Sen. Kittony, I see you are listed.

Order, Senators! You may wish to approach the Dispatch Box because the microphones are malfunctioning. MEASURES TO ERADICATE POACHING OF WILDLIFE IN KENYA

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to seek a Statement from the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Land and Natural Resources on wildlife crime, particularly the poaching of elephants and rhinos that has become rampant in Kenya and strengthening the ecosystem. The Statement should state the number of rhinos and elephants that have been killed so far. State and explain the measures that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has put in place to arrest wildlife poaching, in particular, the poaching of elephants and rhinos which has continued to skyrocket. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in my county, we had animals called the Sitatunga, and I think it was a mistake that it is not mentioned here. So, I would like to add that we want to know the number of Sitatungas still living. He should state and explain why the Ministry, in conjunction with the county governments, has not established the County Wildlife Conservation and Compensation Committees as provided for in the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act of 2013. He should also state when they are planning to establish the County Wildlife Conservation and Compensation Committee in all the 47 counties. He should also state why poaching has not been declared a national disaster. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Chairperson, Standing Committee on Land and Natural Resources?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to seek a clarification from the Senator. Whereas she would like to know how many elephants and rhinos have been killed so far, it would be good to peg the starting point. Is it from Independence or is it this year so that when we interrogate the matter, we are more definitive. I would like to request that since this is a very weighty matter, we be given three weeks to bring a substantive answer. The question seems to be very wide.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, when I asked them to state the number of rhinos and elephants that have been killed so far, surely, so far, they can go back as far as Independence if he wants to, but my interest is to know how many are there.

Order, Sen. Kittony. The Chair was asking a very legitimate question on the timeframe. I take from your response that you may be dealing with the most recent incidents. So, you can agree with the Chair on the period you would wish covered but to go all the way to Independence might be a tall order, but why not, if things are possible. So, I give you three weeks.

Order, Sen. Kittony. That is not the way we communicate here. You are already imputing improper motives on the part of the Committee. Wait until they bring the response, then you can determine whether they did the necessary or not. Next on the list is a request for a statement by the Senator for Nyandarua. Sen. (Eng.) Muriuki is not here? Next Order!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, you notice that this was my Motion and what was remaining was division. I rise to request that we delay the voting a little bit so that more Senators can stream in because of the obvious presence of lower than threshold numbers.

We will put it in abeyance until a proper time.

Next Order!

Chairperson, Standing Committee on Information and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I was in this Committee when we were compiling this Report and the Chair is not around, so we may wait for him for a while before he tables the report.

Order, Senator. Every Senator knows what time the House commences business. It is from 2.30 p.m. and if you are privy to this, you should have seen the Order Paper. In any case, the Order Paper gets published much earlier in order to give Senators notice.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it was supposed to be moved and I can see that even if I move the Report, I do not have a seconder who was in that Committee and it might not be debated.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Is the hon. Member in order to say that if he moves he cannot get a seconder? He can ask any Member of the Senate to second him. He has sufficient time to move so as to allow anybody who wants to come to do so.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that can be put in abeyance for a while then we can deal with it later, with your permission. STRENGTHENING OF KENYA-UN RELATIONS TO SECURE PEACE KEEPING MISSION OPPORTUNITIES THAT, aware that Kenya is fully supportive of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping initiatives and has contributed to many peace keeping operations, both in Africa and beyond; appreciating that the Kenya Defence College offers very high quality training in peace-keeping; concerned, however, that Kenya has missed many opportunities at the United Nations institutions that would enable the UN to benefit from the skills of our well trained officers and through which Kenya would benefit, especially by absorbing qualified military personnel in peace keeping missions; the Senate urges the National Government to strengthen relations with and engage the UN more with a view to ensuring that many young trained Kenyan military personnel get more opportunities to participate in peacekeeping missions.

Is Sen. Elachi not here?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, you definitely note the absence of the pivotal Members on today’s business as listed on the Order Paper; including a chief whip of this House and indeed a Member of the governing party. The first absentee was also from the same party. Is this party intending to bring downfall to this House? Are they in order?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, indeed what Sen. (Dr.) Machage is raising is not coming up for the first time. Since you do not have eyes in this House, you do not know what is going on now. You cannot see what is going on. If you look on the Government side, there are only three Senators. The Leader of the Majority is not there; also, the Mover of the Motion is not

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Is the hon. Member for Migori and the hon. Senator for Kakamega - both of them very senior and experienced politicians in the House and both medical doctors - in order? This is not the first time this House is sitting and we have always had quorum from both sides of the House. It always happens that invariably in any legislature, it is possible for any Member who has a question, a statement or a Motion to delay or to be missing. So, it is not a pattern for these particular Members of this party. Are they in order to insinuate that this particular party is not interested in the Senate? In fact, among the people who are listed are Senators from the other party and they are not here.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am very perturbed when Senators, both of them doctors, do not see the presence of other Senators from Jubilee particularly those who are chairpersons of committees and can take on anything that you may need to know about the Government.

Order, Senators! I think the matter raised by Sen. (Dr.) Machage and Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale does not require any challenge. It is obvious how many numbers sit where. In fact, they even identified that there were three Senators to my right although they have become four now. It is obvious that the numbers to my left are much more compared to what is on my right. I think the challenge has been thrown to your side and instead of trying to defend the indefensible, we should be busy whipping more Members to come. Definitely, the Chair is not taking it lightly that there is a tendency creeping in where Members do not seem to take the business of the House seriously. The Chair would not support that whether you are from CORD or JUBILEE. For now, it is serious because some of the business already listed here, we are not seeing the people who are supposed to be prosecuting it. Secondly, you will recall that we now have a lot of business especially Bills still pending. We took a decision that we shall limit Wednesday afternoon for Motions. So, if you are not available for your Motion on Wednesday, you can be sure it will take another seven days for that matter to come to the House. So, it is important for the Members who are moving Motions to be present. That is why we give sufficient time for the Order Paper and that is why we make it abundantly clear what time the sittings start. So, I want to plead with Sen. Kerrow and Sen. Kivuti that if there is any contribution worthwhile making to this House, it is to talk to your colleagues to be present and not to defend them. The business of the House takes precedence by law. You know that one.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. In Sen. Kivuti’s response to this House, he said that he is a representative of the other Members of the Government side. Would I be in order to ask that he tables a letter that he was given to represent the other Members and he should go ahead to table the reports that this House expects or moves Sen. Elachi’s Motion?

Order! That matter has been overtaken by events. I have already concluded that matter and you have responded positively in terms of communicating what the Chair has directed. So, for Sen. (Dr.) Machage to flog a dead horse cannot be in good faith. So, you do not need to respond.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in view of the fact---

Order, Sen. Wako. I thought part of your contribution is not engaging in drama.

