carbohydrates. The second most pronounced one would be what the Mover mentioned as the Nyayo Milk’ or ‘ Maziwa ya Nyayo’ which lasted for a period of about 10 years from 1980s to 1990s. Let me put it into perspective that later on, this Parliament tried to introduce ‘ Maziwa ya Nyayo’ through a Bill introduced by a nominated Member, Hon. Beatrice Kwamboka, for those who will remember. However, it did not go through because when they looked at the costing, they thought it was too expensive for those who were in the 11th Parliament. 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 cost was approximated to be Kshs1 billion per week and when Parliament calculated it, they thought it was not really possible to have the programme running. The truth is that this programme can be confronted just the same way we confronted the free primary education and subsidised secondary school education, if this Parliament will have its voice on it. I also wish to indicate that the Kenya Government currently has some interventions on the school feeding programme through the Ministry of Education. Currently, the Ministry, together with other partners, is able to provide food in 10 counties. This is to all students mainly in the ASAL areas like Makueni and other regions which most Members are aware of. They are providing food all the way from Grade One to Class Eight. They also provide fortified porridge to young children in those areas. There has also been an attempt by the Kenya Government to provide the same programme in informal sectors. Just to mention, in Nairobi, we have Mathare and Kibera. I can even widen and mention Kisumu where Obunga is receiving part of these foods. In Kakamega, we have the Amalemba area. As you know, I have a background in education. The Kenya Government is trying to do something to provide meals in schools. What is the cost? Currently, the Government is using a budget of Kshs1.8 billion to do what I have just talked about. This shows very clearly that it is possible to achieve this if this House pronounces itself on this matter and forces that the Government provides a budget for school feeding. What would be the advantages of school feeding? I will take you to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which envisaged that by the year 2015, every learner in primary and basic education will be able to finish their education, whether a girl or a boy. Currently, most of the girls drop out because they have to be engaged in domestic chores in food production. The boys are also engaged in issues of livestock keeping. Therefore, if this good Motion is pronounced by this Parliament, we shall safeguard all the students in schools. So, we will retain them in school and they will transit 100 per cent. All the students who go to primary school must transit to secondary school. More so, remember in the Education Act, basic education is not only free, but is supposed to be compulsory. So, this is a programme that will ensure students are in school. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I have had my own experience with the school feeding programme. I must acknowledge Hon. Aseka who tutored me into these things. In my own constituency, we use partners and other sources to provide lunch for students in schools, especially the candidates. It is working for me and is popular. I want to tell this House that it has increased transition and also attendance. For instance, in 2017, the candidates in Class Eight were only about 2,000. The number of candidates last year rose to 3,400 because of the school feeding programme. Therefore, I want to urge this House to support this Motion and the Government to create a budget for the feeding programme in our schools. Hon. Deputy Speaker, because I want many Members to contribute to this Motion, I will not go on. This is a matter that is with us in our constituencies. You can feel it because you see hungry students going back to school after taking plain water only. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg to second.

Hon. Members, I will propose the Question.

Hon. Members, I see there are many Members who want to contribute. I now call upon the Member for West Pokot County. The Member for West Pokot County is not here. I now call upon the Member for Matungulu. 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 very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker. From the onset, I want to thank the people of Matungulu for electing me to this august House for the third term. I want to congratulate you on being elected as Deputy Speaker of this House. I want to thank my sister Hon. Elsie for moving this Motion to deal with school feeding programme in Kenya. I want to thank all Members for the support they gave us when we were working on entrenching the National Government Constituencies Development Fund in the Constitution. I want to report to you that we have worked tirelessly with Hon. Gichimu and made sure that the entire legislation, workings of the budgets and the figures that need to be entrenched in the Constitution are done. The work is now beyond our hands. We have submitted it to the Table Office and it has been forwarded to the Speaker. By the time we come back from recess, I believe we will start the journey to amend the Constitution to entrench NG- CDF. We are keen on this because Members of Parliament are very key to this Motion on feeding programme. I believe that if we increase the allocations to NG-CDF, National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) and have Oversight Authority and Stimulus Economic Fund in the Constitution, Members of Parliament will be in a position to feed our children in the entire country. I believe this House has the power to make laws and give direction. What Hon. Gichimu and I have started will sort out the issue of inadequate budget which has been talked about by Hon. Milemba Omboko. We will do this through the NG-CDF. When we begin this journey, I would like to urge Members to be vigilant and know our enemy. You need to understand that the same enemy we had in 2015 when NG-CDF was in place is in court again to make it unconstitutional. If we want to have such Motions to proceed and have enough funding, we must think outside the box, walk the talk and rise above the bar. That is why Hon. Gichimu and I have taken a bold step to amend the Constitution to entrench these funds in the Constitution and delink them from any interference from the courts. If Members agree to our proposed amendment to entrench NG-CDF, NGAAF and the empowerment fund in the Constitution, we will not be bothered to ask the Government to deal with school feeding programme. It will be one of your priorities as national leaders in this House to budget for a feeding programme in your constituency. Let us look at this job seriously. I am very sure that if we increase NG-CDF from 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent, each Member will have an opportunity to feed Kenyan children without crying to the Government for subsidies and extra food for schools. I thank Hon. Elsie. This is a Motion that Members of this House will approve. Once we come back from recess, we will start the journey to amend the Constitution for the benefit of Kenyans who elected you. I believe that once we entrench NG-CDF, NGAAF and have an Economic Stimulus Fund in the Constitution, we will be in a position to appropriate money accordingly without begging anybody. It is very clear.

Hon. Kamket, we are not dealing with cows here. We are talking of serious matters of feeding students in this country. What is out of order? I have served for two terms in this House. To new Members, serving the people will be very difficult if you do not have NG-CDF. It will be very difficult when you will not be able to give students bursaries in January and feed them without funds come next year. We are the people who appropriate funds in this House. We are the people who allocate funds to other government departments. I do not see why we cannot allocate funds to NGAAF to feed Kenyan children. We must rise above the board. When we started this journey, we were required to get only 50 signatures. I want to thank you Members for appending your signatures. Even Hon. Kamket signed on. There are 335 Members in support of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

The Member for Tiaty, you are out of order. You will not catch the Speaker’s eye by shouting out loud from the corner of a Chamber after just walking in. Let the Hon. Mule finish his submission.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, it is good to tame some of these people. We are talking of children in primary and secondary schools. Parents cannot afford school fees and three meals a day. This is a Motion that every Member should support as we go on recess. When we come back, we should work as a team to provide funds and become oversight managers. In the outside world, you are seen as the NG-CDF managers. I want to tell Kenyans that Hon. Mule, Hon. Rasso and Hon. Gichimu do not sign for any NG- CDF penny. We only offer oversight. There is a constituency committee that does that. What other devolved government do we need in this country if not for NGAAF? I want to urge the Judiciary not to listen to everyone who walks to the courts with propaganda or hearsay. They have no clue how much Members of Parliament have assisted students from Form One to university without paying school fees. There is no other way we are going to alleviate poverty in this country without funds at the grassroots. The county governments are performing their duties but during weekends, Kenyans seek your help as a Member of Parliament so that their children can go to school. On this Motion, Kenyans are looking up to you to make sure that every primary and secondary school has enough money to feed students. If we allocate money to the school feeding programme, we will tell principals and head teachers to ensure that students are in school until we get enough money to pay school fees. They should not send students back to their parents every weekend for lack of school fees. Let us walk together as Members and entrench NG-CDF and NGAAF in the Constitution and make sure that a provision to feed Kenyan children is included in the next legislation. I urge school principals to maintain students in school so that they can learn and prepare for exams before December. Once we sort out this NGAAF menace, we will send cheques to schools and make sure that you get enough money to pay school debts and to maintain students in school come January.

Hon. Mule, there are many new Members who have not made their maiden speeches. Let us give them an opportunity. Hon. Member, let us give an opportunity to the rest. Many new Members have not made their maiden speeches. I now call upon the Member for Matayos Constituency. He will be followed by the Member for Samburu County. We will then give a second chance to the Member for West Pokot who was not there when I called her earlier. Thank you.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I thank the people of Matayos Constituency in Busia County for giving me a third term to serve them as their Member of Parliament. That goes a long way to demonstrate the confidence they have in me and I assure them that I will give them my best so that we can develop on what we started with them. I want to be in the rankings of Hon. Duale, Hon. Millie Odhiambo, Hon. Moroto and many others who have served five terms and beyond. I also congratulate you on your election as our Deputy Speaker. However, I want to register my disappointment that I came to this House a few minutes after 1.00 pm. I was number 10 on that queue. I have seen Members who have come after me, including one who came and I assisted him to slot in his card, given a chance to speak and go, despite my appeal to the substantive Speaker to give me an opportunity. I am from the ward. I have been in the hospital for about two weeks. I was operated upon on my neck. This is the first time I am appearing here without a neck collar. I thought I should have been given a chance to speak on these important Motions, including the one 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.

has just been passed, and which I wanted to make a comment on. I wanted to comment on it even after it had been done with. I realised that in as much as the Joint Committee has Members of ability to serve or to elect our Members to the EALA, it is regionally and religiously imbalanced. It is against the tenets of the Constitution. Having said that, this Motion moved by Hon. Elsie who is the Member for Kakamega is very worthy being before this House. She is talking about developing a policy. I want Members to mark the word ‘policy’. I know all of us agree that we should have school feeding programmes. The Motion is talking about the Government developing a policy on the school feeding programme. We have had various programmes that have been developed very haphazardly in the country. Some have been developed by the county governments, while others have been developed by the national Government. The aim is providing food to some institutions, but there is no policy. We would have no problem in attracting access of our children to schools, if a policy was in place. We would have no problem in maintaining them in school throughout. We need a policy for this. Just as Mheshimiwa Omboko Milemba has said about the Nyayo Milk that came in the late 1970s - around 1979 - some of us enjoyed it. It went on up to, perhaps, the middle of 1980s to the 1990s. Many children were kept in school. We really implore that as Members, we should support this Motion for the Government to develop a policy that will make sure our children’s well-being in nutrition and health is maintained. That is to ensure they are in school and are able to learn without problems.

I want to insist that we want this Parliament to give fairness to Members who are on the queue.

Can I have the Hon. Deputy Speaker listening? What is on your queue there should be reflected on our tablets here or on the walls, so that I can know when I am number two and I should be given a chance to contribute after the first person. We also know that you enjoy discretion as per the Standing Orders. I do not have to sit here for three hours and a Member comes in, speaks and leaves. That is very unfair to some of us Hon. Members. I also implore you that you do another induction. Members are not inducted enough. While seated here, I have seen two Members just cross from here. Can you please organise for an induction? I support Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Thank you for the feedback, Member for Matayos. I now call upon the Member for Mwatate, Hon. Peter Shake. I do not know if I have pronounced it correctly.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me the opportunity to make a maiden speech in this House. I have been in the queue for the last six days. I thank God for the opportunity that I have got today. My name is Hon. Peter Shake. By the grace of God, I am a born again Christian and, at the same time, a Canon in the Anglican Church. First, I would like to thank the almighty God and the people of Mwatate for giving me this special opportunity to serve them as their fifth Member of Parliament. I do not take it for granted. It is, indeed, a great honour and privilege they have given me. My great people of Mwatate, I assure you that I will serve you with a lot of commitment, tirelessly and with dedication. Special appreciation goes to my family and friends for offering total support before, during and after the elections.

Secondly, I take this opportunity to congratulate you and the Speaker for being elected to serve in this 13th Parliament. I am not forgetting to congratulate my predecessor by the name 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. Andrew Mwadime, who is now the Governor of Taita Taveta County. I congratulate him for his election. I wish him well in his new elective position.

Mwatate Constituency has its own uniqueness and challenges. The first one is electricity. Electricity connectivity has been a nightmare in Mwatate. We have only 30 per cent connectivity in Mwatate. This creates many issues in the employment of our youth. We have TVETs there. The youth have trained and they have graduated. Some of them are welders and they have not been able to access electricity so that they can open Jua Kali workshops. I request the Government, through this honourable House, to add the grid of electricity in Mwatate so that we can help our youth and get them out of unemployment.

Secondly, the roads are in a very poor state. I have been hearing from the last regime that 10,000 kilometres of roads have been constructed. I am not good in mathematics, but when I try to divide the 10,000 by the 47 counties that we have, I found out that what we got in Taita Taveta as a whole was only 40 kilometres of tarmacked road. I think our county has been short- changed. In terms of development, we found out that some counties are more developed. They are getting more development than our county. I am requesting our new Government to allocate Taita Taveta some money in the next Budget for the construction of some more kilometres so that we can have access to our homes through those tarmacked roads. That is my request. Another challenge my constituency is facing is the problem of water. We have been having a lot of problems in terms of getting water. In fact, it is very scarce in Mwatate Constituency. I am now requesting the Government, through this honourable House, if it can organise so that we can tap water from Taveta. We have got a lot of water from Taveta which is our neighbouring constituency, almost 80 kilometres away. I urge the Government to tap the water to Mwatate to help our people there to get enough water for domestic use and irrigation.

Mwatate is a constituency which houses the headquarters of Taita Taveta County and also a business hub which is growing very fast. The economic activities in Mwatate are basically mining. Almost 70 per cent of Taita Taveta, Mwatate included, is composed of all types of mines. Name any mineral, it is there. Our main economic activity is mostly mining. Our youth in the mines are having problems because they do not have machinery to help them explore the minerals so that we can change the economy of Mwatate. Therefore, my request is for the current Government to make sure it provides the machinery so that the people can use them for mining purposes to uplift the economy of Mwatate. In fact, in the near future, I will bring a Motion to declare mining in Taita Taveta an economic activity. When the Government is supporting miraa, coffee and tea, the same should also be done to our small-scale miners so that we can tap the minerals to help our people develop. Last but not least, let me speak on the Motion which is before us - the school feeding programme. Let me say that due to this drought, Mwatate has been hit hard especially the school children. Many of them had dropped out in the first term. But in second term, as the area MP, by the grace of God, I managed to introduce a school feeding programme for the 68 primary schools and, up to now, they are food sufficient. However, that programme is not going to take long. I think by the end of this term, I will not be able to support them again. So, I support the Motion. God bless Kenya, God bless Mwatate. Thank you.

