Clerk, do we have quorum? Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes.

Order, hon. Senators! Kindly take your seat. We do have quorum now. Clerk, you may proceed to call the first Order, please. The Senate Majority Leader, proceed.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate, today, Wednesday 25th, September, 2024. These are the reports of the Auditor General on the financial statements of the following hospitals for the year ended 30th June, 2022: Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Samburu Sub County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Kwale for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Siaya County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Siaya for the year ended 30th June, 2022. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Wajir County Referral Hospital - County Government of Wajir for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Garissa County Level 5 Referral and Teaching Hospital - County Government of Garissa for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Rangwe Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Homa Bay for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Engineer County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Nyandarua for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital - County Government of Laikipia for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Nyahururu County Referral Hospital - County Government of Laikipia for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Nyang’ande Sub County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Kisumu for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Nyang’oma Sub County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Kisumu for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Maragua Sub County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Murang’a for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Murang’a Level 5 Hospital - County Government of Murang’a for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Muriranja’s Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Murang’a for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Bondeni Sub County Hospital - County Government of Nakuru for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Keringet Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Nakuru for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Chemolingot Sub County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Baringo for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Cheptalal Level 3 Hospital - County Government of Bomet for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Sigor Sub County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Bomet for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Ndanai Sub County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Bomet for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Ikutha Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Kitui for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Katulani Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Kitui for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Marsabit Level 5 Hospital - County Government of Marsabit for the year ended 30th June, 2022. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statements of Laisamis Sub County Referral Hospital - County Government of Marsabit for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statement of Kalacha Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Marsabit for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statement of Mandera County Referral Hospital for the year ended 30th June, 2022 - County Government of Mandera. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statement of Kutulo Sub County Hospital - County Government of Mandera for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statement of Banisa Sub County Hospital - County Government of Mandera for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statement of Lafey Sub County Level 4 Hospital - County Government of Mandera for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Report of the Auditor General on Financial Statement of Elwak Sub County Hospital - County Government of Mandera for the year ended 30th June, 2022. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay.

Next Order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to ask Question No.041. (a) Could the Cabinet Secretary explain why some services that are offered at Huduma Centre Headquarters are not available at Hola Huduma Centre in Tana River County and indicate the criteria used to determine the service charter in each centre? (b) What measures has the Government taken to ensure equal access to essential services in all Huduma centres across the country? (c) Are there plans to renovate Hola Huduma Centre in Tana River County, which is in a dilapidated state as well as upgrade its services? I thank you.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may proceed to respond.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Hon. Mungatana, pursuant to Standing Order No.51(c)(7)(a), you may ask two supplementary questions. These questions are exactly that. They must flow from the primary Question. You may proceed.

Bw. Spika, kwanza namshukuru sana Waziri wetu wa

kwa kufika hapa kujibu maswali haya ya Tana River. Siku hizi yeye siyo Spika bali ni Waziri wetu na ningependa kumuomba atembee Tana River. Asiskize vile maafisa wake wanamwambia. Hii Huduma Centre iko katika barabara kubwa inayoingia

yetu ya Tana River. Ukipita hapo unapata fence inaanguka na hakuna gate hapo. Ukiangalia hakuna 5

ya hizo tiles imebaki. Enda uone wewe mwenyewe. Hakuna hata maji ndani ya hiyo Huduma Centre. Watu wanasumbuka. Bw. Waziri hajataja ni pesa ngapi ambazo zimewekwa mwaka huu za kumalizia kazi za renovation. Ametaja anataka kufanya rebranding. Hii rebranding na fence imeanguka, hata hakuna usalama pale. Hao watu wanakupeleka vibaya. Bw. Spika, sisi tunamwomba Bw. Waziri aje mwenyewe na atueleze ni pesa ngapi zimewekwa za kufanya marekebisho ya ile Huduma Centre. Hii ni kwa sababu hii Huduma Centre inaleta pesa na watu pale wanapeleka mambo yao. Kwa hivyo, ni pesa ngapi zimewekwa ili fence isimamishwe ndio ile aibu ya Serikali kuu iondoke pale. Swali langu la pili; Bw. Waziri amesema kuna interns walikuwa wanatakikana kule Tana River County, interns hawakuomba nafasi hizo. Huduma muhimu ni kama huduma ya pesa za Uwezo Fund na hizo haziko kwa hio Huduma Centre yetu. Watu wangejuaaje kutafuta kazi za interns kwa hii Huduma Centre kama watu hawapei hii huduma? Pia huduma ya Youth Development Entreprise Fund haipo. Hapa Nairobi na sehemu nyingi mjini, mtu akikosa huduma hapa, ataenda pale na atasaidika. Lakini, kule nje kama Tana River, ningemwomba Bw. Waziri atafute pesa za kutosha na atembee ili ajionee mwenyewe. Sisemi stori nyingi lakini ninaomba Bw. Waziri aje. Kule kwetu siyo bali, akisema twende, hata Kesho tutaenda na turudi, ili aone na aangalia vile hali ilivyo. Je, anawezatupa preferential treatment kwa sababu tuko bali? Watoto wetu wanatafuta leseni za National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) na hawapati The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

mpaka waende Malindi au Garissa. Ninaomba Bw. Waziri atusaidie na pia atu-upgradie ile centre yetu. Je, Bw. Waziri, utakuja lini, umeweka pesa ngapi na utapandisha cheo Hola Huduma Centre lini? Asante, Bw. Spika.

Thank you. Sen. Mungatana, I have given you latitude. There is no word like ‘ upgradie .’ We do not have such a word anywhere. I will allow the Cabinet Secretary to respond to those two questions. The first question is how much you have set aside this financial year for purposes of completing the renovations of that Huduma centre. The second question is: Considering the remoteness of Tana River County, would you give them preferential treatment? Those are the two questions. Please, respond to that.

Sen. Mumma, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Welcome, Cabinet Secretary to the Senate. Cabinet Secretary, listening to you, I do not know how to ask the question, but I will ask. You seem to say you have zero budget to implement matters. You also seem to be begging Members of Parliament (MPs), counties and State departments to uptake or facilitate the Huduma services. My question is: We have five days before moving from the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Authority (SHA). Only 1.2 million Kenyans have registered with the new system, compared to 14 million registered with NHIF. Is your Ministry and Huduma services being used to fast-track the transition of all those who have paid and are members of NHIF to the SHA arrangement, so that we can avert any crisis in our health facilities, come 1st October, 2024?

Sen. Mbugua, proceed. Cabinet Secretary, note the questions so that you can respond to a number of them instead of responding to one and then listening to the other. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. On the issue of access to essential services, I would like the Cabinet Secretary to specifically state to this House the measures taken to ensure universal access for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Also, tell this House how many Huduma centres have sign language interpreters for people who deserve that service. Thank you.

Sen. Wambua, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sir, my question relates to the operations of Huduma centres. I would like to know from the Cabinet Secretary whether there is a common service charter for all Huduma Centres across the country, or we have different service charters for different Huduma Centres. Is it not a requirement that all essential Government services are available in all Huduma Centres? I have heard the Cabinet Secretary say he is appealing to Government departments to second staff to all Huduma centres. I thank you, Mr. Speaker, sir.

Sen. Mundigi?

Asante, Bw. Spika. Swali langu kwa Bw. Waziri ni hili: Kumekuwa na malalamishi katika kaunti 47 kuhusu uajiri wa watu katika departments . Bw. Waziri, ulianza kazi juzi. Ningetaka kujua nini utafanya ili kila kaunti isherehekee keki ya Kenya nzima? Kumekuwa na shida ya internship kwa vijana wetu wale wamesoma. Kaunti nyingi zimekuwa na shida kwa sababu wale watu wako kwa department wakiajiri watu hawafanyi balancing . Sasa wewe kama Bw. Waziri mpya, utasaidiaaje? Jambo lingine, watu wengi wamepitisha miaka 60 na hawajaachishwa kazi. Tunajua vijana wetu wanataka kazi. Utasaidia namna gani ili vijana kila kaunti wapate kazi? Asante, Bw. Spika.

