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

I am informed that we now have a quorum. Let us commence with this morning’s business.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion:- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

THAT, considering the need for implementation of an Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) as required by the law; noting that most counties are not linked to the National Optic Fibre Broadband Infrastructure (NOFBI); aware that the rolling out of e- government will be hindered by lack of such infrastructure; recognizing the principles of good governance, integrity, transparency and accountability set out in the Constitution and the need for public participation and access to information; further recognizing that investment in ICT creates opportunities for youth employment; the Senate calls on the National Government to connect all county headquarters to the Fibre Optic National Network and to link all county headquarters to relevant national institutions such as the Senate and the Treasury through video conferencing capability to save unnecessary expenses, enhance efficiency and accountability and improve the performance of county governments. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Committee on Education, Information and Technology has in the last couple of weeks and months traversed this country in many counties. The intention of the Committee was to oversight what is happening in the education sector. In addition to that, the Committee was trying to see how well we are connected in as far as ICT is concerned. In our opinion, we have a long way to go from where we would want to be. We believe that part of the building of county governments must include infrastructure, particularly roads and technology. That is represented by the fibre optic cables.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in a previous meeting in Naivasha where we invited the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, we were told that 28 counties in Kenya have now been connected to the fibre optic. However, on further assessment of the so-called connection to those counties, we found out that as a matter of fact what we are talking about is either that there is a fibre cable that passes through the county or at best, there is a cable connected to the county commissioner’s office. But almost in no county did we find that the Governor’s office is connected via fibre. The closest was in The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Kisii County. The members of the county assemblies are connected to fibre. We passed such a Motion in this House. So, even with the 28 counties that are supposedly connected, within our list includes counties like Marsabit and Baringo. However, when we talk to the Senators from those areas, they tell us clearly that they are not aware of such connectivity.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are informed that, at the moment, Kenya has 4,300 kilometres of fibre cable. The project started with connectivity by TEAMS where I had the privilege of serving as Minister. Therefore, I know a little bit about the state of affairs as far as connectivity is concerned. But what this House is now telling the national Government is that this project must be fast-tracked. There is no way we will be able to create new governance in the new dispensation of a new Constitution without creating an enabling environment within the county governments. The only way we can do that is by making sure that counties are technically and technologically able to connect themselves with the national Government.

The Treasury has been operating IFMIS. A lot of the counties are using telephones because they are not able to connect themselves to the fibre network. In any event, even if we connect them, we still have another 65,000 kilometres to connect if we want our schools connected to the fibre optic, to be the same as a child operating in India or the UK. If we want all hospitals connected across the country, we need 65,000 kilometres of fibre. At the moment, we have 4,300 kilometres and another 1,600 kilometres that are currently underway. That is a long way to go, especially when we think about the 65,000 kilometres. Therefore, we need to think in a new way if we are going to connect Kenya in the manner that it should be connected.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, connecting fibre to the counties will create several advantages, including security benefits. As we watched television the other day, we saw, even in this chaotic situation at the Westgate Mall, pictures of people through CCTV. We saw terrorists being identified through CCTV. The other day, in Karatina Town, somebody using a mobile phone, was able to detect thugs who were about to rob people and sent that photograph to the police. Already, we are using rudimentary ICT methods for security purposes. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, you will remember that in the previous government, there was talk of Nairobi being connected by fibre and a security system being put in place. We are aware this is an issue being debated all over with court cases upon court cases. There is a waste of time when we know that Kenyans are under threat. Therefore, when we talk about connection of fibre, we are not just talking about connection of the fibre cable as an end in itself. We are talking about fibre connectivity as a means to an end. That end includes the facilities that we will create in our schools and so on. There is no better way of equalizing our society than the way we can use technology. If we connect a school in Marsabit County, for example, to the fibre optic cable, it will be exactly the same as a school somewhere in Nairobi County, no matter how nice the school is. If we connect the same to Kwale County, it will be equal to a school connected to fibre in Nyeri County. Therefore, considering that the role of the Senate is to try and equate counties as much as possible, then it behooves us to ensure that this project is completed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are aware that hospital facilities in most parts of our nation leave a lot to be desired. We are also aware that if we connect fibre to those hospitals, it will be possible for a doctor at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) to assist in the operation of a patient at a Garissa hospital, if they are connected to the fibre via video conferencing. It is possible for a doctor to operate a child in Turkana County through receiving instructions from John Hopkins University Hospital in the United States of America (USA). This is no longer a luxury for us but a necessity. This is the only way that we can give advantage to far-flung areas long before we get road infrastructure there. Sometimes, long before we get water in some of those places, we can get them healthcare that is equal to any all over the world using this fibre network cable.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as I mentioned earlier, I had the privilege of serving as Minister and launching the first international cable in Kenya, TEAMS. Since then, Kenya has developed other cables, including SEACOM. The capacity that we have at the Port in Mombasa is huge. It can serve this country and this part of the world, including the other countries that are in the hinterland of Africa. But there is no need to pass the fibre through Mombasa all the way to Rwanda and Uganda. They took advantage of the fibre The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

