Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have a petition from one citizen of Mombasa County. This is a public petition. It is anchored under Articles 1, 2, 3, 142, 10, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 40, 43, 44, 47, 238 and 119 as read with Articles 93, 94 and 96 of the Constitution of Kenya. This is a petition for the protection of the people and the economy of the Republic of Kenya from sabotage by the subversive activities of the foreign owned and controlled telephony mobile operator, Safaricom Limited.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. You heard the opening statement of the Senator referring to Safaricom as a subversive foreign owned company. That is completely unacceptable. Safaricom is owned by Kenyans to a large extent and only a small potion which is 49 per cent is owned by foreigners. Therefore, 51 per cent of the shareholding is still owned by Kenyans in this country. But more importantly, subversive means that they have subverted the Constitution. Could she substantiate or withdraw those statements because they are not in order?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I withdraw that statement.

Order, Sen. Mbura! I would like to see a copy of your petition in order to confirm that it is the one that was approved. Resume your seat. We will move to the next Order. Once that is clarified, I will allow you to resume. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate today, Thursday, 23rd July, 2015. DRAFT OF SIM CARDS REGISTRATION REGULATIONS, 2015 A Draft Kenya Information and Communications Registration of Sim Cards Regulations, 2015 REPORTS ON THE OPERATIONS OF THE NTSA (1) A report of the sessional committee on delegated legislation on the Draft Kenya Information and Communications Registration of Sim Cards Regulations, 2015. (2) A report on the Sessional Committee on Delegated Legislation on; (a) The National Transport and Safety Authority Operation of Motor Cycles Regulations, 2015. (b) The National Transport and Safety Authority Operation of Tourists Service of Vehicle 2015, and (c) The Traffic Amendment Rules, 2015. A report of the Sessional Committee on Delegated Legislation on the National Transport Safety Authority Operation of Public Service Vehicles (Amendment) No.2 Regulation, 2014.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate today, Thursday, 23rd July, 2015. QUARTERLY REPORTS OF THE TA FOR 2013/2014 (1) Quarterly Report of the Transition Authority on the progress in the implementation of the transition to the devolved system of Government, October to December, 2013. (2) A quarterly report of the Transition Authority on the progress report in the implementation of the transition to the devolved system of Government, July to September, 2014. (3) Quarterly report of the Transition Authority on the progress in the implementation of the transition to the devolved system of Government, October to December, 2014. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

I also beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate today, Thursday, 23rd July, 2015. Report of the National Tea Conference held on 12th to 14th October, 2014 at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate today, Thursday, 23rd July, 2015. Report of the Auditor-General on the Financial Statement of Kajiado County Government for the 16 months period ended on 30th June, 2014; Report of the Auditor-General on the financial operations of Uasin Gishu County Assembly for the year ended 30th June, 2014; Report of the Auditor-General on the financial operations of Kisii County Executive and Kisii County Assembly for the period 1st July, 2013 to 30th June, 2014; Report of the Auditor-General on the financial operations or Kisii County Assembly for the period 1st July to 30th June, 2014; Report of the Auditor-General on the financial operations of Kisii County Executive for the period 1st July, 2013 to 30th June, 2014. Report of the Auditor-General on the financial statements of Kitui County Government for the year ended June, 2014 and; finally, Report of the Auditor-General on the financial operations of Marsabit County Executive and Marsabit County Assembly for the year ended 30th June, 2014.

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

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I would like to make a correction on something that is on the Order Paper. This is on the second statement. This was not a statement, but a report of the Committee on National Security for Mandera, Kapedo and Laikipia. I would like to inform the House that last week, we had agreed to lay this Report on the Table today. Unfortunately, the Report is still in the process of getting an approval. Therefore, with your indulgence, I request Sen. Billow to bear with us and to lay the report on the Table next week.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I brought that Motion to this House more than six months ago. From the time I brought it, to this House, almost 300 Kenyans have been slaughtered in Garissa, Mandera, Turkana, Kapedo and everywhere. This matter is very serious. It looks into the circumstances surrounding the killings that happened at the quarry, in the bus and other places like Kapedo. It is important that we get this report by Tuesday, next week. I will appreciate if the Chairperson can facilitate that.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I appreciate this is a very important and sensitive matter. As I said earlier, the report has already left the desk of the Committee. I signed it and we are now in the process of getting a report to lay it on the Table. I can confirm that.

I can also confirm that the Committee has also finalised the report. Therefore, it will be laid on the Table on Tuesday, next week.

On a point of clarification, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I would like to know something regarding the approval that the Chairperson has talked about. Once the Committee finishes with a report, signs it, who approves it to be brought to the House? The Committee works on behalf of this House. We sent the Committee to do the work. They have signed the report. Who is supposed to approve it? I seek that clarification.

The approval authority is the Speaker. I thought that was such a mundane matter that you would know. That is why the Speaker is aware of the process.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate today, Thursday, 23rd July, 2015. Report of the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Fisk Reduction from 14th to 18th March, 2015. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order, Sen. Njoroge! You are operating under Order No.5 which is just about laying the Paper on the Table. You should not go into details. What you started with is good enough for that Order.

Most obliged, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Statement that I sought last week---

Order, Sen. Bule! You are just compounding your problem which the Chair and the House had done you a favour by ignoring. So, just hold your horses for now. Next Order!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give Notice of the following Motion:- THAT, the House adopts the Report of the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held from 14th to 18th March, 2015 in Sendai, Japan, laid on the Table of the House today Thursday 23rd July, 2015. Thank you.

Hon. Senators, under Standing Order No.39, I wish to reorganize the Order Paper. That Order No.9 becomes Order No.8, followed by Order No.10 and the rest can follow.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Speaker, Sir, pursuant to Standing Order No.45, I wish to give the business for the week starting 28th July, 2015. On Tuesday, 28th July, 2015, there will be a meeting of the Rules and Business Committee (RBC) at noon to schedule the business of the Senate for the week, and subject to the deliberations and decisions of that meeting, the Senate will continue with the business that will not be concluded today, focusing on the debate of Bills that are at the Second Reading stage. The Senate is also expected to vote on the following three Bills which are due for Division:- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Senate Majority Leader for that communiqué. However, the House recalls that a few weeks ago, he gave us an interim Statement concerning the programme of President Barack Obama in Kenya. One of the things he promised was that when the visit of the President will be nearer, he will give a confirmation of whether the President will address this Senate. Could the Senate Majority Leader tell us now that it is confirmed that the nearest we can get is to be part of a crowd at Kasarani Stadium for the Address of the President, why the Government failed to convince the President to talk to the top leadership of this country in this Senate? Could he also confirm that maybe the reason they failed is because the President is disappointed with the way the National Assembly has been fighting for the disbandment of the institution charged with fighting corruption?

(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale for the views he has expressed. However, the Government of Kenya has no control whatsoever in terms of deciding who the President of the United States of America (USA) would speak to. The Government would have wanted the President of the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Statement (b), Chairperson of the Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations.

Mr. Speaker, Sir,, I corrected this. This was not a Statement. It is a Motion that was awaiting a report of the Committee and I think I responded to it.

Part (c). KILLINGS IN KITUI COUNTY

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I remember that we responded to this particular Statement extensively last week and the week before. I remember we visited the CS, Interior and Coordination of National Government with the Chairperson to discuss this particular matter. What was left was the response on the issue of the police reservists. Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me confirm to this House and to Sen. Musila that I was in touch with the Minister for Interior and Coordination of National Government and the response was actually awaiting his signature for the purpose of documentation. Personally, I had spoken to the Eastern regional Commissioner - I am sure wherever she is she can hear this – and discussed with her insecurity that is affecting Kitui and Tana River and she assured me that she will make sure that they have dealt with the insecurity issues that are affecting that particular region. The response will be tabled in this House next week.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank the Vice Chairperson of the Committee for the answer and for the efforts she has been making in giving us a response to this very important issue. I want to express my deepest disappointment over this matter. The killings were done three months ago. I raised the issue here and even after visiting the CS in his office, he promised that an operation to flush out the herders who were harassing and killing the people of Kitui County was going to be undertaken. However, up to today, it has not been done. The second point was the issue of arming police reservists to protect themselves because, so far, the Government has failed to protect the people which is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. Twice now, the Vice Chairperson has said that the response is ready only awaiting signature. We have heard this many times before. As this The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. You have heard Sen. Musila talking of “flushing out”. Are these bandits or Kenyans? In Kenya, there are no bandits, but citizens.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is true that the National Police Reservists (NPR) do a good job in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). Sen. Musila, I and many of us here, would want to have many NPR units in our areas. What policy has the Government put in place to ensure that there is recruitment and establishment of the NPR in strategic areas like Makueni and Kitui which have faced severe harassment by cattle rustlers?

Chair, you will have to ignore the one from Sen. Munyes because the issue that we are dealing with now is about the process, but not the details on when the statement should be disposed of with finality. Therefore, I invite Sen. Munyes to be present on Tuesday when the matter will be concluded. Sen. Musila, you were challenged on a point of order in terms of flushing out bandits. Who do you flush out? Do you flush out citizens or bandits? You need to clarify that. Is there any difference between Kenyan bandits and foreign bandits?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, Sen. Leshore is a friend of mine. Coming from Samburu County where banditry and cattle rustling is the order of the day, I am shocked that he appears to be supporting banditry. For his information, in Kitui County, we do not have such things. We are only hope that the issue will not be exported to our county. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

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

This is a procedural matter. Let us not get deep.