Sometimes drama can bring home the point faster than merely speaking. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in view of the fact that most of last year, this House debated mostly Motions - In fact, it came to a point where we were saying that we are supposed to legislate. Many Senators who spoke said that time had come for us to be legislating which is a key constitutional function. Taking that into account and taking into account that we have now begun debating Bills, for example, we had one yesterday and there are others scheduled and ready to be debated; there are a number which have been approved. So, would I be in order to request that the decision to focus Motions on Wednesday afternoon should be revised to allow a Bill to be done on a Wednesday afternoon? I am saying this because on the average, a Bill takes about two hours. For example, yesterday, we had to lengthen talking up to the very end because of many factors that were going on. A Bill would take about two hours and so on. We can have a Bill and a Motion on Wednesday. For example, if today we had listed the Bill that was being debated yesterday and we were more or less complete with it---. In fact, it was about to be concluded. It was Sen. Musila who had ten minutes to go before the Mover is called upon to reply. If we could have completed that because it is going to take a short time, at least, we would have done one Act. You can also come to my Bill; The Public Law Maintenance (Amendment) Bill which is touching on several amendments on the Acts of Parliament which are unconstitutional because we did not take into account that the county governments are now there. We would have finished with that one and then utilized the remaining time with the Motion. So, I am appealing to you, now that we have begun debating legislation, let us it be given some priority while not completely ignoring the Motions. Like now you see---

Order, Sen. Wako.

I am appealing to you.

I have heard your appeal and I dismiss it for the simple reason that we want to affirm that when Senators bring Motions, they are also canvassing certain actions to be undertaken. So, it is important for the House to have dedicated time for that kind business - what we would consider like private Members business. The House should also get their dedicated time for that business to be prosecuted. In any case, you made erroneous claims that we have not put any Bill. If you look at Order No.8, it is a Bill. That Bill has suffered because of lack of the requisite numbers to do the actual voting. So, the issue is not what business is before the House. You could still have a Bill and the Mover is absent. We will also not proceed in that case. You are just citing yours because you are present. I am sure there are occasions when you are equally absent. So, let us deal with the matter at hand which is maximum attendance to parliamentary business. That is the issue. Next Order! PROVISION OF FIBRE OPTIC CONNECTIVITY TO PUBLIC HOSPITALS THAT, aware that Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) is a critical component in effective service delivery in all sectors of our economy; further aware that the fibre optic backbone (FOB) is already laid in most counties; appreciating

Sen. (Prof.) Wilfred Lesan? I also do not see that one. Sen. Kivuti, now that you have assumed the responsibility of Senate Majority Leader---

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am going to contact all of them with the help of the Majority Leader who is not here. I agree with you that we need to pull up our socks. CONSTRUCTION OF BOARDING SCHOOLS IN ASAL AREAS THAT, aware that 80 % of Kenya’s land comprises arid and semi-arid areas; further aware that nearly 30% of the 47 counties are inhabited by pastoralists who live in arid and semi-arid areas; concerned that these pastoralists are marginalized and face a myriad of socio-economic and physical constraints that make it difficult for their children to access education; appreciating that Article 56(b) of the Constitution of Kenya obligates the state to take affirmative action measures to ensure marginalized groups are provided with special opportunities in educational and economic fields; the Senate urges the National Government to construct boarding facilities in at least three established schools in every ward in arid and semi-arid areas as a means of facilitating nomadic children to access education.

Sen. Halima Abdille? Is she not here? We shall come back to that later. Can we go back to Statements because I can see Sen. (Eng.) Karue. This is really serious; thirty minutes and we have no business. We have about 12 Orders but there are no people to prosecute their Motions.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Now that one of the owners of the Motions, Order No.10 is in, would I be order to request that she be allowed to move her Motion?

Sen. Billow, I thought you owed an apology to the House first for defending the indefensible? Now you see the impact; that we cannot proceed. You have just seen the Mover of the Motion No.10, you rush to talk to us without even talking to her first. How sure are you that she is prepared?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to request for your indulgence because I do not want to request the Statement now. This is because the way it is worded is slightly different and I need to understand it so that I can present it on Tuesday.

Next Order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move:- THAT, aware that Kenya is fully supportive of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping initiatives and has contributed to many peace keeping operations, both in Africa and beyond; appreciating that the Kenya Defence College offers very high quality training in peace-keeping; concerned, however, that Kenya has missed many opportunities at the United Nations institutions that would enable the UN to benefit from the skills of our well trained officers and through which Kenya would benefit, especially by absorbing qualified military personnel in peace keeping missions; the Senate urges the National Government to strengthen relations with and engage the UN more with a view to ensuring that many young trained Kenyan military personnel get more opportunities to participate in peacekeeping missions. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have brought to this House this Motion because when you look back when we started working with the UN in 1973, you will find that today the framework that we have does not really relate to the work we are doing. Since the last keeping force that we had in Liberia, Namibia and in the rest of the world, to date, we have not even seen a report from the Department of Defence saying that we only have the Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia. We know that the UN works across the world and we would wish to see a framework that supports young men to go out of the country and be able to participate in peace keeping missions. Today, we have given the UN offices at Gigiri. Most of the time, they benefit more than what the country is benefiting from them. Even when you look at the staffing levels, you will find that the locals are at the low cadre but the high level jobs are held by foreigners. The Government should lobby and ensure that Kenyans also take up those jobs. Therefore, our sisters in Ethiopia are doing so well within the UN system by lobbying their countries. Mr. Speaker, Sir, before I brought the Motion to the House, I thought that it is important for the Senate to also start looking at its framework and strengthening it not just for the UN and the peacekeepers more so that now we are trying to consolidate ourselves to broaden the terms we have in the East African Community (EAC). We should ask ourselves if indeed the EAC is going to succeed. It is important for the UN to come up with a better framework that looks at the region properly. How does Kenya benefit? Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have that framework? We also need to understand the policies. We also know that there are so many tenders that come up, do we have Kenyans who participate in them so that they can be able to benefit? Today, we are looking at Sudan and asking ourselves how we can engage in a constructive manner to ensure that what is happening in South Sudan can stop so that our brothers there can move on. As much as we have the KDF soldiers in Somalia being part of the AMISOM, how many soldiers do we have there and why does Ethiopia have more soldiers there than us? Is it because our framework is not in consonance with what they want? Is it just joining the AMISOM as KDF or we could also have other personnel coming in with different experiences and skills to offer to the UN peacekeeping mission? When you look at Congo, we had a mission there which is now winding up. I know Kenyans would have participated if we had a way of lobbying the UN peacekeeping missions to ensure that they integrate some Kenyans in some of their programmes. We are talking about job

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to second the Motion as presented by Sen. Elachi. This Motion is key in that it urges the national Government to strengthen our

