Clerk, do we have quorum?

Serjeant at Arms, kindly ring the bell for 10 minutes.

Hon. Senators, we now have quorum. Kindly take your seats so that we proceed with today’s business. Clerk, you may proceed to call the first Order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Senate Majority Leader, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate, today, 26th November, 2024–

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate, today, Tuesday, 26th November, 2024–

Let us move on to the next Order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give Notice of the following Motion- THAT, pursuant to Standing Order No.27(6), the Senate- (a) Records its thanks for the exposition of public policy contained in the Address of His Excellency the President, delivered on Thursday, 21st November, 2024, and laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 26th November, 2024; and (b) Notes the following reports submitted by His Excellency the President in fulfilment of Articles 132(1)(c)(i) and 240(7) of the Constitution, laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 26th November, 2024 – (i) The Eleventh (11th) Annual Report (2023/2024) on the Measures Taken and Progress Achieved in the Realisation of National Values and Principles of Governance. (ii) The Annual Report on the State of National Security for the period 1st September, 2023 to 31st August, 2024.

Let us move on to the next Order.

We have a statement pursuant to Standing Order No.53(1) by Sen. Mohamed Chute.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53(1) to seek a statement from the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget regarding the legislative and budgetary undertakings of Marsabit County Assembly. In the statement, the committee should- (1) Inform the Senate of the pending bills that have been settled and those currently pending in the Marsabit County Assembly for the Financial Year 2013/2014 to date, stating the reasons for any delays in settling the said pending bills. (2) Submit a report from the committee formed by the governor to review pending bills and provide a comparison with the findings of the County Assembly of Marsabit following its consideration of the Auditor-General’s report on the matter, highlighting any discrepancies or areas of alignment. 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.

(3) Furnish the Senate with information on the budget allocation approved by Marsabit County Assembly, specifying the sector’s key projects and expenditure areas covered between the Financial Year 2013/2014 to date, as well as any supplementary budgets that have been approved over the same period. (4) Provide the Senate with a list of suppliers and contractors engaged by the county for the implementation of approved projects, including the scope of works and contract values, and specify those that have been paid for in full and those whose payments are still pending.

Let us move on to the next Order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the following Motion- THAT, pursuant to Standing Order No.27(6), the Senate- (a) Records its thanks for the exposition of public policy contained in the Address of His Excellency the President, delivered on Thursday, 21st November, 2024, and laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 26th November, 2024. (b) Notes the following Reports submitted by His Excellency the President in fulfilment of Articles 132(1)(c)(i) and 240(7) of the Constitution, laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 26th November, 2024. (i) The 11th Annual Report 2023/2024 on the Measures Taken and Progress Achieved in the Realization of National Values and Principles of Governance. (ii) The Annual Report on the State of National Security for the period 1st September, 2023 to 31st August, 2024. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to fulfill this extremely important duty. I have seen that the Senators have been provided with a copy of the State of the Nation Address delivered by the President last week in the Chamber of the National Assembly, where both 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.

Senate and the National Assembly Members were gathered in fulfillment of Articles 132(1)(c)(1) and 240(7) of the Constitution. It is extremely important that His Excellency the President gives an account of what the State of our Nation is to the representatives of the people that were gathered in the Chamber of the National Assembly. I appreciate that the wording in the Motion I am moving is a recording of the appreciation of the House. In furtherance of our responsibilities as representatives of the people, we will debate and interrogate this speech and if there are points of convergence or divergence, we will see what can we do about it. This is the account of the State of the Nation as the President sees it. He has backed his statement with facts and figures of what he feels are the indicators of where Kenya stands today according to him. As representatives of the people, we are duty-bound to take time to read through all the 81 paragraphs and interrogate this statement. I will beg not to go through each of the paragraphs because I understand how difficult at times we find ourselves in. It is at this point that I wish that the House takes note of the fact that today at the Senate Business Committee (SBC), we agreed that in respect of extremely urgent business that is before us, though by our Standing Orders we have three days to debate this speech, we want to push as hard as possible to grant an opportunity to every Senator that wants to speak to this speech and conclude it by tomorrow late afternoon. This is because we want to leave the remainder of the evening tomorrow as well as Thursday and next week for consideration of the mediated version of the Division of Revenue Act (DORA), which has just been tabled this afternoon, and the County Government Additional Allocation Bill, an extremely important Bill that is presently before the Mediation Committee. Those Bills are yet to be concluded. I do not see Sen. Tabitha in the House. She is the Chairperson of that Committee. I do not know if there is any Member who sits in that committee. This is a Bill that will unlock close to Kshs60 billion on additional allocation to our county governments. Immediately after the passage of the DORA, we have to do the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, which is the county-specific fund allocation to all the 47 county governments, and eventually do the Cash Disbursement Schedule. All that has to be done between this week and the rise of the House on Thursday, next week. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I deviated a little bit to appraise the House to appreciate how much little time we have in the next six days of sitting and how much business we have to transact and the extremely important nature of the business that is before us. I do not know how you will face your constituents in Lodwar over the long recess period from December all the way to February, Sen. Lomenen, without having passed the DORA and CARA. We will have extremely failed as a House. It is my humble plea that we manage time prudently in the next remaining few days so that we conclude on that responsibility. I made that point to excuse myself from going through each of the thematic areas that the President covered. As the Mover of the Motion, I want to set the pace, so that I cover the areas that I found extremely important in the speech and leave the rest to my colleagues to give their perspective and views on what they found to be important in the speech by His Excellency the President. 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 appreciate the fact that on the day of the State of the Nation, His Excellency the President reminded all of us, as leaders, that in this day and age, listening is actually a full-time occupation of leadership. There are many things that you can abrogate as a leadership, but listening is not one of them. We have to listen full-time from morning to evening, awake or asleep, because citizens continue to engage us. I appreciate the fact that in his speech he says that, “As Kenyans continue to ask difficult questions of us as a leadership, they deserve a meaningful engagement. That you understand and are thoughtful in your response to the issues that continue to be raised. They may not necessarily agree with what you are saying, but it is important that as you engage, you are thoughtful and thorough to cover all the concerns that citizens continue to have.” I like the fact that further down the speech, many of the issues of great concern to the Republic were tackled. He gave his reasoning as a leader of the nation on why certain things are the way they are and what it will take to make them better. However, we were reminded that we must listen. We have also been reminded that the response has to be thoughtful. It is not a retort of acknowledging that there is a problem and saying that something is being done. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you must carry the citizens with you to appreciate your perspective of the issues of concern to them. Explain to them whether there is cause for alarm or they should take it easy and appreciate that though we may not be where we ought to be, we are certainly not where we were. There is progress being made and at the right time and pace, we will eventually get to the destination in each of the sectors that have been spoken to. Education features as a first topic and that cannot be gainsaid about our society. Our society minds deeply about our education system. It is no wonder that on each of the budgets that we have done over the years, as long as I can remember, education has the biggest charge. It is a matter of great national concern and no president or leader can afford to take their eye off the education standards of our country. The reason Kenya produces professionals that compete with the best on the globe and continues to be competitive globally is courtesy of the fact that we have a sound education system. It has transitioned over the years from education systems that I cannot even recall and we have continued to improve on it and make it better. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not know whether you did the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) at class seven and I do not intend to ask you this. However, gazing by your age, I know what you may have participated in. I know for a fact without having to ask him that my Whip, Sen. Boni Khalwale, does not know what KCPE at class eight is.

You can hear those that did the Cambridge exam are part and parcel of this House. The point is that over the years, Kenya has continued to improve on its education system. We must never lose sight of the fact that the more we fine-tune it and make it better, we produce professionals that are able to take the task of leadership in any corner of the world and shine and become better at whatever they are doing. 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 appreciate the fact that this formed the very first thematic area that the President chose to address. There have been concerns about the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). It was rolled out in 2017, but continues to struggle. Seven years down the line, it has never settled in the minds of ordinary parents. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I remember that during the 2022 campaigns, this topic featured prominently and many parents were actually concerned that we were rolling out a curriculum for which we were ill-prepared, especially in the public sector and for which parents actually did not understand. There is something also that needs to be mentioned that despite their genuine concerns about CBC and what needs to be done about it, I also know that there are parents who have issues with it on the basis that it is so involving. So long as your child is a CBC pupil, as a parent you cannot afford to take your eye off their education programme because most of the time they come back home with assignments which they cannot tackle on their own. They need the help of the parent and that is a big issue to many parents. Therefore, it begs the question as to whether this curriculum is working for or against the citizens of our Republic. Mr. Speaker, Sir, important questions have also been raised in this particular speech about the standards of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as the rule of law and transparency for which, later on in the speech, the President took time to expound and lay distinction. To me, if there is a topic that was so elaborately covered, distinction drawn and a way forward proposed, it is on this issue of the status of human rights. Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding the whole conversation about fundamental rights and freedoms that many feel are under threat and what needs to be done about it, the President dedicated significant time in addressing that particular topic. If you read through the speech, you must appreciate the distinction that was drawn. This House unfortunately passed a Motion, which up to now we are yet to see the benefit of it. We asked our committees, including the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights to guide the country on how we can exercise the rights of Article 37. That continues to feature in the President's speech, but the President is not a lawmaker. It is our duty. Many times, protests have ended up causing loss of life, property and so many other disruptions. As a legislature specifically, this is our responsibility, but we have not provided a roadmap for our country to enjoy these rights and freedoms without the normal debates that we have on how one can enjoy their rights without necessarily disrupting the lives of other citizens who may not share or partake in the issues that are of concern to me.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I like the fact that he pointed out the issue of infiltration that occurs during protests times. You may find certain gangs, which have been mobilized by people who have ulterior motives; they end up being used 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.

undermine the very reason for which citizens may want to protest. The assurance that has been given on the topic of how the police handled this particular matter is that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) continues to carry out this investigation. The only question that we must ask is how much more time do they need before we can eventually get a report. In the Motion of the Senate that we passed here in June, we had proposed specific things that need to be done in this country, including a review of the standing orders of the police on how to guide citizens in terms of protest. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I move on to an extremely important topic; the issue of debt. Debt continues to be an extremely difficult subject for any administration. Remember what our debt exposure is to date and the kind of debates that we have had on the floor of this House on what we need to do. I appreciate that members of the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget continue to remind us each year when we do the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) of the need to reduce our fiscal deficit. Unless we learn to live within our means, we shall continue to be a country that is riddled in debt and our economy will never stabilize. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we must appreciate and learn to be factual about the challenges that we continue to face, especially in the debt space. In the legislation that we passed here in 2023, we demanded of the National Treasury, as Parliament, that each year we are furnished with a report of our debt exposure showing how much has been repaid and how much more debt has been incurred over the years. I want to believe that if that report had been properly filed, you would not have Senators sometimes speaking ignorantly. I saw Sen. Onyonka over the weekend saying that the debt accumulated in the last two years is over Kshs7 trillion. That is not accurate. I sympathize with him because he was speaking on the topic of integrity and the need to be truthful while lying at the same time. If such reports had been provided to the House, Senators would not have spoken out of turn like that. Therefore, I challenge colleagues who sit in the Committee on Finance and Budget to make sure that the reporting mechanisms that we provide in the laws that we pass are actually adhered to. Each afternoon before we even get to the Notices of Motion, I usually table reports from various State departments in this House. I expect that Senators will take time to read and react to those particular issues. It was calm and reassuring and we appreciate the fact that we are not yet out of the woods, but we are certainly not at the place where we were two years ago. Repayment of some of the very critical debt that was pressing hard against us has helped us to stabilize on inflation. It has been boosted by the very presence of a strong foreign exchange reserve that we presently enjoy. It was stated actually that the figure of the foreign exchange reserve has surged from US$2.4 billion to US$9.4 billion; the highest in quite a number of years. That has helped us. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, unfortunately, these numbers and figures do not mean much to the ordinary citizen until the day and time that we are able to translate the good figures on Harambee Avenue and here in Parliament into figures in the pockets of ordinary citizens. 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.

That is a journey that Kenya must travel. It is not easy because much as these figures are factual, they are there and we can confirm that inflation has dropped from 9.6 to 2.7 per cent; the true hallmark and the proper measure of all this will be the day an ordinary citizen breathes a sigh of relief and says I can feel that the burden is now lighter. Unfortunately, the President concedes in his speech that he knows that that is not the case, much as he is doing something about it. There are many topics that I can speak to and have mentioned. I want to be a good example that, in fact, after the seconding of this Motion by the Senate Majority Whip--- I see Sen. Oketch Gicheru would like to do this, but there will be time in the future for him. I promise you next year you will do it. I will allow you to move the Motion next year, Senator. I want to speak on the topic of agriculture. I am a representative of farmers and I must appreciate what has been done in this particular space. The President pointed out something, which any of us that come, especially from the western side of the country, know of the rise of the sugar subsector once again. You will recall that in the last seven years, there have been investigations after investigations on importation of sugar. The country has sometimes been forced to partake of substandard sugar because people who were being granted importation licenses were fetching sugar from across the world, some of which is not even fit for human consumption. For the very first time, we have enabled our farmers to keep our factories busy and be self-sufficient in terms of the demand for us as a country. For a long time, I have not seen people fight for those permits to do importation. That is very good progress. I must appreciate and urge that more be done, even in this sector. It is possible for us to have a surplus and feed the other Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries. This is to enable our farmers in the sugarcane growing areas through this promise of working to ensure that we provide the needed input to put more than 500,000 acres of land into active use. Actually, the 500,000 acres have already been brought, but there is a need to do more so that we can sustain that particular sector. In the report on the progress of the coffee subsector reported in that particular part of the speech, we have more than 48,000 metric tonnes increase from what was reported in the previous year thus making an earning of an extra Kshs25 billion to the citizens. The same is reported of what is happening in the dairy subsector. The last topic that I wish to speak to is on this issue of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) under this programme known as the Taifa Care where citizens are now eligible for all services upon registration. I like what the Ministry of Health is presently doing. Each week they release a county-by-county statistic of how many people have registered under Taifa Care. I think they do it every Tuesday or Wednesday. I saw it in my county last week. They were at 19 per cent. I urge Senators to take in interest in their counties because there were counties that were still as low as four or five per cent. I believe it is your burden as a leader. At the end of the day, that is without contestation. You can argue about so many other things. For instance, this should have been done better or the other. However, from 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.

testimonials that I have seen, for those who have registered to be brought into this programme, each time they have had a hospital admission, their bills have been sorted. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, that is extremely important because you know for a fact that many ordinary families are just one illness away from poverty. If you do not have a sufficient Government programme that covers people, especially during their times of illness, we can render so many families destitute. I want to challenge Senators to speak to their people, so that they appreciate and grow the numbers. It will be my greatest honour the day I push Kericho County to get to 80, 90 per cent of my citizens under Taifa Care. I will know for a fact that the issue of being invited anymore to fundraisers because citizens have gotten ill will become a thing of the past. This is the very essence of what UHC is about. I want to challenge many of us to take an interest, especially our colleagues who serve in the Committee on Health, so that you provide the necessary oversight on this particular programme. Ensure that the dream that we have of ensuring that we have a world-class healthcare system is actualized. Remember, that we provided for the Facilities Improvement Fund (FIF) in the Bills that we passed in Turkana. This means that the funds that are being collected in our hospitals from Level 2 to Level 6 are being utilised for the improvement and the welfare of that particular hospital. It is not tenable anymore like it used to be the case, where counties or even the national Government would collect funds and put them to other use to the detriment of that particular health facility. It is important that we guide our people. Remember we provided for hospital administration committees to as low as Level 2. We provided for that dispensary that is outside your home under the FIF law for there to be committees that supervise the implementation of that particular programme in that small dispensary. If we are not careful and we do not pay keen attention to that, then you will find that Kenyans will do that which you are very good at. It is only that many times we just ask and we love accusing the political class of the same without necessarily taking time to ponder and reflect on it. It is a fact that those monies can easily be lost if we do not put a keen eye to ensuring that those charged with that particular responsibility respect and live up to it. There is a promise which the President made. I have seen in social media circles today where somebody made a posting about the same and they are a hospital owner. At the time of speaking to us, the President said that the Social Health Authority (SHA) will pay all the October claims in full. I saw a posting today and so many hospitals listed alongside it having received payments. Unfortunately, I need to verify because we live in the days of social media. There are sceptics all around us. There are those that will believe and there are those like Sen. Sifuna who you will have to show the actual payment statement for them to believe. Nonetheless, here is a point, who knew that they would live to be a time when a public health care programme and the card that you carry, would be more attractive to hospitals than the card of private insurance claim? I do not think even the private care that many of those who are well-to-do in society carry, settle their claims that quickly. I must 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.

appreciate and record that, especially once it is confirmed that is the case. The hospitals that provided services for citizens in October have since been paid. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there are many things. I have only gone up to paragraph 34, but I have said, I have to be a good example so that we are able to conclude. For those who came late into the House, we explained the need to cover this between today, tomorrow morning and afternoon. This is to enable us to carry on with other very critical business that you have to consider before the rise of the House on Thursday, next week. While there are many other things that I would have said, I wish to put a stop to the many programmes and the things that have been exposed in the speech. Perhaps, I will allow the rest to be spoken to by the rest of the Members who will take time to speak to this particular speech. With those very many remarks, I beg to move and request the Majority Whip, the Senator for Kakamega, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, to second. I thank you.