Point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Order Members! Chair, could we get the response on Tuesday with finality?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will provide an answer to the statement on Tuesday. However, allow me to respond to---

How long does it take to append a signature?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I can only rely on the information given to me by the Clerk of the Committee and from the Cabinet Secretary’s (CS) office. However, we will provide an answer to the statement on Tuesday, next week.

Order, Senator! I was very clear. This week, you rejected the Motion for extension. You went ahead to implore all of us to manage our time effectively. Therefore, I am subject to your own directions and I will not entertain any objections to that because you did it convincingly. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

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

Sen. Wetangula, I hope you are not on the same because I will rule you out of order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is not on the same, but on a related matter. The matter relates to the Chair. Could you hear me?

Which Chair?

The Speaker of the House.

Okay.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the distinguished Senator for West Pokot County brought a Bill here regarding police reservists. He wanted them to be adopted, regularised and supported by the national Government to bolster security and we passed it. I have no doubt that you dutifully forwarded it to the “Lower House.” I seek to know, from you, the fate of that Bill because if it was dealt with in the “Lower House” and assented to, part of the problems that the distinguished Senator for Kitui County is talking about would be addressed. Mr. Speaker, Sir, is it one of the 17 Bills that the “Lower House” has refused to address having been passed in this House and forwarded to them in accordance with the Constitution and the Standing Orders?

For once, you have made the distinction between “same” and “similar”. So, I agree with you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to inform my good friend, Senator for Kitui County, to persuade his deputy leader, Sen. Abdirahman and Sen. Mohamud regarding the issue because most of the herders come from Wajir. They should flush out those herders.

Order, Sen. Leshore! You are completely out of order. The one you are giving information must agree with you. Sen. Musila has not agreed with what you have said. To respond to the point of order raised by the Senate Minority Leader, I wish to confirm that that Bill was passed by the House. It was referred to the National Assembly and is still pending there. That should suffice for now. We will communicate further details at the appropriate time. Sen. Adan, I direct that the response to the statement be made on Tuesday. We appreciate the progress you have made, but it is not enough until the matter is concluded. Let us move to Statement (d) on the outbreak of malaria in the western region. OUTBREAK OF MALARIA IN THE WESTERN REGION

Sen. Khaniri, this is your statement. We should hear from the Chair first. Is the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson or any Member of the Committee on Health around? Proceed, Sen. Khaniri in their absence.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, you will recall that last week, the Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Health issued a statement. However, she did not answer The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Indeed, the Chair agrees with Sen. Khaniri. This is a matter of an outbreak of a disease, but not a normal matter. The Committee must also respond to it as an emergency. I cannot see the Chairman or the Vice Chairperson of the Committee. However, I recognise Sen. Nanjira who is a Member of the Committee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I am keeping quiet because yesterday, I mentioned that I am a Member of the Committee, but you declined to give me an opportunity. Instead, you gave the Chief Whip from the Government side. That is why I kept quiet because I thought that you do not want me to respond to issues concerning the Committee on Health.

My apology, Senator. I did not realise that you are a Member of the Committee. This is one of the rare cases where even the Chair is advised.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I accept your apology. I did not convey yesterday’s request from the Senator because I knew that Sen. Elachi would give the message. We, as a Committee, were to meet the CS today in the morning, but he sent an apology. Therefore, we shall be meeting him next week. We will discuss the issues with him and report to the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Omondi, that is not good enough. When will you meet the CS? My recommendation is that since we know there is an international conference this week, you can do it on Monday or even Tuesday. If the CS fails to turn up, you can do summons and we will approve them. This matter is clear. The most important thing for now is to get the CS. There is nothing that the rest of you will do.

It is okay, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Because of the suspected outbreak of malaria also in Trans Nzoia County, specifically Twiga area, where several deaths have been reported, could that be included also in the response?

I thought that Sen. Khaniri had actually explained that the problem has even increased now. Therefore, that should be the expectation of the House; it is just common sense. Next Statement! The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Sen. Karue, I thought that this statement was made yesterday. What did you conclude?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the statement which was to be issued included some attachment which the Members requested to be tabled and photocopies be done and circulated to them before it is given.

When does the statement come back?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it should be answered now.

Where is the Vice-Chair of the Committee or any Member of the Committee? Sen. Elachi!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, can I read it?

Order, Sen. Elachi. Do you have instructions from the Vice-Chairperson?

No, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Then how will you be competent to respond to supplementary issues?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, they have handed it over to me, but I know that there are very weighty issues that had been raised. Even though I can read the list, I will not be in a position to answer some of the questions that the Senator had asked in “b”, specifically.

Absolutely. I do not think that we should be acting in vain. Let us make good use of our time. Sen. Elachi, I direct you to deliver the Vice- Chairperson of the Committee to the House on Tuesday.

Next Statement! MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF CORPORAL BERNARD OKINDO MAGETO

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not have this particular statement because it is not ready. I have discussed the same with Sen. Obure and I will issue it next week.

When?

On Thursday, next week.

Why do you not make an attempt on Tuesday? You have a long time between now and Tuesday.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will try. I was just giving myself an allowance of up to Thursday. However, I will make sure that I have it by Tuesday.

Do not build in failure; always be optimistic.

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

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. If you can allow me to move you back a little on the issue of the malaria problem in the Western region. It is so critical that last week we were told by the distinguished Senator for Vihiga that 22 children had died in Vihiga, over 38 in Kakamega and now they are dying in Trans Nzoia and Bungoma. In addition to the malaria challenge, over 20 children have been paralyzed in Busia for being administered injections by “doctors” who may not be qualified. These health challenges cannot be taken casually the way we are seeing it. In some places, the whole national Government would have moved to the western region to see and assess why children are dying. Is it because the western region is not in Jubilee or what is the problem? Whether these children dying are in Turkana, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Samburu or Pokot, they are children of Kenya. I would want you, as the Speaker of this House that defends and protects devolution, counties and their governments and the people therein, to come out strongly on this. I understand that Members of the Committee on Health are in Canada on some mission, when children are dying in western and nobody is going there. This is not right. It is a pity that they are benchmarking in Canada while our children are dying in western Kenya. I want to urge you to come out strongly on this because we, as a Senate, have a duty to Kenyans wherever they are, to ensure that they get good health care.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Is it in order for the Senate Minority Leader to question his own responsibility in terms of the performance of this House? If there is someone who is culpable in so far as the performance of the Committees of this House is concerned, the leading one will be the Senate Majority Leader and the Senate Minority Leader. Is it in order for the Senate Minority Leader to question the performance of the Committees of this House, when this House, the Standing Orders and Constitution, put a responsibility on himself to ensure that Committees perform in the manner in which they are supposed to?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that kneejerk reaction shows the culpability of this Government. Nowhere in the Standing Orders of this House does the responsibility of the performance of Committees rest on Senate Majority Leader or Senate Minority Leader. Once the Committees are set, they operate under the direction of the management of Parliament, which is, the Speaker and the Clerk. Secondly, nowhere in the Standing Orders or Constitution does the Senate Majority Leader or Senate Minority Leader grant permission to any Member to go out of the country. We do not do so. Thirdly, the Member crying louder than the bereaved is the Chairman of the Committee on Devolved Government, whose responsibility is greater than the Chairman of any other Committee, in ensuring that devolution works and people in the counties get value for money in health, education and everything. He and his colleagues are busy with helicopters moving around the country, donating--- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order! Order! What is it, Sen. Murkomen? Avoid the accusations, Members.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am personally flattered by the manner in which, for the first time, the Senate Minority Leader has showered a lot of praises on me. However, I want to tell him that I am not Makmende to sort out every Committee problem in this House.

Order, Sen. Murkomen! He has not only showered you with praises, but enhanced your stature and responsibilities.

Mr. Speaker, Sir that is why I am very elated. But I wanted to add that when a responsibility is bestowed on an institution, like the RBC where the Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader sit, to address issues that are related to this House, and questions come to this House in relation to the performance of the Senate, it is completely out of order for the Senate Minority Leader to try and divert attention to the Jubilee Government or its senior leaders like myself.

That is by the admission of the Senate Minority Leader. If you saw it well, Sen. Omondi is the one who answered the question, and she sits on the same side as the Senate Minority Leader. As if that is not even enough, the Senate Minority Leader had a very integral role in the Constitution of the Senate Committees. It is not possible for this House to try to play to the gallery. We, as Senators, Senate Committees and institutions of Parliament, have to take a responsibility, without diverting attention to either the Executive or Judiciary. That is why on the question of children dying in Western Kenya, we must discuss on the merits and not divert attention.

Order, Senators! This is a matter that must be put it its context. There is a malaria outbreak, children are dying and there is no response. To me, the Senate Minority Leader, in desperation, is trying to understand the situation and giving the possibilities of “may it be this one, the other or the rest?” However, in terms of the responsibility of the House, the Senate Minority Leader knows that we do not micromanage Committees. Indeed, the Committees are appointed by the political leadership of the Houses. We approve as the RBC and allow them to work. They create their own schedules of travel, meetings and benchmarking. Where does the Speaker come in, Sen. Wetangula? Sen. Murkomen should not assume that because he has been showered with praises, now he has become a senior leader. You remain a humble Chair of a Committee of the Senate.