(Hon. Martha Wangari)

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. This is the first time I am speaking in this House and I am so grateful. Secondly, let me thank the great people of Samburu for giving me this chance to represent them in this House. I am grateful to them for electing me as their Woman Representative. I started this journey long time ago - 15 years down the line - and I am so humbled for the trust they have bestowed upon me this time. I promise to serve them diligently, without bias and with all the respect that they deserve. Thirdly, let me thank the President of the Republic of Kenya, His Excellency Dr. William Samoei Ruto for the support he offered me during the campaign time. Let me also congratulate him on being elected the President of this country. He is also my party leader and I am so grateful for the support and the plans he has for this country. We know that we inherited a country which the economy has really gone down, the people are suffering and I understand from his agenda that he has good programmes that will put this country back to the line again. Programmes like the hustlers’ fund, housing and universal healthcare. Those programmes are going to support and help our people and hence, I believe that this honourable House will give him the support that he requires to implement them. They will be able to uplift the lives of our people. Fourthly, I come from a region that is currently hardest hit by the drought. I think you have all seen on the televisions and also heard from the Press statements that have been given by Members from that region - northern Kenya that we are faced by a very hard drought and our people are really suffering because of hunger. We have lost many livestock and many of our children are dropping out of school because the parents are not able to pay for the school fees. The schools are also not able to feed children. So, we are suffering both in the homes and our children are suffering back in the schools. The country is facing a severe drought and the threat is worsening each and every day. The household food security has really been affected and there has been minimal harvest in agro-pastoralist areas. Hon. Temporary Speaker, water has also become a major challenge for both human beings and livestock. The discharge levels have gone down. Most strategic boreholes have either broken down or the discharge levels have gone down. Conflicts over pasture have also erupted in most parts of Samburu County and, as the Member representing the county, I would request the Government to spearhead the support and interventions that would address the suffering that people are undergoing in that county and region. We are talking of Samburu, Marsabit, Isiolo, West Pokot and parts of Turkana. If the Government is not going to do something, we fear that lives are going to be lost. This week, I was in the county and we got reports of an old man who passed on due to hunger. So, I am here requesting the Government to fast-track the interventions. Even the development partners who are working in this country; if there is any kind of support they can give us, let them do so. We are requesting for any kind of support. Any other good Kenyan who is willing to support our people is highly welcome. On the school feeding programme, I support that it can be reinstated so that we can have retention of our children back in school, especially now that the parents are not even able to pay their school fees. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity. Maybe I can donate some of the minutes to the Members who have not spoken.

(Hon. Martha Wangari)

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I would like to thank the people of Wajir South for electing me as their representative in this House. I also thank the hundreds of volunteers who helped me throughout the campaign period, showed confidence in me and my leadership and made 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.

reality of what we were looking for. I represent Wajir South, which is the second largest constituency in this country; second only to North Horr in Marsabit. The size of Wajir South is about 23,000 square kilometres. To give a snapshot, that is the size of Nairobi, Central Kenya and Western Kenya combined. It is represented by one Member of Parliament. I believe that is a blot on the conscience of Kenyans. We have been short-changed many times when boundary reviews of constituencies have been carried out. We hope this time round, justice, equity and even-handedness will prevail. Wajir South has four sub-counties with only two which are fully operational. The other two are work in progress. The sheer size of the constituency makes it really difficult for delivery of services not just from the Member of Parliament and other elected leaders, but also Government and aid workers, who are in the process of alleviating the biting drought that is afflicting my people at this time. Drought is a big problem right now for the people of Wajir South. Over the years, we have seen cyclic droughts that have decimated livestock and made the people really weak. Over the past five years, we have had the lethal mix of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the locust invasion as well as the drought. Last year, it was declared a national disaster. This year again, it is the same. We are here talking about drought and it is getting worse and worse by the day. This is the consequence of climate change, and it is here to stay with us. It is about time we learnt to adapt and live with climate change. It is a global phenomenon and not much of our own making. But we are bearing the brunt of the ruthlessness by which Western industrialised countries have dealt with our environment. But we must adapt because if we do not, we will be having even more problems. Right now, there are discussions going on not just in my constituency and the greater Wajir County, but also in other parts of the country that are afflicted by the dry spell. Pastoralism, as we have seen over the ages, is untenable. We can no longer continue to chase rainfall because it has become less and far between. What we need is to adapt and change our lifestyles so that we get to live a much better life than the one we are living right now. That is because every year, we are seeing caravans of relief convoys taking food to the people. To an extent, we have been reduced to a people dependent on the goodwill of others. We are talking about agro-pastoralism, more settled farming as well as keeping livestock which is a priced source of livelihood for the people of the north, where Wajir South is located.

We can no longer continue as our forefathers to chase the rain, even if it meant crossing the borders because there is very little rain due to the phenomenon that we are facing. We are talking about agriculture as an alternative mainstay for our people, so that they can grow their own food and fodder for their livestock. That way, we would be able to keep on practising our priced mainstay that is pastoralism and rearing of animals while, at the same time, growing our own food. This is where we are headed and we will be seeking as much help as possible in this direction. As we speak, there are throngs of aid workers criss-crossing Wajir County. The county government has re-jigged its budget and is offering relief aid to the people. We are thankful to the county Governor and also to organisations like Save the Children, Kenya Red Cross, United Nations Children’s Fund and many others including World Vision, which are giving lifesaving aid and water to the people in my constituency. There are seven wards in my constituency and, out of those wards; three of them are facing water shortage. So, as we can see, my work is really cut out for me. I represent people who are facing all those problems that I have listed. Hon. Temporary Speaker, we have a fantastic Motion in front of us today. It is one that deals with the provision of school meals to students. When I remember my childhood and growing up in North Eastern Kenya, the school feeding programme made a big difference 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.

keeping us in schools. School meals really contributed to many of us remaining in school because of the abject poverty most of the people there were living under and still do to this day. I am in support of this Motion, but we have even a more pressing problem in North Eastern Kenya because of the action which the former Government took two years ago. With a stroke of a pen, 5,000 teachers were recalled from the region because of insecurity. Today, almost every other school is manned by one teacher. In my constituency alone, we have a shortage of 300 school teachers. Some of the schools in my constituency are manned by one teacher and some of them have been closed. This is quite unfair. We are bringing up a lost generation which has been forced to go through the steps of schooling for those two years, but have learnt nothing. We are appealing to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), because I do not know what else to call it because this is marginalisation that is being brought through the back door, after we thought the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution had done away with that practice, which had been visited upon us by the previous regimes. What we need is a return of teachers back to the schools so that the young Kenyans living in that part of the country can get education. We have…. I thought I had 10 minutes Hon. Temporary Speaker!

Hon. Martha Wangari

So, in summary, I would like to say that teachers need to go back to schools. The funding for the school feeding programme will go a long way but again, for students who do not have teachers, it does not mean much. Thank you very much.

Hon. Martha Wangari

Finally! Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Like most new Members would say, we have been waiting for quite a while. Being my maiden speech, let me start by congratulating all the elected Members of Parliament. I also want to give a vote of thanks first to the Almighty God for giving me this chance, to the people of Embakasi West who voted for me, to my family, my wife, my children, my sisters, my brother and all those who campaigned with me in Embakasi West. I want to thank them for their support. It is obvious that my surname is quite common in Parliament. I recognise that my father served in this House. He made a name for himself while seated right here. Without him, I would not be here. To those Members who are in their third term including yourself, at times, a good name is its own reward. I also recognise some of my late father’s friends who campaigned with me, the likes of Hon. Kamanda and Hon. Ndolo. There are so many people who supported me. I cannot mention all their names. I thank the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance family in Nairobi, comprising of the Jubilee Party and the ODM Party. I also wish to thank the first Member of Parliament for Embakasi West, George Theuri, for his service, for conceding and for his candour. I move on to Embakasi West, where during the campaigns, there were quite a number of issues that we spoke about. I know I cannot speak to all of them. The people of Embakasi West require better infrastructure and roads. My constituency has some of the worst roads in Nairobi County. We get water once a week, or none at all. We have raw sewage spilling all over. When it comes to education, my constituency has 14 public schools versus a population of 284,000 people. We have about 120 students in each classroom and that is even on the lower side. One of my wards - Mowlem Ward - has only one primary school. Umoja One and Umoja Two wards share one secondary school. I come from a constituency where bursaries are issued on a first come, first served basis, and only the first 1,200 to queue benefit. Something has to change. 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.

Land ownership is one of the biggest issues that we have in my constituency. People do not have title deeds. Mowlem Ward has a population of 89,000, where 70 per cent of the Ward is adjudicated land. So, 70 per cent of those people do not have title deeds. Whenever you hear of demolitions in Nairobi, this is the ward that always has the highest number. That has to end. When I talk about women and youth empowerment, it is straightforward. They need funds, training, jobs and opportunities. That is what the women and youths in my constituency have been lacking and that is what they sent me here for. With regard to our sports infrastructure, I come from a constituency which does not have any stadium or public grounds where some of the young men can engage in their sporting activities. This is quite unfair considering that quite a number of those facilities are in Nairobi. But my constituency lacks them. Those are some of the things, and many others, that I would want to look into. Hopefully, going forward, I will represent the people of Embakasi West. Even if we are past that issue, I did not get a chance to contribute to the President’s Speech. There were some positives. He spoke about retaining the NG-CDF. As a Member of Parliament from Nairobi, I felt that the 25 per cent that is based on the number of wards punishes some of us. We have some of the most populous constituencies in Nairobi. That 25 per cent should have considered population size rather than the number of wards. Going forward, that is something that I will seek a review of and, hopefully, get more funds for some of the Nairobi constituencies, as I will explain a bit later on. The President spoke about education and health, which is good. But it is time that the Government gave us direction on the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and 8-4-4 System of Government. We cannot gamble with the lives of our children. Some of us who are young have children going through this educational system. We need to be sure. We cannot be changing it after every 10 years. Whatever happens or comes out, it must be final and must last a generation. Having Cabinet Secretaries coming to the Floor of the House is a good idea, but they should not come here to grandstand. Hopefully, they will be fair and respond to both sides. The hustlers’ fund is a good idea, but I felt that the President’s Speech limited it. When he said that it will be issued through technology that is not the promise that he made while he was campaigning. At some point, he had said that he would make it quite easy and have it distributed by Members of Parliament. The hustlers’ fund should be made accessible and quite easy for people to apply. I also wish to note that our country seems to be suffering from a campaign hangover. We even saw it here today. It is time that we accepted that somebody won. We competed and elections are over. We cannot keep campaigning. The President said that he is the bigger brother now. My colleagues from the other side need to recognise that they are the bigger brothers now. Let us not grandstand anymore. Let us allow our country to move forward. Yesterday, the President was in Embakasi Central, and he visited my constituency. Some of the things that I felt he should have mentioned in his Presidential Speech, he did so while out there going round. Today, the Leader of the Majority Party accused the Leader of the Opposition, Raila Odinga of going round. The President is doing that. He spoke of quite important issues. At times, it is during these public gatherings that we are able…Actually, that is why all of us are here. Without those public gatherings, none of us would have been elected. Yesterday, I heard the President speak about increasing the number of schools in Nairobi, ensuring that we have title deeds to sort out all the land matters in Nairobi within 12 months, and opening the markets. Coming to the substantive Motion on the development of a school-feeding policy, I recognise that the Governor of Nairobi County has proposed that all Members of Parliament from Nairobi County should build kitchens, so that he can facilitate the school-feeding 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.

programme. I hope that the Governor of Nairobi will write to Members of Parliament from Nairobi County and formally communicate that position to ensure that we feed our children, especially here in Nairobi. We thank him. This is something that many parents raised a number of times during the campaigns. This is long overdue. Those of us who were in school in the 1990s remember Maziwa ya Nyayo . So, it is nothing unheard of. I support the Motion. It is long overdue. As I conclude, I reiterate that for those who won, especially the Government side, you need to bring the country together. The country is taking too long to heal. We cannot let the country continue in the same way. We have a choice. We can follow the Kibaki route which united the country. Despite Moi opposing his candidature, we can go the route that Kibaki took or take a new route, which is not the right one. With that, I thank you. I look forward to working with other Members.

Thank you, Hon. Member. Now, we will go to the Member for Mbeere North, Geoffrey Ruku.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to contribute to the Motion on the school-feeding policy. Tomorrow, I will be having a meeting with the head teachers of primary schools in Mbeere North Constituency. It is true that Mbeere North is facing a very serious crisis as far as drought is concerned. I have seen it circulating in the news media that some children have resorted to eating wild fruits because of the drought crisis. It is extremely shameful that almost 60 years after Independence, we are unable to feed ourselves as a nation. We are experiencing very humiliating situations which should not be happening. As we come up with a school-feeding programme, it may be a short-term approach to take care of the food problem in this country. It is important to have short-term programmes and, at the same time, mid-term and long-term programmes of dealing with the drought crisis in this country.

One of the Members has mentioned issues to do with climate change, which is compounding all these issues into a serious crisis. It is important to put a framework which will guide the monies that will be coming from climate financing to ensure that they are properly used by Kenya to take care of such calamities. This House can propose and enact a Bill on climate financing which will enable a number of dams to be constructed in the country. In my constituency, for instance, we have Kamumu Dam whose design is complete. The cost is about Kshs23 billion, but the Government is not able to support it with the said amount. If the dam is completed, the people of Mbeere North will have a sustainable water supply, and the issue of drought in Mbeere North will be a thing of the past. We must come up with innovative ways. One, of them was proposed by the President in this House. That, a water purchase agreement will be formulated by the Government of the day. At the same time, we need to earn ourselves all the funding or money that is coming to the counties in form of climate financing so that it can implement huge projects which can mitigate the effects of climate change. Those huge projects can be effective in every county of the Republic of Kenya, so that we can have mega dams which can serve all the corners of this country to ensure that we have enough water to irrigate our farms. That way, lack of food in our households and schools will be a thing of the past. However, in the short term, it is important we move with speed so that the Government of the day can feed the children in our schools. They are going hungry every single day. Some of them are dropping out of school and the head teachers are facing a huge crisis because they are not able to sustain the children in school. Primary school education is free but you realise that we have many pupils being sent home because of small monies which parents cannot afford. We need to know to what extent the primary school education is free? Why are primary school pupils being sent home? We are 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.

told that the NG-CDF cannot support parents who are unable to pay Kshs200 or Kshs500 to ensure that they have a watchman and support staff in primary schools. Those monies are needed by the head teachers of those schools. As for the disbursement of money from the Ministry of Education to primary schools, the amount of money going to those schools per term is ranging between Kshs30,000 and below. A sum of Kshs30,000 cannot sustain a primary school for a term. So, let the Government be committed to what it says. If it is free primary education, let it be totally, free. It is extremely bad and shameful to see poor pupils going home and yet, their parents cannot even raise Kshs200. They stay at home for even a week and, at the same time; they are not able to feed them. I beg to support this Motion as a short term way of taking care of the crisis which is going on in this country. As a nation, we need to think in terms of the long-term and how we can have innovative ways of raising money which will ensure we avert the crisis of drought in this country once and for all. I beg to support. Thank you.