Thank you. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, just one moment, please. I have a Communication from the Chair. Hon. Senators, in the public gallery we have seven persons from Migori County. They are here on a one-day tour at the invitation of the Senator for Migori County, Sen. Oketch Gicheru, MP. Hon. Senators, in our usual tradition of receiving and welcoming visitors to Parliament, I extend a warm welcome to them. On behalf of the Senate and on my behalf, I wish them a fruitful visit.

I thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to extend my warm welcome to the team from Migori. Just for avoidance 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.

doubt, in that gallery from Migori are amazing small-scale entrepreneurs, starting with Eunice Achieng, who is a charcoal seller in Migori and the lady who is leading charcoal sellers in Migori. We have Mama Dorca Atieno who also leads the women in the market. Jack Ogola is the Chairperson of boda boda in Migori County. Steve Okwanyo, is the leader of boda boda in Suna West. Joelle Obala leads the group of people called the ‘Tipa’ drivers, or the lorry drivers in the town and Mama Dorothy Ochieng is also part of the boda boda circle in Migori County. Lastly, we have my manager, Mr. Henry Otieno. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this wonderful group of people are the most critical people because they are my employer. I appreciate that they employed me to come to this House. Most importantly, they have been struggling with what the Senate Majority Leader talked about, prices of commodities in their grassroots communities, for the services and the goods that they provide. In Migori County, they are forming different Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) which will help them negotiate prices of the services that they offer as well as the goods that they acquire from different stakeholders. They are here for a number of tours to visit different stakeholders. Therefore, it is a humbling moment to have them in this House because they made me who I am. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you might not know, but I was once a boda boda rider. The person who taught me how to ride a boda boda is that gentleman called Joel Obala. I even have a mark on my leg from a burn by the exhaust pipe of the boda boda . So, I owe a lot to them for making me who I am today. I hope that they will enjoy learning from the Senate as well as from the larger Nairobi City County. I hope that Sen. Sifuna will also get a chance to say a word with them when we get out there to get to know Nairobi City County. Welcome, and enjoy the debates in the Senate.

Sen. Sifuna, please proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker Sir. I would like to join the Senator for Migori in welcoming both the delegation from Migori County and the team from Strathmore University here in Nairobi. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when Sen. Eddy was speaking, I was wondering whether the Chairperson of the boda boda is the one who is a bad teacher or whether the Senator is a bad student. This is because by the time somebody you are educating suffers such an injury, there should be a problem somewhere. It is a best day for both teams to be in the Senate because there is going to be proper debate happening here today and you are the people who are on the ground. As we say, ground ni tofauti. I do not know if you have listened to the things that the Senate Majority Leader was saying and whether you agree with him that the State of the Nation is as painted by him and the President of the Republic. However, we will leave it to your judgment, especially because you who have been introduced as boda boda, Mama Mboga and Mama Salon, were his closest friends. So, you are the ones to tell us how the situation is. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I celebrate the team from Strathmore University. This is a premier university in the country. We are proud of the work that you do in terms 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.

of moulding young people to become the great citizens that we expect to be able to move our country forward. We continue to wish you the best in the work that you are doing at the university. Additionally, during this period that you are touring Parliament, we hope that you can pick up one or two things that will help you in your respective careers and whatever dreams and aspirations that you have. May they come true, in Jesus' name, do not say amen. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale, you can go ahead and second the Motion.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to second the Motion on the exposition of the President's speech, as ably moved by the Senator of Kericho County. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have been in this Parliament long enough to witness the Parliament rise to acknowledge a speech to the two Houses by President Mwai Kibaki. I also witnessed the same standing ovation when it was given to President Uhuru Kenyatta. Last week, I saw the Houses rise and acknowledge a standing ovation for the speech by President William Ruto. Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, distinguished Senators, none of you lobbied in the two Houses last week, that at a particular pronouncement they should stand and give that ovation that they extended to the President. They did this spontaneously on the spur.

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

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, can you allow the distinguished Senator of Mombasa to stop---

Sen. Mohamed Faki, what is your point of order?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have heard the distinguished Senator from Kakamega County repeatedly saying, ‘standing obviation’. I know he is a gynaecologist, but it is standing ovation. There is a difference between obviation and ovation.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. The children of Kenya have now had an opportunity yet again, to understand the meaning of a frivolous point of order. As I was saying, we were never lobbied. Distinguished Members of the National Assembly and this House gave that standing ovation to the President because of the content of the speech. 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 would like us to start from there and reflect individually why we came to Nairobi in this august House. Reflect and remember that once upon a time Singapore was part of Malaysia. However, because of extreme levels of poverty, Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia and the leaders of Singapore at that time rose to share a vision that poverty could not be the reason why they would be condemned in Malaysia. Today, because of that shared vision, they have grown Asia's most successful economy. I, therefore, want to appeal to our colleagues, just like you fought in your primary, secondary and A level schools up to university to succeed, let us work for a vision, so that our country can come out of poverty. This requires dedication, commitment and a desire to live in the midst of success. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, why do we continue celebrating politics that speak to poverty instead of politics that speak to prosperity? It is a shame that we know what to do, but we do not do it. For example, infrastructure, as spoken to by the President, is critical. However, because of poor national decision making, the infrastructure that can spur the economy is not given priority. For example, if we must dual roads in Kenya, the first road to dual should be from Mombasa to Nairobi, followed by the road from Nairobi to Malaba border. Why? This is because the gateway into our economy is Mombasa and the exit from our economy to the biggest market to our country, Uganda, is through Malaba border. Why have we not dualled those roads? Instead, we have chosen to dual the road, very important to central province, not because of its economic significance, but because of its political significance. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we need a paradigm shift whereby we think Kenyan. I would like to call upon leaders from central province not to succumb to the pressure from a few misguided leaders who some of us do not even know where they came from and are busy trying to radicalize on tribal lines; a region so critical to this country, so that they can have an opportunity of saying “having supported him and now that we are talking about withdrawing the support, the country is failing.” That is not the way to think. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, one of the Motions that I would be most proud of in this country is the Motion that exercised the power of this Parliament to remind the President and Deputy President that they are not above law. This is the route to go. I look at young Members of Parliament from Mount Kenya region with due respect, shy and keep quiet that if they take on the so-called ‘big man’ of the region, they jeopardize themselves. It is not true. We were there in 2007. The country was mobilized against the communities of Mount Kenya, and Soita Shitanda and I refused. For all Members of Parliament (MPs) from the then Western Province, Nyanza Province and Rift Valley Province, if you were not in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), there is no way you would be elected. This is because of the lie of mobilizing the country against one community. Soita Shitanda and I stood against that and we won the elections despite that. I therefore encourage the young MPs from Mount Kenya to ignore the threats that are meant to make them fear, to embrace nationalism instead of regionalism. 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, having said that, allow me to speak to the agricultural sector in this Address. The President said a number of things, but I will speak to issues of sugar and coffee. For the first time in the history of this country, we have now produced surplus sugar. I am a sugar cane farmer and I can assure you that the reason was only one thing - subsidized fertilizer. I therefore urge the governors of Kwale, Tana River, Kakamega, Busia, Bungoma, Migori, Kisumu and Homa Bay to step it a notch higher by supplementing the ploughing of those farms. If the young President in West Africa could buy tractors, I do not see anything stopping our governors from buying tractors, so that the tilling of our land can be affordable to our farmers. Subsidize that and Kenya will be a net exporter of sugar into the Common Market for Eastern and South Africa (COMESA) and beyond. Believe me, forex will come into this country to the extent that our economy will move a notch higher than where we are today. We are now witnessing a situation whereby, the sugar cartels that used to frustrate our farmers by importing cheap sugar have been locked out. We must stand behind the President for this achievement. It was never achieved by President Kenyatta, never by Moi, Mwai Kibaki or Uhuru, but President William Ruto has achieved it. This is for a fact. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the President is pronouncing himself on the issue of coffee and we need to do slightly more. It is unfortunate that because of the pressure of urbanization, large coffee farmers of Kiambu have put their farms under residential houses. We now must encourage farmers from outside central to do more coffee farming, because coffee is more productive than sugarcane farming. I would like to move on and speak to the issue of health. Colleagues, let us be aware of the advent of social media because it is a very serious agent of misinformation. It is also deliberate. I did not know that they have now become so sophisticated moving from photoshopping of pictures to even photoshop videos. I do not know whether you can call it photoshopping of videos. They are doing so effectively that a noble thing like the Social Health Authority (SHA) with the attendant Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) is being blacklisted on social media, to the extent that now a large percentage of the populace of Kenya thinks SHA and SHIF are wrong things. I want to assure Kenyans as a doctor of medicine, that the way to go, whether some people like it or not, is to move from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to SHA and SHIF. Why? Because this is a social programme that was imagined by Charles Njonjo, the former Attorney General. He was a great man. In 1966, Njonjo was disturbed that the only people enjoying insurance in health were white people and Asians. So, he mooted this idea, and here we are today. Whereas Njonjo was responding to a population of eight million people, we want to be stuck in a social programme that was good when the country had a population of eight million people; and are refusing to embrace SHA and SHIF designed to meet a bigger population of 60 million people that we have in Kenya today. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the people misinforming the public are, again, politicians from a certain region. I am also proud of the locals of that region because they have ignored that misinformation such that it is the counties of Mount Kenya led by 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.

Nyeri, followed by Kirinyaga who are the highest in this new programme. Somebody tell the former Deputy President that you can play on social media, but on the ground, the people are the ones who are leading the Republic in embracing SHA and SHIF as it should be. I call upon the Senator for Turkana, Wajir, Mandera and Garissa to stop talking from Nairobi. They should go and tell the people in Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and dear Kenyans to enlist in SHIF. They are the least---

You will have your time to debate. I know, you are cleverer than me, so show your intelligence when your time comes.

The Senate Majority Whip, there is a point of order. Sen. Enock Wambua, what is your point of order?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am listening to Sen. (Dr.) Boni Khalwale going on a tirade against Senators, his colleagues. I am wondering when they become part of the President's Address. You know Sen. Khalwale has been in this House long enough to know that you do not cast aspersions against your own colleagues by saying that they never go home. They speak from Nairobi. Who has paid him to spoil the names of very hard working Senators from the Northern Frontier, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you know, young Sen. Wambua sometimes admires me and I know on this particular score, he wants me to appreciate the fact that he is a journalist. I will tell him, it is said in Latin that facts speak for themselves; res ipsa loquitur .

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I appeal to Sen. Wambua, my younger brother, to think--- Why would Nyeri register 20.8 per cent? As we speak, Wajir has registered 1.3 per cent. That is res ipsa loquitur in Latino. Sen. Wambua, you can interrupt me if you want.

Sen. Wambua, what is your point of order?

If Sen. Madzayo understands what Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale is saying, I do not understand. There is something that I have argued in this House for many years, and that is the distance to service. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale is using the marginalisation of the Northern Frontier and laying it on the shoulders of sitting Senators. It is as though the Senators here were supposed to go to their respective counties and do the actual registration for the Social Health Authority (SHA). Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale must be told that he should give us a record—if that is the path he wants us to take—of how many people he has registered in Kakamega County. Senators do not have the responsibility to register people for SHA and the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF). 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 insist, again; maybe this time you will hear me. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, please, do not cast aspersions against your own colleagues. Second, the Motion. Give us a Floor. We have important things to say about this Motion.

Sen. Wambua, the world is led by leaders. The leaders are not doctors, lawyers, engineers, or journalists. The leaders of the world are politicians. Since we are politicians, we should learn from history. The success that we are borrowing from the National Health Insurance Fund(NHIF) was a stroke of thought by a politician by the name of Charles Njonjo. Njonjo, who sat in this House. I will insist that we all return to the community and tell people to dial *147#.

Sen. Wambua, when you reduce yourself to a heckler, we start wondering whether you went to the University of Kaparachonjo or one of the universities that we know.

Sen. Cheruiyot, do you have an intervention on Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale? Senator, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Why I will not hold any punch, I want to punch the educated people of this country, people with an income and an employment of this country. I want to punch them in the mouth because they are the ones who are misinforming the public that SHIF is expensive. They want their experience to be related to the boda boda and the mama mboga. It is a lie. SHIF is expensive because of the size of your purse. Nonetheless, for ordinary Kenyans, SHIF is cheaper than NHIF. If we go this route, we will increase the number of insured Kenyans from 10 million to 50 million. The Senator of Kitui, who is truly not happy with my contribution, you are being asked to pay Kshs32,000. Each of the villagers in Kitui will pay Kshs300. It would be best if you also were grateful that the people who voted for you now will have a chance to have access to health the way your wife, your children and close relatives enjoy. This is the Kenya we are fighting for. What joy would I get from the fact that my daughter, Tina, can get an attack of pneumonia and we save her, and yet her agemates gets an attack of simple upper respiratory tract infection, and they die? A common cold, and they die. We will insist that educated people, people with high income, people in---

Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, I will give you one minute to conclude and second.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, thank you for that minute. There have been so many frivolous points of order, including somebody I beat in English thoroughly, thinking that he could teach me English. I support strongly.

Yes, Sen. Cheruiyot, 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.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.111(1). I beg to move- THAT notwithstanding the resolution that we made here on 14th February, 2024, on the time allocated to each Senator to speak to such a Motion, on this particular Motion, we limit debate to 10 minutes per Senator. I had earlier explained the reasoning of the Senate Business Committee (SBC) behind that proposal. I mentioned this to the Leader of the Minority, who was present with us in that meeting. Therefore, I want to make that request: 10 minutes should be sufficient. I had one hour to debate, and I only did 20 minutes, which is a third of the time that I had because of this appreciation. I request Sen. Madzayo to second.