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

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on 10th July, 2015, I rose to seek a statement on two issues; that is, the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) and Uwezo Fund. Whereas I apologise for my absence yesterday, the statement was issued yesterday in my absence, contrary to the traditions and practices of this House. It was supposed to be deferred because the person who sought it was absent. Once again, I request the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Budget to issue the statement, so that I can interrogate his answer.

Order, Sen. Bule! I sympathize with you. However, this is not a matter that you petition the plenary. It will not help you. You should know where to go if you need the statement to be reinstated. The House followed that tradition you are making reference to. It is only a favour; you cannot demand. It allowed that tradition because when the statement was on the Order Paper this week and last week, we gave you sufficient time to come. It was deferred severally to accommodate you. However, there is a limit to which the business of the House must be concluded. Therefore, that statement was responded to yesterday. The Senate Minority Leader and other Members tried to put a case for you in terms of the provincial nature of the matter, but unfortunately, it is gone.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on a point of order. This is not a committee issue. It is an issue concerning Tana River County. I am the Senator representing Tana River County. Therefore, I am the one to whom the answer should be directed to.

Order, Sen. Bule! There is a difference between the permission of being away and permission for your business to be postponed. Therefore, that is the end of that matter. Next Order! What is it, Sen. Karaba?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have a statement that I was supposed to issue. It was requested by Sen. Nabwala one month ago. I fear that by next week, we will have gone for recess. However, I am of the view that this is important for Members to know. They subscribed to--- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order, Sen. Karaba! I have just told Sen. Bule how to proceed with such matters. Your statement is not listed. When it appeared on the Order Paper last time, you were given a reason why you could not proceed. Therefore, you need special consideration which you cannot obtain from the plenary of the House. Proceed, Sen. Wetangula.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as a matter of etiquette and procedure in the House, did you notice that Sen. Mbura, the distinguished nominated Senator from Mombasa walked from where Sen. Njoroge is, across next to the Mace to where she has joined Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale?

Sen. Mbura, is that what happened?

Order, Senators! A Senator shall not be prosecuted en masse .

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I apologise.

What is it, Sen. Njoroge?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, have you noticed that the “visitors” to Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale are out of order. Even the Jubilee Senator seated next to him also had some issues in the way he addressed the House. Again, it is the other Senator from Jubilee. What are they doing there?

Order, Sen. Bule!

Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me clarify on the point that I have made in this House.

Order, Sen. Bule! You do not have to take some things seriously. In fact, the issue was about Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale. I cannot agree more with Sen. Njoroge. You crossed from the other side of the House to the other without bowing to the Chair. You already acknowledged your mistake and did the needful. It also happened to Sen. Mbura. I will not refer to your political affiliation. It is a fact, that both of you, even presently are seated next to Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale. The two of you crossed from one side to Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale’s side. Those are facts. The third fact is that both of you acknowledged the mistake, went back to the Bar and came back to the same person. Those facts are so compelling and irresistible that you do not need to be an expert to make such an observation. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have a point of order. Please, allow me.

What is it, Sen. Bule?

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. In this Senate, I am neither in Jubilee nor CORD. However, I can decide where to be. Today, I want to assure you that I am a CORD Member. I want to weaken the other side. I am still mobilizing to get some Members from Jubilee to come to this side.

Order, Senators! Are all these interventions from Sen. Kanainza, Sen. Elachi, Sen. Ndiema, Sen. Ongoro, Sen. Njoroge and Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale related?

Yes!

Okay, each one of you will have one minute. Proceed, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, allow me to request for your indulgence so that I be appreciated for being a good teacher. I have succeeded in convincing Sen. Mbura and Sen. Bule to move away from Jubilee because it serves no useful purpose to the people of the coast region whom they represent in this House.

Sen. Mbura, did you hear what Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale said?

No!

Order, Sen. Bule! Proceed, Sen. Njoroge.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if it is true that Sen. Bule has defected from Jubilee to CORD, he should not be in this House. He should lose his seat if it has gone on record that he has defected to that side.

Order, Sen. Bule! This is not a fish market in Tana River or a goat market in Hola. This is the Senate. Just listen, you will be given your time. Press the button and wait. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, you have told the Senate that you have been a good teacher. Did you teach Sen. Bule about the Standing Orders and how to behave? You need to assist your neighbour. Proceed, Sen. Ongoro. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, is the hon. Senator in order to insinuate that Sen. Bule has defected from the Jubilee Coalition while we all know that he has never been a member of the Jubilee Coalition? Is he in order to misinform this House and the entire nation?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am worried from the statement that came from the Chair. You reminded the hon. Senator from Tana River that this House is not a fish market. I am from Siaya. Fish markets are very honourable places. Maybe, next time you go with me to Siaya, they will remember that statement. I have to prepare some fish for you when you come to Siaya.

Sen. Orengo, fish markets all over the world are important places. You and I visited a fish market in Japan. However, there are no rules there per se . People crisscross each other as they wish. However, we need order in this House.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on a point of order, I want to correct the impression created by the distinguished nominated Senator from Nakuru, Sen. Njoroge because Sen. Bule, the distinguished for Tana River County was elected to this House on a ticket of the Federal Party of Kenya (FPK) which is an affiliate party of CORD. He has a signed pre-election and post-election agreement with CORD and deposited the same with the Registrar of Political Parties. Therefore, Sen. Bule has just come back home and we welcome him with both hands.

Proceed, Sen. Kindiki. Sen. Bule, I will give you a chance later on since you are the subject of this discussion. So relax.

r (Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, earlier on, I had sympathized with my brother, the Senate Minority Leader when he was under attack from another Senator who has now become something bigger than an ordinary Senator. What the Senate Minority Leader has done is to complicate the already bad situation of Sen. Bule. To the best of my knowledge, the FPK entered into a post-election agreement with the Jubilee Coalition. So, what the Senate Minority Leader says is that the FKP to which Sen. Bule belongs has more than one coalition agreement. The more reason that Sen. Bule may be declared something that we do not want to say here.

Order, Sen. Bule! You will be given time in a dignified manner.

Just relax. You will have your time. The person being discussed is you. Therefore, you need to take notes as they raise the issues they are raising. I will give you the last chance. Once we are done with your interventions, you will speak. I will listen to one more from this other side and then we conclude. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I know that Sen. Bule is out of order. I want to remind him---

Order! It is not in your place to determine whether he is out of order or not. Just raise your point of order.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to remind him that the Political Parties Act is very clear. Therefore, if today Sen. Bule and his party, have decided that they have dissolved the memorandum they signed with Jubilee Alliance Party (JAP), he has a right to move to any other party. However, he should ensure that it has been done by the Registrar of Political Parties. It is very clear in Section 14 of the Political Parties Act.

Order, Senators. Proceed, Sen. Ndiema.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, while appreciating that Sen. Bule adorns a white suit, anything is possible. I want to raise an issue on statements. I have a statement which I committed myself to give today--

Order! Sen. Ndiema, be seated. You are totally out of order. We are on something else. Since everyone has spoken, let us hear Sen. Bule.

Bw. Spika wa Muda, nataka niwaeleze na niwaelimishe Maseneta ambao hawaelewi. Mimi kama Sen. Bule, nimechaguliwa kwa tiketi ya FPK, ambayo ilikuwa kwa chama cha CORD, na muungano si chama. Ni muungano wa kufanya kazi pamoja. Mimi baada ya kuchaguliwa, tuliamua kama viongozi wa FPK kufanya kazi pamoja kwa sababu yule ambaye alimwoa mama ndiye baba. Kwa hivyo, tuliamua kufanya kazi na Chama cha Jubilee, lakini wameshindwa kuwa baba. Sisi kama wana wa FPK tumeamua kufanya kazi na chama ambacho kitaweza kuwa baba hata kesho.

Sen. Murkomen): Order!

Bw. Spika wa Muda, nataka unielewe kwamba mimi si mtu wa kutatizwa, kusukumwa na kutishwa. Mimi nimechaguliwa na FPK. Leo FPK itaenda vile mimi nitaamua. Wao wanafaa kunyenyekea na kuniomba niwaunge mkono na wakiendelea kufanya hivyo, hata chama cha KANU nitachukuwa na mtakuwa chama ndogo katika Bunge hili la Seneti. Kwa hivyo, muwe na nidhamu ya kutosha.

Sen. Murkomen): Order, Senators! Sen. Bule, your statements about whether you belong to CORD or JAP amounts to nothing under the law. It can only be something if it is put in writing. So, until the Speaker receives in writing your dissolution or disagreement between coalitions, you and your neighbour will always belong in paper to the side that you signed. It is not in the place of the Speaker at the moment to determine— The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

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

Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, do you not think that we are constrained of time and we should move on? I will give you half a minute.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, thank you for the consideration. What the distinguished Senator for Tana River did was not only to be found on the right side, but he also confirmed by word that he is on the right side. Probably, the Chair should consider at this time, we do a fresh stock-taking, so that we know which Senator is on which side such that should it be found that the majority of the Senators are on the CORD side, then Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki should leave office as the Leader of Majority and Sen. Wetangula becomes the Leader of Majority. This is not a small matter. This determination must be made. We insist that we want to be given an opportunity to know where we are.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this is a House that creates history. The matter before the House now is not a simple matter. Your own party has issued threats out there to the public that it is pulling out of JAP and nobody has ever questioned that position. What Sen. Bule has said here is not different from what has been said by some of the Members that sponsored the candidates of the Senate Majority Leader. FPK is a party within a coalition, but an independent party which can move out in the afternoon, go back in the evening, get out in the morning and go back in the afternoon. We are making history here. We do not want this matter to be taken lightly. If Sen. Bule moves to this side, the Senate Majority Leader will have no majority votes to keep him sitting on that seat. He should immediately vacate so that we take over the leadership. The leadership will not only be taken in this House, we will also take the top seat which we lost through votes that were stolen.