Sen. Gataya Mo Fire?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. My question to the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Human Capital Development is simple. You know Huduma Service in Kenya is not about buildings. I am happy that recently, the President launched three Huduma centres in Tharaka-Nithi County. You are aware of that. However, these Huduma Centres are skeletons. They are just houses with no staff. If you go to Marimanti, you will not find even a single staff serving citizens on matters National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF); no staff for pensions and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). There are no registration biometrics. There are no National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) staff. So, are these Huduma centres there only by name? What is your Ministry doing to make sure that the core services that are required to be rendered in these Huduma centres are installed? We have the Huduma centre in Marimanti, which is just a skeleton of itself and Huduma Centre in Maara, which is The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

beautifully done, but it is just a shell. There is also a Huduma centre in Kathwana, the county headquarters for Tharaka-Nithi County, which is just there by its name. What are you doing to make sure that these facilities serve the intended people? What is your Ministry doing to make sure that people get services in this regard? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir

Sen. Boni?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. There has been a lot of conflicting information around cost. Could the Cabinet Secretary clarify the cost of acquiring the following documents? One, a new national identity card, renewal of the national card, acquisition of a birth certificate, acquisition of a passport and renewal of a passport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may now proceed to respond.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I want to thank hon. Senators who have raised quite several pertinent issues relating to the functioning of Huduma centres. I agree with Sen. Catherine Mumma. I believe I know most of the Senators by their names. The question of migration from NHIF to SHA/SHIF is a matter that has exercised the minds of many people in Government. Indeed, two weeks ago, I have been appalled by the information that has been coming through that only a paltry 1.2 million Kenyans have, so far, registered. I think it is a matter that should worry everybody who is intent on seeing the success of the rolling out of UHC, if it has to be seen to cover the entire country and as many people as it is intended to. My response to this question is likely to answer some other questions that have been raised by other Senators. We, at Huduma centre, or indeed at the Ministry, do not have the wherewithal to compel other ministries, departments, agencies and counties to utilize the services offered by Huduma Kenya in their centres. It is in that regard that I indicated the efforts that have been made by my predecessor in March of this year and by the Prime Cabinet Secretary on April 22nd this year. They appealed to Ministries, departments and agencies to kindly utilize these services. We at the Ministry have offered to hold training sessions, where we can have the people we are calling universal staffers, be a person who are capable of offering frontal services, requiring, for instance, a renewal of driving licenses, a birth certificate, certificates of good conduct and several services. We can have one person deal with five to even ten services. However, as we all know, change moves very slowly. So, we are seeing this in Ministries, departments, and agencies, and indeed, even as well as in counties. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as of today, our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Huduma Kenya Secretariat has written to the Social Health Authority asking them to utilize the services availed at Huduma centres to register more Kenyans into the SHIF. That will be my response to the question raised by Sen. Mumma, with whom I agree. Indeed, the issues she has pointed out are quite true. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

With regard to the issue of universal access raised by Sen. Mbugua, it is true that it would require a lot of lean time because it is only this year that we have seen a lot of efforts being made. However, we continue to appeal to Ministries, departments and agencies. We at Huduma Kenya will be ready to deploy the people who are specially or variously abled. Maybe people who may need braille services and people who may need sign language services at our Huduma centres. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is a process that takes time because Ministries and departments are not rolling out as fast as we would have expected. Also, I agree that there is a need for us to begin even if it is just here in Nairobi. I want to admit, we do not have people offering those kinds of services. However, it is a desire of Huduma Kenya to have such services also available in some of our centres, depending on the need too. There will be a need to do some needs assessments. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there was a question raised by Sen. Wambua, the distinguished Senator for Kitui County with regard to service charters. There is an element of commonness, just like we have in Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU). One service charter is likely to differ just slightly depending on the kind of service those particular Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) or indeed a county wish to offer. Generally, they are common. In fact, I have a model one here, which is annexed in the responses that I filed to the House; Annex 1-Tana River County Huduma Centre, full-service delivery charter. It will be modified depending on the kind of service that an MDA would be offering. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the question by Senator for Embu County, Hon. Sen. Munyi Mundigi, I did indicate to that I know, but the hon. Senator took me to a different area. It is about employment and fairness in recruitment. The Ministry of Public Service and Human Capital Development is not involved in employment or recruitment into the public service. However, that is a constitutional function given to the PSC, as you well know. I am sure the House is well familiar with the provisions of Article 234. More particularly, if you read Clause 2 (a)(ii), it is their responsibility to employ and it also indicates the functions of the PSC. I am sure the Hon. Senator for Kakamega County is likely to expound further on what is provided in that Article. It is not a function of the Ministry, but one for the PSC. However, they are to be guided. As we all know, by the requirements placed in Article 232 on values in public service, are also contained more particularly in the Public Service Commission Act of 2017. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Senator for Tharaka-Nithi, Sen. Gataya Mo Fire, spoke about the nature of skeleton staff at Marimanti - which is near his village - Maara Constituency and Kathwana, in Chuka/Igamba Ng’ombe. It is true that the staff there are skeleton. However, as you all know, these are the centres that were just opened or operationalised in this financial year, soon after the debacle of the Finance Bill 2024, which we are all quite alive to. We know what happened. It is true indeed that the staff in those three Huduma centres are skeletal, but we will be beefing them up. We shall add more staff as we move on. Finally, the question by my good friend, the indomitable Senator for Kakamega County with regard to costs. We, at the Huduma Centre, may not be able to speak The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

authoritatively on the question of how much it costs to apply for a new birth certificate, renew passports and all these other certificates. The issue of the costs is domiciled in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration. The issue of driving licences is within the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), which falls under the Ministry of Roads and Transport. I hope I have responded to the various supplementary questions. I thank you.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, we will now take the final round. Sen. Tabitha Mutinda proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I start by giving my remarks to the Cabinet Secretary, congratulating him on his new position and role. Bw. Waziri, do you have a Huduma number? Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale had even asked a question in terms of the costs that are in place. I have a Huduma number and since it came to place, it was supposed to help sort out a lot of identification documents such as driving licence, Identification (ID) card, NSSF number, NHIF, by consolidating them in one card. This would then cut the cost of acquiring all these documents and help the Government have singular database that comprises of all the information for all Kenyans. What is your take as far as the Huduma number issue is concerned? What is your futuristic strategic focus as far as this number is in place in this country because, definitely, funds were used? Bw. Waziri, what is your take? I thank you.

Sen. Kibwana, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Bw. Waziri, karibu sana. Pardon me. I have to mix and speak English. How would you sustain motivating the staff? Whenever you go to the Huduma Centres, you realise that the quality of service is quite poor. The systems are broken down, there is delay at the counters and inadequate staff. How do you plan to motivate the staff, so that they can work better? At times we even find that they are unable to reconcile all the different services that are supposed to be conducted. I thank you.

Senator Majority Leader, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I also join my colleagues who are congratulating the Cabinet Secretary on his new position. I know him very well. He was my chairman for five years at the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), so I worked with him very closely and enjoyed that time. More curiously for me though is to see the Speaker of the National Assembly before what looks like a dock at the Senate, much as he is coming to answer Questions. I know that is not a scene he forethought during his years in the National Assembly, but I do welcome him. I want to know from him whether his Ministry has sight or knows the exact number of public servants we have, at least in the Executive in this Republic. I know it is one of the most contested costs to the exchequer. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

We are living in this very difficult fiscal strain season and we are being asked to make savings everywhere. One of the areas that have been pointed out where this administration must seriously improve on is on the cost that Kenyans are having to bear to pay public servants. It will be important to know the number and whether he thinks there are more or less than we need. Lastly, is there anything being done to ensure that as a country, we do not take more than a fair share of public servants needed to deliver service without overburdening Kenyans because we are paying too much in salaries to public servants at the expense of millions of taxpayers?

Proceed, Sen. Beatrice Akinyi.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, my questions touch on sectoral issues. As the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Human Capital Development, I would like to know your input as a Ministry on the various challenges that the public sector in this country is facing. We have a case of the health sector and issues of intern doctors. We also have lecturers in the streets---

Hon. Senator, let me guide you. You are rising to ask a supplementary question and, therefore, it must relate to the primary Question. I gave some kind of leeway to Sen. Alexander Mundigi who subtly veered off. Any question that is not related to Huduma Centre cannot be a supplementary question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Other than Huduma Centre services, there are other public sector services.

, what is your input as a Ministry regarding other public sector challenges? What would be your take on the challenges that the public sector is going through?

Proceed, Sen. Murango.

Bw. Spika, kwanza nampa kongole kwa kuwa Waziri katika Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza. Kuna upungufu wa wafanyakazi, haswa katika Huduma Centres nyingi. Unafanya au unakusudia kufanya nini kuhakikisha kwamba kuna wafanyakazi wa kutosha ili kuhakikisha hakuna foleni za kupata huduma zinazotafutwa sana na Wakenya katika Huduma centres?

Proceed, Sen. Kavindu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I want to start by congratulating the hon. Cabinet Secretary in his new position. How does he plan to build more Huduma centres? For example, it costs a lot of money to travel from Masinga Sub County to Machakos Town to go and pick something that should have been gotten at Masinga. How do you plan to spread Huduma centres across the counties, so that you move services near the people? Like stated by other Senators, there is a problem of understaffing at Huduma Centres.

Proceed, Sen. Kathuri.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also congratulate the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Human Capital Development. As the Senate Majority Leader put it, I also want to say how I know him. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

I worked under him in the National Assembly for 10 years together with Sen. Maanzo. More importantly, I participated in electing him twice as my Speaker. When time comes, hon. Muturi, you will come to Meru to do something for me, especially in 2027, God willing. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, Huduma Centres are a noble idea which was started by the Government of Kenya. Now we are not sure. As I was driving to my office, I heard you talk about many Huduma Centres that might be supported by the NG-CDF. I also heard you mention that there was a ruling by the High Court about the constitutionality of the NG-CDF. All these constituencies have approached you to collaborate with them. You also mentioned that you have no development budget. What will your Ministry do to ensure that all these constituencies you have mentioned and others in the pipeline get money through the Exchequer, maybe in the next financial year to have these services? I come from Meru. We have South Imenti, North Imenti, Central Imenti, Buuri, Tigania West, Tigania East, Igembe Central, Igembe South and Igembe North constituencies. You mentioned that Maua will be getting one. What will your Ministry do to have these Huduma Centres accomplished, noting that NG-CDF might be a thing of the past, even though I do not know the National Assembly’s strategy to ensure that this Fund is restored back?

