April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 1

Thursday, 23rd April, 2026

Clerk, do we have quorum?

Serjeant-at-Arms, kindly ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes.

Order, hon. Senators. We do have quorum now. Senator for Nandi, kindly be orderly.

Clerk, you may proceed to call the first Order.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to give Notice of the following Motion- THAT, AWARE that the Senate of Kenya is established under Article 93 of the Constitution and its main role, as set out at Article 96 is to represent, serve and protect the interests of the counties and their governments;

FURTHER AWARE of the critical role that the Senate plays in the interlinkage between the National and County levels of government, and the need to enhance the interaction between the Senate and county governments, as a means of bringing the Senate closer to the counties and the general public;

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 2

Let us go to the next Order.

We will start with Statements pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) . The first one is by the Senator for Embu County, Hon. Alexander Mundigi.

Senator for Nandi, what is that for really?

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on a matter of national concern regarding the excessive use of force by the police during demonstrations held on 14th April, 2026 in Embu County.

With profound sorrow, the people of Embu County mourn the tragic deaths of Morris Njue Njoka and Patrick Kariuki Munene, who were peacefully exercising their

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 3

Proceed, Senator for Bungoma, Hon. David Wakoli.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Health a matter of countywide concern regarding the status of disbursement of funds by the Social Health Authority (SHA) to health facilities in Bungoma County.

In the Statement, the committee should address the following-

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 4

Next is the Senator for Nairobi City County, Hon. Edwin Sifuna.

The next Statement is by Sen. Hamida Kibwana. Since she is not here, that Statement is dropped.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 5 STATUS OF BACHUMA DISEASE-FREE ZONE LIVESTOCK CENTRE

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries on a matter of countywide concern regarding the Bachuma Disease-Free Zone Livestock Centre in Taita Taveta County.

In the Statement, the committee should address the following-

Sen. Mwaruma, have you read your two Statements?

Yes.

Okay. Sen. Hamida, you may proceed with your Statement, which has just been reinstated.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity and Regional Integration on a matter of national concern regarding recent remarks attributed to the Chairperson of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) .

The statement of Bishop

Dr. David Oginde, EBS, Chairperson of the EACC that women are increasingly becoming drivers and facilitators of mega corruption

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 6

Next is the Statement by the Senate Majority Leader.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.57 (1) to hereby present the business for the week commencing Tuesday, 28th April, 2026. Before I present this Statement, allow me to take this opportunity to welcome colleagues back from the short recess. I hope you had a good rest together with your families and constituents. I trust you are now rejuvenated and ready to be part of the Second Part of the Fifth Session.

Mr. Speaker Sir, this is the status of legislative business as of today, Thursday, 23rd April, 2026. We have 64 Bills pending conclusion: 47 Bills are at the Second Reading stage, 16 Bills are at the Committee of the Whole House and 1 Bill is awaiting its First Reading.

Additionally, 14 Motions and 17 Petitions are pending conclusion by the respective standing committees. Out of the 17 Petitions, 15 are due for reporting. Furthermore, 492 Statements pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) are under consideration by the respective standing committees.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, from the foregoing, the business of the Senate is already cut out. You will note from today’s Order Paper that Order Nos.9, 10, 11 and 12 are Bills that have already been debated and are now ready for Division at the Second Reading Stage. Some of these have been on the Order Paper for more than a month. I urge all Senators to remain in the Chamber, so that we may proceed to vote on these Bills.

I drafted these statements yesterday and I am sure that today, being a Thursday afternoon, the dice is already cast on whether that can come to fruition. We will aim for

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 7

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 8

Address the House.

No, I need the attention of the Speaker, not the House. It is the Speaker who can resolve this matter.

Hon. Senators, I will allow comments for not more than 15 minutes on the statements sought pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) , starting with Sen. Kavindu.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity to comment on the statements read. I will start with Sen. Mwaruma’s Statement. It is very important for funds from the Social Health Authority (SHA) to be disbursed in good time, so that hospitals can equip their facilities with medication.

Citizens are going through a very hard time; they pay for SHA yet they cannot receive treatment or medication because SHA has not disbursed funds to restock the hospitals. This is wrong. Our people are suffering. I support this Statement.

I pray that the Committee on Health deals with SHA regarding this matter and the registration of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) . They should be facilitated. Some of them are not able to travel by matatu because they are totally disabled and the people who live with them cannot even afford to hire a taxi to take them to hospital. So, the Senate Standing Committee on Health should look into that and deal with the Cabinet Secretary (CS) , so that the doctors can move to where the PWDs are, especially the elderly.

I would like to also comment about the statement for Sen. Sifuna, the Senator for Nairobi City County, on the Usalama medical cover for the police force. Police officers are very important to the country. They really take care of security and so they, together

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 9

Sen. Okenyuri, please, proceed. Hon. Senators, you have three minutes to make your contributions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I wish to comment on the Statement by Sen. Mundigi on the killing of two people in Embu County. Unfortunately, the cycle continues where we will have investigations being conducted by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and then the matter will go silent.

