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

Hon. Senators, please, take your seats.

Sen. Chute! I hope I have pronounced your name correctly, Sen. Chute.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Hon. Senators, we now have a quorum. I will allow the Clerk to call the first Order.

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.

Now, we have the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs present today to respond to Question No.99 by the Nairobi City County Senator, Sen. Edwin Sifuna. I do not see Sen. Edwin Sifuna. Clerk, can you proceed to usher in the Prime Cabinet Secretary?

Now, we expected to have three Cabinet Secretaries today; that is the Prime Cabinet Secretary, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of East African Community (EAC), Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) and Regional Development and the Cabinet Secretary for Health. However, we have since received two letters, one from the Cabinet Secretary in charge of EAC, ASAL and Regional Development indicating that she is not in a position to attend this session today for purposes of responding to the questions directed to her Ministry. Also, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Health has indicated that she is not in a position to attend today's session for the purpose of responding to the questions directed to her Ministry. Therefore, we only have the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs present today for purposes of responding to the Question directed to his Ministry by the Nairobi City County Senator, Sen. Edwin Sifuna. Therefore, for this session, we will proceed with the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs only, because the other two are not present today. The Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, let me take this opportunity to welcome you to the Senate, a place that you are extremely familiar with. Welcome this morning. Hon. Senators, we are going to have a very heavy day. I may even limit the number of supplementary questions that may be directed to the Cabinet Secretary, so that we handle the other heavy agenda that will be laid before us. We expect a Supplementary Order Paper as these proceedings are ongoing, so that we prosecute other urgent matters. With that, I will allow the Senator for Nairobi City-County, Sen. Edwin Sifuna, to proceed and ask his Question.

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Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. As you are aware, over the period of 16th to 31st August this year, I had the opportunity to visit the United States of America (USA) with your kind support. During that period, I had the opportunity to engage with Kenyans living in the USA, in the cities of Chicago, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Houston, including our diplomats at the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, D.C. That is the genesis of these questions that I have posed to the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.

Unfortunately, as I speak, I have not received the hard copy responses; I hope the Secretariat is making arrangements. I am not aware whether the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has actually submitted written responses. However, these are the questions, I will read the three of them. I am sure the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs can answer all of them at once. I beg to ask Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs the following Question- (a) Could the Cabinet Secretary indicate the staffing levels, by cadre, at the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, D.C. and the two Kenyan consulates in Los Angeles and New York and outline the roles of staff serving in each cadre? (b) Could the Cabinet Secretary explain how the staffing levels have impacted the operational efficiency of the said diplomatic missions and clarify whether there are any plans to deploy additional staff? (c) Could the Cabinet Secretary also explain the delay in the issuance of national identity cards to Kenyans residing in the USA and state what the Ministry is doing to resolve the issue?

Hon. Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary, you may proceed to respond.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. First, the hard copy has been signed and released. Maybe it has just delayed to get to you. On the first aspect of his Question about indicating the staffing levels, by cadre, at the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, D.C., the two consulates in Los Angeles (LA) and New York and then outlining the role of the staff; in the hard copy response that I have given, I have tabled the details of the home-based staff indicating the authorised, the in post and the variants. I have also done the same for the other agencies, that is; the Defence Attaché, Education Attaché, Foreign Relations Officer, Trade Attaché and Immigration. In total, 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 indicate that the authorised establishment is 17 and the in post is 14. So, there is a variance of three. I have also indicated that there is an Immigration Officer attached in the Permanent United Nation (UN) Mission to handle the consulate services. Mr. Speaker, Sir, again on the same principle, I have also attached the details of the LA; the authorised, the in post and whether there is any variance. Clearly, on the L.A., both the authorised and in post tally, that is a total of seven as it stands now. I have also tabulated the responsibilities of all these officers. It is a long list. Perhaps, it may be necessary for the Hon. Senator to seek any clarification on one or two issues after he looks at it. The second aspect is about efficiency, to explain how the staffing levels have impacted the operational efficiency of the said diplomatic missions and clarify whether there are any plans to deploy additional staff. Mr. Speaker, Sir, definitely, staffing levels have a direct influence on operational efficiency by affecting workload distribution, response times and the overall capacity to manage diplomatic tasks. Therefore, low staffing levels may occasion service deliveries, such as delays in processing visas when we are doing the full angle of visas. However, we still do it on a limited basis because, as you know, we are also a visa-free country now, but there are still some areas that require visa processing. We have aspects of managing communication and executing policy initiatives. So, definitely, it is absolutely essential that proper staffing levels are in situ to avoid delays. The third aspect that I will touch on is the issue on the delay in issuance of the national identity (ID) cards to Kenyans residing in the USA and what the Ministry is doing to resolve this issue. The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs serves as a facilitator coordinating the issuance of ID cards through the immigration attaches in missions abroad. In this case, ID cards are processed at our Embassy in Washington D.C. which is also in charge of the Consulate in New York and processes ID cards for Kenyans in the eastern side of the USA and the Consulate in LA serves Kenyans on the western side. Some of the challenges that have occasioned delays include the following- (a) Issuance of registration on E-Citizen where the system sometimes rejects foreign numbers where the One Time Password (OTP) has to be sent to the particular phone number used for registration. We are now sensitising the diaspora to use the email option. (b) The processing of ID cards is entirely manual and verification of all applications has to be done by the National Registration Bureau (NRB). This causes a bit of delay, especially, at missions that are not well staffed. In addition, in the event of queries, the request has to be channelled back to the mission to seek clarity from the applicant. I also bring to the attention of the Senate that the court case brought against the

number caused a general delay in ID card processing for both local and international applications. However, since the rescinding of that court order on 12th August 2024, processing and issuance of ID cards has now resumed normally. 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.

There is also an interesting scenario where some of the applicants have not collected their finalised national ID cards and passports at our missions. As of now, for instance, immigration in New York has in its storage eight ID cards, which the return mailing address given by the applicants were wrong and had been mailed back to the Mission. Emails or calls to the applicants could not go through, therefore, we still hold those IDs. I also would like point out that through the rapid results initiative by the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, where, in collaboration with the State Department for Immigration and e-Citizens, periodically decentralised the ID processing to other cities away from the Embassy where consulates are located. This is undertaken through the Mobile Consular Services Outreach Exercise which has seen 2,459 ID cards processed in outstations in Seattle, Atlanta, Minnesota, Dallas, Boston and Houston. Another phase of this Mobile Consular Services is being planned for the third quarter of the Financial Year 2024/2025. On the issue of the E-Citizen and the challenges of the OTP versus foreign cellular numbers, the Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs is engaging some of our local telecommunications on an option of an e-SIM card, which the diaspora can use while away for both e-Citizens. In addition, the State Department for Diaspora Affairs is preparing to deploy officers to support the service provision to the Kenyan diaspora in the three missions in the USA. Mr. Speaker, Sir, finally, the requirement is tabulated, so it may require further examination. I assure the House that either now or later, my Permanent Secretary, Dr. Sing’oei or I, will be happy to offer any written clarification beyond this.

Yes, Sen. Edwin Sifuna, you may ask your two supplementary questions.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, before I even go to the supplementary questions, I am wholly disappointed by the quality of the response. I thought that the full title of the Cabinet Secretary of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs also puts him in charge of coordination of other Ministries. Surely, if there are issues that are in ministries other than the Foreign Affairs, I know we should direct it to the Ministry itself. However, being the person in charge of coordination of all the other ministries, I expected a more solid response. For instance, the response indicates that there is an ambassador and one in post. That essentially means that there is an ambassador deployed in Washington, D.C. I would want to know when the ambassador reported because when I was there, the embassy was manned by a charge

. There was no ambassador. I do not know when he reported. Secondly, in the tabulation here, there is only one trade attache for a country that is as important as the USA. I would have expected a discussion on the adequacy. When I was there, I was given an example of a country such as Vietnam, which has four agricultural attaches, indicating the seriousness with which they take their job. I would have expected a discussion about the adequacy of the staff that have been deployed. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you are telling us that you have one staff in the Consulate in New York, what happens when that person falls sick? That is why there are all sorts 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.

problems in these consulates because you cannot have one person manning a station. It just does not make any sense. That is the sort of discussion that I had expected. I had to express my disappointment in the answer, so that the Cabinet Secretary understands what I wanted to get from him. In terms of follow-up questions, first of all, the women in the USA asked me to ask you specifically why it is that way since 1963 up to today, with the first Kenyan ambassador, Burudi Nabwera, you have never seconded a woman as the ambassador of Kenya to the USA.

That is a question the ladies asked me to put it to the Cabinet Secretary. I would be remiss if I did not put it to you. Maybe there is thinking within the Government as to the capacity of women to be deployed in serious postings such as Washington D.C. Secondly, the problem with the delays in the processing of IDs, as the Cabinet Secretary himself has alluded to, it is a manual process. People have to travel from all across the USA, a country that is far vaster than the European Union (EU). If the Cabinet Secretary would compare the deployment of diplomatic staff in the entire EU, which is smaller in size than the American continent, these people have to travel from all these far distances of five or six-hour flights. Then, you come to the Embassy, and do this manual process as if you are at a District Commissioner’s (DC.'s) office in Kerugoya, then, they are put in a diplomatic bag and sent here. There is no special office for processing of diaspora applications for IDs. They are just lumped together with other applications from, say, Kilifi, Bungoma and Nairobi, yet, there is a department on diaspora affairs that was created. Can the Cabinet Secretary shed light on the responsibilities of this office and what these people do in the diaspora office, if not just concentrate on these applications? Also, what are they doing to automate the processing of ID cards? The feedback was that because we have automated the application and the processing of passports, passports are faster than IDs which are still manual. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, what is the plan for you to address these challenges to ensure that people get these critical documents in good time? I thank you.

Prime Cabinet Secretary, you may proceed to respond, please.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. There are quite a number of valid issues and concerns that the Senator has raised. The first thing that I need to point out is that there is no discrimination against women in the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. As we speak today, the High Commissioner in the United Kingdom (UK) is a lady. The Ambassador for Kenya to Washington D.C. reported two weeks ago. He is in the station. There is a cycle; ambassadors and officers in missions have a tour of duty of about four years. In the process, the issue of their term expiring is staggered, it is not held 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.

at the same time. This would have been a situation where you are visiting when the outgoing ambassador was also just preparing to come back or had just left that is Amb. Amayo. Sometimes, you are caught up in these cycles between transition. Maybe, that is the reason you did not meet the ambassador, but there is one as we speak. I have indicated that the consular services, through the diaspora affairs, yielded about 2,500 identification cards (IDs) in different towns. Therefore, we will continue with the efforts to make sure that we reach out. Automation and technology are things we are pursuing within the context of the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, in liaison with immigration, so that we can improve the services. There are delays that we hope to navigate through going forward. Mr. Speaker, Sir, finally, it would be a big omission if I did not inform the Senate that one of the challenges that we have faced and we continue to face is resource allocation. I will give a very clear example that, for instance, when we lost the Finance Bill, 2024, we had to do a serious haircut in the Ministry, just like in other Ministries. However, when you look at it in the context of the resources that would have been available to ensure seamless operations, as of now, I admit that we are constrained financially and it is a challenge that is facing the entire country. We hope that within the context of the next financial year, as we progress, we can improve on the funding of our missions.