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Mover of this Motion and; understanding that she has a very strong civil society background where lobbying even moves mountains, one can understand very well because the gist of this Motion is that we want to encourage our Government to lobby. She therefore wants, through this Motion, to urge the Government to lobby for something which is good, namely, job opportunities and the other good things which even the Seconder has suggested. Having looked at this Motion, I am persuaded that we should oppose it. We should oppose it because Parliament does not speak or act in vain. If we were to pass this Motion, it would be on the premise that we do not know how the UN works. The UN works according to charters and protocols. Looking at the UN Charter, it emphasizes that the Charter of the UN is the foundation document for all the work that is done by the United Nations. The Charter has

What is it, Sen. Abdirahman Hassan?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I honestly wanted to raise this one when my brother, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale was right here when he was contributing. Honestly, he has done a very good presentation, but I feel that the last bit is a bit contradictory. The Motion in a sense is not asking for deployment of troops today; it is actually urging the Government to develop a structured engagement. I think we will be missing the point if we do not address the gist of this Motion as it is. He has really given some worthwhile and very good thoughts. Is he in order to mislead the House, especially at the end where he says we are talking about the deployment of troops when, in a sense, we are discussing structured engagements?

What is it, Sen. (Eng.) Karue?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, my point of order is that the Senator for Wajir had a point of argument. I think he should seek an opportunity – like I am seeking – to come and air his views.

Are you warning us that your views will be contrary to Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale’s views?

Sen. (Dr.) Machage, are you on a point of order?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, is the hon. Senate Minority Deputy Leader in order not to have read the last part of Sen. Elachi’s Motion for him to raise the statements as he has put them on the Floor of this House? Is he in order?

Who are you informing now? There is no contributor, so, we are looking for one. Yes, Sen. (Eng.) Karue?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to say a few words on this Motion. I start off by saying that I support it. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Motion is on the Kenyan military personnel to have an opportunity to serve in peace keeping missions. The Mover talked about opportunities; and I kept thinking opportunities for what. My view is that the opportunities we are seeking by sending our forces to peace keeping missions is actually for our military to gain training and exposure. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would urge the Mover of the Motion perhaps to expand the concept to the Government looking for opportunities for our military personnel to have these kind of opportunities wherever they occur. I do appreciate the sentiments by Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale on what the Constitution says as to what our forces are supposed to do. If it is that Constitution we need to amend, let us do it because if you look at other countries – and we very often like quoting countries like the US – they are all over the world. When you come to think of it, why are they interfering? Sometimes they do cook wars; but that aside, I think wherever there is a trouble spot, they will offer their forces and so on, to go there. when I look at it, all my readings and my looking at it and after evaluating it carefully, I think what they are doing, by and large, other than sometimes causing trouble deliberately for their own selfish ends, they also try to get training and experience opportunities for their personnel wherever they can. You will notice that every time we have, for example, a small problem – a bomb blast or a building which has collapsed or a situation where some rescue is needed – within 18 hours, the Israelis are here. Okay, they could well be humanitarian aid and all that, but the other one, the way I look at it, is that the Israelis are thinking; “that has happened in Nairobi, Kenya; it can happen to us”. So, because we have some people who are trained in the classroom on how to do this, an opportunity has come and their funds for coming to Kenya and rescue for the next three days comes from their training budget. That is the way I see it.

Sen. Amos Wako.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I wish to congratulate the Mover of this Motion, Sen. Elachi. It is a very important Motion. In fact, I think she is doing injustice to the intentions of this Motion. I think she is limiting herself too much on the issue of armed forces. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if there is one area where Kenya does not need any lobbying; it is in the area of our troops working in peace making operations of the UN and even of the African Union (AU) because we have established a reputation since Independence that our soldiers are very professional and disciplined. Therefore, I can tell you from a position of authority that our soldiers are in great demand either by the UN or by the AU. If you have read newspapers, you will realize that, in fact, the peace making operations within the UN have undergone a crisis in recent times because the soldiers from other countries are not as disciplined as the soldiers from Kenya. The soldiers from other countries engage in killings, raping of women, children and so on, and so forth, which our soldiers do not engage in. In fact, there was a particular commission that was appointed to investigate the human rights violations on the part of the peace keeping operations mainly by the conduct of soldiers who are from other countries. In light of that, actually, we have made a name there; we are there! That is why I am saying that she has not really done justice to the intentions that she has. She begins very well, but limits this Motion to getting our young people to be deployed only in armed forces, where Kenya has a major weakness. On that one, let me, first of all, deal with Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale’s point. He may be right, but again, my reading of the Constitution is that he is wrong. You know, with the Constitution, if you read the interpretation clause of the Constitution, it says that you read it as a whole first, including the spirit and intentions of the Constitution. You do not just pick one small paragraph there and exaggerate it beyond limits. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Sen. Elachi is right in bringing this Motion because as you may be aware, this Constitution confers upon the President to ensure that international obligations of the Republic are fulfilled through actions of relevant Cabinet Secretaries (CS). What are these

Would you like to be informed, Sen. Wako?

No; let me finish this idea first; then after that, I will accept the information if there is some time remaining.

Proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, can you imagine that it is only this year since Independence that Kenya, for the first time, has gotten its own national, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, to be appointed at the level of UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)? Let me tell you; a Kenyan should have got that in the early 1980s. I know that in the early 1980s one, Odero Jowi was put as a candidate for that post. He was going to get it because of proper lobbying and

Time is up, hon. Wako, as you grapple on what to amend and what not to.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion that has been brought to us by Sen. Elachi. Sen. Elachi is the Chief Whip of this House and a strong Member of the Government. Therefore, she knows a lot with regard to what is happening in Government. In her Motion, she has made several assertions. One, she appreciates that Kenya has had the opportunity to send – in the previous Governments – many of our troops to many countries in peace keeping missions. She has also asserted that Kenyan forces are well trained and disciplined. She has also said that the current Government has weak relations with the UN. She has also said that the current Government does not engage susceptibly with the UN. She, therefore, wants us to push the Government to do the same. That is my understanding of this Motion. Indeed, if that is what Sen. Elachi wants, I do not think she is far from the truth. Really, Schedule 4 gives the mandate of international relationships to the reigning Government. Is it part of the mandate of the Senate? Reminding them is okay. But really, what is the mischief? In the previous Government, we have had Kenya recognized by the UN to the extent of having United Nations Human Settlements Programme (HABITAT) to reside in our country. The former Attorney-General has just reminded us that Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi is serving very highly in the Trade Organisation of the UN. We cannot forget the many countries that we have served. We have even been in major organs of administration of the UN as permanent representatives. We have had ambassadors in this country in those organs previously. So, what is the problem? Really, Sen. Elachi, the Motion is framed in a way that you may have had a good thought. However, it is difficult to accept what you are asking. I will oppose you. Maybe this one needs an amendment. With the highly trained lawyers we have in the House, we need to project the view and intention of your Motion. I can imagine the view and