Proceed, Sen. Maanzo.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I take this opportunity to congratulate hon. Muturi, former Speaker of the National Assembly, for the appointment as a Cabinet Secretary. I will go on to ask a question about PWDs at Huduma Centres. There has been a concern that not many of them have been hired, and if any, they work at the back office. What will you do to make sure that PWDs are well represented, taken care of and participate in nation-building by working at Huduma Centres?

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may proceed to respond.

Sen. Tabitha Mutinda, please allow the Hon. Cabinet Secretary to respond uninterrupted.

Hon. Senators, that terminates our interaction with the Hon. Cabinet Secretary. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, let me on behalf of the Senate, extend our appreciation for availing yourself for purposes of responding to the questions that you indeed have ably responded to. You may now retire at your pleasure. Thank you so much.

We will move to Question No.032, directed to the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Tourism and Wildlife. The Question is by the Hon. David Wakoli. Clerk, you may proceed to usher in the Hon. Cabinet Secretary.

The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, let me take this opportunity to welcome you back to the Senate. You are to respond to Question No.032 by the Senator for Bungoma County. There was also a Question No.089 that was supposed to be asked by the Senator for West Pokot. However, you are not going to respond to this Question today because of the unavailability of the Senator who is supposed to raise it. Therefore, you will be expected to respond to Question No.032 by the Hon. Senator for Bungoma. Sen. Wafula, you may now proceed to raise your question.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I will proceed to ask my Questions. (a) What initiatives has the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife implemented to develop and promote tourism in Bungoma County? (b) How many employees has the Ministry deployed to the county to support tourism development initiatives, and could the Cabinet Secretary also explain steps taken to address any shortfall? (c) Could the Cabinet Secretary provide a status update on all programmes in Bungoma County budgeted for by the Ministry in the financial years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, and outline any other programmes earmarked for funding in the short- and mid-term? (d) What strategies and incentives has the Ministry deployed to attract local and foreign investment in the tourism sector in Bungoma County? I thank you.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you may now proceed to respond.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir and Members, for inviting me this morning to respond to the four questions under Question No.032. Indeed, Bungoma that is located in Western Kenya is an emerging tourist destination with a unique blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage and historical significance. The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has undertaken several initiatives to develop and promote tourism in Bungoma County by implementing the following- (1) The Ministry has undertaken registration and licensing of all regulated tourism enterprises and conducting regular quality audits within the county through the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA). This has ensured quality service provision and customer satisfaction, ultimately making Bungoma a good tourist destination. Under this programme, 72 regulated tourism enterprises have been audited and advised on the areas that require improvement. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

(2) Stakeholders in the county have been sensitized on the various standards to ensure tourism establishments offer quality services. During these forums, awareness on duty-free importation of items was created as prescribed under the East African Community Customs Act, 2004 and the Public Finance Management Act, 2017. (3) We have had coordinated and assisted stakeholders, especially hotels to form an association. We now have the Bungoma Hotel Owners Association for purposes of self-regulation. (4) The Ministry through the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) conducted a one-day training workshop with county tourism officials in Kakamega County on 18th September 2023. This covered Bungoma, Kakamega, Vihiga, Siaya, Kisumu and Homa Bay counties. The sessions were designed to empower county governments and private sector stakeholders with the insights and tools necessary to unearth export-ready gems and craft innovation tourism packages. The specific objectives of the trainings were to identify new products, experiences, facilities coming up in the counties and evaluate the top iconic experiences identified by the counties. The training was also to establish the key sector players in the county responsible for delivering the adventure, the sports and cultural experiences such as the Eshikuti and Amabeka dances. It was also to scout for potential signature experiences in those counties and evaluate the status of existing tourism products and infrastructure in the county. In our ongoing efforts to promote the diverse and tourism products across counties, there has been active and continuous collaboration with county governments to enhance digital footprint of local attractions and events. The production of joint marketing materials with county governments include informative brochures and even videos. The creation of high-quality, visually appealing promotional content that captures the essence of Kenya's tourism landscape, especially in the counties, has also been prioritized in this financial year. The content generated will be used to market the destinations on online and offline platforms. Areas to be covered in Bungoma County include Buteyo Miti Park, Bukusu Cultural Centre, Mount Elgon and Kitum Caves, hills and waterfalls spread across the county, including Nabuyole. The Ministry through Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) Meeting Incentive Conferences and Exhibition (MICE) Mashinani Awareness Programme has targeted the Lake Region Economic Bloc in which Bungoma County is a member. Activities being carried out include: (1) Stakeholder workshops. This is a session held to demystify what MICE is and creating awareness on the same. (2) Incentive travel. This entails exploring the county's potential to identify incentive travel opportunities that the corporations can leverage on and drive business to the counties. (3) MICE mapping: We have identified county's MICE potential including associations that various stakeholders in the county are affiliated to and collaborate to jointly bid and host events. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, that is the response to part (a) of the Question. I will then proceed with part (b). (b) The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has deployed 41 officers spread across various cadres, 30 in the tourism fund and the TRA in Kisumu. This covers the western region offices where Bungoma County belongs. In addition, we have undertaken the following steps to address the shortfalls in the tourism development initiatives: (1) Supporting product mapping. (2) Adoption of multi-sectoral approach in tourism development and management at the county level. (3) Maintaining a unified county events calendar. (4) Supporting counties in digital marketing. (5) Destination development and management through tourism signage across the counties. (6) Data collection in support of planning and strategy development. (7) Developing county tourism brands. (8) Capacity building and training for county tourism staff. (9) Rating of tourism facilities and experiences. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the response to part (c) is the Government budget allocation to the Ministry and its agencies is well utilized in the development, promotion and marketing of tourism in the entire country. Therefore, it may not be possible to isolate the specific amount on the Bungoma County alone because of the arrangement of regions and areas. In addition, the various tourist circuits are interdependent and connected to one another in terms of visitors' travel experiences and visitation. For example, the TRA has allocated the following funding for the regulatory work in Western Region which covers Bungoma County in the specified financial year. In the submission, there are details for the financial years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024. Most of the work was towards quality assurance and sensitization activities. Similarly, for KICC, we have shown in the table the amounts allocated to the Lake Region Bloc, which includes Bungoma County for the two financial years. Other programmes earmarked for funding in the short and medium term in Bungoma County include refurbishment of Koitoboss Guest House at Mount Elgon at a cost of Kshs2.6 million. We also have road rehabilitation and maintenance of Endebess Mt. Elgon Main Gate and Koimoton Road at the cost of Kshs27 million. Finally, the response to part (d) is that the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has deployed several incentives and strategies to attract local and foreign investment in the tourism sector in the counties, including the County of Bungoma in collaboration with the relevant agencies as follows- (1) Duty exemption to hoteliers and restaurants on imported items under the East African Customs Management. We have given all the details of the items that are duty exempt. (2) Duty exemption for tour vans, tourism transportation, tour operators such as sightseeing buses, overload trucks, among others. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

The Ministry also offers tourism business investment advisory services to local investors on where to invest in resorts, eco-lodges and other establishments in the country, including in the protected areas.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we also have concessionary loans at lower interest rates with longer repayment period of between 10–20 years offered by the Kenya Development Corporation (KDC) for development or the renovation of hotels, lodges, restaurants and related tourists’ facilities. We have duty exemption on tourism boats imported by licensed tour operators and ferry boats parts and accessories. We have duty exemption for refrigerated trucks and refrigerated trailers. Finally, we have duty exemption on water treatment effluent plants that may be used by hoteliers in recycling their used waters. I submit.

Sen. Wakoli David, you have two supplementary questions. Do you want to execute them right now?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate the Cabinet Secretary for the brief responses she has put out for us. However, we all understand that tourism is a venture that has predominantly benefited other regions in this country like the Maasai Mara, Naivasha and Nakuru. Unfortunately, zones like the western circuit of Kakamega, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia have not benefited immensely from these funds that she has executed. That is why my questions were very specific on the number of staff deployed to Bungoma County and the amount of resources, specifically channelled to there. She has also by extension mentioned meetings of stakeholders that have been carried out in Bungoma. My desire is that moving forward, more energy should be put in counties because things are now devolved and counties have specific, historical sites. In Bungoma, we have Mabanga, Chetambe and Lumboka and it is important to capture these places. We have the famous traditional circumcision festival only done in Western and we have seen people go to Uganda---

Sen. Wakoli, what is your supplementary question?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am coming to that and I beg that you have a little bit of patience.

Kindly ask the supplementary question.