Sen. Mungatana, proceed.

Asante sana, Bw. Spika, kwa kunipa nafasi hii. Namkaribisha Waziri wetu mkuu kwa Bunge letu la Seneti. Swali langu linahusu nambari ya watu wanaofanya kazi katika Ubalozi wa Kenya huko Marekani. Awali nilikuwa nafanya kazi katika Wizara inayohusika na nchi za kigeni. Kulikuwa na shida kubwa pale kwa sababu watu wengi hutamani kutoka Kenya ili wafanye kazi katika nchi za nje. Ubalozi wa Amerika umeahidi kwamba pesa zikipatikana utaongeza nambari ya wafanyikazi kule. Tunataka kujua katika harakati za kugawa zile nafasi, ni watu wangapi watatoka Kaunti ya Tana River na zinginezo? Tunataka usawa. Hatutaki Wizara iwe na ubaguzi wa kuchukua watu kutoka pande fulani. Ni watu wangapi watatoka katika Kaunti ya Tana River? Na ijapokuwa hawapo basi, katika ile breakdown ya wanaofanya kazi kule kuna usawa? Iwapo hakuna usawa, una mipango gani ya kuhakikisha kuwa katika ubalozi wa Kenya huko Marekani pamoja na zingine, kuna usawa kwa wanaoenda kufanya kazi?

Prime Cabinet Secretary you may note down the questions and then you can respond to them at a go. Sen. Mumma proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Welcome to the Senate, Prime Cabinet Secretary. My question to you is whether we have a national policy guiding the ratio of appointment of ambassadors between politically appointed and career diplomatic ambassadors. My question is premised on the fact that international diplomatic relations is a very serious issue, and sometimes, we see more politically appointed ambassadors than career diplomats. So, we want to know whether we have a policy that guides on the ratio. 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. Okenyuri.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Will the citizens in the diaspora with dual citizenship also be required to register for Maisha card?

Sen. Kavindu Muthama, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I, first of, all appreciate the Prime Cabinet Secretary for coming today. We have been waiting for him for a long time. My question is a bit diverted, but he is aware of it and I am sure he can answer. It is about how far he has gone with the issue of the compensation of the Kenyan bomb blast victims, in terms of getting amendments from the United States of America (USA) Congress. When we were in America, we discussed about this in your presence and you are aware of it. I do not know how far you have gone with this issue. Are you aware that the victims who were serving at the American Embassy in Kenya are getting their green cards to go to USA? Most of them are in their 80s. Are you may be negotiating for them, so that their younger relatives can get the green cards and go serve there? Majority of them who were working there have now aged and they cannot work unless they just go and stay there. This is currently ongoing with the American Embassy.

Sen. Osotsi, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, and Prime Cabinet Secretary, who is also my senior constituent from Vihiga County. I can see from the response there is a disparity in numbers between New York and Los Angeles. Ordinarily, we would expect that there would be more focus on New York, being the leading economic hub of the USA. We can see that we have one staff in New York, and seven in Los Angeles. What informs this disparity? Secondly, I am shocked with the low staffing levels in the Kenyan embassies in America. This probably means that in other countries it is even worse. The trend globally is a focus around economic diplomacy. Can the Prime Cabinet Secretary tell us what plans he has to upscale economic diplomacy through these various embassies and consulates?

Sen. Veronica Maina, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Welcome once again, Prime Cabinet Secretary. Commendably, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) rolled out the voting rights for the diaspora remittances. These are some of the highest exchange earners for our country, hence the need for them to continue exercising their right to determine the presidential vote. Hon. Cabinet Secretary, have you considered rolling out consulates in States where we have a heavy population of Kenyans, like Texas, Atlanta, besides Los Angeles, New York and Washington where we have an embassy, seeing that these are the stations where the voting takes place in the USA? Have you also considered that the cost of diaspora accessing this station is still very high? They would have to spend close to Kshs1,000 to access a voting station when it is time for them to vote. What are you doing to mitigate that effect, reduction of cost and access to the stations where they need to vote every cycle of five years?

Proceed, Sen. Dullo. 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. I wish to welcome the Cabinet Secretary. I want to ask a question on office accommodation in various missions and embassies. I sit in the Committee of National Security and Foreign Relations of this House. Cabinet Secretary, we have tried to get in touch with you to discuss matters affecting our particular Committee, but we are unable to get you and I do not want to prosecute that here. I remember in 2015, there was a Motion passed on the Floor of this House regarding office accommodation by the then Senator for Nyeri, Mutahi Kagwe. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on our last visit to the United Arabs Emirates (UAE), the embassies were complaining about the value of the Kenyan Shilling that had gone down. It had doubled the rent that they are paying within those missions and embassies. I remember in that particular Motion, the Senator was requesting that the money you are paying for those rents should be used in form of a loan to pay for those properties the Government is occupying. I have been to Switzerland, Geneva. The kind of office that you have there is very beautiful and we get very encouraged when we visit those offices. We, as the Kenyan Government, are renting a property in New York when Uganda has a very huge building in New York City. It is embarrassing. What is the Ministry doing as far as this office accommodation is concerned? I thank you.

Prime Cabinet Secretary, you may now proceed to respond.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Several critical issues have been raised. I will not respond to them in a specific order, but as I was taking the notes. The first issue raised is on ethnic balance. It is our deliberate intention for our missions to always reflect the face of Kenya. Therefore, we will work to achieve this in all our Missions. I may not have everything in terms of the community that one comes from, but I took notes of what Sen. Mungatana said, a very pertinent point. It is important that all parts of Kenya are represented in the deployment of officers. I would want to believe that I will be better prepared to respond to this particular question even as a separate item. The second point arises from the question on the ratio of career diplomats and other appointees that are infused from other sectors; whether private sector or the political realm coming into the diplomatic space. That is a valid question. I announce to the House today that we are in the process of formulating a Sessional Paper which will be discussed by Parliament. One of the critical issues that we will be putting across in this Sessional Paper is for us to have a conversation as a country through our leadership as legislators to establish a reasonable ratio, so that we can have career progression for the diplomats who are working in the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. At the same time, we can also work closely to bring in some infusion from outside because it is always good to have this injection of ideas and approaches from the outside world. We should not necessarily be incestuous permanently in this context. We should be able to infuse with other people. So, this will be a very critical issue in that 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.

conversation. I will be appealing to Members to give it very good thought when the Sessional Paper is availed for this conversation. I want to quickly point out on the question of how many consulates we can open. We would have liked to have more, but we are constrained financially, the reason we are still operating with the Los Angeles (LA) as the consulate in the United States. If resources permit in future, we can indeed increase the number of consulates. On the issue of voting, this is a conversation that we should jointly have with the Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Issues of voter registration and access is a domain that falls within the IEBC. We, at Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, would be more of a facilitator, but we cannot try to usurp the role of the IEBC in terms of voter registration. We should be the centres, but we can have a conversation at the appropriate time. I wish to make a correction. Indeed, I may have indicated the LA consulate and the New York consulate. Maybe I did not communicate well. This was raised by Sen. Osotsi. I wish to state that indeed, we have a permanent Mission in New York, which is the busiest station. As you say, we have an authorised establishment of 18 who are in place, save for four. Perhaps that is an addition of supplementary information that I will make available to show that the permanent mission is well-staffed and there are people in station. On the Foreign Service Assets, the properties that we own and do not own is a very important issue. Rental payments in foreign countries is a very big burden, it consumes quite a lot of money in some of the stations. I am pleased to announce to the Kenyans, through the Senate, that as we speak, Kenya bought a whole floor next to the United Nations Headquarters. That is where the Permanent Mission is now domiciled. That is where the chancellery is. We have taken care of that particular item. We missed our chances then. Uganda bought theirs way back during the time of Idi Amin Dada. We cannot say that we can afford to have the resources to buy a new building or a building today in New York, but we have money to secure a whole floor that is now occupied by the Mission. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in terms of our global assets, in New York, we have some properties as well in other stations. We are developing a strategy on how to realize the value of our global assets which includes the development of the various properties. We want to see how we can seek different financing mechanisms either through Public- Private-Partnership (PPP) or joint programmes with even some of our Kenyan financial institutions to develop the assets that we have in different countries. This is a detail we will share in the Sessional Paper that we shall be presenting to you. I cannot speak for the American Immigration Policy. They have their policy. We can only raise concerns on some of the issues and perhaps seek some negotiations, but we cannot impose our will on the American immigration policy. I have personally had my own experiences. The ambassador can become very clear and tell you that the State Department for Immigration is independent and handles its issues separately. So, it takes much more but, we are negotiating the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement (STIPA) with the United States, and 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.

negotiations are quite advanced. We hope that some of these issues can be tackled within the framework of that conversation. On compensation of the victims of the 1998 US Embassy bomb blast, we are pursuing that matter following the resolution of the House on that so that we can engage formally with the Parliament or the Congress in the USA. This is now underway following the resolution that was passed by our Members of the Legislature. At an appropriate time, we will be able to report progress systematically because it is a process that has to engage with their counterparts on the other side. Indeed, economic diplomacy is very critical to us. The United States of America is perhaps now our largest market when it comes to the export of apparel. We are the largest exporter to them and the market continues to grow. So, we take our relationship with the USA extermely seriously in this context as a key and fundamental trading partner. That is why you will find that during the recent state visit by the President, certain key issues were undertaken to enhance the trade and partnership between us and the United States. As I have said, we are also negotiating the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement and the other programmes that the Kenyan Government is working on very closely with the United States. These have a major bearing on the economies of both countries, but more so on the Kenyan economy. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I may need to get a little more clarification on the question regarding dual citizenship and the Maisha Card. If the Speaker allows, we can do a little more research on this specific item and communicate to the House.

Yes, Senator Mumma.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, my question on the policy on the ratio between politically appointed diplomats and career diplomats has not been responded to.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I did respond to it. I said that we may not have a firm figure, but, for instance, I could give you what I think. For instance, a proportion of about 70 per cent for the career diplomats and 30 per cent for the infusion would be a fairly decent arrangement. However, as I said, we are giving a more thought-out process that will appear in the Sessional Paper, which we shall bring to Parliament for discussion.

Yes, Sen. Kavindu Muthama, has your question not been responded to adequately?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it has been responded to, but I just want to ask the Prime Cabinet Secretary if he can listen to me. I just wanted to request him---

Sen. Kavindu Muthama, under which Standing Order?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, he was talking and you were not seeing.

Sen. Kavindu Muthama, just have your seat. Please, take your seat. Please. Just take your seat.

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.

Our Standing Orders and more particularly Standing Orders No.51(7)(c), state that the Senator who has the primary question has a chance to ask two supplementary questions. Any other Senator can only ask one supplementary question.