When you look at what ended up as death of these people, they were protesting against poor services in a local hospital in their county. It is very sad that people who are protesting to get better service delivery end up dying in such a manner. I wish to condemn that and ask that investigations are conducted and the families get justice. I commiserate with their families.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I also wish to support the Statement by Sen. Mwaruma on non- registration of older persons and Persons with Disability. This is a challenge not just in Taita Taveta County, but across the country. Most of the times, families, out of stigma, stay away and do not want to disclose about the cases they have back home. That is one of the reasons. However, I also feel that the Ministry has not been able to reach out to most of these people, so that they are able to be in the database to access services which eventually assist them.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, non-registration is a very critical issue because without that data, these people are not able to access very many essential services which are given to them. So, I hope that the committee is going to look into that matter seriously, so that this is addressed with immediate effect.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir.

Sen. Mumma, please proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to contribute. Allow me to contribute to the Statement by Sen. Hamida. I read Bishop Oginde’s Statement, when speaking to this issue, a few times. My understanding was that he was raising a disappointment at the manner in which women, who I think in his view have been held on higher moral ground, are now participating in corruption. In my view, it is a genuine concern that, as women, we need to know that we are held at a higher standard than the rest of the people and I have always prided in the fact that I still believe a woman does better when given opportunity in leadership.

I believe Bishop Oginde's concern was that we are now being caught up in games that are largely masculine. It is the masculine game that has brought this country to the bottom, entrenched it in corruption and brought to it lawlessness. Bishop Oginde is telling us, as women, that the country has its hopes on you. Can you be among the ones who will have the moral ground to bring back this country to a level where there is no corruption?

So, in that respect, I wish to state that I personally do not take Bishop Oginde's statement as one of stereotype or renegading women, but one that is actually cautioning

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 10

Sen. Kinyua, please proceed.

Asante, Bw. Spika, kwa kunipa fursa hii. Nasimama kuchangia Kauli iliyoletwa na Seneta wa Embu, Sen. Mundigi, kuhusu kuuawa kwa Maurice Njue Njoka na Patrick Kariuki Munene, waliokuwa wakifanya maandamano ya amani wakitafuta kuwepo kwa huduma bora katika hospitali ya umma ambayo huduma zake zimedorora sana.

Kisheria, inakubalika mtu yeyote kufanya maandamano ya amani wakitaka huduma ziweze kuimarishwa katika hospitali yao ya Ishiara. Jambo ya kuvunja moyo sana ni kwamba, maafisa wa usalama ambao wanapaswa kulinda mali na maisha ya wananchi, waliwafumania, kuwavamia na hatimaye kuwaua. Kwa hivyo, kamati ambayo inahusika inapaswa iliangazie hili jambo kwa sababu limekuwa ni jambo la mazoea kwa maafisa ambao wanapaswa kulinda mali na maisha ya wananchi kuwavamia na kuwauwa wananchi wale ambao wanalipa ushuru.

Hon. Senators, I have a Communication from the Chair.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 11

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I join you on behalf of the House to welcome these Political Science students from the Catholic University, who are here on a study tour, interacting with political leaders who are serving in the Legislature.

I hope that during the time that they have watched debate, they have picked one or two things out of their trade and the science that they study. If there is a trade currently under threat in the country, it is political science. This is because there is a man moving around the country who, from his utterances, you can tell that---

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 12

Sen. Cherarkey, I request that you consult in low tones. For our guests, we do not usually behave badly. I hope we can get this going well.

Majority Leader, proceed.

Madam Temporary Speaker, Sen. Cherarkey is about to behave like that man I was talking about, but I know he does better.

Another one who masquerades as a political scientist, but the things he says, you can tell that his understanding and appreciation of the body Republic of Kenya is wanting. So, my challenge to these students is that they be better than us, the current political class, and serve the country with distinction to the greatest honour.

Finally, I would be remiss if I do not appreciate that there is another visiting delegation. I do not know if they are Sunday school teachers like myself. Besides politics, the job that I love doing the most is teaching Sunday school. I would be remiss if I do not appreciate and celebrate them for the great work that they do. This is because they are building the church of the future, and for that, I celebrate them.

Hon. Senators, I would like to give one and a half minutes to the Senator of Nairobi City County. The Catholic University of Eastern Africa is in Nairobi and the Senator has made a plea that I give him a second.

Madam Temporary Speaker, you have saved yourself a lot of trouble. This is because the students who come from Nairobi usually do not take it very kindly being addressed by rural Senators when their Senator is here.

Order, Sen. Cherarkey and Majority Leader. Please, let us listen to Sen. Sifuna.

Madam Temporary Speaker, let me take this opportunity to welcome the students from Catholic University of Eastern Africa. As is common knowledge, first of all, I am a Catholic. This is an institution that we are very proud of because it moulds students all around. We have continued to urge the Government to meet its obligations to private universities, including Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

As we speak, the Government of Kenya owes the Catholic University of Eastern Africa a whopping Kshs6 billion in unpaid capitation. So, I would be remiss because these are things that the Majority Leader will not address, which is why you need leaders of the opposition to speak on these things.

The total bill owed by this Government to private universities is Kshs60 billion. We want that institution to be paid that money so that these students can continue to enjoy good facilities and education at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 13

Hon. Senators, I will just give Sen. Hamida one minute only. She is a current student at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. It is only fair we give her one second.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. Karibuni sana. I want to also welcome you, my fellow comrades. I am a student. I am doing my Masters in Business Management. I am defending my thesis now, hopefully to graduate by October. I really appreciate seeing you here. Some of you, of course, will be sitting on the same seats that we are sitting now. So, it is good to have the feel of the Senate or the Parliament. So far, we are also trying to organise something with you.