Order! The last intervention is by Sen. Lesuuda.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I can see that my colleagues in the opposite side are very hungry to have these positions of leadership. Let me remind them that 2017 is not far. Let them wait. On a serious point, you have said that the debate that The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the matter that we are discussing in this Senate cannot be termed as neither here nor there. This is a very crucial and important matter. Even as the name suggests, the leader of majority implies that someone is leading the side that has the majority numbers of Senators. Now that the correction has been made, I want to take this opportunity to wear my other hat as the Member representing my party in the Political Part’s Liaison Committee (PPLC) and as the elected Chair of the PPLC. I confirm to you that the FPK which is an independent political party, is an affiliate of the CORD. By the fact of wearing that hat, if that correction has been made, the leadership of this Senate must move to the CORD. Sen. Wetangula should be the rightful Senate Majority Leader.

Sen. Orengo can inform me.

Order, hon. Senators! There is no information under a point of order.

(Sen. (Prof) Kindiki): Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have been enjoying the debate. It is a very good debate. There is one thing that we need to clarify because this is a House of records. We need to clarify that the position of the Senate Majority Leader is not being contested. The assumption that Sen. Ongoro and company are trying to sell around is that the majority in this House is determined by one Senator which is not true. What has happened this afternoon has set in motion, I fear, to a process that might lead to a by-election in Tana River.

Order, Senators! I have almost ten requests. The Speaker has ruled and nothing has changed from the time I made the ruling. The position remains the same. Whether Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, Sen. Khaniri or Sen. Bule sit on the left or right side, the side they belong by law, is the side their coalition agreement demonstrates in whatever coalition agreement they have written. I have said in no uncertain words that unless there is a written letter from a political party to the Speaker indicating that the coalition agreement has changed, there is no legal instrument for the Speaker to determine which is the majority or minority side, except that which is written and deposited with the Registrar of Political Parties. Therefore, for that reason, the debate we have been having in the afternoon amounts to an exposition of the law. It is a lively and enjoyable debate, but we have not crossed that river yet. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. The Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to move:- THAT, WHEREAS the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barrack Obama is to visit Kenya between 24th – 26th July, 2015 to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit; AND WHEREAS the visit is the first to the Republic of Kenya by a sitting President of the United States of America; NOW THEREFORE, the Senate welcomes the President and records its appreciation for the historic visit to Kenya and calls upon both Governments to deepen and broaden their relations in order to promote social and economic development of the two countries based on shared values of liberty, justice, human rights and democracy.

Hon. Senators, the Motion being moved by Sen. Orengo is very important. We have a very important visitor in the President to the United States of America (USA), coming to the country tomorrow. The Senator for Siaya County, where President Obama has roots, must be heard in silence.

I am grateful, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Let me commend the fact that the Speaker, at a very short notice, allowed me to bring this Motion by approving it yesterday and allowing it to be on the Order Paper. That demonstrates the fact that this Motion is seen by the Speaker and the House generally as an important Motion to discuss at this time and place. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, by tomorrow, President Obama will have visited Africa four times, thereby breaking the record of all the other sitting Presidents of the USA by the number of visits he has made to the African Continent. This, in itself, shows that the President of the USA has important ties to African which he values. It is my hope that having broken this record, in the final year of his presidency - next year – he should see it fit to again to come to Kenya and visit more areas, including Siaya County where The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this Motion is very important to us. It is disheartening that as Sen. Orengo started moving the Motion, a majority of our colleagues across the Floor walked out; I do not know for what reason. Senators like Eng. Muriuki who has a Motion coming immediately after this should know that when they choose to boycott, we shall do the same for their Motions.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Is it in order for the Senate Minority Leader to behave as if he is a headmaster of a class? We are free to walk out and come back. Quite a number of Senators are out. To me, if a Motion is so important, I will make sure that I am here. If it is not so important to Sen. Muriuki, that is up to him. I do not think he is in order.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, sometimes I excuse my colleague because he is the age of my father.

He is advanced in age. Voicing an opinion does not amount to prefecture. I simply said that many of our colleagues across, including the Senate Majority Leader and his Whip walked out as the Motion was being moved, for whatever reason. I thank you for being here. I beg to second this Motion.

Order, Sen Wetangula. This is not a CORD Motion, but one brought by a CORD Member. However, that does not mean anything in so far as ---

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am not casting aspersions on anybody.

Sen. Wetangula, please listen to me. You are completely digressing from the spirit of the conversation of Sen. Orengo who tabled the Motion. If Sen. Orengo can listen to me, the spirit of the moving notes – I listened very carefully to him – was moving away from “us” versus “them” and trying to create middle ground for both sides. So, it is unnecessary for you to go to that tangent. There are enough things to say about President Obama. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it was a preamble. I salute those who are still sitting across the Floor. I hope they will see things the way we see them. When President Obama was elected, there was a statement that was repeatedly made in quotation of Martin Luther King. He said that a man – I believe a woman as well – shall be judged not by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his brain and character. This is because the election of President Obama was a shattering effect to the nightmare of racism in USA. He shattered the myth from very humble beginnings and became the first black man to be elected President of USA; to crown it all, a black man of Islamic descent – Barack Hussein Obama. In his inauguration speech, one of the most critical statements that he made in dismissing the misguided policy that had been pursued by the Republican Government was that he would reach out to everybody and that you could not shake hands with a clenched fist. You have to open your palm to shake hands. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, President Obama is leaving office next year having achieved milestones. Even if he did nothing else, he made history as a first black President of USA of Islamic descent. More importantly, he has achieved four milestone legacies on the domestic front; Obamacare and the revolutionary law on immigration. Being a son of an immigrant himself, he has made it easy for Hispanics, Africans and all non-Americans living there to become American citizens. That is a milestone. The third milestone in his legacy is the standoff between a small mistreated island called Cuba. The occupation of Guantanamo Bay turned into one of the most draconian prisons in the world worse than Alcatraz. President Obama has normalized relations with Cuba. Today, a Cuban flag flies on the thoroughfare in Washington D.C. The USA one flies on the waterfront in Havana. Cuba is now part of the free world. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the fourth legacy is that he has steered and guided the resolution of the standoff between Iran and the world. Only last week, an agreement of far-reaching consequences on Iran’s right to pursue nuclear technology and knowledge, but with a constraint not to pursue nuclear weapons that may be used to destroy others was signed. With that, Iran has rejoined the family of nations of the world that can enjoy technology, technological innovations and the wealth that it has, being the third largest reservoir of hydrocarbons commonly called crude oil in the world. Iran is now back in the fold, courtesy of President Obama. President Obama comes to Kenya as one of our own. He is an American President, but with Kenyan roots and descent. Before he became President, he visited Kenya as a Senator. Yours truly here was at hand then as Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs to receive him at the airport and host him. When he was sworn in as a Senator, President Kibaki sent me to go and attend the event. I was privileged to do that. When he was sworn in as the first black President of USA, President Kibaki again sent me to USA. I led a delegation that included Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'-Nyong'o and several other senior colleagues. I was a key speaker at one of the caucuses. I spoke in terms of the value of appreciating a human being not because of his pigment, but because of the content of his brain and character as Martin Luther King said. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Will he?

I hope so. When John Kerry came here, he refused to meet him for reasons that you know. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to urge Kenyans that days like tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, are days for us to stand together and show the world that this is a country with a great future, clear destiny and people determined to succeed. I want to tell the bigots in Jubilee who are practicing tribalism, who are connoisseurs of corruption, that they are killing the spirit of this country. When every other day President Uhuru and the Deputy President appoint people to high office, 60 to 70 per cent are from their communities. That is not good for this country. I know that some of us across the Floor may not have the capacity or the courage to say this, but we speak it for them and we will continue speaking for them. When everybody is appointed and you see Sen. Abu Chiaba standing there to cheer, and you ask him who from his county has been appointed, there is nobody. He is cheering because he believes that if he does not cheer, Jubilee will harm him. They will not harm you. The Constitution is your defender and protector. I support this Motion. It is a Motion that has no resolution, but it is a Motion that has far reaching effect on the appreciation of this House to the fact that our own is the President of the most powerful country in the world today. It may not be forever. Let us hope by him coming to Kenya, he will leave Kenya better than he found it and that Kenyans, especially our colleagues in Jubilee are not right now salivating and positioning themselves to cut deals in a corrupt manner as they do, but to sit and talk for the betterment of this country. If there is money to do roads, let it do roads all over the country. If it is money for healthcare, let it help the health of Kenyans everywhere. If it is money for environment, Laikipia County also deserves a clean environment. If it is money for security, let us stamp out banditry in Laikipia, Turkana and everywhere else. I beg to second.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Speaker, Sir---