Thank you. The next chance will go to the Member for Kitui South, Hon. Rachael Nyamai.

(Kitui, South, JP)): Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion. At the outset, I support this Motion. I congratulate my friend, Hon. Elsie Muhanda for coming up with such a good Motion at this moment in time. Before I continue, I congratulate the substantive Speaker and his deputy for being elected to preside over this august House. I would also like to congratulate you for accepting to preside over this House this afternoon. It is a privilege from the Speaker. I would also like to thank the Speaker for accepting our names, the six of us, to enable us to serve. I believe I can speak on behalf of my colleagues that we will do our best and we will be fair. I take this opportunity to also thank the people of Kitui South for electing me for the third time to this House. I know it is not a mean achievement. However, I really thank the people of Ikanga, Kyatune, Mutomo-Kibwea, Mathima, Kanziku-Simisi, Kasala, Ikutha, Athi and Maluma. Thank you so much. I promise to do my best to deliver the promises that I made. This is one of the elections that I made the highest number of promises. I have never made the kind of promises I did in any other elections. With the help of God, the power that this House has, and the blessings of the people, I will deliver. I also take this opportunity to thank those who volunteered to support me. Some closed their business in Nairobi and came to the ground to help me. The youth, women and to all of them, I say thank you so much and may God bless you. Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to go to today’s Motion. It is a very important one, and addresses the matter of coming up with a policy that will ensure that we have a school feeding programme. My constituency, Kitui South, is one of the most affected in the country. We have children who are not attending school. Some have already dropped out because there is no food at home. Some are assisting their parents to get money by working here and there so that they can get food. Having this policy will ensure that we get a way of ensuring that we have healthy children who will be able to perform better in school. This will ensure that we have children transiting from primary, secondary and possibly, to tertiary institutions. This will bring sustainable development in our constituencies. So, by having this policy, it will eventually and hopefully, become an Act of Parliament and will one day get funded just like the other programmes that have passed through this House. I hope we will get there. Health is wealth. 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 biggest wealth that we have in this country is our children. Beyond provision of electricity, roads and everything that we do, our children are number one. Hon. Temporary Speaker, we need to have this policy as soon as possible after this Motion is passed by this House. Once the policy is passed, we could think of identifying ways where the sourcing of food is done from local areas. When this happens, we will promote small businesses within those communities and eventually develop the small businessmen and women within the local areas.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have a very good Non-Governmental Organisation in my constituency called Homegrown that has done very well in terms of providing food in some of the schools. We are engaging to see whether we can get more. However, it is important to note that most NGOs that are providing food are also calling upon the Government to come up with proper policies and plans so that the Government itself can finance this. This matter has been raised by Homegrown, another organization called Food for Education, East Children’s Fund and Mary Hill. This matter that our colleague is raising, also resonates very well with the NGOs that are asking that we have proper policies, rules and regulations. That we have a proper financing that can eventually ensure that our children are getting food.

If this happens, it will ensure that the children in my constituency are able to go to school. The stories that I am getting from my constituency are really disheartening, but we have a situation where teachers are bringing concentrated tea – that is tea with a lot of sugar - so that during break time, if they realise that some of the children are getting frail, then they can give them that tea so that it can sustain them. It is time that this august House raises to the occasion to ensure that we have this policy and that we take other steps to ensure sustainable financing. As my colleagues have spoken, the Member for Wajir and the Hon. Member for Mbeere East, sustainability is critical. It is time we know that yes, we are going to feed the children now until the near future, hopefully, if we get that policy. The issue is about ensuring that we provide water in especially those Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). When we have water, then we will get sustainable food production and feed the children.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, my last point will be a call to our principals and head teachers in our schools that: This is a very difficult moment. We would like to ask them as Parliament that, if possible, they come up with some form of agreements with the suppliers. This is because I walked into a market place in my constituency in Mutomo and I saw children in uniforms from various secondary schools. All of them were being sent home for school fees. Yes, we do not have NG-CDF and most of those children depend on it. I would like to call upon the head teachers and principals to kindly give the House a chance. Engage the suppliers of food. Kindly keep the children in school and hopefully in the very near future, the matter of NG-CDF will be sorted out and it will assist you to pay the bills.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, with that, I would like to thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to speak. May God bless you.

Thank you too for your kind words. The next chance will go to the Hon. Member for Yatta, Hon. Robert Basil.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to thank you for being in the Panel and for serving us today. I also want to thank Hon. Speaker and Hon. Deputy Speaker. I thank the people of Yatta for voting for me as their Member of Parliament. It was not an easy walk. More so, people queued for long hours to cast their votes in my favour. The way to thank them is actually to serve them. I also take this moment to thank my campaign team and my family. More so, the First Lady of Yatta Madam Jackline Kagia. Key issues in my constituency include the road infrastructure. Yatta has been marginalised for long. You can imagine Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have people who have never seen a tarmac road, particularly when you talk of the key roads: Kithimani 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.

Katangi, Matuu to Katangi and Ndalani to Makuyu. These are very essential roads to open the economy to Yatta Constituency.

Another important thing to recognise is the cost of living, which is above the roof. Currently, we can talk of maize retailing at Kshs6,000 per a 90-kilogramme bag in Yatta Constituency when in 2017 it was retailing at Kshs2,400. Most of the people are earning less than a dollar in a day. These are key concerns which the Government needs to take into consideration. Another important thing to factor in is the Yatta Dam. This has been a talk for decades. It is very key that we have a dam because many people will get water from it. Also of key importance is the desilting of Yatta Canal which is serving so many people in Yatta. Today in Yatta, we should be exporting crops but we are not because water supply is not guaranteed.

We need to have a Huduma Centre to support people from Yatta and Masinga. That is because the majority of the people in Yatta and Masinga are relying on the Huduma Centre in Machakos and they have to travel far; a distance which costs more than Kshs300 one way. Something to remember is unemployment, which has shot over the roof. Most of the youth are leaving schools and are walking with papers, but there are no jobs. They have certificates, diplomas and degrees, but have no work. Therefore, the Government needs to take this into consideration to open the economy and absorb people who are leaving schools. We also have teachers who are waiting to be employed and you can imagine someone tarmacking until they are 40 years without being employed. The only thing they have is a Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) number. This is something that the Government needs to reconsider.

With regard to title deeds in Yatta, we have thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people who are squatters and most of them need tittle deeds. We are talking of 59 years since Kenya attained self-rule and there are people without title deeds. The Government should take this into consideration. It is a pertinent issue in Yatta. Something that I want to bring to the attention of the House is electricity. We have many schools and villages without electricity. As their MP, I would love the Government to take into consideration the rural electrification programme. Back to the Motion, I want to contribute meaningfully because a Motion to do with a school feeding programme is very essential. I am a beneficiary of Maziwa ya Nyayo and our pupils should enjoy school feeding programmes because this contributes to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 and 4 on Equality, Quality Education as well as Good Health and Well-Being.

This is a Motion I fully support. It is going to shoulder the burden that parents are going through to be able to raise or pay for food in schools for their kids. It is also going to boost retention in schools. Therefore, this is a Motion I fully support and I hope that we can entrench the school feeding programme in the NG-CDF so that, at least, we can have it budgeted and money allocated to provide food to school-going children. With those few remarks, I did not have a chance to contribute to the Presidential debate. However, something caught my eye. When you talk about the hustlers’ fund, my question is: Are we trying to baptise Uwezo Fund and call it hustlers’ fund? Uwezo Fund tends to serve the same function as what the hustlers’ fund is intended to do. What was wrong with Uwezo Fund which motivated the Head of State to bring the hustlers’ fund? This is something we need to look into so that we can take lessons learnt from Uwezo Fund to inform the hustlers’ fund. Otherwise, it will be a duplication of efforts by creating another fund which will serve the same purpose and function as the Uwezo Fund.

On matters to do with corruption, as a Member of Parliament, I have noticed that Kenya has slowed down on this. We have seen people accused or with standing cases of graft finding themselves in elective positions and others landing in very juicy appointments in the Government. So, it is important for our Government to tell us what they are doing differently from the Jubilee Government in taming matters of corruption. 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.

As a Member of Parliament, this is a key concern because if corruption was meaningfully tamed like it has been in Singapore and Finland, then Kenya would be on the move to be a proper middle-income economy like other nations of the world. This will guarantee the people leaving school will get employment as opposed to what we are seeing today, which is a serious concern to all of us. So, we need to meaningfully look into this.

Lastly, I would like to recognise the most important and outstanding issue which came from the President’s Speech. In No.28, he said that the Government will not borrow to fund recurrent expenditure. This was a good point because it is like borrowing money from a bank to pay rent. So, when he said the Government will not borrow to invest on recurrent expenditure, I fully support him on this. But, please, let us reconsider other matters. Otherwise, we are not doing well as a Government.

You can imagine the debt ratio in relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stands at 67.4 per cent. This is limiting the capacity of Government to invest in development and is one of the key contributors to the unemployment that we are seeing; which has shot through the roof.

Thank you. I rest my case.

Thank you. Member for Nakuru County.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipatia nafasi hii ili nichangie Hoja ambayo imeletwa hapa Bunge la 13 na Mhe. Muhanda, ambaye nafikiria ameondoka kidogo.

Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kabla ya kuongea kuhusu hii Hoja, ningetaka kumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwa kusimama na kutembea nasi wakati wa kampeini na kutupatia amani hapa nchini Kenya. Ningetaka kumpogeza Rais wetu Mhe. Dkt. William Ruto na Naibu wake kwa kuongoza mambo ya kampeni nchini yetu kwa njia ya amani. Pia, nawapongeza waliochaguliwa kama Spika, Naibu Spika na hata wewe Mhe. Wangari kutoka Eneo Bunge la Gilgil. Nakupongeza kwa kuchaguliwa katika Speaker’s Panel .

Ningetaka kuchukua nafasi hii kuwashukuru sana wananchi wa Nakuru kwa kunipatia nafasi mara ya tatu kuja hapa katika Bunge la Taifa ili niwakilishe mambo yao. Tunajua kiti chetu cha Mama Kaunti kinajulikana. Lakini kusema kweli, sisi huchaguliwa na kaunti yote na inafaa tuhudumie watu wote hasa vijana, wamama na walemavu ama wasiojiweza kimaisha. Nataka kushukuru watu kutoka maeneo Bunge ya Nakuru kama vile Kuresoi South, Kuresoi North, Molo, Njoro, Rongai, Nakuru Town West, Nakuru Town East, Bahati, Subukia, Gilgil mpaka Naivasha. Nawaombea Mungu awabariki sana. Nawaahidi kwamba tutafanya kazi pamoja kwa njia ya amani.

Ningependa sana kuwa mmoja wa wale ambao watainua mambo ya amani hapa nchini yetu, haswa Nakuru. Kwa hivyo, nataka kuwapongeza sana wananchi wa Nakuru kwa kuendesha kampeini na uchaguzi kwa amani. Singependa kusahau pastors ambao walisimama kuombea nchi yetu. Nawabariki sana wachungaji wetu kwa sababu najua hawakupumzika wakati huo wote na Mungu aliweza kusikia maombi yetu. Nasema ahsante.

Kwa Hoja ya leo, inahusu kulisha watoto wetu shuleni. Nataka kumpongeza Mheshimiwa ambaye ameleta Hoja hii hapa Bungeni. Naunga mkono mambo ya kulisha watoto shuleni. Nasema hivyo kwa sababu tunaelewa tunapitia shida nyingi hapa nchini, na wazazi wengi hawana uwezo wa kulisha watoto wao nyumbani. Tunaelewa kwamba ili mtoto aweze kusoma na kupita vizuri, anafaa kupatiwa chakula cha kutosha.

Tunapoongea juu ya utaratibu wa vile watoto wetu watalishwa, ni vizuri wapate chakula ambacho kinafaa ama special diet . Lazima kiwe na proteins, carbohydrates na vitamins . Kwa hivyo, chakula chenyewe lazima kitoke kwa wakulima wa Kenya ambao wanalima mahindi, viazi, ndengu na maharagwe. Inafaa wapatiwe nafasi ya kupeleka hicho chakula kwenye shule ambazo ziko katika maeneo bunge yao. 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.

Nachukua nafasi hii kuwaambia Waheshimiwa tuweze kuja pamoja ili kuhakikisha chakula hiki kitatoka kwa wakulima wetu hapa nchini. Litakuwa jambo mbaya tunapopanga mpango huu wa kulisha watoto wetu, halafu chakula kitoke nchi zingine. Hatutafurahi kusikia kwamba kuna chakula ambacho kimetoka nje ya hii nchi. Tunataka watoto wetu walishiwe na wakulima wa hapa Kenya ambao pia ni wazazi wa hao watoto.

Hatuwezi kuongea tu mambo ya chakula. Ili mtoto aweze kupita, lazima apatiwe kila kitu ambacho anahitaji. Naongea hivi kwa sababu najua saa hii tuko na masomo mapya yanayoitwa Competency Based Curriculum, na kuna vitu vingi sana ambavyo vinahitajika. Ili mtoto aweze kupita baada ya kula, anahitaji vitu vingi. Kwa hivyo, nisharti katika mikakati ya kuhakikisha kwamba watoto wanapata chakula, waangalie ni nini watoto wanahitaji ili waweze kupita.

Nawapongeza Wabunge wote waliochagulia katika Bunge hili. Najua ili maendeleo yafike pale nyumbani ni kwa sababu ya NG-CDF. Naunga mkono mambo ya NG-CDF na pesa zote za Serikali kama zile zinapitia ofisi ya Mama Kaunti, Women Enterprise Fund na Youth Enterprise Development Fund, ziwekwe katika Katiba. Hii ni kwa sababu hizo pesa zinasaidia mwanachi wa kawaida.