We do not have the provisions of Standing Orders, but if you want a clarification then that is quite okay. Proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I just wanted to tell the Hon. Prime Cabinet Secretary that these people have been waiting for their compensation for the last 26 good years and many of them are dying. So, as much as we are in a good relationship with the USA and we do not want to offend them, let us follow up for the compensation of our people please. They are dying in poverty. They are perishing in poverty and even as a country like Kenyans, we have not assisted them with anything, even medical.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Prime Cabinet Secretary for finding time to respond to these questions not just in this House. I must appreciate him for his diligence in how he responds to issues raised by Kenyans even outside this House. My question is to speak back on what Sen. Sifuna had initially asked; the availability of Government services to our citizens in the diaspora. I know that through E- Citizen, Kenyans are now able to access thousands of Government services online. They can pay for the same and quickly receive solutions to their problems. The challenge with our diaspora citizens is that these services are either not available or do not respond to the issues, such as what Sen. Sifuna was speaking about ID applications, renewal of passports, and the same. If the CSs Ministry alongside the other State Department that is in charge of citizen services, such as e-Citizen, were to set up a help desk across our consulates, citizens would be saved from the trouble of having to travel thousands of kilometres sometimes, wasting money and time to access certain critical Government services. So, the question in brief is: When are they going to make e-Citizen services easily accessible and the issues that citizens have easily resolvable so that they do not struggle? I thank you.

Proceed, Sen. Oketch Gicheru.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I want to thank the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs for being in the House today to answer these questions. I also wanted to piggyback on Sen. Sifuna's Question on the efficiency of staffing and particularly narrow it down to legal services. Looking at the USA, having studied and lived there for over eight years and having ties with the Kenyans in the diaspora, there are a lot of challenges our people face with regards to legal representation. As you know, in the USA as well as other countries 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.

where our people are found, there are a number of people who get arrested, whether genuinely or for reasons otherwise. Sometimes after those arrests, some of them end up being incarcerated to the extent that their families are not able to access them and they do not get legal services. A case in point is a former prominent presidential candidate, Mohamed Abduba Dida, who was incarcerated and for months, almost to years, our Government did not know that he was behind bars. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I just wonder whether there are proper legal services across the 52 states. I know that in Washington D.C. we have got one or two legal representations, but what is the Ministry doing to make sure that our people in the USA have got representation across the USA? Likewise, could we also extend our services to other countries where we are seeing problems like war in Lebanon where legal representation is a problem as well as evacuation of our people in Lebanon? I thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. My question to the Cabinet Secretary concerns our sisters who are on the run in Saudi Arabia. After following up with your Ministry, I was updated that the Department for Diaspora and Foreign Affairs had conducted some DNA tests because these sisters of ours had children in the foreign country and there has been a problem of them being deported with their children back to Kenya. My question is, for how long are our sisters going to wait for this because they are not able to access the rescue centres in Saudi Arabia? Therefore, they are living on the run with small children who are exposed to so much cruelty by the women who are left to take care of them. Additionally, for how long do our sisters have to survive on the run while the matter is already in the attention of the Ministry yet they are supposed to have been paying some legal fees for them to have the ownership of their children? So, my question is: For how long will our sisters be exposed in Saudi Arabia before the Government can take the necessary action to bring them back with their children to their nation? I thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. First of all, I would like to say that I am happy to see the Cabinet Secretary, who is somebody I have worked with before and somebody I know very well. I would like to say that I am giving my appreciation of the fact that about two weeks ago, we had an incident in Mali and I called somebody in your Ministry and told them that there are Kenyans who are in trouble. I was pleasantly surprised that the Government was able to engage that team overnight and the following morning, the Kenyans who were in trouble responded back and said, we are safe and thank you for intervening. They thanked the officer in the Ministry - although I forget her name - but she did an excellent job. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when you look at what is happening in Lebanon, I have not seen the Kenyan Government come up to explain to the public on what you intend to do with regard to Kenyans who have been working there. 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.

There are cases of Kenyans who are calling us back from Lebanon. Do you have any plans to airlift those Kenyans in case the war continues? Also, is there a possibility that you can set up a fund from now on because most of the money that members of the Kenyan community are giving us in form of contributions or diaspora transfers is a lot of money? I would like the Cabinet Secretary to tell us whether there is a possibility they can set up a fund. If it is possible and if it works well, then at any time we have an emergency or there are cases where Kenyans who are working outside Kenya are in trouble, we can always airlift our people back and make sure that every Kenyan is safe, because the world is becoming a bit volatile. ` I thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. The money that came to this country through foreign exchange earnings was Kshs15,966,000 in February, 2024, according to the Central Bank of Kenya. Since this is the highest foreign exchange earner to the Republic, my question is about labour attachés. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you are aware the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection was in this House a few months ago. What is the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, through the Prime Cabinet Secretary doing with regards to the issue of labour attachés? The President has just signed what we call the Labour Migration Bill, for more young people to be taken abroad. Besides, even on the issue of legal services, you are aware we only have one legal advisor in New York. I remember there was a frustrated person from Kapsabet a few months ago and I sat with the Principal Secretary of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. What is the role of the Department of Diaspora and Foreign Affairs in terms of handling such matters? I remember when I shared with the PS of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the intervention took long. However, my concern, it should be the office of the Diaspora of Foreign Affairs through the PS, who is my very good neighbour and he normally comes to Nandi occasionally where he even has relatives. What can he do on these two matters that I have raised? I thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Let me begin by appreciating the Prime Cabinet Secretary. These proceedings are live and while seated here, I have just received a question from a Kenyan who lives in the USA and another one who lives in the United Kingdom (UK). Their concern is one and it has got to do with a fiduciary responsibility of our embassies across the country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the query is very simple and you will allow me to refer to the message which has just been sent to me. This relates to the address number 45, Portland Place, London, UK and then the short code is W1A4GA. The concern here is very basic. It has to do with filing of annual returns for the Government of Kenya. These are returns which are required for every embassy. So, the UK requires this. Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary, are you aware that filing of annual returns by the Government of Kenya has not been consistent, specifically for 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.

High Commission office in the UK? If so, what can be done to ensure that we have a check system that will guarantee that we are compliant in those countries? Two has to do with our embassies abroad. Do we have any embassies that we own? I ask this because of the issue of Uganda. Idi Amin did something very honourable across the world. He bought buildings in every country. In New York, it is a walking distance to the United Nations (UN) Headquarters. I wanted to confirm whether we have some that we own and are compliant in filing our returns. If we are renting, are we compliant in paying our rent? I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Maanzo, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. As I ask a question in relation to Sen. Sifuna's matter, I have good news for the Prime Cabinet Secretary from his office, that recently a Catholic sister from my village who is working in Argentina sought for help in processing of her good conduct. I advised her on phone to get in touch with the Ministry online. I want to surprise the Prime Cabinet Secretary that within two days, everything had been processed and she was employed in Argentina. That shows that somebody in the legal department is doing something good in your Ministry. Mr. Speaker, Sir, is there a policy in the event a Kenyan dies abroad? Many times, it becomes a challenge, especially in Islamic countries, which do not keep dead bodies for long and a funeral is conducted in a day, or countries which do cremation. When a Kenyan passes away abroad, it becomes a challenge such that by the time you get the body home, it has almost become the responsibility of a Member of Parliament (MP) or Senator. Is there a policy, so that there is a desk where Kenyans can report? This will ensure that our people who are deceased are taken care of with urgency and the families settled during bereavement? I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, you may now proceed to respond.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. As we talk, there are emerging issues as well in this conversation. However, I believe what Sen. Cheruiyot had in mind was to develop a Huduma Centre approach to provide services for Kenyans in the diaspora in different capitals. There is merit in this. Indeed, as we work with other departments, we are trying to enhance that, especially around our consular services, so that there is a one-stop centre for the services that Kenyans require. I wish to respond to some of the other issues in the following manner- The question of legal services is important. I also want to mention to the Kenyans that we are talking of almost three and a half million Kenyans out there in different parts of the globe. Of course, the United States of America (USA) has the highest population. As much as we can have legal advisory services, sometimes within the embassies depending on the resources available, we would strongly advocate that going forward, perhaps we can improve on this in terms of whether we have sufficient resources to back this particular service. 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.

You will also appreciate that sometimes we have cases where Kenyans are in distress and some can signal the Embassy and say they are in distress. However, there are others who do not speak at all when they are in distress. So, we sometimes stumble on information maybe because it was not volunteered by the person in question. This is the example of the Dida case. We were reading about it. Obviously, it was his personal decision to go, but he was silent on the communication of his whereabouts or what he was doing. So, it becomes very difficult to keep track on some of these cases. However, our missions have intervened in various circumstances to try and guide Kenyans in distress and help them to access legal services in different areas. Please, remember that it is a very expensive undertaking. We would be misleading the House if we said that we can take up this role directly. An intervention can be done under very special circumstances. On the issue of Kenyans who may have died abroad, in the course of this year, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has assisted about 18 cases of Kenyans who may have died under different circumstances. Our embassies and missions have been of assistance in trying to repatriate the remains to the country. Again, as I said, this is when the distress and the circumstances are on a case-by-case basis that you analyse and see what the circumstances are. We are working on bilateral labor agreements. We have negotiated some and have concluded with Germany and Austria. There are others that are in the pipeline. For instance, we are working on how to improve our engagement with the Saudi Arabia Government on labor movement. Recently, for instance, the Qatar Minister for Labor was here. We had a conversation on how we can advance the conversation between Kenya and Qatar. We will continue streamlining the bilateral labor agreements, so that any issue of immigration or migrant workers is in conformity with international law and matters of human rights. Through these bilateral agreements, we want to try and secure the dignity of Kenyans in the various places that they prefer to work in. On the issue of Lebanon, we have about 26,000 Kenyans in Lebanon. Obviously, evacuating 26,000 is a very massive undertaking. However, as a measure, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, through our Embassy in Kuwait, was sending out messages so that those who are in distress can register. Even before the war escalated, this was ongoing. We had received about 1,500 people or so who had registered with the Embassy indicating that they may need support for evacuation. The others were quiet. Believe you me, Senators, we also had a situation where the Kenyans, out of their own volition, said they do not want to move. They want to hold out until the situation cools down. We have that dilemma as well, of Kenyans who hope for the best and do not want to move. You cannot force them because we have to handle this in a humanitarian way. However, the Government of Kenya has set aside Kshs100 million. There is a committee in the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs working with the security and other agencies to see how this Kshs100 million can be utilized to assist in the evacuation of Kenyans who are in Lebanon at this point in time. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I may need to seek further clarification from Sen. Olekina on the issue of returns. I may need guidance on the specifics of these returns, because we are 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.

also under diplomatic arrangements and we may need to seek clarification, so that we tackle that particular issue. The Senator did touch on the investments that Uganda made at that time. I believe they were lucky and were wise in a way. However, I had responded to it partially by saying that right now in New York, for instance, Kenya has bought a floor in a building. I am also happy to state that during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Conference, Sen. Ledama was with us in that very space that has been bought by Kenyans in New York. We also have other residential assets and so forth. We said that we have a strategy being developed for our global assets and we will share this conversation with you, so that we can all have a unified position as Kenyans on how we can unleash the value and the potential of the assets we have in different countries abroad. They are quite a number in the African continent, in Europe, in the U.S. and in Asia but we need time to have a serious conversation on these assets. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to reiterate the issue about compensation, which the Senator for Machakos raised. We are looking at it, but we must be conscious of the fact that we cannot dictate to the American Congress. We can submit Kenya's situation but we cannot override their procedure of operations or their standing orders as a country. However, we continue engaging them so that the matter can receive the necessary attention from the Congress.