For those murmuring, the Senate Minority and Majority Leaders have priority under the Standing Orders. Once they bring an issue to the notice of the Speaker, they always have the first say. Proceed, Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. There is what is known as the House Leadership in this Senate. This does not belong to two Members; The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order, Senator. You should have declared your interest before saying what you have just said. However, the Standing Orders are very clear. The Senate Majority and Minority leaders not only have priority in speaking but also have longer time to speak.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I take your ruling with a lot of humility. I know we hold our positions because they have been entrusted upon us so that we help this House in terms of business and steering it into the greatness that we want to see. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I commend my senior, Sen. James Aggrey Bob Orengo, one of my mentors in the legal profession. For many years, he has been very consistent in terms of his contribution not only to the growth of the legal profession in our country but also he has been a very sober politician even when the temptation to veer off from the straight but narrow path is very great, especially when you have a leader like him. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I also thank the Seconder of the Motion, my brother and senior in the profession, Sen. Wetangula. He is one of the very good debaters in this House and country. He is somebody I hold in very high respect. At some point, I had some professional interaction with him years back when I was a law professor. He offered me an opportunity to work in his firm. However, my applause ends at that point.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am increasingly getting disappointed. As we applaud and welcome the arrival of former Senator, and now, the President of the United States of America (USA), hon. Barrack Obama; he is a great son of America who has ancestral roots in this great country. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I listened to the Seconder of the Motion and I got worried because we are sending mixed signals. We talk this way but make about-turns and speak the opposite. This is the contradiction that has made our country look bad not only in the eyes of the people we represent but also in the eyes of foreigners. It is true that President Obama is coming to Kenya. However, it is not true that he decided to come to Kenya by accident or simply because he is about to retire. He is coming to Kenya because, first of all, he has historical ties in Kenya. However, most importantly, I believe that he is coming to Kenya because he believes – he said two weeks ago – that our country holds a lot of promise as a democracy on this part of the continent. It is a country that is at the cusp of takeoff; both in terms of democratic gain and human development in whatever way one will look at. The problem I have with people like my brother, Sen. Wetangula, is the negativity with which a leader of my calibre can stand here and treat Kenyans to how bad the country is. The truth of the matter is that like any other country, we have our own challenges. Nobody had disputed that. If it is corruption, some of the biggest corruption scandals that this country is still grappling with took place when some of the people, who The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'-Nyong'o, the Speaker ruled before that you cannot substantiate the obvious.

Order, Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki, I have not completed what I was saying.

The Senate Majority Leader has just put forth a set of facts. Whosoever feels that he fits into that description can always lift his hand up. When you are not, then, there is nothing to worry about. I take it lightly because no side of the political divide – including Sen. G.G. Kariuki who has served in previous Governments – is spared. That was just a statement. I had a private conversation with Sen. Wetangula and I think what we discussed is correct. The Minority is being the Minority while the Majority is being the Majority. So, these are just sentiments and positions of the various sides. Let us save time because there is another Motion after this. Proceed, Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, just for the record, I respect Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'-Nyong'o a lot. The reason why I am a bit concerned is that I have been in Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'-Nyong'o’s county as the Senate Majority Leader. Therefore, when people start talking about the Jubilee people who only think about where they come from and where they got votes, I wonder which world they live in. I am sure that the Senate Minority Leader has not been to Tharaka-Nithi County. The last time he was there, he had gone to see if he could get five votes from some misguided people. Of course, he did not get the votes because they did not know him even before that time. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when time comes and we go to Katolo in Kisumu County where we were with Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'-Nyong'o, I will get votes. However, I The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki sat there and listened to me. I talked about the failings of the Jubilee Regime but not individuals. Are you satisfied that the Senate Majority Leader is in order to turn the Leader of the Opposition and the Senate Minority Leader across the Floor into a person to be debated? I did not mention him anywhere. When I referred to the Head of State, I said President Uhuru and his regime. I criticised them because that is my business and duty. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, is he in order to continue veering away from a Motion that has been so ably moved and seconded and turn the distinguished Senator for Bungoma County, the Leader of FORD-(K), a CORD principal and the Minority Leader in this House into a subject of debate?

I am unable to rule both of you out of order, but my advice to the Senate Majority Leader is that your time is running out and the House is waiting to hear you on the substance of the Motion.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will finish in good time. All I was saying is that President Obama represents humility, simplicity and not grandiose. You do not have to tell us who you are because we know you. You do not have to tell us all your titles because we know them already. This country must move from a leadership that sees the public as fodder to a situation where leaders are humble enough, like President Barrack Obama.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. With a lot of humility, I have sat here and listened to your directions to the Senate Minority Leader not to veer off the substance. Would it be in order to request that you also firmly, kindly and humbly guide the Senate Majority Leader, the same way you guided the Senate Minority Leader?

Actually, I was guiding the Senate Majority Leader. I told him very clearly that his time is running out and the country and House is waiting to hear him on President Obama’s visit. Meanwhile, when he was delving into that matter, you interrupted. So, let us give him a hearing. Because of constraints of time and I see many requests and the subject is important, I request the Senators that we minimize the interruptions, but also let us reduce the provocations. If you can follow what Sen. Orengo did, I think it will be very good.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. President Obama represents simplicity and the possibility of a simple and sophisticated person without a lot of good history to become a great person. I think that is The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to contribute to this important Motion. As a Kenyan, I am excited. For the first time in the history of this nation, a sitting President of the most powerful country on planet earth is visiting our country. However, that is not the only point for the excitement. I am excited because this visit is heavily laden with a lot of beneficial and important agenda for our country. We, as a nation, must feel proud to host this important person. Let it not be lost to us. Sometimes we have to pat ourselves on the back. As a nation, a people, we are proud to have produced the most powerful person on planet earth, as at now, being the President of the United States of America (USA). I recognise and appreciate the people of Luo Nyanza, Siaya County and especially the people of Kogelo Village and Mr. Barrack Obama Snr for his efforts of producing the President of the USA.

Sen. Orengo and Sen. Wetangula, Sen. Ongoro shall be heard in silence. However, the House is allowed to wonder about his efforts.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the House is allowed to wonder about the efforts that I make reference to. These intelligent men and women will make good my statement and translate it whichever way. As a nation and even at the individual level, Mr. Obama’s life teaches us that humble beginnings cannot be an excuse to anybody. In addition, it teaches us that we live in a world of possibilities. It teaches me that life’s challenges can be anything if you want to look to them as problems or as platforms to the next level. This is what President Obama has taught us: That with focus, intelligence, strategy, integrity and hard work, there are no limits to anybody. Mr. Temporary Speaker, sir, we, as leaders, must consider that in positions of leadership, we must leave a legacy. We have seen his efforts with Obamacare. Some good leaders will fight very hard and overcome every challenge just to ensure that the less fortunate in their communities are well taken care of. I have several expectations from his visit. I believe that his visit at that institutional level between the two countries should give particular interventions. One is that the institutions of governance in our country should be strengthened. We should depart from a legacy of dependence to a legacy of independence by insisting that the only The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Proceed, Sen. G.G. Kariuki. Hon. Senators, because of the interest, I would like to reduce the time to 10 minutes.

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

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, first, I congratulate my friend, Sen. Orengo, whom we have worked with for quite some time. I know him very well. Sometimes he is so genuine. For instance, the statement he made today was very good. He behaved like a statesman.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I thank you for allowing me to make a statement on the visit of the President of the USA. Madam Temporary Speaker, first of all, I want to congratulate those who made an effort including the President of the United States of American (USA) for agreeing to come to Kenya to see how far we have gone since he was here last as a Senator. His coming here did not just happen like some of us want to believe and to tell us that it happened because he was coming home. The President of USA is a President of the whole world and he is leading a strong nation. Before I say what I want to say, I sometimes find it difficult when we have a visitor like the USA President and we start arguing about our problems. He is not coming here to manage us. He is coming to help us appreciate what happens when a nation is run properly, has good leadership and believes in the rule of law and democracy. This is what may have attracted his coming because it did not just happen. You cannot invite a friend to your house and you and your husband start to talk about what he should have done or what you should have done. When a visitor comes, we listen to what he says, we let him go back and we remain with our own problems. We should learn something from him. If we do not, we should stay with our dumbness. That is how the world is. Madam Temporary Speaker, I think we need to mature. President Obama is not coming to where is father was born. I worked with his father. He was a specialist in economics and we engaged him to do write-ups on economic matters. I was personally his vice Chairman and Ole Tipis was the Chairman. So, I know President Obama’s father very well. These are things that one should keep with himself. One should not be talking about how they have worked with so-and-so. I do not know who they want to tell and what they will get out of it. They can tell somebody who was not born here. Madam Temporary Speaker, we must look beyond our borders. The President of the USA has seen beyond our trivial problems of whether the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) did a good job or not. He is coming here because he is concerned about world peace. He would like to see a peaceful world and that is the work of the USA. In that peaceful world, where will the USA and Kenya be? He has Kenyan roots and he cannot forget Kenya. When he is here, he does not think that he came from The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Senator, there is an intervention. Take your seat.