I will bring my colleagues to the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, with your President, Brian, so that at least, we can have tête-à-tête. You can meet the Senators, especially Senators from Nairobi.

I welcome you again.

Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Madzayo, on the second delegation.

The Senate Minority Leader (Sen. Madzayo) : Asante Sana, Bi. Spika wa Muda. Kwanza, najiunga na wewe kuwakaribisha walimu na wanafunzi kutoka East African Pentecostal Church, Mwichiune Sunday School, Meru.

Wanafunzi waliokuja hapa wamejionea viongozi katika Bunge la Seneti. Hawa ndio Maseneta wa Kenya. Nina hakika wanafunzi ambao wamekuja hapa watajifunza mengi. Wameona na ninajua hazima yao maishani ni wengine wetu tukiondoka hapa, wanafunzi hawa kutoka Meru, wamekuwa Maseneta. Hiyo ni ndoto ambayo mnaweza kuikamilisha katika maisha yenu.

Kuja kwenu hapa kumeweza kuwafundisha mengi. Mkitoka hapa na kurudi nyumbani, mtaongea na jamii zenu na nina hakika katika mafunzo hayo, mtaondoka hapa na moja au mawili ambao mmejifunza na yataweza kuwasaidia katika siku za usoni.

Asante Bi. Spika wa Muda kwa kunipa fursa niwakaribishe vijana hawa ambao ni mashemeji zangu. Hii ni kwa sababu mimi nimeoa kutoka Meru. Kwa hivyo, hawa wakiwa hapa, ninafurahia sana. Mkiona shemeji, baba au ndugu yenu akisimama hapa, mjue pia ninyi mnaweza kusimama mahali kama hapa.

We now go back to Statements. I have Sen. Oketch.

Sen. Sifuna, you actually dropped off because of this other.

Asante Sana, Bi. Spika wa Muda. Kwanza, najiunga na wewe kuwakaribisha walimu na wanafunzi kutoka East African Pentecostal Church, Mwichiune Sunday School, Meru. Wanafunzi waliokuja hapa wamejionea viongozi katika Bunge la Seneti. Hawa ndio Maseneta wa Kenya. Nina hakika wanafunzi ambao wamekuja hapa watajifunza mengi. Wameona na ninajua hazima yao maishani ni wengine wetu tukiondoka hapa, wanafunzi hawa kutoka Meru, wamekuwa Maseneta. Hiyo ni ndoto ambayo mnaweza kuikamilisha katika maisha yenu. Kuja kwenu hapa kumeweza kuwafundisha mengi. Mkitoka hapa na kurudi nyumbani, mtaongea na jamii zenu na nina hakika katika mafunzo hayo, mtaondoka hapa na moja au mawili ambao mmejifunza na yataweza kuwasaidia katika siku za usoni. Asante Bi. Spika wa Muda kwa kunipa fursa niwakaribishe vijana hawa ambao ni mashemeji zangu. Hii ni kwa sababu mimi nimeoa kutoka Meru. Kwa hivyo, hawa wakiwa hapa, ninafurahia sana. Mkiona shemeji, baba au ndugu yenu akisimama hapa, mjue pia ninyi mnaweza kusimama mahali kama hapa.

We now go back to Statements. I have Sen. Oketch.

Sen. Sifuna, you actually dropped off because of this other.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 14

Madam Temporary Speaker, the system still logs me out once you give me an opportunity to welcome the students. I wanted to, very briefly, touch on the Statement by Sen. Mundigi.

It was quite heartbreaking that we lost another two young people in Ishiara, in Embu County, arising from peaceful protests. As Sen. Kinyua pointed out, Patrick Munene was only 21 years old, Maurice Njoka was 32 years old. These are young lives that have been cut short very unnecessarily. The problem of service delivery in hospitals in Embu did not start yesterday, I am sure Sen. Mundigi knows the conversations that we have had with him and his Governor in the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) . Just the other day, there was in fact another protest at Runyenjes Level 4 Hospital. This time, they were protesting the lack of a male ward in Runyenjes Level 4 hospital.

Madam Temporary Speaker, as you have noticed, these days, I no longer discuss the expired Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) . This is because, one of the things that we had written in that expired MoU was that the Government of the day would respect the right to peaceful protest under Article 37. Our expectation when we were signing that document was that no other person needed to die exercising their rights under Article 37.

These two deaths bring the number of people who have been shot by police during demonstrations since we signed that MoU last year to over 30 people. The problem we have is that immediately such things happen, you start hearing people talk about compensation. There is no replacement or value for life. I have seen some proposals saying that the people who lost their loved ones should be paid Kshs2 million. We are talking about Kshs2 million for a life. We are looking for the money that we have been promised for compensation, and we are not seeing it.

We want something higher - accountability. We want accountability by the police officers who are doing this. We spent the entire morning at the Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations with the Inspector General (IG) of Police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) . The IG of Police told us that it is possible for you to trace and track every firearm and bullet that is used by the police officers during this protest. How is it then possible that we have never seen accountability up to date for all these 30 young people, whose lives have been cut short? We want to see accountability before people start discussing the issue of compensation.

Madam Temporary Speaker, we cannot go on like this, we need the constitutionally guaranteed rights to be respected by the Government. Nobody needs to die in a protest. I am happy that at least, at Runyenjes Hospital, there was no one who was shot; the police need to exercise restraint. Nobody should be blaming the victims. I have heard some leaders trying to insinuate that the fault is with the protesters. They were

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 15

Senator for Nandi County, Sen. Cherarkey, proceed.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. First, I send my deepest condolences to the families of Maurice Njue Njoka and Patrick Kariuki Munene. It is very unfortunate that the bullet that is purchased by the taxpayers' money is the same one that has killed them.