Sen. Madzayo, proceed.

I second.

Seeing the mood of the House, I will proceed to put the question.

Sen. Eddy Oketch, proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you for this opportunity and for also giving me the courtesy. Article 132(1)(c) of the Constitution under the functions of the President, says– “The President shall- Once every year— (i) report, in an address to the nation, on all the measures taken and the progress achieved in the realization of the national values, referred to in Article 10; (ii) publish in the Gazette the details of the measures and progress under subparagraph (i); and, (iii) submit a report for debate to the National Assembly on the progress made in fulfilling the international obligations of the Republic.” 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.

From what I listened to, there were fewer international obligations to the Republic and more of the realization of the national values under Article 10, which is what I want to reflect on today. Line six of the President's Address says-

“To my understanding, the concerns and issues voiced by millions of Kenyans about the state of our nation deserve meaningful engagement, thorough understanding and thoughtful response.” Prior to that, the President had indicated that the Address that he was giving was coming as a national address under a very important backdrop of the events of this year. Therefore, I must assess that Address based on those three parameters. Let me start by saying that I put a value judgement to the President's Address. Everything that the President talked about is now presented to us in the House after listening to them in the Joint Sitting. I think I am still judging that given the conclusion of the President and that report, there is a serious public trust deficit for this Government. That is the challenge that I want to give the President as feedback to deal with in everything that he talked about. I am saying this because there are several items that the President referred to, but he only received two standing ovations. The first standing ovation was on the Adani Group issue and the second one was when the President talked about femicide in general and women issues in particular. That was my experience listening to the President. So it would be in order to start with my comments on those two. The Adani Group issue has been a thorn in the flesh of Kenyans to the extent that there has been voice after voice of people talking about it. I remember my party leader talking about Adani in the context of what we call the principle of Public Private Partnership (PPP). Today, because I am here, I can as well clear the air. As a country, we are spending money predominantly on two areas. One is on running Government administrative spending, and number two, is on development. Now, as a country, we find ourselves in a place where development is hitting a record low because there are no finances. That money for financing must come from somewhere. There are only three ways that we can be able to raise money for funding development projects. Number one is from taxing. However, taxes are already a burden on our people that we cannot tax any more. Number two is by borrowing. The records of borrowing that even the President talked about are bad. Even domestic borrowing is still at 55 per cent, crowding out businesses in this economy. Then what remains is PPP that we can raise money from. However, there was a problem with Adani, which I to invite the President to see. The standing ovation was not enough because there was no transparency in those transactions. Even after this cancellation by the President, still there are doubts on the details of the contracts that were in this Adani Group deal. Was there some money that was spent by the Government on due diligence that Adani was having? For instance, if you are going to do a power investment of Kshs98 billion, you can be sure that diligence will be needed. There will be involvement of lawyers, engineers and surveys. Some appraisals were supposed to be done. Were all these things transparent? Can the Government once and for all be transparent to the country on this Adani issue so that the public trust 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.

the Government of the day continues to lose from the people should corrected for once and for all? The same applies to the issue of femicide. These are largely the issues of human rights violations that we have seen in the country. We were talking with the Senate Majority Leader today. One of the issues that bothered our heads was that of the opposition leader of Uganda Dr. Besigye who was arrested within our borders and driven by road to Malaba Border. We asked ourselves in which country we are, where somebody such as Dr. Besigye can be arrested that way. These are continued incidences of violation of human rights. If they will not be responded to with the magnitude that is needed from the Government, then there is erosion of requirements of Article 73 of the Constitution, that public trust is given to the President as well as to us the elected leaders. Our responsibility that needs to be done according to public trust gets eroded. This is the biggest problem that this administration must deal with. I am trying to rush because I only have about four or five minutes. I think I was impressed by the idea that the President talked about the impact on the cost of farming because of the subsidies that were put in place. However, I have a problem because we do not see the corresponding change in prices that can help farmers. For instance, if you go to Eldoret and the larger Uasin Gishu today, farmers have a bumper harvest of maize, but the prices for those commodities are not commensurate with what they want to see from their farm inputs. While I agree that there has been a bumper harvest in several places, there is still no proper correspondence of that bumper harvest with regards to price stabilities on both imported and exported goods in the economy. We also see it reflecting on what I would call the Central Bank rate that was reviewed to 12 per cent in October. However, banks’ lending does not correspond to this. Therefore it shows that the monetary policy of this country has not responded to what the President is talking about on the stability of our finances and prices in the country. So there is a lot to be desired from that. Lastly, I want to talk very strongly about other forms of farming that I do not think the President, in his Address indicated what will be the proper response in terms of policy going forward. The President talked about the impact we have had in the sugarcane, maize and rice industries. However, what happens to somebody such as Sen. Seki who comes from a pastoralist community where the livestock is not subsidized? There is no proper investment in subsidies on livestock in Narok, Kajiado, and other pastoralist communities that are also part of production units in the economy. What happens to somebody such as Sen. M. Kajwang’? I saw him here. I think maybe he is in the Senator’s Lounge. He comes from a place where people are rearing fish in cages, in ponds, and they also have to go and fish deep in the lake. What happens to those production units that are not necessarily the tillage of land? I think that there needs to be an investment of subsidies that goes to those different modes of production as well, to supplement and as well as complement the bumper harvest that we are seeing. You cannot empower one area and leave other areas of production. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on average, it was a good Address, but there are still gaps that leave a lot to be desired in the area of transparency between the Government 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 the people. Most importantly, the Government of the day must work hard to communicate to the people through the Ministerial Departments and Agencies to restore public confidence, trust, and faith in the institutions of governance.

Thank you, Senator. Sen. Karen Nyamu, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to discuss or give pointers on the President’s Address that he delivered during the Joint Sitting. The President noted that the Government has learnt through the hard way to listen to its citizens on issues they raise from time to time. He also acknowledged the mistake that we made. For example, when we attempted to pass the Finance Bill, 2024, we did not carry the whole country with us. We did not take time to communicate and let them know gainful steps that we were going to achieve through that Bill. That was the mood of his Address. He wanted the whole country to know the steps that we are taking. The steps that we are making in the health sector are revolutionary. For the first time, I heard the President refer to it as Taifa Care. I was seated next to the Senator for Nakuru, Sen. Tabitha Keroche. I told her that if it were a selfish leader, they would have called it Ruto Care. The changes that are going to be effected by laws that we passed in this House are revolutionary. They will be a game changer when finally implemented. We, politicians, are called upon from time to time to help our people whenever they have family members going through health issues. It has been very expensive to treat our people in the past. I remember when we were campaigning and going to the people to give them promises of what we were going to do, the President, time and again, referred to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and how it was going to work. He said that it would be pegged on what one is earning. Today, we are charged 2.75 per cent of gross income. In October, I was deducted Kshs32,000 up from the Kshs1,700 that I used to pay before. We have those who earn less. The least contribution is Kshs300 down from Kshs500. That means that when all Kenyans are covered comprehensively, we will have fewer harambees to attend to. We should not complain about Kshs32,000 that we are being deducted because that is just a drop in the ocean compared to what we give every day through M-Pesa, harambees, or assisting other people to sort their health issues. I do not know if Kenyans know that previously if you found somebody stabbed by the roadside, you could not dare take that person to hospital because you would have to cover their costs. Under the SHIF, you can freely take such a person to hospital for emergency care because they are covered. Chronic illnesses are also covered. We are going to improve our facilities, so that we do not have to travel out of the country to get vital treatment after conducting harambees. For me, if this Government does not do anything else, if we fully implement the SHIF, we will have done enough for our people. We will have done God’s work. As leaders, that is what we are called to do. The President also took time to reassure Kenyans that the housing programme, apart from employing many youth, is going to ensure houses are available for each citizen equitably and that there will be no favouritism. He encouraged as many Kenyans 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 possible to apply for these houses in an open platform. It is not a physical kind of application and therefore there is no favouritism. Therefore, it is a fair platform. The President also noted the steps we have made by having young Kenyans get gainful and meaningful employment abroad. Previously, we used to export a lot of unskilled labour mainly to Arabian countries. However, due to the involvement of the Government, we are having bilateral negotiations and we have now brought on board new countries that we have never had relations with before like Jordan and others. Kenyans should take advantage of this to export skilled labour out of the country. I am glad that the President talked about the issue of abductions. It has been a cry in the country. He clarified that what is being referred to as abductions are normal arrests. He was very clear that he was not making excuses for illegal arrests. The President also talked about femicide. It has been an issue in this country. At the same time, as a society, we have to be very careful so that the fight against femicide does not turn out to be lynching of the boy child. We have to look at it wholesomely. We have to protect our boy child because I do not think we are raising murderers. It is a complex issue that needs to be looked at wholesomely. I also noted that most Government services have been digitised. A total of 20,800 Government services have been digitised and can be accessed on the e-Citizen platform. That is up from 300 services in 2022. This has raised revenue significantly, from the year ended June, 2023, where we raised Kshs5.3 billion to the year ended June 2024, where we raised Kshs7.6 billion, marking a 43 per cent increment. On corruption, the President had a lot to say. What I remember is that he threw the ball to both Houses. Particularly, he told us to hasten the passing of the Conflict of Interest Bill, which is squarely in our hands. I hope we will heed that call by dealing with the contentious clauses before passing that Bill, so that we serve Kenyans through that law.

Sen. Sifuna, you have the Floor.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you know my position on the State of the Nation Address. I have always held the position that the State of the Nation Address is the state of the people and that I do not trust the current President to paint the true picture of the state of the people. Again, this year, because of that doubt in my mind, I chose to not attend the State of the Nation Address. There is usually a disconnect when you listen to the President; that is between his words and actions of his Government. Some of us have come to doubt whether he believes in the things that he says. Let me start by something that would sound like sweet music to the ears of somebody like me who believes in democracy. At Paragraph 53 of the President’s Address, he said, and I want to read this verbatim- “We are a democracy, and a democracy is a hard-won, non-negotiable right and guarantees freedom that we are proud of and must always defend. That our national democratic culture expresses itself energetically through robust discourse, boldly speaking truth to power and holding leadership to account. It is a tradition of fearless expression and vigorous public participation. This is who we are and there is nothing anyone can do about it.” 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.

That is where I want to begin. The President could as well have been describing me. We are who we are. We believe in this democracy, we will fight for it and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The question in my mind is whether the President believes in the words that he spoke. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, another thing that he said that sounded like music to ears of the people who believe in democracy and participation of the people is that he had learned through the hard as well as customary ways that listening is a full-time occupation of leadership, and that all questions asked by the people must be answered thoroughly and in full. The question we ask ourselves is whether he actually believes the words that came out of his mouth; that he is a listening President and that all questions asked by the people have been answered by his administration thoroughly and in full. I want to make the quickest example here. Over the past year, following the protests that we have seen in this country, there are families still asking questions of this Government. They are asking questions about what happened to their loved ones and people who have been missing for a long time, and even in this Address, the President never provided any answers. Hon. Speaker, on paragraph six, he says he desired to respond to the most pressing concerns that have been raised by Kenyans of all walks of life. He went ahead and framed what in his opinion, were the most pressing concerns that have been raised by Kenyans. Again, the question becomes, after framing those things and elaborating them very clearly, did he even, in his own Address, respond to the things that he had said were the most pressing concerns of Kenyans from all walks of life? In paragraph seven of his Address, His Excellency the President asked whether leaders understand the pain and struggles of the people. I do not know whether he answered that question. However, the feedback I received from the people of Nairobi that I represent is that we, as a political leadership, do not understand what Kenyans are going through. It shows in the sort of proposals that we put forward in order to solve some of the issues that have been raised by the people. The second question he framed was whether policies in the education sector are working. I also do not know whether he answered it. However, from the feedback of the people that I represent is that education is in a crisis and that no plausible solutions are being proffered by his Government. At paragraph eight, he asked whether developments in relation to democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms, rule of law, transparency and accountability is positive or negative. Again, I do not know whether he answered it because in the Address, I did not find an answer that is a true reflection of the situation on the ground. Some of the issues that Sen. Eddy has spoken to point to a direction direct opposite from the direction we should be going when it comes to issues of democracy, human rights, fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, transparency and accountability. He also asked the question whether policy and his administration is in furtherance of service delivery or just in aid of political strategy. Many people that I speak to believe that everything this administration does has nothing to do with the lives of Kenyans. They are only looking for the political outcomes, especially putting the President in a position that he can vie for re-election in 2027. 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, of course, as I expected, he spent a considerable amount of time looking back to the situation that he inherited when he came into power. In my previous debate on his Address last year, we said we want to encourage this administration to be forward looking. Yes, we understand the situation that was obtaining in September, 2022. However, you are halfway through your presidency, Mr. President. You cannot still be talking about the war in Ukraine and the strictures of supply chain out of the war. We want you to move forward. At this point in time, you cannot still be talking about 2022 and telling us that you have laid firm foundations that maybe many of us do not see. There were issues with some of the figures that were being thrown around in his statement. For instance, he claimed that inflation at the point he took over in September, 2022 was at 9.6 percent. Massaging of those numbers, whether by a small margin or not, is aimed to achieve a certain end, that the perspective to be painted is that he inherited things that were so bad, but he has brought them back to life. In fact, statistics from the Kenyan National Bureau of Standards (KNBS) show that inflation was at 9.1 percent. A difference of 0.5 is not a small difference. He also made a very bold claim that the foreign exchange reserves have risen to the highest in the last 10 years. That is not true. If you look at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) report, the highest we have had in terms of foreign reserves was Kshs10.01 billion as at 30th May, 2019, which was less than five years ago. It simply is not true that the reserves are at the highest in the last 10 years. There is also a claim that the Senate Majority Leader has tried to repeat here. He made a very clear pronouncement that the Social Health Authority (SHA) will pay all October claims. In fact, he said they will be paid during this week. I heard the Senate Majority Leader saying he saw a list somewhere indicating that hospitals have been paid. I can confirm here that that money has not been paid as we talk today. There was also the issue that Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale alluded to of a standing ovation. I was embarrassed for all my colleagues who were present in the House that day. I believe that you are not supposed to expect praise for doing the right thing. This is something that Kenyans have raised objections over for the past few months. I thank my colleagues in this House, especially Sen. Onyonka, who has stayed on business on this question of the Public Private Partnership (PPPs) involving Adani. They say that where there is smoke, there is fire. There were always signs, which were all brought to the attention of the public and to the attention of the administration. There was a point at which Adani's accounts in Switzerland were frozen and we brought it up in the Standing Committee on Roads and Transportation and Housing when we were discussing the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) deal. However, nobody listened to us. As late as hours before the President's Address, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum was appearing before the Committee on Energy of this House insisted, even in light of the new information, that he had gotten of the indictment in the USA of the Adani directors, that the thing would still go on. If there is something that we have learned about the Adani debacle is that if we stick to the principles in Article 10 of the Constitution, we will never get it wrong. 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.