Your question has not been responded to adequately?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Prime Cabinet Secretary forgot to respond on my labour attaches. Apart from the agreements on labour immigration, whether our 52 consulates and embassies have attaches to assist, especially transiting Kenyans to new labour environments.

You may proceed, Prime Cabinet Minister.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank the Senator for Nandi for reminding me. We cannot have labour attaches in all the missions. It is all a question of the resources and assessing the demand in a specific area. However, under the consular services, we are trying to provide a holistic response, advice and support to issues that may be labour-related.

Sen. Shakila.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. My question to the Prime Cabinet Secretary is regarding the dual citizenship. It is clearly enshrined in the Constitution that people are entitled for dual citizenship, but it has proved to be very difficult if a Kenyan from the diaspora is requesting for citizenship here in our country. It is more expensive than getting a citizenship outside in the foreign country. I do not know what measures the Ministry is putting to ensure that our Kenyans who are outside the country are entitled to their constitutional right by acquiring dual citizenship. Also, is there is a special department they can go to get their passports without further delays, bribes or any other challenge?

Hon. Prime Cabinet Minister, proceed to respond, please. 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, the only department that would deal with this is the Immigration Department. As I had indicated because it was raised earlier, we may need to have some specifics on some of this so that jointly with the Immigration Department, identify the bottlenecks and make this a little smoother. If the hon. Senator has some time, I would not mind having conversation or details on the specific cases that she is talking about. I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Thank you, Hon. Prime Cabinet Secretary for showing up for purposes of responding to these questions. There being no other questions directed to the Prime Cabinet Secretary, because from my dashboard there is no Senator wishing to ask any question, the Prime Cabinet Secretary is free to leave the Chamber.

Now, hon. Senators, before I let the Clerk call the next Order, I have a message from the National Assembly that I need to pass to the Senate. Senator Kavindu, take your seat, please.

Honorable Senators, I wish to report that I have, pursuant to Article 150(2) of the Constitution, as read with Article 145(2) of the Constitution, and Standing Order No.46(3) of the Senate Standing Orders, received a Message from the Speaker of the National Assembly regarding the approval of a Special Motion for the removal from office by impeachment of His Excellency, Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. Hon. Senators, you may proceed to take your seats.

I did, vide Kenya Gazette No. 13170 Vol. CXXVI – No. 157, dated 9th October, 2024 appoint today, Wednesday, 9th October 2024, at 9.30 a.m. as the sitting convened for the purpose of hearing the charges in the matter of the proposed removal from office, by impeachment, of His Excellency, Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. 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 Message, dated Tuesday, 8th October, 2024, was received in my office on Wednesday, 9th October, 2024 and indicated that the National Assembly had resolved, with the support of 281 Members, being at least two-thirds of all the Members of the National Assembly, that, pursuant to the provisions of Articles 145(2) as read with 150(1)(b) and (2) of the Constitution, His Excellency, Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya be removed from office, by impeachment, on the following grounds- (1) Gross violation of Articles 10 (2)(a), (b) and (c); 27 (4), 73 (1)(a) and (2)(b); 75 (1)(c), and 129 (2) of the Constitution and Article 147 (1), as read together with Article 131 (2)(c) and (d) of the Constitution; (2) Gross violation of Articles 147 (1) and 152 (1) of the Constitution by undermining the President and the Cabinet and the effective discharge of the national government's executive mandate; (3) Gross violation of Articles 6 (2), 10 (2)(a), 174, 186 (1), 189 (1) and the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution by undermining Devolution; (4) Gross violation of 160(1) of the Constitution on the Institutional and Decisional Independence of Judges; (5) Gross violation of Articles 3 1) and 148 (5)(a) of the Constitution on the fidelity to the Oath of Office and Allegiance. (6) Serious reasons to believe that H. E. the Deputy President has committed crimes under sections 13 (1)(a) and 62 of the National Cohesion and Integration Act. (7) Serious reasons to believe that H. E. the Deputy President has committed gross economic crimes under sections 45(1), 46, 47A (3) and 48(1) of the Anti- Corruption and Economic Crimes Act and sections 2, 3, 4 and 7 of Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act. (8) Serious reasons to believe that H. E. the Deputy President has committed crimes by continuously misleading members of the public through false, malicious, divisive, and inciteful remarks that are contrary to the provisions of section 132 of the Penal Code and section 29 of the Leadership and Integrity Act. (9) Gross misconduct that is incompatible with the high calling and dignified status of the Office of the Deputy President and a member of the Cabinet and the National Security Council. H. E. the Deputy President has publicly attacked and undermined the work of the National Security Intelligence Service and its Officers. (10) Gross misconduct by openly or publicly in subordinating the President, who is the Head of State and Government. (11) Gross misconduct by persistently bullying state and public officers. Hon. Senators, you may walk in and take your seats.

Annexed to the Message conveying the said resolution of the National Assembly are the following documents– 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) Copy of the Notice of Special Motion and Affidavit of the Hon. Eckomas Mwengi Mutuse, OGW, MP dated 26th September, 2024 and received on 27th September 2024, running from page 40 to 42. (ii) Electronic evidence relating to the Special Motion contained in a flash disk. (iii) Order Papers for 1st October, 2024. (iv) Communication from the Chair No.046 of 2024 issued on Tuesday, 1st October 2024. (v) Communication from the Chair No. 047 of 2024 issued on Tuesday, 1st October 2024. (vi) Certified Hansard and Votes and Proceedings of 1st October, 2024. (vii) Communication from the Chair No. 048 of 2024 issued on 2nd October, 2024. (viii) Letters of Appointment of Advocates— a) Swanya & Company Advocates for H. E. the Deputy President; and, b) Danstan Omari Advocates for Morani Manufacturers Limited. (ix) Letter to H. E. the Deputy President forwarding the Notice of Motion. (x) Affidavit of Service on H. E. the Deputy President. (xi) Order Paper for 2nd October, 2024. (xii) Certified Hansard and Votes and Proceedings for 2nd October, 2024. (xiii) Public participation advertisements of 2nd October, 2024— a) The Daily Nation Newspaper ; b) The Standard Newspaper ; and c) The Star Newspape r. (xiv) Public participation advertisements of 3rd October, 2024— a) The Daily Nation Newspape r; b) The Standard Newspaper ; c) The Star Newspaper ; and, d)

. (xv) Public Views Template (English & Kiswahili). (xvi) Memo to Constituency/County Office Managers dated 4th October, 2024. (xvii) Public participation advertisements of 4th October, 2024— a) The Daily Nation Newspaper ; b) The Standard Newspaper ; and, c) The Star Newspaper . (xviii) Order issued by the High Court sitting at Kerugoya on Friday, 4th October, 2024. (xxi) Press Statement by the Clerk of the National Assembly on Extension of Public Participation issued on 4th October, 2024. (xx) Public participation advertisements of 5th October, 2024— a) The Saturday Nation Newspaper ; and b) The Standard Newspaper . (xxi) Public Participation Report tabled on 8th October, 2024. (xxii) Response to the Notice of Special Motion from H. E. the Deputy President received on 8th October, 2024 at 4.00 p.m. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

(xxiii) Electronic evidence by H. E. the Deputy President relating to the Special Motion contained in a flash disk. (xxiv) Order Paper for 8th October, 2024. (xxv) Communication from Chair No. 049 of 2024 issued on 8th October, 2024. (xxvi) Certified Hansard and Votes and Proceedings for 8th October, 2024. Honourable Senators, kindly walk in and take your seats.

This impeachment Motion is unique and unprecedented as it is the first ever to propose the removal from office, by impeachment, of a Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. This moment calls for deep reflection on the critical responsibility of the Senate in investigating such proposals for the removal of State Officers from office---

Sen. Oketch Gicheru, be attentive. The impeachment process is a fundamental tool of legislative oversight and a crucial aspect of the constitutional mechanism for checks and balances. The process is invoked by legislatures and in particular, in our case, Parliament and county assemblies to safeguard good governance and integrity in public service. As you are well aware, the Senate has been entrusted by the Constitution with the singular role to sit as a quasi - judicial body to investigate any proposed removal from office, by impeachment, of the President, Deputy President, County Governors and Deputy County Governors and to make a determination on the alleged infractions of the Constitution and other laws. As this matter comes before you, I cannot underscore enough the immense public interest that this matter has elicited and for good reason. This is yet another opportunity for the Senate to demonstrate its fidelity to the Constitution and to live up to its reputation. It, therefore, behooves the Senate, as the trial Chamber to maintain integrity and impartiality in this administration of justice and to make a determination on this matter purely based on its merits. In terms of the way forward, the manner of disposing of this impeachment Motion will not be significantly different from how the Senate has previously investigated and determined the proposed removal from office, by impeachment, of County Governors and Deputy County Governors. Standing order 78(1) of the Senate Standing Orders as read together with Articles 150(2) and 145(3)(b) of the Constitution provide the Senate with two options on how to proceed with such a matter. The Senate may – i) by resolution, appoint a special committee comprising 11 of its members to investigate the matter; or ii) investigate the matter in Plenary. In this regard, the Senate Majority Leader will, at an appointed time during this sitting, give a Notice of Motion and move a Motion for the establishment of a special 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.

committee. Should the Motion be carried, the special committee will investigate the matter and report to the Senate on whether it finds the particulars of the allegations against the Deputy President to have been substantiated. In the event that the Motion for the establishment of a special committee does not pass, the Senate will proceed to investigate the matter in Plenary. Consequently, I will appoint a date for the commencement of the hearing of the evidence for the purposes of the investigation. I wish to emphasize that the debate on the Motion for the establishment of a special committee shall be confined to the matter of the Motion, that is, whether or not to establish the special committee. It shall be improper and out of order to debate the substance of the impeachment, its merits, propriety, prudence or the constitutionality or legality of the processes that have preceded the submission of the matter to the Senate. In the meantime and during the pendency of this impeachment process in the Senate, I wish to caution Honourable Senators to desist from publicly commenting on the merits or demerits of the impeachment Motion. Doing so would amount to anticipation of debate, which is an infringement of Standing Order No. 99 of the Senate Standing Orders. Hon. Senators, to make it clear, it shall constitute gross disorderly conduct within the meaning of Standing Order No.122 for a Senator to make comments, whether written or spoken, in relation to the conduct of the Deputy President or the impeachment process, which is outside the confines of the impeachment proceedings as such comments may prejudge the just outcome of this matter. As I conclude, I urge you, hon. Senators, to stay true to the oath of office and exercise the highest level of responsibility on this particular matter. I thank you. Hon. Senators, a Supplementary Order Paper has been circulated. I believe it has been posted to your gadgets. You may now abandon the Order Paper that we have been using and switch to the new one. Clerk, you may now proceed to call the next Order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give Notice of the following Motion- THAT, WHEREAS, pursuant to Article 150 (1)(b) and (2) and Article 145 of the Constitution and the National Assembly Standing Orders 64 and 65, on 8th October, 2024, the National Assembly approved a Special Motion for the removal from office, by impeachment, of H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya; 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.