The point is, it would not be enough to refer this matter of Ishiara Level IV Hospital to only the Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations, it should also be referred to the Committee on Health because it is similar to the issue of Runyenjes Level 4 Hospital. The issues include poor service delivery, lack of drugs and lack of medical services. Therefore, I appeal that you also commit it to the Committee on Health, so that we can check the quality of facility services that we have in Embu County.

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is very unfortunate that Embu continues to have these demonstrations. Under Article 37, they have a right to demonstrate to demand for their rights as it should be. I thank Sen. (Dr.) Mundigi for being steadfast and supporting his own people whenever they are being touched.

My final point is on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) ; they must up their game. I think we have seen IPOA only appearing as a reactive body. Today, at the Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations, we were with the IG of Police and some of the Members of the Committee such as Sen. Sifuna are here. They must call out IPOA.

Two years down the line, the suspects of the Anti-Stock Theft Police Unit who beat up young men in Nandi Town have never been arrested or prosecuted. People were killed in Kimwani, Tinderet Subcounty and the suspects have never been prosecuted up to today. What is the work of IPOA? If IPOA does not want to work, we should wrap it up.

I heard Sen. Sifuna saying that we cannot compensate the loss of lives. I inform him that the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has come up with a report on how Kenyans, who are killed in demonstrations, are going to be compensated. I know he has been busy with Linda Mwananchi issues and I think according to him, the MoU is expired because he left ODM. However, they must be compensated.

I inform him that UDA and ODM just met in State House and the 10-point agenda is still on course. I think he should now preoccupy himself with Linda Mwananchi issues; we will see if he will do them in Vihiga and Kisumu. However, the point I am trying to make is that this 10-point agenda should be implemented, fully and we have agreed that compensation is the least that we can do.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I, therefore, support this Statement. If they are men enough, waende Vihiga na Kisumu.

What is your point of order? Proceed, Sen. Sifuna.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 16

Madam Temporary Speaker, I am not one to fret because somebody is asking whether I am man enough. The Senator for Nandi County cannot utter the words that he uttered at the point when he was concluding his remarks; it is an open threat to a Member of this House. He is asking us to demonstrate that we are men enough to go to Vihiga and Kisumu. In that conversation in the morning with the police, we agreed that we want to build a country where everybody is free to sell their policies anywhere in this country.

I assure the Senator for Nandi County---

Just a minute and then you will inform me. I assure the Senator for Nandi County that, yes, he is welcome to sell his policies anywhere in this country. You are welcome to Nairobi and Bungoma, we will never threaten you because from your stature alone, we do not need to ask you whether you are man enough; we know.

Madam Temporary Speaker, you must ask him to expunge that from the record of this House. That is not the politics we want to practise especially because he is a young man. These are things that we should allow older people in politics to perpetuate. As a young generation and with students sitting here, the example that we must set as a new generation is that I should be able to come to Nandi and say “wantam” and leave peacefully.

Hon. Cherarkey, I think your final remarks would amount to a threat. When you say that “if you are man enough, let us see whether you will have a meeting in Vihiga or Kisumu” is unfortunate, particularly now that, as a country, we are trying to deal with the issue of goonism.

Please, withdraw those remarks, so that we do not look like we are among those leaders who actually---

Sen. Kavindu, I am the one on the Chair.

Madam Temporary Speaker, as I withdraw, he should withdraw the word “wantam,” because if I withdraw that statement---

Sen. Cherarkey, you will not give me conditions on how; please, withdraw.

Madam Temporary Speaker, as I withdraw, you should also withdraw “wantam” because we are in “tutam,” including the Speaker.

Sen. Cherarkey, you have not withdrawn.

I have withdrawn, Madam Temporary Speaker.

Thank you very much. Sen. Oketch, you are next.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 17

Madam Temporary Speaker, thank you for this opportunity.

I also want to just add my voice to the Statement by Sen. Mundigi on the issue of police brutality in Embu County. I think this is a dichotomous issue. On one hand, it is an issue of police brutality in response to protesters with a serious force that led to deaths. First of all, I take this opportunity to say sorry to the families of Maurice Njue and Patrick Kariuki. It is sad that young people and even older people, by the way, still lose lives in protests.

It is also very important to highlight the cause of this protest. As indicated, in Ishiara Level 4 Hospital, there has been ongoing poor services that we keep on seeing. I have worked tirelessly as the Vice-Chairperson of the County Public Investments Committee (CPIC) ; this is something that we have raised times without number. Level 4 as well as Level 5 hospitals in Embu County have had serious problems. We must address the issue of poor service to our people in these hospitals that now even forces people to go to the streets.

I have seen this even in Migori County and raised it in this House times without number. I hope that soon, when the people of Migori County will start going to demonstrate against poor services in Level 4 hospitals, as well as the Migori District referral hospital, they will not be met with this kind of force.

