Tuesday, 13th February 2024

Order, Hon. Members. I can see that we have quorum on day one. Congratulations.

with the Standing Orders, certain businesses that were not dispensed with at the end of the Second Session have now lapsed. This includes all motions, statements, questions and some Bills.

With regards to the lapsing of Bills, I wish to draw the attention of the House to the provisions of Standing Order 141(2)(b), which provides as follows and I quote –

“A Bill that has been published, read a First Time or in respect of which the Second Reading has not been concluded—

Hon. Members, I wish to introduce to you a delegation from the National Assembly of Zambia comprising of the First Deputy Speaker, Hon. Chisongano Malungo, MP and the Second Deputy Speaker, Hon. Moyo Moses Frank, MP. Hon. Members, the delegation is accompanied by six officers of the National Assembly of Zambia led by the Deputy Clerk, Mr. Stephen Kawimbe.

The delegation is in the country on a study visit to benchmark the mental health practices and policies that the Parliament of Kenya has put in place for Members and staff. The delegation seeks to learn ways of addressing systemic challenges and mitigation measures on mental health at the workplace.

Hon. Members, on my behalf and that of the National Assembly, I welcome them to the Parliament of Kenya and wish them fruitful engagements during their stay.

I thank you.

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker. Yes, Senior Counsel, Hon. Otiende Amollo.

Hon. Speaker, as the other Members make their way to the Chamber, I rise under Standing Order 1, as read with Standing Order

matter and we need direction. This is because the directions we take may as well constitute our consideration of whether the proposal by the House Business Committee is appropriate or not.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to seek your clarification on the communication that you gave, especially on the lapse of business. This is

answer questions, I would like to seek clarification on this: What happens if you file a question and there is no other interest? I say that because I filed a question to the Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage in April last year, but there has been no other Member interested to warrant the Cabinet Secretary to come. Why would I be disenfranchised as a Member because I was queuing actually to kill that business, yet it was not responded to? I would like your clarification on that.

Leader of the Majority Party, you have heard what the Member for Gilgil has said; bringing cabinet secretaries to this House should not depend on the number of questions filed. Give each dog an opportunity to have a bite. You should bring cabinet secretaries regardless of the number of questions. Each cabinet secretary should come and face the House. Supplementary questions may arise therefrom but, of course, priority goes to those with heavy and many questions. For those with one question like Hon. Wangari, you can have them in for 15 minutes, they conclude, and you move to cabinet secretaries with more questions.

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker. Hon. Junet, do you have a point of order? Go ahead.

I am fully guided by your direction on the earlier matter of the NG-CDF…

Yes.

You are also right that we need to have the House Business Committee so that we can do the business of the House. However, if I may bring it to your attention, the Members fear that the Executive will not honour their word once the House gets into business as it is supposed to be. They will not keep their word. It will be business as usual.

funds. It is now up to them to do a follow-up. I will ask the Clerk to pass it on to them.

(An Hon. Member passed a letter to the Clerk-at-the Table) The Speaker is not in the habit of reading letters written to him on the Floor of the House. The letter will be shared between the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party. After we conclude the House Business Committee Motion, I will give them more direction on what to do.

Yes, Dr. Makali Mulu.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I start by wishing you and all the Members a happy New Year. We agree with your direction, and we will respect it, but I think it is also important to learn the lessons. On 5th December, as the head of this independent institution called Parliament, you communicated to this House that we would get the NG-CDF funds in our accounts by 20th December. So, even as we support you, our concern would be a situation where the Speaker, the head of this institution, will keep giving official communication to this House, and the letter and the spirit of that communication is never respected. We want to agree with you that whatever we have will continue, but it is very important that whatever you communicate to us as our boss is respected by all other authorities in this country.

I thank you, Hon. Speaker. Thank you. I think we should…

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker. Hon. KJ, is it on the same issue?

Hon. Speaker, I wish to rise under Standing Order 1. I would require your attention. I am rising under Standing Order 1 to invoke your discretion. I want to ask you to call this House to order and get on to the procedural business that we need to do so that we can constitute it properly. This is because everything that we discuss now holds no water.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. I wish to welcome all Members back to the House.

I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table:

Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving the people of Elgeyo Marakwet this opportunity.

Hon. Speaker, Members will recall that on 12th October 2023, I rose under Standing Order 259 (d) to notify the House of the great achievement of Mr. Kelvin Kiptum who had on 8th October 2023 broken the world record.

pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 43, I wish to make a Statement regarding the untimely passing on of a Marathon World Record Holder, Mr. Kelvin Kiptum on Sunday 11th February 2024.