Madam Temporary Speaker, the hon. Senator alluded to some of us Senators using “our big mouths” the way we discuss issues when we know very little and those Americans know better. Is he in order to say so, when the same Americans and the same Johnnie Carson he is talking about, a few days ago, wrote a strong article criticizing the manner in which this Government is handling security and terrorism? It is not the Senators who have a problem; it is the Executive who have a problem because they do not listen to their Senators.

Madam Temporary Speaker, my friend was not here when the Motion was being moved, so he may not understand what transpired here.

Senator, he has made specific reference to a word that you have used. I remember very well that you have used the word “big mouths’. Could you clarify, substantiate or withdraw that remark?

Madam Temporary Speaker, there is no way I could have mentioned---

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is a rider to what Sen. Billow has said. The distinguished Senator also used the words that ‘someone was saying’. We do not have someone in this House. We have hon. Senators.

Sen. G.G Kariuki, you have to make a specific reference to a specific Senator so that we know whom you are making reference to. To the earlier issue, it is unparliamentarily to use the words ‘Senators using big mouths’. Could you withdraw that and proceed?

Madam Temporary Speaker, if you have to measure the width of the mouth--- The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Order, Senator. You are out of order. Withdraw the words “big mouths and childish”, and proceed.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I apologize if I have offended anyone who is here because my intention was not to offend anyone.

Now that you have withdrawn. Proceed.

Madam Temporary Speaker, the last African country that President Obama visited was Tanzania.

You have one minute.

Only one minute? That is okay. When he last came to Africa, he went to Tanzania. There was a big problem here because Kenyans were asking themselves why he was not ready to step on Kenyan soil. The Senate needs to understand the reason why President Obama is coming to Kenya. This is because he is not coming here by accident. With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Please, proceed, Sen. Murkomen and please keep time.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I congratulate Sen. Orengo - and I am on record having said that he is one of my mentors - for bringing and thinking through such a very important Motion. Sen. Orengo has done a very good job because President Obama is a man I have respected even before he became a President. I read about him when he was a Senator. I was in Washington DC as a student at the American University when he was preparing to be President. I kept praying for him. In the discussion, whether it was in the Woodrow Wilson Institute, Cato Institute or Meridian Institute, I attended many discussions where the debate was that there was a new star in America. The discussion at that time was very lively because there was no focus about race. However, with my “Kenyaness,” I was worried that even though he was a very good presidential candidate, just like we do here in Africa and our country, maybe the fact that he comes from the black race, would deny him the chance to be the president. I was elated when I came back to Kenya and Sen. Obama then, now President Obama, had against all odds become the President of the United States of America. Madam Temporary Speaker, he is one man that you can learn very many things from, including the fact that you can believe in yourself and that your humble roots cannot deny you the dreams that you have for yourself, family or country. I am, therefore, excited as we debate in this House about his coming. I agree with Sen. G.G. Kariuki, even though I do not agree with the language he used, that we must focus on the big things and not the small things. I have heard the debate about whether or not President Obama will greet the Deputy President. Honestly, what is it about the greeting? Is it just because of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue? President Obama had already greeted President Uhuru in August last year before the ICC even came to an end. Therefore, those are issues which are not even supposed to be debated. Would President Obama come and sit with the Deputy President aside from the President? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Sen. Murkomen, the word “professor” has raised a lot of issues with the Senators. Can you clarify that? Were you a professor or a lecturer?

I have said very clearly that I used to teach International Trade and Investment Law. Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'- Nyong'o is seated here and can attest that unlike Kenya, all my lecturers that taught me in America, including Obama when he used to teach, once you have your PhD, you do not have to go and study again for professorship. However, in Kenya, you have to go formally through the process of doing a PhD. I do not want to dwell on that. One of the things that the African countries must do is to remove the mentality in our minds that we must move everywhere when we meet sovereign nations with begging bowls. It must be an opportunity for us to exchange what we have with the USA and take what they have. This is the great opportunity that we will have on Saturday when entrepreneurs meet at the Global Summit. It will be a great opportunity for us to export our goods to the USA and for the investors to come here and invest in the large-scale and small-scale industries. It is also another great opportunity for us to discuss how we can improve on the already existing trade agreements, including African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which I must confess here that in my stay in Washington DC, I had an opportunity to go and lobby before the Senate Committee on Foreign Trade for the extension of AGOA to 2015 and it is now going for further extension. Madam Temporary Speaker, it is therefore important for us to imagine and think beyond petty things. We should think about how to improve our trade, investment and opportunities for us to fight terrorism. I was shocked to watch the CNN reporting that President Obama is visiting the hotbed of terrorism. Our country has been misrepresented The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Your time is up, Senator!

Madam Temporary Speaker, I support.

Madam Temporary Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity. I have listened to what has been said before by my colleagues. Kenyans have The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker. You have heard the serious allegation by the Senator for Machakos County that State House which is the Office of the President of the Republic of Kenya has been put under the management and the running of Americans. The people who work there are not just the ones who make tea; there are Principal Secretaries (PSs) and other Government officers. Is he in order to suggest that the running of State House has been taken over by American workers? Can he substantiate or withdraw?

Sen. Muthama, you could actually cause quite a scare - because we are a sovereign nation - to tell us that our State House has been taken over.

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is being reported in the news that roads will be closed. Street beggars have been collected and taken away. Nobody knows where they are now. It is not just a single item. It is very clear that from tomorrow, no flight will be allowed to take off or land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker. Every country has problems on their roads when there are visitors. That is not important. However, the Member must substantiate or withdraw the allegations that State House has been taken over by Americans. This is a serious matter. He cannot say, on one, hand that we are handing over our sovereignty and then make allegations without any substantiation. He must substantiate or withdraw.

Sen. Muthama, it would be in order for you to substantiate that point. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, that is in the public domain. He is challenging the obvious.

Sen. Muthama, are you actually telling us that as we sit here, our State House has been taken over? Kindly substantiate the words, “taken over by the Americans”.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I said “the management of” State House has been taken over and not “State House has been taken over”. I am talking about the management: the operations. It is in the public domain and Sen. Billow is denying the obvious. No flights will take off ---

Madam Temporary Speaker, please, protect me. I would like to use my time.

Order, Senators! Let us allow him to conclude.

Madam Temporary Speaker, no flights will be allowed to take off or land at JKIA or Wilson Airport. These are losses to our country. If roads are closed from tomorrow to Sunday, you can count the losses that the country will incur. You may deny it, but that is the naked truth. Mikokoteni pushers on the roads will not be in business. I hope when President Obama leaves this country, he will leave behind a huge cheque to compensate Kenyans who will suffer losses in these three days. If president Obama is coming here to put a stamp on what the Government of Kenya is doing by sending our armed forces to Somalia to fight on behalf of Americans, then we have lost it. Our soldiers in Somalia are not there to defend the territories of this country, but to defend and serve the interests of the Americans. Americans went there but they were defeated, killed and they ran away. However, Kenya is keeping her soldiers there while people in Sen. Billow’s county are suffering. Those are the results of the actions of your Government; to serve Americans instead of Kenyans. Madam Temporary Speaker, Kenya is a free country. We shed blood to liberate it. We can only deal with Americans with great respect. Even with his visit, Kenyans must be allowed to move on with their daily lives and generate their income. I respect this son of Kenya; however, he must come and make the lives of Kenyans better. If Kenyans try to imagine the gains that we have attained, it is on record that President Obama said that there will be consequences with the choices that Kenyans make in leadership. One Senator said here that one of the consequences could be whether he is going to greet the Deputy President. That was a casual statement and whether he greets the Deputy President or not, Kenya is not going to change. Things will remain the same. It is wrong for someone to come here and try to make that a big issue, because Kenya is an independent country and we deserve respect come what may. Whether we are poor, beggars or not, we beg those who can give us but we do not want to beg those who ask us to send our children to Somalia to be killed for us to be friends. I know for sure that if it was not for our soldiers in Somalia, President Obama would not be in this country. I hope President Obama will leave behind some compensation for Kenyans who have been killed in defence of American lives. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I would like to take this time to thank Sen. Orengo for bringing this important Motion and for the way he moved it and articulated issues with regard to the visit by the President of America. I think this is also a very important week for us as a country. We also had the First Ladies of Africa coming for a conference which was discussing issues to do with health; Stop Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer in Africa. I think this is just a culmination this week with President Obama visiting Kenya. I would like to disagree with Sen. Wetangula that the Jubilee Government does not have a foreign policy. It is important to appreciate the work the CS for Foreign Affairs has been doing. We have seen it in various fronts. It is also important because it has also created a good opportunity to spruce up the Nairobi City. We have seen a lot of work going on. We have even seen grass having to grow in three days. Most importantly, this has given Kenyans time to humour ourselves about all the development that we would love to see especially with regard to development of our capital city. We hope that this development will continue even after President Obama leaves our country. We should make it a habit, culture and norm to keep our cities and towns clean. We should do the refurbishment and maintenance more often. Those who are charged with that responsibility should do it as an everyday thing so that grass does not have to grow in three days. Madam Temporary Speaker, I also would like to say that this is a great opportunity for us as a country because the wait was worthwhile. We are going to wait for what the bilateral talks are going to bring out – the goodies he has – but also more importantly, the summit which is going on – The Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES). This is coming at a time when the Jubilee Government has given opportunity to young people, women and people with disability to open up. There is the 30 per cent of procurement in every Government institution being given to these groups. We have also seen the Uwezo Fund and the Youth Enterprise Fund. I think it is a great time for our young people who are the hub of innovation to interact with the businessmen who will be coming with President Obama. I hope that as a country, we will take stock of what we can do to continue to advance and to promote entrepreneurship among our people in terms of education and curricular so that we can bring out people who are innovative and can be employers because we know the challenge of unemployment in our country. It would also be important to consider issues of corruption which have been a bottleneck for young people and everyone who would like to do business. There is the red tape for people who would like to do business and to go into entrepreneurship. I think it is time for us to take stock of all these matters so that we can grow our economy and provide opportunities for the young people engaged in entrepreneurship. Madam Temporary Speaker, it has been stated and I cannot even belabor it, that we are facing great challenges of insecurity as a nation. This is time to take stock as a country on issues of insecurity which we all agree - especially with regard to terrorism - that it is a global issue. We have to look at it in the context of a nation. How do we handle it and ensure that normalcy is restored in parts of this country like the northern region? It is unfortunate that there are schools which are still closed and I know that it The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I rise to support this Motion. In so doing, I welcome President Obama. I thank him because of what he represents. To some of us who believe in the Bible, that all men were created equal, we thank President The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Colleagues, you will make your contributions. I have just provoked your imagination with my contribution. Madam Temporary Speaker, it will be a big privilege for only a few Kenyans to talk to the USA President. I beg all the people – right from the President of the Republic of Kenya and whoever else will have an opportunity – to tell the President of the centre of commerce in the world, hon. Obama, the truth. We must tell him the truth that our problem is terrorism. We must remind him that on Monday, he sat with President Buhari of Nigeria and gave him about US$503 million to help him face the challenge of the Boko Haram. We should request him to remember that terrorism in this country has cost us a lot; both in life and property. Madam Temporary Speaker, they must tell him the truth; that our troops must leave Somalia. Our troops are, today, in Somalia against the Geneva Convention that provides that a country that shares the same border with another country cannot The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Take your seat, Senator. There is an intervention.