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is important that this Committee must actually be able to call the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to task. This is because the investigations against this kind of brutalities, especially where fatalities have emerged to the extent that people have lost lives and we keep on seeing, time without number, these investigations going on and on and on, yet the police that commit this kind of crime are just within our borders. The best that sometimes we do get, is that a police officer will be taken away from Meru and then that police officer is taken maybe to Migori, or taken away from Meru, and taken to Turkana and some hardship places, as if that transfer is even commensurate to the kind of damage they cause to these families that go years and years mourning their beloved ones. These officers must be brought to book.

I hope that even as the Kenyan National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR) is considering people who are going to be compensated since 2017 for having lost lives in this kind of situation, will have mercy to even families that continue to face these kinds of injustices. This is because it is extremely important that we recognise that compensation cannot replace lives, but it is an important step sometimes to help families be able to deal with the stress that this has necessitated.

Lastly, from the profile that I have seen from these families, it is very important that the government of the day, especially the national Government, where these police officers are immune to arrest and immune to punishment, must also have mercies on these families and be able to help them deal with the stress that come with this kind of grief, not only during the time of dealing with funerals, but even in the gaps that they will leave, perhaps with their families not being able to go to school and not being able to deal with their day-to-day survival.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I strongly support this, but it is high time as a country we must put an end to police brutality.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 18

Honourable Senators, I see a whole list of more people wanting to speak. The time that had been allocated by the Speaker is over. What I will do is allow maybe just two minutes each for those I will give space.

Sen. Abass, please.

Thank you, Honourable Speaker. I also join our colleague, Dr. Mundigi, regarding the unfortunate situation that has taken place in Embu. We have a similar case where a young man was shot at a barrier in Garissa some two days ago. This is the second incident in Garissa now. The very police officers who are supposed to guard the lives of people have now become the criminals shooting people, which is a very unfortunate situation. They could have their own problems, but I think they should not release their tensions in killing innocent people.

Honourable Madam Speaker, I also condole the family also, both the Garissa and Embu family who lost their young ones. I tell them that it is a high time this country has to have a conversation on how best we can handle these behaviours of police officers. This is because this country now has been taken over by goons and police officers are killing people the way they want to. It is a high time that we need to contain this situation and take action against all these officers.

One other thing is, when an officer kills a Kenyan citizen, the officer is moved immediately, either being transferred or hidden somewhere, and then the police say that they are looking for him. How do you look for somebody, yet he or she could be arrested immediately? The minute that somebody kills somebody, he should be arrested and taken to court.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I would like to also make a comment on the Statement made by Sen. Mwaruma on the non-registration of persons with disabilities in Taita Taveta, and of course, as we know, this is something that is happening all across our counties. It is really unfortunate that it is actually official that the Cabinet has confirmed that they are knowingly delaying the rights of people with disabilities in the country.

If you listened, even in our meeting in Naivasha as Senators, during the Senate assessment and planning retreat, I asked the Cabinet Secretary for Health how disability rights are being applied and operationalised. His response was astounding, that the Cabinet is still thinking about it. They want to bring the law back and persuade parliamentarians that implementing the disability rights that we envisioned is controversial amongst the Cabinet. That is what he said. He did not give any timelines, no plans and no apologies. That response confirms what we, as PWDs, have felt all along; that, disability rights amongst this state is treated as charity, as a suggestion. This is absolutely wrong and is in direct violation of our constitutional rights as people with disabilities. What Sen. Mwaruma has said is supporting exactly what I had feared all along.

Madam Temporary Speaker ---

You have 40 seconds more.

Madam Temporary Speaker, when we passed that law in this House, as well as the National Assembly, we were hoping that the state would actually do

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 19

Madam Temporary Speaker, thank you. I wanted to comment on the Statement that has been brought by Sen. Mundigi, but also add one thing. If we are making payments or compensating those who are victims of the police brutality, then we are also saying there are people in the police force who are involved. So, if we are making payments, we should at the same time be seeing prosecutions. That is why you are seeing somebody was killed during that time in Nairobi. Now, Mundigi is telling us this problem has happened in Embu. This is because we have not dealt with the problem within the police force.

The reason we created the police oversight authority was to ensure that they get rid of the bad apples within the police force. If we pay these Kenyans today, and leave those police officers who killed people to continue serving, who tells you they are not going to kill people tomorrow? Today, it is somebody from Embu. Tomorrow it will be Nandi. The day after, it will be Nyamira.

So, hand in hand, we should do what is done in the best international practises, even in Arusha, as reparations were being paid, criminal liability was also being pursued because there must be accountability. Those people who are killed are people's children. You cannot tell them, we have paid you, but they do not know what happens to the person who killed those innocent children. Therefore, I am appealing to our conscience to

Madam Temporary Speaker, thank you. I wanted to comment on the Statement that has been brought by Sen. Mundigi, but also add one thing. If we are making payments or compensating those who are victims of the police brutality, then we are also saying there are people in the police force who are involved. So, if we are making payments, we should at the same time be seeing prosecutions. That is why you are seeing somebody was killed during that time in Nairobi. Now, Mundigi is telling us this problem has happened in Embu. This is because we have not dealt with the problem within the police force.

The reason we created the police oversight authority was to ensure that they get rid of the bad apples within the police force. If we pay these Kenyans today, and leave those police officers who killed people to continue serving, who tells you they are not going to kill people tomorrow? Today, it is somebody from Embu. Tomorrow it will be Nandi. The day after, it will be Nyamira.