Some people have challenged those of us who were making noise about this process because they have not understood the noise we were making. We were saying that the Constitution requires that even when there are options in terms of procurement, whatever procurement method you decide to use, there has to be transparency. Those out there asking us what is the option to Adani, the Constitution already provides an option. The option after kicking out Adani is very simple. It is called transparency. I have also raised concerns about the way this Government communicates. If, for instance, you wanted to make it clear that it is a Government policy that going forward large infrastructure projects are going to be undertaken through PPPs, why not make it public, so that you can receive as many interests as possible and disclose when you receive these interests? Finally, because I can see the light is on here, the President concluded by saying that the state of the nation is resilient. I looked up synonyms for the word resilient. It means the ability to endure suffering without breaking or incurring permanent damage. So, he knows the truth that he has stretched Kenyans to the end, but we will not break because we are like the proverbial donkeys---

Senator, I give you one minute to conclude.

I thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I was saying that the synonyms that I saw for resilience is a person who has ability to endure suffering without incurring permanent damage or loss. Therefore, he knows that Kenyans are suffering, but he has somehow discovered that we are resilient and can take more and more punishment without breaking. This is the only thing in his Address that I agree with. I thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Cherarkey, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. I thank His Excellency the President for delivering the State of the Nation Address as per Article 132 of the Constitution. The state of the nation is like a sweet and sour Chinese dish. While we celebrate many successes, the country still faces many challenges going into the future. I want to thank the President for being a listening President. On many occasions, despite the challenges that he took over from September, 2022, he continues to disappoint the nay-sayers and doomsayers of this nation. The nation has many challenges. In fact, it is miraculous. For those of us who are Christians, 2,000 years ago, Jesus performed miracles. In 2024, William Ruto continues to do miracles going into the future to change this nation into a better country. I want to agree that the leadership is listening and engaging. I am happy that the President is listening. Those of us who are farmers, when we complained about food overproduction subsidy, he listened and put much more money into it. 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, 90 or 99 per cent of Nandi County which I represent, depends on an agricultural economy. More than 6.5 million farmers were given fertilizer and this season, we have harvested more than two million bags of 90 kilograms of maize. We thank the President for this subsidized fertilizer; which when he took over was Kshs7,000, but now it is Kshs2,500. Those of us who are farmers know the pain of acquiring farm inputs. The biggest challenge is the issue of fuel. I am happy the cost of fuel continues to come down. The cost of farm inputs, pesticides, and acaricides that we use in farming are still quite high. I hope the President will look into it. I heard my brother talking about how vested we are. I am happy that the President has directed that National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) be open. We are selling a 90 kilogramme bag of maize at Kshs3,500. As farmers, we expected the price to be between Kshs4,500 to Kshs5,000. We should be selling a 50 kilogramme bag of maize, just like any other cereal such as ndengu, rice or beans. I will bring an amendment that going into the future, we shall not be selling our maize at 90 kilogramme, but at 50 kilogramme. Secondly, I agree that we need to do a mop-up of the maize that has been harvested in our region, especially in Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties and the rest of the country. My only request to the national and county governments is to ensure the last-mile distribution of fertilizer, so that a farmer who is in Kamalambo can pick it in Maraba, or somebody who is in Kipyaor can pick it somewhere nearer. This will give them access going into the future. Even somebody who is in Chepterwai should be able to pick it within instead of coming all the way to Selia, Kabiyet or Kaiboi. On the issue of sugarcane, I am happy that almost 90 per cent of Nandi County is growing sugarcane. I was one of the members who served in the mediation. We agreed to re-establish the Kenyan Sugar Board (KSB). I am happy that the Sugar Act has been signed into law. One of the problems that we were facing with the sugarcane farmers was the issue of maintenance of roads. We agreed that all sales money will go to the KSB instead of counties. For example, Nandi County is a bastion of corruption being presided by Governor Sang. The road that comes all the way from Kabyemet, Chemnoyet, Lolgeringet, all the way to Kapchumo in Masapsap is impassable. This is similar to other roads within Nandi County such as those in Chemelil-Chemase, others in Taunet, in Tinderet, among many other areas. On sugar pricing where we are having issues of tonnage, I am happy that with this, we will be able to ban imports. Remember the issue of sugar import was becoming a den of corruption, especially through the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC). The issue of farming continues to be resilient. Regarding the tea sector, in Nandi County, we received the lowest bonus of Kshs23, which was less Kshs20, while other regions, which I do not want to name, were receiving up to Kshs60 bonus. We hope going into the future, we shall harmonize the issue of tea bonuses, so that farmers in Nandi Hills, Cheptinting, Lolduka, including Kosoywa even in Aldai and Mosop will be standardized. I think the entire Nandi County is planting tea. 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, on the issue of coffee, Sen. Wambua and the rest of us who are ranking Members will remember the issue of the Coffee Cherry Fund, where Kshs10 billion was given out by the World Bank, but it went to one region. Bungoma, Nandi, Uasin Gishu, Kericho and Londiani in Kipkelion East Constituency where we have many farmers harvesting coffee cherry, did not receive it. We hope that in the future, there will be the establishment of the Coffee Cherry Fund that the President is proposing. On the public debt, I am aware we have Kshs10.5 trillion. I am told every child that is born in Kenya is supposed to pay more than Kshs201,000, which does not look good. I know we have amended to borrow against our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). My request to the President is that we establish audit of the public debt, so that we know who gave us domestic and foreign borrowing in this country. We need to know about this Kshs10.5 trillion, because we are told for every Kshs100 that the Government collects Kshs70 goes to servicing of public debt. Who are these people? We needed to form a commission of state capture because this is where state capture originates. I can see my time is almost over. On the issue of CBC, I hope that by January, we will have 16,000 classrooms in place. However, I got confused when Cabinet Secretary, Julius Migos appeared before the National Assembly and was talking about 16,000 classrooms yet when he was in the village somewhere in Kisii, he was talking about 19,000 classrooms for grade nine CBC students. I hope we can have consistency, so that we know how many classrooms will be ready. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, CBC was born during the Uhuru Kenyatta era. It is being midwifed by William Ruto. I was talking of junior secondary schools where 56,000 teachers have been hired under permanent and pensionable terms and 20,000 are going to be hired under internship. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has become a bastion of corruption. Teachers are suffering when they follow their claims or want to transfer. It looks like we abolished de-localization on paper, but it still exists. Even teachers who have two to three years to retire are being posted far, instead of being posted near their homes so that they can acclimatize to retirement. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) must look into the operations of TSC and ensure that the lethargy and corruption that we see there is done away with. As an alumni, I am happy the President noted that Moi University is going down. The only solution for this and any other university such as Karatina, Masinde Muliro, Maseno, Kitale, University of Eldoret is to take on their liabilities. It is not about the Vice Chancellor, but about how Moi University midwifed so many other satellite campuses. That is why it is saddled with debts. That is why Karatina University and the rest should go and take away their debts. That is how we will save Moi University. I can assure you that Moi University is one of the best universities of this Republic being the foundation of knowledge. I am proud to be an alumni of Moi University, School of Law. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if you can lend me one minute to conclude. We must agree that the university funding model should go a long way in assisting our people. 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.

On the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and Social Health Authority (SHA), Nandi County has recorded over 115,000. This is a good programme. I ask all Kenyans to register under it to ensure accessible medical coverage. All that said, the President is doing his best to ensure that going into the future, the country looks better. I want to ask the naysayers and doomsayers to give him a chance to deliver for this country and wait for 2027. This is not campaigning moment. I thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Sen. Wambua proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you for this opportunity to also contribute and add my voice to this debate on the State of the Nation Address by the President. I want to begin by saying that I am happy that the State of the Nation Address is not a speech made during Madaraka Day celebrations, where the President has the latitude to speak about everything and anything. It is not a speech comparable to speeches issued during Mashujaa or Jamhuri Day. The State of the Nation Address by the President is a constitutional imperative. It is a constitutional accountability statement by the President, made in the presence of representatives of the sovereigns of this nation, as captured in Chapter one, Article one of the Constitution. It is a constitutional requirement for the President to address the nation on matters of national values and principles, international obligations and national security issues. It is largely about self-reflection and introspection. It is not an opportunity for self-praise and congratulate. Consequently, that is where I want to begin my debate on this matter. I personally take great exception to the representatives of the sovereigns of the Kenyan population, who stood to applaud the President for announcing the cancellation of the Adani deals. That announcement may have elicited a lot of praise for the President. It may have elicited a lot of excitement on the part of the Members present, however, what that mention of the Adani deals ran short of, is to tell the Kenyan people, the sovereigns of this nation, the important aspects of the Adani deals. One of those aspects that the President would have told Kenyans is where the rain started beating us on the matter of the Adani deals. I heard the President saying that the reason for the cancellation of the deals was because he had come across new evidence. I would have expected the President to table that new evidence. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, from where I sit, I have not seen that new evidence against Adani. What is happening to Adani are things that the President has been told about from the day Adani was mentioned. In fact, it shall be remembered, that my party leader, His Excellency (Dr.) Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, is today in court, appearing in person, on record, against the Adani deal. The evidence adduced there is the same evidence that the President is saying he has come across new evidence. The Adani deals were a scheme to pilferage and con the people of this nation. That is what those deals were about. I marvel at some statements, especially coming from the President, because they also have capacity to embarrass his own Government and Cabinet Secretaries. It has been 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.

demonstrated by the Member of the Standing Committee on Energy, Sen. Sifuna, that a few hours before that announcement, the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, was insisting that the Adani deal was the best deal that they have clinched as a Ministry. This Government needs to communicate better, even among itself, so that even as they now come out to speak to the nation, then they are speaking in tandem. I am concerned that the speech of the President did not address itself to the all- important aspects of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). One of the fundamental tenets of democracy that we pride ourselves in, is representation of the people. As we speak today, there are sections of Kenyans who are not represented in Parliament and in county assemblies, for the simple reason that we do not have an IEBC in place. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will give the President only two examples, because he occasioned one of those lack of representations. The people of Ugunja, where the current Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum comes from are not represented in Parliament. The people of Banisa are not represented in Parliament. Several wards across this country are not represented in the county assemblies. I would have expected the President in his Address to the nation, to give proper timelines as to when this nation should expect an IEBC fully in office, so that we can carry out the task of elections. Second is the delimitation of boundaries. I heard the President mention abductions, disappearances and kidnappings. What the President or the speechwriter forgot to include in the Speech of the President, is the fact that at the time the President was addressing the nation on matters of security, the Parliamentary Square had been converted into a police state. I tried to access the precincts of Parliament, but I could not because all the streets around Parliament had been cordoned off and there was heavy presence of anti-riot police officers. I kept wondering, who is afraid of who? Why can we Members not access Parliament freely, listen and engage with the President, without the police officers harassing us Members and curtailing our access? On the matter of public debt, I would have expected the President to give us more information. When he says that he inherited immense debt from the previous administration, what is immense debt? Why can we not deal with figures? How much money is it that this current administration inherited from the previous administration? What is the current borrowing status of this Government? How much money have we borrowed as a country since 2022? How much have we paid and what is the outstanding debt? Lastly, I would like to answer Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale on the matter of the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) transition to Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), and he is not here. However, since this will go on record, let him know that the Senator of Kitui County, Enoch Wambua, has no problem whatsoever to contribute Kshs32,000 to the new system. However, what the Senator of Kitui County has a big problem with, and I will proclaim it, is that I am losing my Kshs32,000 from my salary, and that money is not helping my people in Kitui County. 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, this SHIF business, to me, as far as the people of Kitui County who are consuming this service and I are concerned, is a sham. We are not benefiting from it. This transition was mishandled. Let us face it. We have handled the transition of systems. I have personally taken---

Sen. Cherarkey, what is your point of order?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I stand under Standing Order 105, on accuracy of facts. Is it in order for Bishop Sen. Wambua Kiio, the next Governor of Kitui County, to say that Social Health Authority (SHA) and SHIF is not being enjoyed by the people of Kitui County, yet we know the rollout is across the country? Can he substantiate that as per Standing Order 105, and give us facts that SHIF and Social Health Authority (SHA) does not work in Kitui County? Let us work with facts. I would also be disappointed if it is not work in Kitui County.

Sen. Wambua, please proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, medical injustice against one patient is injustice against all patients. That is the basis on which I am making this statement. That, the implementation of this system, has been hurried or rushed. We have worked in institutions where we have carried out transitions. There is a formula of doing transitions. You do not just wake up one morning, stop a system that is working, and bring another system that people do not understand. Lastly, on that SHIF business, let us also take cognizance of the fact that the people of the Northern Frontier may not be able to enlist themselves for SHIF because they are not under network connectivity. They are not covered---

Your time is up, Senator. Sen. Wahome Wamatinga, please, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to add my voice to the presidential address. Indeed, I remember during the swearing-in of the current Deputy President, that the President alluded to the fact that he had found himself working alone in this Government. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have listened to my colleagues, and I must say, we live in a society where a husband will lock the kitchen in the morning, walk away with the keys, but in the evening come home and demand for food from the wife. Having said that, I am also not lost to the fact that there are people, despite all the effort you make, even when you are in the middle of a dam or a lake, they will tell you that you are brewing a lot of dust. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, indeed, the Address by the President on the much alluded to debate of the Adani deal in the Energy Committee, which I share, we spoke about it. We had gotten information that Adani had been inducted in the United States of America (U.S.A). Upon asking the Cabinet Secretary (CS) about the new information that he did not have a couple of weeks ago, I can remember, and it is on record, the CS said in the wake of the new information, we need to sit down and see the way forward. 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 will not be surprised that this is what the President alluded to, having gotten new information from our development partners, that this company has been inducing the other countries, we had no option but to cancel the deal. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, that to me is a bold decision and true leadership. True leadership is making the decision when you have the necessary information, but not based on the propaganda. We know we are moving in a thin physical space in this country, and the only way to move this country forward, is to embrace public-private partnership. I would like to request my fellow colleagues in this House, that, if we think that we need to do thorough public participation before we embrace any proponent of public- private partnership, then let us enact that and make sure that it is enshrined in the Act. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is also not lost to me that the President spoke about us being more people-centric. I remember he spoke about the Conflict of Interest Bill that is before this House. I also do remember that the President spoke about the housing project. I have had the opportunity of studying and working in Germany for 20 years. During my tenure of working in Germany, where I used to work for International Business Machines (IBM), I had the opportunity to move across Europe. I can tell you what has formed the basis of the strong social structures in Europe is ensuring that they have houses for social purposes. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, what do I mean by that? Barely will you see families in Germany living out in the cold. This is because there is housing for every social class. After the unification of Germany, where East Germany was economically more downtrodden than the West, they came up with affordable housing models that ensured even the people living in East Germany were able to come up with standards. It therefore surprises me when I listen to my colleagues here. We know that there are informal settlements like Mathare, Kawangware and Mukuru-Kwa Reuben. In Nyeri County we have Majengo. When will these people, up and in the line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), live in houses that are decent and connected to sanitation, and are spacious? Unless somebody does not live in this country, opposing affordable housing is a decision that cannot be made by somebody who does not have the social welfare of the people at heart. Kenya is a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals. One of the requirements is that everybody must have access to affordable and decent housing. This can only be realised if we embrace the affordable housing project. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, lastly, people have lamented about is SHA and SHIF. I would want to invite Members to look at the social structures in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, where everybody, regardless of your social standing and how much you earn, you have access to the most sophisticated medical services. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, my colleagues are lamenting that we are contributing Kshs36,000 per month as Members of Parliament. I cannot compare that to the amount of money that I was contributing, and I am happy because Sen. (Dr.) Murango is here and he knows the number of harambees that we attend every weekend, just to support people who are not able to pay their bills. What we need to do is address the teething problems that are 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.