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion. I do not know why some of the distinguished Senators have a problem with the wording of this Motion. The Motion clearly calls for a stronger and a wider role of Kenya in the UN peacekeeping operations. That is the gist of the Motion. I agree with Sen. Khalwale that the UN Security Council’s mandate is very clear; this is maintenance of international peace and security. In that regard, the UN Security Council, through various resolutions establishes peacekeeping missions. That started in 1948 with the conflict between Israel and Palestine. To date, the UN has had up to 47 peacekeeping missions globally. We were told, recently, that they have up to 16 of them in operation and over 120 soldiers having served on those missions. Kenya, in the 1990s and 1980s was a very active member in terms of contributing to peacekeeping missions in many parts of the world including very remote places like East Timor and countries in North Africa like Sierra Leone and so forth. The benefits of peacekeeping missions in the UN are enormous and that is why a lot of countries have focused on these missions for their military. Countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh sent large numbers of people, every year, on peacekeeping globally. The single most importance of this is to professionalize their military. This is to help their military to acquire and apply new knowledge in the military because the soldiers get an opportunity to interact with advanced armies. In the peacekeeping missions in which the army operates, there are other armies. That international interface gives our army an opportunity to profesionalise; acquire new skills, knowledge and expertise in military matters. We also know that peacekeeping operations bolster or strengthen international reputation as a nation. It helps with favourable recognition globally and publicity. In terms of diplomacy and foreign relations, you get international recognition. That also had dividends in terms of international cooperation. This is a very beneficial thing to a country. Thirdly, there is economic growth. Your military gets paid. Financially, there is a benefit. The equipment that you use, which depreciates, is refunded and you get better equipment. So, there is also an economic advantage in that regard. For some of the peacekeeping operations, there is, in fact, an interest. For instance, if there was a problem in our backyard, like in South Sudan, Somalia or in countries around us, there would be a pay off. This would mean that we are participating in peacekeeping operations to ensure stability in the region and in neighbouring countries. You can, at times, participate in peacekeeping operations to ensure that trade continues. For example, if Uganda, which is our single largest trading partner, had a problem, we would have an advantage in participating in peacekeeping. Once we stabilize the country, we would benefit. The objective of peacekeeping is to reduce tension. The first objective is not enforcement. There are a lot of benefits in this but again, it is voluntary. However, look at it, countries that have participated strongly in peacekeeping missions get an opportunity to sit at the UN Security Council in addition to the international recognitions. Look at the benefit of motivation for young armed forces men who would otherwise be idle, they get motivational benefits in terms of their participation which helps them financially. The other thing I want to mention is that peacekeeping operations require impartiality; the way you deal with the two parties that are involved in the conflict. That training is very

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also rise to support this Motion. I want to thank the Mover of this Motion. I know where Sen. Elachi is coming from. You will recall that we paid the UN Secretary General a courtesy call and we realized, during our mission, that indeed, many of our troops in Kenya are not getting as much opportunity in peacekeeping as they should. You know that peacekeeping missions in the world are there to consolidate peace and to support the civilians in that country if they are going through transitions.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. With all due respect, we will be misleading ourselves and the whole country if this House gives the impression that our armed forces are not given a chance. If anything, Kenya has been given sufficient chances by the UN and we should be registering our thanks. Kenya was in Bosnia, Kosovo, Cote d’Ivoire and we are now in Somalia. It is important for us to give factual information about these things. In fact, Maj. Ong’ayo, the Commander in Bosnia, the husband to my niece died there. I know these things. Is he in order to mislead us that we have not been given a chance?

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Is the hon. Senator for Kakamega, with his experience, in order to waste the time of this hon. House to argue about this Motion? The Motion wants to strengthen ties. Is he in order to raise frivolous points of order on this matter?

Order, Sen. Khalwale. I totally agree with Sen. Billow. I do not think that this Motion is not appreciative. In fact, the spirit is so appreciative that they want more. You cannot ask for more if you do not appreciate what you already have. This is a reciprocal thing. You assist but you also get assisted. I thought that Sen. Wako delved into that matter in terms of the commensurate opportunities that a country that contributes should have. So, let us be patient and listen to others contributing. Sen. Ong’era, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for coming to our aid. The Mover of the Motion was very clear in saying that we need more opportunities. We are not saying that we do

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to contribute to this very important Motion. From the outset, I wish to support the Motion, but also want to acknowledge that this particular Motion should have been broadened to encompass other areas in which Kenyans can benefit from and not necessarily the peacekeeping mission.

Bw. Spika wa Muda nakushukuru sana kwa nafasi hii ili nichangie Hoja hii. Nimemsikiza kwa makini sana dada yangu, Sen. Elachi, akizungumza kuhusu mambo yanayohitajika katika mjadala huu. Pia nimewasikiza wale ambao wamezungumza kabla mimi. Bw. Spika wa Muda, ni dhahiri kwamba katika taifa letu hatujakuwa na shida na Umoja wa Mataifa. Majeshi yetu yametumika katika dunia nzima lakini la kushangaza ni kwamba unajaribu kuipaka mafuta Umoja wa Mataifa ili wanajeshi wetu waweze kupata kazi. Kule hakutafutwi kazi, wanajeshi wanaenda kule kukiwa na shida. Lakini kuna mambo ambayo yameharibika katika nchi yetu. Hivi majuzi, Jenerali Mulinge alikuwa Sierra Leone na aliweza kupata medali ya juu sana kutokana na msimamo wake wakati majeshi yetu yalitekwa nyara. Aliambiwa kuwa angeweza kuondoka, lakini alionyesha ujasiri wa majeshi ya Kenya, kwa kusema kuwa kamwe habanduki wala kuondoka hadi askari wake waachiliwe. Hiyo ndio njia ambayo tunataka kufuata. Bw. Spika wa Muda, aliyeleta Hoja hii anatoka upande wa Serikali. Labda ni kwa sababu anajua kuwa kuna shida fulani. Hoja hii inasisitiza Serikali kuzungumza na Umoja wa Mataifa ili tukubaliwe kuwa katika ngazi ya juu ya kufanya mambo haya. Aliyeleta Hoja hii angesema

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. You heard the Senator for Machakos, a highly respected man, demeaning the national Armed Forces of this country, in the full glare of the public. There was an investigation done by the National Assembly and that report has not yet been adopted by the House. Is he in order to stand here and rubbish the entire Armed Forces, because of the actions, if at all, of a few members who have been involved? In every society, including the Americans – and you have seen it – there are bad apples. Is it in order for him to stand here and rubbish the image of an entire Armed Forces?

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): Order! Order, Sen. Billow! Kenyans know the contrary. After all, that Committee has not given a report, for some reason, after so many months. Really, let us not defend the obvious. Continue, Sen. Muthama!