connectivity better than us because they are now connecting their towns, schools and hospitals. It is up to us to ensure that is also done in Kenya.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have been talking about Konza, the ICT city, that we want to come up with in Machakos County. As you can see, the uptake is very slow. The champions of such a project need to be identified and asked to push for those projects. But one Konza City is not enough for Kenya. In India, they once had one area that had fibre cable. What that meant is that eventually the area became very expensive. We need a Konza City in Machakos County and another such city in other counties such as Nyeri and Kisumu, so that we can create and spread ICT jobs across the country. We will also be able to contain the rising costs that may arise as a result of centralizing an ICT city in only one area. That is what will happen if we connect fibre to all counties.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other good and great advantage of technology is that it will stifle rural-urban migration. There are people who say that in certain parts of this country, people are not getting children and that some areas are depopulating. I know that Nyeri County is depopulating because of migration of our people to towns. It is not just about the alcohol that my brother, Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o would like to imagine. People are moving to towns and leaving the rural areas very bare. Therefore, for us to attract young people to the rural areas and towns that are growing in our counties, we need to create jobs there. The fastest way that we can create these jobs is not just by value adding, as we have planned to do, but also by creating ICT jobs. The advantage of ICT jobs is that they are not just about a question of occupation or our youth having something to do, but they are good value jobs. They create opportunities for people to earn a lot more money than they can in jobs that we create in agriculture and so on.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as we emphasis more on county governance in this country, it is crucial that we also emphasis on fibre connection. If you compare the current cost of broadband in our country with countries elsewhere, you will find that one of the objectives that we had as a Ministry when we created TEAMs has not yet been achieved. The cost continues to be very high. If I may compare the cost of bandwidth between ourselves and some of the countries that we compete with in creating ICT jobs, you will find that they are quite expensive. Kenya, for example, according to the research we have The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

done charges US $37.8 per month for the equivalent of bandwidth when India, the country that we must compete with, if we want to create ICT jobs, charges only US$6.1. So, if you compare US $6.1 and US$37.8, you will find that a company that wants to place its core centre somewhere in the world will consider India long before they consider Kenya. If you compare further with Sri Lanka, you find that they have lower charges of US$5.5. If you are looking at a country that wants to position itself in a peaceful area, where they can create a core centre for their business, they are very likely to think about Sri Lanka, which is now peaceful or India, which has got a reputation for ICT at US$6.1, long before they consider Kenya at US$37.8. Mr. Speaker, Sir, what we must ask ourselves is: Why is Kenya so expensive when the cable we built was for development and is owned by those whose interest it is to keep the cost of bandwidth as low as possible? There are several reasons this is the case. First is the method by which we are managing this cable as far as terrestrial cabling is concerned. The current situation where we are digging up trenches and connecting to our counties is not ideal. When we started TEAMS we did not give it to Telkom Kenya. We created a special purpose vehicle in order for the cost to be down. In the meantime, what has happened is that they have now taken back the management of NOFBI to Telkom Kenya Limited. This means that the efficiency of the NOFBI connectivity is equivalent to the efficiency of Telkom Kenya Limited. In my opinion, that is a mistake. What should happen is that they should create a new purpose vehicle. NOFBI should be managed separately from Telkom Kenya Limited, so that the cost can be kept lower. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as the companies go digging there and trying to connect schools and hospitals, the counties are charging them. It is important for counties to appreciate that if they do not charge when a road is being connected to their headquarters, they should not also charge when fibre is being connected to their headquarters. Fibre is infrastructure like a road. What they should be charging is the business that is created when the fibre is connected to their counties. They should not charge the fibre itself. It is the same as saying that you charge those who are bringing water. You should charge for the water usage, but not connection of the water. You should also charge for road or fibre The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

usage, not the road or the fibre itself. That can help in keeping down the cost of connectivity. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other cause for the slow uptake that has been highlighted is that every person who connects fibre to the counties has to dig a separate path. This is total inefficiency. What should happen is one of two things. Either, when we are constructing roads, we must lay ducts to the design of a road, to allow fibre optic cables to pass through. In so doing, we can keep the cost of digging low. It is environmentally unfriendly and expensive when everybody starts digging the ground. The only way to avoid that is to make it mandatory that when you are digging any road of any kind, we must make sure that we put in place ducts.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other issue is the high cost of CCK licenses for 4G and other new technology that is coming up. It is also expensive. So, what we should be talking about is that, as we upgrade from 3G to the 4G spectrum, what we should do is discount to companies with frequencies for that technology so that even as we wait for the fibre optic cable to come, the companies can use 4G to be able to connect themselves to IFMIS and also to be able to create the jobs that they are talking about. Therefore, I urge that this House supports these efforts. This House should not only support the effort, but also the Implementation Committee should ensure that the fibre optic cable has been connected. With those few words, I beg to move and ask Sen. (Prof.) Lesan to second the Motion.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. First, I wish to be with the rest of the nation. I know we are still mourning and flags are at half mast. We are continuing to remember those whom we have lost in the last few difficult days in this country. I stand here to second this Motion. First of all, I wish to thank Sen. Kagwe who is the Chairman of the Committee on Education, Information and Technology and who has a passion for Information Communication Technology (ICT). He has moved this Motion eloquently and adequately. He has given adequate reasons we should support this Motion. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there are very good reasons we should support this Motion because the time has come for the establishment of a fibre optic cable nationally and The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

