Hon. Senators, we need to determine if we have a quorum.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, there are seven hon. Senators present in the House. We do not have a quorum..

I order that the Division Bell be rung for ten minutes.

Mr. Speaker, we now have a quorum.

Order, hon. Senators. Let us proceed with the business before us.

Sen. Ndiema, you have a balance of seven minutes. Proceed and make your contribution.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Before my time was interrupted because of adjournment in the morning, I was saying that all counties in Kenya deserve a good road network if they are to develop. It was said that some of the counties which are deemed to be high-potential have benefited from development of a good road network. However, some of these areas are also in dire need of good roads. I gave examples of the roads like the one leading to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and another one from Narok to Nakuru through to Trans Nzoia County. The road from Kitale to Suam, which is an international road that can promote trade with the neighbouring country of Uganda, is impassible. Farmers who have put in a lot of effort to grow flowers for export are unable to access the market because of poor roads. I have in mind a farmer like the owner of Anderson Orchards Limited. He really undergoes a nightmare to deliver goods to overseas markets. In Trans Nzoia County, although it is recorded as having tarmac roads, the length of tarmac roads existing as at now is much less. The road that has been mentioned by my sister, from Ziwa to Kitale, is no longer tarmacked due to its design and lack of repair. It is worse than a murram road. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of proper construction and maintenance of roads is a problem that is contributing to a poor road network in our country. In this respect, there are contractors who year in, year out, continue getting awarded contracts yet their workmanship, on record, is of poor quality. I want this House to put on notice such contractors. The committee concerned should investigate such contractors and bring appropriate recommendations to this House. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Kitale-Lodwar-Lokichogio Road would have promoted our trade with Sudan. We have invested and contributed a lot in Sudan. But we are unable to access their goodwill and trade with them because of a poor road network. There is also the issue of notorious patching of roads. We should aim at repairing sections of roads that are impassible and build bridges. Human settlements have increased. Crossing rivers has become a problem. The Tana and Nzoia rivers are a problem. At the moment, there are many children The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Hon. Senators, you will allow me to dispose of this amendment, so that we can proceed with the Motion. We will then proceed with the Motion in the amended form or otherwise. According to Standing Order No.69, this is a matter that affects counties. So, we will need to vote per county. I, therefore, wish to put the question on the Motion, with the amendments, as follows:- THAT, noting with concern the skewed infrastructural development in Kenya, particularly in the road sector; aware that without suitable roads and railroads to connect all counties the nation cannot meaningfully achieve the development goals envisaged in our Vision 2030; noting further that in his Presidential Speech on the occasion of the state opening of Parliament on 16th April 2013, His Excellency the President promised the nation to “improve local roads so that our people can move freely across our nation;” the Senate resolves that the National Government takes immediate steps to correct the skewed roads and railroads development in Kenya and requires the Department of Transport and Infrastructure to submit to the Senate through the Senate Committee on Energy, Roads and Transportation, an annual report of roads and railroads development programmes covering all counties in Kenya, beginning July 2013 and projections for subsequent years. Hon. Senators, I now call for a Division. Ring the Division Bell.

Hon. Senators, the time for ringing the Division Bell has lapsed. Let us have the doors closed. The Teller for the Ayes will be Sen. Sang while the Teller for the Noes will be Sen. Kanainza.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

What is it, Sen. Murkomen?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the number of hon. Senators present in the House does not reach the minimum that is required to pass any Motion that affects counties. We are not even 24 hon. Senators present. Unless the nominated hon. ladies of this House tell us they have the necessary documents for them to represent some of the Heads of Delegations. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order, hon. Senators! Sen. Murkomen has raised a point of order on the issue of whether we can proceed on the vote when the numbers may not be assured. If you recall, this is a matter that came up last week and we dealt with it on the basis of the scenario then. This is an issue which will keep coming up. We will dispose of it as it comes. This is an amendment. So, if we were to sustain, assuming the request by Sen. Murkomen is to defer – of course he has not even used the necessary Standing Order – but even if he did that, if we defer the amendment, what happens? It means we cannot even go back to the original Motion. Under the circumstances, we have to proceed for the roll call voting. Since Sen. Murkomen suggested that, maybe some of the other hon. Senators may have been delegated responsibility, then it will work. But even if it does not, the amendment will be lost. We can then proceed on the main Motion. In any case, the Motion is time bound. So, that is how I propose we should proceed.