Bw. Spika wa Muda, ndugu yangu angenisikiza---

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. With all due respect to you, as the Chair, the report of the Select Committee of the National Assembly was tabled in the House. With all due respect, this is a dignified House. Is it in order, really, to simply rubbish our national Armed Forces---

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): Order! Order! Do you doubt my ruling? Just relax and listen. Continue!

Bw. Spika wa Muda, kama ndugu yangu alinisikiza vizuri, nilisema kwamba Jeshi letu limeonyesha ujasiri katika nchi za nje na Gen. Mulinge alithibitisha hayo. Lakini kitendo cha Westgate kilikuja baadaye. Ule ni wizi uliofanywa na Jeshi linalolinda taifa. Kwa hivyo, kama jambo hilo lilitokea ni jukumu letu kusema kwamba tunataka jeshi ambalo lina heshima na adabu. Bw. Spika wa Muda, ni wazi kwamba viongozi wa juu katika taifa hili wako na kesi katika Korti ya Kimataifa kwa mashtaka ya mambo ya uharamia na mengine.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Is the Senator for Machakos in order to mislead this country, when we know that those who have been taken there are being tried and there is no evidence against them? You are presumed innocent until proven guilty. We also know that it is ODM which called for mass action and they were the architects of violence. Is he in order to mislead the House?

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): Order! Order! On the first comment, he is completely out of order. His Excellency the President and Deputy President have not yet been convicted of an offence. But on the second, that was an unfortunate statement. You spoilt your very good point of order. But anyhow, you have made it. Kindly, conclude, Sen. Muthama!

Bw. Spika wa Muda, sikusema kwamba kuna mtu ambaye amehukumiwa---

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Is the Senator for Machakos in order to digress? How is the situation of the President and his deputy in the International Criminal Court relevant to the Motion to discuss the UN?

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): Order! Order, Sen. Billow! I have already ruled on this; that Sen. Muthama is completed out of order on that part. You do not have to repeat what I have already ruled.

Bw. Spika wa Muda, Hoja hii inazungumzia mambo ya Umoja wa Mataifa. Inahimiza Serikali ya juu kuongea na Umoja wa Mataifa ili majeshi yetu yakubaliwe kushiriki katika shughuli za kurejesha amani ulimwenguni. Hayo ndio mambo ambayo yako ndani ya mjadala huu. Hatuwezi kuongea kuhusu uhusiano wa Kenya na Umoja wa Mataifa kama hatuongei kuhusu uhusiano wa uongozi wa Kenya na Umoja wa Mataifa. Hatuwezi kusema kuwa haya ni maji na hii na chupa. Maji yakiingia ndani ya chupa bado huitwa maji. Mimi sikusema kuwa kuna mtu ambaye amehukumiwa. Nimeongea kuhusu wizi uliofanyika katika Westgate. Pia, nimesema kwamba uongozi wa juu wa nchi hii una mashtaka katika Korti ya Kimataifa. Sikusema kuwa kuna mtu ambaye amehukumiwa au kupelekwa jela. Nimesema kwamba mashtaka yapo na kama kuna mtu anayeweza kusimama hapa na kusema kwamba hakuna mtu ambaye ana mashtaka kule, atakuwa anasema uwongo. Kwa hivyo, tupeane heshima na ukweli usemwe katika taifa hili. Bw. Spika wa Muda, nchi yetu haihitaji kuzungumza na kubembeleza Umoja wa Mataifa. Tunataka kuweka heshima ya taifa letu kutoka mtu wa juu hadi chini. Askari wetu wanafaa kuwa na adabu ya kufaa kutoka juu mpaka chini. Hiyo imewawezesha askari wetu kwenda kuhudumu katika nchi za nje kutoka wakati wa hayati Mzee Kenyatta, Moi na Kibaki. Bw. Spika wa Muda, napinga Hoja hii na kusema kwamba hatuhitaji kuwatafutia wanajeshi wetu kazi katika Umoja wa Mataifa. Tunataka Majeshi yetu yaende kule na kudumisha amani na utawala, vile tunafanya Somalia, Sudan Kusini na katika nchi zingine.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to also add my voice to this Motion. I support this Motion because it is common knowledge that Kenya has really contributed to peacekeeping missions in the world. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in 2001, Kenya was rated number six of all the countries that have contributed to peacekeeping in the world. By 2006, Kenya had sent over 10,000 soldiers to peacekeeping missions all over the world. That shows that even the UN highly values Kenya and Kenya stands tall in the international scene. Our foreign policy is well known. It is that of being neutral and supporting Africa and its development. To those who want to belittle Africa, time has come when Africa must be respected in the world, as equal partners. I believe that, that has been our policy. So, for anyone to claim that we do not have a foreign policy, I do not believe that, that is the case. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is true that many Kenyans have not held very high positions at the UN. It is also true that we have top Kenyans like Hon. (Dr.) Kituyi who is holding a very high position in the UN. Justice Effie Owuor is at the ICC. I was in the Cabinet and so were many others who were with us in the Cabinet when the President lobbied very strongly for Justice Owuor to be appointed. He also lobbied for many other positions. It does not mean that the Government has not been lobbying for Kenyans to get high positions at the UN. Maybe we have not just got a fair share of what we would have wanted. We also know Prof. Miriam Were. In fact, the President personally lobbied, invited and called other Heads of States to support her, but unfortunately we did not get the position. But I think it would be naïve and in bad taste to stand here and say that Kenya has not participated at the UN. What the Mover asked is that we should improve on the number. There has been a bit of decline since 2006 and that is what we should be addressing now; how to get back to the numbers which we had. But it is not that we are not well respected.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Is Sen. Mugo telling us that taking a bottle of water which was stolen by the military is okay? Is she in order to equate it to taking and not stealing?

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): Well, I may not know your religious beliefs. Let us give Sen. Mugo a chance to contribute. Maybe passion is stronger than stealing; it depends on your own understanding of where the fault is.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I believe that the intention of the soldiers was not to steal because they are as human as we all are. If you get very thirsty and there is water there, you would take it. It probably was going to go up in flames to be burnt like everything else which was being burnt there.