Nikirudi kwa mambo ya kulisha watoto shuleni, ni lazima wakulima wa nchi ya Kenya wapewe nafasi kupeleka chakula shuleni. Tunajua watoto wetu wamemaliza shule na hawana kazi. Kuna watu wasiojiweza. Hata wao wapatiwe nafasi kama suppliers . Nachukua nafasi hii kusema nilifurahishwa sana na Hotuba ya Rais alipoongea juu ya mambo ya agriculture . Alisema Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza itapunguza bei ya mbolea na chochote ambacho kinahitajika ili ukulima uwe bora zaidi

Nilifurahia sana alipoguza maisha ya mkulima nchini Kenya. Aliguzia maisha ya kila mtu. Nampongeza Rais kwa kutilia maanani mambo aliyosema wakati wa kampeini. Kwa hivyo, sisi wote kama Wabunge tuungane pamoja na kuweza kuleta wananchi wawe kitu kimoja na tuangazie mahitaji yao.

Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa hayo machache Mungu akubariki. Nimefurahi sana kwa sababu wewe ni msichana kutoka Kaunti ya Nakuru. Wabunge wenzangu wanaelewa kwamba Nakuru inajulika kama kaunti ya wasichana. Naibu Spika wa Muda, leo ni msichana wa kutoka kwetu Nakuru. Unaweza fikiria mimi ndiye naongoza kwa sababu mimi ni Mama Kaunti. Kuna msichana ambaye anatuongoza katika Nakuru ambaye ameketi kama Gavana wa Nakuru, Mhe. Susan Kihika. Tuko na Seneta wetu Tabitha Karanja, halafu Mhe. Liz Chelule mwenye anaongea sasa kama msichana nambari tatu. Halafu, msichana nambari nne, Jayne Kihara, ambaye amekuwa akiketi hapa. Nafikiri ameondoka kidogo. Yeye ndiye Mjumbe wetu kutoka Naivasha. Msichana mwingine tungeketi na yeye pia hapa ni Mhe. Charity Kathambi kutoka Njoro. Mheshimiwa Martha Wangari ni msichana wa tano ambaye anatoka Bahati. Kwa hayo machache, naomba kuketi. Ahsante.

Ahsante sana Mheshimiwa kwa kongole zako. Atakayefuata sasa ni Mheshimiwa wa Kaunti ya Turkana, Cecilia Ngitit.

I cannot see your request, Hon. Raso.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

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

Order, Hon. Members. We cannot have two Members on their feet. Hon. Rasso, please take your seat so that I can give guidance. Hon. Ngitit is on her feet. Until I see your request, Hon. Rasso…

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. My name is Cecilia Ngitit. For the sake of record, I am the Woman Representative for Turkana County. I wish to thank you for giving me this chance. I also thank the Almighty God for enabling me to be in the august House. It was not easy or a walk in the park but a difficult race. But God made it for me and I thank Him. I thank the people of Turkana for trusting in me. We had great women in that race, but they chose me. That does not mean that I was better than others, but the favour and the grace of God fell on me. I thank God for that. I wish to congratulate His Excellency President William Samoei Ruto and his Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, for being elected. I congratulate the Speaker, Moses Wetangula and his Deputy, Madam Gladys Boss Shollei. I extend my gratitude and congratulations to the leaders of the upper House. Being a Kenya Kwanza Coalition member, I am proud that the Speakers of both Houses came from our Coalition. I am a happy legislative representative.

The Hon. Member is making her maiden speech. She will not be interrupted but heard in silence.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank the people of Turkana County starting from Turkana Central, Turkana North, Turkana West, Turkana South, Loima and Turkana East in that order. Those people humbled me as I was campaigning, where I offered myself to them and gave them the promises that I wished to deliver later on in this House. They trusted me, heard my word, believed in me and elected me. I would like to thank them all. I also take this special chance to thank my family, beginning with my husband. I heard the woman governor for some county struggling to place her husband as the county first gentleman, and I do not know how the husbands of the Women Representatives will be referred to. I do not know if it is the county man or what it is. I thank my husband for supporting me. I would like to thank a clique of friends, that is Warembo na Ishu. I also thank the church where some of the members stood with me, prayed for me, and fasted for my sake. Thank you so much and may God bless you. Turkana County is placed in a very unique position. We border three international boundaries; that is Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda. This puts Turkana in a very advantageous position and disadvantageous one at the same time, especially on the insecurity matters where our boundaries expose us to external aggression. The people of Turkana lose lives and livestock to the neighbouring countries. Even internally, we are still vulnerable. Over the weekend, I came from burying very eminent members of my society that we lost to banditry. Turkana County is one vulnerable county. This country has to take note of the unique challenges that we go through. Apart from losing lives to the internal conflicts, the external ones need to be looked into. It is like fighting an international country like Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda, and there are no members of the army deployed in those boundaries. We are the people who are taking care of those boundaries. It is my wish that for the first time, the Government in place today will look into the special placement of Turkana so that the army is deployed in those international boundaries. About the banditry, we will have discussions going forward. It has become a menace as it affects many counties here. Surprisingly, the perpetrators seem to come from one specific place. That is a discussion for another day. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

On today’s Motion on school feeding programme, I want to admit that I am one of the beneficiaries of the programme. Were it not for the food in schools, I would not be here today. Being brought from a poor county and poor family for that case, I would only go to school because there was food. By good chance, I got to learn and that is why there is a Woman Representative for Turkana County today. A school feeding programme for those of us who come from drought-stricken counties is a key topic to be discussed. I congratulate the Member of Parliament who has brought that Motion to the Floor of the House today and I support it. Hon. Temporary Speaker, as we speak today, drought is ravaging our counties, especially Turkana County. We have no land for farming. We only depend on livestock. When drought strikes, there is no pasture for our livestock. We go to nearby countries. For instance now, the Turkana people are in Uganda and South Sudan in search of pasture, and they are exposed to external and international humiliation in those countries. At times, their livestock remains there when they come back to Kenya. The drought topic has to be looked into. Although we cannot command rain, Kenya has to come up with ways or measures that will cushion us so that next time that we have drought, we know what is supposed to be done. For the school feeding programme, Turkana County stands out as the most special county that needs to be fed. Not even schools alone, but even the adults. We lose people to hunger. Many malnutrition cases are being reported in Turkana County. It is not about school feeding alone but, extend it to adult feeding. In Turkana, we have no farms. We do not practice agriculture because of our climatic conditions. It is not our liking. If we had good climatic conditions, and because we have expansive lands, we would be a county that is feeding this country. But because our land is not arable, we are looking up to you people in upcountry to feed Turkana County and other counties like Marsabit, Samburu and some places in North Eastern. I am so delighted to speak in the august House today for the first time and, going forward, we will be contributing to various topics. I want to rely heavily on the promises that my party leader, the President of the Republic of Kenya, gave to Kenyans in a document called The Plan. In The Plan, all our needs have been mentioned there. All our problems have their solutions there. I know that being the action-oriented leader that he is, he will deliver. With regard to the NGAAF for vulnerable groups, I heard the President assure women leaders of this country many times that he will deliberately enhance that fund so that it can reach out to many hustlers down there. They are still looking forward to that. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. God bless Kenya, God bless Turkana.

Thank you. I also note that if you are making your maiden speech, please inform the House. You will be heard in silence. Points of order are not permitted when you are making your maiden speech. I want to make that clear, because Hon. Raso was out of order in the first place. The next Member to speak is the Member for Keiyo South, Hon. Gideon Kimaiyo.

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

What is your point of order, Hon. GK from Ndia?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we have Members who have not had an opportunity to address the House or to contribute to Motions in the House. I have been seated here for the last seven days. So, for five hours every day, I have not had an opportunity to address the House. I request that you limit the time per Member from 10 to five minutes, so that we all get an opportunity to say something. It is unfortunate that although I was very prepared to say something or contribute to the President’s Speech, I did not get an opportunity, even after sitting here and waiting for five hours per day. Kindly, Hon. Temporary Speaker, limit the time per Member. 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. GK. Just hold on. I want to make it clear that you cannot limit the time in the middle of a Motion; that will be against the Standing Orders. That should have been done from the start. However, I also note that there are Members who have never spoken in Parliament. If we would be magnanimous enough, more of us would get an opportunity to speak. That is why we have extended this Sitting up to 9.00 O’clock tonight so that we give as many Members as possible a chance to speak. When you are given a chance to speak for 10 minutes, you do not have to use all of it. You can use two or five minutes, and more Members will get a chance to talk. Let us go to the Member for Keiyo South, Hon. Gideon Kimaiyo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Mine is not a maiden speech, but I want to contribute to the Motion on the school-feeding policy. At Independence, our forefathers talked about three problems; ignorance, disease and poverty. However today, we still face the same problems. The Motion by the Hon. Member for Kakamega addresses the issue of education. The United Nations (UN) did some research on 10 problems that will affect humanity in the next 10 years. Amongst them were education, democracy, environment, terrorism, war, and water. They highlighted solutions for all these issues. Education was key in addressing all these issues. I have gone to school hungry, so I know what it took for the Member of Parliament to come up with this Motion. It has taken true miracles for me to go to school. I was educated by the late Hon. Nicholas Biwott. I dropped out of school when I was in Form Three. When campaigning, I promised my constituents that we will establish a school-feeding programme. So, this Motion is personal to me. When I came to this House this afternoon, I was the first one to log in. I was first because this is personal to me. As we contribute to this Motion, I hope that one day, the school- feeding programme will not only be an Act of Parliament, but will also be anchored in the Constitution in such a way that when we talk about free primary education, there will be an element of food in it. This is so that we do not just talk about free primary education, yet we still have children who are suffering because there is no food. There is hunger problem in areas of Kerio Valley in Keiyo South Constituency. We thank the World Vision International for doing something about it, but that is a Non- Governmental Organisation. In previous Parliaments, this Motion was tabled, and the Government shot it down because they said that there was no money to cater for it. I believe that there is money. If we can arrange to have the Government, NGOs, and the World Food Programme (WFP) come together, we can have the money to sustain this programme. This is a noble and timely idea. Let me address the importance of this programme. One is that we will have improved performance in school. It will also bring equity. Currently, we are talking about the CBC, but when it comes to requirements for schools to cater for the CBC, children in private schools are more advantaged than those in public primary schools, where they cannot even afford a basic meal. This programme will also improve the health of our children. We will no longer see malnourished children in places where they cannot afford food. In the long run, it will assist with the issue of poverty. Education will be an equaliser for everybody, whether you come from a rich or a poor family. We are talking about hustlers in the new regime. When we talk about this feeding programme, we are not talking about dynasties, we are talking about people at the grassroots – the hustlers. It is a timely programme since it will address hustlers who form the larger part of this country. Once children have food, they will concentrate more in school, and this will improve their performance. When I was campaigning in my constituency, I promised them this programme. I did not know that one or two weeks down the line in Parliament, this Motion would be tabled. I 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 the MP for bringing it. I assure my constituents that I am a firm believer in this programme to feed our children in school. I ask the Government to ensure that schools, especially primary schools, have empty land. If we say that the school-feeding programme is expensive, we can tailor-make it in such a way that empty land in schools is used to plant maize and beans, which will reduce the cost. In day-secondary schools, a child pays Ksh1,000 for meals every term. The Government promised free day-secondary education, but they still pay Ksh9,000 per year. If this programme is introduced, it will cater for those meals, and free day-secondary schools will be a reality, and not the one that we have today where parents still go to their pockets. In my constituency, we sat down with stakeholders in the education sector to look at how to make day-secondary schools free without parents going to their pockets to pay this Ksh1,000 every month. I believe this programme will make day-secondary schools free. With those few remarks, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I support this Motion.

Thank you. The next speaker will be the Member for Dagoretti North, Hon. Beatrice Elachi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Before I start, I want to congratulate you. I thank the Almighty God because as girls who were mentored by Mwai Kibaki we still keep our values. This is a Motion that is so dear to my heart. I want to thank Stanbic Bank for starting the programme in my constituency. I am able to feed Gatina Primary School. We are still negotiating for Muslim Primary School and Kawangware Primary School as I prepare to launch the kitchen programme to feed at least 15,000 children in school every day at lunch time. I also want to thank Hon. Kiarie, Hon. Mohamed Ali, Hon. Milemba and Hon. Aseka. This team has made us proud. They are able to feed children within their constituencies. There is a wonderful girl called Wawira who right now is feeding 80,000 children across different counties. I also want to thank her and her Food for Education initiative. She has a vision which I hope this House will follow to ensure that we have food for our children. The most interesting thing is that we tend to ignore the fact that when the 13 ASAL counties face hunger, Nairobi is hit so badly. And I am not saying this in bad faith. You will find children running all over shopping centres looking for food after school, which is very dangerous. This programme serves to retain children in school. It also ensures that we safeguard our children so that they are not used to peddle drugs. At Lavington Arcade, a child is given a parcel to send to someone and they do not inspect it because they want their Kshs100 to take home. Many grown-ups in Nairobi use children within shopping malls to peddle drugs. We need to deal with that. I want to thank Mama Elsie Muhanda, our leader and mother who has held most of us from Kakamega together, for thinking as a mother. This is what parents need for their children. To even have good grades, you need to be fed. We know very well that when a child is hungry, he will be so helpless in class and will never concentrate. We should pick this programme. We should look at the NG-CDF Act and entrench it in the Constitution. The Kshs1.6 billion the Ministry of Education is using should come through the constituencies to feed children. If used well, that money is enough to feed nearly all children in the 290 constituencies. Parents will only need to subsidise maybe with Kshs5 or Kshs6. When you look at the world today, the people suffering are women and children. When you look at urban areas like Nakuru, Nairobi Kisumu and Mombasa, if we are not careful we are going to lose a lot of our children. They are about to close school in the next one month. I am imagining what is going to explode in Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu and other urban areas where children will be after closing schools for two months. They will wonder what to do. I know the regulations on supplying food are strict, but I want the Principal Secretary for Special Programmes, Mr. Nelson Marwa, to have mercy on urban areas and distribute food 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.

to schools. Those who are able to cook can do so in their schools. This will help children, especially those in Standard Eight, Grade Six and Form Four who are going to do their exams very soon. It will ensure they settle in class, concentrate and perform. This Motion is going to save all of us. I believe there is a framework already. The same framework the Ministry of Education is using to disburse Kshs1.6B billion is the same framework we can enhance. We can look at the regulations and ensure they are clear to guide school feeding programme in this country. The President went to Dagoretti South when he was campaigning and saw the kitchen programme. I believe it is in his interest and that of the Governor to ensure we work together in Nairobi. I plead with legislators from other counties to work together with county assemblies to ensure we feed our children. If we can ensure we retain children in school, we can then deal with the parents. For now, it is so difficult to talk to a parent who is about to sleep hungry. That is why you meet a child in a shopping centre at 9.00 or 10.00 O’clock at night. When you pick and take them to their house, you realise they were going to sleep hungry because they had nothing. It is not that people are taking advantage, but there is a big challenge in the country brought by drought and COVID-19 Pandemic. Many Kenyans are sleeping hungry. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, with those few remarks, I beg to support. Thank you and congratulations.