internationally. There is every good reason to support the laying of the ICT cable throughout the country. There are three reasons. First, in this country, we are at a time where accountability is a factor that we should not ignore. We would be expecting that the counties that we are setting up which are serving the country to be accountable for their actions in time. Therefore, the availability of a system in which information can move faster will go a long way in supporting accountability throughout the country, particularly in the counties. There is the question of performance where the country and all of us wish to continue to reduce the cost of offering services by performing efficiently. Therefore, the presence of a system like the one we are proposing and recommending that it is laid down in our counties, would improve performance and, therefore, lower the cost of offering services to the country. The other advantage is public participation. At the moment, there is a lot of concern by Kenyans to know what is happening within or around them. Therefore, the presence of a system like this disseminates and distributes information faster and accurately. This is an urgent need for this country in order to allow the public to participate in either assessing the accountability of their officers or evaluating whether their performance has been to the expected standards. Mr. Speaker, Sir, further, the presence of a system like the one we are proposing at the moment will go a long way in decongesting some of those institutions that are currently packed. In this case, I think of public lecture halls in universities that are currently full and overflowing with students. These students can participate in those lectures far from the lecture halls. Therefore, they can take these lectures in virtual form. They can sit anywhere in this country and follow the lectures from their campuses using a system like this. Therefore, this goes a long way in decongesting some of the lecture halls that are there in this country. It is, therefore, a system that has come at the right time. I want to urge the Government that as this system continues to be laid, it be done in an orderly system so that there are no gaps that exist within some counties. For example, the network system has been laid down in Kericho and Nyamira counties which are neighbouring Bomet County which does not have the system established and yet the cable passes through this county. I believe there are other counties where the cable runs The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

through them and yet they have not been connected, when it was actually cheaper to do this when the system was passing through. We, therefore, want to urge the Government or the agency that is carrying out this project, to do it in a manner that ensures some counties are not bypassed. The cables should be connected to them. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also wish to urge the counties, that where the cable has reached within their limits, they should participate in the last mile which is the laying of the cables. This is the last few metres to their offices. This includes the laying of the cables within the offices of the counties to participate at no extra cost for the company that is doing the cabling, but at the cost of the counties because of the very enormous and significant benefits that will accrue as a result of their intimate participation. I hope that every county will fully participate in this exercise because the significance and the importance of this cable is enormous.

I would also be urging that this government has a foresight in factors that will affect the distribution of these cables. One of them is the space in which these cables will be laid. We, therefore, want to recommend that the laws governing the designs of roads in this country be modified in such a way that sufficient space is allowed for this cable to be laid. At the moment, we know that there is a three metre leeway for the laying down of the other services to be delivered like electricity, water and telephone cables. We also know that the cables for fibre optic are buried underground. Therefore, we would require a bit more space than the one we have at the moment. I would urge that the laws governing the construction of the road be amended in such a manner that it will provide for space in which these cables can be laid down in an orderly manner. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as suggested by the Mover of the Motion, this space that is required is very significant. Some planning should be done in order for this cabling to be done in an orderly manner so that not every contractor must dig their own line on the ground. This can be coordinated, for example, by having a culvert or a drain in which all these cables can pass through without destroying the structures that have already been laid. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I would like to support this Motion moved by Sen. Kagwe. As I listened to him, I realized the downside of democracy in the sense that it is a very wasteful system because I think, having performed so well as the Minister for Communication and Information and having subsequently been the Chairman of the Communications University, he should actually have remained as the Chief Executive of the Communications Information in this country. Actually democratic systems like the one we have of rotating people so frequently has certain disadvantages because we end up wasting a lot of talent. We end up wasting skills, knowledge, collective memory and developmental resources. The kind of library he has in his head on this problem is a library that he should use almost constantly in that Ministry. I really felt that our system has a downside to it. Even if you look at this House, you will find that Sen. G.G. Kariuki, for example, when he was the Minister for Internal Security, he did a good job, although to some of us he was very destructive. But in terms of knowledge and contributing to that department, he was very good. So, democracy has a downside to it which is really very unfortunate. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Sen. Kagwe has brought out a very important thing; the technology of spreading the fibre optic cable. He has described it very well. My problem is the end users; whether Governors, the County Representatives or even ourselves. We need to recognize the fibre cable when it arrives at our door and even understand the urgency with which to make use of it. I was going to propose to Sen. Kagwe that one of the things we should urge, is for us to go to the Multi Media University for one or two weeks to be taught and be told something about this thing called fibre optics and ICT because people merely talk about it. However, listening to Sen. Kagwe, it is something The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion which I stand to support.