In specifics, how many meetings have been done in Bungoma? Apart from the budget I have seen on the main gate, which is in Trans Nzoia, the other part in Bungoma is in the dark. So, how much were the resources allocated? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

She may not have the answers right now, but in due course, we can have specific answers for Bungoma as well as the strategic plan for Bungoma. This is so that we can partner with this county and tap the untapped potential. I thank you.

Madam Cabinet Secretary.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I have noted the points raised by the hon. Member and we will put the data together. This week, we are celebrating the World UN Tourism Week and we will be launching the western circuit on Friday. Additionally, the Ministry established a programme called Utalii Mashinani and 11 counties have been visited, including Bungoma. The discussion with the county government came up with a list of the activities that needed to be done, issues to be addressed and the timelines therein. Ours will be to follow up on that and ensure that execution has been done.

Do you have another supplementary or you will wait for your colleagues to ask a few questions?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I can allow my colleagues to ask their questions, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Agnes Kavindu.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I will first congratulate the hon. Cabinet Secretary in her appointment to the new position she is in now and also welcome her to the Senate. My question is: Is Machakos County one of the counties to be visited to roll out what is being rolled out in the other counties? My other question is---

You only have one supplementary question. Therefore, you should prioritize the best one.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my priority was another one and not this one. Kindly, allow me.

Then she will answer to that one. Proceed, Sen. Kavindu.

My question is about the wildlife conflict with human beings, especially at Masinga Dam. We had met with the former Cabinet Secretary and I had requested whether Masinga Dam could be fenced in order to avoid my people getting killed by hippos and crocodiles. There is also Ol Donyo Sabuk Game Reserve. The former Cabinet Secretary had promised to look for funds in order to fence both Masinga Dam and this game reserve. There is one young man, Dennis Musyoka Kalutu who lost his leg because of a hippo attack. This boy goes to school and his compensation was due early this year and to-date, he has not been compensated and he still has issues going to school. What can the hon. Cabinet Secretary and all the other compensations due to Machakos County?

Let me get a few other questions so that she responds to them together. Sen. Catherine? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity. I first welcome the hon. Rebecca Miano to the Senate. She was my classmate and I do not say. I also congratulate her in her new docket. Article 6 of the Constitution contemplates that the national Government under the devolved governance system decentralize its services. My question is whether there is an intergovernmental sectoral committee on tourism with the Council of Governors (CoG)? What mechanisms have been put in place to ensure regions like Western Kenya that have been marginalized on tourism, even though they have the largest fresh-water lake and the only tropical forest with rare flora and fauna in order to ensure equitable deployment of development funds to your Ministry to grow tourism in that region? We have always been told something is being done in Western Kenya since 2013, but Western Kenya is exactly where it was in 2013 and is exactly where it is today. We want to know when we are moving from tokenism investment in tourism in the Western Kenya circuit to actual investment in this sector. Thank you.

Hon. Senators, the opportunity I give you is not to take five minutes to explain so many things, but to ask you a specific supplementary question. Next is Sen. Methu.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I also welcome the Cabinet Secretary to the Senate. Needless to say, the Cabinet Secretary is a voter of the county that I represent in this Senate.

You do not have the microphone.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have the microphone. What strategies and incentives has the Ministry deployed to attract local and foreign investment in the tourism sector in Bungoma? My supplementary question relates to an ecosystem in the county I represent here; the Lake Olbolosat ecosystem. It is the only lake in the former Central Province of the Republic of Kenya. I would like to know what the Ministry is doing to incentivise this particular resource, home to the largest family of hippos and over 300 species of birds. What is the Ministry doing so that we can market that natural resource, make it even more attractive and known across the globe that this is a place you can visit?

Cabinet Secretary, proceed to answer those questions first.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I will start with a question asked by the hon. Member from Machakos County. I confirm that Machakos County was one of the counties visited in March under the programme of Utali Mashinani. Our ministry and the county government of The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Machakos agreed on an action plan. We look forward to implementing that action plan to promote Machakos County tourism. In terms of the questions on human-wildlife conflict, for Oldonyo-Sabuk fencing, funds are available. They were sourced successfully and there is a tendering process in place. The Masinga ecosystem is managed under the Ministry of Energy and not under the State Department for Wildlife. On the question by Sen. Mumma. I wish to confirm that we have an intergovernmental sectoral committee under the Ministry and CoG. The Governor for Narok is the current chair. We participate actively and attend regular meetings. A number of MOUs have been put in place, including with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for the management of game reserves and with counties, with some of the counties in regard to tourism. Tourism week is ongoing; the culmination will be held in Kisumu County on Friday. We are launching and unveiling the western circuit, covering all the western counties. I believe a lot of activity is going on. We will continue focusing on other areas apart from the traditional areas because to grow our tourism, we need to diversify the products and areas that the country has so that we can have sustainable tourism. The final question on Lake Olbolosat is whether the process of gazetting it as a national reserve is ongoing under the county government. Kenya Wildlife Service is assisting in developing a management plan to ensure good management and promote tourism. We are working together with other sectoral players and stakeholders, including Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, National Environment Management Authority of Kenya (NEMA), other stakeholders, to ensure the sustainability of that precious lake, which will also go a long way towards promoting tourism and other socio-economic activities. Thank you.

Let us get another round.

Who gave you permission to rise and ask the question? Sen. Kavindu Muthama, can you have your seat first? Do you not know how to catch the Speaker's eye? Sen. Kavindu, now I can see your intervention. What has not been answered?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is about Dennis Musyoka, the young boy whose leg was cut by a hippo. The compensation was due early this year, but the boy is struggling to go to school on one leg. The mother calls me every day to ask for money so that she can buy a prosthetic leg for her son so that he can also go to school comfortably. Could the Cabinet Secretary answer to that question? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Sen. Kavindu Muthama, have your seat. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, if you do not have the answer, you say so, and then maybe you might provide it later.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the question of compensation, there is a process that is ongoing to unlock the backlog that exists from 2013. I know a bit of it has been covered to 2019. However, I would like to get specific details and respond more comprehensively and accurately. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Kavindu Muthama, I advise you to visit the Cabinet Secretary in her office so she can give you an updated version of her position.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I will visit her at her office.

Thank you. Next is Sen. Faki.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I also want to join my colleagues in congratulating the Cabinet Secretary for her appointment to the Cabinet in the tourism docket. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, I want to confirm when the Ministry will likely return the Mama Ngina waterfront to the Mombasa County Government. This property belonged to Mombasa County. The Government came in and improved it, but after the improvement, they took away the title deed. So, we need our title deed back for the Mombasa Mama Ngina waterfront. Thank you.

Sen. Gataya Mo Fire is next.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. This is a follow-up question to so many other questions that I have raised before this House to Madam Cabinet Secretary of Tourism and Wildlife. There is Ura Cultural Festival that is an international event observed every year in August by all the cultures around Mt. Kenya and beyond. However, there are no facilities, for example, toilets; it is just very dusty. I remember there was a promise which was made by the President in the financial year 2019-2020, that this facility was supposed to enjoy Kshs10 million to give it a facelift. I raised this matter before the former Cabinet Secretary, Hon. (Dr.) Alfred Mutua, when he came before this House. I do not know whether it is in your view that this money is seriously needed downstream so that this facility can get its facelift so that people can enjoy a better place. It is an international event which is quite observed and people would be very happy to have this facility given a facelift. You were supposed to be the guest of honour in our last engagement, a few weeks ago. What is your Ministry doing to make sure that this facility gets its Kshs10 million to give it a facelift?

Sen. Eddie Oketch?

Thank you, Deputy Mr. Speaker, Sir. My regards to

and congratulations on your appointment. Mine is a question about maritime tourism. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Madam Waziri, will you share with us the case for investment in your Ministry and any specific plans, if any, about revitalising our maritime tourism? Specifically, if you look at the coastal stretch between Mombasa, Malindi, Lamu, all the way to Kismayu, are there efforts by the Ministry to rethink the maritime activities such as what is happening in Dar es Salaam mainland and connecting to Zanzibar Island? Is there a replica investment when you think about maritime tourism in those areas and stretching that to places like what Sen. Mumma asked about the case for investment in tourism in the Western part? Could you connect that maritime tourism to a case for the Lake Victoria region? If you think about the Islands of Migingo connecting to Migori, the opportunity for scuba diving there, nautical sports, sailing, cruising, yachting, boating, and even the islands of Takawiri, Mfangano, coming all the way to mainland Homa Bay. Is there a case and a plan by the Ministry to invest in that maritime tourism?

Madam Cabinet Secretary?

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. In regards to Mama Ngina Waterfront, I am aware that discussions are going on. I do not have a specific response. I am still acclimatising and getting more details so that I can respond conclusively. Therefore, I have taken note of the question and the concerns for a more detailed response later. In regards to the Ura Gate cultural festival and the facilities there, the Executive Order designated this under the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. I think the renovations and upgrading of the facilities are under that Ministry. Under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, we recognise this as a critical festival in the promotion of tourism. So, the actual details would accurately be available under the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The last question is on maritime tourism. I confirm strongly that maritime tourism is the way to go, especially in diversifying the products that we have, not only at the Coast, but also in the Western region. A lot of work has been done and is being done. I am aware there is East Africa Ocean Festival, in Mombasa, from the 18th to the 20th October this year. Our Ministry is embracing maritime tourism as one of the niche markets that will be attractive, not only for the country, but for the regions that are well- endowed with maritime facilities.