Addressing does not mean castigating SHIF and SHA will justify the small problems. Let us work on it, refine and address the shortfalls and the teething problems that came with it, and make sure that it works because it is a right of working for every Kenyan to access affordable health services. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Taifa Care, which was attempted by the Kibaki government did not work. I recall at that time, none other than Hon. Charity Ngilu was the Minister for Health. She did an attempt on it, but it did not work. During the reign of Uhuru, it also did not work. It is the high time and an opportunity to make this work so that when the books of history are written, it will be said, yes, this Senate enabled that to happen. That will be done through ensuring that we put the legislative gaps to a stop by legislating and putting Acts that will ensure that the shortfalls are addressed. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is not lost to us that we came to power having come from COVID-19, and having faced one of the worst droughts in the last 40 years. As I listened to my colleague, Sen. Wambua talk, I thought he does not even come from Ukambani, which was one of the most hard hit regions by the drought. We know that we were not able for three consecutive years to service our foreign obligations. We could not service them or repay debts that were meant to be paid. Therefore, we, in this regime, had to tackle all that. It is not rocket science. When we came to power the cost of living was high and the inflation was high, but it has come down. Let us not just oppose the President because we belong to the opposition. Let us rise up and say that, yes, there is a shortfall we must address. One of the shortfalls is corruption and we must address corruption. We must call it out regardless of who you are in this country. I, therefore, invite all of us to subject ourselves into a lifestyle audit in order to see how we are living in the short time we have been in office and whether, we have earned that much. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, some of the people going around castigating the Presidency and the Government have amassed their wealth through corruption. We must be brave and bold enough to say that enough is enough because this is the time we are called as leaders to rise up and say that we must support this country. This is because, the success of every Kenyan regardless of where they are, is a success for every Kenyan. As I sit down, I know there is the proposed High Grand Falls Dam and other dams in Nyeri County that have been promised since we got independence, but that cannot be realized unless we embrace public-private partnerships. My humble request to my colleagues is that we should address the gaps that are there, so that we can deliver what Kenyans have waited for, for 60 years. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is sad when we have an education system that will ensure an orphan gets an equal opportunity with a child from a rich family, but I hear people opposing it. It is time leaders joined hands and worked for Kenyans regardless of where people come from. Whether you come from marginalized communities or from the ‘ Murima,’ every child has a right to access to education and that can only be done if the kids that go to academies pay a little bit more than those who are orphans. That is what the President is saying, an education system that will ensure everyone gets their right and opportunities regardless of where they come from. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

It cannot be business as usual for poor people that when you become sick, you start making your coffin. Those born in poor families should be given an opportunity to reclaim their lives because they can access better medical services. This can only be done if we support SHIF and SHA. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I support.

Thank you, Senator. Sen. Daniel Kitonga.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to comment. Those are my names, Daniel Kitonga Maanzo. This Address came as a requirement of the Constitution and the President is supposed to address the two Houses on the State of the Nation. A number of things have been said, but most important is the issue of agriculture. In this country, we are aware that there was a big fertilizer scandal. I have been in the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. We followed up the matter, brought all the evidence that there was fake fertilizer in the country and that matter was swept under the carpet. A solution was never given. The farmers who were sold the fake fertilizer have not been given proper fertilizer. Their crop was poor out of that. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this matter is yet to be settled and farmers are not certain whether in this season’s farming, they will get good fertilizer that can make their crops better. Fertilizer is very important and there is no guarantee from the Government that that will be done.

Sen. Kitonga, would you like to be informed by Sen. Cherarkey?

No, I do not want to be informed by Sen. Cherarkey. He belongs to the same lying Government and most probably, he will lie to me. He will not inform me.

Sen. Cherarkey, what is your point of order?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would not wish to interrupt my brother, but on Standing Order No.105 and for us who are farmers, it is unfair for Sen. Maanzo to mislead the public. When this issue of fake fertilizer came out, the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) encouraged farmers to report any fake fertilizer for compensation. To say on the Floor of the House that nothing has been done, even if we have to bash the Government, is not being fair on the truth.

The Senate Majority Leader, what is your point of order?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I know that Sen. Maanzo is a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. There is a new trend that is emerging where politicians are becoming click-bait addicts. They want to say things just to get likes on TikTok. Can Sen. Maanzo table before this House the report of their Committee and the recommendations that they made of this fertilizer issue because he is a member of that Committee and on how he voted, if it made to this House? 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 am true to the facts of the report and I am aware that it has been worked on, and it is going to be tabled before this House. The Report is already in this House. The Chairman of the Committee is here and he is going to contribute, and he will tell us.

It is here. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, can I allow the Chairman of the Committee to inform me because this is becoming a back-and-forth argument and yet, they know there is fake fertilizer in the country and no one has ever been compensated?

Senator for Kirinyaga, do you want to inform the hon. Senator? Give him the microphone.

Bw. Spika wa Muda, niko na shida ya koo. Kwa sasa, sitaweza.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I still insist that none of the farmers in the country have been compensated and nothing has been done about it by the Government of Kenya. That was supposed to be done by the Ministry of Agriculture. We have summoned them several times, they have appeared before us and they said they will rectify that and yet, that has not been done. That is the position, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Mundigi, what is your point of order?

Asante, Bw. Spika wa Muda. mimi ni naibu wa Mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Kilimo na Seneta Maanzo ako pia hapo. Anadanganya Kenya nzima kwa sababu wakati tulikuwa tunafanya upelelezi, Waziri wa Kilimo alitimuliwa. Kama alitimuliwa, hakuna kitu kingine tungefanya. Ningependa kusema kitu kingine na kulipua Seneta Maanzo. Ninakumbuka alienda kwa Waziri wa Kilimo.

Order, Senators. Sen. Mohamed Faki, what is your point of order?

Bw. Spika wa Muda, aliyekua Seneta na Waziri wa Kilimo, Mhe. Linturi, hakutimuliwa katika Bunge. Mswada wa kumuondoa mamlakani ulishindwa katika Bunge la Taifa. Kwa hivyo, si sawa kwa Mhe. Mundigi kusema kwamba alitimuliwa. Angalia HANSADI.

Senate Minority Leader, what is our point of order?

Asante, Bw. Spika wa Muda. Hoja yangu ya nidhamu ni kwamba, ameongea juu ya Sen. Maanzo na si vizuri kuharibiana majina ndani ya Mbunge saa zingine na Wakenya wote wanaangalia. 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.

Heshima lazima tuiweke mbele, tusiketi hapa na kuanza kusema maneno ambayo baadaye yataleta kashfa, nikizingatia kwamba, ndugu yangu Sen. Maanzo kila asubuhi yuko kwenye maruninga. Kwa hivyo, itakua si heshima kwa jina lake kuharibiwa namna hiyo. Nataka kuuliza tu, alisema kwamba anataka kutoboa siri kuwa Sen. Maanzo alienda kumuona Waziri. Ana maanisha nini? Je, anaweza kufafanua?

Sen. Munyi Mundigi, lazima ufafanue matamshi yako.

Bw. Spika wa Muda, nilikuwa Naibu wa Mwenyikiti wa Kamati ya Kilimo. Bunge lilipitisha suala hili na karibu Waziri afutwe kazi. Kila wakati nikiwa Mwenyekiti, Sen. Maanzo alikuwa anataka twende tukakutane na Waziri lakini nikamwambia haiwezekani. Kwa mafikira yangu, Sen. Maanzo alienda kumuona.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture was a Member of this House. Many times, when we took him on the issue of fertiliser, he used to get surprised on this Floor. You remember the first time he denied there was fake fertiliser in the country? When we proved him wrong, he said he had been misled. In fact, according to him, and that is why we will meet him a lot of times, even outside here when we are taking a break, he will say that other people brought this fake fertiliser and misled him. So, he admitted that there was fake fertiliser in the country. I am insisting you check your statistics. At least in Makueni County, no farmer has been compensated. I am sure no farmer in the country has been compensated. So, if any farmer has been compensated, with what budget? Did this House approve any budget? I can assure you that no single farmer has been compensated. Therefore, the Government must compensate the farmers.

Sen. Cherarkey, what is your point of order?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.105 on responsibility for statement of accuracy. Sen. Maanzo should table evidence. Where I come from, farmers were provided with good fertilizer. Is it in order for Sen. Maanzo to gaslight the country by saying that nothing was done about compensation for fake fertilizer? Can you tell him to table evidence, because where I come from, the Government has taken the necessary rectifiable measures against farmers who got fake fertilizer? Farmers registered for compensation. Can he give evidence?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I can assure the nation and the people of Makueni who have elected me know this. At least for the county I represent, no farmer has been compensated. The Government does not expect good produce, having fake fertilizer in the country. Nothing is being done about it, yet agriculture is the backbone of this situation.

Sen. Maanzo, the Senator from Nandi County has stood on a point of order for substantiating your statement to be factual. He is asking if you are able to table evidence to the fact that not a single farmer 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.

from your county was compensated or had their fake fertiliser substituted with proper fertiliser. Are you able to table that evidence, Sen. Maanzo?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, he has said they have been compensated in his coun ty. Can he also table evidence to show that the farmers have been compensated in his county?

You have also alleged, and you are a lawyer. So, both of us should table evidence.

Sen. Maanzo and Sen. Cherarkey, we will not engage in the exchange between the two of you on the Floor of the House. Sen. Cherarkey stood on a point of order that you substantiate the fact that not a single farmer in your county was either compensated or had the fake fertiliser substituted.At this point, you are responsible for providing that evidence. Will you substantiate this?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will provide the evidence after one week.

Very well, Senator. Please, proceed. Sen. Maanzo, will you provide it by tomorrow?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will do my level best to get the information from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

Very well. Please, conclude. Sen. Maanzo, order! Order, Senators. Sen. Maanzo, you will substantiate by tomorrow. In the meantime, proceed with your submission.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Sen. Cherarkey’s denials have wasted a lot of my time.

We will add time.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. On the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), one of the biggest failures is that although it was started in a different system and is ongoing, there are questions that the Government cannot answer. Why are you building an extra class in the primary schools and leaving an unattended class at the high school? This particular activity is a big expense to the country. It has confused a lot of learning children, and my suggestion on this particular matter would be that the nation should have a system whereby we do not have waste in terms of an empty classrooms, yet we are building others. One can only conclude that this was done to benefit a few business people. Also, the same thing applies to the printing of books. Right now, the CBC is unconstitutional in that the system is expected to serve all Kenyans equally. If a primary school has no internet and no education, then it will not equate the same service to a child from a privileged region, which has those facilities, 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 CBC is currently unconstitutional and can only be implemented when electricity and internet are available in every home and school in the country. Only then will you say the children are being served equally? Therefore, that is a matter the Government should take care of. On abductions, I would like to say that there are abductions in the country. I participated in the case of Bob Njagi, representing the Law Society of Kenya. Bob Njagi was abducted for more than 30 days. In his abduction, there were other people. Therefore, the police cannot deny that there are no abductions in the country. They should give the President proper information that extrajudicial activities and killings have happened. If the President wants that information, he should have a one-on-one with Bob Njagi. You know that quite a number of people are still missing in the country. Quite a number of people in City Mortuary, whose bodies have not been claimed. The other day, the Government went to court on the issue of disposal of the bodies. I have a question pending for the new Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration of National Government. They should have taken fingerprints of all these people, and everybody would have been informed through their chief that they were about their missing child in Nairobi. Similarly, on the femicide and even the abductions of ladies in the country, Article 37 of the Constitution must indeed be followed. As the President said, so long as you are demonstrating within the law, then you should not be confronted. What we saw is a proposal of law in Parliament to control demonstrations against Article 37. Therefore, it is important that we all follow the law and listen, as the President said. One of the major things that will come out clearly on this particular issue is the rule of law. The rule of law anticipates fairness, especially in elections. Therefore, the urgent formation of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is important. It has to be done urgently. At the same time, many projects in the country have not taken started. The Senator for Nyeri County has talked of an upcoming dam. I want to say that Thwake Dam and Konza City are not yet completed.

Senator, just one moment. The Senate Majority Leader, proceed.

Sen. Maanzo, please, resume your seat. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, is it in order for Senator Makueni, who is a member of the Wiper Democratic Movement, a party under whose dispute – because the dispute that exists at Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) is courtesy of your membership, not agreeing on who will represent them in the IEBC selection panel--- They have gone all the way to the Supreme Court. Therefore, you are the party that is causing us the delay in the constitution of IEBC. Sen. Maanzo, instead of addressing us, you and your party leader should settle the dispute in the Wiper Democratic Movement. The Political Parties Liaison Committee (PPLC) can send the nominee that you guys agreed to and we can have a new selection panel, as opposed to you misleading us, yet you know you are the cause of the delay in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection. 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 no dispute in Wiper Party. There is a new matter, which has been filed in the Kiambu court, but not by ourselves. It has conveniently been filed by people who support the current Government. It is also my presumption that it is the current Government, which is delaying this activity. On the Adani Group issue, I have said in the media several times that Adani was an international criminal suspected all over the world. He has quite several cases, and yet the current Government did not do due diligence. It is only when he was indicted in New York, that the Government quickly, that morning, changed its mind, which I want to commend it for. The Social Health Authority (SHA) and Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) are also associated with Adani. It is, therefore, one of the areas the President should now pronounce himself. Adani must also leave any activity associated with---

It is okay, Senator. The Senator is already done, so we will just proceed. Sen. Munyi Mundigi?

Asante Bw. Spika wa Muda kwa kuniruhusu nichangie Hoja ya Hotuba ya Rais wa Jamhuri ya Kenya iliyokuwa siku ya Alhamisi katika Bunge La Taifa. Shughuli hii iliwaleta pamoja Maseneta na Wajumbe wa Bunge la Taifa. Naunga mkono Hotuba ya Rais kwa sababu iligusia masuala ya kilimo ambapo mimi ndiye naibu wa Mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Kudumu ya Kilimo, Mifugo na Uvuvi. Alizungumzia suala hili kwa urefu. Nakumbuka vyema Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza iliposhika hatamu, mbolea ilikuwa inauzwa Shilingi 6,500 za Kenya. Wakati huu wa kipindi cha miaka miwili, mbolea hii hii sasa inauzwa shilingi 2,500 za Kenya ili mwananchi awe na pesa mfukoni. Masuala ya kilimo ni njia moja ya kuchangia uchumi wa Kenya. Wakulima wengi wanaofanya ukulima wa kahawa, majani chai, makadamia, miraa, muguka, pamba, miwa katika sehemu za Bonde la Ufa na maembe, wote wanahitaji mbolea. Inafaa kaunti zote 47 zijengewe mabwawa ili kilimo kiweze kundelea vilivyo. Niko na imani Rais atatimiza. Tunapendekeza bei ya maziwa iwe shilingi hamsini na wakulima husika walipwe kwa kipindi cha mwezi mmoja. Biblia husema, mko na macho na hamuoni, na mko na masikio wala hamsikii. Tukiangalia majani chai, kila mtu anasheherekea kwa sababu kilimo hiki kinaleta faida ambayo haijashudiwa kwa vipindi vya awali. Vile vile, bei ya kahawa imeenda juu. Vile vile Rais alipendekeza kilimo kiwe cha kuongeza dhamana ili mambo yote ya ukulima yarudi mashinani kwa kaunti zetu zote kama inavyotakikana kwa mfumo huu wa ugatuzi. Ningeomba Seneti tumuunge mkono Rais kwa kipindi hiki. Aidha, Rais alizungumzia masuala ya waalimu. Ukilinganisha kipindi cha awamu cha Rais Mstaafu na awamu hii ya Rais aliye mamlakani, kwa muda wa miaka miwili, Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza imeajiri waalimu 56,000 na ameahidi kuongozea wengine. Hivyo basi, naomba tumuunge mkono kwa azma yake ya kuboresha elimu. 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.