Thank you for your kind words. The next speaker will be the Member for Kieni, Hon. Anthony Wainaina. If he is not in the House, the chance will go to the Member for Bureti Hon. Kibet Komingoi.

Bureti, UDA): Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I think it is easier to please voters in Kenya than to please the Speaker. I have been here for several days, waiting for a chance to speak and make my maiden speech. I thank you for this opportunity. It pleased God and the people of Bureti to elect me. I am very grateful to the people of Bureti in all the wards—Tebesonik, Cheboin, Kapkatet, Cheplanget, Chemosot, Litein and Kisiara—who gave us an overwhelming victory to be in this Parliament. I will not belabour the point. I want to talk about the issues that we will be addressing in Bureti. Some of them were covered in the President’s Speech. Bureti Constituency is one of the constituencies with no tap water. We will be looking forward to implementation of the water projects promised by the Kenya Kwanza team. Two, we are looking forward to engaging on construction of infrastructure in Bureti Constituency. There are roads that need to be tarmacked, including Chebwagan-Kabala, Boguiyot-Kapkisiara and Chelilis-Getarwet-Charera roads. We hope in five years, this Government will see these developments through. On education, we hope that the Government will reconsider some of its plans because the teachers of Bureti have been asking me. I am sure some of you Members have also received the same sentiments about the abuse or the failed delocalisation programmes. We are hoping that teachers will be sent back to their communities to teach there and retire from their homes.

Thirdly, we have issues of the urban areas of Bureti. For all the programmes that will be set out within the plan, we are praying and hoping in the hustler and the bottom-up approach that the UDA Party and the Kenya Kwanza Government is seeking to implement, that it will bring about transformation to traders - the mama mbogas - to operate not only in providing them with capital, but also spaces to work. One of the critical things we are looking into is decriminalisation of work so that we may have all people doing whatever is legal in order to earn a living. One of the things we are seeking and will want in the health sector is the upgrading of the Kapkatet District Hospital. We want the upgrading of drainages at Kapkatet towns and the Kapkatet Stadium, which we have been looking into for several years.

About the Motion on the table, I support school feeding programme. I am hearing a misnomer about drought in various regions. While there are places in this country that are not 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.

facing drought, they are still facing food shortages. In our villages, however much we say we receive rains in Kericho and its environs, there are homes and people who sleep without food. We must also consider this - providing food and creating investments in agriculture so that food is provided. On the food programme, my submission is that we give priority to food grown within the regions so that we do not import food for the children we are seeking to feed in our schools.

I agree with the Hon. Member for Dagoretti North, that included in the basic primary education should be the feeding programme. The feeding programme should also be included in NG-CDF programmes that we have so as to carter for the disadvantaged in communities. One thing we must understand is that however rich communities may be, or however wet lands may be because they receive rainfall, there are pockets of people in our societies who are experiencing deficits on food. There are people who are actually poor that they cannot afford food for their children and for themselves. It is our submission that this Motion be approved so that we see how it can be implemented.

Finally, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to give this maiden speech, and to remind ourselves to let justice and fairness be the guiding principle in our debates. Let the time for logging in also matter so that we do not have people sitting here for too long before they get an opportunity to speak. Otherwise, Hon. Temporary Speaker, thank you very much.

(Hon. Martha Wangari)

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this Motion. First, let me congratulate you for being part of the Speaker’s Panel. I congratulate our Speaker, Hon. Moses Wetangula, and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Gladys Boss Shollei. Let me also take this opportunity to thank the great people of Khwisero Constituency for giving me an opportunity to serve them for the second term. Since Khwisero was hived off from Butere in 1997, through the grace of God, I am the first privileged Member of Parliament to be re-elected to this august House. My commitment to them and my priority remains to support our education sector to see to it that our children get better out of every programme.

The school feeding programme is real and happening in Khwisero. I initiated it in 2018, when we realised that economic and social challenges facing our people were spilling over to our children. We came up with a basic meal of maize and beans for all candidates in all public primary schools. It is not easy; it is something that requires a lot of attention and it has serious financial implications. But, as a Christian, we say service to humanity is service to God.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I will only share the positives we have witnessed in Khwisero for the last five years. The rate of school attendance went up, especially for the candidates. The contact hours between teachers and pupils increased because you only need 30 minutes to serve lunch in a day, and save another 45 minutes for some other supportive activities. This has enabled teachers to go through their syllabus. We have seen improved performance in our schools.

Two, this programme has improved the nutrition of our children health-wise. The attendance and the concentration in class has gone up. We have been able to transit as many students as possible from primary to secondary schools. It has also made burdens on parents easier. At times in the villages every afternoon, as you know, every woman and father needs to go back home and prepare lunch for their children. If we have this programme in schools, parents will utilise that time in some more profitable economic activities.

Lastly, so that I allow new Members to make their maiden speeches, Members have argued about the sustainability of this programme. It is about strategy on how to do it. What we are doing from next year is capitalising on our primary schools. As a foundation, we are giving inputs to those that have big tracts and chunks of land. We are supporting them with The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

fertilisers and certified seeds so that they produce within the schools. We are also reaching out to NGOs to come in and support.

As I finish, let us align and translate this Motion into an Act of Parliament. Despite the financial challenges and problems within the country, we can allow and open up the NG-CDF Act through the amendment we want to bring to the Floor. That will allow us to spend on this recurrent expenditure over and above the infrastructure that we are doing. Then every MP will have a provision to budget for this noble programme within the NG-CDF.

Lastly, I promise the people of Khwisero that infrastructural developments in schools will continue. In collaboration with the national and county government, I will prioritise putting up of Khwisero Level-4 hospital, and operationalisation of the Khwisero Technical and Training Institute. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

(Hon. Martha Wangari)

Thank you for this golden opportunity to make my first speech in Parliament since independence. I congratulate the Speaker, Hon. Moses Wetangula and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Gladys Boss, in absentia, for their election. I believe in them and they are going to deliver in the 13th Parliament. I also want to congratulate you for carrying out the days’ programme. I am a Christian and a strong Catholic for that matter. Therefore, I thank the Almighty God for giving me and all of us good health and for the peaceful elections. It was the most peaceful election ever. I thank the people of West Pokot for overwhelmingly voting me as their County Member of Parliament; more so, the people of Kacheliba, Sigor, South Pokot and Kapenguria constituencies. I want to promise them that I am going to serve them diligently and with a lot of dedication. I also want to thank all my fellow teachers in my county. They supported me because they had a lot of confidence in me. Wherever they are, I promise that I am going to support Motions that promote education. Our county is one of those marginalised counties where the girl-child is still not considered important. I promised the women of West Pokot that I am going to work hard to ensure that the economy goes up using the NGAAF. Although the NGAAF issue is a real problem because it has very little money, we hope that the current Government is going to do something about it. This is because the women, youth and people living with disabilities are the majority in our society, yet they are given very little money. I want to urge Women Members of Parliament in this House to urge the President to do something about it. Those people expect so much from us, and yet the money allocated to us is very little. West Pokot is one of the counties with many challenges. In the media, you saw that it is one of the counties hard hit by drought. Although we have two sub-counties doing farming, the other two – Sigor and Kacheliba constituencies – are arid areas. People living in those two constituencies are pastoralists because they cannot do farming due to lack of rain. So, they have resorted to nomadic lifestyle, which sometimes causes conflicts with the neighbouring counties and countries like Uganda. When the President gave his Speech, he talked about subsidizing fertilizer, but he did not talk much on pastoralism, which faces a major problem in my county. It has resulted to insecurity and conflicts with the neighbouring communities as they compete for the same resources. I hope that the President is going to do something on the same so that my people in those two constituencies are assisted. I want to thank the Hon. Member who came up with this Motion. As I said earlier, I am a teacher by profession. So, the Member had teachers and my county in mind. That is where there is real problem of school dropouts due to lack of food in schools. I would like to support 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 Motion tabled by the Member. I am a beneficiary of this programme which was there a long time ago, like the Nyayo Milk. That milk was very sweet. It made us look forward to going to school. I do not know where the rain started beating us that caused such programmes to stop. I thank this House because everybody who has spoken is supporting it. The school feeding programmes have a lot of benefits to our schools. One of them being retention of learners in schools. In West Pokot County, children go to school because of that food. Sometimes it is given by the WFP and other NGOs. But that amount of food is not enough. So, it can be given for two to three days and then it gets finished. Children then go back home to stay. Another importance of having these programmes in schools is that it reduces infamous behaviours in children, such as stealing from each other. When children are given the same amount of food and all of them are fed uniformly, there will be no stealing on the premise that others have while others may not have food. By giving meals in schools, the performance in examinations will improve. Children are going to be in school most of their time. They will have enough time to revise, hence improving their results. I have practically seen it, and it is the reason I support this Motion. It also helps those learners from poor households to go to school. In West Pokot County, most parents do not have food due to poor rains. So, having food in schools will help keep such children in schools. The school feeding programmes will tremendously improve the health of learners. We all know that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. Malnutrition could be done away with hence we shall have a healthy nation in the long run. The school feeding programme has a lot of importance and I cannot mention all of them. I hope we will fully implement it. I hope we are not just going to debate about it and leave it here. We hope the Government will do something so that this programme is fully implemented in our schools to ensure our children go to school.

(Hon. Martha Wangari)

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for giving me this opportunity. First, allow me to congratulate the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker for their election in this House, and also your election as a Member of the Chairpersons’ Panel. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am new to this House courtesy of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) Party. I thank them for having trust in me, and nominating me to this 13th Parliament. Additionally, it will not be fair if I do not express my gratitude to the electorates who elected a good number of MPs to this House. Were it not for their support, I would not have been here today. In the same regard, I understand that I am the first woman to be nominated to this House from Mandera County, and I take pride in that. I would like to support the Motion on development of the school feeding policy to support the Government’s efforts in ensuring that there is increased access, retention, transition and completion rate across the country, especially in the ASALs. I believe that school meals will be a major priority. The school meals programme provides students with nutritional meals that children need to develop and stay healthy in schools. For many children, a school meal is often the only meal of the day. If well-balanced, these meals can eliminate the negative health effects. These school meals are prepared by locals and this helps the children to stay connected to their local cultures. They also provide support to local farmers. The best school meal programmes are community-based, as they provide financial support to the local farmers. In doing so, they help generate economic activities, they allow farmers to improve their operations and expand their local agriculture. They also ensure that children receive fresh and healthy nutrients on a daily basis. It is also evident that food security has influence on the participation of nomadic pupils in schools as well as improving their learning outcomes. To celebrate and sustain these efforts, I support the development of the school feeding policy that will give a structured and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

sustainable delivery of these interventions. My prayer is that we do not leave it at this, but make sure that this is implemented. This policy is of great importance to our children and we cannot leave it at this. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Thank you, Hon. Member. Next is the Member for Seme, Hon. (Dr.) James Nyikal.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I also take this opportunity to congratulate you for being appointed to the Chairpersons’ Panel. I appreciate the effort you are making in getting our new Members to speak. The panel is doing well. As it has been the practice, even when you became a Member, my suggestion would be to advise the Members to come as early as possible and key in, and then you follow that order. If that does not work, at least Members will feel that it is their clocking in time that matters, not just your choice. That is just a by-the- way. On this, I have waited this long, because I want to support this Motion. As a paediatrician, I not only see this as an educational problem, but as a child health and development problem. This is because at the early stages that this occurs, particularly in early childhood and early primary education, the child’s nutrition is extremely important. For example, the growth of the brain is vital at that time. After that time, even with good nutrition, the growth would have stopped and, therefore, the children will not benefit. We should target children at this stage. In fact, their cognitive functions will improve. Their performance – not only in exams, but also later in life – is significantly changed if there is good nutrition at this stage in life. Not only that. It is important even for their physical growth. If there is lack of nutrition at this early stage, children experience stunted growth, particularly the female children. When they get to puberty, they fail to have proper development growth with a lot of obstetrical problems that they may face later on. I do not see this as an educational problem only, but also as a health problem during the critical stage of growth and development of a child. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is also of educational value, because if young children are not well fed, they have shorter attention span; their blood sugar goes low and they cannot function. So, they will be wasting time in schools if they are not properly fed. Proper meals are extremely important to them. I support this because it is a practice that has been going on in this country. For the last 30 years, there has been disjointed attempts at school feeding programmes, and the Government has particularly concentrated on ASALs, where there is food insecurity. But again, to a large extent, this has been done by NGOs, particularly the WFP. This programme covers about 1.2 million children. However, this is not done in a structured manner. The Government spends up to about Kshs.1.8 billion a year on this, but again not in a structured manner. You may be aware that there have been efforts to look at this issue in a more integrated manner by having community participation and home-grown solutions. However, this has not taken place. Why has this programme been on and off for 30 years? All of us have praised the Nyayo School Milk Programme, but why did it end? The problem is that there was no policy foundation or a backing in law. Had that happened, the programme would still be going on.

This is an important function that will include both the national and county governments as we look at the policy, that should be taken into consideration. This is because, the most serious implementation will involve the Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE), which is a county function whereas the primary schools are a national Government function. So, there will be need for very serious coordination in this programme. This is particularly important for us, since we have episodes of food scarcity and food insecurity, like what is happening now. Unfortunately for children, when one misses just one The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

lesson at a critical point of their education – for example, if this happens when they are studying algebra and the child is not able to go to school or to feed properly – even if they come back to school, it takes them too long to catch up. As you know, education is incremental. You build on what you learnt earlier. If you missed something, you cannot catch up. It is extremely important that this is done.