Let us have another round. Sen. Kisang’?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to congratulate the Cabinet Secretary. We know her as a performer from KenGen and the Ministry she has been having. I am happy that she is in tourism. My question is this. I do not know what plans the Cabinet Secretary has, especially for compensation. In my county of Elgeyo- Marakwet, we have lost many animals through bandits and people. We are also losing crops every day through elephants that are in Rimoi National Game Reserve and compensations have not been paid since 2013 and the farmers are struggling. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Mangoes have been uprooted by elephants. Does the Cabinet Secretary have a plan? I know we were in the National Assembly with you for 10 years. Every year, the moment KWS puts money in the budget for compensation, they get slashed. Maybe they need to think out of the box and see if they can generate a certain percentage of what Tourism Fund collects and KWS and set up a fund for compensation so that they have A-in-A that they generate instead of relying on the exchequer from the National Treasury. I will come up later on with a substantive question, maybe next week on proper issues in mapping Elgeyo-Marakwet tourism sites so that she can give us resources to mobilise and also in conjunction with the County Government of Elgeyo-Marakwet to identify those sites and promote them.

Sen. Veronica Maina.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, welcome once again to the Senate. I do not know whether you are aware that cruise tourism holds a big potential for our nation. The maritime resources we have in Kenya are like the 48th county, which is a sea of opportunities for young people and for the many job seekers that we have in our nation. What is your Ministry doing to ensure that we can utilise this potential and we can have tourists now connected from South Africa, sailing to Kenya and other destinations in the world without having to take a flight, but being able to enjoy the resources that are in the sea, especially what we have under the waters, the sea world? What is your Ministry doing? Does it take those resources as part of the resources that are available to promote our economy? Number two, we have the hyenas which have been mauling people.

Do not ask two questions, Sen. Veronica Maina. Actually, the first one is good enough. Sen. Thang’wa, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. I also join the other Senators to congratulate the Cabinet Secretary in her new docket. We have a lot of faith in her and she will execute her mandate diligently. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my people in Juja are in pain. They are mourning because of the human-wildlife conflict or what we are referring to as the hyena menace. Hyenas have killed about 22 people in Juja. Our children go to school at 9.00 a.m. instead of 6.00 a.m. because they will be killed by hyenas. What specific measures are being implemented to ensure the safety of my people - the residents of Juja - following these attacks by hyenas?

Madam Cabinet Secretary, kindly answer those three questions before we move to the last round.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I will start with a question on compensation for human-wildlife conflict. Together with the National Treasury, payments have been made for the last two years. We are now in the process of operationalizing the county wildlife compensation committees that had not been finalized, so that the process can be mainstreamed and streamlined. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

We are also digitizing the process for accuracy and efficiency. There are proposals to introduce insurance products moving forward. The Ministry is working with other stakeholders and partners to see how we can have diversified resource mobilization that can be used for human-wildlife conflict compensation, activities to promote human- wildlife co-existence and addressing the reasons and ways of stopping the conflicts.

Madam Temporary Speaker, concerning cruise tourism, Mombasa and Lamu ports have been marketed as cruise tourism points. Many cruises are docking and we have diversified water sports and other activities. We have scheduled meetings at the coast in the next couple of months, so that we can work with stakeholders to come up with specific activities and opportunities that are available for implementation. In regards to the hyena menace in Juja Constituency, we do acknowledge that it has been an issue of devastation or an issue that has affected lives. When this happened, the KWS deployed rangers to respond to the menace. We have ensured that they are stationed there, 24 hours each day. We are also having education and awareness programmes. A lot of work has been put into translocating that wildlife and we are also having consolation fees that are being paid. We are working with NEMA to deal with the quarries that were not restored because those have become the hideouts for the hyenas. I confirm that together with the leaders and the people of Juja Constituency that quite a lot of activities have been undertaken. In the last couple of weeks, the situation has been contained. However, we are still camping there to ensure that the matter is conclusively resolved. I thank you.

Thank you, hon. Cabinet Secretary. The next round of questions will start with Sen. Miraj.

Asante, Bi. Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa fursa hii. Naungana na Maseneta wenzagu kumpongeza Waziri wetu kwa uteuzi wake kwa mara ya pili. Hili ni thibitisho kuwa ni mkakamavu katika kazi yake. Swali langu ni hili; tunapojitayarisha kuadhimisha siku ya utalii ulimwenguni ambayo dhima yake ni utalii na amani, ni mikakati gani toka uingie katika ofisi hii mpya umeweka ili kuona kwamba anga ya Moi International Airport imefungulia ndege za kimataifa za kitalii kutua? Nilisimama mwaka jana na kumuuliza Waziri wa Uchukuzi na Mawasiliano swali hili lakini kukawa na mino mino na mivutano mingi. Ningependa kujua ni hatua gani umechukua kama Waziri kuona kwamba hizi ndege za kitaifa za kitalii zinaweza kutua katika uwanja wa ndege wa Kimataifa Moi pale Mombasa. Nasisitiza kuwa utalii ni uti wa mgongo wa gatuzi sita za pwani. Watalii wanapokosa kufika maeneo yetu inaashiria kwamba sisi kama wapwani tutaendelea kudidimia katika uchochole na watoto wetu watakosa nafasi za kazi ambazo tayari pale nyuma zilikuwa kabla ya janga la COVID-19. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Bi. Waziri tueleze kinaga ubaga sisi kama wawakilishi kutoka pande za pwani tujue vipi tutadhibiti umaskini tukiangazia kwamba utalii ni uchumi wa kipekee ambao pia unaweza kuongeza mapato ya taifa letu la Kenya. Asante.

Sen. Miraj, time is already put. Sen. Abass proceed.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I would also like to join my colleagues in congratulating hon. Miano on her appointment. Mine is a concern on the human-wildlife conflict. Madam Cabinet Secretary, as you are aware, the conflict is rampant now as a result of the grazing lands shrinking. We are creating more conservancies in the rangelands where the communities are supposed to graze the animals. Therefore, I am asking your Ministry what the plan is because there is competition for the limited resources. Every year, many conservancies are coming up and we need to curtail them to, at least, allow the livestock to have a place for grazing. What plans do you have to curtail the many conservancies that have been created of late? In times of drought, wildlife actually suffers most, especially in our areas; the rangelands. There is no plan for water and e-wildlife die in large numbers. What is the plan in place for drought mitigation for the wildlife in those areas? Do you have any drought mitigation or interventions during the drought so that the wildlife can co-exist with the livestock?

Thank you. Sen. Kathuri, proceed.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise to ask a supplementary question. Last week, we lost a gentleman, Mr. Kimani from Igembe North, Antuabetwe Kiongo Ward, who was killed by an elephant. The same elephant trampled down several houses and destroyed crops. I think the Cabinet Secretary or the Director General of the KWS is aware of this. As my colleagues have put it, human-wildlife conflict is a serious problem in Kenya. Even when I served in the National Assembly, as you heard the Cabinet Secretary mention, the backlog was maybe up to 2013 and we are now in 2014. The Ministry must come up with a strategy on how to compensate people who have been killed and those who have lost their property. The reason we have this problem, especially in Meru is because the national park needs a lot of facilities. The animals there need water, but there are no water pans programmed. Madam Cabinet Secretary, when will water be available for the animals in Meru National Park? Another issue is accessibility. The roads to the national park are also dilapidated. In a summary, my question is about compensation, plans by the Ministry to provide water for the wildlife in Meru National Park and opening up of roads therein.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you can respond to those three, then we will take the next round of questions.

Madam Temporary Speaker, the first question was on tourism and security, which is the theme The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

for this year’s World Tourism Day. We have discussed with the Ministry of Interior and National Administration and tomorrow we will sign a MoU with activities and programmes that we shall use to promote tourism and security, including in Mombasa. Regarding the airlines landing in Mombasa, the hon. Member asked what I have done since I was appointed. This is the fifth week in office. However, I want to confirm that we have had a conversation with the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport with a view to discussing more airline access, especially those that were operating even pre- COVID-19 pandemic that had already been licensed and how they can make a return. I wish to confirm that FlyDubai operates direct flights to Moi International Airport, Mombasa, and KQ operates seven times per week between Dubai and Mombasa. Mombasa being a critical tourist destination, we feel that we need more access than we have. We will continue having the discussions even in the days to come. I believe that tourism is almost a low-hanging fruit in creating jobs, especially for the youth and promoting economic opportunities in the region. Mombasa is well endowed. It has beaches, marine tourism, rich culture and history and good weather. I think Mombasa can do more justice to the tourism sector. I want to assure the hon. Member that we will do our best by sparing no effort in promoting the coast as one of the prestigious tourism destinations. It is already, but a lot more can be done. Concerning the question on human-wildlife conflict, it is true that human-wildlife conflict is a big challenge and is a vexation. It affects human beings and animals due to competition for resources. We are now working with the communities to set up conservancies in a bid to have a win-win situation to allow multiple land use through management plans, so that we can have co-existence of wildlife, livestock, tourism and other economic activities. We are also working on environmental restoration programmes. Noting that conservancies are voluntary, we are disseminating information for promotion of either private or community conservancies. Regarding the attacks in the Meru National Park, the Ministry, through the KWS, has programmed construction of water pans. Our Ministry is identifying resources to provide even more water because we know that lack of water is one of the biggest sources of human-wildlife conflict. We are also consulting with the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation and other stakeholders so that we can improve water provision. We are also working with the Ministry of Roads and Transport to improve road access in order to increase tourism visitation in the parks.