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker. Could Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale substantiate his statement because there are 19 CSs who are not in the House to defend themselves? He cannot claim that among them, there are those who are thieves without substantiating his statement. This is not fair to those who are not in the House to defend themselves. Could he substantiate or withdraw that kind of unparliamentary language on public servants?

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is the practice and tradition of this House that a Member cannot substantiate a matter which is already in the HANSARD. In the Parliamentary HANSARD of a joint sitting in June, President Uhuru tabled a list of shame and named his own CSs. How sorry we are that he did not include Ms. Ann Waiguru and the Deputy President because they are also involved in corruption.

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker. Sen. Khalwale cannot be allowed to continue saying things which he cannot substantiate. The President did not bring names of thieves. You better change your language. What he brought was names of officers who were told to step aside so that investigations could be done.

What is out of order? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Is he in order to continue using unparliamentary terminology here and accusing people who are not present in this House to defend themselves?

Proceed, Sen. Khalwale.

Madam Temporary Speaker, the thieves in this Government are responsible for the deaths of our children and pregnant women because of lack of essential drugs.

So what?

Even if you say “so what,” our children are dying. Since you are rich, you do not know how---

(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker. For how long will Kenyans be treated to this kind of charade? It is highly irresponsible, and in my view, out of order for a Senator of good standing like Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale; a highly educated Kenyan and medical doctor to stand here and tell Kenyans about some purported thieves in Government, while he knows that the Opposition Chief Whip and the Mover of this Motion was in that list. I request that you demand an apology and withdrawal.

What is it, Sen. Muthama?

Madam Temporary Speaker, the Senate Majority Leader says that I am one of those who were in the list. I never denied that. I am ready to go to court. What we are talking about here is the confession by the Head of State of this country; that his own office is filled with thieves.

Order, Senators! Sen. Khalwale, can you conclude, so that I can give other Senators time to also contribute?

Madam Temporary Speaker, we must tell the President the truth; that these so-called travel advisories by the western world are hurting our tourism. We must tell President Obama that when the Twin Towers was hit, the world did not move to ask the people of the world to deny America the billions of dollars they get out of tourism. We must tell President Obama that we want more and more business opportunities. We do not want aid from the United States of America. Madam Temporary Speaker, because of the many interruptions, please allow me just two minutes.

Please, conclude.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. This is the only way we are going to prevent our Kenya shilling from sliding further to the standards that we have in Zimbabwe. This is the only way we are going to save the sugar industry, including Mumias Sugar Company and Nzoia Sugar Company. I beg to support and thank you for the two extra seconds that you have given me.

Asante sana, Bi. Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa nafasi hii niungane pamoja na wenzangu kuunga mkono Hoja iliyoletwa na Sen. Orengo---

Order, Senator! Bearing in mind that it is 10 minutes past six and we still have Senators who would like to speak, I would like everybody to have an opportunity to speak; I order that we reduce the time from 10 minutes to three minutes. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Asante, Bi. Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa nafasi hii niunge mkono Hoja hii iliyoletwa na Sen. Orengo. Imekuja wakati unaostahili. Anayekuja hapa si Rais wa kawaida; ni Rais wa taifa lenye ushawishi mwingi katika ulimwengu, Taifa la Amerika. Tukijaribu kufananisha Rais wa Amerika na rais yeyote huko Uropa, Asia au Afrika, tunajidanganya. Rais wa Amerika ni wa kipekee. Ni mtu ambaye anatawala dunia nzima. Anaongoza dunia nzima kuleta amani na biashara. Tunatarajia mengi kutoka kwa mtoto wetu. Zaidi ya hayo, huyu anayekuja si tu Rais wa Taifa la Amerika bali wazazi wake wanatoka hapa Kenya. Tunatarajia mema atakayetuletea, akikumbuka kwamba wazazi wake wanatoka sehemu hii ya Afrika. Ninatambua juhudi zake za kuleta mambo mengi ili kusaidia mataifa ya Kiafrika. Zaidi ni kwamba Taifa la Amerika ni taifa linalozingatia vipengee vya Katiba. Kama hawangetegemea hiyo, Rais Obama hangekuwa Rais wa taifa hilo la Marekani. Yeye ni Rais wa 44 wa Marekani. Ni Rais ambaye wazazi wake wametoka Kenya. Marais wengine 43 wana asili ya Uingereza na Ireland Kusini. Wengine ni Wakotoliki, na wengine ni Protestanti lakini yeye wazazi wake ni Waislamu. Hilo ni dhihirisho kwamba Maerikani ni taifa kubwa ulimwenguni. Ningependa pia kumjibu Kiongozi wa Wachache katika Seneti aliyesema kwamba Jubilee haijawaangalia watu wa Kaunti ya Lamu. Ninamkumbusha ya kwamba Katibu wa Kudumu katika Wizara ya Ardhi na Balozi wa Kuwait wanatoka Lamu. Pia, nachukua fursa hii kumpongeza Waziri wa Maswala ya Kigeni na Biashara ambaye kwa juhudi anayofanya kuleta uhusiano bora katika mataifa yote ya ulimwengu. Kwa hayo machache, naunga mkono.

Proceed, Sen. Muriuki. It seems he is out of the Chamber. Proceed, Sen. M. Kajwang.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I would have done a disservice to the people of Homa Bay if I did not comment on this Motion. There is a place called Kanyadhiang in Karachuonyo in Homa Bay County. This place lays claim to the Obama Family. Therefore, I take this opportunity to inform my brother and senior, Senator for Siaya, that the original root of the Obama Family is in Kanyadhiang in Karachuonyo. They just have relatives in Siaya. They are squatters in the United States of America (USA). Sen. G.G. Kariuki said that it does not matter. However, in our culture, we take it seriously. Ancestry and relations are things that cannot just be blown away by the wind. I welcome President Obama and congratulate him for the great things that he has done globally. The lesson we learn out of this visit is that we do not need to own land the size of a province or the size of a school playground to be a leader or a great person. It is the humility and the little things we do that make us great. The Bible in the beatitudes says that blessed are the poor for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. You do not need to rely on the tyranny of numbers. You can be a minority and come from a nondescript community but still ascend to the highest level. The Bible also says that blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. I want to welcome President Obama again and call on our colleagues that when visitors come, we withdraw our dirty linen; we welcome the visitors and make them feel at home. When they leave, we can continue with our battles. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I would like to congratulate my dear friend, Sen. Orengo, for bringing this very important Motion to the House. Having said that, I enjoyed the distinct privilege of having known Senior Obama personally unlike Sen. G.G Kariuki. In fact, one time, I was his driver in this City of Nairobi. I have a lot of memories about the father. He was as erudite as the son. I remember he wrote a very important article in The East African Journal criticizing Sessional Paper No.10 and its application to planning in Kenya. In fact, that essay in The East African Journal is what got him in trouble with his employers if you do not know. It still stands out as a very important critic and analysis of the political economy of this country. If you read his son’s ‘The Audacity of Hope’, some of the issues handled in that essay remerged in his son’s book, Madam Temporary Speaker, I hope you will give me more time because I have a lot to say. I have also known President Obama personally. The first time I met him was in Chicago, my alma mater. Having a common friend who I was with in graduate school and graduated with - We had tea together in 1996, after he had lost an attempt to get into Illinois Congress. He was a very humble young man and we talked about a lot of things. Subsequently, I met him in Nairobi when he came as a Senator. What strikes me about President Obama is his singular ability to look into the future, not just of his own career but the future of mankind and the people of America. There are so many things that he thought of before he came into the political limelight which has helped him shape the destiny of that nation. Madam Temporary Speaker, lastly, when the leaders are going to meet President Obama, there is one thing I think they should talk about and that is the Africa Power Institute, the initiative that President Obama has had to enhance energy production and use in Africa. The USA has dedicated $20 billion for this effort, for the production, the transmission and the consumption of energy in Africa emphasizing on green energy and getting away from energies like coal and so on. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'- Nyong’o, I have allowed you to conclude.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I think that it is so important that part of this money is used on our environment, particularly, soil and water resources, apart from forestry. Finally, the grapevine has it that I am going to meet the President and I am very happy about that. I hope that I will get the opportunity to convey some of your greetings to him. Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I also thank the Mover of this Motion, Sen. Orengo. I take this opportunity to welcome President Obama to this country. I am so happy that he is coming at a time when I am a Senator. That reminds me about the history of his life which I compare to mine. It reminds me that it does not matter who you are, where you were born, what you look like and what you have gone through; God has good plans for each and everyone. For those reasons, I am so happy that I will be meeting him on behalf of people with disabilities. Like my colleagues have said, as we welcome him, we should not make Kenyans suffer. We should live our life the way we have been doing. He should see the way we struggle with traffic jams in Nairobi. We should not hide our suffering. This is our country and what we are going through should not be hidden simply because a visitor is coming. If I had the powers, I could have ordered that all roads should be accessible to all people, so that we do not make people suffer or stay in their houses, simply because the President of the USA is coming to visit Kenya. I would like to finish by saying that Kenyans are suffering because of corruption and the leadership in this country. We cannot pretend that people are not suffering. The common Kenyan is suffering because of poor health services and economic hardship. We must talk about this. I have no apologies as a person or a Senator to say that there is corruption in this country and it is killing the economy.