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): Order! Maybe I will advise that you move away from there because it is a bit controversial.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to assert that our soldiers were definitely not stealing at the Westgate Mall. They might steal somewhere else, but they did a commendable job at the Westgate Mall. I was emotionally involved and I can still say that. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have very brilliant soldiers and many qualified Kenyans for any job in the international arena. As a Government, we should do everything to make sure that our people get those positions like others. I know the Government put a lot in training our soldiers and we should even add more and make them to become even more professional than they are today. We have seen some very senior Kenyans even in the corridors of the UN. I stand to support and reiterate that our soldiers are professionals and that we should invest more in them. We should lobby more and thank the UN for the opportunities they have given us, but to ask them to give us even more.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Mover of the Motion for having a very good idea in bringing up this Motion in this House. It is very important because when you read the terms of the Motion, it is actually urging the national Government to strengthen the relations with and engage with the UN more. This means that it is already happening, but we could do better. If the Government did better, we are going to get more job opportunities for our Kenyan military and even more training because when you give our military the exposure, they get experience. When they go out there in peacekeeping missions, they become more experienced and can be able to handle conflicts in many other countries. From the experience in Somali, some of the soldiers are very young and do not have the experience. We have read in newspapers how we have lost many of them. I think the training of our young people by the UN is very key to the success of peacekeeping because we know that the mandate of the UN is actually to keep peace in partnership with different states. When we sent our military there, they are well remunerated and when they come back home, they are able to develop their country. They also bring back that experience to share with the other soldiers who were left behind. I think this Motion is very good. The Kenyan military having taken part in many peacekeeping missions have acquired some skills and our Government needs to be more involved. I know that they are already doing it. Even in Geneva IPU meeting, the UN Affairs Committee where I am a Member, always want to know the voice of Parliament. I think when we add our voice to this Motion, it will wake up the UN because they will know that the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya wants more training for their young people. I know our military is highly trained, but I think they lack experience. We need to expose them so that when they come back, they can be able to share their experience even on collection of intelligence information. Currently we have a very big challenge where we are losing our people because our security personnel have not been in a position to control insecurity around the country. If they had been properly trained, maybe we would have prevented the death of Sheikh Idris because our security forces would be more alert. I want to thank Sen. Elachi for this Motion because of the exposure it is going to give to our youth, the remuneration and we would also learn to deal with the challenges our country is facing because she has seen it being a Jubilee Coalition Senator. Through this Motion, our Kenyan military will be assisted. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there are some contentious issues here which have been raised by the opposition side, but I think amendments can be made on the Floor of this House to serve the purpose. The Motion is urging the Government to engage more with the UN and not Parliament. The UN would also like to know what the voice of Parliament on this matter is. Recently, women Senators went to the British High Commission and met Dr. Christian Turner and raised the issue of the travel advisories with him and how it is affecting our country because tourism has gone down. He assured us that they had stopped issuing those travel advisories and we should rest assured that they had stopped and that is the message we should take out. I think the group that went to United States (US) Embassy also did a good job because we can see the fruits through this Motion. I beg to support.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to add my voice to those who have complimented the Mover of the Motion. This is a good Motion except in my view, some of the things that are being canvassed have already happened. I say this because I have been involved in the defence forces of this country for quite some time. During the Eighth

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): Sen. Kajwang.

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I feel like a Front Bencher for a while; I have used the Back Bench---

First, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, let me thank the Mover of this Motion for bringing out this issue so that, at least, we can talk about our country in relation to the UN and to the international community on the job of peace keeping across the world. In fact, I want to give a small story about my best moment ever, when I was serving as the Minister for Immigration and Registration of Persons. I was asked to give a speech in Geneva, and there were only two speeches – my speech and the speech of Mrs. Clinton – and were sitting together like the clerks are sitting here and I felt very good.

I wish somebody took a photo of me, I would be hanging it somewhere prominently in my library because it was a good moment for me to speak about our country, especially the problem that we had at that time in Somalia. The international community did not understand our problem; they did not understand that we were facing abductions; that we were facing bombings and sabotage in the hands of the Al Shabaab almost everywhere. They did not understand that these young people – I hear that Al Shabaab means ‘young people’ – were destroying our tourism industry. I had to then ask, on behalf of the country, that the UN, especially the US, should support us so that we move into Somalia and bring some order there so that our neighbours will have a responsible government that we could then deal with. Because it is much better to deal with a responsible government on the other side of the border than to deal with some defused membership of some fluid organization called Al Shabaab . Immediately after my speech, which was supported by Mrs. Clinton, an order was made that Kenya’s request be accepted; and that our soldiers who were already in Somalia be rehatted. “Rehatting” means that they were now no longer Kenyan soldiers; they were now soldiers of the UN operating in Somalia to bring peace in that country. Rehatting did two things to us; first, it

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): By the way, what is your expertise on military warfare?

I do not know anything on military issues. The only thing I know as a good Kenyan is that if you are a soldier, you fight external wars. If you are a policeman, you keep peace at home. The police are better trained to do that job. I know some very good trained people who were almost pinning down these fellows before we bombed the place. But I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to say that we are proud of our soldiers and we wish them well wherever they go. In fact, that expose, which we have not had time to talk about, brings this issue to the attention of the world. We are in a hurry to dispatch as many soldiers as we can dispatch to areas where they are needed to bring a back a good name to Kenya and all the benefits that come with being patriotic citizen of the world. I support.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for recognizing me to say something in support of this Motion. We are debating a Motion that is belated, a Motion which should have come in 1950s or “1060s”. This is in the sense that as a country, we need to have our people exposed like many other soldiers who have been exposed elsewhere. I remember when we had World War I and World War II, our forefathers---

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I am not sure whether I am the only one who heard my Chairman mention that the Motion is belated and that it should have been brought in 1950s or “1960s”. I do not know on what platform we were supposed to bring this kind of Motion. Is he in order?

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): He is in order because that is his opinion.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, there was no Parliament of Kenya in 1950s and 1060s.

(Sen. (Dr.) Machage): Order, you cannot argue with my ruling.

Most obliged, Mr. Temporary Speaker.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there is a problem here with the English Language. What I have used is referred to as a metaphor. When you talk in that kind of language, you are being metaphoric. We can use 1950s parallel to the year 2014. I was trying to say that in 1914 and in 1918, our forefathers and fathers were involved in military training and participated

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. First, I would like to congratulate Sen. Elachi for thinking it wise to see how the young people of this nation especially those in the military can be helped. I am looking at the mandate of the UN and one of them is to restore peace in countries which have conflicts. We have seen the presence of Kenya in Sierra Leone where we performed very well and even in our neighbouring country of South Sudan. However, at the same time, young Kenyans in military forces have suffered a lot. We have lost quite a number in Somalia. Looking at the whole situation, this could be out of lack of exposure, training, skills and tactics of how to handle enemies. That is why it is important for our national Government to strengthen the relationships and engagements and see how best we can benefit from them especially in training. Young people serving in the military need training so as to get better services. At the same time, through these relations, we create job opportunities. Young people are graduating to join UN forces and that means that we are creating jobs. UN military soldiers get better remuneration more than our soldiers here and sending our own would also improve the welfare of their families. Lastly, I will talk about compensation. The UN gives better compensation to families of soldiers when they die in line of duty. I want to conclude by saying that Kenya, with a better foreign policy, can participate better in the UN functions. I support.