Proceed, Sen. Boni Khalwale.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. Madam Cabinet Secretary, the Vision 2030 is very clear on the enablers and macros of its success. The Western Tourist Circuit is key. I am surprised that while responding to the question by Sen. Catherine Mumma, you told us about committees that you are forming with the governors and so on and so forth. Why not save us that money and go and read about what is documented on Western The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Tourist Circuit in the Vision 2030? With that money you are wasting, when will you shift from the thinking of your Ministry which locally and abroad? Is it not focused on the white beaches in Mombasa and the Big Five? For us who are promoting the Vision 2030 to be persuaded that you want to grow, tell us when will you open up direct international flights to Kisumu? How much money has been lost this year and how much you will put in the next financial year to upgrade Golf Hotel in Kakamega, Sunset Hotel in Kisumu and similar hotels in Homa Bay, Kisii, Nyamira and Bungoma, instead of telling us that you want to sell these assets? That is what we want to hear. We want to tell our people on the ground for them to appreciate that we want to exploit tourism in the western circuit. I am ready and willing to host you in the company of Sen. Catherine Mumma. You have talked about amabeka and isukuti . You are just scratching the surface. If I was to host you, you would be amazed at the potential in Western. I would take you from Kit Mikayi to the beautiful and only existing tropical forest in Kakamega; the crying stone of Ikhongo Murwi ; the beautiful cultural sites of bullfighting and Nabongo Mausoleum in Kakamega. Madam Cabinet Secretary, you are wasting time with those elephants and tigers because you have marketed them enough. Put your money in the western circuit and you will grow the number of tourists coming to Kenya. You can see that the leaders of Mombasa are spoiled. You have given them direct flights, but they do not know. They are still asking for them. One morning while in Mombasa, I became envious. I saw five Boeing-777 on the ground. Some of them were not KQ. You have spoiled them; you have given them too much that they even do not know that they have it. Please, shift your focus to Kisumu for some of these things.

Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, you have thrown the hon. Cabinet Secretary into a bush in Western because you scattered around and we did not hear the question. I do not know whether she has heard any questions from you. What was the question, or was it a comment? It is question time.

Madam Temporary Speaker, you were consulting when I was raising the question.

No, I was listening.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I said it but allow me to repeat. It will not take long. To shift policy from the white beaches and the big five---

So, what is the question?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, I want her to commit to the opening of direct flights to Kisumu and committing funds to refurbish the hotels, which I have enumerated. I do not have to repeat.

On a point of order, Madam Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order, Sen. Miraj? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Madam Temporary Speaker, is it in order for Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale to assume that I do not know that some international flights are landing at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa? I stood here and asked whether the Cabinet Secretary was following up on the conversation that I started on this Floor; where only two airlines were allowed to land at the Moi International Airport, Mombasa. We have more international airlines that are taking tourists to Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, causing us in Kenya and the coast region to lose many tourists.

Thank you, Sen. Miraj. Hon. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, it would not be in order to assume that Sen. Miraj does not know about the flights that land in her home county, yet she uses the airport. So, let us go to the next Senator so that the Cabinet Secretary can respond to this question. Sen. Joyce Korir, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. Allow me to congratulate the Cabinet Secretary for the wonderful job that she is doing within the Ministry. In that regard, allow me to touch on the issue that she has given room to the Kenyans to mark World Tourism Day by giving them free access to all national parks. I just want to congratulate her. We are looking up to seeing a lot of changes in that sector.

Sen. Kavindu Muthama, I thought you had asked a question to the same Cabinet Secretary. Had you asked her a question?

Madam Temporary Speaker, yes, I did.

Then resume your seat so that we give others a chance. You cannot ask a second question before they also go for the first round. Please, resume your seat. Sen. (Dr.) Oburu, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I also want to congratulate Madam Cabinet Secretary for the good job that she is doing and ask her two questions. Or you want me to just ask one question?

Just ask one question.

Okay. Madam Temporary Speaker, Mombasa is already over- saturated with tourism investment; that is where we all go. We all want to go to Mombasa. We all want to take our families to Mombasa. However, there is too much tourism potential in the western part of Kenya. I would like the Cabinet Secretary to tell me. There is a ring road that was to go around Lake Victoria and it was supposed to be an investment. It was designed and posted. I do not know whether it was tendered. It was meant to open up tourism potential in that area. The other infrastructure is the golfing, which is also very attractive and it is in Nandi, Kisumu, Kericho and Kisii counties. I would like to know whether they are also taking an interest in sports so that it is part of tourism. Sorry, Madam Temporary Speaker, I asked two but it is okay. I want you to change your direction of investment to the western circuit and that was what Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale was saying. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Sen. Oketch Gicheru asked about the islands and Lake Victoria, but he tells me that you did not quite say anything about Lake Victoria. This is a very high potential area for tourism. It is time that we started directing our investments towards the west where there is great tourism potential, including wildlife and lake sports. There is a lot of potential in the islands, Mageta, Takawiri, and Mfangano. There is a lot of tourism potential in those areas.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you can respond to that before we take another round of questions.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. The comments by Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, Sen. Korir and Sen. Miraj are taken. We take all those comments. The last question---

Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, the Hon Cabinet Secretary is responding to your question.

Proceed, Hon. Cabinet Secretary

Madam Temporary Speaker, that was a comment that we took note of, but to assure that the tourism strategy that we are implementing is firmly anchored on Vision 2030. The last question by Sen. (Dr.) Oburu was on diversification of tourism products and tourism destinations. We are happy that this week, World Tourism Week is being celebrated in the western region, specifically Kisumu. We have had a lot of activities since Monday. We have seen visits to the Ndere Islands and the Kajulu Hills. The climax will be on Friday when we shall be launching the western circuit. I want to assure the hon. Member that we are focusing on the diversification of the products and tourism destinations that we have. We are cognizant that infrastructure is an enabler to tourism, working closely with the Ministry of Roads and Transport, for the roads and the circuits that will provide access to the tourism places. Also, sports tourism is a niche market for Kenya. We shall be working closely with the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage so that we can take full advantage of that sector of sports tourism. We are doing a lot of work to ensure that Kenya has a sustainable tourism industry. Just like the manifesto of the Kenya Kwanza Government says that tourism is critical to the economy of this country, Kenya is still punching a little below its weight and that goes a long way to describe the work that is ahead of us.

Sen. Chute, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I take this opportunity to congratulate our Cabinet Secretary. I know she is among the five best Cabinet The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Secretaries, if not the number one in this country. Let me also take this opportunity to thank the Director General of KWS, who is here today. The recent recruitment by KWS was the best recruitment ever. You are aware, these days if you are recruited by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) or the police service, you pay something ‘ kidogo’ . However, the recruitment in Marsabit was done above board. Let me say thank you very much for that. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is an issue in Marsabit about claims. There is an old man called Boroufa Kansab who lost property and this case is with theKWS. I want the Cabinet Secretary to follow up that case. If possible, these people should be paid. We have got millions of shillings that is supposed to be paid to people in Marsabit. They have not been paid. If you go to KWS, they will tell you the money is with the National Treasury. If you ask the National Treasury, they say it has not gone to them. Therefore, I want the Cabinet Secretary to tell us what is happening or not happening between the National Treasury and the KWS.

Proceed, Sen. Onyonka.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. Hon, Cabinet Secretary, I, first of all, want to say that I am happy to see you. I have listened to you carefully. I have heard you answering the questions intelligently and professionally. Keep it up. The responsibility of making sure that Kenya keeps maintaining the name of being a tourist destination is up to you. I would like to persuade since you are in the Cabinet, that tourism does not exist in outer space. It exists in an environment where the public or whoever that is coming to tour in your country, want to come and find a country that is peaceful, offering services that are valuable, quantifiable and experiences that are magical. Nonetheless, with the number of corruption scandals and the noises we are having here, I do not think many tourists will want to come to this country. Madam Cabinet Secretary, I hope that when you are in your Cabinet meetings, you will talk to the President. Tell him we respect him; we want him to govern our country peacefully and make sure there is no corruption in tourism.

Sen. Onyonka, what is the question, because you have started a different trajectory?

I was preparing my ground, but because you have guided me, I will go straight to my question---

Please, be guided and ask the question directly.