The issue of ICT and moreso, the fibre optic is the fastest way that our country can realise Vision 2030. If we do not pay a lot of attention to ICT and especially the expansion of infrastructure, Vision 2030 will be Vision 3020. Since African countries, including Kenya, are not very good at inventing, but copying what has been invented in another world, I think we better fast-track our copying to the fast lane. The fast lane now is what we are talking about today. In fact, if we fast-track fibre optic, we will be able to develop so fast that we will catch up with countries that were at our level during Independence, but have so far left us behind. We can only catch up with those countries if we embrace fibre optic. While I fully support the laptop project, I was wishing that the Jubilee Government should have taken the issue of fibre optic as its flagship project and then the laptop project be part of this. It would have been much broader because it is an infrastructure that would affected all spheres of life in both urban and rural Kenya.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am saying this because with the arrival of fibre optic, towns like Isiolo and Lodwar that are always considered marginalised will be developed. The fibre optic infrastructure has already been said to be effective in trying to modernize health services, education delivery, banking in rural areas, current affairs where local people would be aware of what is happening in the world because information is power. We would have empowered our rural folks because through this availability of mass information, we would bring our people up to speed in terms of knowing the current issues in every field whether you are an educationist, a doctor, an engineer and so on. In every field you are, you will be up to speed because information will be available to you wherever you are in the country.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of e-government is only now a reality in Nairobi and a few other cities, but if we expand our infrastructure in fibre optic, and they reach in those far flung districts, we will have e-government whereby the issues of people coming to Nairobi for identity cards, passports, benefits from the National Social Security Fund The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order, Senators! Sen. (Dr.) Kuti must be heard.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, devolution is more effective when our governors, executive committee and members of the county assemblies are aware and are connected with the rest of the counties, the national government and even with the world. I agree with Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o when he said that Senators, Governors and Members of the County Assembly and even Members of Parliament need to have the basic ICT knowledge as a requirement because the world is heading there. You will be illiterate to be using paper and pen. You will be like our fathers who could not read letters. We are now going to the third phase in terms of illiteracy. There was that time when we used to read letters for our fathers. Now we will be like our fathers where issues will be explained to us. Even here, I am sure we have Senators who are in that stage and it is a fact. I am just half-baked myself in terms of these issues. Therefore, it is very critical that we focus on new learning where every leader must be ICT compliant, so that he is able to utilise this facility to enhance his development agenda. That is why it is important that the fibre optic reaches those far flung districts to enable the policy makers utilize it. I fully support this because this is where the world is. We are at that platform. If we are not there, then we will be lower than that platform. Therefore, this is something that requires a marshal plan so that we purposefully focus on making our country receive this infrastructure and also enable the population to utilize it. It is one thing to have fibre optic connectivity to every corner of this country, but it is also another thing to enable the population to utilize it and maximize the utilisation and get the maximum benefit out of it. These two must go hand in hand so that we do not have something that we cannot use. For example, some time ago, roads were The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order, Sen. Kuti and Sen. Wetangula.

We need to give accurate information. Sen. Kuti, we need to be factual. I do not believe that there is a road that was built for cows or maize to be spread on.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that was a long time ago.

What I am trying to say is that it is one thing to have fibre optic in Lodwar and have the Governor there and his executives use it. The county will not move ahead if they are unable to utilize the infrastructure. That is what I was trying to imply. This is a very critical thing because it is very common even amongst us. It is available here. I now have fibre connected to my house. It is important that we all must have that connectivity and utilise it.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also want to add my voice to this Motion which is timely. As my colleague has said, the future is in technology. Our lives will be governed by the use of technology. As we sit in this Chamber, we are also communicating with the world using I-pads, phones and other ways of accessing internet. Today, you can do your business and transactions of any type using technology. Tomorrow, the technology will even be more complicated. Our entire lives will be moved to that and it is important that the knowledge be exported to all the counties. The second reason I think this is important is that when fibre optic came, there was a lot of excitement. The main excitement was that it would make internet connectivity easily available and cheaper. That seems to be a reality now. That can only be seen from the explosions in the social media. Today, our youth, including our elders, who have been in the analogue age are seen carrying I-pads. Today, the social media is the single most important tool that is causing, not only positive things but also revolutions around the African Continent. It is important that fibre optic technology is introduced. Let me now talk about the counties which are our main concern. But before I do so, let me mention something about our security. The same technology of connectivity The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also congratulate the distinguished Senator for bringing this far sighted Motion. I listened to him as I was driving to the Senate. I was quite impressed with the good knowledge of the subject he has brought to the Floor and the benefits that will come out of the implementation of the Motion. This country is properly wired, at least, with basic highway of fibre optic. The cable has been wired all the way to Malaba, Busia, Namanga and Moyale. This means in between, many critical areas can get connectivity. What we need is a positive deliberate programme to make sure that if county governments have to take over counties meaningfully, then they are connected to the fibre optic cable. I remember in 2008 when Prof. Anyang’-Nyong’o and I visited Cuba, a country that has not been talked much about due to American propaganda; It has done so much with so little. In Cuba, 100 per cent of school-going children, from Standard One to university have computers on their desks provided by the state. Each child has a computer without exemption. This is also in areas without national grid power. They have provided alternative power to assist in teaching. I heard Sen. Kagwe talk about someone from John Hopkins Hospital who is a top Mathematician. He has an hour or two each week with all students. He goes to the national connection and teaches Mathematics to relevant classes even if it is to doctors. It may be important to note that Cuba has the highest capacity of doctors in the world, more The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support this Motion. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you very much for giving me the chance to contribute to this very crucial Motion. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are debating this Motion 50 years after Independence. Considering what is happening in the world today, you will note that without technology of this kind, any country will be regarded as backward. That is the position that we are in already. Since the time we were elected to this august House, we have visited many countries. When we compare those countries with what is here, we see Kenya as a backward country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have a lot of interest in education and attended quite a number of seminars in the world. There is one seminar that I attended in Lithuania. We were discussing about corruption in education. What we learnt was that corruption is not only when it is said to involve money or transaction of goods. We discussed corruption in education as the key thing. There is corruption in the education sector. Out of our discussions, we found out that some cadre of pupils or students receive different education from the rest because they are more informed in technology than others. That will make that set of students ahead of others. Even to date, we have quite a The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I take this opportunity to thank Sen. Kagwe for Moving this Motion. First of all, I just want to appreciate that ICT is the way of the times. I would wish to give a dimension on how this Motion would change the lives of many people who have been marginalized over the years by lack of access and inclusion. These are the persons with disabilities. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Mover of this Motion who has given very good thoughts for our country because ICT is the way forward. I just want to commend him for bringing it up. One of the points that have really touched me is the fact that the fibre optic cable can be connected to hospitals so that you can have someone in Turkana operated from Nairobi through video conferencing. This is an important thing because not all counties have hospitals like Aga Khan or Nairobi Hospital. The connectivity of this fibre cables to the counties will be very good because it is efficient and transactions can be fast-tracked through networks. If the Senate is linked to this network, we can know what is happening. During our visits to the counties, we found out that in most counties, their revenues are going down. Therefore, without a system in place, the Controller of Budget will not know what is happening in that particular county. If we are connected to the fibre cable and if the system is working, then they will know what is happening in a certain county. They will take remedial measure to stop the malpractice. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Bi. Spika wa Muda, asante sana kwa kunipa nafasi niunge mkono Hoja hii ambayo imeletwa na mwenyekiti wangu, Bw. Kagwe. Kwanza, ningependa tuichambue Hoja hii. Hoja hii inasema kwamba yafaa mtandawazi