Sen. Sang

Sen. Kanainza

Order, hon. Senators! I wish to announce the results of the Division as follows:-

Hon. Senators, the amendment is lost. We have to continue with the original Motion. Open the doors.

Senator for Kiambu County. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Motion in its original version. First and foremost, we need to be reminded all the time that indeed we are constitutionally the House that is mandated to ensure that the county governments take off. In the absence of proper roads in the counties and given the fact that this country is largely---

Order, Senators! I do not know what is exciting us this afternoon, the consultations are a bit too loud. Perhaps it is the entry of the minority leader. Proceed, Senator for Kiambu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This country is largely agricultural and majority of our citizens depend on agriculture for their day to day living. In the absence of proper infrastructure, even the basic needs of the people of this country would be suffering a major loss. Our farmers would be unable to get their produce even to the smallest market in their neighborhoods, leave alone at the national level. So, it is paramount for this Senate to implore and pass legislation to ensure that infrastructure is given first priority at county level to ensure that we have equitable and proper infrastructure in every corner of this country. Skewed as it is, in the Motion, I wish to submit that that does not mean preferential. Some of the counties, and I will give the example of my own county, Kiambu; maybe it is perceived to have an advantage in infrastructure but the reality is that Kiambu County suffers as much as any other county in this country. For example, some of the roads that may be perceived as benefitting the current generation of Kenyans, and in Kiambu particularly were done in the colonial era. As of now, what used to be tarmac is not tarmac anymore and it is even worse than the earth roads which were done later. So, it is important that as we deliberate on this Motion, we be careful not to create a new marginalized zone or marginalized counties by assuming and presuming that there are counties which have an advantage in the infrastructure that exist and thus skew the current agitation for roads to be done in every county. If we assume an approach which will create a new skewed region under the premise or assumption that the region already enjoys an advantage in infrastructure, then we will not be attaining the goal that we intend to attain as the Senate of ensuring that every county gets its proper share of the contribution of the central government. This Senate should ensure that infrastructure is distributed and encouraged countrywide in every county. Mr. Speaker, Sir, infrastructure is also key to revival of industries in every county. Most of our counties have unexploited natural resources. It would not be economical if indeed, the counties governments would take the initiative and exploit the national resources for the benefit and growth and then they be unable to get their produce to the intended market. Already we have factories which were established since Kenya gained Independence. Most of those factories have been closed down as of now. The reason why most of them were closed down is because the cost of production became so high and the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, first, I wish to thank my colleague, Sen. Musila, for bringing this Motion and I stand here to support it. Before I do so, I would like to give the devil his due. First, I wish to congratulate the Government for having developed 12,000 kilometres of bitumen or tarmac roads over the years. Some of the roads have been done twice. So, the Government would have probably developed about 20,000 kilometres of roads. I support this Motion because it is a Motion where we are going to support and assist the Government to get away from the word “skewed” which is creating a lot of heat here. It is creating an impression of marginalization in the country. I want to use this word differently. We would like to skew the future development of infrastructure in this country in a favourable manner. For example, we would like to skew the development of future infrastructure in this country by taking into consideration the economic situation. Let the roads be constructed in areas which have economic activities in the country. Therefore the word “skew” should be used favourably. I support this Motion because this is one chance where Senators are giving themselves an opportunity to assist future development on roads not to be skewed negatively. We should be able to get this information ahead of time before the roads are done or where the roads are likely to be skewed in unfavourable manner, Senators would be able to put that right. That is the reason why I support this Motion.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

What is it, Sen. Haji? In future when you rise on a point of order while carrying a bottle of water, the Chair might think you want to use the bottle.