This is why I came to support this and I congratulate Hon. Muhanda. If this Motion passes, I urge her to follow up on it. You and I have been in this House and have passed many Motions, but you know that very few are implemented. We even have the Committee on Implementation, but we do not see implementation. Therefore, for a keen Member like her, I urge her to take this matter up and follow up on the policy for implementation. She should not just leave it at policy level, but she should also bring it as a Sessional Paper back to this House. The House will then discuss it and approve it. After that, we can make it into law. It needs one committed person as she is. When we have it like that, it is something that will be part and parcel of the education programme which will be integrated, even in national development. The food that we buy for the children to eat should come from our farmers. That can be integrated. We say that we should use the land in schools to produce food. That can also be integrated. You can see how broad this matter is. So, we need a policy, a sessional paper and eventually a law that will have the content, programmes and even the monetary part.

With those remarks, I, once again thank you. I know that it is stressing to get our new colleagues, but we would also like to make contribution. You can always get a balance, and I think you have done it well. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Member for your compliment. The next chance will go to the Member for Othaya, Hon. Michael Wambugu Wainaina.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance to speak to my people, who elected me overwhelmingly. First, I thank the people of Othaya Constituency for granting me this opportunity to serve them in this House. I commit to work with them to make Othaya great. It is a constituency that has its part in the history of Kenya for being home of the third President of Kenya, His Excellency Mwai Kibaki. May his soul rest in eternal peace. As a way of honouring his input in this nation, I will work extra hard to ensure that Othaya will be a model constituency where all will have equal opportunities. Let me congratulate you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, and all the Members on being elected to come to this House. I will talk about the President’s Speech. Let me start by congratulating the President and his Deputy for their well-deserved victory. Having gone through the speech, I want to talk about the commitment to implement pledges, and commitments which are set out in Kenya Kwanza Manifesto. First, I look forward to seeing farmers, more so from Othaya, benefitting from the plan which was laid out by our President in agriculture. Our significant intervention is towards greater production with investment in irrigation water for the small-scale tea farmers to scale up our productivity in agriculture. I also concur with our President’s Speech on the provision of land for affordable housing. There is also a provision to access cheap and sustainable funding for the targeted population. Equally, the commitment by the President to inject Ksh50 billion to the hustlers’ fund per year to enable small-scale traders to access affordable credit will go a long way in creating employment opportunities to our youth. The President committed to restructure the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF). This will liberate Kenyans and their families from the threat of becoming poor every time a family member falls ill. I also concur with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework to improve our current infrastructure. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

In conclusion, I commit to support the Kenya Kwanza agenda in the House by bringing legislative proposals that are in line with our plan, and also help in making the lives of Kenyans better.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I support this Motion on the Development of a School Feeding Policy. I know how people are suffering in my home area. When I was in primary school, I suffered because of going to school without food. I know how those people are suffering and why we are there. This House can do a lot to save the lives of those people. My constituency has never experienced this kind of drought. Half of the people in my constituency are suffering because they eat one meal a day. We need to support this Motion because people used to get food in schools in the 1970s and before. Kenya is growing, and we are where we are today. We need to support this Motion. I saw some children going to school with some food and others without. That is why we are getting problems in our area. I support this Motion on Development of a School Feeding Policy, so that those children who come from poor backgrounds can get food at school. I support this Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Member. Next will be the Member for Kitui West, Hon. Edith Nyenze.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute. Let me take this opportunity to first thank God for being re-elected the second time. Let me also thank the people of Kitui West – Mutonguni, Kauwi, Kwamutonga/Kithumula, and Matinyani wards – for re-electing me. As I promised when I was campaigning, I will serve them with integrity and dedication. Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, together with your team for this opportunity which you have been given to be in the Chairperson’s Panel. I served with you in a Committee, and I am sure that you will deliver. Let me congratulate Hon. Elsie Muhanda for the good Motion on Development of a School Feeding Policy. Let me also contribute briefly on the school feeding programme which was identified from the 1980s to address, in short-term, the hunger in some areas. It worked very well, but it has not been consistent. It is very useful in ensuring that pupils get the nutrients which they require so much. In so doing, they become attentive in school. It also ensures that students go to school because they know they will be fed. That improves their performance and makes the work of the teachers easy. They teach pupils who are well fed, healthy, happy and attentive. Without food, it will be difficult for teachers to even cover the syllabus, and also for the students to concentrate in school. The school feeding programmes should support the Government’s goal of education for all. There is almost 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary schools but with very poor performance. We cannot talk of that transition and education for all if there is no food, especially in the ASAL areas. The school feeding programmes should target these areas and ensure that there is equality in our country. All children sit for the same examinations, yet some come from disadvantaged areas that do not have food. This means there is no equity. The Government should, therefore, have a programme for distributing food to the needy. Some areas have bumper harvest and food goes to waste, yet other areas do not have food. Sometimes fruits rot in farms and milk goes to waste because they are in excess. If there were good programmes, the food could be transported to the ASAL areas by the Government during harvesting season. Foods such as maize and beans can be used to feed school going children. Similarly, we have areas that experience flooding, yet there are areas that do not have water. The Government could store this water, store food and initiate good plans and programmes to support people in disadvantaged regions. Efficient school feeding programmes can be done through proper policies, plans and Acts of Parliament. 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 come from Kitui County, which is currently experiencing famine. It was reported two weeks ago that four people died from hunger. This poses a threat not only to the school-going children, but also to all people in general. I urge the Government to do something about it. We say it is good to be given the fishing rod and not the fish, but right now, we need fish in my county, Ukambani in general and in other ASAL areas. The need is so urgent that we do not have to wait to see people die. As an MP, I distributed food to all the primary schools through my NGO. I have 125 primary schools where I distributed maize and beans, but it is not enough. Due to food scarcity, I have kept on urging teachers to work in partnership with the alumni of the schools, and contribute money to buy food, especially for primary schools. This however, is not forthcoming because they are not empowered because of unemployment. This is a big problem. I urge the Government to come up with plans to embed the school feeding programme in the NG-CDF. We are the ones dealing with education which will be complete with this programme. In doing so, the performance in all the schools will improve. I also urge the Government to declare hunger as a national disaster, to get assistance from various quarters.

Some countries, more so the Asian countries like Dubai do not get rains. They can stay for years without rainfall. For us, if we go for two to three years, we experience famine. The Asian countries, just like us, have plenty of minerals. We should have alternative sources of resources and means to feed our country besides rainfall, since it is scarce. Hon. Temporary Speaker, with those remarks, I support the Hon. Member’s Motion because it is timely. Thank you.

Next is Hon. Mohammed Abdirahman. Proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I thank the almighty God who gave me this opportunity to be in the august House. I also thank the great people of Lafey Constituency for having faith in me, and for the overwhelming support they accorded me to represent them in the 13th Parliament of the Republic of Kenya. My constituency has various challenges, with security being the major challenge because we border Somalia. This week, we had three terror incidents, the latest being early yesterday morning in a place called Alungu. There was a terrorist attack at the Safaricom mast, and one Kenya Police Reservist (KPR) was injured in the attack. We are yet to hear from the county and regional security team condemning the attack and assuring the residents of their safety. We urge the Government to move very fast to bring a lasting solution to this security issue. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I urge Government to develop a proper welfare for the KPR. This is because they are neither paid well nor insured, and yet they are in the frontline of the terror and insecurity. Lafey Constituency is the only one that does not have a single tarmac road. It also has poor electricity connectivity. It is the only one which has headquarters with a population of more than 10,000 households, yet electricity is only connected to 200 households. That is how serious it is. A month ago, they connected 197 households, and when I went to the Kenya Power (KP) to request for the other households to be connected, I was told that the meters were out of stock. 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 come from an undeveloped constituency and soon, I will be bringing Statements and Motions. I will urge the Members to support me, because the constituency is lagging behind. It is a constituency without a tarmac road, with scarcity of water and a lot of health issues in this Century. I want to thank the Member for coming up with this Motion, which is timely and at the hour of need. The majority of the Lafey Constituency residents are pastoralists, and we are in a dire drought situation. If we pass this Motion, it will benefit the residents of Lafey because their children will be considered for feeding programmes in their schools. This is because the children walk for long distances to reach their destined schools, yet they do not get meals in school. With those few remarks, I am in support of this Motion. Thank you.

Very well. Next is Hon. Gichimu Githinji, the Member for Gichugu Constituency.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Let me start by appreciating and congratulating the leadership of this House, led by Hon. Moses Masika Wetangula, the Speaker of the National Assembly; the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Boss; the six Chairpersons of the Speaker’s Panel who are also equal to the task; and the leadership of the House, both from the Majority and Minority sides. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, being the first time I am contributing in the 13th Parliament, let me take this early opportunity to thank the great people of Gichugu Constituency who saw it fit that I should come back to Parliament to represent them for a second consecutive term. This shows that they have trust and confidence in my leadership. I promise them that I will not let them down. I will continue serving them with vigor and love for every part of Gichugu so that the constituency can move forward. I received overwhelming, support from all the five wards of Gichugu, namely Karumandi, Baragwi Kabere, Njuki-ini and Ngariama. I thank you all. Let me assure my constituents that I will continue to lobby for the completion of the ongoing projects. We have Musibi, the belt of Gichugu, which is a 95-kilometre road that I started pushing when I got into Parliament. It has already started, and I will continue lobbying for it. There is also the issue of water and, of course, we are also hoping for electricity connectivity, both from the national level and partnering with the county Government. I am pushing for new and incomplete projects. I was able to move Gichugu from 60 per cent connectivity to about 80 per cent. I am very optimistic that in this term, we might hit 90 or 100 per cent. Going back to the Motion at hand by the able Hon. Member for Kakamega County, Hon. Elsie Muhanda who has proved to be a motherly legislator... She is actually looking at the needs of our children in school, and that is the core of this nation, both at the present and in the future. Looking at the Motion, it seeks to have the development of a policy. Going by the contributors who have already contributed ahead of me, this Motion is receiving overwhelming support from all the Members who have contributed, I included, because I am supporting it. I am looking at a situation where we will graduate this development of a policy into a regulation or an amendment to the Education Act, so that we can embed it into law. This Motion is timely. It comes at a time when the President, His Excellency William Samoei Ruto, pronounced himself yesterday at a function in Eastlands, where he had gone to see to the needs of the education sector. He said that he is committed to double the Feeding Programme Fund, which now stands at about Ksh2 billion, to Ksh4 billion. This is a Motion that is already receiving political goodwill. I believe that with the able President we have, it will be effected, and we will be able to embed it into law. We shall align it with other needs that will come with the other laws that we are trying to protect under the Constitution. 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.

My colleague the Member for Matungulu, Hon. Mule and I, have already taken the lead, which is receiving an overwhelming support, because it is a common agenda to have the NG-CDF embedded in the Constitution so that busy bodies will never try to distract the funds that help this country and the children. We believe that with the able President that we have, this will be effected. So, we should embed it in law and align it with the other needs that will come with other laws we are trying to protect under the Constitution. My colleague and Member for Matungulu, Hon. Mule and I, have already taken the lead and it is receiving overwhelming support. This is because it is a common agenda to have the NG-CDF embedded in the Constitution so that busy bodies will never come again to try and divert funds which usually help the children of this country.

This Motion, if passed, will enable the Government to set aside some funds in the budgetary allocation under the Ministry of Education. It can well be tied with NG-CDF as a supplementary component, just like we do in matters of infrastructure, national administration and security, which are under the national Government.

I believe Kenyans should not worry because the NG-CDF Act, which was declared unconstitutional, was the 2013 Act which allowed those funds to be used in any form, including the devolved functions. In the 2015 amendments, the Fund was aligned with the national Government functions like education, national Government administration and security. This is exactly what is being done through NG-CDF. If one was to do a proposal that goes against those lines in matters that are devolved, that proposal cannot pass the board level of NG-CDF.

If this Motion goes through - and I am optimistic it will - if there are any funds that will be allocated under the programme, I propose they should be decentralised to the constituency level instead of being left at the national level. This is because if those funds are left at the national level, there will be scramble for those resources.

Once it is decentralised at the constituency level, every Member of Parliament knows the needs of each and every child. Again, this should be capped to the number of children so that we do not all receive the same amount of money and yet, our needs are different. That is because those are funds that will support individual children and not the area. Also, secondary schools can benefit from this programme because basic education covers them. So, that way, secondary schools which we have been supporting with the feeding programme can also be covered.

Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, with those many remarks, I support the Motion. Thank you.

Very well. Next is Hon. Fred Ikana, Member for Shinyalu Constituency.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipatia fursa hii nichangia Hoja ya leo. Kabla niunge mkono Hoja hii ya mama wetu Elsie kuhusu malisho kwa watoto wetu shuleni, niruhusu kumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwa kutuwezesha kufika siku ya leo. Pia, kwa kutupatia nguvu za kupitia yale yote tuliyoyapitia wakati wa kampeini na kuweza kufaulu na kupata upenyo.

Siku ya leo natuma shukrani zangu za dhati kwa wananchi wote wa Shinyalu ambao walinipigia kura kwa wingi katika wadi zote sita. Pia ningependa kuwashukuru wale wote ambao walisimama pamoja nami wakati huo wa kampeini. Namshukuru Mhe. Rais kwa kusimama nami wakati wa kampeini, Mhe. Naibu wa Rais na pia kinara wangu wa Chama cha

(ANC) Mhe. Musalia Mudavadi ambaye pia ni baba wangu wa kisiasa.

Nikishamaliza kuwashukuru hao, ningependa kuwahakikishia wananchi wa Shinyalu kwamba wakati wa kampeini, niliwapatia ahadi na nitazitilia mkazo. Nitahakikisha kwamba nimezitekeleza, kutumia nguvu zangu zote pamoja na ule ushawishi ambao nafasi hii ya kuwaakilisha katika Bunge hili la Kitaifa itanipatia. 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.

Kwanza kabisa, katika sehemu yetu ya Shinyalu, tuko na changamoto kubwa ya miundo msingi. Unafahamu kwamba katika nchi hii yetu ya Kenya, ni miji tu mikubwa ambayo iko na barabara nzuri na safi. Huko Shinyalu hatuna barabara ya rami. Nataka nitilie mkazo barabara ya kutoka pale kiwanja cha ndege hadi kuingia pale Rondo - Ileho hadi Chepsonoi. Kando na mambo ya barabara, nitakuwa natilia mkazo mambo ya masomo ili turekebishe na kukarabati madarasa yetu. Pia kuhakikisha kwamba wanafunzi wetu wanasoma katika shule ambazo ni nadhifu.