So, hand in hand, we should do what is done in the best international practises, even in Arusha, as reparations were being paid, criminal liability was also being pursued because there must be accountability. Those people who are killed are people's children. You cannot tell them, we have paid you, but they do not know what happens to the person who killed those innocent children. Therefore, I am appealing to our conscience to

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 20

Sen. Thang’wa, you may proceed.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I also rise to comment on this statement concerning police brutality in Embu County, where two young men lost their lives. That is Mr. Maurice Njue Njoka and Mr. Patrick Kariuki Munene.

As I rise to support this statement and ask for a speedier investigation on this matter, I would want to remind this House that the man who says “it is not my fight” will one day fight alone. We have been here on numerous occasions, raising issues about police brutality, but because we do have a mandate to defend our people, we cannot let such statements go unnoticed, discussed or enforced, despite the people who request them never saying anything whenever we request such statements and whenever we ask for accountability from the police.

This statement is a cry from the people and a cry about life. As the committee that will be tasked with following up on this matter, we should also ask, is the Inspector General (IG) of Police, the police department and the National Police Service (NPS) still moving on with the clarion call of shoot the leg for any demonstrator? They could be following that clarion call and if we do not know their training, maybe they are missing the legs and shooting elsewhere.

We would want to ask the committee to also request a statement from the Presidency and the Executive to denounce the clarion call, because probably the police are still using that statement to do what they are doing today.

Nevertheless, when are we going to see arrests---

Sen. Ogola, you may proceed.

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I would like to comment on the great statement by the Senator of Nairobi City. As I do so, I want to ask the county governments why they have to punish our mothers for giving birth to humanity. This is unfortunate. Sen. Omogeni, Senior Counsel, has just said that there is a hospital where women have to pay Kshs4,000. That is evil and very unfair to women because without deliveries, we would have no humanity.

On the statement by the Senator for Nairobi City, it is a statement on the onboarding of police officers, their prison counterparts and their dependents onto the

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 21

Sen. Cheruiyot, you may proceed.

I will be very quick. First, is on the statement by Sen. Wafula Wakoli. I wish Sen. Omogeni was here because he has made it a habit of giving information that is misleading on the performance of SHA.

Yesterday, the Cabinet Secretary for Health tabled a very comprehensive response to all these issues that he keeps raising. I really wanted him to be here, so that he can read the report and perhaps give his verdict based on facts. However, that is not the reason why I stood up.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I stood up to condemn the innocent shooting of these two young Kenyans in Embu County. Till when shall we, as a House, continue lamenting? We are leaders. We have the responsibility. It is clear to us that our police are struggling with crowd control and we have a very serious issue where due to their struggle, we continue to lose Kenyans every other day. This cannot be allowed to continue. Condemning alone is not enough. Showing that you are angry, speaking about it in political rallies as some have made it their political agenda, but care a hoot about what happens to the lives and the families of these young people. We must rise up to the challenge of leadership. We must ask ourselves as Parliament, as the Senate, what is it that we can do about this particular menace, so that we put it to a stop, so that no other Kenyan ever loses their life.

Many of us, myself included, used to participate in protests as university students and as activists. The police at that particular time, though you could see that there was an obvious struggle, as is the case right now, it never used to result in the number of deaths we are seeing in the latest statistics. Therefore, is it a question of training? Is it capacity? Is it lack of crowd management equipment? What is it?

We must sit down as leaders in a bipartisan way and find ways, have a conversation with the leadership of the police service and speak to each other like Kenyans. We should ask ourselves what it is that is leading to this kind of mess. Therefore, I will be proposing to the House, and I want to challenge those who perhaps feel the need to rise to the challenge of the day, that we need to sit down in a room away from the cameras, but as leaders to consider---

Hon. Senate Majority Leader, that is a very good proposal. I hope you will follow it through to the end.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 22

Sen. Eddy Oketch, you have a balance of 50 minutes. You may proceed.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 23

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 24

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 25

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 26

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 27

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 28

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to second the Bill by Sen. Eddy Oketch on the National Construction Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025. Unfortunately, when he was moving it, I was still attending to students from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. I have since reviewed it. It is a straightforward amendment.

As I state whenever I speak on a Bill, one must start with the memorandum of objects and reasons to understand what the sponsor intends to cure. According to the memorandum of objects and reasons, the object of this Bill is to amend the National Construction Authority Act to include provisions related to environmentally sustainable construction practices and resilience against climate change within the construction industry.

Those of us living on this planet are witnesses to the drastic changes in our climate. Data collected since the year 2000 indicates that extreme weather has become more intense, frequent and unpredictable. While some scientists may debate the causes and others deny climate change entirely, we in Africa and specifically here in Kenya, experience this as a lived reality.

Unfortunately, in the global climate change conversation, Africa gets the short end of the stick. We bear the brunt of the consequences of actions taken by the West, particularly regarding pollution. For example, in 1997, extreme weather events followed a certain pattern, such as the El Niño flooding. We also remember the drought from 2008 to 2010 that affected about 10 million Kenyans.

From 2020 to 2023, this country experienced the worst drought in the last 40 years, followed by severe flooding in 2023. We lost many lives here in Nairobi in areas such as Mathare. In the 2024 floods, we had 300 deaths arising from that extreme

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 29

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 30

An

He is an expert.

No, he is an expert. In fact, when it comes to matters of climate change caucuses in this Parliament, he heads the caucuses. So, with those many remarks, I second the Bill and congratulate my brother, Sen. Eddy, for this straightforward amendment that is going to cure something that is a problem.