AND FURTHER, WHEREAS by letter Ref: NA/DLP/TBO/MTS/2024/(025) dated 8th October, 2024 and received in the Office of the Speaker of the Senate on 9th October, 2024, the Speaker of the National Assembly informed the Speaker of the Senate of the approval of the Special Motion, by the National Assembly, and further forwarded to the Speaker of the Senate, documents in evidence of the proceedings of the National Assembly; AND WHEREAS, pursuant to Article 145 (3) (b) of the Constitution as read together with Article 150(2) of the Constitution and Standing Orders 78(1) and 79 of the Senate Standing Orders, the Senate may, by resolution, appoint a Special Committee comprising eleven of its Members to investigate the matter; NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to Article 145 (3) (b) of the Constitution as read together with Article 150(2) of the Constitution and Standing Order 78(1) of the Senate Standing Orders, the Senate resolves to constitute a Special Committee to investigate the proposed removal from office, by impeachment, of the H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya.

Let us go to the next Order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion - THAT, WHEREAS, pursuant to Article 150 (1)(b) and (2) and Article 145 of the Constitution and the National Assembly Standing Orders 64 and 65, on 8th October, 2024, the National Assembly approved a Special Motion for the removal from office, by impeachment, of H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya; AND FURTHER, WHEREAS by letter Ref: NA/DLP/TBO/MTS/2024/(025) dated 8th October, 2024 and received in the Office of the Speaker of the Senate on 9th October, 2024, the Speaker of the National Assembly informed the Speaker of the Senate of the approval of the Special Motion, by the National Assembly, and further forwarded to the Speaker of the Senate, documents in evidence of the proceedings of the National Assembly; AND WHEREAS, pursuant to Article 145 (3) (b) of the Constitution as read together with Article 150(2) of the Constitution and Standing Orders 78(1) and 79 of the Senate Standing Orders, the Senate may, by resolution, appoint a Special Committee comprising eleven of its Members to investigate the matter; NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to Article 145 (3) (b) of the Constitution as read together with Article 150(2) of the Constitution and Standing Order 78(1) of the Senate Standing Orders, the Senate resolves to constitute a Special Committee 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.

to investigate the proposed removal from office, by impeachment, of the H.E. Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is uncharted territory. For the first time, the Senate of the Republic of Kenya is being invited to conduct an impeachment hearing of a Deputy President. Much as this is constitutional, it is the first time that this is happening. There is a proposal before us as a House as per our Standing Orders, to either consider this matter--- We have two options as per our Standing Orders to either consider this matter by a special committee or in plenary. The Motion before us is a proposal to the House that we appoint 11 of our Members from both sides of the House to consider this impeachment and advise us.

I do not know why there is excitement in the House. I have already said that this has never happened before, but that is the proposal. I urge Members to agree that we elect 11 of our wisest and most trusted Senators who we think have sufficient wisdom to read on our behalf and make a decision. As you know, as per our Standing Orders, should they elect that the matters have not been substantiated, the matter dies and there is no recourse for the House. However, should they confirm any of the 11 charges, even just one, then they will invite the rest of us to join them in making a decision. This is not a matter that I want to speak long to because there are more serious matters that lay ahead with regards to this particular Motion. Mr. Speaker, Sir, with those many remarks, I want to invite the Senator for Nairobi City, Sen. Edwin Watenya Sifuna, to second this Motion.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as you have indicated in your communication, this is an extremely unique matter that has elicited immense public attention. Therefore, given the mood of the House and especially on the Minority Side, I respectfully decline to second that Motion.

Order, hon. Senators. You will note that the Senate Majority Leader has moved a Motion pursuant to Article 145(3)(b) of the Constitution and Standing Order No.78(1) for the establishment of a special Committee to investigate the proposed removal from office by impeachment of His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua, EGH, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. The Motion has however failed to get a seconder. Now Standing Order No.70 of the Senate Standing Orders states as follows- “The question on any Motion shall not be proposed unless it shall have been seconded and any Motion that is not seconded shall be deemed to have been withdrawn and shall not be moved again in the same session unless with the permission of the 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.

Hon. Senators, as I communicated earlier today during the sitting by way of a Message on the resolution of the National Assembly, Article 145(3)(b) of the Constitution as read together with Article 78(1) provides that the Senate, by resolution, may appoint a special Committee comprising 11 of its Members to investigate the matter. The Motion having been deemed to be withdrawn pursuant to Standing Order No.71, the proposal for a special Committee is defeated. The Senate will therefore proceed with the investigation of the proposed removal from office by impeachment, of His Excellency Rigathi Gachagua, EGH the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya in Plenary. Hon. Senators, in line with the schedule of activities for an impeachment hearing and Plenary, I hereby give the following directions. (a) The Clerk to issue invitations to appear to the Deputy President today, Wednesday, 9th October, 2024 (b) The Clerk to issue invitations to appear to the National Assembly today, Wednesday, 9th October 2024. (c) The parties to file the responses with the office of the Clerk of the Senate by Monday, 14th October, 2024 by 5.00 p.m. (d) The Clerk to circulate documents received from the parties, including the Plenary hearing programme to all hon. Senators upon receipt on Monday, 14th October, 2024, and the Senate shall then investigate the matter in Plenary on Wednesday, 16th and Thursday 17th October, 2024. The Senate is accordingly guided. I thank you. Any clarification Senator for Nandi County?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, looking at the directions that you have given, I agree with the Senate Majority Leader that this matter is very unique. It is uncharted territory because we are so used to impeachment of governors as we have done before. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I need your guidance and clarity on the process. Under Standing Orders No.78 of the Senate Standing Orders on the procedure for removal from State office, which includes the removal of the President or Deputy President, I want to invite and request you to read--- In the Second Schedule of our Standing Orders, Part 1; rules of procedure when considering the proposed removal in Plenary. Rule No. 12 states that- “Subject to these Rules, the hearing of the evidence, once it commences shall proceed and continue on until the Senate concludes the hearing of the matter”. This extrapolates itself from Articles 145 and 150 on the removal of either the President or the Deputy President. This is a matter of national interest and it will involve the process of evidence producing and many other procedures. Considering the immense work, would it be in order to request that as per your direction you add an extra day? They say that justice should not only be seen, but seen to be done.

Order, hon. Senators. Let the Senator for Nandi say it the way he understands it. Proceed. 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.

Yes, I am directly translating from my Kalenjin mind so Members will have to bear with it. Justice should not only be done, but should be seen to be done. Some of us went to group of schools. The point is, the plenary process will allow Kenyans to follow whether we convict or acquit. This is because the Lower House was a pre-trial Chamber and this is the real trial Chamber where we shall be setting precedent for future impeachments. I am not predicting that there will be impeachment of Presidents or Deputy Presidents in future. I do not know why Sen. Sifuna is irritated. You will have your time. Why are you worried? Mr. Speaker, Sir, I conclude by asking you to add an extra day, so that the accusers, who are the National Assembly, can have elaborate time to present their case and the Deputy President can do the same. When they move to another forum, they will have an opportunity and chance under the principles of natural justice. I thank you for that indulgence. I will properly be guided.

Senator for Nandi, as we sit here, we do not know the number of witnesses that will be called nor the volumes of documentation that will be filed. Therefore, let us go by the two days that I have communicated. One thing that the Senate will do is to give adequate time to both parties. That is the much we are going to do. No party will leave the Senate complaining about inadequacy of time to plead their case. Yes, Sen. Methu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. We conform to the directions and Communication that you have also given. I agree with the wisdom of the Senator for Nairobi City County that this is a matter of serious public interest. The matter before us is so weighty. It cannot be left in the hands of 11 people. We need to hear it in plenary. I also plead based on two arguments. Looking at the Communication that you have read, the number of grounds that have been set or founded in this impeachment Motion are 11. From the experience that we have had as a House, this will be the highest number of grounds that we have ever looked at in as far as processing an impeachment Motion is concerned. Secondly, when we dealt with the last impeachment of Governor for Meru County, we were rushing against time and we did not allow Members adequate time to debate and give input. I would not want to get ourselves in that kind of a situation again. Members want to give their contribution and convince others. The reason why we have to debate this Motion is because I can convince the others on why I think the Deputy President should be removed or not. We did not get that opportunity during the last impeachment because the dates that had been gazetted for that impeachment were lapsing that particular day and we had to start voting before 12.00 a.m. You said that we are processing this Motion on Wednesday and Thursday. If we are almost done with the proceedings at 11.30 p.m. on Thursday, we will not have time to 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.

debate. Even if we have the two days that you have communicated to debate, we need to leave it open. If we find ourselves done with the witnesses from both accusers and defendants and unable to debate, we can come the next day debate and take a vote. We should not hurry this process as we did last time. We did not hurry it because we wanted to. Many Members wanted to contribute. That is the reason why the voting was very acrimonious. Thank you very much, daktari, for that. Nyandarua County is far and we have small challenges. You saw what happened with many Members here and it was not neat. I would not want to find us in such a situation. I wish you could allow that. Even if we get to Thursday and have not gotten to debating, allow us to come on Friday to debate and vote.

Proceed, Sen. Wambua.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. There are two things. One is on the matter of communication about how we conduct ourselves from today going forward. You have given direction that Members should restrain themselves from making public utterances, especially on the substance of this impeachment. It is a good direction because we are going into a long weekend and we will be engaging with our constituents. The temptation to prosecute this matter even before it comes here is very high. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will hasten to add that listening to the public wherever I go - I do not go to a lot of places - the whole country is looking up to the Senate for justice to be done. In fact, there was no much attention on the proceedings in the National Assembly. Many people are saying, let us wait for this matter to go to the Senate. This is a time that the Senate of the Republic of Kenya must demonstrate real leadership. The prayers that have been made by Sen. Cherarkey and Sen. Methu sit very well. On the assurance that you have given that both parties will have sufficient time to prosecute their cases and do what they have to do, let that assurance also go out to the judges sitting on this matter; that they will also have sufficient time to reason and to caucus. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is need for Members to take time off, be it 30 or 40 minutes, to caucus and steer this thing properly. I would hate to see a situation where we end up the way we did with the Governor Kawira case; where the last minute of voting is so chaotic. One other thing that we may also need to---

Sen. Kathuri, let him conclude so that I give directions on this matter. Let us not prolong this debate.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, let me conclude by saying that the other thing that you may also guide us now and into the debate is on the issue of patience. People should patiently listen to others.

Just conclude.

Especially when I express an opinion that is not in line with your opinion.

What is your point of order, Sen. Kathuri? You insist.