Madam Cabinet Secretary, do you intend to introduce any touristic route other than the Maasai Mara and people going to the obvious touristic areas? Are you intending to create certain routes, events and marketing strategies to make sure that tourism goes up to Nandi, Kisii, Trans Nzoia and all the other areas where tourists normally do not visit? What is it that you would want your Ministry to suggest that can be done around the lakeside area, particularly in Kisumu, Homa Bay and the Migori county governments? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Proceed, Sen. Cherarkey.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. My question to the Cabinet Secretary will be very simple. In counties such as Kericho, Kisumu, Nandi, Bomet, Kisii and Nyamira, we are the home of sports. What is the strategy of the Ministry on enhancing sport tourism, because we have legends of sports such as Eliud Kipchoge, the maestro who is, of course, Faith Kipyegon, Amos Kipruto, among others? Hon. Cabinet Secretary, for the people who come from across the world and who would want to visit our sports legends, is there a way of enhancing sports tourism by establishing sports tourism centres, so that when tourists visit, they can also visit those places? Kenya is known as a home of athletics and other sports. What is the strategy of ensuring that? In conclusion, tied up with that question, in sports tourism, this western circuit --- It is one question, Madam Temporary Speaker.

I am about to ask why you are asking two questions.

The question is conjoined like the siemese twins. In this western circuit, we have huge potential in tourism apart from sports and we even have animals in places such as the King’wal Swamp in Chesumei Sub-county. I thank you.

Proceed, Sen. Cheptumo.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I wish to join my colleagues in thanking the Cabinet Secretary for articulating the issues before this House. There has been a serious problem in the country about the conflict between the wildlife and the Kenyan people, especially in the game reserves, the national reserves and so on. Madam Temporary Speaker, in Baringo County, we have a game reserve called Kapnorak. I am happy the Director of KWS has been there before. This has caused a lot of conflict. When the former Cabinet Secretary came here, I raised the same issue and he was not able to give a satisfactory answer. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, is there a way not only in Baringo, but across the country, where you have MOUs between the residents of the area where the game reserves are and the KWS institution, so that then there is some understanding? The livelihood of the residents of those areas is livestock and sometimes they need some grazing areas, especially at a time when there is no rain. What arrangements do you have to ensure that you reduce the conflict between the people of Kapnorak area, where the Kapnorak Game Reserves are established, and the KWS, so that we minimise the loss of lives because livestock is their only livelihood?

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, you can respond to those questions.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker and Members. I commit to follow up the case of compensation for Marsabit and get the finer details. I want to say that human-wildlife conflict and the compensation is a daily conversation since I joined the Ministry that is being given the importance it deserves. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

My Principal Secretary can attest that not a day ends without having a discussion on compensation, human-wildlife conflict, the competition for resources and what we need to do for communities. I assure you as we go on with the work we have been given, we are giving that the highest priority. In regards to diversification of tourism destinations and the products that we have; we are launching the Western Kenya Tourism Circuit on Friday. However, in total, we have nine identified circuits covering all the regions of Kenya, so that we can unveil and promote the products each area or county has. This is to enable us have sustainable tourism and have many more products that tourists can enjoy. On the question by the hon. Senator of Nandi County, indeed, sports tourism is an important pillar in the strategy that we are implementing. Quite a lot of activities are lined up and others have taken place. For example, the great athletes we have in Kenya will be the sports tourism ambassadors. We have plans to partner with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports to have foreign athletes going to Iten Training Institute under the Magical Kenya so that every sports event can have a tourism angle. However, for now, we confirm that it is a strategic pillar in the strategy we are implementing. Concerning the question asked by the hon. Senator for Baringo County, we have several MOUs that have been signed between the KWS and county governments. We have one between the county government and KWS on behalf of the people of that county. A lot of activities are being done between the counties and KWS. I look forward to working with the leaders. We know that human wildlife conflict is caused by competition for resources, especially water and pastures. There is lack of adequate water to cover both human and wildlife. We want to put a lot of focus on the provision of water so that human and animals can have enough water to reduce the competition. Madam Temporary Speaker, like I have affirmed, human-wildlife conflict is highest in our priority and agenda. It is an item that we are reporting to the highest level even at the Cabinet meetings. In days to come, we hope that with the operationalization of County Wildlife Compensation Committees and our resolve to look for diversified resource mobilisation ways, we will be able to tackle the pending compensations. Going forward, we hope to reduce the conflicts so that we can have better co-existence rather than conflicts. I thank you.

Sen. Omogeni, proceed.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for the good work she has embarked on in enhancing the tourism sector in our country. In this aspect of diversification, when you travel to other countries and land in their city, you will find that a Government has put in place arrangements to get open buses that take tourists around some key tourist attraction areas. These people contribute to the income of their country because you pay, it is not for free. Madam Temporary Speaker, for us, the buses can take the tourists to Limuru to look at our beautiful tea farms and understand where the famed Kenyan tea comes from. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

They can be taken around to see what is happening at the national parks and many other areas. However, I do not see this happening. That requires Government support. What steps will the Ministry put in place so that we can also tap into that market the way other countries have done? You have travelled and know that when you go to London and Barcelona, you will get these buses. Why can we not do the same as a country? Secondly, Madam Temporary Speaker, right now, we have 47 governments across the country. I come from Kisii which has soapstone. It can only be found in Kisii. People export the art that is made from this soapstone to foreign countries, which are sold at a kill. Has the Government put in place marketing strategies so that when tourists come to Kenya, they are told there are other areas where you can see things not anywhere else in the world and visit regions like Kisii and Nyamira so that we have income on tourism spread across the country?

Thank you Senator. Sen. Kavindu Muthama, I will give you a chance because I had called you earlier, but you can only ask one question.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I have many issues in Machakos. I would like the Cabinet Secretary to know that even the former Cabinet was aware of how my people, especially at Masinga Sub County, suffer when they want to go to Masinga from Muthesya, Ndithini and Ekalakala wards. They have to pass through Murang’a, Thika, Kiambu and come back to Machakos County, if they want to cross by road and in a dignified way. I have requested for a ferry between Ekalakala and Ndithini, Isyukoni and Mbukuni where they cross using boats. That is where they get killed by hippos and crocodiles as they cross in an undignified manner. The former Cabinet Secretary had promised to look for funds and put a ferry there because this is a big issue. What is the Cabinet Secretary planning to do about this?

Sen. Dullo Fatuma.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I have three game reserves in my county and the Meru Park that neighbours us. If you look how it was before devolution and right now during devolution, the standards of those reserves and parks have gone down. These reserves are under the county governments and they are supposed to take care of them. You will find that most counties do not have the capacity and they do not employ professionals to man those reserves. My question to the hon. Cabinet Secretary is whether there is a working mechanism between the Ministry and the counties. Secondly, I believe these standards should be left with the Ministry so that they can be kept and the Government will not lose the revenue generated from tourists.

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, please, respond to that round of questions.

I thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I will start with the question by Sen. Omogeni on urban tourism, tour buses and other products that are available, especially in large cities. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

This is gaining global traction. As a Ministry, we are working on some processes and some products. We are discussing with the department in charge of immigration the need for transit visas so that travellers with a long layover can have one and sample some of the products. We are working closely and encouraging the private sector to participate, especially in the transport sector. In those countries, most of these buses have a lot of input from the private sector, and this is a private partnership. Nairobi has a lot to offer and even in the counties. We do hope that resources permitting and in partnership with the private sector, this can be a dream come true. We have also seen that tourists who go to cities have certain minimum expectations: good tours, museums, nightlife and quite a lot that a city can offer. I want to assure you that that is on our radar. We need a lot of aggressive marketing in Kenya, even for the counties, and as you have mentioned, specifically the soapstone. I recently met an entrepreneur, a young man who is doing quite a lot in that field, but on the investment side, when I was on the docket for investment. However, it is then a linkage to make it a tourism product. That is why we are concentrating on diversifying and working with counties to have more products. Kenya has a lot that is not known domestically and internationally. As we finalise the tourism week in our celebration on Friday, we are also launching a product for young people to participate in photography and showcase some of those niche and gem products that are available in the counties. We do hope to have a very good repository of that, as we even give an opportunity for our young people to have their talent and make it into a competition. In regards to the question by the Hon. Senator of Machakos, the issue of the ferry had not come to my attention, but now that it has come to my attention---

Sen. Kavindu Muthama, the Cabinet Secretary, is answering your question.

I will take it up with the Ministry of Roads and Transport to get the finer details and what can be done about it. On the question raised by the Senator of Isiolo County question, it is true that national parks are managed by the KWS, while game reserves are under the ambit of county governments. We have seen many challenges in managing the game reserves that counties face or are faced by counties, technical capacity, human resources and other challenges. We have a working mechanism with the counties on national reserves, but specifically for Isiolo County, the Ministry, through the KWS, has deployed a senior warden to support the management of Bisanadi National Reserve. KWS has a station there to support the security, activities and issues arising from the game reserve. A lot can be done in collaboration with the counties. The KWS will take up that issue so that we strengthen the collaboration between the counties and KWS to the benefit and security of the people and also the management and conservation of the wildlife that exists in the game reserves. Thank you very much, Madam Temporary Speaker. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Thank you very much, hon. Cabinet Secretary, for responding to those questions from hon. Senators. I guide that the question asked by Sen. Agnes Muthama is very specific. If you could put it down on paper together with that of Sen. Chute which was equally very specific. That should assist the Cabinet Secretary in responding specifically to the critical issues that you have raised for the respective counties. So, you can turn them to the Clerk so that they can be handled by the Cabinet Secretary in a good manner and bring formal answers to those questions.