Ni kweli kuna shida ya shule za vyuo vikuu na inafaa iangaliwe. Pia, Serikali haina wafanyikazi wa kwenda mashinani kuhamasisha watu kuhusu miradi ya Serikali ambayo Rais amekuwa akizindua mara kwa mara. Rais pia alizungumzia suala na halmashauri ya Social Health Authority (SHA) ambayo inasimamia Bima ya Afya ya Jamii almaarufu Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF). Ombi langu ni tuiunge mkono Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza. Sisi wafanyikazi wote tunateseka na kuumia kwa kutozwa pesa. Baadhi yetu tunatozwa shilingi 20,000 na hata wengine 30,000. Hata hivyo, tunaelezwa kuwa itakapoanza kufanya sawasawa, watu wote wanaougua saratani na magonjwa mengine kama vile kifua kikuu yatashughulikiwa. Magonjwa hayo yametusumbua sana kama Wajumbe kwa kufanya michango ya kila mara kule mashinani itaisha. Mpango huu ukifaulu wagonjwa hao wote hawatakuwa walikipa pesa. Kama Seneta wa Kaunti ya Embu naomba niongezee kwa kusema hivi. Serikali ya hayati Rais Kibaki ilisema kuwa kila mtu akifisha miaka sabini awe akipata msaada wa pesa fulani. Serikali ya rais mstaafu Uhuru Kenyatta haikuongezea idadi ya walengwa. Katika Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza mtu mwenye miaka sabini na kuendelea anapata pesa kila mwezi. Kama tukimshikilia rais, tunaona Serikali yake inaendelea kwa njia inayofaa. Wanaofanya kazi ya Community Health Promoters kule vijijini wanalipwa shilingi 5,000. Hata hivyo kuna matatizo kwa sababu Wabunge wa Bunge la Kitaifa wanakataa kuidhinisha pesa kwa kaunti. Nawarai Wajumbe wa Mbunge la Taifa watuongezee zile pesa ili Community Health Promoters walioajiriwa na Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza waweze kupata mishahara. Rais pia aliguzia suala la Adani Group. Naomba niwajuze Seneta wa Nairobi, Sen. Maanzo wa Kaunti ya Makueni na Seneta wa Kitui ambaye ni Bishop kwamba tuunge mkono Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza ili ifanye kazi inayofaa. Hata Roma haikujengwa kwa siku moja. Siku ya Hotuba, Rais pia alifutilia mbali kandarasi ya Uwanja Wa Kimataifa wa Jomo Kenyatta (JKIA) na ile ya Kampuni ya Usambazaji Umeme Nchini (KeTRACO). Pia aliahidi mambo uya procurement yatakuwa katika mtambo wa e-Citizen. Hivyo basi, sio lazima kila siku tuwe ni kupigana hapa na pale. Naomba tuiunge mkono Serikali kwani hata hali ya uchumi imeimarika. Rais aliambia Taifa ya kwamba, alipochukua hatamu mambo ya i nflation illikuwa nine per cent na sasa ni 2.7 per cent. Tuugangeni pamoja kwani umoja ni nguvu. Serikali hii iko na maono angalau tuone tutamiliza muhula huu vipi. Sio kila wakati ni kupiga Serikali. Kwa suala la Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), nakumbuka mwaka jana kama Serikali ya Kenya Kwanza tulipitisha majina saba. Baadaye, ikasemekana lazima upande wa Mrengo wa Walio Wachache Bungeni wa Azimio na wengine sharti waongezee watu wawili. Hii ndiyo imeleta shida. Kwa hivyo, naomba Maseneta wote tuungane pamoja ili tushikilie serikali ya Kenya Kwanza. Tukifanya hivyo, mapato ya Serikali ya Kitaifa na yale ya kaunti 47 yataimarika. Bw. Spika wa Muda, ni mimi Seneta wa Kaunti ya Embu, Daktari Alexander Munyi Mundigi. Naunga mkono. 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.

Asante Bw. Spika wa Muda kwa kunipa fursa hii kuchangia Hotuba ya Rais ya Hali Halisi ya Taifa iliyotolewa mnano tarehe 21.11.2024 kuambatana na Kifungu Cha 132(1) ( C) cha Katiba yetu. Ninampongeza Rais kwa kutekeleza jukumu hili la kikatiba ambalo ni muhimu sana la kujuza Bunge kwa mujibu wa Katiba. Bw. Spika wa Muda, ni masikitiko kwamba katika Hotuba yake, Rais hakuzungumzia maswala ya ugatuzi. Hotuba yake yote haikugusia maswala ya serikali za kaunti ambazo ni kiungo muhimu katika nchi yetu. Ikumbukwe kwamba tulikuwa na mvutano kuhusu Division of Revenue Bill ambapo mpaka wiki iliyopita ndipo Kamati ya Uwiano iliweza kukubaliana kuhusu kiwango cha pesa zitakazokwenda kwa kaunti zetu. Tangu mwezi wa saba hadi wa kumi mwaka huu, kiwango cha fedha za kaunti kilikuwa hakijulikani. Kwa hivyo, kulikuwa na shida ya kaunti zetu kupata pesa kutoka kwa Hazina Kuu ya Kitaifa. Ijapokuwa sheria inatoa fursa kwa Hazina Kuu ya Kitaifa kulipa mpaka nusu ya pesa ambazo zilipelekwa katika kaunti zetu mwaka uliotangulia, Serikali imekuwa na shida ya kutuma pesa, hivyo basi kuziweka serikali za magatuzi katika nchi yetu katika hali ngumu ya kulipa madeni na kulipia huduma ambazo wanatoa katika kaunti tofauti tofauti. Pesa zilitumwa katika kaunti zetu wiki mbili zilizopita. Hata hivyo, kaunti nyingi zimepata hasara kwa sababu ilibidi wakope pesa kwa riba ya juu ili walipe mishahara na huduma nyingine. Jambo la pili ambalo limenisikitisha ni hali ya haki za binadamu katika nchi yetu. Wakati wa maandamano ya Gen Z, vijana wengi walipigwa risasi na kuuawa kiholela. Ijapokuwa Rais alitoa hakikisho kwamba wale wote ambao waliua bila hatia watachukuliwa hatua, mpaka sasa, hatujaona jambo lolote ambalo limefanyika kutekeleza matamshi hayo ya Rais na vile vile kuhakikishia familia za wale ambao waliondoka kwamba haki itatendendeka kuhusiana na watoto na jamaa wao. Jambo lingine la kusikitisha pia ni kwamba maswala ya utekajinyara yamezidi katika nchi yetu. Cha hivi karibuni ni kisa ambacho watu wanne wa asili ya Kituruki walitekwa nyara hapa Nairobi na kupelekwa Turkey bila familia zao kujulishwa wala sheria kufuatwa. Sheria yetu inasema kuwa iwapo mhalifu yuko hapa na anatakikana katika nchi nyingine na kuna makubaliano kati ya nchi yetu na nchi anayotakikana kupelekwa kortini, anafaa kufanyiwa kesi ya uhamisho kabla ya kwenda kushtakiwa kuhusu makosa aliyofanya kule. Licha ya kuwa na sheria, watu wale walirejeshwa Istanbul kule Uturuki ili kushtakiwa kwa makosa ambayo hayajulikani. Ikumbukwe kuwa walikuwa wahamiaji halali katika nchi yetu ya Kenya. Ina maana kwamba mhamiaji yeyote hayuko salama katika nchi aliyohamia. Mwingine aliyechukuliwa wiki mbili zilizopita ni Kiongozi wa Upinzani kule Uganda, (Dr.) Kizza Besigye. Alichukuliwa hapa Nairobi katika hali hiyo. Utekajinyara na mauaji ya kiholela, ama extrajudicial killings, ni mambo ambayo Rais alifaa kuzungumzia kwa undani zaidi kwa sababu ni mambo ambayo yanahusiana na usalama wa Wakenya. Hata mimi binafsi sina usalama kwa sababu watu wanatekwa 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.

nyara na mwishowe kupatikana wameuawa. Wengi wa waliouawa ni vijana ambao walishiriki katika maandamano ya Gen Z. Vile vile, tulitarajia Rais kuzungumzia tuhuma ambazo Gen Z walikuwa nazo wakati walipokuwa wanaandamana hadi kwenye Bunge hili mwezi wa sita mwaka huu. Hata hivyo, Rais hakugusia hayo. Kwa hivyo, ni wazi kwamba Rais pamoja na washauri wake hawasikii wala kufuata mambo mengi ambayo yanaathiri Wakenya. Ijapokuwa Kenya yetu ni democrasia, maswala ya mauaji ya kiholela, utekajinyara, na ukandamizaji wa haki za kibinadamu kupitia mambo kama vile mauji na mengineyo yanatia doa nchi yetu kwa sababu Kenya ni mwanachama wa Community ofNations . Tumetia sahihi kwenye mikataba mingi kuhusu kuwalinda wahamiaji na haki za kibinadamu. Tumetia sahihi mikataba mingine mingi ambayo hatuwezi kupuuza kwa sababu sisi tumekubalika katika Community of Nations . Kwa hivyo, Bw. Spika wa Muda, Hotuba hiyo haikukamilika kwa sababu mambo ambayo tumezungumzia ni muhimu na yalifaa kuangaziwa na Rais katika Hotuba yake.

Sen Tabitha Mutinda, you have the Floor.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to appreciate the President for his precise, timely and direct to point Address to the nation last week on Thursday. Let me start by appreciating his Address on the issue of femicide. As women leaders, we were delighted when this subject matter was addressed at his level because it is a national crisis. It is an issue that we condemn strongly. I also wish Florence Wanjiku quick recovery. She is currently recovering at a Nakuru hospital after the heinous actions by Elias. These are issues that even the President condemns highly. I want to appreciate the fact that he directed that there be Gender-Based Violence (GBV) desks at the county or grassroots level where women can quickly get responsive services, unlike having the desks situated at the police stations. It has been a challenge such that when such incidents occur, it becomes a challenge for women to come out to address because they appear as if they are just domestic matters. Now that desks will be at the grassroots, it will give a wider coverage as far as issues of femicide are concerned in this country. He also talked about different parenting as far as the boy-child is concerned. Let them be strengthened, so that even when it comes to societal and family matters, the boy child grows to become more responsible. These issues that we are seeing coming from men will be reduced in the future and that is what we pray for. So, we appreciate him for that. There was also the issue of cancellation of the Adani deal. You will all remember that when the issue of Adani came out, there were so many concerns, especially from our brothers and sisters working for the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA). They said they were not comfortable with that kind of agreement because they did not understand it. The cancellation of the agreement is an indication that the President listens to the people. University students raised concerns about the Education Funding Model that has been implemented. The President took time, called for a county hall meeting, and had a 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 with “comrades” from different universities in this country. That is another indication that he listens to the people. If you can remember, a few months ago when Parliament was invaded because of the Finance Bill, 2024, the President did not assent to it. That is still an indication that he is a listening President, but there have been concerns on whether he is listening. The cancellation of Adani deals last week by His Excellency the President is total evidence that he is a listening President and will continue to listen so that the issues Kenyans raised can be addressed in a better way. As a country, it is high time we embraced the Public Private Partnership (PPP) system. Looking at our financial status, the recurrent expenditure is very high and we need the PPPs so as to develop the infrastructure that is going to improve our economy, moving forward. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, His Excellency the President touched on the issue of the teachers in his Address. We are very happy because this year alone, over 56,000 teachers have been employed in our country cutting across, which improves our education system. There is also a plan to recruit 20,000 teachers next year in January. This process is ongoing. Within these two years, we will be achieving 76,000 teachers’ employment, which has not happened in the past years. This is a big stride. A stable education system will ensure that the issues of concern raised by our young people are addressed. He also talked about the agricultural sector. The cost of fertiliser has gone down to Kshs2,500. There is a VAT cut cost on the raw materials for production, like pesticides, which narrows the cost of production for our produce for the end-user. Lowering the cost of these products also lowers the commodity price. For example, the cost of unga, hence we achieve food security. The lowering of cost on the raw materials for production is the reason that has brought the cost of production down. Lowering the cost of fertilisers played a very key role. This has a very big impact to us as a country. His Excellency the President also talked about Taifa Care with a lot of passion. Both Houses passed this Bill; the Universal Health Care Bill. The Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) broadly takes care of emergencies. In the past, when someone got an accident, some Kenyans have been lenient enough to assist. However, there are some who have not. The reason has been that when you get them to hospital, who will take care of the bill. However, right now, SHIF takes care of such emergencies. If you take a patient with an emergency case to the hospital, SHIF requires that the patients be given medical care. It also takes care of the outpatient and inpatient that the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) too did. Further to that, it takes care of chronic diseases, for example, cancer. People have done contributions to travel out of the country to get specialized medical care. This is a very expensive affair, financially. It has drained families. People have lost their loved ones because they have to travel out of the country to get adequate medical attention, which is very expensive. With SHIF in place, it is taking care of chronic diseases. There is also a Facility Improvement Fund (FIF) for maintenance of equipment in hospitals. Facilities are going to be up to date and people will no longer be told that the machines have a challenge and they cannot get medical tests. 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 Fund will also ensure that equipment in different hospitals is maintained to the best of standards. There is also an opportunity for the hospitals to acquire modern machines that are up to date and are able to take care of the modern technology that is in place. With regard to technology, His Excellency the President talked about the issue of digitization of Government services. When we started, we had about 300 digital services in this country. However, that has increased to about 25,000 e-services. We look forward to achieving at least 99 or 100 per cent Government entities, offering their services digitally. I speak as the ambassador of the International Certificate of Digital Literacy (ICDL). I am a champion of digital literacy. We have also seen an aspect of digital literacy in the constituencies through the Members of Parliament (MPs), who have set up digital hubs. They not only create jobs, but ensure that the services that the Government is offering are spread across the country. As I conclude, His Excellency the President talked about the protests. The Constitution is very clear that protests are allowed, but they need to be peaceful. Demonstrations and picketing should be very peaceful. The President did not say that only a specific group or---

Sen. Madzayo, proceed.