I thank you.

Sen. Cherarkey, please proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as I rise to second this Bill, from the onset, I would like to celebrate my brother, the real youth. I am happy most of the guests in your Gallery today are young people in school. It is important that they have come today when we are discussing the National Construction Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (Senate Bills No.15) . I would like to congratulate Sen. Eddy Gicheru Oketch for bringing this amendment. He had promised me that I would second, but did not honour that promise. However, being the gentleman that I am, I will nevertheless support this amendment.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issue of climate change is very serious. In 2023, the African countries made a declaration here in Nairobi on the issue of climate change. It had become a global concern on how we should handle the issue of climate change. The hottest year since 1800 when the fossil fuels burnt has caused global warming and implicated human life. That is why 2024 was the hottest year in the history of mankind. I do not know whether you noticed that it was hot in 2024. That brought some effects that we saw like prolonged famine and drought across countries, which was unusual. Even my region, where the rains are usually heavy, was very hot. I know there are hot things in this city like hot chillies and other things. I know my Chairperson of CPAC knows there are things which are hot that I do not want to mention because this is a Parental Guidance (PG) rated programme.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 31

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 32

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 33

Sen. Osotsi, what is your point of order?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise under Standing Order No.105. I think my good friend, Sen. Cherarkey, has made reference to the Governor of Nairobi City being incompetent. He has suggested that because the Governor of Nairobi City is incompetent, he should not get a ticket from the broad-based government, but from Linda Mwananchi. I want to inform him that Linda Mwananchi is not yet a political party. It may become a political party, but it is not yet a political party. Again, Linda Mwananchi advocates for progress. We are not going to take any mediocre or those who have failed elsewhere into the Linda Mwananchi brigade. I just wanted to inform him that we are not preparing this movement, so that we can take over those who have failed elsewhere.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, thank you for that information by my brother. He is being very selective with the truth because Linda Mwananchi has registered a political party called People's Renaissance Party. Anyway, I agree with him. If somebody has failed anywhere else, he should not be allowed to hobnob. In fact, if you will be around during the weekend, I can buy you coffee within Kilimani and then you see how people are suffering. There is no longer sunshine. Children are suffering from jaundice. When we were doing biology, the non-exposure to sunlight is a dangerous disease. Therefore, our children in Kilimani and other areas which have high-rise buildings have a problem. I hope that when you get time out of your busy schedule, we can take coffee around that place and you will be able to see and appreciate why. So, I agree that we should focus on the issue of physical planning not political zoning.

Sen. Eddy, I hope you will attend the Malindi rally where young people will be addressed. I encourage Sen. Eddy, since he is a young leader with progressive ideas, to resist this temptation of political zoning. If you come with political zoning, you are undermining democracy, which your political godfather, the late Rt. Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga, envisaged. A country that is climate-friendly politically, that you can run for any political office without being politically zoned. Political zoning is another aspect of direct tickets.

Sen. Eddy, what is your point of order?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I appreciate that Sen. Cherarkey is contributing to my Bill. Therefore, I do not want to interrupt him, because I am taking a lot of notes here and benefiting from his wisdom. However, if he takes the

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 34

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have noticed your Clerks-at-the Table are not freezing my minutes when I am being intervened. Was it frozen?

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. You know I am always comfortable when you are in the seat. I remember today when you were chairing the Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations, you gave me a very ample time to prosecute matters of national interest.

On the issues of zoning under the amendment, I want to inform Sen. Eddy that political zoning is another name for direct ticketing. It belongs to lazy politicians who do not want to campaign.

Personally, I would not have a problem running against an ODM candidate in Nandi County. So, I want to encourage Sen. Eddy, as a young progressive leader, to retake this notion of political zoning, so that we can allow the growth of democracy in our country.

I would like to inform him that, today, UDA and ODM met in State House and everything is in order. There were perceptions that there are differences between ODM and UDA. I confirm to the country that the ODM and UDA marriage is intact and very progressive.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 35

Sen. Cherarkey, do you want to be informed by Sen. Osotsi?

No, I will listen to his submissions later.

Thank you, proceed.

Today, Sen. Osotsi is shining like the aluminum foil; I do not know what he has eaten today.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, could you add me two minutes because I have been interrupted regularly by my colleagues on pollution control.

Conclude.

On pollution control, we need to agree. I normally see vehicles that still do not adhere to the standards when I drive around. I think we need to encourage the use of electric vehicles and many others that are environmentally friendly and issue of biodiversity protection.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with those many remarks and with your indulgence, I congratulate you---

Give him one minute to conclude.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank Sen. Eddy as I support this Bill and wish him the very best as he vies to be the governor of Migori.

I support and I thank you for the indulgence.

Sen. Kajwang’ proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to support this amendment to the National Construction Authority (NCA) Act that has been proposed by Sen. Eddy Oketch. I could be a bit underwhelming because the previous speakers have painted me as an expert on the subject matter.

I have had the privilege of leading a climate caucus in this Parliament and I am very happy that in the month of May, all African legislators will converge here in Nairobi

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 36

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 37

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 38

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 39

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 40

Thank you, Sen. M. Kajwang’. Sen. Olekina, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker. Very briefly, I rise to support this Bill; the National Construction Authority (Amendment) Bill, (Senate Bills No.15 0f 2025) , is sponsored by my good friend, a young man educated at Yale University, one of the best universities in the world.