katika headquater ya county .

Order, Senator! If you want to give your contribution in Kiswahili language then let it be Kiswahili standard. The word “uconnectiwe” - I do not think is Kiswahili.

Bi. Spika wa Muda, unajua mahali pengine lazima uchanganyishe hata uwe Mswahili kutoka uswahilini. Kwa hivyo, hiyo ilikuwa ni kuchanganyisha kidogo tu.

Mtandawazi ndio mwelekeo wa kisasa. Hoja hii ina umuhimu kwa sababu kaunti ndio mwelekeo mkubwa ambapo sasa tunaenda katika Serikali za Ugatuzi. Makao makuu ya ugatuzi sasa yako katika kaunti. Hapa ndipo mahali ambapo huu mtandawazi utakapounganishwa, basi kaunti zitaweza kuunganishwa na Serikali kuu, Seneti, Treasury na ulimwengu kwa ujumla. Hivi sasa ulimwengu umekuwa nyumba moja na hatuwezi kukaa na kusema kwamba kaunti zetu zibaki vile zilivyo. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Hoja ya Nidhamu, Bi. Spika wa Muda. Ningependa kujua kweli kama kuna Serikali kuu na serikali ndogo. Nafikiri hiyo ni kupotosha wananchi. Ukweli ni kwamba kuna Serikali ya kitaifa na serikali ya ugatuzi.

Bi. Spika wa Muda, namshukuru kwa sababu nilifikiri haelewi kumbe anaelewa. Hivyo alivyo elewa ndio ilikuwa nia yangu na wala si nia yangu kupotosha wananchi. Kuna Serikali ya Kitaifa na serikali ya ugatuzi.

Kulingana na hali hii, nia na madhumuni ya hoja hii ni kuhakikisha ya kwamba nchi nzima, huu utandawazi ambao ni mwelekeo wa miaka hii, unaendelea. Kwa hivyo, namsifu aliyeleta Hoja hii. Yeye ni mwenyekiti wa kamati yetu. Naona kwamba yeye yuko na maono ya mbele. Nawaomba maseneta wote kuunga mkono Hoja hii kwa sababu inaeleza kinagaubaga nia na madhumuni yake. Pia ameeleza wazi wazi sababu za kuunga mkono Hoja hii na ifuatiliwe kikamilifu. Serikali ya Kitaifa yafaa ihakikishe kuwa jambo hili linakamilika kama ipasavvyo.

Bi. Spika wa Muda, kwa hayo machache, naunga mkono.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion which I support. I am making my contribution after a very eloquent Kiswahili speaker. I hope I will not interfere with the pace and mood that was set. I want to join my colleagues in congratulating the Senator for Nyeri County, hon. Sen. Kagwe. Those who were here in the morning heard that this is a matter that the Senator for Nyeri is not only familiar with but very passionate about. I am seeing a few colleagues, from my other life like Prof. Anyang’-Nyong’o and others but I think Sen. Kagwe is one of those Kenyans who deserve a Honorary Doctorate Degree for his contribution, passion and expertise in ICT. This is the way we should go as Kenyans so that we appreciate people like Sen. Mutahi. He is not here but I am sure he will be told that I am using the powers of my past life to recommend him for a doctorate degree, Honoris Causa, in ICT. Having said so, I would like to support this Motion. My colleagues have talked about the benefits of ICT. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Hoja ya Nidhamu, Bi. Spika wa Muda. Je, Kiongozi wa Seneti wa Wengi yuko katika nidhamu kusema ametumia nafasi yake na nguvu zake za kazi iliyopita kumkabidhi Sen. Kagwe Udaktari wa Filosofia? Naona hafai kuipotosha Seneti hii katika jambo kama hilo.