I want to discharge the Hon. Cabinet Secretary after that long session. Thank you for responding to all the questions. You are ready and free to leave. Next Order.

Hon. Senators, we are resuming debate on this Motion. I now call upon Sen. Cherarkey to take the Floor.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I commend Sen. (Prof) Margaret Kamar for bringing this Motion of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA). This is a very important Association because it allows parliamentarians across the globe and our staff, the secretariat, to exchange the best practices of the precedents and development of parliaments across the world, especially in the African setup. As Kenya, we are proud to have a hybrid system of presidential and parliamentary systems. Therefore, it is important as African nations that we always come together to ensure we exchange best practices in legislative intervention, legislative programming and even managing the sessions of the Houses, both plenary and committee level. I commend the team who were part of it. As the chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus on Open Governance Programme, (OGP), we are in an era of legislative openness and integrity. Under Articles The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

10 and 118 of the Constitution of Kenya, parliamentary processes and public participation forms an integral part. Madam Temporary Speaker, I am happy you attended the session where His Excellency President Dr. William Ruto came and launched the Fifth Action Plan of Open Governance Programme. Apart from the issues at the Executive and Judiciary, we are now moving to legislative integrity, openness and public participation in terms of legislative programme. I ask Sen. (Prof.) Kamar and the team here in Parliament that let us also encourage other nations and parliaments of Kenya and across the world, even the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) and other regional parliamentary groups to borrow from the European Union Parliamentary Group and the Westminster style of Parliament that we normally have. Of importance that has captured my attention is the relocation of the CPA Headquarters to Africa. We are looking to the future where Africa will become a very integral part of the process going into the future. In Nigeria, we have a federal form of government or federal legislative assembly. Here in Kenya, we have county assemblies. We need to cascade down the best practices and exchanges, so that we ensure the county assemblies operate because the National Parliament reflects the county assemblies that we have. We have tried to ensure that county assemblies work in Kenya by ensuring that the Salaries and Renumeration Commission (SRC) review the Members of County Assembly (MCAs) personal welfare by giving them more development funds and financial autonomy to allow them to do the oversight without the political patronage of individual governors and county governors across the nation. Madam Temporary Speaker, I agree that we need to host the Association headquarters and change it from a charitable body to inter-parliamentary organ so that we can anchor in our own processes we have a House. The third point I want to make in quick succession is on the issue of food security that was captured in Ghana. This is where we are headed as a nation. Almost 80 per cent of any family's budget here in Nairobi City County, across the country and world, normally goes to food. Therefore, we must be ready. Madam Temporary Speaker, I come from a farming community. We plant tea, sugar, coffee - like the region you come from - maize, and we even produce and process milk. However, some of us are not happy with the tea bonuses that we got the other day. I know you are getting between Kshs57 to Kshs61. In the Rift Valley - Kericho, Bomet, Nandi, Kisii, Nyamira, Vihiga, Bungoma counties - we were getting between Kshs15 to Kshs25, yet we are not being told the reason there is a huge difference between tea bonuses that come to our region, The issue of food security is very critical and important. I want to ask the Parliament of Kenya and challenge the National Assembly because I saw their Majority Leader speaking on other things that are not of importance in this country. As we talk today, the Coffee Bill (Senate Bills No.10 of 2023), the Mung Beans Bill (Senate Bills No.13 of 2023), the Prevention of Livestock and Produce Theft Bill (Senate Bills No.12 of 2023) - sponsored by yours truly - are lying in the National Assembly. Even the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

amendments to guarantee minimum returns legislation are lying in the National Assembly. I challenge our county assemblies. Let us be honest, if we want to do food security. Let us first track the Bills that touch on farmers. Many of the Bills from the Senate would have assisted because agriculture is devolved under the Fourth schedule of the Constitution. Most of our Bills belong to the agriculture sector. Murang’a County where Sen. Joe Nyutu and yourself come from are majority farmers. The National Assembly has become a graveyard for our Bills, especially the Agricultural Bills just because their leadership is busy with other things. I want to call upon them to first track those Bills. I saw them crying over the NG-CDF. Madam Temporary Speaker, you are a senior lawyer in this Republic. My proposal is that the NG-CDF will and shall remain unconstitutional into the future. They were saying that if you remove NG-CDF, there will be no bursary. The conversation in the country today is simple. Can we put all the bursary from County Assemblies Forum (CAF), NG-CDF, county governments, the Ministry of Education, into one pot? Let us not subject our children to tokenism, where if you do not know a Member of Parliament (MP), woman representative, Permanent Secretary (PS) or a governor, your child cannot get a bursary. Let us put into one basket and send it to school. Let every Kenyan child from Murang’a, Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Mandera, Moyale and Kisumu just walk into a learning institution and learn without worrying. Let us make education free. I am happy as I say this with passion. The Chairperson of the Standing Committee of Education in the Senate is listening to this. I know Sen. (Prof.) Kamar is also a member. I hope the Committee sits and give us a proposal to amalgamate all the tuition that comes into this. On the issue of food security, I challenge county assemblies. We saw there was a subsidy programme on fertilizer. Going into the future, our counties should know--- Madam Temporary Speaker, you saw the Nandi County Assembly yesterday. I have been telling them that they need to process Bills that assist farming and food security. The people of Nandi went to Nandi County Assembly to demand impeachment of their Governor because of lack of policies to spur the agricultural sector in this Republic. I thank the people of Nandi for going to “greet” Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) peacefully, although they went ahead to form an ad hoc Committee instead of commencing impeachment proceedings. We have given MCAs of Nandi 14 days to process an Impeachment Motion against Governor Sang and bring it to the Floor of the Senate. I can assure you because we do not condone corruption, bad governance or underdevelopment. We shall uphold the impeachment charges led by yours truly. That is critical. My opinion is that the MCAs did the wrong thing yesterday by forming an ad hoc Committee instead of initiating impeachment proceedings. Finally, I want to ask the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) even as we investigate the issue of fertiliser in the country. There is the issue of payroll fraud. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

The Governor decided to hire mother and siblings, political masseuse and political soloist and put them on the payroll of Nandi. Even as investigations are still ongoing, I was shocked by the statement made by Nandi County Criminal Investigations Officer (CCIO), Peter Ochieng Ogola, saying that investigations were concluded, but the Governor was not aware. He has not told the county whether the Governor has recorded a statement on the matter or not. We should not be selling justice to the highest bidder. I call upon the Internal Affairs Unit of the National Police Service (NPS) to investigate the CCIO of Nandi, Mr. Peter Ogola, for allegations of being compromised by the Governor to conclude that he was not involved. Ordinarily, I should know if my brother or mother is hired somewhere. Why is the CCIO telling the county that he is not aware or that investigations are complete? I talked to Mohammed Amin, the Director of the DCI of the Republic of Kenya and requested him to take over the investigations of manipulation and allegations of fraud in the Nandi County payroll so that we know the truth. As a country, we are tired of professional sanitizers. We will fail as a country if when there are corruption allegations, we go for small fish and leave the sharks. That is why we had the Gen Z protests. The only way to reward impunity is to go for small people in the fight against corruption and leave big people. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is a book called; It’s Our Turn to Eat . From the way you are nodding, I know you have read it. The biggest problem in our country and the African Continent is corruption that thrives. Sen. (Prof.) Kamar should take this to the Pan-African Parliament. I challenge the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to come together and assist parliaments across Africa to come up with legislative policy interventions in the fight against bad governance and grand corruption. Madam Temporary Speaker, the other day, I saw on NTV, the Speaker of the National Assembly saying that no human is incoherently dishonest and that circumstance changes before money and power. He was aptly describing our counties and the governments in Africa. Everybody is honest until they have power or money. I want to challenge Sen. (Prof.) Kamar before I leave that issue of Nandi. You have the Secretary General (SG) Emeritus of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). Whenever you go as a Senator, people ask why you are sending money to counties yet they do not see the value. As I speak, counties spent close to Kshs17 billion in globe-trotting. That is money that was used on foreign and local travels. For example, Nandi spent over Kshs310 million in the financial year 2023/2024. One of the visits that Governor Sang made was to Jerusalem where Jesus was born. All of us are Christians. Therefore, Jesus should be born in our hearts. Therefore, Madam Temporary Speaker---

Sen. Cherarkey, when we resume, you will have two minutes to conclude your contribution.

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Hon. Senators, it is now 1.00 p.m., time to adjourn the Senate. The Senate, therefore, stands adjourned until later today, Wednesday, 25th September, 2024, at 2.30 p.m.

The Senate rose at 1.00 p.m.

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