Most Senators seem to have spoken. I now call upon the Mover to reply.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, first of all, I want to thank all my colleagues who have contributed in support of this Motion and also those who have raised critical issues that we need to look at. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, having said that, I also want to thank our defence forces wherever they are. The Motion is urging our Government to have a better relation. This means that we already have a relationship, but we are just strengthening it, so that we become more visible in terms of our own ways of doing things. That is why I started by saying that I would wish that we strengthened the framework that we have, so that as we move on, as a country that

Hon. Senators, this Motion does not affect counties and so, I will put the question.

Bw. Spika wa Muda, kwa niaba ya Kamati ya Elimu na Teknolojia, ningependa kuleta Hoja hii mbele ya Seneti hii, kuhusu Ripoti ambayo ilitayarishwa na Kamati hii baada ya kutembelea baadhi ya kaunti. Nawasilisha Ripoti hii mbele ya Seneti ili iweze kupitishwa kikamilifu. Bw. Spika wa Muda, kwa mujibu wa kipengee Nambari 96 ya Katiba na Kanuni Nambari 177 ya Seneti, Kamati ilikuwa na mujibu wa kusimamia maswala ya elimu---

Order, Sen. Boy Juma Boy! You needed to have read the Motion as it is in the Order Paper before you start debating.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion. THAT, the Senate adopts the Report of the Standing Committee on Education, Information and Technology on the County Oversight and Networking Engagement (CONE) to Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale Counties on 29th August – 5th September, 2013 laid on the Table of the Senate on Thursday, 3rd April, 2014. Bw. Spika wa Muda, hiyo ndio Hoja ambayo nilikuwa nawasilisha. Kwa mujibu wa Katiba, Kamati hii ilitembelea kaunti ambazo nimezitaja, zikiwemo kaunti za Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa na Kwale, kuanzia tarehe 29 Agosti mpaka tarehe 5 Septemba, mwaka jana. Ukweli wa mambo ni kwamba Kamati hii ilizunguka katika kaunti hizi ili kutazama na kujua hali ya elimu. Ukweli ni kwamba tulitembelea Kaunti ya Lamu na tukakutana na Gavana. Pia, tulitembelea vyuo na shule mbali mbali za chekechea. Bw. Spika wa Muda, tulipotoka Kaunti ya Lamu, Kamati ilielekea Kaunti ya Kilifi ili kutazama hali ya shule za chekechea na ufundi. Pia, Kamati ilitembelea Kaunti ya Kwale na pamoja na Kaunti ya Mombasa. Ukweli unafaa kusemwa kwamba Kamati ilienda kule ili ijionee. Tumetayarisha Ripoti kuhusu yale tulioyaona. Naongezea kwamba yale tulioyaona ni hatari bin

Tulioyaona ni hali ya kuhuzunisha. Miaka 50 bado katika---

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Did you hear the Senator say “ hatari bin danger?” Which language is that?

Sen. Boy Juma Boy stick to one language.

Bw. Spika wa Muda, ndugu wa hatari na danger, ni lipi ambalo hajafahamu? Sijakanganua lugha bali nimeileza kama ilivyo. Huyu hatari ndugu yake ni danger.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I did not want to interrupt the rendition and the very well delivered message by my friend, Sen. Boy Juma Boy, whom I think should now be referred to as “Sen. Man Juma Man”. Is it in order for him to mislead the House that the money that goes to education is actually allocated through counties when the truth is that all the money to education is allocated through the national Government except the ECD? It is important to know that primary and secondary education, which he has used as an example for the few entries to university, is financed through the national Government function, constitutionally.

On a point of information, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

Yes, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. What Sen. Boy Juma Boy was trying to articulate is that it is very unfortunate when there is no background education and that is ECD. So, if there is a problem at the pre-primary level, before you get to Standard One to Eight, you will not have a good foundation.

Bw. Naibu Spika, simlaumu Sen. Murkomen. Ukweli ni kwamba wakati mwingine hatupendi lugha zingine na huo ndio ukweli. Sasa ninachozungumzia ni kwamba tuanzie katika shule za chekechea. Hii ni muhimu sana kwa mtoto. Hamna haja ya kuanzia juu ukiteremka chini. Kule chini hata hakuna fedha na walimu wa kutosha. Hakuna madarasa ya kutosha ambao watawahudumia wanafunzi. Hakuna syllabus ambayo inaweza kueleweka. Kama hujafika Nairobi, utaendaje London? Hii ndio maana tukasema kwamba kazi ya Kamati hii kuenda katika kaunti ilikuwa ni muhimu sana ili tujionee wenyewe. Tunasema kwamba haya ni mambo ambayo yasingekuwepo baada ya miaka 50 tangu tupate Uhuru. Tungekuwa na shughuli zingine kwa sababu hapo ndipo msingi ulioko. Hali ya vyuo vya ufundi katika kaunti zetu zote tulizozitembelea katika Kwale, Kilifi na Tana River zilikuwa katika hali mbovu zaidi, Lamu zilikuwa chache sana. Kulikuwa na taswira ambayo

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. As the Senator was moving the Motion and he said in Kiswahili “ kutenda kitu;” did you hear the Senator for Kisumu saying kitendawili ; yet they are not related at all?

I understand the Senator for Kisumu---

You are completely out of order; I never heard that!

Proceed!

Nafurahishwa na Mwenyekiti wangu kwa sababu uzuri wake ni kwamba anayasikia maneno yangu pamoja na yale yanayozungumzwa nyuma yangu!

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. First of all, I want to congratulate the Mover of the Motion for teaching us Kiswahili and moving the Motion in as passionate a manner as you would expect a Senator from Kwale County; Kwale ile ile; tena kwaKiswahili sanifu!

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the state of our country is measured by the state of the counties. When the counties look good, the country looks good. In our extensive travels across the country in almost 20 counties in what was then the Committee of Education, Information and Technology – and we intend to visit all the 47 counties – the experience that we gained out there reminds us very strongly that we are as strong as the weakest part. A rope is as strong as the weakest part of the rope. It was very clear to us, as we travelled around the country, that Nairobi, where we sit as the capital city of our nation, is actually an island. It is an island because nowhere in Kenya do you go – maybe except Mombasa – where you see the kind of economic activities, reflection in infrastructure and so on, and so forth, as you see in Nairobi. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Committee stayed in Lamu County – and I notice that the Senator for Lamu is here with us – but we actually stayed very far from the main Lamu hotels because there are very few hotels in Lamu, making them very expensive and we could not afford them as a Committee. So, we were using a boat to travel for 30 minutes from where the Governor sits to go to the hotel where we were staying, and there was no hotel anywhere near where we were staying. The hotel we were staying is made up of makuti – I do not know whether you remember the name of the hotel – but we stayed in a makuti hotel. The floor was sand and there was no single window. When we were travelling around there, we saw that it is a beautiful place and we wished we could get investors to come and exploit this beauty so that Kenyans can enjoy themselves and also invite visitors to do so. But, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, clearly, the other issue is that of education in all those areas, let alone the issue of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), because ICT was a strange phenomenon in most of the places. The issue we noticed was that there were very low standards of education in those areas. For me, I posited that there were two reasons for this; number one, clearly we have not invested sufficient funds in education in the coast; we simply have not!