It is because I come from the north where we value water so much. Is it in order for the hon. Senator to say that development should be skewed in favour of areas that produce tea or maize while we know that in the new Constitution, The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I think it is a question of the English word and every day we are doing these things, we are actually skewing them in favour of one thing or another. All I am saying here is that this time, the “skew” should not give the negative connotation of marginalizing others. We would skew these developments towards where we have economic benefits.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Is the hon. Senator in order to give the impression that there are parts of this country which do not have any economic contribution or value to this country? There are areas where there is economic potential but it is the lack of roads that has not enabled them to show that potential.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, maybe I am being misunderstood but the point here is that in those same areas, this word “skewed” has been used to deny them development. It is not that there are areas in this country that we can consider as having no economic value. Every place has its economic value. In the past, the “skew” thing has been used to deny those areas which have economic value some development. I am saying that we should be deliberate and actually skew the process to go to those areas. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would also like to bring on board another point. This is the point of road classification. This classification of roads has actually led to the skew that we are talking about. There have been situations where funds have been available but you could not use them to develop certain roads because they are classified and the law in the past required that you could not use certain funds for development of such roads. In the past, you could not use the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) to develop the pathways in the villages simply because they are not classified and yet they are the roads that bring bananas to the main road where you can deliver them to the market. You could never get them to the market if you do not develop those roads but funds were denied because the roads are not classified. It is fair that we also reclassify our roads so that every road benefits from the funds. Lastly, I think it is also important that in the process of doing infrastructure, we would want to safeguard the gains that we have already got in this country. Therefore, security is very important. So, when we are considering the development of infrastructure, we should look at the issue of security to make sure that we give preference or skew our development of roads to areas where we can safeguard the gains. For example, we want to develop roads in areas where there is cattle rustling. I want to support this Motion using the word “skew” in a very positive manner in order to avoid marginalization where the same word has been used in the past, especially if we have a body that will be able to give us reports on what is happening on our roads. This is the opportunity that the Senate can use to make sure that “skew” is not used unfavourably to other regions of Kenya. Otherwise, I support the Motion as it is originally.

Hon. Senators, this Motion is supposed to last up to 3.45 p.m., and before then, the Mover is supposed to reply for ten minutes. That would bring the time to 3.35 p.m. That means we have about nine minutes. So, the next speaker can only contribute up to that point. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. Before I forget, I want to thank Members of the Senate for passing the Motion that I moved earlier today. I also want to congratulate Sen. Musila for bringing this very important Motion. If you did not know, and I wish to remind the Senators, that many parliamentarians have lost elections on the issue of roads; that certain roads have not been done or the condition of the roads in a particular constituency are not up to standards. Indeed, the only hon. Member of Parliament who I have known to have lost an election on account of bringing a tarmac road to his constituency was in Ukambani, when Gen. Mulinge in a general election I think in 2002, was talking about a road he had done in his constituency. Unfortunately, because the issue of reforms pre-dominated the politics of the period, the electorate did not make much of that road. Most of Kenya is inaccessible, our rivers are not navigable, the conditions of our rail roads, as we know, are dilapidated. If I can remind you, in the old days, I could travel by train from Mombasa to Nairobi to Kisumu; I could either go through Bungoma or go up to Butere, but that section of the rail road is completely out of use, particularly the one from Kisumu to Butere. So, roads play a very important function in our economy and even for the ordinary people. So, Sen. Musila, I think you have done us proud on this one because if this Motion is implemented, we can take account of what programmes are going on, not only nationally, because the Senate is not just for the counties, but also in our particular counties and in the constituencies so that you will be able to determine whether there is equitable distribution of road network in the whole country. I, for one, can say that in Siaya – Take note of the analysis that Sen. Musila has passed around, which is very useful – it shows that we are somewhere in the middle of the list in terms of the counties which have got good road network or which have got paved roads. But to some extent, that particular schedule is also misleading because you know on paper, according to the records of Government, you may be told there is a tarmac road between point A and B, but when you drive through that road, you would wish that you better be on a rough road! There was a time when I used to go to Lodwar a lot, doing cases there, and there used to be a tarmac road between Kitale and Lodwar. So, two years later when I thought I would use the same road going to Lodwar, there is nothing you could call a tarmacked road between, I think Makutano and Lodwar. So, although that list that has been passed around may be a good indicator, even some of these paved roads cannot go for that kind of classification. To that extent, I may want to agree with some of my colleagues – even from the central part of Kenya, where I lived for so many years going to school – that, for example, there were roads between Nairobi and Kikuyu on which we used to travel and which were done during the colonial days. While I was at Alliance High School, ten years down the line, some of those roads just got worn out. I think we just have to be objective on this issue because without any part of Kenya being accessible, the entire economy suffers. The fact that we cannot reach The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Two minutes to the Tana River Senator.