Oh, my goodness.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Members should not go in the direction of Kawira Mwangaza case because it is in court. They are implying that what 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.

was processed here was not right. It is not standing very well because this matter has not been determined in the court. One of the issues that has been raised by the parties is that some of the Members did not vote and there was no time for discussion on all those matters. It will not be fair to the Meru County community if we discuss this matter now.

Hon. Senators, we shall conclude.

No, it is me to conclude, Sen. Wambua. This is my direction and it is very much what I have already directed.

Sen. Wambua, which Floor have I taken away from you?

Sen. Wambua, you are out of order. Leave the Chamber now for the rest of the day. We need to be orderly in this matter. We are going to handle a very heavy matter; we cannot have any Senator heckling the Speaker. Sen. Wambua, as we go to this impeachment, you will need to behave. Leave the Chamber for the rest of the sittings.

Hon. Senators, the chapter we are about to open and the process we are about to undertake is extremely heavy. The country and the world is watching. Decorum is the least we will be expecting from Members.

Senator for Nandi has raised a valid concern. Upon reading these charges, we have 10 days to conclude this process. I have directed that this matter be heard within two days. We have not seen the kind of documentation that will be filed and the number of witnesses that will be called by each party. Once we see the documentation and the list of witnesses, and it becomes obvious that we cannot conclude this matter within two days, we have Friday. Therefore, let us cross the bridge when we get there. The one thing I want to assure the country is that the Senate will do justice in this matter. All the parties will be given a fair--- They will have their day in the Senate. There will be zero complaints after the conclusion of this matter. Let us rest it there, hon. Senators. Next Order. 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.

Senate Majority Leader. Let us make progress, Sen. Fatuma Dullo.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion for the Senate to hold sittings on Monday, 14th October, 2024 and to alter the hours of meeting on Tuesday 15th October, 2024- THAT, notwithstanding the Resolutions of the Senate made pursuant to Standing Order No.32 on 15th February, 2024; 26th June, 2024; 19th August, 2024; and 17th September, 2024, on the approval of the Senate Calendar (Regular Sessions) for the Third Session, 2024, the Senate resolves – (i) Pursuant to Standing Order No.34(4)(c), to hold sittings on Monday, 14th October, 2024 starting at 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. until conclusion of Business listed in the Order Paper of the day; (ii) Pursuant to Standing Order No.34(4)(b), to hold a morning sitting on Tuesday, 15th October, 2024 starting at 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.; and, (iii) Pursuant to Standing Order No.34(4)(a), to extend its sitting time on Tuesday, 15th October, 2024 (afternoon Sitting) until conclusion of Business listed in the Order Paper of the day. in order to investigate the proposed removal from office, by impeachment, of the Hon. (Dr.) Erick Kipkoech Mutai, the Governor of Kericho County.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is a Procedural Motion and we have pointed out that for lack of flair in drafting both the Special Motion such as this one and the Gazette Notice, we found ourselves with the challenge which many of our colleagues are discussing right now. They felt that in handling an impeachment procedure, we had too much to do within such a short time. Therefore, if you see the way the Motion has been drafted, it is until the business listed on the Order Paper is concluded on that day. So, it is not unusual that we leave this House on certain days at 2.00 a.m. or 3.00 a.m. It has happened many times before because impeachments have serious consequences. An impeachment is almost the last resort in a dispute resolution between the parties that are before each of us. Therefore, I want to urge Senators, given if they approve this timetable, next week will be quite a heavy week for Senators. On Monday and Tuesday, we have this impeachment that you have just given direction on, and on Wednesday and Thursday as well, we have an Impeachment Motion process for the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. 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.

Therefore, a lot of energy is required from Senators next week. So, all the Senators, including the young ones, like my kid brother, Sen. Eddie Oketch, need to spare energy this weekend, so that next week they have a lot of energy in the House. Finally, it is just to note that this is a simple Procedural Motion, which I do not expect a debate about. It is just agreeing on the times, so that we can get the response and begin the process. With those many remarks, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move and request Sen. Okong’o Omogeni, my neighbor from Nyamira County, to second.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I Second the Motion by the Senate Majority Leader and Senator of Kericho, my neighbour. I agree that the matter is weighty and the Senate is in the spotlight. This is the time we need to demonstrate to the country that we are fair. We can discharge our functions impartially, without fear and favour. I second the Motion.

Hon. Senators, I can see a few Senators lined up here on my screen.

Put the question. So, is that the mood of the House? Now, let me hear the wisdom of Sen. Wakili Sigei.

Mr. Speaker, you may proceed to put the question.

Sen. Dullo. Sen. Kinyua, you have the Floor.

Senate Majority Leader, do not teach me how to chair this House.

Asante, Bw. Naibu Spika. Mimi ninasumbuka kwa sababu, tayari tumejitia kitanzi kwa kutenga siku za kujadili Hoja hii. Vile vile tutakapokuwa katika Hoja ile halafu kuweko na masuala mengine nyeti, tutajipata katika ile sehemu ya kwamba, hatuna muda wa kutosha kuyaangazia masuala yale kiundani. Hatuwezi kuendelea siku ile nyingine ambayo ni Jumatano kwa sababu tayari tumeitenga kwa shughuli nyingine tofauti.Kwa hivyo kuendelea mbele, pengine tuwe tukipea muda zaidi. Hata hivyo, ninaunga mkono.

Sen. Kinyua, Hoja tuliyonayo ni wazi kwamba Jumanne, tarehe 15, tutakaa mpaka tumalize shughuli - the business listed in the Order Paper on that day. 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.

So, that is why the Senate Majority Leader advised Sen. Oketch Gicheru to reserve more energy over the weekend, so that you can sit even up until 6.00 a.m. on Wednesday if that is the time we will clear the business listed on the Order paper. It is not specific on the day, but until the business listed on the Order paper is concluded. It is not specific to midnight. So, you can also familiarize yourself with the Order Paper when the question is put.

Next Order.

Sen. Methu was to move this Motion, but I do not see him around. Therefore, the Order is deferred until the next time that it will be allocated.

Next Order. Proceed, Sen. Mumma.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to move the Motion on the reports of the Kenya delegation to the 147th and 148th Assemblies of the International- Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related meetings that were held in Luanda, Angola from 23rd to 27th October, 2023 and in Geneva, Switzerland from 23rd to 27th March, 2024. I beg to move- THAT, the Senate notes the reports of the Kenya delegation to the 147th and 148th Assemblies of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related meetings in Luanda and the one in Geneva. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, key to note is that the Kenyan delegation is represented in five committees by different members, including Hon. John Kiarie, who is in the Committee to promote respect for international humanitarian law. We have Hon. Naisula Lesuuda, Member of the Committee on Sustainable Development. We have Hon. Millie 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.

Odhiambo, who is the President of the Committee on the Human Rights for Parliamentarians and then we have Hon. Rebecca Tonkei, who is a member of the Committee on the United Nations (UN) Affairs. In the meeting in Luanda, I was appointed to be a member of the Working Group on Science and Technology. The key activity in Luanda was the appointment of the Rt. Hon. Speaker Ackson Tulia from Tanzania as the first woman President to the IPU. The Kenya delegation participated actively in the campaign to ensure that that seat came to East Africa. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the Geneva meeting, one of the key issues that was discussed in the working group on Science and Technology was the preparation, by IPU, of a charter on the ethics of science and technology, so that parliamentarians can now start being involved in policies relating to matters of science and technology, especially issues of ethics of things like artificial intelligence. As we are speaking this week, the IPU meeting will begin in Geneva this week. Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend because of the impeachment programme that we have. However, the charter developed by this working group will be discussed. One of the things that is being recommended is for parliaments around the world to start forming committees on science and technology. This is to ensure that the scientists and parliamentarians can have a conversation, so that parliament can give guidance in terms of policy and scientists can also engage with them. This is so that we do not have science going rogue and harming human beings. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I lay the Report.

Sen. Mumma, you should say you beg to move and then also get a seconder.

Apologies, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I wish to ask Sen. Omogeni to second.

Just pronounce yourself that you beg to move then you request him to second.

I beg to move and ask Sen. Omogeni to second.

Proceed, Sen. Omogeni. Members, the reports are on our gadgets, so you can just check and get something to speak on.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to second the reports on the 147th Assembly of the IPU meeting and related matters that was held in Rwanda, Angola, that has been tabled by Sen. Catherine Mumma. We live in a community of nations and this initiative is very important among parliaments. It does a very good work, because we cannot live in an island. We need to measure what we are doing with what our brothers are doing in the neighbouring countries.We hope that as we send our Members of Parliament to these committees, we can deal with some of the serious issues that are affecting countries, especially issues of corruption. When I used to serve in the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), countries were trying to discuss how you can ensure that money that is being moved from one country to the other is discouraged by nations. 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 watched a debate on a TV station this morning and the Senator for Kisii was disclosing that there are governors who have bought eight flats in a country in Europe called Spain. He was appealing to the EACC to ensure that issues dealing with corruption are dealt with decisively and the money that is sent to our counties is used for the benefit of the people who reside in counties. On issues dealing with climate change, you can see the kind of floods that we are seeing in the United States of America. We need to be conscious that as a country, we need to not only to take care of our country called Kenya, but to also borrow from what we are seeing happening in other nations. If we do not protect our environment, we are exposing ourselves to risks like the threats that we face from terrorism. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, before the emergence of terrorist attacks on our nations, I remember that whenever we used to escort our brothers or relatives to the USA, we used to walk inside the airport. We could escort them right to the entry of the airport. However, because of terrorism, you cannot even enter the airport because of what terrorism has done to the country. So, this is a very important meeting. We need to preach peace and have tolerance among various faiths. In this House, when I look at Sen. Faki, I look at him as a Kenyan brother. I do not look at him as a Muslim and I am sure he also looks at me as a Christian. We need to encourage people in the human race to live as brothers and sisters. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I second this Motion. I pray that we can be a country that can preach peace. Nobody is happy with the escalation of war in the Middle East. When there is war in the Middle East, the effects affect many countries. I hope that the United Nations (UN) can push for a peaceful resolution with the disputes we are seeing in the Middle East, so that Palestinians, Israelis, the people in Syria and all those countries can live in peace. When I was a young child, I used to hear about the Palestinian Liberation Organization led by Yasser Arafat. I am almost becoming a senior citizen, but the disputes in the Middle East are still ongoing. We still keep on hearing about war in Angola and Chad. We need to see the universe having countries that can live in peace, where we are all brothers and sisters. That we can cross from one border to the other like what is happening within the European nations, where you can move from one country to the other. I wish that can extend to the whole world. I do not need to queue at the American Embassy seeking for a visa; that you report at 6.00 a.m. and pay a whopping close to Kshs200,000 before getting a visa to travel to the United States of America (USA). We need to accept that the human race was created by God as one person in the Garden of Eden. That is the spirit we should see world over. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir I second the Motion.

Order, hon. Senators. Please, wait or should I give you one minute to close the door?