Senator, did you say that you were conferring that degree upon him or were you just recommending?

Madam Temporary Speaker, I do not have the powers to confer. I wish I had. I just recommended and for the benefit of the Senator from Mombasa, my brother, Sen. Hassan, Honorary Degrees are conferred by university communities upon recommendation by the public. I think we should start linking up with universities like the University of Nairobi to recommend Kenyans. It does not have to be a politician. However, thank you for helping me respond to that point of order. The benefits of the ICT in governance are huge. The benefits of ICT in revenue collection and management are demonstrable. I will use one example to demonstrate what this Motion can do if implemented. When our Committee on Health, Labour and Social Welfare visited the counties during the recess – this is commendable because I have received a lot of positive feedback that projects the Senate very well – we found out that most of our health sectors are stocking drugs which are not supposed to be there. Some drugs which are supposed to be in some health centres are not there. When this came to the fore, we asked ourselves why it was happening and we discovered that the main problem is that once our health facilities receive these drugs, there is no way that the Director of Medical Services and other administrators in the health sector can ascertain or match the requirements that health centres have at any one given time. They cannot also supervise how the drugs are utilised. So, if we had this kind of connectivity, the Cabinet Secretary for Health would see that a health centre in Nyaribari Chache has this amount of drugs and requires a certain amount of the same drug. He does not have to wait for the nurse to fill a requisition form. They can track the usage of medicine using their computers. This is an important contribution because it will improve governance. It will also improve healthcare, by way of example. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. There is need to ensure that, in counties and the nation as a whole, appropriate development is enhanced. Most counties have their goals. We have goals at the national Government level. We also have various players both at the counties and at the national level. However, the level of communication and coordination within the county, among counties and between counties and the national Government can be enhanced if we enhance the use of ICT. In fact, it would have been impossible to think about the level of order, efficiency and networking without this level of technology. I support this Motion that, indeed, a fibre optic national network needed to have been done like yesterday so that counties are The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, as I support this Motion, I would like to congratulate Sen. Kagwe for a well-thought Motion. Madam Temporary Speaker, indeed, a lot of facts have been raised on the Floor of this House, even by Members who are living their second or third lives. The Senate Majority Leader talked of his previous life and I wondered whose reincarnation he could be now. That is a nice joke, but what Sen. Kagwe has raised is not a joke but a reality. Indeed, access to information is a constitutional right. The Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) is actually a requirement by law to all financial handling institutions in this country. Therefore, the national Government is obligated by law to make sure that there is no skewed distribution of the fibre optic national network, but to know that it is a requirement by the Constitution that this network is actually distributed equally to all areas in this country. We do not need to make requests and beg for this. They should have started it. Madam Temporary Speaker, last week, the Cabinet Secretary for Education did announce the plans to distribute computers to primary schools and was surprised that only a few have been picked for the start of the project. That level of skewedness should be avoided at all costs. What were his parameters regarding the decision on which areas were to be given these facilities? If that is a Presidential directive and, indeed, a directive by the Jubilee Government, then they should do it in toto without avoiding the children of Ijara and Kuria. We will not accept that. It must be done properly, equally---

On a point of information, Madam Temporary Speaker.

Do you wish to be informed, Senator?

Madam Temporary Speaker, he can go on.

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is important for Dr. Machage to note that for you to start any project, there must be a pilot scheme. This is one of the pilot schemes which are there. So, eventually, the whole country will be covered. Let him be informed about that.

Madam Temporary Speaker, you can see who the beneficiaries are. They call it anything by any means, but the truth is that there is skewed The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I want to thank you for this opportunity, to equally join hands with our friend and colleague, Sen. Mutahi Kagwe, in this well-thought-out Motion. Madam Temporary Speaker, since the inception of most of the county governments, I do know that they have been grappling with the issue of ICT. In fact, a number of them have had an avalanche of ICT solution providers, trying to make all types of recommendations about what solutions they could have, particularly in terms of revenue collection and efficiency in their planning and accountability processes. Madam Temporary Speaker, I think that what the Senate and Sen. Mutahi Kagwe have done is to initiate the process to provide a structure and raise a legal and constitutional obligation to ensure that this programme is effected uniformly in a manner that keeps pace with great accountability. I have said it in this Senate before, that I think the evolution of the human genius, the trends in technological advancement and innovation necessitates this Senate to keep The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

But he is not seeing!

Order, Sen. Anyang’-Nyong’o!