Nashukuru Bw. Spika. Mimi nikiwa nimechaguliwa kutoka Tana River, jambo la barabara likigusiwa, kwanza, ninashtuka kwa sababu kwangu ni kama kulisahaulika kwa muda mrefu. Hivi nikisimama, watu wa Tana River wameaangalia kwangu; kuna sehemu ambapo kutoka enzi ya Kenya kuanza miaka 50 iliyopita, utaona kilomita 160 ambazo kwamba kuna wananchi karibu 10,000 walionipigia kura, na hakuna barabara, hakuna hospitali, hakuna usaidizi wowote ambao wanaweza kupata. Watu hawa ni wafanyi biashara; watu hawa ni wakulima; watu hawa ni Wakenya kama wengine, na hakuna barabara hata ile ya murram. Kwa hivyo, naunga Hoja hii mkono ili Kenya iwe sawa na barabara ziweko katika kila sehemu ya Kenya kama wengine. Asante, Bw. Spika. Naunga mkono Hoja hii.

Order, Senators! It is time now for the Mover to reply.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I donate three minutes to the Deputy Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Thank you very much, Sen. Musila, for allowing me three minutes of your time to say a few words about this very important Motion. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I appreciate the interest that this Motion has generated and, with your permission, I want to give Sen. Billow and Sen. Hassan two minutes each in that order.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, and thank you, Sen. Musila. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I think this Motion is long overdue. This Motion is a clear manifestation of the inequitable distribution of resources that we have seen in this country; and the skewed allocation of resources by the Treasury over the years. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is because of this that we have very poor infrastructure in many parts of this country and, as a result, Kenyans cried for devolution. I think this Motion is important, but the reason why I really want to support this Motion is because it reflects a paradigm shift in the new constitutional dispensation; that the national Government must actually share out the remaining 70 or 80 per cent of whatever revenue is allocated to the national Government equitably across the counties. I think that really is The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Your time is up!

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Speaker, Sir. I beg to support.

Thank you Mr. Speaker, Sir. I want to thank and congratulate Sen. Musila. Mine is to add a rider to this development. Those of us who had roads know that they have all been washed away. Many of you will be travelling to Mombasa and you will see this for yourselves. The road from the airport is congested and an overhaul of the infrastructure is long overdue. The city has grown but the road infrastructure has not grown. Therefore, that means that as we go into this new phase of development, we must continue to blacklist people who did substandard jobs for this country in terms of infrastructure development. Part of the reasons why some counties have to remain behind in terms of infrastructure development is because they contracted cowboy contractors, so to speak and their road networks are below standards. Therefore, that investment is lost and Kenyan people have to reinvest in that kind of a situation. If you go to countries like Dubai and others in the world, you will see that the reason why they prosper is because their road networks move. Their transportation system is first class. They use railways, roads, waterways and I think it is time that this country puts in place credible and integral systems that spread equity in terms of infrastructure development of this country. I am here to support this Motion but add a rider to the fact that we must ensure that the quality of roads built stand the test of time.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to, very humbly, thank my colleagues, Senators for the bipartisan manner in which they have supported this Motion. Indeed, it is very clear that from the data that has been supplied by the Kenya Roads Board (KRB) and contributions that Members have made, all has not been well in the roads sector. Lack of maintenance of roads and poor workmanship have been cited as some of the causes of lack of good roads in this country. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

I thought that when we lost the amendment, Sen. Musila would mobilize the Whips so that we conclude this matter. However, since he has the privilege of asking for deferment under Standing Order No.51 (3), I will agree with him and defer the putting of the Question, considering that Debate on the Motion has been finalized to tomorrow at 2.30 pm.