Asante sana Bw. Spika wa Muda. Kwanza, nampa kongole Rais kwa kutoa Hotuba yake ya hali halisi ya nchi ya Kenya ya mwaka huu. Sikudhani angefanya hivyo kwa sababu siku zilikuwa zimeyoyoma na mwaka unaenda kuisha. Kalenda ya Bunge ilikuwa imefika mwisho, kwani tumebaki na siku saba ili Bunge liende kwa likizo. Lakini ni vyema alikuja kutoa Hotuba ya hali halisi ya Taifa ya mwaka wa 2024. Kitu cha muhimu katika Hotuba ya Rais ni kugusia mambo mbalimbali ya muhimu ambayo wananchi wa Kenya wangependa kusikia na kuona suluhisho limepatikana. Bw. Spika wa Muda, katika Hotuba ambayo Rais alitoa, hakuweza kugusia kitu cha muhimu kilichotendeka mwaka huu katika maeneo yetu ya Bunge, ilhali alitoa Hotuba hiyo akiwa Bunge. Kitendo cha muhimu kilichotendeka Bungeni ni kuuawa kwa vijana wa kike na kiume katika barabara tofauti hapa Nairobi. Wengi walipoteza maisha yao katika maeneo ya Bunge. Kwa hivyo, ilikuwa ni muhimu kwa Raisi kutaja mambo hayo akitoa Hotuba yake ya 2024 akiwa ndani ya Bunge, mahali ambapo vijana wadogo; Generation Z, walipigwa risasi na polisi wetu na wakafa. Hatuwezi kusema ni wangapi, lakini waliokufa na kupata majeraha na walio hospitalini hadi sasa ni wengi. Kuna wengi waliokufa na hawakupatikana na wazazi wao bado wanawatafuta, kwani hawajui waliko. Ilikuwa ni muhimu aeleze Wakenya kinaga ubaga katika Hotuba yake watoto waliopotea wako wapi. Je, waliopata majeraha wamepata matibabu? Je, gharama ya waliopata majeraha na kuenda hospitali kutibiwa zimelipwa? Je, Serikali imechukua hatua gani kwa waliopoteza maisha yao, ikiwa Bunge limepitisha Hoja ya kwamba waliopoteza maisha na walioumia walipwe kulingana na maumivu yao au hela waliotumia kuzika wapendwa wao. 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.

Pili ni kwamba, ilikuwa ni muhimu aweze kukemea ama aseme katika Hotuba yake kwamba, hakufurahia vitendo vilivyofanywa na polisi walipotumia nguvu zaidi kuliko walivyokuwa wamefunzwa kule Kiganjo, jinsi ya kupambana na kesi kama hiyo. Hawa walikuwa vijana wadogo, waliruka ukuta na kuenda dining room, wakakula chakula kilichokuwa pale. Wengine waliingia ndani ya Bunge na kusema waliyoyasema. Lakini kuna watoto wetu ambao waliumia. Bw. Spika wa Muda, sasa watu wamesonga mbele. Wale walioumia wakati wa mgomo, natumai kwamba Rais atatafakari na atachukua hatua ya kuona ya kwamba hao vijana wa Gen-Z watapata afueni katika hospitali; na kama kulikuwa na mazishi, pesa zao zilipwe na wale waliopata ajali, wapatiwe huduma. Pia ningependa tuzingatie kwamba elimu ndio msingi wa maendeleo. Mambo ya elimu yalikuwa muhimu sana katika Hotuba hii; hususan anafaa atueleze kwa nini hivi sasa katika historia ya Kenya tangu tupate Uhuru, kumekuwa na migomo nyingi katika kila sekta. Ya muhimu zaidi ni kwamba kumekuwa na migomo za walimu kuanzia university, Kenya National Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) na Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT). Jambo gani linazusha migomo hii? Hilo ni jambo muhimu ambalo angezingatia katika Hotuba yake ya mwaka huu. Angetueleza ni hatua gani Serikali inachukua kusuluhisha swala la migomo ya walimu ambayo inatendeka kila uchao. Hivi sasa tunapoongea maprofesa wa chuo cha Moi, University of Nairobi, na kwingine wamegoma. Ingekuwa muhimu zaidi kuona Rais akiweka swala hili katika Taarifa yake ambayo alihutubia Wakenya, mwaka huu. Lakini, hakuweka. Migomo hiyo inaendelea mpaka sasa na hajaweza kutupatia suluhu. Hili lilikuwa jukumu lake muhimu kuwaambia Wakenya ili watoto wetu ambao tunawapeleka university waweze kumaliza masomo yao wakati unaohitajika na sio kuketi kule na kumaliza course ya miaka minne kwa miaka sita. Hii haitakuwa jambo la heshima au jambo nzuri. Nataka kugusia swala la uchumi wa nchi yetu ya Kenya. Kwa sasa tunaona ya kwamba kuna afueni kidogo, lakini hii haijatosha. Afueni kidogo imeingia na tunaona bei ya vitu vidogo kama unga imerudi chini na pia mboga zinapatikana. Lakini mambo mengi ya kuweza kuchukua mkono, kuweka kwenye sahani na kuchukua chakula na kula, bado yako na shida. Mambo mengi bado ni magumu. Ingekuwa muhimu kama Rais angeweza kuangalia haya mambo. Bw. Spika wa Muda, tuko na mambo ya medical insurance covers; kuna SHA na SHIF. Rais angechukua nafasi ili kufafanua jambo hili. Hatuoni hizi insurance zote mbili zikifanya kazi kikamilifu. Wengi wamekwenda kupata matibabu katika mahospitali na wakaambiwa hawawezi kutibiwa kutumia hizo insurance. Mimi mwenyewa nilienda kumwona daktari wangu na nikamuuliza kwa nini sioni watu hapo wakitumia kadi zao za SHIF na SHA. Akasema hizo hawakubaliani nazo. Ilkiwa madaktari wenyewe wale professionals hawakubaliani na hizo, hii inamaanisha kwamba bado kuna shida. Rais anaweza kuwa na nia nzuri ya kuona ya kwamba kila mtu anapata huduma za kujifaidisha kiafya lakini ikifika wakati wa implementation wengi wanambwaga Rais. 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.

Inaweza kuwa sio makosa yake. Yeye anafikiria kwamba watu wana implement, lakini watu wengine wanamchelewesha katika tegemeo lake la kuwasaidia Wakenya. Hivi sasa, hizo medical covers za SHIF na SHA, zote ziko na shida ama hazifanyi kazi. Bw. Spika wa Muda, vile vile, mawaziri wake wanafaa kutimiza yale anayoyasema Rais. Lakini mara nyingi tunaona jambo la kusikitisha ambapo Rais anaelekeza kitu lakini jambo hili linakosa kutekelezwa. Wale basi, wanambwaga Rais. Kuna haja gani Rais aseme kwamba kutakuwa na Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) na inafaa kutiwa kidole na Waziri wa Elimu ama Waziri wa Afya; ambaye anafaa kutekeleza mishahara fulani baada ya miaka miwili alafu asitekeleze jukumu hilo? Hii ndio inaleta mambo ya migomo. Ingekuwa bora Rais awaambie watu wake kwamba: Kutoka wakati huu sitaki Waziri wangu atie sahihi CBA ya wafanyikazi bila kuona hali ya uchumi au kuona kwamba Serikali itatimiza wajibu wake wa kukamilisha deni la walimu au watekelezaji kazi katika pande zote zinazotakikana kama afya na zinginezo. Bw. Spika wa Muda, Rais katika Hotuba yake aliongea vizuri kuhusu---

Kindly add the Senate Minority Leader three minutes to conclude.

Kindly add me five.

Three minutes. I will consider that request once the three are over. Proceed.

I want to touch on important aspects. Jambo la kwanza ni kuwa, Rais aligusia mambo mengi mazuri. Aliongea kuhusu sukari, mahindi, kahawa, na majani chai. Kimaendeleo, zitasaidia namna gani? Kati ya mimea aliyozungumzia, kuna mimea miwili muhimu sana kutoka sehemu ninayotoka. Upande wa Kilifi kunakuzwa korosho na mananasi. Mkorosho ni mmea muhimu sana kwa maisha ya wakulima kule, pamoja na mananasi. Vitu vingi vinaweza kupatikana kwa urahisi kwa sababu ile ardhi inakuza mmea kama mkorosho. Ingekuwa vyema kama Rais angezungumzia hatua ambazo Serikali imechukuwa kutenga pesa zitakazopewa wakulima hawa wanaopanda na kuuza korosho, mananasi na maembe, kwa sababu hawa pia ni wanabiashara kule. Hivi sasa tunajipata katika hali ya uchochole kule Kilifi. Kulikuwa na maendeleo sana lakini hivi sasa hakuna kazi, na vijana hawa wameketi tu. Watu hawa wanaishia kukula muguka na kutenda maovu. Ikiwa Rais anapanga chochote hivi sasa, anafaa kutabaini kuwa mkorosho ndani ya Kaunti ya Kilifi unaweza kuwasaidia watu wengi kwa kupata mapato ya kazi. Mwisho, nampa kongole Rais kuhusu mambo ya Adani. Huyu ni mtu ambaye pengine angezorotesha nchi yetu katika hali ya uchumi. Lakini aliona mbele na kuamua kuwa ni bora kuwaambia Wakenya kuwa hiyo njia haifai. Zaidi ni kuwa, tuliona President Trump mwenyewe akikataa hizo deal za Adani. Serikali ya Amerika pia ikasema kuwa ashikwe na hatimaye hakumaliza siku 24. Sio kama sisi ambao tukielekeza mtu fulani ashikwe anaweza kupotea kwa wiki nzima. Kule Amerika maagizo yalipita kuwa Adani ashikwe kabla ya masaa 24. Hatua ambayo Rais alichukuwa ilikuwa safi. Hii ni pamoja na hatua ya Kenya Electricity 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.

Transmission Company (KETRACO) wasimamishe biashara yao pamoja na ile ya Adani kutengeneza airports zetu. Hili ni jambo ambalo litasaidia uchumi wa nchi hii kutoweza kupoteza pesa ambazo tunahijati zaidi kwa kuzikinga na ufisadi.

Senate Minority Leader, you note that you were unable to fully utilize the three minutes I added you. I appreciate the timekeeping, so that the rest of your colleagues who are interested in contributing can also get an opportunity. I now call upon Sen. (Dr.) Murango.

Asante sana, Bw. Spika wa Muda. Kwanza ningetaka ni muarifu Sen. Madzayo kwamba---

Nataka tu kuku---

Sen. (Dr.) Murango, just give your contribution without necessarily informing him. He has already spoken and he is seated.

Asante sana, Bw. Spika wa Muda. Basi nitataja tu na niseme ya kwamba, kuna Mswada muhimu sana ambao tumekuwa tukiuzunguka kama Kamati ya Kilimo, Mifugo na Uchumi wa Baharini katika Seneti. Tushaenda Kwale mpaka Lamu, na ninadhani tutakapo malizana na ule Mswada itakuwa ni rahisi sana kuhakikisha ya kwamba korosho, macadamia, ufuta, nazi na vitu kama hizo zinatiliwa maanani. Hii ni kwa sababu, sheria ambayo iko kwa sasa, inafaa kufuatiliwa. Ujuavyo, wakati Mswada huu utakuja katika Bunge la Seneti, tutauunga mkono. Kwanza ningetaka niongee mambo mawili ama matatu. Kwanza ni kwamba, Katiba yetu inaruhusu Rais kuja kutoa Taarifa katika Bunge la Kitaifa. Ni vizuri anakuja kueleza mambo yanayoendelea; yawe mazuri ama mabaya. Nampa kongole kwa sababu, Mswahili husema; mrina haogopi nyuki. Kwa hivyo, mambo yawe mazuri ama mabaya, lazima yasemwe ili Wakenya waweze kuyajua. Nitaongea kidogo kuhusu kilimo na nitakuwa nikikahiri wakili kama sitasema kwamba mbolea ya ruzuku ambayo Serikali imekuwa ikipeana imewasaidia pakubwa wakulima. Mwanzo ilianzia vizuri na imeendelea, lakini zile taasisi na nyenzo za Serikali ambazo zinafanya kazi katika Wizara ya Ukulima, lazima zitie bidii, sana sana waweze kuangalia kile kilimo ambacho kinafanyika. Hii ni kwa sababu chakula kingi ambacho kinatayarishwa huwa kinafanywa kwa misimu. Bw. Spika wa Muda, kama leo nimepokea simu fifi, kwa kimombo; missed call, kutoka kwa wakulima katika eneo la Mwea, ambao wanasema ni kweli mbolea ya kupanda pamoja na mbolea inavyowekwa wakati mimea inaendelea kukua iko. Hata hivyo, zile sheria ambazo ziko pale ni kwamba wakati huu wanavuna na wanastahili kuchukua mbolea za kupanda. Lakini wanaambiwa mikakati yenye iko, lazima kwanza wachukue mbolea ambayo inawekwa kwa mmea ukiwa unaendelea kukua. Lazima wachukue hiyo mbolea kwa sababu hawajafungua ile mbolea inawekwa kwa mchele wakati unapandwa. Madini ambayo yanatakikana na mmea wakati unapandwa ni tofauti na ile ambayo inatumika wakati mmea ni mkubwa. Kwa hivyo, ningeuliza wizara ya ukulima 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.

iweze kufungua kwa sababu mbolea isha nunuliwa na iko pale, iweze kupewa mkulima. Hii ni kwa sababu ikiwekwa pale, itakuwa haina maana. Ujuavyo, changirizi ya chungu huua hata ndovu. Shida tulizo nazo ndogo ndogo zile za mkulima ambaye amecheleweshwa kupewa mbolea ambayo serikali ishanunua na kupeleka mahali pale, ndio inasababisha yule mkulima kujiandaa na kutoa chakula ambayo inatosha, anarudi nyuma. Kwa hivyo, kama wale ambao wako katika taasisi husika yaani Cereals Produce Board (CPB), kama wangeweza kulainisha ili wakulima wapate voucher na mtu apewa mbolea ambayo wanahitaji, ingekuwa vyema zaidi. Kwa sababu, unapoenda pale unapata yule mtu ambaye anataka mifuko kumi, ananyimwa na kupewa mfuko mmoja, lakini mbolea bado iko pale. Wale wanaofika mapema waweze kupewa mbolea ili waende wakalime. Nitaguzia pia kuhusu kuuliwa kwa wanawake kwa sababu imezidi sana. Hili si jambo la kawaida, kwa sababu kawaida mwanaume vile ameumbwa si wa kupiga ama kuumiza wanawake. Rais amesema kwamba, yeye mwenyewe, hataruhusu mambo hayo kuendelea. Sasa kuna Wizara ya Usalama, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) na polisi. Kazi kwao ili waweze kutafuta wale wanaume ambao wanafanya mambo ambayo hayafai. Tunapoendelea hivi, kuna siku kumi na sita za wanaharakati kuhakikisha ya kwamba mauaji ya wanawake inapungua ama imemalizwa kabisa. Lakini, wakati ambao unaotumiwa kwa mwanamke anapoumizwa na kushikwa, nadhani bado tunafaa tuangalie zaidi. Tuweze pia kuhakikisha kwamba wanaopelekwa wanafungwa kabisa kuhakikisha kwamba wale ambao wana tabia kama hizo hawazirudia. Ukulima ni jambo la maana sana. Ukweli ni kwamba bei ya kahawa inaendelea kupanda. Leo nilikuwa nikiangalia bei ya kahawa katika soko la kimataifa na ni kweli imeendelea kupanda. Pia kuna pesa ambayo inapeanwa kwa wakulima ambayo inaitwa Cherry Fund na kuna pesa ingine inaitwa Commodities Fund, ambayo iko na imewekwa na Serikali. Hata hivyo, Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (KPCU) inafaa itafute njia ya kupata ile fedha iwe rahisi kwa mkulima wa kawaida kama nyanya anaye lima kahawa. Isiwe ni jambo msaragambo ya mtu yeyote ambaye anataka kuchukua zile fedha, ili waweze kuzichukua kwa wingi na tuongeza ukulima wa kahawa na vile vile kuweza kununua miche na kupeana. Kwa sababu unajua kwamba, ukulima pia umegatuliwa. Juzi nilikuwa naangalia katika runinga nikaona gavana wa Makueni akipeana miche ya kahawa na kusema kwamba anajaribu kuhakisha ya kwamba, mazao ya kahawa inaongezeka katika gatuzi la Makueni. Basi mimi ningeuliza magavana, kwa sababu ukulima umegatuliwa, pia waende wapambane na wahakikishe kwamba wakulima wanapata miche aina tofauti tofauti. Kama ni mikorocho au parachichi ipeanwe, ili wakulima waweze kufaidika. Bw. Spika wa Muda, afichaye mgonjwa hufichuliwa bila kilio. Nimesikia wengi wakiongea na mimi nitaongea juu ya mambo ya Adani. Serikali ishaona ya kwamba Adani si mtu ambaye anaweza kufanya kazi hapa. Nadhani hivyo ndivyo inavyofaa. Hii ni kwa sababu jambo likionekana likiongelewa sana, wakati limeongelewa na Rais, nadhani watu wanaichukulia kwa uzito. Nadhani hilo ni jambo nzuri kuwa akae kando ili 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.