Hon. Speaker, Members will recall that on 12th October 2023, I rose under Standing Order 259(d) to notify the House of the great achievements of Mr. Kelvin Kiptum who had on 8th October 2023 broken the World Marathon Record at the Chicago Marathon, thus becoming the fastest Marathoner in the World with a time of two hours and 35 seconds. Indeed, the tribute of the House to the national hero were recorded with great compliments.

Hon. Speaker, it is, therefore, with a heavy heart that today, the nation mourns the loss of this great Sportsman following a tragic road accident on 11th February 2023. At the young age of 24 years, Mr. Kiptum had achieved what many athletes would only dream of. He had successfully conquered Valencia, Chicago, London Marathon among other top competitions to which he has left a triumphant legacy as the fastest marathoner of his time.

Indeed, it was expected that this conquering sequence would be replicated in the upcoming 2024 Olympics. Mr. Kiptum’s narrative transcends the mere passage of time standing as a testament of his unyielding determination and unwavering fortitude. He was a beacon of hope not only to the people of Chepsamo Village, Kaptarakwa Ward, Keiyo South Constituency, Elgeyo Marakwet County, but the entire country and beyond.

I take this early opportunity to condole with the family and friends of the late Kelvin Kiptum, the athletics fraternity and the people of Kenya at large, for the loss of the extraordinary sportsman.

Hon. Speaker, with your indulgence, may I request that we all stand to observe a minute of silence in honour of the departed sportsman.

Order, Hon. Members. Can we all be upstanding and observe a minute of silence in honour of the young hero.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Ng’elechei, you have done the Speaker’s job. (Laugher) I will now allow three on either side. Member for Keiyo South.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Yes, Hon. Gideon.

I join my colleague, the Woman Representative for Elgeyo Marakwet, in mourning the demise of Kelvin Kiptum.

Take two minutes.

Hon. Speaker, Kelvin Kiptum comes from my constituency in a village called Chepsamo and we are actually neighbours at home. I knew Kelvin Kiptum personally. We have interacted. He was a member of the athletics community in my constituency and we were planning great things together. We sympathise and mourn with the family, his spouse and parents. Kelvin was the only son and the only child.

Kelvin. As we do so, some actions must be taken by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports. We remember the death of Wanjiru, who was a promising star who died at the age of 24, the same way as Kelvin Kiptum among others, including the lady who was killed in Iten under mysterious circumstances. We, therefore, call upon the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports to take our athletes seriously. That is because some of them are young and have promising careers. But they are left on their own. When they are out there representing Kenya, we all celebrate. But once they are within, we neglect them. We must ask the Ministry to support our athletes.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Hon. Jalang’o, Member for Lang’ata.

Thank you so much, Hon. Speaker. Lang’ata Constituency joins the whole country in mourning the death of Kelvin Kiptum, a rising star. It is so sad that he was supposed to represent the country in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. Even as we mourn the death of Kelvin, having listened to what his father said, I think there should be thorough investigations of what actually caused the accident. Apart from that, we need and request that our athletes be treated as VIPs and given security. All our top athletes who represent this country and bring the accolades are always just celebrated immediately they get their medals and after that, they are forgotten. We kindly request that a thorough investigation be done to establish the cause of that accident that led to his death.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Mama ZamZam.

Ahsante sana. Mhe. Spika. Na mimi kama Mama Mombasa nachukua fursa hii kutoa rambirambi zangu za pole pamoja na wakaazi wa Mombasa kwa familia ya Kelvin Kiptum. Alikuwa ni shujaa na kijana mahiri katika mbio. Ningependa pole zangu zimfikie baba yake ambaye alilia sana kwa uchungu akisema ni mtoto wake wa kipekee. Alisema kuwa watu asiyewafahamu walienda kwake na kujitambulisha kuwa walitumwa kutoka sehemu fulani. Napiga pondo nikisema hili jambo lichunguzwe pengine kuna mkono wa mtu.

Ningependa kuwakumbuka pia na mabinti wetu ambao wameuliwa hivi karibuni. Natoa rambirambi zangu kwa familia zao. Naiomba Serikali iangalie vifo hivi vinavyotokea maana ni vya kusikitisha sana.

Ahsante sana, Mhe Spika.

Member for Endebess.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for allowing me to join my colleagues in sending a message of condolences to the family of our athlete, the late Kelvin Kiptum.

Hon. Speaker, this is a very sad moment for our country and for a young man at the age of 24 losing his life before his prime. What I would urge the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports to do, is that we need to have a culture or a format in which we are able to counsel our athletes. We should make sure that we advise them once they qualify to become good athletes. They can be guided so that they live in a better way. Sometimes, you look at some of the athletes who have made this country great, but their lifestyles later after many years of doing very well, making a lot of money for themselves and the country, end up in a miserable state. We need to guide them on how they can invest and make a better life for themselves later on. We have seen some who have been successful. Recently, some even put up the Lewa Village in Eldoret, which is a very innovative way of investing for retirement. I, therefore, join my colleagues in saying pole sana to the family of Kelvin Kiptum for losing their only son and to my colleague. Also pole to the Member for Keiyo South for the loss of his constituent.