Sen. Musila, I hope that you will not be in the same situation as the one that Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale found himself in last time. That will be the last chance. Hon. Senators, that brings us to the end of the Business as per the Order Paper. However, you will recall that there was a Motion for Adjournment by Sen. (Dr.) Zani which was to come not later than 5.00 p.m. I suggest that the Motion can proceed now. However, before I invite Sen. Zani, I have a communication to make.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for allowing me this chance to move a Motion of Adjournment on a very important and sad issue and this is the issue of flooding. We may think that flooding has ended in most parts of the country because the rains have subsided. However, this will happen over and over again. We need, at one point or another, to mitigate and to find sustainable solutions for now and for prosperity. Kenya has had its fair share of disasters; whether natural or manmade. The manmade disasters are different. These are like fires. The natural disasters are like what we have now. These are floods, farming and pest infestation of crops which happen from time to time. Unfortunately, in Kenya, we are moving from one scenario to another. We either have too much rain that causes destruction or too little of it and, therefore, end up with drought. The current flood situation has been recurring every rainy season. The problem has been that the response to this particular issue is very slow and not well timed taking into consideration the suffering of the people. In the last floods we have just had, more than 70 people lost their lives unnecessarily. We have 100,000 other people who have been displaced and who are suffering as a result of that displacement. They are suffering because they cannot make their economic ends meet. Therefore, you can see that to a large extent, floods have real consequences. These are social consequences, for instance, The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I take this opportunity to thank you and my fellow Senator, Sen. Zani, who has moved this Motion. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion really touches me. This is because Tana River is most hit by the floods. Floods have been recurrent every rainy season and the Government response has been inadequate. These floods have been as a result of failure to act on early warning. Floods in Kenya have killed at least 70 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. They have also destroyed property, crops and infrastructure worth millions in most counties across the country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Tana River is mostly affected. My people there are stranded and marooned, but no help has been given. We wanted the Government to, at least, come up with a tangible solution. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to second the Motion. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this Motion for Adjournment. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to make one very simple fact or point. As we know, floods in this country are controllable, because we know their source, cause and where they occur. If you look at Budalangi and Kano, we know that everytime there are rains and both River Nzoia and River Nyando overflow their banks, therefore, there will obviously be floods. We know that the people living in those areas will move when the floods come and come back when it is dry. That pattern has been going on for years. So, we cannot really say that the solution is just to form a special taskforce, because the problem is known. What needs to be done is for the Government to get specialists, like from the Netherlands where floods were controlled many years ago. If you go to the City of Amsterdam there are canals all over the place. In fact, people move equally on boats and cars. The whole of Netherlands is a flat country. If they were to do what we do here in Kenya, they would not be living there today. They would have moved to France or somewhere like that. So, one thing that we should call on the Government to do is just to employ the necessary technology for flood control in these areas. One very simple thing which has been done in Budalangi, and the flooding has reduced to some extent, is well built dykes. These dykes stop water from going where people live. It is channelled into huge dykes where it will flow during the flooding season. When there is no flooding, there will be very little water there. The water that is left there will then be used for irrigation. So, what needs to be done is enough money to be put in the Budget for these things to be done in these places where there is flooding. In any case, flooding is not a curse, but a blessing. It means that we are getting a lot of water at a certain time. If we store it, we can use it when there is drought. We know that there is a sequence between flooding and drought. So, when we have the floods, contain them, as Joseph did in Egypt many years ago, when he was Minister for Agriculture under Pharaoh. That is why he became famous. He helped create the control of flooding in Egypt so many years ago, so that there were bumper harvests. Remember the story in Bible where somebody said that there will be so many fat cows eating lean cows. If that was done, we could do it today. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, secondly, when you go to other areas in Tana River, it is the same thing really. In a flat area when there is a lot of rain, you expect flooding. Waiting until we spend billions of shillings to give people clothes and put them in tents and then waiting again to do the same thing, actually demonstrates our lack of good policy making. So, one of the resolutions from this Motion for Adjournment is there should be technical teams set up by the Government, using modern knowledge that has been used elsewhere to do dyking and proper control. It is important to store water when it is there, so that it can be used during the dry season. Again, we do not expect the people living in these areas to go somewhere else, because living in a place is culturally tied. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to support. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Some of the Senators are commenting that, at least, today we have a Chair who has seen me. So, I am really grateful. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support this Motion. Given what has been happening in our country, I feel that there is something which is not really going on well. Last year and the year before, we were talking about floods and disasters. The Government needs to do something about disasters in this country. We need particularly to form a disaster management authority which will deal with disasters. We should not only have early warning systems, but some measures should also be taken to mitigate when there are floods. A very good example is my county. We have a river whose bridge was washed away during the rains. We were expecting the Government to repair it, but it was not repaired. As a result, transport between Magadi and Nairobi has been cut off. This has been happening for many years, but no action has been taken by this Government. Whenever it rains the Permanent Secretary or other senior Government officials visit the area and promise to fix the problem, but nothing is done on the ground. So, it is high time we had an authority to deal with disasters. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not think dykes will control floods along Tana River. We need to construct dams along this river. We need an authority which will be issuing warnings to our people when the floods are about to happen. It can also advise people on where to put up their homes. So, it is high time we put in place a disaster management authority. A few weeks ago, the Deputy President said that they had formed a disaster management committee which was composed of the Army personnel, Red Cross and other people. But after that, we do know what happened to that team. In fact, the Ministry of State for Special Programmes is well known for coordinating disaster management in this country. It is used as a conduit to swindle public funds. Its Permanent Secretary visited my county when I talked about bridges being damaged and my people being killed by floods. He promised to put necessary measures to mitigate against floods, but we have nothing to show on the ground. Therefore, I support Sen. Zani that we need to a NDMA which will come up with measures to manage all types of disasters, including when buildings collapse hen there are earthquakes or tremors or when we have hunger and drought in this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, With those few words, I beg to support.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am very sad to contribute to this Motion by our Gracious Lady Sen. Zani. It reminds me of that lady “serikali saidia” in Nyando. We have reached a situation where an ordinary mwananchi has to cry aloud “serikali saidia” year after year then finally she said she wanted to see Uhuru and Raila face to face. I do not know whether she has managed. This shows the desperation of our people on the kind of poor services that we get from the Government. Ever since I was a young person, and I am not young anymore, I used to hear of Nyando and the floods in Kano. Up to today, I still hear about them. We have had responsible and independent governments for the last 50 years. It is sad. Whenever we have drought, the Ministers, especially the immediate former Minister for Water and Irrigation would stand and say that when it rains we are going to harvest water and there would never be any problem again. Then what happens? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Bw. Naibu Spika, asante kwa kunipa nafasi kuunga mkono Hoja hii. Janga la maji na mafuriko limetuletea maafa mengi nchini. Mkoa wa Nyanza kwa sababu ya mto Nyando na kuja hadi Migori, tumepoteza watu 74. Mkoa wa Bonde la Ufa umepoteza watu 40 kwa sababu ya maji. Sehemu ya mashariki ya Kenya watu 21 wamepoteza maisha yao. Kaunti ya Tana River imewapoteza watu saba, Nyanza yenyewe kuna watu 19 ambao waliathiriwa na wako hospitalini. Hawa ni wale ambao wamehesabika. Watu wengi wamekufa maji bila idadi yao kujulikana. Shule nyingi zimeharibika. Zahanati nyingi zimeoshwa na mimea mingi mashambani kuharibiwa. Kila mwaka, tunakumbana na janga hili. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is the situation that we are in. If you touch anything, you find a lot of problems. If you talk about floods, security, roads and so on, it is as if our Independence came last week. There is need for this Senate to start thinking critically on how to deal with situations that have been happening almost every now and then. Kenya has resources and many experts to deal with these floods. They know what they can do and they know the solution. They know where they can get money from, but the problem here is prioritization. What attracts priority? It is what you make from that project. That is what determines the priority for development of Kenya. If you are going to get something out of it, then that priority is good. I think these are the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I take this opportunity to thank Sen. Zani for bringing this Motion. I would wish to bring a new look at the new situation. The questions that I would like us to ask ourselves, as Kenyans and as leaders, are: Who are these people who are affected by floods? I have not heard of a leader, an administrator or a senior person in society having been marooned by rain or floods. Who are the affected and where are they? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, many are the times when we watch television. We see people being evacuated or trying to wade through water. Has any one of you ever asked; “where are the disabled when floods take place?” As people swim across, what happens The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Asante sana, Bw. Naibu Spika. Nasimama kuunga mkono Hoja hii kwa sababu ni ya maana sana. Tunajua mvua hunyesha kila mwaka hata wakati wa ukame. Janga hili la mafuriko liko mikononi mwa Mwenyezi Mungu. Mvua huletwa na Mwenyezi Mungu. Tunajua Mungu alimuumba binadamu kuwa bora kuliko wanyama wengine wote ili aweza kujitawala, kuweza kujizuia maovu, kujua mema na mabaya. Binadamu aliumbwa akiwa na akili na hekima. Alipewa akili za kuweza kupambana na majanga yote yanayoweza kumkabili. Lakini kitu cha kuhuzunisha ni kwamba tangu tupate Uhuru mpaka leo, mvua baada ya mvua inaleta maafa ya vifo, mali, mimea na barabara kuharibika. Bw. Naibu Spika, wakati Wazungu walipokuja hapa nchini hawakujua mazingira yetu. Kulikuwa na Mzungu mmoja pale Kiambu ambaye alichimba bwawa. Sinema kuhusu watu weusi ilitengenezwa juu yake. Alikuwa na mfanyakazi wa asili ya Kisomali kwa jina la Farah. Siku moja kulinyesha mvua kubwa ambayo iliharibu bwawa lake na maji yakavuja na kutiririka. Asubuhi yake alimuuliza Farah pale maji yake yalikokwenda. Mazungumzo yao yaliendelea hivi: “ Farah, where did the water go to?” Farah, a layman and an African, used his common sense and he replied: “Sir, the water The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I also stand to join my colleagues in supporting this very important Motion about floods. Floods and droughts are major occurrences in this country. Listening to a number of speakers before me, it is very clear that we did not have a co-ordinated mechanism from the Government Ministries. Talking about a DC – I am sorry to refer to the two former Provincial Commissioners; Sen. Haji and Sen. Musila, who have served through the ranks, from district officers to provincial commissioners. With all that experience, there was a clear testimony that we did not establish, through successive governments, some co-ordination mechanisms to mitigate issues on droughts and floods in this country. Honestly, what was being done all through, whether through the military, the National Youth Service (NYS) The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, just like in other areas places like the Tana Delta, Kisumu, Nyakatch, Muhoroni and Siaya have been hit by floods. We neighbour Busia County which, again, has badly been hit by the floods. Areas like Ugenya, several points along River Nzoia, East Ugenya, Uholo, Sifuyo, going down to Usonga-Alego and parts of Bondo Constituency have been badly hit by floods. This has happened along River Nzoia and along River Yala. The point that some Senators have made; which is what I want to emphasise and crystalise in the contribution by hon. Anyang’-Nyong’o, is that these floods have a pattern which is regular. They are predictable. We know that every April and May, the banks of these rivers; be it the Tana River, Nyando, Yala, Nzoia or Sondu Miriu overflow their banks and lead to the same kind of disasters every year. In fact, the fury with which the current floods have come The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker Sir, for recognising me. That said and done, I want to talk in a different context about national disasters and the impact of these in terms of the Kenyan poor. The impact of national disasters is that they compound the already desperate situations that people live in. No matter how much blankets that the Red Cross and the politicians bring, this hardly compensates for every form of effect that the Kenyan poor have toiled to put to their personal worth. I have also seen this in Mombasa. When rains hit us very hard, Kenya’s biggest city gets flooded. There are no proper drainage systems. People who should be living in urban cities find themselves in pools of water time and again. What we need to do, in terms of mitigating disaster, is to mitigate the negative impact that disasters have on the Kenyan poor. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Hon. Senators, it is quite obvious that the Motion is now exhausted and no other Senator appears keen to contribute. It is, therefore, time to adjourn the business of today. The Senate, therefore, stands adjourned to tomorrow, Thursday, 16th May, 2013, at 2.30 p.m. The Senate rose at 5.00 p.m. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.