Kando na mambo ya masomo, ningependa pia kutilia mkazo mambo ya usambazaji wa nguvu za umeme kwa sababu maeneo mengi katika Eneo Bunge la Shinyalu hayana stima. Najua tutaungana pamoja na Wabunge wezangu ambao pia wako na changamoto kama hizo, ili tuweke vichwa vyetu pamoja na tusukume idara mbalimbali za Serikali zitupatie fedha ambazo zitatuwezesha kutimiza mambo hayo.

Nikimalizia, niruhusu pia nimuunge mkono mama wetu Elsie Muhanda kwa hii Hoja ambayo ameleta siku ya leo ya lishe bora kwa wanafunzi shuleni. Najua kwamba watu wengi katika nchi yetu ya Kenya, na sio Shinyalu pekee, wamesongwa na hali ngumu ya kimaisha. Ikiwa tutaweza kupata mpango huu wa kuwalisha wanafunzi shuleni, niko na imani ya kwamba hali ya kimasomo itaimarika na pia magonjwa ambayo yanatokana na utapiamlo yataweza kupungua.

Mhe. Naibu Spika wa Muda, wacha nikome hapa kwa sasa, ili wenzangu wapate nafasi ya kuchangia. Ahsante.

Very well. Thank you for saving time for other Members to contribute. Next is the Member for Roysambu, Augustine Mwafrika.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this glorious opportunity to address this House called the National Assembly; formerly the Legislative Council of Kenya (LegCo).

Allow me to start by thanking our Almighty God for giving our country a very peaceful and smooth transition during the last general elections. I also take this opportunity to thank Kenyans for electing my presidential candidate, Dr. William Samoei Ruto, as the 5th President of the Republic of Kenya. I also congratulate the Speaker, Hon. Moses Masika Wetangula, and his deputy for their election in this House. I also wish to congratulate you on the privilege to sit on their behalf. I would like to most sincerely thank the great people of Roysambu for demonstrating confidence in me and electing me as their Member of Parliament. God works in a miraculous way. This was my fourth time to contest. The first time I contested to be a councillor in Makongeni in 1992, I did not win. I then contested to be the Member of the County Assembly (MCA) for Githurai and failed. I thought that the seat was too low for me. I decided to vie for the position of the Member of Parliament. I vied in 2017, but I did not win. I told my predecessor: “You have defeated me in 2017. Find me in 2022.” This time round he vied, but had no otherwise but to give way. I would like to assure the people of Roysambu that I am equal to the task and to the responsibilities that they have bestowed on me. Roysambu encompasses four wards: Roysambu, Githurai, Kahawa and Kahawa West. Of the 17 constituencies in Nairobi County, Roysambu Constituency is the most under- developed. There are parts of Roysambu where if you are blindfolded, dropped there and asked to say where you are, you would say that you are probably in a constituency in upcountry. In a place like Kahawa West, there are no roads. Places like Kiwanja and KM behind Kenyatta University (KU) have never been supplied with clean water. I know that the responsibility which has been bestowed on me by the Roysambu people is not a walk in the park. But I am determined to serve them and to ensure that I take Roysambu to the next level of development. Like any other constituency, Roysambu has its challenges, ranging from infrastructure development to insecurity. We have a great problem of insecurity in Zimmerman, but we are 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.

currently talking with security agents and plans are underway to ensure that security in that area is beefed up. Turning to today’s Motion, I would like to support it. Personally, I have a very bad experience with hunger. I do not know whether there is anybody in this House who has spent a night without taking supper, not because you do not have the appetite, but because you have nothing to eat. What happens? Imagine waking up in the morning and there is no breakfast; lunch time comes, there is nothing to eat; at night, there is no supper. It happened to me one time. After missing breakfast, I decided to take a cup of hot water at night and thought that when I go to bed, I would sleep until morning. When you go to bed when you are hungry, sleep does not come. You will be awake the whole night till morning. Some parts of our country are ravaged by famine and hunger. When we in Nairobi eat, we sometimes feel as if we are committing a crime considering that there are families and children without food. I support this Motion. I fear that if nothing is done in this regard, many children will drop out of school. So, this Motion is urgent and something needs to be done before the situation gets out of hand. I thank you.

Very well. Next, let us have the Member for Marsabit, Hon. Naomi Waqo. Use the next mic.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I want to congratulate you and proceed with this debate. I thank Mheshimiwa Elsie for coming up with this Motion that has been on my mind. Two days ago, I requested to present this Motion and I was told that someone was already working on it. I want to congratulate her because this Motion is so timely. Some of us come from areas that are seriously affected by drought. We know what is happening on the ground. Many children have already dropped out of school. Some of them have already registered for exams. They are supposed to sit for the exams towards the end of the year just like any other student in this country. That is why the school feeding policy is quite crucial at this particular time. From what Members have shared today, we have heard that most areas, including areas some of us would not imagine, are experiencing the same challenges. This confirms that there is need for us to have a school feeding programme. As we all know, some families may only afford one meal while others may not even afford a meal today. If the Government was good at planning, we would not be in this situation today. But we are here year in, year out, crying and debating about drought and coming up with policies and suggesting good ideas that have not helped our country. If we invest in this school feeding programme, we know very well that the number of students that are dropping out of school will reduce, and that the health of our children will improve. We also know that concentration levels will go high. As a result, performance in end of year exams that are coming will also give us some good results. As of today, we are wondering what will happen to students who have no food at home and cannot go to school because schools do not provide. I congratulate our President for giving in to those demands and increasing funds towards the school feeding programme. It is my prayer that implementation will happen soon. I want to donate a bit of my time to others. 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.

As I finish, proper policies should be put in place so that we are guided to not always rush into crisis and be reactive. Right now, we are just reacting to the problems that we are facing.

I suggest proper monitoring and evaluation to take place after every three years so that this House is guided by the facts that will be found. I call upon the national and county governments to give this serious matter proper attention and focus on areas that are seriously affected by drought - that is the northern parts of Kenya and other areas. That is so that we can at least save lives, elevate the lives of our children and take them back to school to sit for their exams. Some supplements may be provided in schools. We call upon the donors who can give the supplements to school going children to make them energetic enough to do so.

I support the Motion. I donate the remaining time to others. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker.

Thank you for donating some time to the rest. Let us have the Honorable Member for Kajiado West, Hon. George.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I take this opportunity to thank the Almighty God for giving me another chance to serve a second term in this 13th Parliament. It is through hard work, commitment and resilience. I take this opportunity to thank the people of Kajiado West Constituency, whom I treasure, as well as my think tank, my wife, the bishops in my constituency, and the pastors and prayermen and women who have been working very hard and tirelessly to deliver my victory. I also congratulate you for your election as a member of the Speaker’s Panel.

I thank people from the five wards from my constituency: the people of Mosiro Ward, Magadi Ward, Iloodokilani Ward, Ewaso Kedong’, and more specifically the people of Keekonyokie Ward. They have elected me as a councillor two terms, one term as Member of County Assembly (MCA) and these other two terms as a Member of Parliament. With the help of God, I promise to serve them diligently and give my best.

I congratulate His Excellency Dr. William Ruto for being elected as President and for his support of being a mentor to many out here. I also congratulate his Excellency the Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, upon his election.

As an upholder of the bottom-up system, I work as a businessman by selling livestock without capital. I urge Kenyans to make ends meet. There is hope and light at the end of the tunnel. I congratulate my Hon. Speaker, Moses Wetangula, and the Hon. Deputy Speaker, who are residents of Kajiado West Constituency. The only thing missing there is that they are not registered as voters in that constituency. I take this time to congratulate the Hon. Speaker, aka Papa wa Roma, who delivered 71 per cent of Kenyans in Bungoma to Kenya Kwanza.

The Speech of His Excellency Dr. William Ruto concerning the allocation of Kshs50 billion to the hustlers’ fund will be a tremendous benefit to farmers, and small and medium enterprises. The people will be able to access affordable credit and expand their businesses as well as leverage on technology in the management and disbursement of the hustlers’ fund. President William Ruto has the heart of transforming this country to another milestone. Dr. William Ruto believes in kusema na kutenda. If he promises you Kshs50 billion or a project, you wait. He is a man of his word, he means ‘yes’. If something is possible, he will act - not like the Kshs6,000 for each family or the handshake government which is from the other side of the story. Those things almost brought this country to a place where we were not expecting. In my constituency, the issue of water and food security is a big problem. The feeding programme which has been tabled here needs very urgent attention by this honourable House. It is a very demanding and pertinent matter that needs a quick response. Successful leaders – because we are leaders who Kenyans are looking up to – build each other. We need to think about this country, motivate, inspire and push each other. Unsuccessful leaders, on the other hand, just complain, hate and claim. I want to praise the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

President’s Speech for being elaborate, articulate and precise. I also want to say that the issue of development of the school feeding programme is affecting every Kenyan and our children. Many children are living without anything. We need to take action because many people depend on long and short rains. Therefore, we need to declare that the drought is a national disaster in this country. I would like to take this opportunity to support this Motion and urge that we take action. I rest my case and donate some time to other Members. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker

(Hon. Omboko Milemba)

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute on this important Motion that pertains to the development of a school feeding policy by Hon. Muhanda. Before I go into that, I would like to salute and appreciate the people of Narok South for sending me to this honourable House through an independent ticket. It was not an easy task but a big fight. For the people of Narok South, I would like to say thank you very much. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, going into the Motion, I rise to fully support this important Motion because coming up with a clear legal framework that will regulate the feeding programme in our public schools will not only be about the improvement of nutrition intake for our children, but it will also be the surest way to sustain education of our young learners in Kenyan schools. As I speak in this honourable House, many children in Kenya including those from Narok South where I represent in this House, are not in school now due to the ongoing drought as a result of failed rains. The prolonged dry spells and drought, in several parts of this country have affected livestock like sheep and cattle in Narok South and Kenya in general, and especially in ASAL areas. The current drought in Kenya has forced many pastoralists in Narok South to migrate to very far areas in search of pasture and water for their livestock, thus interrupting learners’ educational calendar. The absence of our learners in school has not only affected their academic performance over the years, but has also made a big percentage to drop out of schools, especially the girl-child. This is due to early pregnancy and marriages. According to international, regional and national focus, there is a high likelihood of below average rainfall during the October to December short rains across northern and eastern Kenya. Due to this change of climatic conditions globally, we must be prepared for the future of learners by mitigating the effect of drought. If there was a proper feeding programme to sustain those kids in school, they would remain in school and learn uninterrupted at all times. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, areas of Naroosura, Enkutoto, Loita and Maji Moto are the main affected areas by drought in Narok South, the constituency which I represent. It is high time Parliament came up with a school feeding programme that is supported by a clear policy and budgetary framework that is fully anchored in the law. This will go very far in supporting people, and especially learners in ASAL areas. Arid and semi-arid areas are part of Kenya that is, northern Kenya and eastern Kenya. Thank you very much. I beg to support this very important Motion.

(Hon. Omboko Milemba)

Thank you so much Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. My name is Joseph Cherorot from Kipkelion East. First of all, I would like to take this time to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya and his deputy for being elected as leaders of this country. Secondly, I would like to congratulate 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.

Speaker Wetangula and also Hon. Deputy Speaker, Gladys Shollei, on their election. Thank you also Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for standing in as one of the speakers. I would like to thank the people of Kipkelion East for electing me into this august House. For this reason, I owe them a lot because of what they did to me. It has been a long journey for me as this was my fourth time to contest and I thank God because it has come to this time that I am actually the Member of Parliament for Kipkelion East. I also want to say this about Kipkelion East. This is an area that has been marginalised for a long time and we have a lot of projects which have stalled. We have roads which have existed since time immemorial and they have not been tarmacked. We have Furaha-Ilotii- Oltopil Road and also the Londiani-Makutano Road. Those roads have been there since time immemorial and they have not been tarmacked. We also have water problems in that area. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, some key issues that we also have in this area and which need to be tackled is electricity. The people of Kipkelion East have been looking forward and yearning to have electricity because most homes have not been connected. I want to assure them that I am ready to work with them hand-in-hand and make sure that most of the homes are connected under the Last Mile Programme. They should also get clean water. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we also have a proposed referral hospital in Londiani, which has taken 12 years without being constructed. That hospital is supposed to help the people of Londiani and the larger Kericho County. If you sit along Muhoroni Road, you will notice many ambulances going to Eldoret that are carrying sick people from our area. I promise the people of Kipkelion that I am going to make sure that the referral hospital is built. Concerning the issue of the development of a school feeding policy, it is a good programme. I thank Hon. Elsie Muhanda for bringing this Motion. This one has to be handled in a proper way. Logistics have to be put in place and make sure that the feeding programme is going to be consistent. By doing so means that we must have proper structures in place so that our children in school can benefit from this programme. We have to look for long term solutions so that we may not only do it just for a short while. Therefore, it requires a lot of engagement, especially from the Ministries of Agriculture and Health. Some of the things that must be considered is the health of our children. That means that hygiene should be practised and make sure that the children get food at the right time. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I wish to donate my remaining time to the rest of the Members.

Thank you so much. This chance goes to the Member for Turbo, Hon. Janet Sitienei.