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 am now inviting Senators to contribute to this very important report on the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU). Sen. Mungatana contributes on international issues so much, but I do not know where his mind is today. You have been distracted by the Senator for Lamu County. This is similar to what you do in the African Parliament.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to debate the Report of the IPU that was held in Luanda, Angola, from 23rd to 27th October, 2023. As you have correctly said, there is a very big role that parliaments all over the world play in terms of cooperation, coordination and ensuring that the representatives of the people around the world come together and discuss issues that are relevant.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, many things were discussed in the meeting that was held in Luanda. However, I would like to dwell on the issue that focused on global food security. There are many challenges. It was recognized by the parliaments that were seated in Luanda, Angola, that parliaments in many parts of the world are affected by the problems of food insecurity. The world is not able to feed itself. There are people who are living in areas that are frequently hit by climate-related disasters. During the meeting in Luanda, there was a focus on the El Nino that was happening at that time. There were discussions about droughts that had increased. They were also talking about the cycles of the droughts and the El Nino phenomena that was affecting food production and jeopardizing stability of food supply across the world. These parliaments also discussed the impact of COVID-19 pandemic; that so many people were not able to access their farms and engage usefully, so that they can produce food. Apart from the climate issues, the question of the COVID-19 pandemic was discussed. Other problems, including the increase on the prices of fertilizers, were also discussed. These challenges were discussed and Kenya was part of those discussions. We raised the challenges affecting food security, including the increase on the prices of fertilizers. The general conclusion from our Members of Parliament (MPs) who went to participate in the IPU conference meeting was that there was need for them to go back home and communicate to their governments that fresh efforts need to be put in place to emphasize on food production and stability of food supply within their own countries. Each Parliament was supposed to go and approve the reports and take it to the relevant government departments to implement. One of the important things that was discussed was global food security. The resolution was that we need to come back home and tell our governments the new strategies they would take that will ensure food security within their countries. 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.

During those discussions in Angola, a total of 22 delegates took to the floor to share their experiences and insights concerning the pressing issues of ensuring a stable and sustainable food supply for the world's population. Concerns were given from the global north, global south and all the delegates explained their experiences. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have given the general challenges we had, which were explained in these debates. Every delegate explained what happened in their home countries and the strategies that could help in ensuring that food stability is achieved within the continent. There were many strategies that were given and we are already employing some of them. We know our State Department of Agriculture in this country is doing what it needs to do to ensure that we have enough food supply for this country. One of the things was discussed as a strategy and needs to be emphasized here in Kenya is that we need to involve our youth in production that is agricultural. For a very long time, people used to think that it was unfashionable to go into agriculture. Our children, our generation and in the one that followed us aspired to be professionals in various fields like in Engineering, Law, like I did, in Medicine, Architecture and all other big professions. As we went on, the other generation that came after us aspired to be Information Technology (IT) specialists or open companies in that area that was new at that time and go into technology-oriented businesses. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, however, few people aspired to be top agriculturalists. People would aspire to inherit land from their parents and make them productive. In terms of all the resolutions that were passed, I would emphasize on increasing our food production. We need to make agriculture in Kenya sexy. We need to make it very attractive to the young people. We need our young people to start seeing it as an opportunity to add something, instead of thinking of opening a kiosk to sell cigarettes or any other thing. We need to tell our young people that agriculture is a good thing that you can do. If you do not want to do agriculture to produce crops, you can go into other forms of agriculture. People are raising chicken, farm animals and all manner of things around the space of agriculture. Some of the people who have made it in life are people who sell eggs or business around wheat farming, maize growing and the people supplying the Kenya Meat Commission (KMC). Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we need to carry out a massive re-education of minds. We must tell our children that it is good to be able to feed yourself. If you are at home, you must tell your children that it is good to go to the farm. They must see us do this, so that it is accepted as a fashionable thing to do. I will not be saying enough if I do not mention the fact that some of our Television (TV) stations have done an extremely good job. I will single out two national TV stations that I have seen take their time to discuss programmes on agricultural production. I am impressed that their presenters are young people who are doing that kind of work. The prayer is that we can push this idea, that it becomes acceptable and fashionable. amongst our children. Once they accept this idea, they can go to agriculture food production. 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.

As we increase our own production, within our families, villages, wards and constituencies, we will become food secure and the country as a whole will become secure. This is the message that Parliamentarians are sending to the Government of Kenya, when we met here. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to support this Report.

Hon. Senators, there being no other Senator wishing to contribute, I call upon the Mover to reply. Sen. Mumma?

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I thank Sen. Mungatana and Sen. Omogeni for contributing to this Motion. As we participate in international conversations with other Parliaments around the world, I would like to bring it to the attention of this House that these spaces are important. This is because we get to learn what is happening around and borrow from each other, develop and strengthen international co-operations around Parliaments of the world. The IPU is the union of all Parliaments of the world except a few. As we meet during these sessions, very key issues are discussed, including peace, security and how different nations can come together to strengthen the rules and regulations that we have internationally on peace and security, food security, sustainable development and emerging issues. When I moved the Motion, I spoke about the science and technology committee that I am sitting in that has been a very educative forum because there are many things we take for granted. You will find the world is getting driven by technology and we are all going there, but not planning for it properly. Parliaments of this world and parliamentarians do not necessarily have the capacity to know what kind of policy to support within their arms of government. Therefore, these sessions enable us to converse and see how to move legislation in these areas. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, one of the technically ongoing conversations that is happening is the matter of internet governance. I do not know whether anyone is moving serious legislation and policy around internet governance in this country. Internet governance is a complex issue that would require we re-focus, knowing that internet makes the globe a one centre, because with internet, you can access information, not from your country, but from other countries as well. We need to think on how we can have complex regulations that can ensure that, as we use internet because it enables us to move on many fronts, it will also be a safe space, especially those who are vulnerable, including minors. We would not know how to do these things unless we deliberately are trained on this, and I am not aware of, at the Kenya level, any trainings that our Parliament or Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) has put in place to guide us on understanding the complex scientific areas that require that we regulate. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in the Angola meeting, one of the resolutions moved by the Committee on Democracy and Human Rights was a resolution on orphanage 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.

trafficking. Kenya had six amendments to this resolution, and we managed to get five of them taken up. When I came back home, I am happy to report that with the support of the legal department, we are drafting an amendment to our Child Trafficking Act. In that Act, we never contemplated trafficking that happens around the orphanage. A lot of child trafficking is happening. You will be amazed or shocked that part of what is happening is people will set up institutions in the name of helping children, but those institutions are being used to traffic children out of one country into another. So, this is a conversation we have had in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and we resolved that as the countries go back, one way to strengthen and ensure that we police against child trafficking is to strengthen our laws on orphanage trafficking. I have put in place an amendment in regard to that. As I said earlier, I am also hoping that both the National Assembly and the Senate can come up with committees that address science and technology in terms of its impact on human rights as we move on. I believe that as we continue to participate, we will improve on the legislation here. As I finalize, I would like to make a plea. Usually, we participate in the big assembly meetings of IPU, the Commonwealth, and the Pan-African Parliament. I want to state that before the big meetings, we have technical committees where the technical issues are discussed. Usually, we are not facilitated to participate in that. You will find that when you go to the assembly, the countries whose membership has seriously participated in the technical sessions of the committees are well-versed or better-versed in the issues they are presenting. I request that the office of the Speaker consider that some of these meetings facilitate Members to participate in a few of the technical issues, particularly those that are drafting issues that come before the assembly. I, therefore, wish to thank my colleagues for contributing to this Motion. I wish to request the Speaker to defer the putting of the question. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. This Motion will be deferred to a later date.

Next Order.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to move this Motion- THAT, the Senate notes the Report of the Kenya Delegation to the Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) held at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, South Africa from 20th to 27th March, 2024, laid on the Table of the Senate on Wednesday, 24th April, 2024. 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 will be brief and, I will request Sen. Mumma to second me. We had the session of the Pan-African Parliament in South Africa. The Pan-African Parliament is important because it is where all African nations come together to discuss the issues that affect Africa. Previously, those Presidents who held a vision to bring Africa together and create a united Africa; the likes of Kwame Nkrumah and Julius Nyerere came together. They wanted to create a system that would enable consultations at government levels. Once the governments agreed, it was deemed necessary to have another body where the people of Africa could be seated together to discuss matters as the people's representatives. So, a Parliament was created, and this is where we are, the Pan-African Parliament. I head that delegation, but other Members include, our own Sen. (Prof.) Kamar. Also, from the National Assembly, we have Hon. Esther Passaris, Hon. Joseph Kalasinga Majimbo, and Hon. Rahab Mukami. Five people were sent, like all 55 countries of Africa. The delegation participated in an election. This was an extraordinary meeting which was called so that we could have an election. So that the country can know what happens at PAP; in the Pan-African Parliament, we follow the African Union principle of rotation, so that if the President of the Pan-African Parliament comes from the Southern Caucus, the next time it is the Eastern, the next time it is Northern, and we go on rotating like that. These elections were done. It was a successful election. It brought order to the Parliament of Africa. It is good to note that the newly elected committee, which we call the Bureau, is President, Hon. Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira. The First Vice- President was Hon. (Prof.) Massouda Mohamed Laghdaf. The Second Vice-President was Hon. Ashebiri Gayo, and the Third Vice President was Hon. Lucia Dos Passos. The Fourth Vice-President was Hon. Djidda Mamar Mahamat. It was a brief session, and some issues made the Parliament not work for some time, but after this election, those issues were resolved, and the Pan-African Parliament could move forward. I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire delegation that went there. We worked well and made sure that Kenya was well represented during these campaigns and even during these elections in every part. Before I sit, it is important for me to say the following. We had an important engagement with our High Commission in South Africa. The High Commission in South Africa has expressed its desire to make it clear that Kenya and South Africa have long relationships. Since South Africa gained independence and its first democratically elected president in 1994, we have had a good relationship with South Africa. However, when it comes to trade, the message is that we still have an unfavourable trade balance between the two nations. Although Kenya is a big economy, South Africa exports to Kenya high-value items. For example, they have a BMW factory there. When they sell those items, all our agricultural and other products measure little against what they send to this country. This is a message from the High Commission. It is time that Kenyans took opportunities that have been provided in South Africa. 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 signed a bilateral agreement that allows favourable trade, so that Kenyans who go to South Africa to do business are never disturbed. Kenya also reciprocated by not requiring visas, just like we are not required to have visas when we go to South Africa. So, we have opportunities for those who think they can make a living by going there. Aside from the PAP meetings that we had, we also visited the High Commission. They asked us to encourage our people to also look for opportunities in South Africa. With those many remarks, I beg to move and request Sen. Mumma to second the Motion.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to second the Motion on the report of the Kenya delegation to the extraordinary session of the sixth Parliament of the PAP, held at the Gallagher Convention Centre, in Midrand, South Africa, from 20th to 27th March, 2024. As I said in an earlier conversation, these meetings are important because they add to expanding our knowledge as parliamentarians and coming up with ideas that can help us to inject newness and innovation, drawing from what other parliaments around the world are doing. The PAP in particular is one where we can do a lot more. Even as colleagues participate in those forums, I urge them to help by bringing the conversation of expanding trade in Africa a lot more. It is strange that people of some West African countries have to go to Europe before coming back to East Africa. It is strange that several countries in Africa get simple food products all imported from Europe when food that Sen. Mungatana spoke about is plenty on the African Continent. If we open trade routes across Africa and amongst African countries, we will enrich our continent much faster. I request our colleagues who are Members of the PAP to steer or spearhead a conversation that can see an open Africa, where we trade with each other more and focus a lot on intra-Africa trade than trading elsewhere. I therefore second.