I have to say that Sen. Eddy is very progressive but sometimes the way we develop legislation in this country limits our ability to become innovative. I love this Bill. The only problem that I have with this Bill, which I am currently going through with my Bill on seed varieties on amendment to Cap 326, is a conflict between three ministries.

Currently, I am facing a very big fight between the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry because in my Bill, I am introducing a parallel seed standardisation process to be overseen by the Ministry of Trade, under the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KeBS) .

Now, I have taken my time to read through Sen. Eddy’s Bill and I see a conflict between four different Ministries and the county governments. Number one, the National

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 41

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 42

Thank you, Sen. Olekina. Let us listen to Sen. Osotsi.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to also raise my comments on this Bill; the National Construction Authority (Amendment) Bill (Senate Bills No. 15 of 2025) .

This Bill has some sweet and bitter aspects, but I want to join my colleague, Sen. Olekina, to say that the owner of this Bill needs to look at the aspects which are of concern. These concerns have not just been raised by the Members here, but also by the stakeholders according to the report that I have read. The stakeholders have raised concerns on some of the issues.

This Bill has given another function to the NCA of ensuring that the buildings are environmentally friendly based on the material used. The buildings will now be required to be resilient to climate change. This is a very important aspect. We will address energy issues and ensure that our homes are properly lit at night if all the buildings are to have solar systems. That will help reduce incidences of insecurity especially in the rural areas.

As we give NCA more roles, we must ask ourselves if it has lived to its mandate or not. That is an important concern because we have had many complaints around the function of NCA. The incompetence at the NCA has led to collapse of buildings, especially in Nairobi. The other day, we saw a building collapse in South B. Buildings have also been collapsing in Eastlands because of the incompetence around the NCA.

There have been complaints around registration and the licensing delays. People have complained that requests for registration or licensing take a long time to be addressed. That is an issue that must be looked into. Their system, the portal, has also been experiencing a lot of downtimes because of technical incompetence.

We have had issues of rejection of application or registration of licensing without valid reason, or explanation have also been voiced. There have been issues of inconsistent site inspections. It has been said that they visit a site and give approval for

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 43

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 44

Sen. Omogeni, please proceed.

This Bill is very important. That is why I have sought your indulgence, that you give me an opportunity to make some contribution to the Bill. I want to thank my good friend, Sen. Oketch, for bringing a Bill that is intended to take care of our environment and of the future generation. I hope that once this Bill passes through the Second Reading, Sen. Oketch will do a comprehensive engagement with key stakeholders in the industry. I know that there are many professionals who will, in one way or another, be affected after the passage of these amendments. I hope you are going to engage the Board of Institute of Engineers of Kenya. I think that is how it is called. I hope you will get time to engage the Institute of Quantity Surveyors/engineers and the Architecture Association of Kenya so that they also give you an input.

This is a fairly comprehensive amendment and you know the people who will enforce it, if at all this Bill sees the light of the day, will be these professionals. You know that the Constitution states in black and white that housing is a devolved function. The people who will be tasked with ensuring that there is compliance will be our county governments. It will be also good to engage maybe through the Council of Governors, our governors, just to be sure that they have enough professionals who can help us just in the event that this law is passed.

I wanted to get clarification, maybe as Sen. Oketch replies, when you say a designated place for solar, have you maybe put some definition in the Bill so that when a contractor is building, he will know what we mean by a designated place for you to put solar panels? Remember the contractor will be required to comply with the new amendments. So, you may think, Sen. Oketch, that you do a proper definition of what is a designated place for solar.

I do not know whether you have also updated yourself. There is a big booklet. In fact, I do not know how Kenyans will be able to read it. I am trying to remember the

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 45

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 46

Senator Eddy Oketch, you may reply.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, thank you again for this opportunity. It is very important that I, first of all, take the opportunity to thank the Senators who have given us a lot of feedback on this Bill.

I thank Sen. Sifuna, who seconded this, Bill. He did it justice, and combined it with the challenges that we face, even in terms of cost of energy and other things that we experience in the urbanization that limits access to sustainable living in the country. I want to also thank Sen. Cherarkey, Sen. M. Kajwang, Sen. Olekina, Sen. Osotsi and Sen. Omogeni who have contributed to this Bill.

They have raised some very important issues that would be important for myself, together with the Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing, which I chair. I will definitely give a look to some of these ideas that have been shared here. I will make sure that, you know, where necessary, we can to bring up amendments that will respond to them accordingly.

I wanted to stress, especially to Sen. Ledama, that this is an industrial policy Bill that seeks to bring about standards that need to be met in the industrial construction

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 47

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 48

Thank you, Sen. Eddy. The putting of the question is deferred.

Hon. Senators, looking at the Order Paper, Orders No. 9, 10,11 and 12 must be deferred due to lack of the requisite number of Senators in the House to go to Division. Order No.13 is also deferred as the Mover is not in the House. Order No.14 is also deferred. Order No.15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, are also deferred as the Movers are not present. Order No.20 is deferred because the Mover is not ready to proceed. Order No.21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 are also deferred. The Movers are not in the House.

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 49 THE HEALTH (AMENDMENT) BILL (SENATE BILLS NO.12 OF 2025)

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 50

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 51

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 52

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 53

April, 23, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 54

Hon. Senators, there being no other business on the Order Paper, the Senate stands adjourned until Tuesday, 28th April, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.

The Senate rose at 6.00 p.m.