Hon. Irene Mayaka.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the young people of Kenya to express my sincere condolences to the family of Kelvin Kiptum and to his Rwandese Coach who also perished in the same road accident. I just want to join my colleagues… Even as we say pole to the family having lost a dependant… This goes back to the question Hon. Martha Wangari raised. We raise questions here concerning the nature of the insurance and the life insurance of our sportsmen so that their families can benefit.

Secondly, I express my condolences to the people of Kenya. In the last two days, we have seen a lot of insensitive information going around on social media. I want to urge my fellow Kenyans not to jump to conclusions. They should be very careful in terms of what they say to avoid being insensitive and unfair to the family.

Hon. Speaker, once again, my sincere apologies to the family and my colleagues the Member for Elgeyo Marakwet County and Member for Keiyo South Constituency.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to also pass my condolences to the family of Kelvin Kiptum. That young man was on top of the world, having worked his way through. He also encouraged many Kenyans when he flew our flag in the countries where he won those marathons. This made Kenyans proud because he put our country on the map.

As we mourn that young man and great leader of marathons, I call upon Kenyan athletes to work and practice very hard to maintain his position because it is ours. I pass my condolences to the family, friends and neighbours of that fallen hero.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

I had promised three from each side will speak and we have done that. I think we can stop there. Hon. Tim, you will speak another time.

Let us go to the next Order.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. First, I take this opportunity to say happy new year to all Members and welcome them back to the House this good year, 2024. As you indicated, I pray that the House will always quorate just like this afternoon. As you noted today, even Hon. Junet was right on time unlike last year. I want to believe this year he is a changed man.

Hon. Speaker, allow me to congratulate you as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) for the good work you have done around the precincts of Parliament. Right from the gate, as we drove in, we could not fail to notice the changes. Hon. Speaker, previously, as you walked into this Chamber, having in mind your skin complexion is not very dark, we could struggle to see you. Now, we can clearly see you. The lighting above your seat is quite impressive and so is the lighting in the Chamber. I also noticed that, at times, you struggled to be heard because of the height of the microphone on your desk. But you are now quite audible from where you stand.

Clerk of the Senate, who is the Secretary to PSC, will endeavour to maintain these standards. Even as these facilities age, repairs and maintenance should be done occasionally when the House is not sitting.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:

THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 171(1)(f), this House approves the appointment of the following Members to the House Business Committee in addition to those specified under paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) – Hon. Omboko Milemba, CBS, MP;

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. As I second the Motion, I take this opportunity to welcome my fellow Members back to the House after a fairly long recess. It has enabled us to interact with our constituents and Kenyans in general.

Hon. Speaker, this past recess enabled me to visit your constituency. I was hosted by Hon. Tim Wanyonyi in Kanduyi Constituency. I am sure this is an indication that, perhaps, when I come next time, you will host me.

You are most welcome.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. The recess also gave us an opportunity to know ourselves and colleagues better. I must acknowledge that during the recess Hon. Wanami Wamboka, Member for Bumula Constituency, struck me as a very fearless defender of the people.

remaining steadfast.

We need to approve this list of nominees to the House Business Committee so as to embark on our business in earnest. Especially, the business of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF). Hon. Speaker, I heard your counsel and advice to Hon. Junet a while back. If I take cue from what you said, the matter of NG-CDF and the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) is so serious that it cannot be wished away.

Hon. Speaker, let me give notice. Like you and Hon. Ichung’wah, these Members are our electors. Our constituency is here. I sense the mood prevailing is such that, even if we pass this Motion, the first business after its passage - and not tomorrow morning because ordinarily there is not so much work. But tomorrow afternoon at 2.30 p.m., if we are not told that monies have been disbursed to the NG-CDF Committee’s accounts in the constituencies, and in the absence of a satisfactory explanation. I think it will be fair to totally pend business from that time until such a time when we shall be convinced.

Yes.

Hon. Okello, when the Speaker is making a communication, you are duty-bound to remain silent.

It is the end of our business today. All the Members who have been approved by the House as Members of the House Business Committee should meet in Committee Room No. 9 in the next 10 minutes to program the business of the House.

Hon. Members, we now stand adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, 14th February 2024 at 9:30 a.m.

The House rose at 3:28 p.m.

Clerk of the National Assembly Parliament Buildings Nairobi