Madam Temporary Speaker, I think Sen. Anyang’-Nyong’o has disrupted the flow of my debate and wrongly accused Sen. Wako of not seeing. I think Sen. Wako usually reads that Constitution. I have borrowed it once and it has a lot of stick-ons and underlines on a lot of places that were apparently referred to.

By his son!

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Sen. Ongoro): Order Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyongo’o! You are getting out of order.

Madam Temporary Speaker, on that light moment, I wish to support this Motion. I can tell you, when the Professor comes up with a few remarks time and again, you could actually lose your train of thought, but I have remained steady despite that disruption.

I beg to support and ask Sen. Kagwe to bring the robust enabling legislation so that we can realize the aspirations of this Senate in this country.

Thank you Madam Temporary Speaker. I would like to support the Motion and thank Sen. Kagwe not only for bringing this inspiring Motion but also for mentoring some of us who are members of his Committee. Indeed, I regard myself as one of the luckiest senators because I am his Vice-Chairperson. This means that I am close to his aspirations since he is a patriotic citizen who is interested in others acquiring something for themselves. I thank the Senator for mentoring some of us and if we continue being close to him, in the next one year, we will be as perfect as he is.

If we connect the county headquarters to this fibre optic, it will make the counties be where they want to be. The issue of teleconferencing will make the county officers be informed and hence encourage informed decision-making. In addition to that, this will also improve their social lives because they will not be bored in their offices if they use the network which will be available. If the 47 counties are connected to the fibre optic cable, this will make the county officers share ideas. For instance, an executive officer from one county will be able to learn from the good practices by another county executive and hence acquire very good practices. As a Senate, we have a role to play in the county Government and, therefore, if the counties are connected to the Senate and the Treasury, this will ease the process of oversight because we shall be able to know what will be going on in other counties. This will reduce wastage of resources used on travel. This interconnectivity will also enable the Jubilee Coalition Government deliver on the pledges that they made to their people, like the laptop project. Once this county headquarters have been connected, the Ministry of Education will simply connect them to the laptops. This will also encourage public The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, thank you for giving me this chance to contribute to this Motion. First, I must congratulate the Mover, Sen. Kagwe, for bringing the Motion and I would like to add my voice in support of it. The fibre optic project was initially meant for rural areas because I know some people were trained five years ago on the fibre optic project. It was meant to connect the rural areas to the urban areas. Therefore, as much as I would want to support the Motion, I would also like to request the Mover to move from county headquarters to the village. This will promote e-services between the citizens of this country and their leadership. Sen. Kagwe has talked about connecting the county headquarters, to me, this should be obvious. They should be connected. What I am crying for is the majority who are at the community level. This project was initially meant for the rural areas and I would like to take this opportunity to request Sen. Kagwe to move from the county headquarters to the village. With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Madam Temporary Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion that has been brought by our Chairman of the Committee on Education, Information and Technology where we always call him pastor or bishop and I know this Motion is going to be implemented. Madam Temporary Speaker, more importantly is that the young people have always been used as a statistical group not only in Kenya but in other countries. Through Information Communication and Technology (ICT), we are going to open up opportunities for them to get employment. Looking at examples of countries like Malaysia and Singapore, they have succeeded because of such a system. We are saying that the youths should be given an opportunity and, maybe, be put in charge of this network. We can only achieve this by promoting the best principles. For me, I have tried to outline a number of them and I will be able to share with you. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to at least put on record what I know about Sen. Mutahi Kagwe because we served in the same government. I know as a fact that through his initiative, we started talking about fibre optic. When we began talking about it in the Cabinet, at that time, I was analogue, but from then I tried to be digital because he was speaking above my head but we are now more or less at par. It was his idea to connect Kenya to the world. As at that time, we were not connected to the world. We had to go through other systems before connecting to the United States of America (USA) or elsewhere. Through the initiative of The East African Marine Systems (TEAMS) and through his initiative and drive; where he talked to governments in East Africa, we managed to bring the cable in Mombasa in 2008. That is what we call the under-sea cable. We are now talking about terrestrial cables which will now connect from that cable through Kenya to the other countries in East Africa such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda and Burundi. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me this chance to support the Motion by our Chairman. In our Committee, we also refer to him as “Pastor” because of his ability to explain matters for a very long time. I stand here to support this Motion not only because it comes from my Chairman but because I realise the importance of having internet connectivity in our Senate, governors’ offices and all over the country. We have been moving around the counties as a Committee and realised that fibre optic connection goes only to the county commissioners’ offices and not to the governors’ offices. This was a matter of concern. I know that many of you have not realized that this Chamber is connected to a wireless network. If our Nairobi Governor’s Office was connected to this network, then we would communicate directly with him and with the other county commissioners. This can also cut down the time we use in summoning Cabinet Secretaries to our meetings. I believe that the issue of summoning Cabinet Secretaries is quite archaic since we can use digital methods of communicating with these people. We can also use this as a tool for sourcing information. That is another importance of the fibre optic connection. The other importance is economic growth and development of this country. With this connection, we can carry out research and communicate better, both externally and internally. This will help our counties, communities and the people around us. Without information, we cannot do much in terms of what we have set our minds to do. With regard to business opportunities, Senators like Mutahi Kagwe will train and understand more about the pros and cons of the fibre optic cable and what we need to know. This can only happen if we have the connection widespread in all our counties. We heard very good news from a representative of the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT). He told us that they still have about 60,000 kilometres to connect in the country. I beg to support by saying that we need to be connected since this is the digital era. We need to step away from the era where people got to know about internet and laptops when they were going to the university. Let us not take back our children and our generation to where we are coming from. Let us move forward and not backward. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Sen. Beth Mugo, you made a special request to give a special contribution. I have been waiting for you. We will, kindly, allow Sen. Mugo, for some special, reason to make her contribution.