The second part, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, is that personal initiative was also lacking. You can take a cow to the river, but you cannot force her to drink the water. Therefore, our recommendation was that, first and foremost, there must be initiatives taken by the county governments and by the leadership. I remember one Member of County Assembly (MCA) in

(Sen. Mositet); The Motion has been moved properly and seconded.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. Let me start by congratulating this Committee. First, I congratulate them for their tour to the five counties, the manner in which the Mover has moved the Motion and for the way the able Chair has seconded. This is what we have been urging Committees to do instead of travelling overseas benchmarking in countries that are already developed and which have no relevance to us. We have been urging our Committees to visit our own institutions and to add value like this Committee has done. I have heard the Chair say that they plan to visit all the 47 counties. That was my first agenda. Please, Mr. Chairman, ensure that you give us reports of all the 47 counties so that we are educated about the status of education and other facilities of education that are there throughout the country. I heard the story of the cockroaches and the hardships that the Committee went through particularly in Tana River. I was a District Commissioner there, from 1976 to 1978. I am saddened to hear that so many years after, there has been no improvement. But this goes to confirm what we have all been saying here; that marginalization of many counties has gone on and it is real. It goes on even today. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Mover of the Motion has dwelt on the issue of 51 years since we got Independence and we are still there. Soon it is going to be 52 years and more. I think that it is sad that this country can have the kind of facilities that are contained in this Report. Last week, we passed a Motion here urging the Government to release certificates withheld by schools. I was very encouraged by the President’s speech or statement when he was in Kisii; that from now onwards there will be no examination fees for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate for Secondary Education (KCSE). If the Government can waive examination fees for everybody, why can it not start by releasing the certificates which have been held for ten years? I am sure that the President will listen if he is made aware. Just as he is giving all these facilities, there is a big problem, of these certificates, that he is leaving behind. I hope that they can be released very soon. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, over the weekend I attended some funeral and one lady came running to me and said: “Can I now go for my son’s certificate, because I heard that

Senate?” I just said: “Just give it about two weeks.” So, I want to urge the Chief Whip and the Chairman of the Committee to pass the message that members of the public are waiting for the implementation of the Senate’s resolution on these certificates.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I also rise to support the Report of the Committee. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the coastal region has faced a lot of challenges. One of the challenges is the issue of parents embracing education. Some parents have always felt that because of poverty, they would rather leave their children to provide cheap labour and earn some little money for their living. That is the challenge that we face today. In the same region, we appreciate that, indeed, the leaders have also come out to really question why the Government has marginalized them in some of the issues that they face.

Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’Nyong’o.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I beg to support this Motion and to thank the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson for having reversed the roles; they moved and seconded this Motion very ably and in an extremely informative manner. I am always very proud of my former student. I think what everybody has said confirms the faith I had in him right from the very beginning. I do hope that one of these days; he will establish what I call a leadership training centre to pass on these qualities to younger Kenyans who should inherit what we have here. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there is always a silver lining in a dark cloud. Most people look at the Senate and say “well, the Senate has a very limited role in the Constitution.” Indeed, there are many articles in the Constitution and a few are on the Senate. But the role that the Senate has been given – to look after the affairs of the counties – is an enormous task. What this Committee is doing – and, of course, it is our Committee too and I want to take you to task, but I excuse you – by going around the country, visiting the counties and talking with people on the ground is an extremely important exercise. I was talking to our county assembly – I had discussions with them twice – and I was telling them that before they take off to go even to Uganda, Israel or Malaysia to find out what is happening to devolution or local governance there, they should just take time off to visit each other’s wards to find out what is happening in the wards in Kisumu County. Because if you are not aware of what is happening in your own county, it is rather difficult to go and learn something else out there and come and apply it. I really enjoyed your contribution, Sen. Elachi, and I think the warning you have given us – to pay more attention to our local environment before we jump on the planes to go and benchmark elsewhere – is very important. I was in the National Assembly for 20 years, and I remember going on a National Assembly trip only once during those years. The trip I took was to Botswana when I was in the Special Committee on Corruption Chaired by hon. Musikari Kombo. It is only because that Committee was set up to look into the possibilities of establishing the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and this came out of the Public Investments Committee (PIC) discussions when I was its Chairperson. So, that is the only trip I ever made, to Botswana, and not to all these other exotic countries that people go to. But I do not regret it because I think that our responsibility is here locally before we go elsewhere. In any case, you can get most of these things through the internet before going to any other place. So, I think that issue should be taken very seriously and applied in reality. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to say something about this Report, especially what has been raised today in terms of local level educational initiatives. Although county governments have been given the responsibility to only look after the Early Childhood Development (ECDs), which has an enormous impact on education, as all the speakers who have spoken here today have said, it means that from the very beginning, children should be given an education that makes them Kenyans. You will be surprised that children begin learning at the age of three months in the womb – and I have a practical experience in this, which I do not want to say now – but a child will begin learning a language from the age of three months in the womb.

Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I support this Report which is moving in the sense that it is one of the few reports that have been tabled here. I congratulate the team, headed by the Chairman, Sen. Mutahi Kagwe. I was also a Member of the Committee. It important to point out that Sen. Kagwe now is the Chairman of the Committee on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). We have since split and I am now the Chairman of the Committee on Education. So, take note, as you contribute, that he is no longer the Chairman of the Committee on Education. That is very important. The Senate split the Committee into two after it realized that education is a very wide sector. It was encompasses very many components of running. Therefore, I am happy to be associated with this Committee which is doing very well in line with the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is important to note that this Committee has fulfilled its obligations in the Constitution, in the sense that it has been able to visit several counties. We have visited 20 out of 47 counties. I am sure in that in the next one year, starting this Financial Year, we are likely to cover all the 47 counties. That indicates that the Committee is moving and it will get to realize the truth about what is already enshrined in the Constitution regarding our county governments. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is a pity that we have to talk about the coastal region, whereas we know that the first explorers came to East Africa following that route. In 1498, there was Vasco da Gama who had time even to go up to Malindi where he got the first African to take him through the rest of the journey to India. He noted that there was an African who could manage the compass from Malindi up to India, and it happened. When Vasco da Gama---

Order, Sen. Karaba! You still have a balance of 13 minutes when the House resumes tomorrow.

Hon. Senators, it is now time for interruption of business. The Senate, therefore, stands adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, 12th June, 2014, at 2.30 p.m. The Senate rose at 6.30 p.m.