Thank you Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I was almost giving up. I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for giving me this chance to add my voice to this Motion. I congratulate you for meriting the Chairperson’s Panel and congratulate the substantive Speaker, Hon. Moses Wetangula and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Gladys Boss. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Turbo. I also thank the Almighty God for giving me another opportunity to come to this august House. I thank my family led by my husband. I also want to thank the people of Turbo for believing in me again. I thank the people of Ngenyilel, Tapsagoi, Kamagut, Kiplombe, Kapsaos and Huruma for The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

believing in me once more. I pledge to work very hard to ensure that service delivery is up to date. I also want to thank the President of the Republic of Kenya because he is a voter in my constituency and he voted for me; including Her Excellency Rachel Ruto. I want to thank them so much. It is humbling to be voted in by the President. I want to add my voice to the Motion and thank Hon. Elsie Muhanda for bringing it. It is on the development of a school feeding policy. It is, indeed, a very important Motion that brings in the issue of school feeding programme in our schools. It is very important because this is the only way to mitigate on hunger and malnutrition in the basic and secondary schools. Given that 4.1 million people are hungry in this nation, by introducing the school feeding programme, it is going to go a long way in ensuring that there is increase in enrolment, there will be improved results in our schools and struggling for 100 per cent transition will be a thing of the past. It has been so difficult to ensure that schools have 100 per cent transition when families have no food to give to their children. When some families go hungry in a day, some have no meal or three meals in a day. So, this will go a long way in ensuring that there is 100 per cent transition. It is also going to help improve the nutrition of our children. When we improve on the nutrition of our children, we are also improving on their IQ and hence, the results will even be better. Those of us who were in school in the 1970s never had the school feeding programme. But for those who joined in the 1980s, I still remember there was something called “SUPRO”. I am sure many of you do not know that. It was a very nice meal that was given to the primary school children and it enhanced the nutritional value of the children. In the 1990s, came the

Milk that also enhanced the nutrition of the children then. We do not know what happened. We urge the Government to go back to the shelves. I believe the policies are still there and they can dust them and improve on them so that we do not spend more money forming taskforces to look into the school feeding programme. Those policies are there and we can only dust them, look at them and implement them. I thank God for the new Government, the Kenya Kwanza Government because they have a plan. It is going to be implemented. We saw our President actually eating with the children in one of the schools in Nairobi. That means he wants to support the school feeding programme. So, I assure Hon. Elsie that this will be done. For that to happen, we need to do a few things. For it to be cost-effective, the Government has to work smart to reduce on the effect of drought and to ensure the country is food secure. I support this Motion that the school feeding programme be back in our schools. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Thank you very much Member for Turbo. I just want to request the Members that we could all speak if we mind that we are many and we make our speeches brief. The next speaker is the Member for Ijara.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak in the 13th Parliament as a new comer. For record purposes, my name is Abdi Ali Abdi, MP IJara and the youngest party leader of National Agenda Party of Kenya. The National Agenda Party of Kenya is a coalition partner in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance. It is the single majority party in the Garissa County Assembly with eight Members of the County Assembly. It is with humility and excitement that I make my maiden speech representing Ijara Constituency, the jewel of northern Kenya. I also take this opportunity to thank the Almighty God for giving me the opportunity to be elected to this august House as the Member of Parliament for Ijara. It is not easy. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the great people of Ijara Constituency, my family, the women, friends, youths and the elderly who stood with me during my campaigns, who showed great confidence in me and voted me in as their 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 Parliament. I am humbled by their firm faith and belief in my ability to represent them in the august House. I am honoured to serve them as their Member of Parliament. I hope I can repay the faith they have placed in me. I also take this opportunity to congratulate our President and his deputy for their election. I also take this opportunity to congratulate the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Deputy Speaker, in absentia, for their election. I also take this opportunity to congratulate you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for being appointed to the Speaker’s Panel of the Assembly. As you are aware, Ijara is located 100 kilometres away from Lamu and 180 kilometres away from Garissa. It is the home of the Hirola. It is the only place where you will find the Hirola in Kenya. Ijara has many problems. I may not have time to explain all of them in detail, but I will focus on a few key issues. There is the issue of roads. We do not have any road network connection in Ijara. The same applies to electricity. The only place where there is electricity is at the constituency headquarters in Masalani. Other parts of Ijara have no electricity. The other issue is insecurity, as we border Somalia. One of my key agenda is to make sure that I deliver, inshallah, and with the help of God, address all these issues. I look forward to opening a border point in Hulugho, which will ease movement of goods and services and, at the same time, improve on the insecurity that we have there. The other issue that I want to push is the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) project. LAPSSET is a flagship project. It is a mega project that will open up the market for Ijara and the entire northern Kenya. I request the Executive to make sure that LAPSSET is implemented to the letter. That is because it will open up opportunities both internally and externally. The other thing that I am looking forward to is enhancing food security. Ijara is fertile and fit for seasonal farming with the right seedlings and fertilisers. The other thing that I look forward to addressing is education. The removal of affirmative action by the previous Government led to poor performance of education in northern Kenya. I appeal to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to reintroduce affirmative action, which will increase the student-teacher ratio. Our country is facing a historical drought with some regions, including my own constituency, not receiving any signs of rainfall for the last four seasons. The drought situation in my constituency is currently at an alarming stage and is the worst that has ever been witnessed. The prolonged drought has affected livestock and deteriorated the food situation. The situation is so bad that last month, a very sad incident happened in my constituency after four hyenas attacked six of my constituents in Sagar and Warsame, in a case of human-wildlife conflict. Currently, buffalos are dying in mud at a dry water pan in my constituency. Due to this failure of rainfall, the condition of our livestock is poor. Water pans have dried up. Livestock rely on boreholes, which frequently break down. Livestock do not fetch any prices and there is no milk available. I also take this opportunity to support the Presidential Speech. I thank His Excellency the President and the national Government for the few small interventions of marshalling resources and releasing enough consignments to 3.5 million people. On behalf of my constituency, I still appeal for more support in upscaling this relief food to more pastoralists to enhance the emergence of cash transfers, animal feeds and provision of water for both humans and livestock. Fellow Hon. Members, while distribution of relief food is important at this moment in time, it is our mandate, as the 13th Parliament, to engage relevant stakeholders in finding, not only urgent measures to protect our people and their livelihoods from the effects of the devastating drought and climate change, but also to ensure that we provide sustainable and The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

comprehensive solutions of land restoration, which addresses many of the underlying factors of degrading water cycles and loss of soil fertility.

Thank you so much. This chance goes to the Member for Mathioya.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to address the House for a second time. First, I support the Motion on the school-feeding policy. The Motion was due. I do not want to repeat much that has been said by my colleagues, but I would just like to say one thing. Evidence has shown that because children in boarding schools get all meals, including breakfast, lunch and supper, they perform better than those in day schools, especially those in under-privileged day schools that do not have access to some of that food. I would like to maybe suggest one thing. I know the school-feeding programme is a short-term intervention measure. The key to ensuring that our children survive in schools is to build capacity for schools to also produce food. There is one Member who has said that schools have very big parcels of land, which is true. I remember in the 1990s and 2000s when we were in school, we used to produce our own food. We had cattle and we used to milk the cows for school milk, tea and other uses. We used to plant maize, beans and potatoes and the school was self-sufficient in terms of food. Looking at the history of this school feeding programme, we know that in the 1980s there was the Maziwa ya Nyayo programme which some of us were also privileged to be part of in our primary schools. I think that is why we used to perform better compared to some of the learners now because as we know milk provides a lot of the nutrients. The programme was cancelled by the late President Kibaki’s Government because of its cost. In March 2022, there was a Bill in this House, which was proposing to introduce free milk in pre- primary school and public primary schools. This House rejected the Bill because of the cost. I looked at the statistics and it was costing Kshs1 billion a week and Kshs36 billion annually because out of 53 weeks, I think the school programme is 36 weeks. Therefore, we need to look at the budget implication so that we do not go through all the stages and then realise there is no budget to support the programme. With that, I would also like to donate my time. I fully support this Motion.

Thank you so much. I wish all of us could be like the Member for Mathioya. The next chance goes to the Member for Kiambu, Hon. John Waithaka.

(Kiambu, UDA)

(Hon. David Ochieng

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me the chance to contribute to the Motion on the development of a school feeding policy which has been sponsored by Hon. Elsie Muhanda. For the record, this is my maiden speech. This is the first time that I am speaking on the Floor of this House. I am Hon. Bernard Kitur, Member for Nandi Hills. I want to thank the Almighty God and, more sincerely, the people of Nandi Hills Constituency for electing and giving me the chance to be their representative in this august House in the hotly contested parliamentary elections. I want to thank the people of Kapchorua, Chepkunyuk, Ollessos and Nandi Hills Wards. They did an amazing work by giving me that chance. Definitely, I want to assure them that under my representation, they will have their full share of the national cake. I wish to also congratulate His Excellency President William Samoei Ruto, for being elected the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of this nation. In just a few days, he has demonstrated great boldness and brilliance in articulating macro solutions to the challenges that we, as a country, are facing. Despite the fact that Nandi County has never missed to have a Member of the Cabinet in the history of this country, I want to thank the President for recently appointing the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service from my constituency in Nandi County - Commissioner Felix Kosgei - who is a very brilliant career professional. We truly appreciate him for that. My fellow Members, I want to first congratulate all of us on being elected. Secondly, the seniors or ranking members should not be harsh to some of us. We are speaking for the first time in this House. We are all indebted to you for mentoring us. Please be kind to us. I want to let the people of Nandi Hills Constituency know briefly some of the great challenges we face. For instance, there is a tarmac road from Emaki to Nandi Hills that is in deplorable condition, despite the fact that it cuts through the tea farm lands that earn this country billions of shillings. It is an eyesore. Being in leadership and Government, I want to assure them that constructing that road is one of the things that I will do to help them. Equally, when the President made a Speech here recently, he mentioned about the investment in the water sector where he would raise Kshs5 billion through PPP. I want to assure the people of Nandi Hills that I will try as much as possible to see the construction of Keben Dam. That has been a big prayer for the people. When we have that dam, the entire Nandi County as well as Nandi Hills Constituency will have sufficient water for irrigation. That rich region will change completely. One of the things that I want to touch on is a matter that is so dear to my heart. As the President made his Speech, the matter of public debt recurred. I want to talk briefly about the history of the President’s statement. The public debt of Kenya was Kshs1.9 trillion in 2013. It stands at Kshs8.6 trillion now. This is something that affects all of us. It affects the people of Nandi Hills as well. This is a rise of about 353 per cent. When you also look at the borrowing history, we had borrowed Kshs261 billion in 2013. It currently stands at Kshs866 billion. That means that the debt interest has risen from Kshs121 billion to Kshs578 billion. This is the largest expenditure item in our Budget which eclipses even our development spending. I want to also put into record that, indeed, this affects all of us, as a country. It affects the people of Nandi Hills, all of us and the cost of doing business in Kenya. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor.

The public debt rose in 2013 from 42 per cent to 50 per cent. This has exposed our country to a lot of foreign exchange risks. For instance, I understand that between June 2021 and June 2022, our external debt rose by Kshs290 billion without borrowing even a single shilling from abroad. This is because every time there is a depreciation of the shilling by Kshs1, we lose Kshs40 billion. For that reason and for the sake of the economy of this country, I support the President when he said that we cut down our recurrent expenditure in three years, so that we may have an expenditure surplus. As Parliament, we should speed up to revise the current Budget to ensure that there is no borrowed money that ends up in recurrent expenditure. I am just saying this because it is something that affects us, as a country. Secondly, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I want to touch and give my views on the hustlers’ fund because most of the people in Nandi Hills are hustlers. This is a matter that they are very keen to listen to. It is a dream that we have harboured. I support the President when he said that he would implement it in the best way using technology. This is highly welcome, so that it does not go the way of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund where almost 60 per cent of the funds are in default. I also propose to have a business hustlers’ fund within the hustlers’ fund which will be strictly based on merit. Till or pay bill numbers will be used to look at the transaction history of the businesses. They will work together with the telecommunication companies. That will bring money that can circulate. So, I support the President’s move. Lastly, I want to also thank the President on matters of Credit Reference Bureau (CRB). He has helped about 4 million Kenyans to be removed from CRB. It is a very retrogressive, repressive, punitive and insensitive financial....

Thank you very much, Member for Nandi Hills. I will give this chance to Hon. Julius Rutto who will be last to speak on this particular Motion. I am so sorry to the other Members. This is because of the time constraints and pressure in this particular Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. First of all, allow me to congratulate you on being among the few selected Members to sit in the Chairperson’s Panel. I want to support the Motion on the development of a school feeding policy. I want to point out my support to Article 10 of the Constitution. This issue that we are discussing today ought to have been taken care of if, at all, we had implemented the spirit of the Constitution. Article 10(2) of the Constitution says that the national values and principles of governance include—

(a) patriotism, national unity, sharing and devolution of power, the rule of law, democracy and participation of the people; and

(b) human dignity, equity, social justice, inclusiveness, equality, human rights, non-discrimination and protection of the marginalised.

We should implement the Constitution as it is. I want to talk about where I come from. I am a product of the Nyayo era. When there was a Nyayo Day, it would be in school. What am I trying to say? The constant experience of absenteeism that we see in our areas is contributed majorly by the lack of food and poor households’ earnings. I come from Eldoret. I am a Member of Parliament for Sekunanga and Racecourse Slums. Racecourse Primary School has a population of more than 10,000 pupils. However, in any given day, more than 200 pupils are always absent. Where do they go? They beg in the streets looking for food to provide for their households. We need to address these challenges once and for all. It is high time that both levels of Government, devolved and national, allocated more resources into it and plan around it. This is the composite approach that we need to look into. 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 know that most of the county governments are busy making their county integrated development plans. The national Government is also focusing on the integrated development plans. It is high time we had a serious discussion on this. In the same spirit, the President tells us to focus on our productivity vis-a-vis our consumption. When we put more energy in our production area and then we support our school-going children, we will support agriculture and the farmers. At the end of the day, we will use one stone to kill two birds: build up our economy and sort out food security. When you look at the budget structure of our country, matters of national interest fail to touch on food security. It focuses on weapons, which is national security. We should consider threat to food security as a security matter in the same way we look at national security. We should allocate resources where it deserves. When we have enough production, especially local production with the cheap labour and cost of production, the cost of providing food to children will come down. If we have deficiency of nutrients, it then means we will have sickness. Finally, I would have wished to respond to my brother, the Member for Embakasi West who said that they are looking upon this Government to bring down the cost of living. It is hardly a month since the new administration took over. Hon. Raila Odinga, with due respect, kindly, allow the current administration to sort out the problems that they inherited from the previous “handshake” regime where the cost of living rose up because of poor prioritisation and decision making. Allow this administration to cure the problems and focus on how to address perennial challenges by sorting out the real problem to ensure we once and for all cure the problem of high cost of living. Thank you so much for allowing me this opportunity.

Thank you so much, Member for Kesses. That marks the end of debate on this Motion and like I said, I apologise to Members who were not able to speak. Next time, they will have an opportunity to do so. The Mover of this Motion will be asked to reply to it next time. Hon. Members pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No.28(3), regarding the Calendar of the Assembly, and resolutions of the House on Wednesday 12th October 2022, the Speaker notifies that upon the rise of the House at the appointed time today, Regular Sittings will resume on Tuesday, 25th October 2022 at 2.30 p.m.

There being no other business, and the time being 9.11 p.m., this House, stands adjourned until Tuesday, 25th October 2022, at 2.30 p.m.

The House rose at 9.11 p.m.

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Clerk of the National Assembly Parliament Buildings Nairobi 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.