Thank you Madam Temporary Speaker for allowing me to address the honourable Senators. I thank you very much from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of my family, my sister Catherine and other Kenyans who have gone through this terrible thing. We were with you yesterday and received your contributions and condolences for all of us who were unlucky to be part of the families that suffered loss. It is very hard to explain how, not only what my family but all the other 60 something families who were caught up in the tragedy, feel. I also thank the Government and our security forces because they moved fast and saved some lives. On that fateful Saturday, my nephew, my sister’s only child, came to my home to have breakfast with us. He brought along his girlfriend and his mother. They wanted to inform us that he has proposed to her. He told us when we would be going to see the parents of the girl. He told us that the father of the girl had allowed him to marry her. His words were; “Rosemary’s dad gave me Rosemary.” Until 10.30 am, we were still together but shortly after that, they left. They were very happy throughout. We prayed together and thanked God. It was barely an hour later The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Hon. Senators, the time that is allotted to this Motion has been exhausted. Therefore, I now call upon the Mover to reply.

Please, take five minutes, because we have to finish this.

Madam Temporary Speaker, with your permission, I would like to donate two of those minutes to Sen. Wangari.

Proceed, Sen. Wangari!

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, and the Professor- Reverend, as he has come to be known. It is really difficult---

Order! Sen. Kagwe, all the lady Senators in the House are referring to you as pastor, bishop and reverend. But that is for another day.

Proceed, Senator!

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is really difficult to contribute after that really somber mood in the House. We want to just send our condolences yet again to Sen. Beth Mugo and her family.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I also want to add my voice to the Motion. I know that it is very easy to contribute to Sen. Kagwe’s Motions. This is because, one, there is usually something that we relate to very well. I know that he had brought on this Floor another Motion on ICT. My prayer would be that these now will be consolidated and put in proper legislation so that execution can start immediately. So, from the outset, I support the Motion.

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is very hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Some of us in this House, I know, are really confined to the analogue life, but we must not deny our children that knowledge that we did not have. It is very easy to teach a child how to The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Sen. Kagwe, you now have two minutes.

Madam Temporary Speaker, with all the contributions that have been made, there is not much to add, except to say that we will, indeed, implement what the hon. Senators have proposed. We have heard serious contributions from each and every person who spoke here. Indeed, you saw the interest in the House regarding this particular Motion, because of its importance.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I think that it is Sen. Wako who said that we should be the first in the many things that we wish to implement. We have been first before. We were the first country in the world to launch M-pesa and can be the first in many other things that this country can implement.

Madam Temporary Speaker, having said that, I wish to seek for your indulgence, in accordance to Standing Order No.51(3), that we postpone the voting on this Motion to a later date, as will be proposed by you.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I beg to move.

Very well! You request is in order. According to Standing Order No.51, it is accepted. I propose that we put the question on Wednesday, next week when you have mobilized enough Members. We want this Motion to pass.

Are you okay with that?

That is okay, Madam Temporary Speaker.

We will put the question on Wednesday next week, at 2.30 p.m. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, as mentioned, the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance, Commerce and Economic Affairs has requested that I move this Motion on his behalf. I, therefore, beg to move: THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Section 17 (7) of the Public Finance Management Act, the Senate adopts the report of the Standing Committee on Finance, Commerce and Economic Affairs on the County Government Cash Disbursement Schedule for Fiscal Year 2013/2014.

The document that has been distributed to the hon. Senators is with regard to the money that has been distributed to the counties as at August. If the hon. Senators were to look at the Schedules that have been given to them, they will note that there is a plan that has been given to us by the Treasury to show how that money is supposed to be distributed, and the money that is currently going to the counties.

Madam Temporary Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No.206 and Section 17 of the Public Finance Management Act, the said Committee considered the County Government Cash Disbursement Schedule and noted that the Schedule has been prepared in accordance with the Revenue Sharing Formula approved by Parliament. The Committee further noted that the Schedule was prepared and submitted to the Senate pursuant to the provisions of Section 17(6) of the Public Finance Management Act as amended by Section 14 of the County Allocation of Revenue Act, 2013.

The Committee also noted that the Schedule was submitted to the Office of the Clerk on 29th August, 2013 a day that the Senate was still in recess and thus the Cash The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I would like to second this Motion which has been ably moved by Sen. Kagwe. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Hon. Senator, I actually wanted to tell you that you still have 20 minutes to conclude your contribution when this Motion next appears on the Order Paper.

Hon. Senators, it is now time for the interruption of business. The House, therefore, stands adjourned until 2.30 p.m. this afternoon.

The Senate rose at 12.30 p.m.

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