Your time is up.

Asante sana Bi. Spika wa Muda. Namshukuru Sen. Orengo kwa kuleta Hoja hii. Mgeni njoo mwenyeji apone. Naomba kumkaribisha ndugu Obama hapa Kenya. Rais Obama ni kaka yetu na pia Rais wa Marekani. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I also want to associate myself with this Motion. This gentleman inspired many people in the world when he came into office in 2008. However, whether it is due to domestic problems or not, he has ignored his territory of Africa. In 2009, when he went to Egypt and Ghana, he promised to go for true partnership with Africa particularly in terms of trade and investment. When Mr. Bill Clinton was the President, he looked after countries which were his roots like Ireland. He actually spent time to ensure that that country secured peace. I think President Obama should not have come later in the day. Madam Temporary Speaker, let me say two things. One is with regard to his meeting with the Government. Of course, the days when America used to tell people a lot of things in Africa are gone. Nonetheless, I think it is important that he emphasizes on the issue of security particularly on how to deal with terrorism because the biggest challenge of this country is failing to learn from people who have spent time and energy in dealing with this matter. I particularly want President Obama to advise Kenya – the advice read to the media recently by Johnnie Carson and Mr. Bellamy, the former Ambassador here – on how to deal with communities in those areas. He should advise on how to avoid punishing communities collectively – extra judicial killings, arrests, disappearances and the kind of treatment of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that we see of Haki Africa and others. I think these are issues that they need to explain. They will in the long term only create resentment and more opportunities for terrorism. It is important to address issues of inequalities in terms of development and education in addressing these problems that we have. I expect him to address that. Lastly, Madam Temporary Speaker, this country expects that they will discuss with President Obama trade, infrastructure, health and other serious issues. This is the hub of not only East Africa but Sub-Saharan Africa. I think it is important that they send out a message. Americans have always concentrated on capacity building and The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I rise to support this Motion. I am one of the few Kenyans who know President Obama personally having spent one year with him in 1990/91when we both studied at Harvard Law School. He is a very bright person and we studied courses related to reinvention of democracy, human rights and international law. I spent time taking tea with President Obama and he was very concerned and took a lot of interest about the happenings in Kenya at that time. That was the time of the clamor for multi-partism. There is a lot of hullaballoo in this country about the coming of President Obama. He is not a Kenyan but an American of Kenyan origin and he is coming here as an American President to promote America’s vital interests abroad. They are three at the moment. One is economic interest – promoting American trade and investment in the world. Two, he is coming to fight terrorism. The war against terror is also part of the American vital interest. Three is to expand the frontiers of democracy. Do not be surprised if he talks about gay rights because that is part of the agenda. In fact, they call it promotion of democracy abroad. Madam Temporary Speaker, those Kenyans who live in mud and grass thatched houses and who think that they will now live in a stone house because President Obama has come are wrong. Kenyan goats are not going to produce twins because President Obama has arrived. For a long time, the American foreign policy has caused a lot of suffering and poverty in this continent. Do not forget about the Structural AdjustmentProgrammes (SAPs) which reduced public spending by governments especially on vulnerable groups in the 1980s. We should not forget that the American foreign policy has focused more on values than on economic development and infrastructure of Africa. I do not remember a road in this country which was constructed by USA. Neither do I remember water projects which have been done by Americans. They have been left to Japan and China. Now that he has come to Kenya, fetched water in Kogelo and knows the problems of Kenyans, time has come for the American foreign policy towards Kenya to shift so that we do not merely focus on the lectures that they give us on democracy and corruption. They have lectured us for ten years and more, some of us have also gone to school with them and we know those things. Surely, even foolish people, after being taught for 10 years, should have learnt. Madam Temporary Speaker, let them come with new things. We would like more focus to be on economic transformation of this country. However much we preach to hungry Kenyans, they will never become democratic. The boys will still follow people with their little money and even kill opponents during campaigns. Let us promote the economy, do infrastructure and appeal to President Obama to shift the American foreign policy towards this country.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I also rise and thank the Mover of the Motion. I thank President Obama for finding time to come to our country for a State The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I join my colleagues in congratulating Sen. Orengo for bringing this timely Motion, when we are about to have a visitor in town. This is a historic matter in the sense that for the very first time, a sitting President of the United States of America (USA) is coming to Kenya. We have even seen types of helicopters that have not been seen in Kenya before. Even the Kenya shilling has strengthened today by about Kshs3. We hope that as a result of the visit by President Obama, there will be an impact on the economy, even though the traffic on our roads will be affected. Madam Temporary Speaker, we need to learn lessons from this visit. One of the lessons is that Kenya has 54 political parties spread in the county assemblies, National Assembly and the Senate, while in America they have less than four political parties. No wonder, President Obama, who comes from a minority, could become President. If there were many political parties in the USA, he would have not have been President. This is a lesson that Kenyans must learn. We need to reduce our political parties to two or three, so that when one vies, he is seen as a member of a political party. We will also learn a lot from the technology that they will bring. For example, now the whole world is focusing on us because of this visit. We thought that the CNN knew where Kenya is. They are referring to Kenya as the “hotbed of terror”. This means that they do not know where Kenya is. For the very first time, all media Houses are The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

I am standing up to invite you to reply. I am wondering why the orderlies are all over. We are not adjourning yet. The Mover has not yet replied. I call upon the Mover to reply.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I thank everybody who has contributed to this Motion. The only thing I regret was the sideshows. I hoped that at the end, if this debate was held in the manner that it should, one could even have taken a transcript of the HANSARD and presented it to the Government of the USA or the authorities there to show what Senate said on the occasion of the visit by the President of the USA. The views of Sen. Murungi were very valid comments about American foreign policy on this part of the world. President Obama has been described as a transformational President. I am so happy that he is being considered among the great Presidents of the last century. There are only two names that come up whenever this question comes up for debate; that of Roosevelt who was the President for more three terms, and that of President Reagan. As a son of a man from Kenya, this is something to be proud about. Finally, at the end of the day, Kenya will remain to resolve its own problems. President Obama will not come here with the magic wand. It is left to us. Whatever we say about each other, we need not be overly sensitive. For example, when we were talking about the list of shame here, as politicians, let us not be sensitive. There is a great politician from Zimbabwe who used to tell me that when you are in politics, be prepared to be embarrassed. If you are not prepared to be embarrassed, get out of politics because people will continue to embarrass you. People like President Obama have gone through that process when some people said that he was not born in America which is not true. Therefore, as we are left to deal with Kenyan problems, my plea is that we, as Kenyans, must learn how to have a conversation together. I am sure if the leadership is talking together about common problems, for example, Sen. Billow has been raising about the security issues in north eastern. I would be happy one day to see the President meet with the leaders of the Opposition. This is a problem that we must resolve together. Nobody will come from Mars to resolve these issues. We should be mature in the way we practice our politics. The other day, in the USA, the Congress invited the Prime Minister of Israel against the wishes of the administration. It caused some waves, but at the end of the day, they said that America is a free nation. Let the Prime Minister come and say what he wants. He had a lot of criticism against the Obama Administration. At the end of the day, let us not be afraid to point out our mistakes to each other. Let us not be afraid to say The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.

Hon. Senators, it is now time to adjourn the business of the Senate. The Senate stands adjourned until Tuesday, 28th July, 2015 at 2.30 p.m. The Senate rose at 6.47 p.m. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate.