Hon. Senators, I would like to acknowledge the presence, in the Speaker’s Gallery this afternoon, of a visiting delegation of potato and barley farmers from Entontol Melil Ward, Narok North Constituency, Narok County. They are in the Senate on the invitation of the Senator for Narok County, Sen. Olekina. I request each member of the delegation to stand, when called out, so that you may be acknowledged in the Senate tradition. They are- (1) Ben Ntemen (2) Dan Dapash (3) Nkoiboo Nkoitiko (4) Peter Kelele (5) Tubula Ngoshosa Dapash (6) David Sururu Hon. Senators, on behalf of the Senate and my own behalf, I welcome the delegation to the Senate and wish them well for the remainder of the visit. I thank you.

Sen. Wambua, please, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to join you in welcoming to the Senate a delegation from Narok North Constituency. I understand from your Communication that they are potato and barley farmers. There are some jurisdictions in this world where a farmer is like a king because farmers are respected and taken good care of.

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In my interaction with the Senator for Narok County, I have heard him many times, because I sit in the Standing Committee of Roads and Transportation, pushing our Committee to ensure that there is proper road network in the farms around Narok North for purposes of ensuring that their barley and potatoes can be taken to the markets without much difficulty. However, that is yet to happen. I believe that in the next dispensation, somebody will make sure that those roads are done because, as I speak, there are a lot of potatoes in Narok North, but people are starving in most parts of the country. We need to find away of connecting the farmers with the consumers and ensure that the work of representatives of farmers from Narok does not go to waste. Lastly, having served with Sen. Olekina, at times we take different positions on matters because we believe in proper representation. I have no doubt in my mind that in Sen. Olekina, the people of Narok have the right representative in the Senate. Therefore, I would like to ask the visiting delegation to pass this message to the people of Narok, to make sure that they re-elect this able Senator who has been very firm even in defending the Maasai culture.

As you can see, even now, he is donning a Maasai attire to ensure that you bring him here to continue serving you and representing your interests. I welcome the delegation.

Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve, please, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. I join you in welcoming the delegation from Narok County. This delegation must be aware that they have a champion in the House in the name of Sen. Olekina. Anytime issues are brought on the Floor of this House, Sen. Olekina ensures that he is also asking a take for Narok County. He has been keen to ensure that money goes to the counties. He is never embarrassed of his people. He is so proud of his own. In the House, you can see that he represents the Maasai community. There is no question about it because non-verbal communication speaks more than words do. I hope that the people of Narok County will give him the desire of his heart, of representing them once more in this House. Sen. Olekina is also a strong champion of Azimio La Umoja . He is one person who is solid and reliable. I hope that they will give him a chance to continue being as solid as he is for the sake of the development of Narok County.

Sen. Poghisio, please, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I join you and the Senators in welcoming the delegation from Narok North Constituency and all the other delegations that are here. A lot has been said about the representation here in the House. I am sure that the whole House agrees with the fact that Sen. Olekina has done a splendid job, not only by representing the Maasai community, but also all the people who are disadvantaged. He has taken firm stand and solid positions, for example, the issue of Mau forest and other things. This is not because he is here. This is the last chance for us to say something about your representative here. He represents the Maasai community all over, and I thank him.

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I would like them to know that they are probably going to be in the annals of history as the last guests to this House as it is now constituted. They have come on a day when we are adjourning Sine Die . Therefore, it would be very interesting for them to say they were the last guests to be in the Senate of the 12th Parliament. I do not know about all the others who have come. You are all welcome to the Senate. I know that sometimes when you come to the Senate, you might have an appetite to come and sit in here. That is your own progress. I wish you well. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for the tradition that we have of welcoming our guests. It has been unique to the Senate. We have had the privilege of being the ones welcoming most members and explaining to them the role of the Senate, and why it is important for them to support the Senate. This is where devolution lives, thrives and breathes. Therefore, those of you who go out there, speak well of our Senate. Thank you.

Sen. Omogeni, please, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I join you and Sen. Olekina in welcoming our visitors from Narok North Constituency. Some of us who are neighbours of Narok County know that the best potatoes come from Narok North Constituency. Therefore, when we see these farmers here, we know that they contribute a lot to our food basket and the food security of our country, which is very commendable. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as you know, more than 70 per cent of our rural population depends on agriculture. They contribute 33 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Therefore, these are important people to our economy. I thank Sen. Olekina for making the initiative of inviting these farmers to the Senate. I want you to go back with a message to the people of Narok County that we value and respect your Senator. He has been very active on the Floor. I hope that when you decide to vote on 9th August, 2022, you will consider re-electing Sen. Olekina. Mr. Speaker, Sir, while our friends, the farmers from Narok North Constituency are here, it is also good to say that as a Government, we need to work hard to ensure that we have good infrastructure for our rural population. I know that Narok North Constituency has poor road network. Therefore, Sen. Olekina, I hope that when the ‘Fifth’ becomes the President, you will fight hard so that Narok gets a good improved road network. I have seen how good road network benefits farmers and their businesses. Just by getting a tarmac road from one of my constituencies in Borabu, from Tinderet, Metamaywa, Mecheo to Nyansiongo, we are now able to move our tea easily. Tea reaches Nyansiongo Tea Factory faster than it used to. My farmers expect good returns from tea. The bonus will most likely improve this year because of having a good road network. I know that if we fix the roads, these farmers will have good returns from their potato farming. Sen. Olekina, I hope you will fight for your farmers. I hope they will also give a promise that they will re-elect you. Mr. Speaker, Sir, finally, they also need to know that they need to support a Government that promises to fight corruption. People must know that unless we tackle the disease called corruption, we will never improve the lifestyles of our people.

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Therefore, good people of Narok County, when you go back, look at the manifestos of all the parties that are seeking Presidency. I hope that you take time to read the manifesto of the Azimio La Umoja Coalition that has given a promise that it will fight corruption. Once we fight corruption, there will be a trickledown effect. It is people of Narok County and other parts of Kenya, who will have good roads. We thank you for visiting us and wish you a safe trip back to Narok County.

Sen. Kinyua, please, proceed.

Asante sana Bw. Spika kwa kunipa fursa hii. Nataka kuungana nawe kukaribisha ujumbe kutoka Narok Kaskazini; wakulima wa viazi na shayiri. Ni dhahiri shahiri kwamba ukitembelea sehemu nyingi za Kenya, hasa sehemu ambazo kuna wakulima, unapata barabara sio nzuri. Kwa hivyo, inakuwa vigumu kwao kupeleka mazao yao sokoni. Nimekuwa nikiongea na Sen. Olekina tukiwa naye kwenye Kamati ya Kawi. Alikuwa akiangazia akisema ya kwamba hakuna umeme. Hilo ni jambo ambalo limekuwa kizungumkuti pale. Kwa hivyo, vile ambavyo ningependa kuwaambia, kwa sababu wanawakilisha watu wa kutoka upande huo, ni vizuri waseme ya kwamba Seneta amekuwa akipigania mambo ya umeme iweze kupelekwa sehemu ile, kama vile ndugu yangu alivyosema kuwa amekuwa kipau mbele akipigania mambo ya barabara. Ni vizuri ijulikane ya kwamba Serikali inapaswa kuwa ikiangazia mambo ya barabara. Sio barabara pekee yake, kwa sababu ukipata kitu kama shayiri na vile vile viazi, inakuwa ni vigumu wao kupeleka sokoni. Kama kungekuwa pengine na umeme sehemu zile wangeweza hata kutengeneza

mahali ambapo wanaweza kuweka viazi vyao na wakati bei imekuwa nzuri wakaviuza. Hilo ndilo jambo linalopaswa kushughulikiwa. Tunampongeza Sen. Olekina leo kwa sababu yeye ni mmoja wa wale ambao wamesema ya kwamba utamaduni mpaka udumishwe. Yeye ni kielelezo tosha katika nchi yetu ya Kenya kwa kuzingatia utamaduni. Si utamaduni peke yake, vile vile, amekuwa akipigania haki za kabila la Wamaasai. Sisemi yeye ni mkabila, lakini anajua mahali ametoka na amekuwa akiwapigania zaidi. Nikimalizia, wakulima watafaidika Zaidi, na tunapaswa kuwainua watu ambao wanaishi maisha ya chini. Wajiunge na serikali ambayo inakuja itakayoongozwa na Mhe. William Samoei arap Ruto, kwa sababu inazingatia watu walio chini kuwainua juu. Wakulima walio chini watainuliwa; wale wote wanaoitwa “ mahustlers ”. Watu wengi Kenya ambao ni “ mahustlers ” wataweza kujimudu kimaisha. Hata wale wote ambao wanavaa nguo za mtumba wa haki kisheria katika nchi yetu ya Kenya kufanya ile biashara yao ndogo ile waweze kuinuliwa. Tukiwainua kiuchumi, itakuwa ni jambo ambalo litasaidia sana. Ninajua hata kama Sen. Olekina ako ule mrengo mwingine, yeye ana imani ya kwamba ‘ hustlers’ mpaka wainuliwe waweze kuwa watu wanaotegemewa katika nchi yetu ya Kenya. Asante sana.

Sen. Shiyonga.

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to join you in welcoming the delegation from Narok, where our able Sen. Olekina comes from. You are most welcome and feel at home.

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I encourage the delegation from Narok, who are potatoes and barley farmers, that they are in the right track. As you are aware, potato farming falls directly under agricultural crops. Agriculture is devolved. When we talk about devolution, that is the work that we do here in the Senate. We protect the counties and agriculture falls directly under us. Your Senator here does a lot to protect you as citizens of Narok. You have chosen the right leader. He is a leader I would admire if I were a citizen of Narok County. Re- elect him so that he can continue with the good work that he started. Despite the fact that every term must end, always think about what your leader has done for you. Re-elect him because he deserves it. Agriculture plays a very vital role. We are looking at agriculture employing around 40 per cent of Kenyan citizenry. Therefore, you are employers of your own people. I encourage you to continue because potatoes and barley are just part of the farm products that we encourage our citizens to plant. Even when it comes to importation, they contribute much to the economy of this country. In conclusion, farmers enjoy their products when the economy is good. We are praying that the economy of Kenya improves, especially in the agricultural sector. Feel most welcome and at home. I urge you to re-elect Sen. Olekina, so that he can come here and we continue working together.

Sen Nyamunga, please, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to join you in welcoming the delegation from Narok to this Assembly. We want to thank you very much for visiting us. Although it is the last time we are sitting, still you are welcome. I wish you had come much earlier because from the Senate you will learn a lot. Even if you are a farmer in Narok, you will also learn a lot from the Senate and your able representative, Sen. Olekina. He has been very active in issues affecting county governments. We know very well that Agriculture is the backbone of this country. Without it, we do not have anything else that we can show the world or anybody in this region. Farmers should always be supported to do their work. For example, if you are a potato farmer, it is not only farming potatoes, but you should also do value addition on that potato in order to get the maximum returns. Farmers just get the minimum because the product is bought at the farm, and there are so many middlemen. If we can work on things like industries in Narok, so that there is chain reaction from the farmer, we can own those things. We can be the middlemen and you can be the manufacturer. That is allowed. I encourage you that farming is good. We want to encourage our Senator, and hope that you are going to re-elect him again because he is a very able young and pragmatic leader that should continue to lead the people of Narok and this country from this platform. Thank you so much for visiting us and thank you, Sen. Olekina. I believe and know that these people believe in you and will give you another chance to serve them in the capacity as the Senator.

Finally, Sen. Olekina.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me begin by thanking you for your magnanimity in allowing the delegation from Narok North to sit in the Speaker’s Gallery.

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That shows a lot of humility on your part and for that, I am sure that even them, and everyone watching this proceedings, will recognize that effort. I thank all my colleagues for the kind words that they have heard this afternoon, on my part, and for welcoming these farmers from Narok and Entontol Area in Melili Ward. Melili Ward is known to be one of the leading parts of this country that produces potatoes. These famers have been facing a lot of challenges in terms of potato regulations. When you see sacks of potatoes being bought by the brokers, to be sold in Marikiti in Nairobi, one sack is about two full sacks of potatoes. The prices have always been a big challenge. It behoves as Parliament and the Senate to ensure that we protect these farmers. Agriculture is devolved and these farmers need our protection. We need to enhance the legislation to grantees maximum returns. These farmers from Melili Ward also have a challenge in terms of getting electricity connectivity in their area. If you go to Melili Ward, you will think you are living somewhere in the Bundus; somewhere away from the civilized world. There is no electricity; the place is completely dark. The Ministry of Energy should consider extending the Last Mile project into this area. This is an area where if the road network is improved, these farmers can benefit. I do not want to belabour. I just want to say to the farmers that this is a place where you can get your issues dealt with and get full representation. I hope that when you go back to Narok, you will be able to share the sentiments from my colleagues on the kind of work that we do here. Otherwise, I wish you all the best. I will come down and ensure that you also get to enjoy a meal from the Senate courtesy of yours truly, so that at least, when you go back home, you will say that the Senator was also magnanimous, following the footsteps of the Speaker, in ensuring that even you could enjoy a meal. Mr. Speaker, Sir, finally, I will use the words of my people; enaisho o kule, may you remain with blessings and walk in beauty always.

Thank you.

Thank you for your contributions. I have another Communication to make.

Asante, Bw. Spika. Kwanza, nakushukuru kwa kunipa nafasi hii ya kuweza kukuunga mkono kuwakaribisha wanafunzi kutoka maeneo ya Nakuru. Wanafunzi hawa wamekuja kujifunza, kusikia na kujionea kabisa vile mambo ya Seneti yanavyoendelea. Natumaini kuwa baada ya kuona, wataingiwa na moyo ya kwamba siku moja pia wao wana uwezo wa kuja ndani ya Seneti na kuwa Maseneta. Nina hakika kwamba wakitoka hapa leo na kwenda nyumbani, kutakua na Maseneta kadhaa ambao wametengezwa na wataingia hapa miaka mingi ijayo baada ya sisi kuondoka hapa. Bw. Spika, cha pili, nakuunga mkono kwa kuwakaribisha ndugu zetu kutoka pande zile za Narok. Hao ndugu zetu wamekuja kujionea. Hao kama viongozi kutoka huko nyumbani wameweza kujionea vile Seneti inatenda kazi. Ijapokua leo ni siku yetu ya mwisho, wamebahatika kuwa na sisi na wamejionea jinsi kazi inaendelea na vile majadiliano ya Seneti yanatendeka. La muhimu ni kwamba wanatoka eneo la mmoja wetu anayeitwa Sen. Olekina. Yeye ni Seneta wao na ni mchapakazi. Ni Seneta ambaye angefaa kuendelea na kazi, sio kuchaguliwa tena, bali kuendelea. Ndugu zangu kama viongozi, mkirudi nyumbani, muhakikishe ya kwamba Sen. Olekina anarejea hapa Seneti ndio aweze kuwatumikia. Bw. Spika, huyu Seneta ni mchapakazi na sisi tunamjua, na tunawaambia wazi kabisa ya kwamba hamkupiga sipo, bali mlipiga ndipo. Asante, Bw. Spika.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to thank you for welcoming the students from Nakuru. I met with some of the students who came to say hello to me outside Parliament. I want to encourage them to dream higher. I always believe that your dream cannot chase you. You are the only person who can chase your dream. If you believe it, you can achieve anything you set your goals to. We were once students and always continue being students. You never stop being a student. This is an opportunity for you because the Bible talks about generations. You are in a completely different generation from our generation. You are what we call now Generation Z. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is an opportunity for you to learn from the previous generations like the millennials - and I believe I fall in that category - and see the mistakes we have made, so that you do not make them. Technology is something that you must embrace, so that you can improve how you live and communicate. Most of you have smart phones; we never had smart phones. Most of you wear shoes when you go to school; we did not have shoes when we were going to school. This is an opportunity for you to dream higher. I want to end by encouraging you to chase your dreams. Remember, your dream will never chase you back. I thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to welcome the students to this Chamber. All of us were students a long time. I want to remind the students that we are who we are because of the tips we were given by leaders and teachers at that time.

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We are also who we are because we remained steadfast and focused. Being focused when you are in school and doing that which will take you far, will pay you back. I want to remind the students that we know that you were victims of COVID-19, which disrupted your studies. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I feel for this group of students because they did not get the number of years that previous students got. However, I want to remind the students that being focused at this time will take you very far. We do not want to look back at what happened. It affected all students in the whole country. We want to encourage you to go and work hard and make sure that you progress to the next level. I want to remind these students that you do not dream big when you have become big; you dream big when you are still small. If you stay focused now and dream of the future, you will reach there. When we were young girls, we told ourselves that we will reach the university and that is how we reached there. We focused and were determined to reach there. Therefore, I want to remind these students that your dreams are now when you are still in uniform; not after. When you leave secondary school and proceed to university, you should know exactly what you are going to do. On behalf of the Senators, I want to remind you, students, that the sky is the limit. When we say “the sky is the limit,” we mean that you can recreate and build yourself, if you stay focused and disciplined. I want to remind students here and all over the country that discipline takes you very far. It is not only academics, but self-discipline is very important in life. It does not pay to be destructive in the school. We have seen students destroy property in schools, and the people who suffer at the end of the day are their parents who have to pay for damage and life continues for everybody else. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we want to encourage you to remain focused and stick to your education because education is a short part of your life, but it determines what you become in the future. Therefore, if you have to take something away from this Senate, it is that you should work hard and your future will be shaped by how you handle yourself in school. Mr. Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I join you in welcoming these students and wishing them well as they go to finish their studies. I thank you.

Proceed, Sen. Kinyua.

Asante Bw. Spika. Ninajiunga na wewe kuwakaribisha wanafunzi katika Kikao hiki cha Seneti. Ningependa kuwaambia kwamba ni muhimu kuweka masomo mbele. Masomo ndio uti wa mgongo wa maendeleo katika nchi yetu ya Kenya. Viongozi wote walio hapa walitilia mkazo masomo wakati walipokuwa vijana. Huu ndio wakati wa kutengeneza maisha yenu ya usoni. Waswahili husema, udongo ufinyange ukiwa mbichi. Mkitia bidii katika masomo yenu, mtapata kile ambacho mnatazamia katika maisha ya mbeleni. Mambo mawili ya kufanya ni kutilia masomo mkazo, kisha kuwa na nidhamu pia.

Proceed, Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to welcome the students to this Senate Sitting. Having been a Professor at the University

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of Nairobi (UoN), one of the things that I learned through my scholarship is humility, politeness and obedience, as well as having an inquisitive mind. That will carry you to where you want to be in life. Always know what surrounds you, what is about you and what your friends are doing. Do not do anything that annoys your friends because that is the beginning of quarrels and trouble. Your teachers are there to guide you. You have been privileged to have free primary education. There is a promise for free primary, secondary and university education soon after the 9th August, 2022 elections. The ball is in your court. How you handle it will determine your future. You are making your future today and not tomorrow. I wish you well, and I know that you will excel in your exams and endeavours. First and foremost, obey the laws of this land. Do not be persuaded by an aorta or anybody to enter into anti-social activities. Particularly, there are some of these drugs lurking around in the society. They will retard your memory, your sharpness and intellectual ability and capability. Therefore, you need to shape yourself in a Christian way or whatever way. Stay true to the cause of scholarship.

Proceed, Sen. Shiyonga.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to join you in welcoming students from Kongoi Secondary School in Nakuru County. You are most welcome in this House, where you can learn more. I know you are in the right institution. That is why your teachers thought it wise to bring you to Parliament, where the laws and policies of this country are made. Education shapes one into a responsible person in society. For you to become responsible in society, you must have an educational background. Your teachers thought that Parliament is the right place for you to be, so that you come and see your leaders. Your leaders are here and they represent you well. It is good that you came to be here with us. For those proceeding to the next class, I wish you all the best in your exams. If you are completing your secondary school education and proceeding to the next level of education, I wish you well too. Be the best version of yourself. I know that some will come here. We shaped our lives through education and made it here. We followed exactly what our teachers told us. Teachers spend with you 75 per cent of the time, unlike your parents. Follow what your teachers tell you, and you will be the best. God bless you all.

Proceed, Sen. Charargei.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I welcome our very good students from Kongoi Secondary School in Nakuru City County. I know you are aware that Nakuru is now a City County. A number of us who come from the Rift Valley normally pass through Nakuru as we go home. Mr. Speaker, Sir, may I ask them to learn. These are our future leaders. I want them to work hard and smart in school, so that they sit here one day to legislate and represent the people across the 47 counties. I wish they came early. They may have heard or read in books about some Senators. Today, they are lucky to meet Sen. Wako, the longest-serving Attorney General

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(AG) of Kenya and the current Senator for Busia County. I know that it is an honour. Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri is also here. He is the former Minister for Education and Minister for Health. He held other dockets in Government, and was an Ambassador. Other Senators who have served this nation in other capacities include Sen. (Prof.) Kamar, who was the CS for Higher Education, Science and Technology. Sen. Wambua here was a teacher. I believe the students have spotted the only Maasai who wears traditional Maasai clothing in the Chamber, Sen. Olekina.

I hope they can see that this is a House of union, where reasoning prevails over everything. I wish them well. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Nakuru County is a unique county because it is one of the counties that has a woman Senator. Sen. Kihika has served very well as a Senator. God willing, Nakuru County might end up in the history books of Kenya – Sen. Shiyonga, Sen. Nyamunga, Sen. Kwamboka and Sen. (Dr.) Zani should listen to this – for electing women in the position of Senator and Governor; that is, Sen. Tabitha Karanja and Sen. Susan Kihika respectively. We are proud of Nakuru County and hope that you will make history. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we wish them well as they go back to their school.

Proceed, Sen. (Dr.) Langat.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for also giving me this opportunity to welcome the students from Kongoi Secondary School, Nakuru County. I welcome you to this great House, the Senate of the Republic of Kenya. This is a great place to learn a lot of history and civics. I also thank the teachers who decided, with a lot of wisdom, to bring you to this particular House, for you to learn many things. You will get an opportunity to learn a lot from the Parliament of Kenya. We have the “Lower House”, which is the National Assembly and the “Upper House,” which is the Senate. This is a very important House, on matters to do with legislation, the oversight projects of our counties and many other good functions. Therefore, I welcome the students. Chinua Achebe in ‘Things Fall Apart’ says that, “when you see the king’s mouth, you might be tempted to think that he never suckled the mother”. When you see the Senators here, you might be tempted to think that we were not students, but we were students and young like you. The difference is only a matter of time and you will be here. Students, you need to be very discipline in school and work very hard because we have seen that things have changed. People with a lot of education will be required to be in such places, so that you become very informative. Additionally, work very hard in your school and be very disciplined. We all admire Nakuru County for so many things. I am very happy because I was also a student in Nakuru County. I was in Nakuru High School in Menengai. Whenever I see students from Nakuru County, it makes me proud. I thank their teachers as well. The work that teachers are doing to this country is great. I would like to encourage you teachers to continue with the good work that you are

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doing to our children by nurturing them to become responsible members of the society in future. Although the teaching profession has a lot of challenges that we normally experience, the work that you are doing as teachers is great. Students, welcome to the Senate. When you go back to Nakuru County, work so hard in school, so that you can do well and go to the University. Study hard and make your vision realised in future. I thank you.

Proceed, Sen. Ngugi.

Thank you Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to join you in welcoming students from Kongoi Secondary School. This school is special to me because I also schooled in Rift Valley, at Boron Secondary School. This school was our sister and brother school. It is, therefore, a school that I know well. The reason I have decided to contribute to the Communication by the Chair is because I know that place very well. It is a place of hardship, but I want to assure you that having come all the way to Senate today, you can also make it in life. Do not look at what is surrounding you and do not look at your background. With focus and determination, you can be anything that you want in life. I was at Boron Secondary School, which is not as prestigious as your school, but by the grace of God, I went all the way to the University of Nairobi, and here I am. If I made it, you can also make it. All the best to all that are graduating, all the best in your endeavour. I hope to have a photo with you after this session, because it reminds me of the journey that I have walked this far. God bless you.

Proceed, Sen. Wako.

Thank you Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity in joining you and others in welcoming the students of Kongoi Secondary School. My colleagues have said it all, and I do not want to repeat what they have said. I want to tell the student that, normally, we are a full House with a lot of activity. Therefore, what you are seeing here is not typical of a normal session of the Senate. In a secondary school, you are at a very critical stage in forming the basis, the foundation of your future. It is at this stage that you become teenagers and develop a vision of what you want to be in future. It is at this stage that you develop your character properly. I want to assume that because your sponsoring body, I suppose, is the Ecumenical Lutheran Church of Kenya. The school is also founded on a firm moral, Christian or religious basis. That is important to me because one of the key evils in our society today is the fact that we lack a national ethos; a proper, positive national ethos to govern our society. It is just that we applaud issues such as corruption and negative aspects of ethnicity. I believe that your school is bringing you up in a way in that you will grow up ethically with a strong moral foundation, discipline and fear of the Almighty God, which our Constitution recognises in the preamble and the opening Articles of the Constitution. We recognise God.

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I hope that the school and teachers who are with you are emphasizing also on those aspects. You must not only excel in academics, but also in your personal development in the right way, which will help this society to move away from what has been bringing this society down, as I have stated. Personally, when I was in high school, I did visit this Parliament. My only memory of this House was seeing the likes of Tom Mboya, the late President Mwai Kibaki and the likes of Speaker Humphrey Slade actually, conducting affairs and debating matters and so on. I believe that is partly what really inspired me to be what I am today. I hope that when you look down at us here, you will be inspired by what the Senate does, in the direction of leadership. However, leadership is not the only direction in which you should be inspired. You should be inspired in the direction of Arts, Sciences, technology and areas of human endeavours. I wish you all the best and thank you for coming to see us on our last day. We are blessed with the students of Kongoi Secondary School. I thank you.

Sen. (Dr.) Mwaura had put in a request to speak, but he left. Let us move to the next Order.

Sen. Wambua was on the Floor when we adjourned in the morning, but he is not here. Is there any other Senator who wants to contribute?

Sen. Olekina, kindly approach the Chair.

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I am looking at the Order Paper and there are two critical Motions that we need to deal with. One of them is about the debt ceiling and the other one is about going on recess sine die . However, looking around, we do not have numbers at the moment.

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Therefore, I request that you suspend the Sitting for about 15 minutes, so that we consult and have a way forward. I request Sen. Farhiya to second.

It is not a Motion. Using my discretion under Standing Order No.1, I suspend the Sitting for 15 minutes.

Hon. Senators, I call the House to order. Let us move to the next Order.

Let the Division Bell be rung for five minutes.

Leaders, please approach the Chair.

Let us have the Tellers for the Ayes and Nays. Members, can we start voting?

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On a point of order, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I think there is a problem with the network. There are people who are trying to log in and they are unable to do so. Is it possible to suspend the voting for sometime as we try to fix the network issue? I stand under Standing Order No.1.

Order, Members! I will give five minutes for the network problem to be sorted out and then they will repeat the names. As he repeats, they should be sorting out.

Okay, thank you.

Sen. Malala has just sent a message and said Sen. Shiyonga should vote on behalf of Kakamega County.

Hon. Lusaka): Hon. Senators, please take your seats. These are the results.

Sen. Ngugi

Sen. Kwamboka

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Hon. Senators, the results are as follows:

Order Senators, I am now rearranging the Order paper. Let us move to order Number 20.

Order, Sen. (Dr.) Langát! You can sing that after this out there in a rally maybe in Jacaranda or somewhere else. I wish to make an announcement before the Senate Majority Leader proceeds. After this, we will have a caucus at the new restaurant after we adjourn Sine Die. I hope that we shall not die there. The Senate Majority Leader, you may proceed.

Mr. Speaker Sir, I beg to move that pursuant to Standing Order Nos. 28 and 29, the Senate adjourn sine die. It is a very special day in the Senate of the 12th Parliament. It is a day when we have to formally say our goodbyes. It is usually very difficult to say so, especially for a group of people; hon. Members who have been so interwoven together. Hon. Members who have grown together. However, the day has come when some of our Members are saying goodbye. Not to come back to this House. In fact, some Members do not have an opportunity to come back they might not run for any position. However, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime; it comes at the end of five years. It is my privilege to serve as the Senate Majority Leader at that time when I have to move the Motion on sine die. It is not a difficult thing to say. I congratulate this House beginning with you, the Speaker of this Senate. The Honorable---

Order! Hon. Senators, let us consult in low tones.

I congratulate this House beginning with you, the Speaker of the Senate, the Right Hon. Kenneth Lusaka who has guided this House for the last five years in a way that everyone agrees that it has been very fruitful and has brought us together. This is a very important day because in the past two years, under my leadership we have passed several Bills in this House originating from the National Assembly. The

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two Houses of the Parliament worked tirelessly under very difficult circumstances. Sometimes not agreeing at all. Not seeing eye-to-eye and even proceeding to court to challenge some of the things that were done. We have also gone through months of COVID-19 pandemic and we braved it under your own supervision and guidance. This House managed to wade through COVID-19 lockdowns and when we had a chance, you taught us to obey the regulations in 2019 and we did. Thus, we survived the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the House that has come out of it purified and strengthened. Time in the Parliament gave us opportunities to bond as Senate. In spite of our political divides, we accorded each other respect, decorum and focus on the most important mandate of the House to attend Petitions, Statements and Bills, among others, aimed at the betterment of the House. We know each other better now. After five years, we know who will be afraid to say things and those who would stand up to challenge. All those are attributes of a Legislature; we did not always have to agree. We can remember the times when we did not even agree at all even from the side. Those of us from the same side did not agree during the division of revenue formula at one point. That did not remove any of the values that we had for each other. I do not want to take long to speak today. It is just that I have chance to say thank you to some people in a particular way. I like to use this opportunity to single out the Speaker of the Senate and say thank you for the way you and I have worked. I presume that we sharpened each other. I can say that as iron sharpens iron, you and I, in my roles, in your roles, we have sharpened each other. I agree that we have come out better people. I would like also to single out the Senate Minority Leader in the House, Sen. James Orengo, whom all things being equal and things favouring him, he might be the next Governor of Siaya County. That means that from this House, and I do recognize all the other Members who are aspiring to be governors from this House. The Governor of Nairobi City County, the man from the northern most point, the Senator for Wajir County, Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri who is also going for Governor of Kisii County and all the others. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not know when Sen. Cherargei will go for Governor. Maybe the next term. All those people who are going to be governors will take some experience and richness from this Senate. Those of us who are running for various positions in the National Assembly and others who will be nominated. Wherever their stations will be, they will remember this Parliament and this Senate. I say thank you for the way we did our work which was bipartisan. I thank the team in leadership in the Minority side that was led by Sen. Orengo. The team of Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., Sen. Kwamboka and Sen. Madzayo. I also thank the team in leadership of the Majority side as well. I want to single out the Deputy Majority Leader, Sen. Dullo, who I know is campaigning to come back here. The other one is the indomitable Sen. Farhiya who has worked so hard and she has always been present to represent us. From our side, we have two Whips who left office. Therefore, I would like to thank Sen. Kanga’ta and Sen. Wamatangi.

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All that time we have been working, the Senate has stood tall. The Senate will be remembered for a number of decisions that were made. One of the decisions was when the Senate stood firm to challenge matters that were taken to court and sought the courts’ opinion. At the same time, you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, and the Speaker before have walked to court to ensure that the integrity of this House is maintained for years to come. As I said in the morning, there is an existential threat to this House. Unless we guard against that threat, there are people who are hell-bent on lowering the Senate in order to ensure that it does not get the recognition. However, the Senate has a special role. Under our Constitution, the Senate has to be there for devolution to exist, flourish and grow. Those who think they can diminish the light of the Senate, I want to tell them that the Constitution protects this Senate and its membership. Whoever comes back here should continue to defend the rights and privileges of the Senate. I thank all the colleagues of mine from both sides of the aisle. There are those we have interacted with and those who have given us problems. I do not want to name them because they know themselves. Some of them come from as far as Mwingi. As I conclude, because I know everybody would like to have a chance to give their goodbyes as we go on recess sine die, there is something that the Senate Minority Leader said this morning, that the Executive needs to be careful not to contribute to the divisions between the Houses. That is important. For Bills that have been passed and assented to, there was need to have consultation by the Speakers of both Houses, so that it is easy to have concurrence. The two Houses have the fundamentals responsibility of passing and enabling laws, which can make the two level of government answerable to the people of Kenya and better their lives. It is my prayer that in future, the two Houses will focus on this purpose and not engage in sibling rivalry, which will only curtail their performance without adding value to Kenya. Both Houses have their constitutionally given mandates which neither House should try to erode. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Senate, led by the Clerk, the Deputy Clerks, Table Clerks, all the directors and those who made our lives here easy. It was easy to do the work of the Senate because we have staff who supported us. I thank all of them and wish them well in their endeavours. I will give whatever support I can to those who will be vying for different positions. For those who will become governors, please make a difference where you go. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I know that you and others here who will become governors will be different. I was a bit disappointed that those who left here in the previous Senate did not show much difference. I hope that when you become governors, those who have been here will respect the Senate and make sure you change governance at places that you will be. For those of us who are trying to retain our seats, I wish you success. When we come back, I hope we will continue from where we would have left. Pray for me too, so that I come back here as the Senator for West Pokot. I also pray that you will be here with me. Mr. Speaker, Sir, sine die recess is a Motion without the reverse gear. Once it is moved, there is no going back. So, I would like to get the Motion rolling. If I have not said anything about you or thanked you, please know that I have thanked you enough.

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Earlier on, I spoke about the SBC which is chaired by the Speaker. I thank all Members whom we worked with. Whatever we did, we may have offended some of you because of how we worked. I do not think we have a Senator called “Scoop,” but Sen. Shiyonga was highly offended. She normally has a bright face. However, when she gets angry, you cannot see it. I want to say sorry to those we have offended. Forgive us and we also forgive you. Mr. Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I would like to move and ask the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Orengo, to second. I thank you.

There is a point of order from Sen. Farhiya before we proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to move pursuant to Standing Order No.31(3)(a), that the Senate resolves to extended its sitting time today, Tuesday, 21st June, 2022, until conclusion of the business appearing as Order No.21 on the Order Paper. I request Sen. Olekina to second.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I second.

Before we proceed, I wish to guide that we will have to limit the time to do this within two hours like we had resolved. Looking around, I know everybody would like to say something. Everybody will get an opportunity, but we must also respect what we resolved. If we agree, we started at 5.32 p.m. and so we must end at 7.32 p.m. That means everybody will have 10 minutes maximum, except the Senate Minority Leader.

I want us to agree. Proceed, Senate Majority Leader.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are not limiting, but it is about the calculation. We are now left with one hour and 10 minutes. If you allow 10 minutes each, we will have only six people.

We started at 5.32 p.m.

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Are 10 minutes okay?

But you do not have to speak for 10 minutes if you do not have something to say. Sen. Orengo the Floor is yours.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to second that the Senate do adjourn sine die . This may probably be my last speech in a Chamber of Parliament. Maybe, I will address the House in other capacities, but this is probably my last speech. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to, first of all, thank everybody, the Senators with whom we have had wonderful journey in the last four or five years. I would also like to thank the leadership, the Senate Majority Leader, the Deputy Majority Leader, the Whips in the Majority Side, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, and the Leadership in the Minority Side. I would have said more about everybody in the Leadership, but because of time I will not say why I thank them specifically. It has been a wonderful journey together. I hope that in my memories of Parliaments that I have served in, the 12th Parliament and this particular Senate will have a chapter in my book which I am writing. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Parliament cannot be a House of ‘yes’ and ‘no’. I am afraid that in the last two Parliaments, we almost became a Parliament of ‘yes’ and ‘no’. When it comes to the vote, that is when we make judgement of the contributions of both the National Assembly and the Senate. Many Parliaments are remembered not by the speeches of those who went away with the majority. Many parliaments are characterised by the centres. This is why John Kennedy wrote a big book about profiles in courage of people who said things that should not have been said at their time. To that extent, I have enjoyed being in this Senate. Where we have disagreed, I have taken it in good spirit. For instance, when we were confronted with the issue of the formula and the debates that took place in this Parliament. As a matter of record, it may go as some of the most virulent debates of the Senate and the National Assembly. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for presiding over those sessions which were very critical. When you go back to Bungoma, we shall forever thank you for taking us through the Senate at that time. Whenever I think about Parliaments, I always think about Benjamin Disraeli, the British Prime Minister, who had great contestation with another Prime Minister who was called Gladstone. They called each other names. However, down in history, they are probably some of the best leaders that emerged from the House of Commons because of the debates. Disraeli was Jewish. Remember that, at the Victorian time in that Parliament to have a Jew as a Prime Minister of an Anglo-Saxon nation was not easy. Yet, they used to have these wonderful debates those who respected Gladstone would call him the grand old man and Disraeli would call him the God’s only mistake and it was taken in good measure.

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I am also reminded about Churchill, who became Prime Minister almost by mistake during the war. He lived on to be the greatest English man alive. He has been voted many times as the greatest Briton alive, who came out of necessity. I am trying to say that we have gone through a very wonderful period. We have had a coalition, before many coalitions. This time, we have not had a formal coalition, but this coalition will be remembered not formally in place, but through a ‘handshake’ of bringing peace to this country and a new constitutional dispensation. More importantly, I would like to repeat what I said it in the morning is that the Judiciary is, probably, the most important institution in this country. I said this morning that if Chelagat Mutai was alive today and was a parliamentarian, she would not have been charged, convicted and jailed for the period that she went to jail. I plead with my colleagues that wherever we go, always remember that the greatest institution to keep our democracy alive is the Judiciary. We may disagree with them, but I am hoping that throughout our lives and the contribution to this country, we must always fight for a free and independent Judiciary. In fact, at the founding of the United States of American (USA) Constitution and declaration of independence, the greatest contribution was by Chief Justice Marshall, who in the midst of that victory by Washington, was able to stand up in a great decision to make sure that Judiciary did not go over board. I believe that the next Government probably will have a President who will comply and respect the Constitution. My greatest fear is that, in the midst of victory, sometimes we take the Judiciary for granted. I hope that will not happen. Secondly, Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have had this debt ceiling that we have enhanced upwards making it possible for Kenya to borrow. However, I hope that in doing so, the Government will behave responsibly because we can talk about COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, but in our nation, the financial discipline has always been lacking. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as we extend the debt ceiling, which has been growing by leaps and bounds, we hope there will be financial discipline to make sure, it is well managed. Although Kenya may make some strides in the area of infrastructure, if we do not manage it well, we will not become a free market economy which can guarantee prosperity to the rest of the country. Finally, Mr. Speaker, Sir, because many people want to speak, I hope that Kenya will come together and live in the spirit that Kenya is bigger than all of us, and that we can stand and defend each other. However, much we disagree, we will be able to stand and make politics the business of governance as long as it is practised in accordance with the rules. If politics is practised in a way of winning at all costs, we may make the greatest mistakes in the land. I hope that both the law and the institutions will not be made either to victimise or propel people into positions where they wish to be. I hope that we maintain the rule of law and order and justice for all because this is how you build a lasting democracy. If you have a system that believes in fighting its enemies at whatever costs, you can never advance. If you have people who are not in Government and want to win at all costs, you can never have stability. So, I would wish to leave it there.

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I hope that we meet again in other circumstances and, of course, on the 9th August this year, there will be an Azimio la Umoja Government which will be of the people, by the people and for the people. I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Sakaja, please proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you for this opportunity to support this Motion that the Senate do adjourn sine die. We have been in this House since 31st August, 2017. Meaning we have been here for four years, 9 months and 21 days or 57 months and 21 days or 1,755 days. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it has been a journey that is bitter sweet. There has been joy, tears, pain and happiness. I want to use the words of Max De Pree who says that the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you in between the leader as a servant. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are not leaving our leadership roles. However, for some of us, this is a very special moment. The Bible in Proverbs 16:3 says man may plan, but the final outcome is the Lords.’ I do not intend to be a legislature again. I have done and presented many Bills. I have been a legislature since I was 28 years old. I hope I will be signing Bills into law moving forward. I have deeply enjoyed my time as a legislature since I came in in 2013 as a nominated Member of Parliament (MP) up until the time I got elected by the people of Nairobi City County to serve as their Senator. I believe I have served them diligently. I have put my best foot forward. We have proposed Bills and Motions. Some of those include Bills that will forever go down the history of this country as monumental. The 30 per cent procurement opportunities for young people, women and Persons with Disabilities (PWD) is a Bill I sponsored in the last Parliament. The National Employment Authority Act which exists is another one we sponsored. I also sponsored The Private Security Regulations Bill, The Disaster Risk Management Bill with Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, The Prompt Payment Bill with Sen. Farhiya, the Start-up Bill to promote our start-ups, The Pandemic Response and Management Bill. There was also a legislative proposal on national school lunch feeding programme which did not go through, but I intend to implement it in Nairobi City County if elected Governor. Which I pray happens. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am proud that in this time as Senator, I have been able to lobby for an increase of the revenue of Nairobi City County from Kshs15 billion to Kshs19 billion. That is an increment of Kshs3 billion. Ordinarily, it would take more than five cycles of the revenue formula which is 15 years. Through our Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, we have been able to lobby for artists; our musicians to get skiza tunes, an increment from 16 per cent from when we started this fight with the late Bob Collymore and President Uhuru Kenyatta to the current 41 per cent. We hope it gets to 51 per cent for our artists. My colleagues here and I have advocated for better rates for digital taxi drivers and initiated favourable regulations. I thank Sen. Faki. However, those regulations for

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Uber, Bolt, Taxify drivers et cetera are still sitting on the desk of Cabinet Secretary (CS) Macharia. Our drivers are suffering and crying. We need to push that he passes them to legislation. Today, we have had a bottom up economic forum and that is one of the issues that has come up from our drivers because they are losing a lot. We have lobbied against double taxation on my traders in Eastleigh by Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). We have stopped impunity of regulations on importers in Nyamakima, Kamukunji and Dubois Road. We have helped to stop demolitions in Mukuru kwa Njenga from where they had reached. We have spoken about what has been happening to a lot of our people. We have stopped the ban of importation of motor vehicle spare parts for Kirinyaga Road traders. We have lobbied for Kshs1.7 billion for rehabilitation of our roads. There was an incident in Kasarani and I am glad that through this House, I was able to get Kshs350 million to complete Kasarani-Mwiki Road and to get an additional Kshs1.4 billion for the roads in Nairobi City County as the Senator. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we lobbied and secured the resumption of the stalled Dandora Stadium Project which I will be sure to complete as Governor of Nairobi City County. We have pushed for the release of funds for completion of stalled projects in this City. I want to remember our fallen colleagues whom we started this House with in 2017. They include the late Sen. Oluoch who was the shortest serving Senator from Migori County and our brother the late Sen. (Dr.) Kabaka whom we lost. I remember specially the late Sen. Haji. I say ‘special’ because Sen. Haji was a mentor to me. I remember back in 2014 when I was a nominated MP and Chairman of his party, he took me aside while in New York together with Sen. Musila and he told me, ‘Young man, some of us have served this country for 100 years combined.’ He and Sen. Musila had served for 50 years each. ‘At one point I have been his boss; at the other point this has been my boss. So, tuliza, let us teach you a few things.’ The first thing they taught me was that you take bread with olive oil. They said it is good for your heart. When a 70-year-old gives you advise for your heart, you take it seriously. Number two, they said you never burn bridges. Be good to your subordinates and to your bosses because tables turn. Sen. Musila had been Sen. Hajis’ boss and Sen. Haji had been Sen. Musilas’boss at different times. Let us never forget that. I pray that God continues to rest the soul of Sen. Haji in peace because even in the Senate when I served as the Chairman of Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, I was also his Vice Chairperson to assist him. He was busy with BBI and he really held my hand through that process of chairing the Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations. That was a great leader. Leaders are defined by the leaders they create or mentor. Mr. Speaker, Sir, same goes to the late G.G. Kariuki who despite our big difference in age, we had a standing lunch every last or second last Tuesday of the month at the Serena Hotel. May God rest their souls in peace. I must acknowledge the success that I have had personally in this Senate. I believe I have been rated well. I owe it to the staff that I have had. I thank Mwanate Shaaban, my Clerk in the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare. Our Committee has

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been by far one of the best performing committees in this House. Ms. Rose Mudibo who later left us to go to the Ministry of Health really assisted in the Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations. She did an amazing job and I am sure she is doing the same with CS Mutahi Kagwe. Mr. Charles Munyua in Committee on Justice Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Jeremy Chabari, Caroline Kerorei, Humphrey Ringera and Marale Sande, one of the best research officers I have ever come across. I hope you can second her to the Nairobi City County Government when I become Governor, God willing. Sylvia Nasambu, Lucianne Limo, amongst many others. Mr. Speaker, Sir, finally, despite the current circumstances, I thank our President, Uhuru Kenyatta because we have walked a journey. In fact, that is the route through which I became nominated MP. He trusted me to lead his party which we formed in 2012. He has been a mentor. We have agreed many times; other times we have disagreed, but I must give credence where it is due. He played his part even though at this time we do not agree on the political direction of this country, I acknowledge the role he has played in my life. We have had high and low moments. I remember in the last Parliament leaders came to blows because of the Security Laws (amendment) Bill. I managed to stop it despite being one of the youngest MPs at that time. The revenue sharing formula debate which was very emotive. Despite all this, we must live this House with a level of camaraderie. We must leave as friends. For everything I have gone through as a Senator both in and out of this House, I harbour no bitterness, no hate, no anger and no vengeance. Now we are moving to another level. In the words of William Penn, he says no pain, no palm, no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown. I wish all my colleagues the best in their careers. Those vying to come back to this House and those vying to become governors; those who have opted to retire from politics, if there is any, I wish them all the best in their future endeavours. I hope we will meet in good places for good reasons. May God bless you. Please do not cut time when I am thanking the Speaker. I want to thank you, Mr. Speaker. You have handled some of the most tension filled moments of the Kenyan Parliament. You have handled it with grace in as much as in some of those points we were not happy, we said you ran away with the ball, but you did a good job. I know you will do well as the Governor of Bungoma County. May I announce to other governors who will be coming in, the senior most governor to be given Chairmanship of CoG and has been a Speaker and a Governor before, is Hon. Lusaka. So, let us consider him when we go there. When we go there

we pray to God to order our steps. The Bible says God orders the steps of the righteous. God bless you. I thank you.

Hon. Senators, I really want to seek your indulgence because the list is very long and we may go on up to very late, yet we have a caucus. Please, I know we can recollect our thoughts and put all that we want to say in five minutes. In any case, we have been talking for the last five years. Sen. Wako, you have the Floor.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I stand up with mixed feelings because I am not standing for re-election. So, this may very well be the last time I am speaking in this House. I recollect the first time that I spoke in Parliament which was about 14th May, 1991. This was soon after being appointed the Attorney General of the Republic of Kenya. Since that time, I have been a Member of Parliament of the 6th, 7th, 8th 9th, 10th, 11th and now the12th Parliament.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I recollect that on 3rd December, 1991, I personally moved the constitutional amendment to delete Section 2(a) of the Constitution. The history of this country in constitutional matters can be divided into two. From Independence up to 1991 when I moved that Motion. The second one is between 1963 and 1991 where there were many amendments which sort of interfered with constitutionalism in this country. Some amendments were good, but many were bad. From 3rd December, 1991, the amendments that were done through Parliament under my watch were basically reform amendments. They included reforms of the Constitution and legislation. It was just reforms which then culminated into the promulgation of the new Constitution on 27th August, 2010. I was privileged to be the Attorney General at that time. The challenge that I see the next Senate having is ensuring that we do not fall back to the history of Kenya as it was between 1963 and 1991. This is in terms of constitutional amendments. The Independent Constitution, right from the word go was dismantled and there were throwbacks amendments and so on. Since we came here as the 11th Parliament, our job has been to maintain the new Constitution. In fact, I did not want to stand for election as Senator on retirement as the Attorney General. I had even already made my own arrangements to open an office for International Commercial Arbitration. I had been elected to the International Law Commission of the United Nations (UN). I will be retiring from that post at the end of this year. However, my people convinced me that since that was the first election under the new Constitution and I had watched the birth of it, I should be in the Senate to ensure that the Constitution is well defended and start on a proper footing. As it may be recalled, when we came here in the 11th Parliament for the first Session of the Senate, we faced major challenges on our legislative power. As Chairperson of the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, I advised the then Speaker to challenge the decision of the Speaker of the National Assembly. The Speaker of the National Assembly had ruled that the Senate could only debate the County Allocation Bill and not debate the Division of Revenue Bill. We did this by way of an Advisory Opinion in the Supreme Court and I am glad that we succeeded. Going forward, I hope that the Advisory Opinion of the Supreme Court of Kenya at that time, will carry us in good state for the future. That decision more or less restored our legislative power to the extent that this Senate can debate any Bill; even a Bill on touching on the security of counties. Therefore, this Senate has a legitimate right to debate those Bills. The challenge now is to ensure that going forward that is done.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, because of the challenges---

Sen. Wako, your time is up. However, given that you have served for 35 years, I will add you three more minutes.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you for that consideration. Let me slow down now. I was going fast because of the five minutes. Mr. Speaker, Sir, because of the challenge to the Senate, we went to the Supreme Court and got that Advisory Opinion. Although that Opinion restored and improved our legislative mandate, it has not quite caught ground because all the time, there have been obstacles, particularly from the National Assembly. That is going to remain a challenge. Under my watch, the 11th Parliament appointed a Committee to look into constitutional amendments, which would restore the Senate to the proper role it ought to be and which is not in the current Constitution, because of the negotiations that went on prior to it. That Committee came up with very outgoing proposals on how the role of the Senate can be restored. It restored all the amendments in the effect of restoring all the legislative powers of the Senate, so that there were no longer arguments between the two Speakers, as to whether a Bill concerns counties and so on. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the amendments also concerned issues such as the approval of officers. In fact, we said that all appointments to constitutional offices and commissions should be by the Senate. The amendments also proposed either a separate Service Commission for the Senate or alternatively, we have equal representation in the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). If possible, the Speaker of the Senate should also co-chair the PSC. Tribute has been paid by Sen. Sakaja to the late Sen. Haji. We all support that tribute. Since I was in the BBI Committee, I would like to repeat here, that the Task Force actually recommended all the amendments that had been proposed by the Senate Committee, to strengthen the place of the Senate in the Constitution. We recommended that, and it is there on record that our contribution was barely advisory. It was not binding on the principles but there are things that were done in a manner in which the result was that we more or less remained where we were. I can assure you that what would defend my record there and that of Sen. Haji was that we had succeeded at that level to ensure that all amendments that had been recommended by the Senate Committee on strengthening the role of the Senate and its place under the Constitution were done.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that is a challenge going forward should there be any future proposals for amending the Constitution. The challenge for the incoming Senate is to ensure that those amendments which we all agreed on as a bipartisan approach should be carried in the constitutional amendments that we may have in future on the strengthening of the Senate.

There have also been challenges but that is necessary. We should continue to fight for our space. We do not want to be in a position in which the first Senate was, after the Independence. It disappeared. The fact that we have succeeded now for ten years shows that we have succeeded in being around but we must be around and remain very relevant to the mandate that we have.

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Your time is now up, Sen. Wako, but I will add you one minute.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, in one minute I can say that I would like the country to re-read the Building Bridges Initiative’s (BBI) First Report. Everybody accepted the BBI’s first report. It talks about what I am talking about but it also talks about how we must fix Kenya through having a proper national ethos.

This Senate, being the Upper House, should be on the forefront in ensuring that this country has a positive national ethos, which includes issues of integrity, anti- corruption and ensuring that we do not have negative ethnicity in this country. This Senate can lead in approaching national issues in a bi-partisan manner in the same way the First Senate was approaching these types of issues to the extent of coming up with amendments for the Constitution.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for the extra time you gave me.

Sen. (Prof.) Kamar.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Motion for Adjournment of the Senate Sine Die. I am the second person who is not running to be a Senator to contribute here and for that reason, I feel honoured to appreciate a number of people.

First, I thank the people of Uasin Gishu County who brought me to this House. I sincerely thank them for giving me an opportunity to serve them in the capacity as their Senator for five years. I thank them for the time we have worked with them and the development agenda we have managed to deliver.

As I thank the people of Uasin Gishu County, I must thank the Senate. This Senate did a record agenda to go to Senate Mashinani. I was honoured to be the first host of Senate Mashinani when this Senate did their sittings in the Uasin Gishu County Assembly Chambers. I thank the Senators who did their best despite the heavy programme because it was the first one. We loaded it properly and the Senators did an excellent job. I say so because some of the things they participated in left a lasting mark in Uasin Gishu County. I thank the Committees because they all sat and they had the opportunity to visit various corners of the county. The Committee on Education visited the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres and polytechnics. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you even led a delegation to the school for the deaf. That had a lot of impact. I have had follow-up meetings to various corners of the county and they will never forget the impact that Senate Mashinani had. I appreciate the Committee on Health whose impact went beyond the Senate Mashinani. We visited the county later on. We visited the Ziwa Level 5 Hospital, which had stalled at the time. I thank this Committee on Health because out of their visit to the hospital, we now have structures there that are almost ready. Our Level 5 is almost ready. It is unfortunate that Uasin Gishu County is one of the counties that never enjoyed the extra Kshs500 million because we did not have a ready facility. However, I am happy that during the Senate Mashinani, the Committee on Health initiated a process that will culminate in Level 5 being put in place. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the same Committee on Health also visited the facilities in Moiben – a stalled project. We also visited Kesses Level 4, which was also stalled but has

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now been revived. A number of things came to mind at that time and they touched on Petitions. I thank this House and the Committee on Roads and Transportation because they went ahead to deal with a Petition that had to do with compensation for families that had sacrificed their land for a bypass that connects Uasin Gishu – Kakamega and beyond. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we also met farmers on the investigations of the maize issue. This House has done a great job. Even as I thank the people of Uasin Gishu, I cannot forget to thank this Senate for their great participation and the contribution that they have had. My impact on Uasin Gishu has come from that. I thank the Committee on Finance and Budget on the issue of blocking the buying of the National Bank Building. It has become a landmark in Uasin Gishu. This Senate stopped extravagance in the County Government of Uasin Gishu that was about to buy that building at double the price. I wish my colleagues well, the Members who are going to come back to the Senate as well as those who will become governors. I ask those that will become governors to make a difference in that level, to become more accountable and have an impact on the ground. We owe to this nation and we owe it to our people. Finally, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you. I have served under you, first in the panel and now as your Deputy. You are a great leader. I appreciate the way we have worked with you in the Speaker’s Panel. You have been a considerate Speaker and a nice teacher to all of us. You have guided us well and we have done well. I wish you well, Mr. Speaker, Sir and my colleagues too. I believe we are going to meet in various capacities. Let us not forget that we became a family in the 12th Parliament. It has been great. May God bless all of you. I thank you.

Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me take this opportunity to contribute on this Motion for Adjournment of the Senate sine die. To put it on record, I was in the public service between 1966 and 1988. Those are 22 years. Between 1988 and now, those are 34 years. The total is 34 plus 22 which is 66 years. I am probably the senior-most Member of this House in terms of service to the public. Secondly, I have enjoyed being in various committees of the Senate. In the Committee on Education, we came up with a Bill which has now become an Act of Parliament. In the Committee on Health, we have channeled many Bills including, the Health (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which is before this House. I have been a Member and Chairman of the County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC). During that period of time, together with my colleagues such as Sen. M. Kajwang’, Sen. (Dr.) Ochillo-Ayacko, Sen. Olekina and others, we were able to bring up-to-date audited books of accounts for financial years 2014/2015, 2015/2016, 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 that were tabled before this House before we handed over to the other committee. At the same time, for the first time, we were able to do auditing of the county assembly books of accounts. That was a credible record. Volumes of reports were tabled here. I want to thank Members of the committee who worked with me tirelessly, devoting their time to this effect.

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As a Member of Select Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, under the chairmanship of Sen. Cheruiyot, we brought a Bill before this House. That is the Tea Bill. Farmers are the beneficiaries of that Act of Parliament which has benefited them enormously. One thing I would like to say is that the role of county governments is to channel resources to the right places, so that they can be spent equitably and ensure access to opportunities by both the less privileged and the ordinary citizens of a county. One of the reasons I want to be the Governor of Kisii County, by God’s grace, is the fact that I have served nationally. I have been a Member of Parliament for 15 years and I was also a Cabinet Minister. I have served nationally as a diplomat for 10 years in various capacities. Now it is time for me to plough back that enormous experience to the County Government of Kisii. I am sure they will be better off with that experience being poured. With the contacts I have made locally, internally, internationally and regionally, it will help to enhance the capability of Kisii County to that level. The other thing I would like to talk about is the issue of devolution and the support from the national government, especially the National Treasury. Timely exchequer releases are a critical factor because some of the pending bills have come about as a result of delayed release of exchequer to the counties. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I know you know it because you have been a governor before. One of the headaches we are going to face is the untimely exchequer releases by the National Treasury to the county governments. This is an area where incoming Senators must devote their time on. Finally, as I go to compete with others in Kisii County, there is one notorious candidate whose business is to say that I am not vying and that I will support him. Let it be known to all and sundry that I will be on the ballot on 9th August, 2022. Wait for me and may God help you. I think God is also helping me. God bless you all.

Proceed, Sen. M. Kajwang’. You have just come on time.

Of course, I came here ahead of you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I rise to support this Motion of Adjournment sine die . I have been in this House for seven years, four months and three days. I thank all the colleagues that I found here. When I joined this House on 18th February, 2015, I was accompanied to the Speaker by Sen. Wetangula and Sen. Orengo. Of course, there was a little competition amongst them because Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o also wanted to have the honour of accompanying me to the Speaker but only two Senators were able to do it. I the three Senators and Speaker Ekwee Ethuro, who welcomed me to the Senate on the 18th February, 2015. In those seven years and four months, I have been faithful to the people of Homa Bay, the Constitution and to this House. The three critical functions of a Senator are representation, legislation and oversight.

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In terms of representation, I have been very fortunate. Perhaps, I am the only Member who has been a Chairperson of two committees in the life of the 12th Parliament. For that, I thank the leaders of my political party, the leadership of this House and the Office of the Speaker as well as my fellow Senators for entrusting me with the leadership of the County Public Accounts and Investment Committee and thereafter, the leadership of the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations In terms of legislation, I have been a robust advocate for legislation touching on the agriculture sector especially, fisheries. During my time in the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, we unbundled the super agency that was established during the days of the late President Mwai Kibaki. The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) was one super agency. and subsequently, we have now devolved livestock, fisheries, cotton and tea from the purview of AFA. That bring greater focus. I sponsored amendments to the Fisheries Management Act which were meant to operationalize the fish marketing authority. Unfortunately, we are adjourning before passing that amendment because of issues of Article 110. There was no concurrence between the two Houses. In terms of legislation, we need to ensure that the Senator has a link to the county. It is for that reason that I moved amendments to the County Governments Act and proposed the County Assemblies Forum (CAF). This was meant to cure the issue that had been raised on Sen. Sang’s initial proposal to have county development boards. I hope we can prioritize that particular amendment in the next Parliament so that a Senator and a governor have got a forum where they give instructions to each other and share the priorities of the counties. In terms, of oversight, when you made your Communication there is one very important report that we came up with in this House. It was the fiduciary risk report. It was the first time the Senate and the County Public and Investments Committee was doing that. I do hope that the next Senate will reflect on the Fiduciary risk report, alongside the hundreds of reports that my Committee brought before this House for the financial years from 2013 to 2016 and ensure that implementation of the findings of the Committee and various Committees of this House are put into effect. Finally, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you and my colleagues too. We have made friends and as they said, when a child washes his hands clean, he can sit and dine with elders . They said education is one of the greatest equalizers but the Senate has been the greatest equalizer for many of us. If left on our own, we would not have had the privilege of sitting with the former Attorney-General, hon. Amos Wako. I would not have had the privilege of sitting next to Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri who was my father’s school mate. The Senate is truly a great equalizer. I do hope that with that spirit, we shall ensure that there is equity across our counties but more importantly, we shall ensure that the funds that are sent out to the counties transform the lives of the people that they are meant to transform.

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I finally hope that we will get a President who understands and appreciates bicameralism. We will get a President who believes that a Senate is an important institution for sober second reflection. I pray that we will get a Speaker who will not be in inward looking but will ensure that they continue with the legacy of taking Senate out to the grassroots and have an impact in communities rather than what we call kizungu mingi in Nairobi. I also pray that the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) will be responsive to the needs of the Senate and the Senators. I pray that we shall find someone at the National Treasury who will finally give us a fund which will enable Senators to conduct public participation and carry out oversight. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish you Godspeed and all the best in your next engagement. Rest assured that when you appear before the Senators who will be lucky to come back - I pray I am one of them-we will be fair but very firm. I thank you.

Proceed, Sen. Kasanga.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. Indeed, five years is a short time. I still have memories of my maiden speech, and I cannot believe the time has come to give the farewell speech. I give my gratitude to my party leader, and party the Wiper Democratic Movement for having given me this opportunity and honor to serve in the 12th Parliament, in this House of Senate. I also give gratitude to my family for all the support they gave me, standing with me and taking care of my children whenever I was busy. That enabled me to concentrate on all the work I was doing. I thank God for giving me the courage to rise to the occasion of being in this House and serving as a nominated member of Senate. I attribute my success to several things and people here in this House.

Firstly, Madam Deputy Speaker, the Speaker himself was of great encouragement to me on a personal level. He encouraged me to rise to the occasion and to put forward--- in fact, he is the one who suggested to me about the Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill which he felt I should champion, being a practitioner of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the country. I thank him for that support and I wish him well in his next endeavors. I thank in a special way Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jr., who is my Senator back at home. He said one very important thing to me - which I shared with my fellow Senators who came in after us. He said you have to find a cause when you come to a House like this one. Find a cause of great impact and run with it because five years is a short time. He advised that you have to bring your Bills early enough in the House because once the House has done over half the time, bringing a new Bill becomes a bit of a

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challenge. I thank him for that advice because it is due to that that I have I been able to see the Mental Health Bill going for assent. I thank the Clerk of the Senate and his entire team. I have met incredible people who love the work they do. They include Dr. Okello, for his guidance and encouragement in all the legislative work. Sombe Toona, Dr. Sagini, Charles Munyua, Victor Bett, Deputy Clerk - Madam Gichangi, Zakayo Mogere and all the others who have served in the various committees where I was and who have guided and encouraged me. I have to thank them all because I saw a lot of passion in the Clerk’s team and in the work that they do. I am grateful to the Members of the ad hoc Committee on Covid-19. I believe we did a great job. We came in at a time when the country needed direction. We worked with a lot of synergy and achieved a lot. There was a lot of learning for me in that Committee especially when I became the Chairperson. I thank all the Senators for all the support in all my Motions, Statements and of course, in the Bills; and also for a lot of encouragement from my fellow Senators. I have made friends along the way. I wish each one of you Godspeed in your endeavors wherever you go and in whatever it is you are going to do. To the Senators we have worked with in the Committee of Lands Environment and Natural Resources, and Roads and Transport specifically-a lot of work has happened there. We have done a lot of petitions especially in the Committee of Lands, Environment and Natural Resources with our able Chairperson Sen. Mwangi. Managing petitions to the number and the level in which we did in the Committee on Lands, Environment and Natural Resources is honestly, we can rate ourselves as having done extremely well. Up and till last week, we were able to finalize quite a number of petitions that had come our way. What an impact petitions have when you resolve them. It has a great impact on our people. I am grateful to our Committee members. The five years has been a journey of tremendous personal growth for me. I have learnt very critical things in politics that I would not have learned otherwise. That is a great privilege. I have also learnt matters negotiation when you are dealing with political matters and about lobbying. Most importantly, I have learned that power is not given; that you have to be clear in your mind that you want it and you have to go for it. You have to take it. What I have learnt from this journey, my biggest take home in these five years, of course, has been the impact of the work on the mental health, with the help of this House. We have seen the impact that it has and continues to have, and it will continue to have to the citizens of this country. It is not just for me, but this House we have to be---

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Your time is up.

Let me just wind up in one second. I did not see the red light.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Okay, carry on.

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Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Sorry, I did not see the red light. I just wanted to say that I continue to inspire the young people with the work that we have done. Finally, I thank all the Senators and to wish them Godspeed. I hope and look forward to the next Government that will indeed strengthen the work of the Senate as the protector of devolution. I thank you.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to make my last remarks as a legislator. I am one of the few Senators who did not begin this Senate at its beginning. I want to appreciate all my colleagues, who we have worked very well with. I also want to appreciate you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and the substantive Speaker, for the tranquility and sobriety you have created in the environment in which we debate. Madam Deputy Speaker, through your leadership, this House has lived to its billing as a mature House and as a House of decorum, unlike its sister and younger House. I joined Parliament many years ago. It was a Parliament that was vulnerable. This Parliament that I joined recently, is a Parliament that is maturing and it is a Parliament that is fast growing. I want to appreciate the professionals who are in the Clerk’s Chambers, who have contributed immensely to the maturity and delivery of services and legislation policies in this House. I believe that they are up to the calling and serve the Members very diligently. I want to appreciate their courtesy, professionalism and want to encourage the Parliamentary Service Commission to continue training and building their capacities because they are excellent public servants. I do not want to say more about my experience here. I share the sentiments and experiences that my colleagues have articulated very well. I have been in and out of Parliament many times and this is my last time as a parliamentarian. I want to encourage those who are going out of Parliament the way I am exiting Parliament that there is a lot of life out there. Whether you win, lose or go out by choice, there is a lot of life out there. I want to plead with those of us who are going out for whatever reason, not to lower the image and the credibility of former parliamentarians. Go out there and make it big and successful. Carry all the dignity and privilege you had here and apply it out there. There are many occasions and opportunities where you will be called upon to offer leadership. Live up to the experience and billing that you acquired here. I also believe that I am on the right course to taking up my next assignment of being the Governor of Migori County. I have had the privilege as the Chairperson of the County Public Accounts and Investment Committee (CPAIC) to see some of the infractions that are done by some of the governors. I have also had the privilege of looking at most of our counties and seeing the ones that are doing well. I hope with God’s strength, I will have the wisdom to steer the great County of Migori better than it has been steered in the past. I also hope that I will have the humility to understand that being a governor is a privilege, but being a people’s servant is a duty.

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I should, hopefully, serve my people as their servant and as a duty that will be conferred on me upon my election.

Many Senators, including my namesake, Sen. Khaniri, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jr. and others, are going to be governors. I plead with those returning to this House, to form a powerful partnership between governors and Senators. Through that partnership, we will agree on the role that the Senate should play to midwife, anchor and catapult devolution as an engine of development.

On our part, if the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) comes as it should come, I believe as governors in counties, we will support a referendum that will make the Senate what it is supposed to be.

Madam Deputy Speaker, some of our senior colleagues such as Sen. Khaniri are leaving. There are more senior ones like Sen. Kajwang’, Sen. Madzayo and others who will be here. While here, ensure that the partnership between the Senate and county executives strengthens devolution and the Senate, so that we have a wonderful Senate.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker and be blessed.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity. From the onset, I wish to thank the leadership of this House, both the Minority and the Majority for all the support they gave me during my tenure. I also wish to thank Senators for responding to my call whenever I looked out for them for a vote or two. I am grateful, and I do not take it for granted.

I wish to thank the Speaker of the House in absentia. Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you for being my mentor and friend. Whenever I had a problem that I did not know how to go about, you were always there to support me.

The other person I sincerely thank but is not with us anymore is the late Sen. Haji. From the time I joined this House, he was always holding my hand and giving me guidance, telling me to be focused, do what is right and sharing life moments. I used to call him Baba out of respect and I miss him and all our departed colleagues.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I had never imagined that I would meet senior counsel in my life. For many years, I only saw them on television. It felt good to see them in real life. One of my moment of highlight, was during the debate for the formula for county revenue allocation. I have never spoken about this on the Floor of the House. Today, being my last day, let me speak about it. It was a challenging time especially for Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jr. and I who are in leadership. On the other hand, we had to take into account the interests of our people to ensure they got justice in terms of the formula. I thank all the Senators who were not losing funds in that formula, yet they supported us. Madam Deputy Speaker, as a result of that, Wajir County got an extra Kshs3 billion. If the fight was not there and we did not get support from those who were gaining, then Wajir County would have been worse off today by a good Kshs3 billion. I am grateful for that big achievement. Another thing that I am grateful for is securing Kshs17 million for the ex- members of the Land Tribunal Committee in Wajir County who, the Governor for

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reasons known to him, had not paid them for 23 months. However, because of my statement here, they got paid. I feel gratification since most of them were old people. I feel proud that through the help of this House, they got that money. Madam Deputy Speaker, when I was nominated to this House, I was from a profession with a lot of work and time put in so that you achieve your targets. When I came here, I initially felt that there was not that much work to do compared to where I came from. One of my former colleagues and mentor as well, who is also currently contesting to be a governor of Wajir County. Mheshimiwa Mohamed Elmi told me; “The way I know you, you will always create work for yourself”. True enough, I started sponsoring Bills. I was passionate about many other things but I was very passionate on two issues; gender and fight against corruption. I was successful in sponsoring four Bills around corruption. One, with Sen. Sakaja and one gender Bill with Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. Unfortunately, none of my Bills passed because of our position in the Senate and the relationship with the National Assembly---

(Sen. (Prof) Kamar): Your time is up but I will give you one more minute. Give her the microphone.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I also wish to thank the Jubilee Party for appointing me as the Deputy Majority Whip in the House in May 2020. I wish to thank the party Leader H. E Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta and the Senators who voted for me to be the Deputy Majority Whip, a position that has never been held in this Senate by a nominated Member on our side. I am grateful that I was able to secure that. Madam Deputy Speaker, I also had an opportunity of being the top 10 nominated Senators for four years running. I am also grateful that I was able to contribute to the success of this House. I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

(Sen. (Prof) Kamar): Thank you, Sen. Farhiya. Sen. Cheruiyot, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is quite uplifting listening to the valedictory speeches of our colleagues many of whom have decided to cast their lots elsewhere and choose to serve the people of Kenya in other capacities, and those also who are pitching to make a comeback here. Madam Deputy Speaker, first, I thank God for the opportunity to serve my country. I was thinking while jotting down the few quick things that I am going to say in the next five minutes that, if in the year 2015 you had told me that in 2022, I would be seeking a third term to come back to Parliament. I would have thought that you are a mad person. God works in mysterious ways. Here I am today. I appreciate God for that opportunity. I also thank the people of Kericho County for the faith that they have shown in me in the last two terms as their Senator and hoping that they confirm again on 9th August, so that we can carry on the good work that we have done together with colleagues.

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I also appreciate our colleagues, many of whom have had long lustrous careers. Speaking of Sen. Wako; over 40 years in public service. Sen. (Prof) Ongeri, my good friend though young but very long serving in terms of public experience. The good Senator for Vihiga County, Sen. Khaniri. I also appreciate our colleagues who have decided to serve the country in other capacities other than coming back to this House. Madam Deputy Speaker, it was a privilege to serve with the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Orengo. Although we are on different sides of the political divide, there are many things that we have learnt through the exchanges we have had every afternoon in this House. I appreciate the legislative work that we have carried out. Top on the pick of the draw, the other thing I feel proud about, is the work we did with our colleagues in the tea sub-sector. Every time I attend a public function, I see the joy on the faces of tea farmers that I represent in this House. They thank and remind me that it is because of the legislative work that we did in this House, that now they receive their pay by 3rd as opposed to 28th of every month. They get their bonuses twice in a year. They got some in April and next week, they will be getting a second round of bonuses. I feel proud about that. That is work that we did together here as colleagues. We went round the country and many of them contributed. I can never be prouder of the work we did. I celebrate each day the contribution of parliamentary staffers, whom we did that great exercise together. I always salute them when we meet in the corridors of Parliament because they are a testament of what good legislative work can do to a country, that indeed, we should not just come here to speak good English. It means that we can change the lives of our people with good legislation. That legislation is a testament. We also did some good work in the coffee sub-sector. I regret that we were not able to conclude the Sugar Bill that is before this House. That is unfortunate. It is something that keeps on ringing in my mind. If God grants us another opportunity, it should be the first piece of legislation to be laid on the Floor of this House, so that we liberate our sugarcane farmers from their oppressors. As a Member of the Committee on Energy, I made a promise to my wife, which I regrate. Having the platform, we needed to work on bringing the cost of power down because it would have created more jobs and make our country competitive globally and our country would be a hub of investment. Unfortunately, we have not succeeded on that. It is one of the things, together with the Sugar Bill, that are on top of my mind. I appreciate my colleagues for granting me an opportunity to represent them in the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). It has been a great honour. There are many things we have pulled out for them. Unfortunately, since this is a public session and you understand how this country operates, we cannot speak publicly about many of the issues. However, I am proud of the work we have done. I was the Chairperson of PSC Staff Welfare. I thank the staff of Parliament for the cooperation and support they have given to Members of Parliament and Parliament as a whole, which has enabled Parliament to succeed in achieving its overall objective. I look

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forward to working with them because they are competent. Some of the best brains you can find in this country are actually staffers of Parliament. Finally, I plead and pray that God willing, when we come back, we will achieve the long serving dream of having an Oversight Fund. Many Senators are not able to answer difficult questions that are asked during campaigns. We are told that we did well in this and that but why did we allow governors to get away with mismanagement of funds? How much can you do with the salary alone? Therefore, I plead with the next administration to be gracious with us and ensure that this House is properly funded. I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Let us have Sen. Wambua.

Sen. Khaniri is pleading a case, that since he knows that Sen. Cheruiyot and I will be coming back in September, we should just let them speak because they are going away. Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to give my final speech for this session of Parliament. I will begin by most sincerely thanking the Almighty God for the opportunity to serve in the Senate of the Republic of Kenya. I want to thank my God for the gift of life, good health, sound mind and the wisdom to lead the people of Kitui County. To that God that I serve, I give all the glory. I also take this opportunity to really thank my family. My wife, my son, my dad, my mom, my sisters, my brothers and the entire Wambua family for the support that they have continued to accord me in my service as a Senator for Kitui county. To the people of Kitui County, I am grateful for the privilege to serve you. For their relentless support that they have given to me, the decision on the 8th August 2017 to overwhelmingly vote for me as their Senator, I say thank you as I look forward to a re- election on 9th of August this year. I wish Speaker hon. Kenneth Lusaka was here. However, through you Madam Deputy Speaker, on my own behalf and on behalf of the great people of Kitui County, I most sincerely thank hon. Kenneth Lusaka for a very personal and intimate relationship and friendship that he created with the people of Kitui County. Immediately I was elected Senator in December of 2017, Speaker Kenneth Lusaka came over to Kitui at Nguni to preside over the first ever goat auction in Kitui County. The leadership of that area made him the patron of the annual event. In December 2018, he came back for the same auction. Early in the same year in October, he was in Kitui to officially open the County Assembly Building of Kitui County. You would remember that on September, 2019, Speaker Kenneth Lusaka led the entire Senate of the Republic of Kenya to Kitui County for a whole week of Senate Mashinani. The people of Kitui County are grateful for that service. I thank my colleagues and especially three committees that I have served in for the five years I have been Senator. That is the Committee on Roads and Transportation led by Sen. Wamatangi and the many visits they have made to Kitui especially on pursuit of compensation for persons affected by the project of the road running from Kibwezi-

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Athi-Ikutha- Mutomo-Kitui-Kabati-Miguani up to Mbondoni. The Senate’s Committee on Roads and Transportation has been at the forefront in pursuing compensation for pubs. I the Committee on Information Communication Technology led by Sen. Moi.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I the red light has gone. I will ask for additional two minutes, if possible.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): I will add you one minute Sen. Wambua.

The Committee on Information and Technology led by Sen. Gideon Mo has helped my people of Kitui in erecting connectivity masts at a place called Nthangani in Tharaka-Thangicu Ward, Shiambiru in the same Ward, Nguku in Mumoni Ward and Inyanzae in Ngomeni Ward. I thank the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries led by Sen. Peter Ndwiga for making several visits to Wiki-Ithuki Irrigation Scheme in Kitui and for helping us to revive that project. Madam Deputy Speaker, to County Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC), for standing with me and with the people of Kitui County to hold the Governorship of Kitui county to account on issues of the management of public resources. On the account of great work, the Governor of Kitui County has decided that she will not defend her seat. Madam Deputy Speaker, lastly, because of time, I thank the Almighty God for the privilege to work with distinguished leaders in this country. They include my senior colleagues Sen. Orengo, Sen. Wako, all the other. For you, Sen. (Prof.) Kamar, my teacher and lecturer at Moi University, it was a privilege to serve the people of Kenya in the same Senate with my teacher. To God, I say we give all the glory. In one minute, allow me to just say that ---

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Half a minute. It is already red

Madam Deputy Speaker, you see that Sen. Khaniri is taking up my time. I pay tribute to my friend, dear brother the Late Sen. (Dr.) Boniface Mutinda Kabaka. May his soul rest in eternal peace. I thank you.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar: Thank you Senator. Sen (Dr.) Ali the Floor is yours. He is gone. Sen. Cherargei, proceed.

Thank you, Madam, Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity. Being in the Senate has been bitter-sweet. When we took oath four to five years, now, it is a nostalgic moment because this was the time I had been allowed to serve the people of Nandi County and also the nation. On the onset, I want to thank the Almighty God for the opportunity and health that we have been able to navigate through this unique time. The great people of Nandi County gave me an honour to serve them. It has been an honour and privilege. The other day, they just renewed their contract. Madam Deputy Speaker, if all things remain constant, I might go unchallenged on 9th August,2022 as the second term Senator of the great people of Nandi County. These

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are great people and heroes of Koitalel arap Samoei and other world beating heroes like Eliud Kipchoge. It was an honour to serve as the Chairperson of Committee on Justice Legal Affairs and Human Rights. I can see that many of my Members are in the House. I am happy that we were able to accomplish the same. Not because I was the Chair but because of their guidance, support and prayers. I can see my Chair, Sen. Shiyonga, who chaired the Committee on National Cohesion Equal Opportunity and Regional Balance where I was a member. They were able to sponsor two Motions. I was able to push and succeed in one Bill- The County Attorney Act of 2018 that was assented to which is now the law of the Republic of Kenya. Madam Deputy Speaker, as the Chair, I was able to steer nine Bills that were passed by the Senate and referred to the National Assembly. I also assisted and steered this House when it was under attack by ensuring that pleadings were drafted with my Committee and that was Petition No. 284 of 2019. That was when the National Assembly decided to pass 24 legislations without the concurrence of this House. It was an honour and privilege to work with your Secretariat and Committee Members. We successfully challenged that unconstitutionality and illegality that was being performed against the Senate. I am happy the Petition came into fruition. I thank colleagues who were able to be on record on that matter led by Senior Counsel, Sen. Omogeni, the future governor of Makueni County Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., Sen. Madzayo J, Sen. Faki and all those seniors and pother colleagues who ensured that the people and this great Senate was given its priority. I would like thank many Senators. For the first time during that petition, we were able to walk from here all the way to Milimani High Court. It was an honour and privilege. When history will be written, the name of Sen. Cherargei, the Senator of Nandi County shall feature prominently on the HANSARD and the books of the 12th Parliament of this Republic. Having been one of the youngest elected Senators, it was an honour and privilege. I never felt less. I would like to challenge the young people, please, run for these seats; get elected, come here and let us make these decisions and Bills. The problem is that our young people are being misused. They are being told that they are supposed to relegated to be only voters or to be used only in rallies. Being an example of a young person who fought my way through until I was able to be elected as Senator of Nandi County, I want to challenge them. I was disappointed when the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) revealed that among the millions of voters, youth are not among the voters yet we were expecting to get 8 to 9 million new voters. I want to challenge the youth to get registered and go to vote. Let us vote for people who will ensure that they speak the language. I am a product of bottom up because if you look at my history, I used to sell milk and meat as a butcher in Mosoriot Trading Centre. Madam Deputy Speaker, please, give me one more minute because you are my good neighbour So, what God can do is miraculous. It was and it has been an honour to serve in this 12th Parliament. Those of us who are coming back will steer this ship to where it is

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supposed to go. I hope many things that we have done in the 12th Parliament, we can actualise them as we go into the future. Even when the new government of Kenya Kwanza comes in, we shall ensure the country is on the right path. I thank you.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. What shall I say? Shall I start by saying c’est la vie or the thrill is gone? It has been an amazing journey for me. There are so many things that I have learnt in the Senate of the Republic of Kenya. I am going to try and name a few in the shortest time that I have. One, that black is not black and white is not white. When you come into this Senate, you think things are done in a certain way but ultimately by the time you finish the debate, you end up realizing that black is not black and white is not white. The other big thing that I have learnt in the Senate which will help me grow as a leader is never burn your bridges. This is a big challenge. I think some of us will learn it the hard way. As part of my journey, I attempted to burn my bridge but God was right there looking after me when I was appointed as the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee. God was there and the wisdom of my elders propelled me to greater heights and I was able to mend my fences. Madam Deputy Speaker, what can I say as part of my achievements which I hope that the people of Narok will be able to judge me on? One, I played a critical role and I thank the good Lord for giving me that courage because I come from a people who have been terrorised, stigmatised and subjected to extremist measures for over 100 years. When your people love you so much, nothing stops you from fighting for them. One of the biggest challenges that I had to face had to do with the issue of Mau forest. I am grateful that even after being arrested, two days ago I managed to get that burden off my shoulders and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) was able to see that I am a good man who loves peace and forgave me for those few challenges of learning. Madam Deputy Speaker, I am very proud of this Senate and the Team Kenya which came in to save this country and talk about the issue of revenue formula.

Madam Deputy Speaker, it is very important for Kenyans to understand that we have people who have been left behind. We have had a big challenge with the Equalization Fund. So, putting extremist measures on those people again by denying them resources because of their vast land, would destroy them.

The revenue formula gave me an opportunity to send more money to Narok County. The people of Narok County would be glad to know that when I took over from the former Senator, Narok County was receiving Kshs4 billion. As I end this journey of the 12th Parliament today, Narok County is getting Kshs8.8 billion. I thank the Senate for standing up with me. Madam Deputy Speaker, the 13 debates that we had taught us a big lesson. That sometimes when you believe in something, go for it. The moment you go for it and you fight so hard for it, you will definitely achieve the goal that you set out to do. I submit to you that when people love you, you have nothing to worry about. This is why as I stand here, I am an extremist for fighting for freedoms and liberty. I am also radical when it comes to making sure that my peoples’ rights are protected. This is why I have hatred for anyone who affects or hurts my people.

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What is happening today to the Maasai people in Tanzania is sad. When I see them being shot with bullets, small children carrying babies running around, being evicted from their land, you build so much hatred. You wish that at least the people of the East African Community (EAC) can remember that those people are human beings and that land belongs to them. Madam Deputy Speaker, I see that my time is running out. I wish to end by recognising a few people who have meant so much to me in this life. My family donated me to the people to serve them. There are so many times that I do not sleep at home because I am running up and down to serve the Maasai people of Narok County who elected me. I have so much love for them and that is why I fight so hard for them. There are things which I regret. I hope that in future and if God is kind enough, the people of Narok County recognise the things I have done for them and give me a second chance to serve them again in the 13th Parliament. With the new President – I believe it will be none other than Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga – we will be able to end the atrocities and extremist measures being levied against our people. The people have been shot in Laikipia and many Samburus cows were killed. This is so painful for our people. I hope that when we get into the next Government, we will ensure that we deal with corruption and land grabbers.

Madam Deputy Speaker, add me 30 seconds please. I hope we can deal with those who are stealing land across this country because they are known. We have challenges in Laikipia County with the Mutara and the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) land. The people are not being given grazing land. We hope that we can deal with that. Madam Deputy Speaker, May I recognise Mr. Chenze Chema, a young man from Makueni County. He works with a company called ASL and he is planning to help our community. On 15th July, 2022, we will bring in 3,200 women to teach them on how they can add value to their milk and create mini plants. Mr. Chema has come all the way from Makueni to Narok County to support us. Finally, I thank the offices of the Speaker, Hon. Lusaka; the Deputy Speaker; the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Nyegenye; and the Deputy Clerk, Mr. Mohamed. I also thank all the staff who have been working here including our staff in the committees. They have done a tremendous job and we have a lot to thank them for.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Hon. Senators, this is a timed Motion. If we were to follow the two hours, it would be over in four minutes. I want to use Standing Order No.1 to take care of the remaining Members. The other Members kept ‘eating’ one or two minutes more. We will be kind to those who are yet to speak but I urge them to try as much as possible to do less than five minutes so that they can finish early. Sen Madzayo, you have the Floor.

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Asante Bi. Naibu Spika kwa kunipa nafasi hii. Kwanza, ninataka kushukuru mwenyezi Mungu. Pili nawashukuru watu wa Kilifi kwa jukumu walilokuwa nalo la kuniweka katika nafasi hii ya kuwa katika Bumge hili la Senate.

Siku zote ukisema kwaheri, huwa kuna ugumu fulani, maanake ni neno rahisi kulisema lakini ni gumu sana kulitimiza japokuwa mioyo huwa, watu huwa wanawachana. Tukiwa hivi leo tukiweka historia ya kwamba tunalimaliza Bunge la 12 na tuaambiane kwaheri ni kwa sababu tunapendana na kwa sababu tuna imani ya kwamba ipo wakati tutafika Mwenyezi Mungu atatuweka pamoja tena. Jambo la muhimu ni kwamba Bunge la Seneti limefanya kazi yake kisawasawa. Tumekuwa na sintofahamu zetu ambazo hatuelewani hapa na pale lakini tumefanya kazi kisawasawa na hatimaye temefika mwisho wa hili Bunge la Seneti. Kusema kweli, Bunge hili katika majadiliano yake ndani ya Bunge liko juu sana na ndiyo sababu tukajiita The

Bi. Naibu Spika, tumekuwa na mashindano tofauti tofaufi, kati ya Bunge hili na lile Bunge la Kitaifa, lakini kwa sababu ya umuhimu wa kundi moja kufafanua zile sheria tumeweza kuenda kortini kama Bunge la Seneti na kumekuwa na ushindi katika zile kesi ambazo tuliweza kuzifanya ndani ya muhula huu wa miaka mitano. Ninataka kuwashukuru wale mawakili waliochukua hizo kesi na hatimaye wakalifanya hili Bunge likaweka heshima yake mbele ya Wakenya. Jambo la kusikitisha ni kwamba, ni jambo la Mungu mwenyewe anapenda tulikuwa na mwenda zake Sen. Haji, alikuwa anapenda kuketi mahali pale. Tulikuwa na ndugu yetu Sen. (Dr.) Kabaka, alikuwa anaketi hapa nyuma yangu, tuliwapoteza katika muhula huu. Tulikuwa na ndugu yetu mwingine kutoka Kaunti ya Homa Bay ambaye tulimpoteza mapema baada ya kuingia ndani ya Bunge la 11. Wote hawa tunawaombea Mwenyezi Mungu alaze roho zao palipolala wema. Lingine, kuna mchakato huu wa kuenda kwa kura sasa na tuna hakika na imani ya kwamba katika kura hizi ambazo tutapiga, tunapiga ili tuweze kupewa nafasi tena kule tunakotoka kuridi hapa Seneti. Tuna imani ya kwamba kiongozi wa tano wa Taifa la Kenya atakuwa si mwingine bali ni baba Raila Amolo Odinga. Akiwa yeye yuko hapo, tuna imani ya kwamba nci hii katika uchumi, itaweza kuendelea, maanake ataweza kumaliza mambo ya ufisadi. La mwisho, sisi sote maseneta ambao tunaenda nyumbani, ninataka tujiombee ikiwa mimi ni mmoja wao ninajiombea na ninawaombea wale wote ambao wanaenda kupigania viti tofauti tofauti. Wale wanaotaka ugavana kama ndugu yangu, Sen. Khaniri, yeye akienda kupigania ugavana, mimi nitapiga magoti kwa Mwenyezi Mungu na nitaomba ili aweze kupata nafasi hiyo. Nitamuombea pia ndugu yangu Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., pia yeye aweze kupata hiyo nafasi ya kuwa gavana wa Kaunti ya Makueni pamoja na wengineo wanaowania hizo nyadhifa zote. Kwa wale ambao wanawania useneta kama mimi, ninawaombea pia. Ninawaweka katika maombi pia hao wapate nafasi ya kurudi hapa Seneti. Akina mama wanaowania viti katika Bunge la Taifa kama Sen. Shiyonga wanawez kupata nafasi. Tunamjua kwa jina la utani. Pole kwa kutumia jina hilo lakini yeye anajulikana sana. Ukisema hivyo, inajulikana ni nani.

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Bi. Naibu Spika, nashukuru kwa kunipa wakati huu.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Let us listen to Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to give my last speech in this Senate of the Twelfth Parliament.

I want to begin by thanking the Almighty God for the gift of life, good health and the opportunity He has given me as a cancer survivor to serve in this House. It is something I will forever be grateful to Him. I also thank my Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) partly leader, ‘Baba’ Raila Amolo Odinga, for nominating me to serve in this House. I thank my family for giving me an enabling environment at home. I thank my children Brenda and Mathew for being there for me. I also thank Damaris, Steve and Laura for being there for me. I also thank my last born daughter. That is Charlotte, an upcoming doctor, who has also been there for me. My family, including my five grandchildren have been very supportive. That is something I cannot fail to acknowledge nationally and even internationally. Madam Deputy Speaker, my life in this House has been productive. I want to confess that when I came here, I became frustrated from the first day because of young Senators, some of whom I equated to Masters and PhD students that I used to teach at the university. I heard the debates that Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., Sen. Cheruiyot, Sen. Murkomen and Sen. Olekina were making in this House and I became frustrated from the outset. Honestly, I had to take time to learn from them. So, they ended up being good mentors for me. As a result, I scaled up. Therefore, I thank God for enabling me get two Mzalendo Awards in two consecutive years; one being on health and the other on education. I would not have made it were it not for God. I also thank the team that I found here in the Senate. The legal team led by Dr. Okello did a commendable job. Most of the time, I would call Mogere any time even at night when I had a Statement. Any time I sent my Statements, they would be fine-tuned and I would not believe when I read them. I also thank the team for legislative Bills that I brought. Were it not for Dr. Okello and his team, I would not have made it, though it is regrettable that they have not seen light at the end of the day. I also thank the Clerk of Senate, Mr. Nyegenye, for having a sober mind. Most of the times, I would go to his office and he would always listen to me. I thank all the clerks in the Senate and the Serjeant-at-Arms also. For many trips that we went to, the Serjeant- at-Arms were always there and I felt that I had the security that I needed. I thank God for this opportunity. God blessed me when I was in the Senate and the blessings spilled over to my family, my extended family and the people of Lugari because I was able to impact on them. I thank God that He allowed me an opportunity to impact the lives of others. As we come to the close of this Senate, I know and believe that God will put me to greater heights where He will use me magnificently. My desire is to be alive and productive for God to use me so that glory can go back to him. Thank you.

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(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Thank you, Senator. Proceed, Sen. (Dr.) Lang’at. It is an exchange programme with Sen. Omogeni.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me this chance to say my last words in this very important Senate, at this particular point of time in history. Allow me to thank God so much for having touched the hearts of the people of Bomet in 2017 who elected me as their Senator. I thank the people of Bomet for giving me that opportunity to serve them with diligence and courage. I thank God that he gave me that opportunity. Secondly, I thank my colleagues with whom we have been here together. Many a times coming together to champion some Bills, opinions and Statements that have really supported our counties. I remember during the time of the revenue sharing formula, most of us from the Opposition and Government side came together for the common good, for the sake of our people. I thank colleagues with whom we stood together as ‘Team Kenya’ to support our counties. I would also like to thank the Members whom we served together in the Committee on Education. Sen. Omogeni, really guided us on legal matters to support so many things concerning education. During that time, we managed as Members of the Committee on Education to save this country from a lot of confusion on matters to do with the Early Childhood Development Education Bill. We managed to go through it together. We went to public participation, many a time in very challenging areas. We finally succeeded to come up with the Early Childhood Development Education Bill, which now is guiding Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) in this country especially in providing uniformity on the service of ECDE teachers. I would also like to thank the same team for advising the Ministry of Education on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) progress in this country. We are the people who championed and advised the Ministry of Education to emphasize on capitation of Kshs30,000 and a loan to TVET students of Kshs40, 000. I remember that very well. Before then, we were having around 81000 students in TVET colleges in the country. However, when we were winding up, 1.8 million students had succeeded to join TVET colleges. Therefore, I thank those colleagues, people like Sen.(Prof.) Ongeri, who had overwhelming knowledge and intelligence on matters to do with education. He contributed so much towards the development of TVET education in this country. However, we had some challenges, for example, when we were following up on the laptop project that was supposed to be given to standard one children in this country. We really regret that the policy was not taken seriously and most of our schools never received those laptops. I encourage the incoming Government to take that policy seriously to make our children digital and digitize education from the basic to the highest level of education. We also attempted at Committee level to shape the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) program, which we felt by then that it was not the right time to

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implement it in our country economically. However, we managed to advice accordingly to the point the program is taking shape. It is my prayer that the Ministry of Education and the next Government will put more funding to that program so that it succeeds. I would like to thank this Senate and all our colleagues. I would also like to thank Sen. Shiyonga. She has been my Chair in the Committee on National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration. You did very well. You managed myself and Sen. Cherargei thus reducing hate speech that---

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Thank you, Senator. Your time is up. Let us now listen to Sen. Shiyonga.

Thank you so much Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to give my last remarks in this House, hoping that I will come back. In whichever House that God will bless me with, be it the Senate or the ‘Lower House’, I will be able to serve. As we come to the end of this Twelfth Parliament, I take this opportunity to thank the Almighty God for granting me a gift of life to be here and for enabling me to associate, share and contribute to this wonderful House; the Senate of Kenya. It is only through God that I was able to do what I was mandated to do. I am grateful for being given opportunity to serve as Chair of the National Cohesion Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration through the “handshake”. I appreciate and congratulate my able leader of Azimio Rt. Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga and his Excellency President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. They enabled me to become the Chair, being a first nominated Senator and as a woman to serve as a Chair in this House. It was not easy. When we came here, it was not easy but it was made easier when the changes were made. They immediately recognised my capability and gave me that responsibility. I enjoyed working with the Committee with the success of those Members who I will mention here including Sen. Pareno who is in the Speaker’s Panel. There is also Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve, who was the champion for the People living with Disabilities (PWD) and who contributed a lot towards that. Also, Sen. Chebeni, Sen. Iman, Sen. (Dr.) Lelegwe, Sen. Cherargei and Sen. (Dr.) Lang’at who are really on me but I was able to contain them. I was very happy because they contributed a lot to the Committee. I will not forget my Secretariat was able to make my work easy in the Committee after being introduced to that new job. This enabled me to run the Committee very well. I will mention Veronica Kibati, the Principal Clerk, Leruk, Ann Kagogo the researcher, Munyua and Reuben Kimosop and the Serjeant-at-Arms. They made sure that my Committee was working and we improved a lot in fast tracking the legislative agenda of this House. I am so happy to extend my gratitude to the other Members of the Senate especially the many lawyers who are n this Senate that enabled me to know how the Bills are made. They made some of us grow very fast especially by coming up with legislation, Motions and Petitions. They enabled us to make that friendship. We worked hand-in-hand just to make sure that we learnt very fast. People were thinking we were second term Members

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whereas we were first time Members. It is because of those Members who held our hands to make sure we delivered.

The leadership of this House, Sen. Orengo, Sen. Wetangula, Sen. Wako, Sen. Murkomen and others, I cannot be able to mention all of them. I am so delighted to have worked with such a wonderful team. Not forgetting Speaker, Hon. Lusaka, whom we come from the same place. The Speaker was so good. It was wonderful for us to get such a Speaker. Some get a very hard time. However, the Speaker, and you as the Deputy Speaker under the Speakers Panel were able to make sure that you gave an equal opportunity to all Senators to speak and also contribute. While in this House, I was awarded by the Global Empowerment Award from the America Empowerment Institute for being the best because I really empowered women in my County of Kakamega. I was very happy because this House gave me an opportunity to get it. Not forgetting the Clerk of the Senate Mr. Nyegenye, who gave us the atmosphere of a brother to work with him. He fast tracked the process for us when we wanted to go outside the country to perform our mandate. He did marvelously. He made Parliament a home for some of us and not a place of fear as we thought. I want to conclude by saying that there is so much that we can say but I want to appreciate and say that it was unfortunate that we lost four of our Members. I will not repeat because God decided that he will take them before us. May their souls rest in peace because we lost them when we did not really want to because we wanted to conclude this House with them as we came. I have served with people who served in the Government of Kenya from the Kenyatta era, Moi era up to President Uhuru era. It was good and enjoyable working with former Ministers in this country; people like Sen. (Eng.) Maina and others here, including you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It was nice serving with them. I want to say that those who are going to vie for the governor---

Madam Deputy Speaker just add me two minutes and I finish.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Not two minutes, just 30 seconds.

Madam Deputy Speaker, that is why I earned the name “scoop”. I have just scooped one second. It was a privilege to work with all the Members of the Senate, having good friends like Sen. Kwamboka and working with young and old men who actually made my life very easy in this Senate. I thank God for them and may the Lord God give them blessings and also give my family blessings because they offered me to Kenyans to serve them. I hope that I am coming back soon. God bless you all. I wish to meet them very soon in different capacities. I thank you.

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to make my very final remarks as a Senator who served in the 12th Parliament. These remarks elicit some emotional moments because there are colleagues

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we have had bonds and memories for the last five years but whom we may not be crossing paths with in the next Parliament. There are a number of us who are moving on to higher offices like Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jr., yourself and others who may not be with us next term. Madam Deputy Speaker, it has been a joy serving here. I thank the great people of Nyamira County, for having elected me overwhelmingly as their Senator. I thank my family for their support; beginning with my lovely wife, Ms. Jacky and our children, Nyamokami, Gikara, Okong’o Jnr and Aliaro. They have been very patient with me as I serve the people of Nyamira County. May I state categorically that it has been very fruitful serving in this House. This is especially on occasions that we had to work together in the best interest of our country at large. My best moment in this House was during the revenue sharing debate. We stood together as Team Kenya, in support of some of us who were losing colossal amount of money. Without the spirit of Team Kenya, with my friend Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., Sen. Murkomen and Sen. Sakaja, I risked losing a whooping Kshs600 million from the Nyamira County. That was my best moment in this House. I was able to stand firm and get the support of my colleagues to ensure that Nyamira County does not lose Kshs600 million. Madam Deputy Speaker, I also thank Sen. Cheruiyot and other Senators, whom we worked together in enacting the Tea Act, which has brought reforms in the Tea Sector. My people in Nyamira County will get a very generous bonus this year because of that legislation. Last year, our farmers were paid between Kshs7 and Kshs9. This year, I am sure our farmers will get a bonus of between Kshs20 to Kshs29.

Hon. Senators, please, consult in low tones.

Madam Deputy Speaker, we are all proud of that. I thank the CS for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, Hon. Peter Munya, with whom I have visited Nyamira County more than five occasions, including last week on Tuesday. We listened to the problems of tea farmers and see the interventions the Government can put in place, to ensure that we put smiles on the faces of farmers. I thank H.E. President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta. He is a Statesman who will now go down to the annuals of history, as a man who has made it possible for various ethnic groups, to come together and work as one people belonging to one nation. If there is a legacy that H.E. President Uhuru leaves behind, it is the unity that he has brought to this country. He has made it possible for ethnic groups such as Luos and Kikuyus, whom it was never thought that they could work together. They are now working together. There have been good and bad moments during our tenure. Some joyous moments and some painful moments. At times, it felt like this House can be a graveyard for professionals, where at times you are made to make decisions without being guided by your conscious.

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I hope that the next Senate, the 13th Parliament, will allow liberals to also thrive in this House. The tenure of Senators should not be synonymous with the surrender of liberals. Those who are passionate in defense of the Constitution, human rights and ensuring that there is fairness, must be given room to thrive in this House. With other Members of the Justice Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee, we pride ourselves for having stood firm and tabled a Report before this House, in defense of the six judges who have never been appointed by the President. The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) had recommended that they should be appointed. Madam Deputy Speaker, I hope that in the fulness of time, the State will be convinced that it is in the interest of fairness and justice, that those six judges should be allowed to assume office as Judges of the Court of Appeal, so that they can continue to dispense justice. Finally, for those of us standing for various elective positions, be it senatorial or gubernatorial, I wish them all the best. May we have peaceful campaigns and elections. May victory come their way. Thank you.

(Sen. (Prof.) Kamar): Thank you Sen. Omogeni. Next is Sen. Seneta, who has been online for a while.

I am informed that Sen. Seneta is not online. We will go to the next Speaker. Sen. Seneta, if you come back online, kindly signal us so that we give you a chance. Sen. Ngugi, proceed.

Huyo ni kitinda mimba.

Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. Being the last born, I thought I would speak last. I am reminded of the words of my good brother Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., when I came to this House on 29th September 2021. He told me that I am a very young man but I should not let anyone look down upon me. I believe that I have made the incoming governor of Makueni County proud this far.

I thank God for giving me this opportunity to serve this country in the capacity of Senator representing the youth of this Republic of Kenya. I met great men and women, people that I have always looked to. I have always joked with one of my mentors, Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri, who started his career before my parents were born. I am therefore his grandson. However, that has not limited me in working with him or prevented me from going to him to look for guidance and counsel. I thank my parents who really struggled to bring me up. That is why I tell parents no matter the hardship they are going through, they should never give up on their children. You may not have made it in life but you can do everything possible to educate your children. As we say, education is the equalizer. Some of us are where we are today because we had an opportunity to go to school.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other person I want to thank is the President, Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta. He has been a friend, a mentor and my party leader. He is a man I have worked with since my campus days. The first time I met him was in 2009. From then we established a strong bond and he has never shied off from mentoring me. Mr. President wherever you are, I know you are watching, I am very grateful for the opportunity you gave me, I pledge that I will continue to be a faithful and loyal mentee.

I also take this opportunity to thank the Hon. Speaker. You have been very good to me. I have bene one of the luckiest persons. Everyone in this House is either the age of my mother or father and maybe my grandfather. I can say I have parents and grandparents in this House. To everyone who supported me, who encouraged me, I am forever grateful.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I cannot fail to mention the staff and especially the office of the Clerk led Mr. Nyegenye. He has been very good to me. He has been a father to me. Every time I needed assistance from his office, he was always there to assist me. I also want to thank our serjeant at arms led by Major Sorobit, who has also been very good to me. I call him a father.

Out there, I do not know how to call these people my colleagues because of the respect I have for them for the way welcomed me in this House. I know we will be meeting elsewhere or maybe here in the same House. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also thank Sen. Wako, the former Attorney-General, Senior Counsel, Sen. Orengo and Sen. Sakaja. They organised for a birthday party for me on 24th of January this year. I do not know how they learnt that it was my birthday, but after our committee meeting, they decided to give me a wonderful treat and I am grateful. I will never forget that. We are now in the campaign season. As a young man who represents the youth of this country, I request Members that it is high time we realised that politics is not about being enemies. If one has a different opinion, it does not mean that you are an enemy to your friend. I have been asking people to have a keen look at the composition of this House. We come to this House to debate but there is no single moment, especially in this Senate, which I am proud of, where we have turned physical. Moving forward, I urge fellow colleagues and leaders not to misuse young men and women of this country because we have a future and a country to look after. There is a saying by Jimi Hendrix, which I like, that when the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. As a country, let us not reach a point where we say no matter what, we must get what we want. We have a country to live in and bequeath values to the generations that will come after us. Finally, I wish everybody all the best. I know we have those who are campaigning but we also have those who have decided to retire like Sen. Wako who is one of my mentors. Those of us who will be privileged to come back, I know we will continue to conduct ourselves in a manner that befits this House. In conclusion--- Paul the Apostles always concluded seven times before he said “finally brethren”. I am confident that the next Government will unite all Kenyans. The

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person who will become the President of the Republic of Kenya, who will be voted in on 9th August this year, will unite this country and look at the interest of both the people who will have voted and those who will not have voted for him. I believe that man is the Rt. Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga. God bless you and I wish everyone all the best.

Sen. Faki, you may have the Floor.

Bw. Spika, kwanza, nachukua fursa hii kumshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwa kuchaguliwa kama Seneta wa Kaunti ya Mombasa. Pili nashukuru watu wa Mombasa kwa kunipa fursa ya kuwatumikia kwa miaka mitano kama Seneta wao. Furaha niliyo nayo ni kwamba safari yangu ya kuingia Bungeni ilianza mwaka wa 1992. Kabla ya kuchaguliwa, nilikuwa nimejaribu mara nne na Mwenyezi Mungu akanikubalia mwaka wa 2017. Namshukuru Mwenyezi Mungu kwa kuwa ni Mkuu. Bw. Spika, nashukuru Ofisi yako, wewe binafsi, pamoja na Ofisi ya Karani wa Seneti. Vile vile nawashukuru Maseneta wenzangu ambao tumehudumu pamoja katika Bunge hili, hususan, wale ambao wamebobea kama vile Sen. Wako, Sen. Orengo, Sen. Khaniri na wengine wote ambao wamekuwa Wabunge kwa muda mrefu. Nilibahatika kuhudumu katika Kamati ya Haki, Maswala ya Kisheria na Haki za Kibinadamu, Kamati ya Uhasibu na Bajeti na Kamati ya Kanuni za Bunge, yani

. Katika huduma yetu katika Kamati ya Haki, Maswala ya Kisheria na Haki za Kibinadamu, tuliwahi kuzuru magereza kadhaa nchini Kenya yakiwemo Gereza la Kitui, Nairobi Industrial Area, na magereza ya Kilifi, Kwale na Mombasa. Bw. Spika, nilipata fursa ya kuwatembelea wafungua siku ya ijumaa. Tuliswali pamoja sala ya Ijumaa na wakaniomba kwamba hawana pahali pa kuswali. Nilipeleka swala hii kwa wakuu wa gereza hilo na wakatukubalia kujenga msikiti katika gereza hilo. Tulifungua msikiti huo tarehe ishirini na mbili, mwezi wan ne mwaka huu. Ilikuwa ni sherehe kubwa kwa wafungwa na wale ambao wanahudumu katika gereza hilo. Bw. Spika, nilibahatika pia kuleta maswala ya mauaji ya kiholela ambayo yanafanywa na vitengo vya Serikali, vikiwemo polisi. Ninaashukuru kwamba maombi yangu yalisikizwa kwa makini, na Kamati ikaweza kupitisha ripoti ya kuzuia mauaji ya kiholela. Bw. Spika, nilibahatika mwaka 2020, kuchaguliwa kama Mwenyekiti wa Kamanti ya Kanuni za Bunge yani Committee on Delegated Legislation. Niliweza kuhudumu katika Kamati hilo kwa muda wa miaka miiwili. Tulipitisha kanuni nyingi ambazo zimesaidia kutimiza sheria mbalimbali. Tuliweza kurudisha uhai wa Kamati hiyo na kwa sasa, kila mtu yuko tayari kuhudumu katika hiyo Kamati. Bw. Spika, tulibahatika vilevile kuwa katika ‘ Team Kenya’ ambapo tuliweza kuyazungumzia maswala ya mfumo wa kugawanya fedha za Serikali. Wakati huo, tulipokuwa tunazungumzia swala hilo, Kaunti ya Mombasa ilikuwa inapoteza karibu shilingi billioni moja kila mwaka. Tuliweza kuzuia upotofu huo na kwa sasa, Kaunti ya Mombasa inapokea pesa zaidi kuliko zile walizokuwa wakipokea hapo awali. Bw. Spika, jambo lingine ambalo tuliweza kufanya katika Bunge hili ni uzinduzi wa Kanuni za Kudumu katika lugha ya Kiswahili. Ni matumaini yetu kwamba Bunge lijalo litatoa ripoti zake kwa lugha ya Kiswahili na Sheria nyingi zitaweza kutafsiriwa

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katika lugha ya Kiswahili, ili kuwawezesha Wakenya kufuata mijadala katika Bunge hili na waweze kusoma na kuelewa sheria kwa ufasaha. Bw. Spika, masikitiko yetu ni kwamba tuliweza kupoteza Seneta wanne katika muhula huu, akiwamo Sen. Oluoch kutoka Migori na Sen. Kabaka, ambaye tulikuwa naye katika Chuo Kikuu la Nairobi, kwanzia 1987 hadi tulipomaliza mwaka 1990. Vilevile, kunao Sen. Haji ambaye alikuwa Provincial Commissioner (PC) wakati nilipokuwa shule Mombasa na Sen. Prengei, aliyekuwa wa mwisho kutuwacha. Sen. Kabaka alihudhuria mazishi ya mtoto wangu tarehe 25th, Oktoba, 2018 na vilevile kuapishwa kwa mtoto wangu kama wakili katika Mahakama Kuu ya Kenya, mnamo Juni, 2020, wakati wa Korona. Bw. Spika, ningependa kuwatakia kila la heri wale Seneta ambao wanaaga Bunge la Seneti, kwa nyadhfa mbalimbali, akiwamo Sen. Wako ambaye anastaafu. Wengine wao ni Sen. Orengo, Sen. Khaniri, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., Sen. Sakaja, Sen. (Dr.) Ochilo-Ayacko, Sen. (Dr.) Ali, Sen. Kihika, na Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri wanogombea viti mbalimbali za ugavana. Bw. Spika, jambo ambalo linanitia moyo leo ni kwamba, tumeweza kutoa hotuba zetu za mwisho kabla ya Seneta ambaye amehudumu kwa muda mrefu zaidi, Sen. Khaniri. Kwa hivyo, tumepata fursa ya Sen. Khaniri kutuskiza pia. Mara nyingi, alikuwa akiondoka mara nyingi baada ya kutoa mchango wake, kabla ya sisi kuzungumza. Kwa hivyo, tunamshukuru kwamba ametusikiza hivi leo. Bw. Spika, tunakutakia kila la heri kama Spika wetu, unaporudi kuhudumu kama Gavana wa Jimbo la Bungoma. Mwenyezi Mungu akuongoze ili uweze kupata kiti hicho na utakapokuja hapa Bunge, tutakuwa tayari kukusaidia na kukuhudumia kama Spika wetu. Bw. Spika, asante kwa kunipa fursa hii.

Thank you, Senator. Proceed, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.

Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for this opportunity to speak for the last time. Allow me to thank my family for supporting me during the period I was here and wife Anita for understanding the times that you have kept us here until 10.30 p.m. or otherwise. I thank the people of Makueni for the confidence in electing me first time at 92 percent and second time as 98 percent. I did not deserve that kind of confidence because the history is that I was not the first choice for the Makueni people. It is only that it was a coincidence that was available when my sister was disqualified. It has been a privilege to serve in this Senate and to grow with the Members of staff. I remember people such as Mr. Chania here sitted here at Clerks Table. We have been with him. He has trained me when I was in the Finance and Budget Committee and many others who were here. The Serjeant-at-arms (SAA), this is a family. In my case, I will not say goodbye because I know that I will be here. Not because I will be impeached as governor of Makueni but we are looking forward to Council of Governors (CoG) that will look at the Senate as a sister House or a brother House. People we can collaborate, not enemies. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I hope that when you, Sen. Khaniri and I finally sit at the CoG, we will champion to sit with the colleagues who will be sitting here as people who we are

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working together. I am not going to say goodbye because I am now going to now sit in another side of my devolution and defend the Senate with everything i have. This is because I have seen the struggle we have gone through. These Clerks of ours, the SAA, the people who have been working with us in the Committees have been crying with us and celebrating with us. They have been walking with us when we go Court to challenge some of the things that our sister House has been doing to us. So, I feel extremely privileged. I never thought that I would have to say goodbye and leave this House and go to another one. I think the public and the cause for defending this Country is greater than our personal endeavors. I have left my personal endeavors to pursue public causes. I hope that the decision to do so is going to help the people of Makueni to achieve better in devolution. There have been good moments and bad moments. We have clashed. At the end, this has been to the greater good of this House and to devolution. It has been a privilege to serve with Sen. Khaniri, who did not treat us like ‘ monos ’ in spite of being our senior by far. Instead, he has been training us on Standing Orders. I want to disclose that I used to leave very early in the morning to watch Sen. Wako’s vehicle. He had a Mercedes Benz -AG1. It was a privilege to serve with him in the Senate. I sat in court with Sen. Orengo when I was 18 years old as an intern. It is a privilege to sit in leadership with Sen. Orengo. I went to the National Assembly when hon. Mwangi Githiomi was the Chairperson of Public Investment Committee (PIC). In that PIC Committee sat none other than Senator (Dr.) Ochillo Ayacko. These two gentlemen gave my late father a rough time.

That is why I keep saying that we need more robust Committees that can challenge people who are using public resources. It has been a privilege to serve with these people. They have mentored us. I must have come here when I was immature. I now feel mature in this House courtesy of the people and the ones we have served with including Senator Poghisio who was once the Chairperson of the Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) Party.

I thank God for good life. In this Senate, I have had good times. In this Senate, I have suffered Covid 19 because of the work we were doing during Covid times. However, God has been gracious. I thank God for the time I have been here. I hope that we can; the ones who are leaving this House, the ones who are remaining in this House, the ones who are retiring can have a good story for devolution. We cannot afford to let the people who died while fighting for the second liberation under the new Constitution down. I pledge that I will be amongst those people who will make sure devolution is a reality in Kenya. I thank you.

Finally, the guru, the one and only Sen. Khaniri of Vihiga.

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Mr. Speaker, Sir, I really want to thank you for this opportunity and state that it is a very emotional moment for me. It is emotional because this place has been my work place for the last 27 years. For the last 27 years I have known nothing else other than coming to this place to serve the people of Hamisi Consistency as their Member of Parliament and later on the people of Vihiga County as their Senator. Even, though Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. says that we should not be saying goodbye that we will be serving from the other side for me, it is extremely emotional to imagine that I am now making what would be my last speech in this August House, should we adjourn today as we intend to do. Mr. Speaker, Sir, allow me at the very outset to take this opportunity to thank the Almighty God from the bottom of my heart for having given me the opportunity to serve my people for that long period of time, of 27 years. Six terms is not a mean fete; four terms in the National Assembly and two terms in the Senate of the Republic of Kenya. I thank God for the opportunity and for giving me health. I thank God because during that period I survived a plane crash in Busia where we lost some of our colleagues including Cabinet Secretary Minister Khalif who was with me on that plane and others. I survived that. Shortly after that a few years later, I survived another horrific road accident in Nairobi on Mombasa road. I thank God, I would not be here. In my last 27 years of life here I have buried so many colleagues, some who were so dear to me. These were: My friend hon. Tony Ndilinge MP for Kilome; hon. Joshua Orwa Ojode; hon. Khalif; hon. John Peter Onokhumutere; hon. Munene Kairu and many others. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I had the privilege to serve even with the freedom fighters.When I came in the 7th Parliament, I had the opportunity to serve with the late President Moi who was the MP for Baringo Constituency and I was the MP for Hamisi Constituency. I served with the late, hon. Jamarogi Oginga Odinga; late hon. Ochieng Oneko, late hon. Denis Akumu, late hon. Martin Shikuku and the late Vice President Michael Wamalwa Kijana. It is a privilege and honour. I really want to thank my people for giving me that privilege for having confidence in me and giving me that opportunity to serve for that length of time. Not many have achieved that. Many people come for one term. Those who are lucky do two terms and those extremely lucky do three terms. I did not do three, four or five but I have done six. Mr. Speaker, Sir, my people have been gracious to me, I really thank them. I am looking forward to serve them in another capacity. During my campaigns, I keep telling my people that I do not have to be your governor. Even, if you do not elect me to be your governor I will still be grateful to you the rest of my life for the opportunity that you gave me. During this term, I had the privilege to sit in the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). The Commission that runs this institution. In the Commission, I chaired the Security and Development Committee. I want to thank my coalition leader hon. Raila Odinga for giving me that opportunity. We did the best we could and under my watch we have managed to complete the office block. I want to assure that the Members who are seeking to come back to this House and the other House our sister House that by the time they report---

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Okay, I give you three more minutes.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I assure the Members who will be elected into the next Parliament that when they come, their offices will be fully operational and ready for occupation. They will enjoy the comfort of serving in the new tower. Under my watch, we have been able to do the Integrated Security Management System for Parliament. You can imagine the House of Parliament did not have even CCTVs. We initiated that project and it is on course. Very soon, it is going to be launched. I will not finish my speech without thanking you, Mr. Speaker, Sir and your Deputy, for the way that you steered this House in the last five years. You do not have the background of being a Parliamentarian. However, you fitted in very well. You have run the House very well, professionally and we will always be thankful to you and your Deputy. We are thankful to the technical team led by my good friend and brother, Mr. Nyengenye, the Clerk, for their professionalism in running this Institution. We would not have come this far without their support. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I know you added me three minutes. For me it would be very difficult to make my final speech in this House in even ten or twenty minutes. I needed a whole hour. However, I will confine myself to the time that you have allocated me. Therefore, I take this opportunity to wish all our colleagues in this House all the best in their next endeavours. This is in particular to those who are going for governorship – Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., Sen. Orengo, Sen. Kihika, I and the rest. We wish them well. I am sure if we get that opportunity, we should be able to improve the relationship between the CoG and the Senate because we understand the Senate very well. I am one of the advocates of strengthening the Senate. As I go to be a Governor, God willing, we will still insist that Senate has to be strengthened and given the necessary instruments, to undertake proper oversight over county governments. Therefore, those who will come after us must ensure they continue with the war that we started so that the Senate is empowered. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish all well. With those very many remarks, I now officially declare the 12th Senate closed.

Hon. Senators, this is the moment that we have been waiting for. The curtain finally comes down on the 12th Senate and Parliament. I must also say that it is a very difficult moment, given that we have to part with friends that we have met here. We have related very closely and like they say, friends meet to part and part to meet. I am sure that the experience that I have learnt here will be very useful in my other life. I have learnt a lot. When I was sworn in on the 31st August, 2017, I was not very sure how I was going to run this House, given that I did not have any background on parliamentary

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procedures. When it occurred to me that there were 15 lawyers who constitute a whole quorum in this House, that made me even more scared. I thank God that we managed to work together closely. I must thank God that today, I stand here and officially finish the Plenary Session of the 12TH Senate. I will be forever grateful to God because there are moments that I thought I would not even finish my tenure. There were nights I would go to bed and not even sleep because I was not sure whether this was going to work.

I prayed to God saying, ‘God I know you did not give me this position to a shame me. Protect me to steer this House to the end.’ One thing I will always pride myself in is that the Senate remained united on matters that affected our counties. We remained as one House. It was very difficult to tell which side was the Government and which was the Opposition. For that, we shall be remembered.

I am happy that even at our lowest moments, people would say they will impeach me. I remember during the sharable revenue; it was one of my most difficult times. I had to find an escape route because people were baying for my blood. At the end of the day, we were all victorious. I remember during the impeachment Motions, it was also a difficult moment but again, the Senators assisted me. I must thank the Secretariat led by the Clerk, who gave me very good guidance on what steps to take to ensure that I do not shoulder the blame but we know we move together as a House.

I cannot forget His Excellency the President and the Deputy President who are my party and deputy party leaders respectively for proposing my name as Speaker of the Senate. I will forever be grateful to them for giving me that opportunity and for the Senate accepting and voting for me to be their Speaker. If I had an opportunity, I would have wished to continue because this has been a good experience but I am sure we shall meet as we go to other stations to serve the Republic of Kenya. To all the Senators, thank you very much. I thank the Leadership. I thank experienced Senators like Sen. Khaniri. I thank Sen. Faki and Sen. Madzayo for the Kiswahili lessons that they took us through. I thank Sen. Shiyonga for introducing new vocabulary in the Senate. I also thank Sen. (Dr.) Zani for coming up with a new vocabulary

that saw her thrown out of the House but again, that was a learning experience. I thank Sen. Kasanga, as young as she is, for championing a great Bill. I am happy that today, her Bill which she was so passionate about, has been assented to by the President. You will go down in history. In other places, it would have been referred to as the Kasanga Bill. I hope that those who will come after us will remember. We shall forever be grateful to the Serjent-at-Arms, all those who have been escorting me to the House and all those who have been taking care of us in the offices. As we go home, I wish you God’s mercies for all those looking for other positions. I did mention the Chairpersons of committees in my speech last Thursday when we were going home. I say thank you and may God bless you abundantly to everybody who contributed to our success. Wherever you will be, I am sure we shall continue meeting. I am sure, I

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may not get this opportunity again to stand here and be in this regalia as the Speaker of the Senate. May God bless you and now with those remarks; Hon. Senators, a Motion of this nature does not require the Question to be put.

Hon. Senators, it is now time to adjourn the Senate. The Senate stands adjourned s ine die . Thank you and God bless.

The Senate rose at 8.28 p.m.

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