Sen. Abdul Haji): Sen. (Prof.) Kamar, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to support the Motion on the report from the Pan-African Parliament (PAP). As has been mentioned by our Chair and able leader of the delegation the Hon. Sen. Mungatana, MGH, I am a Member of this delegation. I really appreciate the work that goes on in the PAP. It is out of the coming together of the African nations that we can realise the real development of the continent. As it was mentioned by Sen. Mumma, it is surprising that the boundaries that we have today have disadvantaged the continent more than helping it. It has destroyed neighbourhoods. At the moment, we are at the point of discussing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The borders between countries in this continent 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.

were established by colonialists and not by ourselves. Families were separated due to this. These boundaries are either roads, rivers, or lakes. They make absolutely no sense. One good example is the river that divides Uganda and Kenya which divided the Awori family. We had our own former Vice-President Moody Awori on the Kenyan side. At the same time, he was Vice-President, there was a Minister in Uganda called Aggrey Awori. They were brothers from the same father and mother following one another in birth. However, the river divided their land and this resulted in some being Ugandans and others Kenyans. This is true for most neighbourhoods along the boundaries in the African continent. The heads of states are now discussing the unification as far as trade is concerned to enable free movement of goods and persons. This will develop the continent. This boundary issue is what has caused enemity between persons who were friends. It has created tension between people who did not even know what a country meant. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like the Senators to note that very soon we are going to come to the House to request for ratification of the AfCTA protocol. That is going to be a breakthrough for the continent. There are a number of protocols that we hope can be ratified soon. We have the Malabo Protocol that has not been ratified in this House. We also have a number of other model laws that have been developed by the PAP. One of our projects in the PAP is to develop model laws because we are developing standards that we expect different countries to adopt. When we pass these laws in the PAP, it is expected that every country will use the same model law to introduce amendments to their own laws so that we have some standards. I want to mention a few areas where we need standards. We need standards in mining, so that the laws of mining and exploration can be the same. We know that Africa is very rich in minerals. However, because of the different approaches to mining, and ways in which policies has been crafted in each country, it is very easy for one to mine in Uganda and sell in Kenya under a completely different regime. This becomes very dangerous because you will have smugglers coming in. It is easier to mine in Kenya and sell in Uganda because the policy in Kenya allows you to mine, but does not allow you to sell in the same manner that a neighbour does. It is very easy for one to use the policies and rules in one country to their own advantage then move to the next country to do the same. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am mentioning mineral resources because one of the things that is now coming up in the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) is the need to add value. We need to have a standard way of adding value because we know that we have lost a lot as a continent for not adding value to the natural resources that we have. What is the implication? The implication is that we have sold things very cheaply as a continent and import the same more expensively after they have been value-added. So, we are the original owners of the products but expensively enjoying a product that has been added value more. That will make the continent remain poor. 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. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have a modern law that has come on agriculture. I hope as a House, we will be able to adopt and cause our own laws to be changed. We are happy that Esther Passaris, a member of the PAP is also a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture and Rural Development. She will table the modern law and transmit it to this House. Once it comes to this House, we will use it to amend the law. We know agriculture is predominantly devolved and this is the House that should make decisions. Therefore, many other laws are coming. We are coming up with laws to do with trade. I sit in the Committee on Trade, Industrialization and Tourism. We are currently working on the issue of the free trade area and pushing hard to make sure that this continent becomes open. We know that within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, it is clear that when we have about eight members having ratified, they are allowed to proceed. We will urge the East African Community (EAC) to proceed with that. We know that we currently have a customs union between the East African countries. As we work on that, one of the objectives of the African Union (AU) is to ensure that the regional economic blocks like the East African Community (EAC) can integrate further and be the role models when it comes to integration. This is what we will do to push for ourselves as the East African region using the model that has been successful in allowing trade between the states of the East African Community. Then we can spread out because the East African region under the AU has more countries than what the East African Community has. We have Ethiopia, Djibouti, Madagascar island and Seychelles Island and we need to expand that integration to allow free movement. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are proud as Kenya that the head of state made a pronouncement that Africans and anybody from the continent of Africa can get into Kenya without a visa - If any country would do their processing even at the airport. This is what we are looking for under the AU and it is what PAP is pushing for. We are pushing for free movement of persons and goods so that we can trade among ourselves. We open the airspace because unless we open the airspace, it becomes extremely expensive for an African to move within the continent. One of the things that we are looking at right now to enable free trade is the infrastructure. Infrastructure requires that we have railway connectivity between countries in the continent. We want to have road networks between the countries. As a delegation, we are very happy with the candidature of the Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga. The main reason is that he was in charge of the African infrastructure before. The priorities that he had put in place are now at the committee stage. We need to have road and railway networks, so that we can have a railway line that starts from Cape Town to Cairo. Then we have rails from Nairobi to the West, to Senegal. These are some of the things that were emphasized when our candidate, Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga, was in charge of infrastructure. It is our prayer as a House that he will win that position so that he moves things ahead. Finally, we are very grateful as a delegation that we have been allowed to take up this great responsibility. We believe that with the leadership of Sen. Mungatana, we will even participate more and give more reports in this House so that the it can move with us. 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 those remarks, I beg to support.

Thank you, Se. (Prof.) Kamar. Sen. Esther, Okenyuri, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. First, I wish to support this report by Members of the Pan-African Parliament who represented us in South Africa led by the able Senator of Tana River, Sen. Danson Mungatana. Sen. Mungatana has been very consistent, especially anytime he represents this House in international fora. He quickly comes back and shares lessons learned with the Members of this House. I know that some of us who are following in those footsteps are going to reap big and also share with the rest of the Kenyans who are watching some of these discussions. Allow me to just note a key area of interest and this is on trade. As a Member of the Senate Standing Committee on Trade, earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to have an address by the Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), H.E. Wamkele Mene. He took us through what their agenda is and how they want to synergize with African countries. I note that there is already political goodwill from Kenya as a country led by the President. He been on the frontline pushing for Africa to be very open to trade and encouraging the rest of the Kenyans who are in those other countries to participate. It is a very good opportunity for Kenyans to also take this chance and trade in South Africa, and also for South Africans to cross borders and come and trade with Kenyans. That is the essence of a borderless Africa, especially when it comes to trade. Also, whatever issues are discussed in the Pan-African Parliament are very key, especially to Africans. That Parliament represents legislators who have been sent from different countries in Africa. We tend to think that whatever proposal originates from brains in the Pan-African Parliament should address most of the challenges we as a continent and as a country are facing. We should have more of these proposals and solutions that are being offered by the Pan-African Parliament being implemented in the member states so that we can make progress. Let it not be that after every mission, we still are revisiting the same agenda we. We need to make progress, so that there is value in investing in our African states. Africa is a very key continent and that is why other countries in the rest of the world want to follow closely what we are engaging in as a continent. Look at the African Union (AU) elections that we are pitching up for with the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga. It is very instrumental and that is why citizens need to realise that it is not just about the interest of a country, but they are equally affected by what goes on around the continent. Fundamentally, the challenges that Africans in Kenya are experiencing are the same challenges the Africans in Ghana and Botswana are experiencing and solutions are somehow similar. Therefore, I urge my colleague Members of Parliament to support this report and walk the talk from some of these proposals. This is to give the Members who normally go to represent us in the Pan-African Parliament a reason to agitate strongly for some of the proposals we are giving. 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. Temporary Speaker, Sir, let me conclude by saying that this is also a very good opportunity, not just for senior citizens who are very much abled economically, but for the young people. Young people are very quick, especially in this digital era, to connect across the continent. This can therefore boost their networking skills, especially in business, by not selling in Kenya alone, but across the continent.

Thank you, Senator. Proceed, Sen. Ogola.

I thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. From the onset, I want to applaud the very senior delegation led by Sen. Mungatana, the leader of the delegation. The delegation is composed of very senior legislators and we are happy to also benefit from their wisdom and their institutional memory of the legislative arm of our Government. Sen. Mungatana has a rich history, both from his profession and from his work in Parliament, as demonstrated by his contributions and debates right at the Senate. Sen. (Prof.) Margaret Kamar is a seasoned legislator and we remain very proud of the delegation that has made this report. As I support this Report, I also look forward to an Africa that we will be very proud of. I would like an Africa that will be working towards the preservation and conservation of the vast resources that we have in this region. There is no African country that is not blessed with great resources. Thus, I am very happy about the composition of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) committees as presented in this Report. If you look at Paragraph 13, you see the committees there such as the Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Environment. Other than the preservation and conservation of our resources, I look forward to an Africa that will have harmonized air travel. We have often heard at public forums the Rt. Hon. former Prime Minister, Raila Amolo Odinga talk about the challenges we have in air travel in Africa. He talks about the various barriers that are there and the many clearances that you have to get if you are to fly over the African airspace. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I support this Report. I look forward to discussing some of these challenges, so that we get solutions. I also look forward to a more harmonized currency across Africa. As was echoed by my senior, Sen. (Prof.) Kamar, Africa was one. We were made to feel that Kenya, Uganda, Botswana, Rwanda and all these countries were created from the same block. I look forward to a day when I will travel from Kenya and go north, south or west, but only use one currency. Based on that, I support the report. We are looking forward to eminent solutions that will come from this engagement. In the Report, there is reference to a number of objectives of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP). I am keen on good governance around the continent and an Africa that will be peaceful and secure, where issues of human rights take precedence. I look forward to an Africa that will have enhanced infrastructure. Other than the air travel, we can have an enhanced road network and water transport. That can only come forward with the objectives that have been set by the PAP. 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. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I look forward to an Africa that will collectively address the challenges we are facing on climate change. Last year, some of us attended the Conference of the Parties (CoP28) and are looking forward a world engagement on CoP29. As I rise here to support this report, I look forward to an Africa that will have one stand, collectively engage and push the agenda on climate change and all the challenges that Africa goes through. I cannot forget to say that we should be addressing the climate injustice against Africa. Africa unjustly suffers from global emissions, while it is other regions that contribute more global emission. However, we do not see the same contribution by those countries that globally emit more than Africa. We only see Africa getting a paltry. As I support this Report, I would like an Africa that will address such challenges collectively. As I wind up my support for this report, I would like to see an Africa that will be looking at the future collectively. That brings me to the initiated Futures Caucus initiated by the Senator for Narok County, Sen. Olekina. That we should have a continent that will be driving a future agenda and solutions from the challenges we have in agriculture, infrastructure, education, health and climate change. Africa must relook at our education system. I support the Report.

Sen. Ogola, you will have a remainder of seven minutes when this Motion resumes.