kama kuna njia inginee yeyote ya kuhakisha viwanda vyetu vimejengwa ama kusambaza stima umefanywa, ifanywa na mtu ambaye tunajua ni msafi, ambaye hata tuletea hasara. Kwa mambo ya elimu, pale ninapotoka Kirinyaga kuna shule inaitwa Muslim

pale Sagana. Kwa muda mrefu sana imefikisha hadhi ya kupewa JuniorSecondary ambayo kwa sasa wamekuwa cleared . Nilikuwa nimetuma barua hata kwa waziri na kwa sababu mambo ambayo inasemwa, mwenye kuenda pale kufanya kazi ya mkono ni hao mawaziri na makatibu katika zile wizara. Pia ni vizuri waangalie na kuhakisha ya kwamba zile shule zinahitaji kupandishwa hadhi zipandishwe ili watoto wasikuwe wakienda safari ndefu sana kuenda kutafuta Elimu. Nikimalizia, nitasema kwamba mimi kama Mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Kilimo, Mifugo na Uchumi wa Baharini katika kamati ya Seneti, mkulima ni mtu wa maana sana. Tunahitaji mkulima asubuhi tunapotafuta staftahi. Saa nne wakati unapokunywa chai ambayo iko na maziwa na majani pia. Saa saba katika chakula cha mchana na cha jioni. Tunamuhitaji mkulima zaidi ya mara tano kwa siku kushinda mtu yeyote yule mwingine. Kwa hivyo, kufuatilia ile bidii imeekwa kuhakisha kwamba mkulima anafaidika, tuendelee kuwasikiliza wakulima. Ni kweli walituchagua na unajua chemichemi si mtemi, ukitaka maji mpaka uiname. Hiyo ni kusema hata wakulima wanakaa wadogo wadogo lakini ni wadosi wetu. Tuwasikize na tunaendelea kuwasikiliza, kuhakikisha kwamba wamepata kila kitu wanayohitaji ili tuweze kuzalisha chakula ya kutosha katika nchi hii na wao waendelee kuimarika. Asante sana.

Sen. Beth Syengo.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to also speak to the President’s Speech on the State of the Nation Address. First of all, I want to thank the President and appreciate him for the speech. For the first time, I heard the President speak to my heart. I will touch on a few areas, which the President’s speech touched on. One is to thank the President for assuring Kenyans that the Kenyan Shilling has stabilized against the Dollar. That is the truth. This encourages Kenyans who are in the diaspora, because we know they contribute a lot to building the economy of this nation. So, with the Shilling stabilized against the Dollar, it is a plus for us in this country. I also would like to thank the President on the measures taken on food security. In the President's Speech, he spoke on the measures that have been taken to ensure that we have food security in the nation. When people are starving, it is women and children who suffer most. For me, as the women president of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and broad-based coalition, I am so encouraged to know that the President has the people at heart and is thinking of how this country is going to be food secure. In reference to Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) the education system, I have heard some people casting doubts. However, the way the CBC is taking place and how it was explained in the Speech, it is taking shape. We have grades seven, eight and nine that are in Junior Secondary schools (JSS), who are heading to Senior Secondary. Our children are going to be prepared with the skills that will enable them to face life and earn a living. /I would say we only need extra steps to be taken to take this education 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.

system in the right direction. As CBC takes shape and effect, our education system will improve. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as some of us have already alluded, it is true the Government has hired more than 56,000 teachers. Since it is a process, more are waiting to be hired. However, I would only request that as teachers are hired, they consider those who completed their college or university education earlier, so that they do not wait for so long before employment. Let us give them a chance as we look forward to employing more teachers. On the health care system, the President spoke about SHA and SHIF. However, one thing that excited my heart is that he gave direction on Taifa care. Talking of the achievements and things that the Government has done, I felt and sensed frustration from the President. The team that is working with him, the Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, and the entire team within the Executive are not giving enough attention to the direction that the President is taking, and I sensed some frustration. They need to be more committed, and understand their mandate clearly, so that the President is helped to deliver to Kenyans. If the direction the country is taking is achieved, Kenya might be a nation where others will come to benchmark. On women leadership, I would like to appreciate the President. He spoke clearly on how women leaders are not lesser leaders and lesser human beings. I was excited then, but I have a question. Since we know in Kenya we have been struggling with the actualization of two-thirds gender rule, I would only plead with the President, as the head of the nation, that he takes decisive steps to ensure that two-thirds gender rule is actualized. It is our constitutional right for women to lead in this nation. As we speak, even the National Assembly is not constitutionally constituted because women's gender is not correctly represented. I plead with the President, Mr. President, Sir, would you take decisive measures? I remember during your campaign time, you even spoke and signed a women’s charter. What went wrong? Let this be actualized, and we will have women in leadership. No gender should take more than two-thirds in leadership. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, allow me to say that from the President's Speech, as we wait for 2027, I would urge more women to come out and contest for leadership positions. I ask our men and women, to elect women in elective positions, so that we may not even be pleading for the two-thirds, but women will be elected through the ballot and they will take the positions. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to also comment on the issue of femicide. It is so disheartening to see Kenyans rising against each other and killing one another. I would request the institutions that are charged with the responsibility to ensure that if a crime is committed, immediate action is taken. Those who are found to be criminals are punished and the law takes its course against those who are killing women. It is so bad for people who are supposed to live in love, to be the ones rising against each other- a husband killing the wife, or maybe a boyfriend killing the girlfriend. We need those who are charged with responsibilities, the police, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and every other institution that is charged with the responsibility to help curb this crime of femicide. 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, on corruption, I keenly listened to the President because this has been kind of a cancer in this nation. It is my belief that the President is committed to handle corruption. May I speak to Kenyans that, please, let us put our country first, cease from corrupt dealings, and make sure that we follow the law. Every Kenyan deserves the best service in this nation. I would say the President cares about Kenyans and the country. That is why he listened to the cry of Kenyans and stopped the Adani deal that was coming into being. Kenyans had cried, while others had said that Adani is okay and he can continue. However, the President confirmed that he cares for this country, and that is why he cancelled the Adani deal. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as I conclude, I would request that all of us as leaders in this nation, join hands to build this nation, not considering where we come from, which language we speak, or the ethnic group we belong to. Let us stand as Kenyans, defend and build this country. We have a responsibility to leave a united country for our children and our children's children. As the President continues leading this country---

Your time is up, Sen. Syengo. Give her half a minute to conclude.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. As the President is now uniting the country and moving forward, Baba Raila Amolo Odinga will be elected as the Chairperson of the African Union (AU). When he becomes the Chairperson of the African Union, and this nation is on the right track, the African continent will become great. Thank you.

Thank you, Sen. Syengo. Lastly, Sen. Danson Mungatana, please proceed.

Thank you Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I take this opportunity to laud His Excellency the President for a very good State of the Nation Address, the SONA as it is well known. On page 81, after he had finished addressing the nation, His Excellency the President submitted three reports. One report, on the progress of fulfilling international obligations of the Republic is submitted to the National Assembly, but the other two reports; on measures taken and progress achieved in the realization of national values and the the state of security is submitted to the Senate. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. it is my interest to debate the report on the state of security. The President captured a very critical issue that is nationwide which he discussed in this report. I read about the national challenges, the regional challenges and the international challenges that this country faces. He gave what measures he needed to deal with and what his government and his administration - which we strongly support - is taking action on those three fronts that are bringing challenges to the Republic of this country and nation. When we talk about the national security challenges, the President in that report explained that there were skirmishes on mineral prospects in Marsabit County. He also mentioned that there were problems between Kitui and Tana River counties and he went 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.

on to mention about border disputes involving Kisumu and Kericho counties, Taita Taveta and Makueni counties, and he discussed what those challenges were at the national level. He also said that he had issued a moratorium on the gold mines in the Marsabit area. However, he also said that his Government, as far as dealing with the border problems were concerned, he was going to implement some of these measures. The first one is creating peace building and conflict resolution programs. Where Tana River County is concerned, and especially the border skirmishes that happened between Kitui and Tana River counties, I laud the President that in his plan from this report, peace building missions, peace building initiatives and programs were going to be invested in by this government. We need those programs like yesterday. Our people, especially between Kitui and Tana River borders, where there has been a lot of tension need these programs to roll out like yesterday. I would have been happy if the President would have also said that he is allocating this amount of money through this agency to go to these peace programs. Why? This is because, when you go on both sides of the divide on these borders, it is the same people who are living. These are what we call resource-based conflicts. In fact, you wonder why people are fighting, but people are fighting, and actual dislike has a reason. Some people have even translated that to community hatred. These peace-building efforts must start today. I am mentioning them specifically because he stated in the report that was the number one thing he was going to do. We have a national cohesion body. That Commission needs to be empowered to carry out these missions. We need to have peace champions along those border areas. In Tana River County on one side, we are facing problems with Kitui and on the other side, we are facing problems with Garissa County. On this downside, it is with Kilifi County and because our county is so vast, people tend to think all the land is in Tana River. Our only good neighbours who have never shown interest in grabbing our land is Tharaka Nithi and Lamu counties. However, our other neighbours have consistently shown interest in trying to come for land from Tana River and this should stop. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the President said in that report on (ii) that that he will conduct an all-inclusive adjudication and delimitation of the land in Kitui.

Sen. Mungatana, would you like to be informed by Sen. Syengo?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if my time can be stopped, then I do not mind the information.

I will grant you an extension of your time.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I wish to inform my good neighbour and Chair that Tana River borders Kitui County, but Kitui County people have never expressed any interest to grab land from Tana River. It is the Tana River people who are aggressively advancing towards Kitui County. Kitui County people are very peaceful. They keep to their land and live in their land. They have never wished to grab any land from Tana River. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate.

Sen. Danson Mungatana.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, that information, may not be useful for purposes of this debate. That is just a point of view, because we know we have had an issue with the boundaries. They have their view and we have our view. I am saying that we need peace-building efforts and we support what the President has rolled out. However, he needs to go beyond these good statements and make sure that the national cohesion body which is the agency seized of this is funded appropriately. This is so that the problems along Kitui - Tana River counties, Garissa - Tana River and Kilifi – Tana River are resolved as he promised. The President in this report on the state of security also said that it is the programme of the Government and they will conduct an all-inclusive adjudication and delimitation of disputed boundaries to avert the escalation of conflict. This is written in black and white; that the government will conduct an all-inclusive adjudication and delimitation of disputed boundaries. This is such a heavy statement because he has already stated out all the boundaries that I have mentioned. There are also many other counties which have been affected by this conflict. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the only thing that has not been mentioned---

Sen. Mungatana we are adding you the one minute I committed to for your conclusion.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. The only thing the President has not mentioned is where the funding is going to be found in this budget. For example, we know that he is going to present a supplementary budget before the National Assembly. I hope that the money for carrying out this all-inclusive boundary delimitation can be found. This should be treated as a serious national issue. If it is contained in this report, it will be so sad if next year, at a time like this, after the State of the Nation Address, I will be sitting here to debate that this was there last year. Since no money was allocated, nothing happened. I want to urge His Excellency, the President, and those who are sitting and listening to us as we debate this matter that the question of boundaries is a critical issue. We need to find resources within these areas to allocate money for boundaries, and these disputes need to be resolved.

Sen. Mungatana, your time is up. Hon. Members, since no other Member is keen on making a contribution, I call upon the Majority Leader to reply.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I want to appreciate colleagues who have taken the time to speak to this Motion and share their key highlights. That is the beauty of the mosaic called the Kenyan democracy. Some will see the good in what this administration is doing; others will see nothing good at all, which is part of our democracy. We must divide and celebrate it as it is. However, as we have been reminded many times, there are certain facts that there is nothing you can do about. There are things that you can debate. Anybody trying to argue that there has not been success in the agriculture sector, yet for the very first time we are not importing common food items that we used to import in so many tonnes, from maize to sugar. There has been a deliberate effort to subsidise production as opposed 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.

subsidising consumption, which was the case in the previous administration, is lying to themselves. The beauty is that the citizens and the ordinary voters in the village can distinguish, and they know what is working and what is not working. The fact that this administration has avoided a sovereign default is something worth mentioning, that has not been celebrated enough times. If it was not for the prudent leadership of the President, chances are we might as well have defaulted as a country and faced grave consequences, far graver than the noise we hear and the statements sometimes generated out of ignorance by people online. I do not know from which parts of the country they come from. People may be out of the abundance of ignorance or totally disconnected from the realities and threats that are posed to this country by decisions that have been made over the years. We must appreciate what has been done and also listen to what can be improved later. Therefore, I want to appreciate those who have spoken to this and celebrate the beauty of our democracy that members have so ably shown this afternoon. I thank you and, beg to reply. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in accordance with Standing Order No.66(3), I wish to request that we defer the putting of the question until such a time as we may have sufficient quorum to take this Motion to a vote.

Thank you, Senate Majority Leader. Pursuant to Standing Order No. 66(3), I direct the putting of the question on this Motion be deferred to the next sitting of the House.

Clerk, you may now call the next Order.

Hon. Members. We now return to Order No. 5. Clerk, you may call Order No. 5.

Sen. Faki, proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate today, 26th November, 2024 - The report of the Mediation Committee on the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill 2024(National Assembly Bill No.38 of 2024), on behalf of the co-chair of the Mediation 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.

Thank you.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the co-chair of the Mediation Committee, Sen. Ali Roba, I beg to give Notice of the following Motion - THAT the Senate adopts the report of the Mediation Committee on the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 38 of 2024), laid on the table of the Senate today, 26th November, 2024, and that pursuant to Article 113(2) of the Constitution and Standing Order No.167(3) of the Senate Standing Orders, approves the mediated version of the Bill. Thank you.

Clerk, you may proceed to call the next Order.

This Bill is deferred to the next sitting of the House.

Call the next Order.

Equally, in the absence of the Chairperson, Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, this Motion is deferred to the next sitting of the House. Call the next Order.

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This is equally a Motion that will be deferred in the absence of the Mover, as well as Members whose time was interrupted in the last session.

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Hon. Members, you may rise. Hon. Senators, there being no other business on the Order Paper, the Senate stands adjourned until Wednesday, 27th November, 2024 at 9.30 a.m.

The Senate rose at 6.28 p.m.

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